How Much Do You Want??

Market Outside Wat, Chiang Rai, Thailand
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I decided to take the local bus back to Chiang Mai where I switched buses to continue onto Chiang Rai, which is located about 2 1/2 hours from the border of Laos.  Once at the bus station in Chiang Rai, after leaving at 8:30am and arriving at 4:30pm, I made my way by tuk tuk to Chat Guesthouse, despite Birgit's warning of an exploding gas shower!  The guesthouse was nice with a little garden area and a small restaurant to chill out in.

After checking in, I met Ellen, a Dutch girl who was also traveling on her own.  After talking she told me that she wanted to see the Golden Triangle and the White Temple (or as she called it, White Chapel, I think something gets lost in translation ;)).  I hadn't really planned on seeing much in Chiang Rai, as it was more of a launching point to get to Laos, but was up to seeing these two things.  Ellen had said that she had problems finding a tour, which often happens when you are traveling alone because they want a minimum of at least two people.  We talked to the guy at our guesthouse and he said that it would cost 1,200 Baht (approx $37.50) each.  That was just nuts!!  We decided that we would try and take public transportation instead.  We then decided to walk into the center of town, about a 15 minute walk, for dinner.

Golden Triangle, Thailand
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The next morning, we set off for the bus station around 9am.  We found a bus to Chiang Suan, which is the closest town by bus to the Golden Triangle.  About 1 1/2 hours later and 33 Baht (approx $1.03) we arrived, having met a Polish woman on the bus.  All three of us then hopped into a sangthaew paying 20 Baht (approx $.63) and fifteen minutes later we got to our destination.

The Golden Triangle was definitely touristy, but it was still neat to see the place from which you can see Thailand, Mynammar and Laos, hence the name.  It didn't take too long for us to take our pictures and Ellen and I were ready to head back.  Unfortunately, there were no sangthaews in sight and not even a tuk tuk - where are they when you need one?  We figured since it was lunch time that maybe everyone was on a break, so we headed to one of the stalls by the river to have lunch.

Golden Triangle, Thailand
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After a mediocre lunch, we headed back to the main road and after about 20 minutes we caught a sangthaew back to Chiang Suan, where we caught a bus back to Chiang Rai.

On the way out that morning, I had stopped at a pharmacy to pick up some cream for a bad case of hives that was on my back and spreading to my arms and legs.  I showed the pharmacist by back and she gave me a cream.  It wasn't until later that day that I took a closer look, only to find that she had given me a cream for herpes!!  I knew it wasn't that!  So, given that the hives were getting worse and I was heading to Laos where I wasn't sure what the medical treatment would be like, I headed to the hospital.  After checking in (with a birth year of 2513!) I saw the doctor who laughed when I showed him the herpes cream.  Since I was already on a daily dose of anti-histamines, he prescribed a steroid cream and $8 later I left knowing that I was allergic to something, but the doctor couldn't tell me what.  Great!

Looking at Myanmmar and Laos, Golden Triangle, Thailand
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That night, Ellen and I decided to stay at the guesthouse for dinner.  The next day we had an earlier start than the previous day since we still had to make it to Laos that afternoon.  We headed to the bus station and found one that after about 30 minutes and 15 Baht ($.47) dropped us off close enough to the White Temple.  As its name suggests, the White Temple is extremely white, with mirrored mosaic pieces that glittered against the brilliant blue sky.  I believe this is the only white temple in Thailand.  It was absolutely stunning and a nice alternative to all the golden temples that I had seen.  One cool part was at the entrance to the bridge that lead up to the temple, where there was a dry pool that had sculptured arms that extended upwards.

Golden Triangle, Thailand
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After many pictures later, it was time to head back.  We didn't find a bus, but managed to catch a sangthaew for the same price.  We got back to the guesthouse, collected our packs and then headed back to the bus station to catch a bus to the border.

So, I think Ellen and I did really good considering we only spent 136 Baht ($4.25) instead of the 1,200 Baht that the guy at the guesthouse wanted - and traveling my local bus is always an experience!