Into the City
We only had one full day in Chiang Rai and we were determined to make the most of it. Sizing up our new destination compared to the previous one depends on which version of Chiang Mai’s population you decide to use: going strictly by Chiang Mai’s official city limits, Chiang Rai is the larger; however going by Chiang Mai’s overall conurbation, Chiang Rai is by far the smaller. It certainly had the feel of being a smaller, quieter place. The city was founded in 1262 by King Mangrai.
After breakfast and showers, we got into position for our sightseeing by taking another Grab car to Chiang Rai’s favourite meeting place and landmark, the Clock Tower. We proceeded to make a start with a walking tour of the city’s main attractions. Initial points of interest were the Clock Tower itself, an older version and Wat Mung Muang.
The ‘main features’, Wat Phra Singh (Chiang Rai has one too!) and Old City Hall, were conveniently situated across the street from each other, just ten minutes away.
We then saw City Park, complete with some weird and slightly creepy baby statues, and the King Mangrai Monument.
Return to base
With all that successfully accomplished, another Grab ride soon had us back at the resort, where we continued the previous day’s theme of relaxation combined with enjoying the facilities on offer. After all, tomorrow we would be on the move again.
