Ride high on the Chiang Rai state of mind

It's most commonly known as "The Golden Triangle" and for decades it was the opium capital of Southeast Asia. Resting along the Mekong River and squeezed in between eastern Myanmar's Shan State and Western Laos, Chiang Rai Province is the last stop north in Thailand. According to the locals, life in the north is a little different than the rest of the country, which is already famous for its tranquility. Things move even more slowly here and life at times is almost excessively laid back. The locals are generous, kind and easy going. It's not unusual to hear folks say that this is what the nearby city of Chiang Mai used to be like a few decades ago.
"I think Chiang Mai will be the same as Bangkok soon," says Chanida Phongnaparak, who is a native of Phayao and now a university lecturer in Chiang Rai. "I think all of Northern Thailand is special because of the mountains and nature, local culture, and the variation of tribes."
If you've made it far enough north in your ventures in Thailand, it's probably safe to assume that you've visited enough pagodas. If your time is limited in Chiang Rai, my simple advice would be to skip the more marketed attractions (which often feature the opulent temples near the city centre) and get yourself on two wheels upon arrival.
The majority of foreign tourists that visit Chiang Rai are primarily backpackers making visa runs to the border or on their way to Chiang Khong to hop on a riverboat to Laos. Unfortunately, most miss the plentiful gems sprinkled throughout the province. With that said, start by grabbing a quick bowl of khao soi - a coconut curry with deep-fried crispy egg noodles, shallots, lime, pickled cabbage and chicken - at a quaint noodle shop on Jed Yod road near the clock tower. With a full stomach, head north out of the city on the highway to Mae Sai. From here there are several options open to the traveller.
Doi Mae Salong
Continue driving north past Mae Chan and look for the sign to turn right off the highway to Doi Mae Salong. The village is quite small, but the ride up is nothing short of glorious. Winding roads that cut back at a moment's notice are steep, but well worth the often-slow journey on a motorbike.
The road navigates through steep barren hills. Golden specks dotted along the hillsides turn out to be remote pagodas that house shrines and a handful of monks or statues of The Buddha sitting alone in quiet reverence. The farmers at this elevation plant rice in terraces. The tea plantations look like linear mazes that if stared at too long make one feel vertiginous.
The village of Doi Mae Salong was founded in the 1960s when the remnants of the 93rd regiment of the Chinese Nationalist army, which is commonly known as the KMT, settled the area after migrating across the region following its defeat in China in 1949. The town is still quite small and populated mostly by ethnic Chinese. The local markets are filled with Chinese tea sets and clothing and souvenirs made by the area's numerous hill tribes.
The best view and place to soak up the fresh air is at the Sweet Maesalong coffee shop. Positioned on the edge of the mountain, it was opened by Ton, with his wife, four years ago after they fled from the municipal chaos of Bangkok. The coffee shop is home to incredible espressos made by Ton and freshly made curries, cakes and other delicious sweets concocted by his wife in the back of the shop.
"I think the main problem is that most tourists stick to what they used to do in Bangkok and they practise it here," says Ton. "They don't try to understand the local culture and lifestyle. Maybe some of them try to understand, but they need to spend much more time than they thought to see what is really here."
The road in Mae Salong is no less spectacular than the ride up. Take it in low gear and don't be afraid to stop when a local tries to flag you down. It's not uncommon to be offered rice wine and fresh tea for your journey down the mountain.
Mae Sai
The easiest way to get to Mae Sai is to keep following the highway north until it dead-ends at the border crossing. But the most scenic way to get there is via a small mountain road that serves as both a border marker between Shan State and Chiang Rai. This little sliver of asphalt traverses the mountain range that separates the two lands and provides the traveller with spectacular views of the landscape. To the west, endless green mountains stretch to the horizon, while to the east the hills give way to a fertile valley that eventually runs into the mighty Mekong. All along the road are tiny hill tribe villages nestled among the crags that scrape the sky.
You need your passport or a form of identification to make the journey because there are multiple military checkpoints along the way. At the road's highest elevation there is a small Thai military outpost that should be visited. Next to the trenches and a sign that marks the border, are plastic tables, where travellers can enjoy a cup of instant coffee. There are thermoses of hot water and a small donation box where voluntary contributions can be made. From this vantage point, you can see a neighbouring Myanmar outpost that sits on top of the adjacent hillside.
The road eventually continues down what's left of the mountain range and feeds into the main road that runs into the border gate at Mae Sai. Most foreigners that come to the city are merely there to do a visa run, and the Thais that visit are there to cross the border into Tachileik, where they are able to purchase cheap goods.
However the town shouldn't be written off so easily. Mae Sai serves as a point of intersection between China's Yunnan, Shan State and Thailand. The streets of Mae Sai are filled with Myanmar men squatting on their heels smoking cheroots (Myanmar cigars) and wearing longyis (traditional men's skirts), monks in saffron robes and young Shan girls with faces chalked with thanaka (cosmetic paste that is made from ground wood). The fragrance of incense wafts from pagodas, while Chinese music blares from shops during the daytime. The main street is lined with meal carts that serve dishes from Yunnan, and Thai classics, to fried chicken, roast chestnuts, and drinks made to order. However, just off the main street, the quiet neighbourhoods of Mae Sai are home to restaurants without menus or signs that have only a few dishes to offer, but are memorable for their quaint and family style service.
Chiang Saen
Just down the road from Mae Sai is Chiang Saen. The road that connects the city is flat and surrounded by seemingly endless rice fields that look more like an emerald sea during the rainy season. Near the outskirts of Chiang Saen, the road runs along the banks of the Mekong River. It is lined with cafes and restaurants that serve Thai food and cold beer. I don't know what it is but there something special about the Mekong. Maybe it's the lack of development along the river or its sheer and presence, but there are worse things to do than while away the time on the riverbank watching the boats pass by.
Chiang Saen is a quiet town. Few tourists pass through its ancient walls that were constructed in the 14th century. It was when these walls were built that the city was the capital of the Lanna Thai Kingdom. In the 1800s, when the first French colonial expedition up the Mekong passed by Chiang Saen, the explorers reported seeing a rhinoceros among the ruins of the ancient kingdom. Now there are fewer than 10 of this species of rhinos left in mainland Southeast Asia. The times have certainly changed.
"The environment influences the lifestyle," says Eakkasit Galayaratsiri, a university student in Chiang Rai. "I think it's less convenient, but the art around here and the weather makes me happy, but sometimes I feel lonely."
Tucked away in the mountains these roads are more than just transportation routes. After a largely successful eradication programme, the mountain's fields that once grew opium are now filled with coffee and tea. No doubt some of the roads were used for decades as infrastructural support for the opium trade, but these small lanes are passages through the dense cultural fabric that encompasses the region. Lined with wildflowers and trees bearing white blossoms, it's hard not to think of the land on either side of the asphalt as some kind of ethereal paradise. At the higher altitudes, pine trees are plentiful, and fill the air with a rich aroma. Every few kilometres there is a village that is home to numerous ethnic groups. It's not unusual on a single bike ride to hear people speaking in Thai, Chinese, Shan, or one of the languages of the numerous hill tribes that live in the region. Yet, with the diversity there is also a sense of unity that binds the area. Fresh tea is brewed, coffee is planted, and rice is grown in most of the communities that have settled in this area.
However, these few destinations represent just a fraction of what Chiang Rai has to offer. This list in itself does little justice to the land and the people in the province, and the more I seem to write, the more of a disservice I feel I'm doing. Chiang Rai is a land and place that should be experienced in its current state before development alters the landscape forever.