It’s been 15 years between visits and this trip has shown me just how much I’ve changed. The last time we found ourselves in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand, we were young and carefree – finally overseas on a long-overdue honeymoon. Chiang Rai was a highlight of our trip back then, and being in our twenties, Singha Beer and getting a tattoo featured heavily in the short few days we had.
The main street hasn’t changed much, nor has the abundance of scooters or the magic of the night market and its food stalls. What has changed is how we experience this underrated city in Northern Thailand. This time, we’ve got kids in tow…and you know what? I don’t miss the old way.
We booked the family-friendly Na Na Doo Homestay on the outskirts of the city because when you’re travelling with kids, your accommodation is not just a place to rest your head. This place offers affordable comfort with bunks for the kids, a pool and a yard full of adorable rabbits. According to our helpful host, who also happens to be a fantastic cook, there were only supposed to be a few female bunnies. It turns out they got one wrong and that one lucky boy rabbit turned out to be quite the ladies’ man.
One thing they didn’t get wrong though, was the advice to visit Singha Park, an agritourism business that’s popular with locals and spread over at least 3,000 acres.
Singha Park
A taxi deposits us at the entrance, where we spot a giant-sized statue of the mythical Singha lion, which many tourists will recognise from the well-known Singha beer. Here, we grab a ticket to ride the electric tram for the farm tour, stopping at five stops before arriving back at the information centre with its fun lifesize sculptures of cows doing the ‘dab’ – much to everyone’s amusement. The first stop is Swan Lake, where, armed with some fish food, we toss handfuls into the lake to create a fish feeding frenzy while the swans glide gracefully in the background through the light drizzly mist.
The second stop is my personal favourite, as here you can stroll through rows of beautiful flowers before brewing your own blend of tea. Once you’ve scooped your tea ingredients into your tea bag (I went with lemongrass and lavender), the staff heat seal your tea bag shut and provide you with a cup of hot water to test out your brew.
Third stop is the Mini Zoo, where you can see and feed a variety of animals up close, including a Zebra, Giraffe and Ox. I nearly always have mixed feelings about such attractions and this was no exception, but the animals did appear to be healthy and well cared for. The fourth stop promised to be the most exciting with bicycle rentals, zip-lining and a rock climbing wall, but much to the kids’ dismay, it was closed on this particular day.
The final stop made up for it when we were able to grab a sweet drink at the onsite cafe, the cool chill of the mango frappe relieving the sticky humidity that had suddenly engulfed us after the morning’s drizzly weather.
Popular tourist attractions
Our host at Na Na Doo Homestay helped us organise a private driver for the next day so we could tick off the popular tourist attractions – a visit to Wat Rong Suea Ten (the Blue Temple), Wat Rong Khun (the White Temple) and a Hill Tribe Village. The temples are, of course, fascinating and beautiful in their intricacies, but a more accurate description for Wat Rong Khun would be that of a contemporary art installation disguised as a temple.
The Hill Tribe Village visit was a vastly different experience than all those years ago. This time, it felt like a clear tourist rort and the whole experience didn’t sit right with me. We rushed through, feeling the pressure to purchase the products being pushed on us and as a result, it was an awkward experience that I would rather not repeat. It reminded me how travel has evolved, too. What once felt adventurous now feels intrusive when you know better.
Back in the main street of Chiang Rai, we sought out another round of fruit frappes to beat the heat, this time at Cat ‘n’ a Cup Cafe. Here, you can chill out in the air-conditioning while pampered pussies lounge and play around you. My husband, who is not a cat lover, argued that we have two cats at home, but he was quickly outvoted. The prospect of an ice-cold caramel frappe with a healthy dose of caffeine injected sweetened the deal.
It still feels relaxed
Much like last time, this small city sitting near the borders of Laos and Myanmar still feels more relaxed than its larger and more popular sibling, Chiang Mai. There’s fewer crowds and more space to breathe. It’s the kind of place you can spend a few days exploring each morning before unwinding in the arvo at a cafe surrounded by greenery or taking in dinner at the colourful Night Markets. The kids may not realise it yet, but they’re experiencing something that took me years to appreciate – a slower kind of adventure.
As we packed up to leave, I realised that Chiang Rai hasn’t really changed much at all. It’s me who has. What was once a stop for cheap drinks and an off-the-beaten-path adventure, is now a place where I see beauty in the quiet moments: the mist over Singha Park, the laughter of my kids chasing rabbits, the hum of scooters at dusk. Chiang Rai still has its magic – it just shines in different ways now.
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