Chiang Rai to Laos

By 9:00 PM, our bus arrived in Chiang Rai. We went straight from the bus terminal to the adjacent night market. In a courtyard-like area, there is a large food area with live music. Coincidentally, we met the Swiss person whom we had met a few days earlier at the Grand Canyon in Chiang Mai. Fortunately, the walk to the hotel was not too long. The room was super modern and had air conditioning - a true relief in this heat.

The next morning, after breakfast, we rented a scooter and went on a temple tour. First, we went to Huai Pla Kang, a huge white Buddha. Next to the Buddha, there was also a white temple and a special house that resembled a fir tree. Only a few people braved the heat and visited the temple complex at this time of day. We continued our journey and visited the Baandam Museum (also known as the 'Black Temple' or 'Black House'). The renowned Thai artist, Thawan Duchanee, built about 40 different houses on a large plot of land. Impressive are not only the houses, but also the exhibits. Over 50 years, Duchanee collected numerous crocodile skins, horns, furs, traditional tools, etc. He especially liked to use the horns to make chairs or other everyday objects. The exhibition was exciting, but also strange and quirky. On the way back to Chiang Rai, we stopped briefly at Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple. The temple and all the statues surrounding it are blue. The combination of the blue and gold colors looked really beautiful. We found the wall paintings inside the temple less tasteful, even kitschy. Lastly, we visited the famous Wat Rong Khun, the 'White Temple'. This temple occasionally graces the cover of Thailand travel catalogs. For us, this temple was a bit too kitschy. With the small pond and the well-kept garden, the sacred place seemed more like a fairy tale castle from Walt Disney to us. There was quite a crowd of tourists. On the premises, in addition to the White Temple, there was also a golden complex with exhibits. Fine silver etchings were presented, among other things. We also visited the adjacent museum, where numerous pictures of the man who designed the temple were displayed. The large pencil drawings were particularly impressive.

After the scooter excursion in the scorching heat (about 38 degrees Celsius), we were very tired. We ate again at the night market - a hot pot with various meat and vegetable side dishes.

The next day we continued to Laos: At 11:00 AM sharp, the local bus departed towards Chiang Khong. The ride was bumpy and the vehicle wasn't the newest. The doors could no longer close - no problem, there was no air conditioning anyway. We were very grateful for the open windows. After two hours, the bus disgorged us and we had to cover the remaining distance by tuk-tuk. Upon arriving at the border, we filled out the forms and prepared the $35 for the visa. In the end, we didn't have to pay the money. Because what we didn't know is that Switzerland has an agreement with Laos. As Swiss citizens, we are allowed to stay in Laos for 15 days visa-free. A nice surprise. On the Laotian side, we drove to the center of the border town Ban Houayxay in a pickup taxi.

From here, the Gibbon Experience starts, which is a jungle trek combined with ziplines.