The next day’s itinerary in Thailand is a one-day trip to Chiang Rai. The most convenient way to do this one-day trip is to book it on Taobao. There are many agencies with various travel packages to choose from. I booked the trip very early and left a WeChat account and a phone number in Thailand. The night before the trip, someone added me on WeChat and confirmed his identity with me, saying that he was the tour guide for a one-day trip to Chiang Rai. After looking at her circle of friends, it turned out that she had been a Thai student studying in China. The agreed departure time is 8 o'clock. Fortunately, the room rate at Dawanyuan Hotel includes breakfast, otherwise I really don't know where to find something to eat. Just after eating, I received a voice call on WeChat and the car had already arrived at the door. After confirming my identity, I got on the bus. One bus was filled with 10 people, all of whom were Chinese compatriots on a one-day trip from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai.
A one-day tour of Chiang Rai includes three attractions, namely the White Temple, the Black Temple and the Blue Temple. The entire tour basically takes one day. We passed by Chiang Rai Hot Springs on the way and just stopped for a moment before continuing our journey.
white temple
I visited the White Temple once a few years ago. At that time, admission was free, but this time it has started to charge. It is said that the fees collected are not used to repair the building, but to build a hospital. The most conspicuous golden luxury building on the left side after entering the door is actually the toilet. You can even find the location of Golden Toilet on the map when locating.
The official English name of the White Temple is Wat Rong Khun. There are many translated names, such as Long Kun Temple, Lingguang Temple, Wat Rong Khun, White Dragon Temple, etc. Chinese people are more accustomed to calling it the White Temple. It was created by a Thai artist Xu Longcai (Charlermchai Kositpipat) was built in 1998. The front part of the White Temple means hell, and the back part means heaven.
black temple
The next stop of the White Temple is the Black Temple. The Black Temple is not a temple, but a private museum built by Thai artist Thawan Duchanee.
All items are from private collection
blue temple
The last stop in Chiang Rai is the Blue Temple. The Blue Temple was designed by Phuttha Karbkaew, the apprentice of the owner of the White Temple, Mr. Xu Longcai, and was only opened for tours in 2016. The Blue Temple reminds me of the Silver Temple I saw last time I came to Chiang Mai, but I think the Silver Temple in Chiang Mai looks more beautiful.
I found a coconut ice cream seller in Lam Temple. The coconut ice cream in Thailand is made in the same way. First cut the coconut open, then use half the coconut shell as a container, put the ice cream balls and scraped coconut, add some glutinous rice, and finally Also add a flower for decoration.
On the way back, the driver said we could deliver it to Maya Shopping Center or Fengfeifei Pig’s Knuckle Rice, so we got off the bus at Fengfeifei Pig’s Knuckle Rice. Feng Feifei Pig Knuckle Rice is an internet celebrity restaurant in Chiang Mai. The taste of the pig knuckle rice is not bad, and there were not many people when I went there.
Walking back along the city of Chiang Mai, we stopped to take a few photos when we passed Tha Pae Gate. Many people come to feed the pigeons at Tha Pae Gate during the day. Chiang Mai’s Sunday night market also extends from here to the city, and there will also be performances in front of the city gate on Sunday nights.
Walking further east, we came to the Buparan Temple. Last time I came to Chiang Mai, I stayed opposite this temple. No one was selling tickets at night, so I came in to have a look. This is also one of the filming locations for "Thailand". There is a well inside that is said to contain holy water. After visiting the Buparam Temple and returning to our accommodation, the second day in Chiang Mai ended.
We only stayed in Chiang Mai for 3 days, and the morning arrangements for the last day were to visit the Phuping Palace and Dou Suang Long Temple. Shuanglong Temple is located on Doi Suthep Mountain on the west side of Chiang Mai City. I caught a songthaew in the morning, negotiated the round-trip price and set off. On the way, I met a foreigner riding a bicycle up Doi Suthep Mountain.
Puping Palace
Phuping Palace is also on Mount Suthep. It is a summer resort for the royal family. It was not open the last two times I came here. This is also my first time here.
Poisonous datura flower
Shuanglong Temple
Shuanglong Temple is a famous Buddhist summer resort in Thailand. It is a temple that was sited by white elephants and built by the royal family. It is full of legend. Legend has it that a Ceylon monk brought several Buddha relics to Thailand. The monks were afraid that others would snatch them away. It was decided to place the relics on the white elephant, and the white elephant would choose a blessed place where a temple could be built to worship the relics. The white elephant wandered around at will and lay down at the current site of Shuanglong Temple. People built a relic pagoda, and because there were mountains on both sides of the mountain road, It is guarded by two golden dragons, so it is called "Double Dragon Temple". (Baidu Encyclopedia)
After coming down from Mount Suthep, I planned to go to Chiang Mai University for lunch. I found that Chiang Mai University had been surrounded and the tour bus could only park at a few fixed locations. The last time I came here, I accidentally found the canteen. I had breakfast in it and found it was pretty good. This time I came here specifically to eat. If the time was earlier or the number of people was smaller, we might be able to sneak into the cafeteria, but this time we were stopped just as we were about to go inside. It’s not interesting to take a tour bus to visit Chiang Mai University, so we went directly to the next stop, Maya Shopping Center.
Maya Shopping Center is a relatively large shopping mall in Chiang Mai, and the things inside are not cheap.
After visiting Maya Mall, the trip to Chiang Mai is basically over. On the way back, we went to a daily necessities supermarket opposite the main entrance of Wat Phra Sing, where we met L’Oreal, the cheapest store in Thailand. Walked from the entrance of Wat Phra Sing to Dawan Court Hotel, and after a little repair, walked to Chiang Mai Railway Station.