The White Temple, Chiang Rai Thailand

Chiang Rai – More Than Meets the Eye

For me, first impressions really count and I often know within minutes of arriving in a new place whether I’m going to love or hate it. Take Melbourne for instance, Sagada or Luang Prabang – I fell for them all instantly, whereas I had an immediate and profound dislike for Jakarta. Usually it’s hard to shake my initial feelings about a place so after a wobbly start I was surprised to find that Chiang Rai in Thailand really grew on me.

The White Temple, Chiang Rai

Our First Impressions of Chiang Rai

After our week in Koh Samui we returned to Chiang Mai with a few days to spare before our volunteering stint at the Elephant Nature Park. Since we’d already spent a month living in Chiang Mai we decided to take advantage of the gap in our schedule to explore somewhere new; Chiang Rai seemed like the perfect place given that it was only a three-hour bus journey away.

We arrived in Chiang Rai in the late afternoon to grey skies and immediately noticed the drop in temperature; the city is located in the very north of Thailand close to the Laos border and has a much cooler mountain climate than Chiang Mai. As we set out to explore that evening we found ourselves caught up in seedy side-streets lined with ‘bars’ which looked like strip clubs or brothels. We also came across the slightly bizarre clock tower, which lit-up in different colours and blasted music at intervals throughout the evening.

Clock Tower in Chiang Rai, Thailand

We found a small café to have an unappetising dinner and began lamenting about how we could have been eating a delicious meal back in one of our favourite Chiang Mai restaurants. Depressed at the thought of spending a couple of days in this new, underwhelming city we even considered leaving the next morning and heading back to Pai, one of our favourite places in Thailand.

We just weren’t feeling Chiang Rai.

The Hidden Gems of Chiang Rai Thailand

The next day, despite the rain and our negative first impressions, we decided to persevere and make the most of our stay. On first glance it seems like there aren’t many things to do in Chiang Rai, however after some research we found out about a couple of interesting sites that actually turned out to be pretty amazing.

The Black House

The first place we visited was The Black House; a quirky art project set outside the city. To get there we found that renting a motorbike (which we try to avoid) was the only reasonably-priced option. Despite looking up directions online beforehand and collecting a map from the visitor centre we still managed to get hopelessly lost and arrived at the Black House only half an hour before closing, which was a shame because there was much to explore at the strangely beautiful place.

The Black House, Chiang Rai

Inside the Black House, Chiang Rai Thailand

Outwardly the Black House gives the impression of a traditional Buddhist temple, but on closer inspection it’s anything but. Instead of colourful tiles that sparkle in the sunlight and gold-leaf decorated statues, this temple is painted black and filled with bizarre and creepy artifacts; chairs made of animal bones, long snake skins trailing across tables and ugly stone gargoyles guarding the entrance. The place feels distinctly like a set from a Tim Burton movie.

Animal Bones at the Black House

Statue at the Black House, Thailand

Outside in the garden the macabre theme continued as we walked past live snakes in a pen, weird black buildings decorated with more dead animals and a strange dog-whale statue. We couldn’t stop taking pictures and didn’t have nearly enough time to explore this unique place before we were kicked out at closing time.

Snake Skin, the Black House Chiang Rai

The Black House, Chiang Rai Thailand

The White Temple

In complete contrast to the Black House we also visited the far more famous White Temple just outside of Chiang Rai. This place was as white and sparkly as the black house was gothic and menacing; like a fairytale castle fit for a snow queen. We joined the crowds of tourists taking pictures of the building, which glittered against a backdrop of blue sky, its unblemished reflection gazing up at us from the surrounding lakes.

The White Temple, Chiang Rai Thailand

Not unlike the Black House, however, there was a strange surrealist twist to the White Temple; heads hung from nearby trees and weird alien creatures burst through the lawns. Unfortunately the temple was closed for the day so we were unable to explore more of the inside but we hope to visit again when we’re back in Thailand next year.

The White Temple in Chiang Rai

Alien Sculpture at the White Temple, Chiang Rai

As for the centre of Chiang Rai, our opinion of it increased significantly when we discovered the night market. I found there was a much more laid-back feel to this market in comparison to ones in Chiang Mai and Bangkok and we were able to browse without being hassled; which actually encouraged us to buy a few things rather than rush through as fast as we could. We even found ourselves purchasing a head massager – definitely the strangest addition to our packing list so far.

By the time we left Chiang Rai we had discovered there was definitely more to the city than first meets the eye; in fact, I’m sure we’ll go back there when we’re next in Thailand.

Have you been to Chiang Rai? What do you think of it?

13 Comments
  • Patti
    Posted at 03:05h, 08 January Reply

    You’ve seen some amazing places and I’ve enjoyed visiting them through your words and photos!

    • Andrew
      Posted at 05:02h, 08 January Reply

      Glad you’ve enjoyed a taste of South-East Asia Patti!

  • Gem
    Posted at 20:23h, 08 January Reply

    The White Temple and The Black House seem so fascinating!

    • Amy
      Posted at 06:31h, 09 January Reply

      If you get a chance you should definitely visit them Gem, they’re pretty amazing!

  • Kerri
    Posted at 21:41h, 08 January Reply

    Wow! Both the temples look fascinating! I especially like the White Temple. Was it wood too?

    Anyway, Rabat was one of those places for me. At first, I was not thrilled, but by the end was glad we stayed there.

    • Amy
      Posted at 06:30h, 09 January Reply

      Hi Kerri, no, I don’t think the White Temple is made of wood – it’s very impressive though. So far Chiang Rai is the only place I’ve hated on arrival but grown to love!

  • The Guy
    Posted at 23:54h, 09 January Reply

    I’m glad you guys stayed to explore. They look like very interesting sites and such a contrast. I think that White Temple looks amazing, such a shame it was closed.

    • Amy
      Posted at 05:28h, 10 January Reply

      It was a shame the White Temple was closed; we’ll definitely try and take another look when we’re back in Thailand in April.

  • Lucky
    Posted at 06:29h, 10 June Reply

    Nice pics… Been there also recently.

    • Amy
      Posted at 09:36h, 10 June Reply

      Thanks 🙂

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