11th CUP : Exploring Chiang Rai

Welcome back, this is my 11th Cup

In this cup i will share my first adventures travelling Chiang Rai

Itinerary :

• Chiang Rai Night Market
• Flower Festival
• Cat Cafe

January 27th

My first weekend in Chiang Rai, and lights out. No water, no electricity.

I wake up in the morning, looking for something i can cook, but i found out that the refrigerator don't work like it used to be. So, i decided to sleep all day long haha

In the evening, around 4 p.m finally we got the electricity back, i rushed to take a shower and washing my clothes because we already had plan to go to the Night Market. We go to the Night Market with Nam, she is participant of Sea Teacher program from the 4th Batch.

At the Night Market, there's a lot of food, i talk to my self that if i die today, i will die in happiness because of so many foods around me and also so many things that we can buy like the souvenirs, clothes, and many more. But i have to save my money because it's just my first week in Chiang Rai, i still have 3 weeks more here.

At the night market, there are also a Flower Festival, and it's free, no need to pay to enter the Flower Festival. We can take photo and if we want we can buy the flower seeds. The flowers are all so beautiful and the lamps decorations it makes the garden looks more beautiful. I stayed at my friend's (Diah) house for a night. It only took 5 minutes from the Night market and the Flower Festival.

January 28th

In the morning we go to the Cat Cafe. Its name is CAT 'n' A CUP cat cafe, located in 430, Prasopsook Rd, Wiang, Muang, Chiang Rai 57000, Thailand. It's very close from the bus station at Downtown. 

At the cat cafe, we can order foods and drinks there, but we cannot feed the cats with our  foods, we also cannot carrying the cats. The cats there are so clean, tame, and the most important is, they're so cuuuteee and so fluffy.

Next,

February 4th
This weekend i visited so many places in Chiang Rai,i go with Aira, Sheila (my housemate) and Nam. I took so many photos and eat so many foods

So, my first destination is..

WAT RONG SUEA TEN or CHIANG RAI BLUE TEMPLE!!

Please correct me if i'm wrong. Blue Temple is located in Rong Suea Ten in the district of Rimkok a few kilometers outside Chiang Rai. " Suea Ten" means the dancing tiger. We don't have to pay for the entrance fee. 

The second destination is..

WAT HUAI PLA KUNG

It's a big buddha statue in Chiang Rai, i can even see it from the airplane

It is located 6 kilometers out of Chiang Rai city. Just like in Blue Temple, we don't have to pay for the entrance fee, but if you want to go inside and go to the top of the statue you have to pay 40 baht, it is around Rp 17.000,-

The third destination is...

ELEPHANT'S CAMP AT KAREN RUAMMIT VILLAGE

I don't really know where the location is, i think it's a little bit far, it takes about one hour by car from the Wat Huai Pla Kung

At the elephant's camp we have to pay 150 baht for each person if we want to ride the elephants, we also can feed the elephant, we can buy banana for the elephant the price is 10 baht. We also can buy a frame photo with our photo while riding the elephant on it, but it's expensive. The price is 150 baht for one photo. What makes the frame photo unique is, it made from the elephant's poo. People might think it's disguisting, but for me, it's very cool Haha.. 

If you guys think that's all from my adventure, you're wrong. 

In this part, i will continue to share my adventure

Keep reading guys!

So, my fourth destination is...

WAT RONG KHUN or WHITE TEMPLE

It is located in Tambon Pa-or Donchai , Amphoe Mueang, Chiang Rai

Wat Rong Khun is known among foreigners as the White Temple. The temple was built by artist, Ajarn Chalermchai Kositpipat who well known throughout Thailand. 

The fifth destination is..

NAM'S HOUSE

Yeah it is not a place for tourist, but Nam's house is a special place and i have good memories there.

At Nam's house i feel like i already at my home in Indonesia, her family welcoming us and very humble. Her mother cooked so many foods and it taste very delicious.

Before the sunset, Nam's father take us to see the buffalos. Nam's father have a lot of buffalo. There i learn how to feed the buffalo. In Indonesia we also have a lot of buffalo and cow, but i never had any chance to meet the buffalo so it is a new experience for me 

I learn how to harvest the lettuce because Nam had her own mini vegetables garden.

And the last destination for today is..

OLD AIRPORT FESTIVAL

The location is not far from the Central Plaza Chiang Rai, maybe it only takes 10 minutes by walk.

I don't really know what the name of this place actually, nor the events. All i know is this festival is on the old airport

This festival is huge, you can find so many things here like foods, clothes, souvenirs, games, even you can buy a car here

This festival so beautiful because it has its lamp decoration along the way.

After the hectic and stressfull week, finally it is weekend, and thanks God i got one day off on February 9 and it will be a long weekend for me. After the school i decided to go to Diah's place as usual. I go there using the public transportation it called Song Thew. What makes myself proud is i go by myself, the end of the route is on the bus station one. There, Diah, Dina, and Fiqa already wait for me. 

On Friday, February 10th we go to the traditioal market, we explore the market, looking for something to buy as a souvenirs to our family and friends in Indonesia. 

On Saturday, February 11th, Diah, Novita, and Retsa's teacher, Ms. Sunny take them to visit several places in Ciang Rai, i also join with them. At 9 a.m Ms. Sunny already pick us up, she said that we will go to the Golden Triangle and Mae Sai.

It takes One hour to go to the Golden Triangle. We pass a shortcut because the usual road, it might be traffic because the people there preparing to welcoming special guest (Princess of Thailand). 

Before we go to the Golden Triangle, Ms. Sunny pulled up her car beside the Mae Khong River. 

After we took the photos of Mae Khong river we continue to the next destination. It is the Golden Triangle. the Golden Triangle is the borders of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. From there we can see Myanmar, and Laos. We walk around the Golden Triangle and took so many photos there. We also go to the Northern Most of Thailand

Our next destinations are Doi Tung Royal Villa and Mae Fah Luang Garden

Doi Tung Royal Villa, built in the Lanna and Swiss arcchitectural styles, was the residence of Her late Royal Highness Princess Srinakarindra, the Princess Mother. Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother and her daughter, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, gave the architects a concept of simplicity and multifunctionality of the Royal Villa construction.

The Mae Fa Luang Garden is the most beautiful landscaped garden in Thailand filled with hundreds of different kinds of plants and flowers. The garden is located in front of the Doi Tung Royal Villa, on an expanse of hillside that was originally the Akha village of Pa Kluay. A garden of mostly temperate flowers was built over 1 acres of land in accordance with the Princess Mother's wishes to give Thai people who have never travelled overseas opportunity to enjoy a temperate flower garden.

Before we enter the Doi Tung, we have to pay for the entrance fee. It is 90 baht but if you bring your student ID card you will get 50% discount. So you only have to pay 45 baht.

In the evening before we go back to our home, Ms. Sunny take us to the Blue temple. It's my second time go to the blue temple. So i am not too excited because i've been there before.

I got fever right after we arrived at the house, i think it is because i am too tired of walking and taking a picture. Soon, after i had my dinner i take my medicine. Because it is our weekend in Chiang Rai, Diah, Novita, and Retsa ask me to go to the Night market to buy the souvenirs. We walk around until all the stalls are closed.