Chiang Rai December 13, 2005
Posted by Martin in : Thailand , trackbackI’d always wrongly assumed that Chiang Rai was a tiny province. It is located in the north of Thailand and is accessible from Chiang Mai. I’ve been there twice before, both times to explore the mountains and woodlands.
Tik was working there for a few days so I flew in to meet her after she’d finished. She collected me from the airport and introduced me to two of her clients who’d attended the conference she was facilitating. Both well-travelled English-fluent doctors, they’d been married just a year and were enjoyable company. Although Tik had completed most of her work, it was still her responsibility to take care of them for a few hours and to return them to the airport. We used this time to visit the home of the late king’s mother in Doi Tung.
The house itself was nice, but certainly modest for a lady of such status. It was built at the peak of the mountain and surrounded a beautiful known as The Mae Fah Luang Garden. The Queen mother, took Chiang Rai to be her home province and was responsible for encouraging farmers to seek alternatives to opium cultivation. She was also an artistic person and we were able to see a broad example of her paintings and craftworks.
We returned our guests to the airport and drove to Phu Chai Sai Resort which Tik had booked for us. This is a resort high in the mountains of Chiang Rai and is well-known for its relaxing environment.
I imagine this being the place where Fred and Wilma might have conceived Bam Bam or Pebbles. Although the resort was immaculately clean it was built in the style of the Flintstones. The electronic cars to transport guests around were clad in bamboo, the buildings made from timber with thatched rooves and, being in the middle of the countryside we were as close to nature as money can buy.
Our suite itself was impressive, centred around a large stone spa bath. We had a cliff-edge view from the bed, an outdoor pagoda and a practical dining area too. We spent the afternoon and evening making the most of the room, and the fantastic restaurant. I especially enjoyed lying with Tik in the hammock by the bar, sipping Baileys, listening to the live music and enjoying the panoramic mountainscape.
It’s getting chilly up here though and I was very glad to have packed my jumper.
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