Off the beaten path - Phrae

The Lonely Planet guidebook had recommended the small town of Phrae, located about 240 km south of Chiang Rai, and compared it to Luang Prabang in Laos. This comparison is a bit far-fetched, but it is a beautiful city with lots of greenery, beautiful temples, and friendly people. So our stay there was just right. It's also exciting when there are hardly any non-Asian tourists around. It's fun because you get to see much more of everyday life than in touristy places. For example, the rehearsal for a coronation event.

But it can also be challenging to find your way around when people don't speak English or speak very little, and we don't always know what we're eating.

About 150 years ago, Phrae experienced some prosperity through the trade of teak wood. Some beautiful wooden houses and temples from that time still remain.