Chiang Rai

I had three wonderful and relaxing days in the north in Chiang Rai!

It felt a bit like a breath of fresh air when I arrived in Chiang Rai by night bus! The journey was really pleasant and entertaining; I had imagined it to be much more exhausting sitting on a bus for 12 hours.

Upon arriving in Chiang Rai, I first rented a scooter to be mobile, as that's how everyone gets around here. The feeling of sitting on the scooter and cruising through the streets made me so happy and helped me feel like I had truly arrived, making homesickness fade more into the background.

I wouldn't necessarily call the streets of Chiang Rai beautiful when driving around, but they have a nice simplicity, and there's a rustic charm that just radiates something special! On the first day, I rode around the city a bit and passed by a cat café, where I then enjoyed my coffee with a lovely cat on my lap! I also had a lot of delicious food here; in the mornings, I would always sit with a woman in a restaurant that also served as her living room, and she would cook for me from her home kitchen while her child clung to her skirt. Moments like these are so fulfilling because I feel like I'm somehow part of this family.

On the second day, I visited various temples in the area that are incredibly impressive and beautifully crafted. After soaking up some culture, I treated myself to more delicious food from an elderly man who had turned his restaurant into a jungle. The food was fantastic, as it is everywhere here, and the night bazaar offered a wide selection in the evening. It's lovely here that at the bazaar, everyone sits together at tables in the middle and eats in peace while Thai covers of well-known English pop songs are sung up front.

Massages, of course, were a must, as I'm on vacation ;) but unfortunately, they weren't that great; they probably felt sorry for me and didn't want to hurt me, but in the end, I mostly just got stroked for an hour. Luckily, I still have plenty of time to try more :)

Tomorrow, I will continue my journey by bus to Chiang Mai, a bigger city where I'll meet a few friends.

I definitely feel more settled. Sometimes I still notice that my mind isn't completely in the here and now, but even here in the north, I can feel that everything—the food, the people, the nature—makes me really happy!