Chaing Rai vs Chaing Mei

[Neal]

I have been to beautiful Chaing Mei two or three times but never had the pleasure of visiting Chaing Rai. I heard that a drive from Chaing Mei to Chaing Rai is awful and takes forever but I don't know. I think Burmese boys and the boys of Chaing Mei are stunning and would like to hear more about the boys of Chaing Rai.
Please share any of your experiences.

[Dboy]

Lot of outdoor activities in Chiang Rai aka "Golden Triangle" area, and you can visit both Lao and Burma from there. I've done day trips over those border crossings and they are both interesting. The long-tail boats from Thailand side to Lao side are a lot of fun (Chiang Saen crossing), especially if you don't mind bailing water (just kidding, it's fun). You can visit hot springs, go on elephant rides in the jungle, visit coffee plantations, and many other things. In Chiang Rai *town*, the main nightlife areas are found on Thanon Sanambin and Thanon Phahonyothin (same as Route 1 to Mae Sai). Also check out the night market (middle of downtown). There's no real "gay" area, other than the entire province. Best luck likely at hotels, restaurants, shopping...same as usual. This is REAL Thailand...speak Thai for best results.

Since you are adventuring in that area, you should also know that there's a "traditional" route outside of CM that is very scenic and interesting. It's Chiang Mai/Mae Hong Son/Pai/Chiang Mai. Excellent trip for (2-4 days).


Dboy

[Neal]

Wonderful input!

[gaymandenmark]

Oh well, you can't compare Chiang Mai with Chiang Rai if you are talking about gay bars and so on.
Chiang Rai is just that smaller.
That said, when I was there some years ago I really liked it. People are really friendly.
I flew up there from BKK and flew back to Chiang Mai. I have heard that the road between the to cities should be really amazing if you dare.

When I was there I was so lucky that a friend of a friend...oh you know, was living outside of the city.
I called him and after 3 hours he was standing in my room. What the hell I thought, he had brought everything with him for a long stay.
I was sure from the first look, that I was not sexual interrested in him, but what the hell, I was not in Chiang Rai for sexual reasons, and as I had a "maybe BF" in Bangkok, and knowing how fast rumours run from north to south, in certain circles, I said okay you can stay here under my visit, you use this bed and I use that bed.

It was such a nice trip, we went around and outside the city, I can recomend the trip to see the White Temple.
In the first evening we were sitting in a bar playing cards, close to the Night Market, he asked me if I would like to see the country side.
Then he could call his uncle, who was also gay, and he would drive us around.
What an amusing time, we went to waterfalls, drowe around the fields, visiting their villages and up to the mountains.
I paid for the gazoline, the uncle for the beers, and me of course for a great cheap dinner in a restaurant overlooking some riwer. I have never had so much delicious food for so small money.
When we drove back to Chiang Rai, in the dark, they were singing Isan and other songs in the car. I closed my eyes, felt just happy and realised they have had a wordefull day too.

We went to have some more beers and went to bed. Next day I was leaving, and I was thinking some kind of gift would be appropriate, we went to a shop where I had seen some nice clothes, when I asked if he liked this or that, I got the eyes and also words: what are you thinking, drop it!

Sorry for my spelling, the spellingcontrol is not in control, to much red wine. :love4: but is was a very very nice trip.
When I went back to my "maybe BF", he did already know what had happended.
I have tried it before, the telephone line between even Luang Prabang in Laos and Chiang Mai is also to short. :alc:

[Manforallseasons]

First, it doesn't take forever to get from Chiang Mai to Chang Rai, there used to be 2 bars with 2 or three guys, basically there is fuck all to do there to warrant the trip!
The trip is about 2 hours and you will pass thru the coffee growing region of Thailand and in the fall where they harvest avacados.

[adman5000]

I flew into CM, took the bus to CR, and flew back to BKK from CR. I did not find anything negative about the trip from CM to CR.
I REALLY enjoyed the diversity of things to do and see in CR. I found some enjoyable restaurants with variety of Western and Thai foods, a decent night market to enjoy, and very pleasant weather. The city was easily walkable.
The best part was the day trips that I would love to do again. I hired a driver for the day and truly enjoyed every place he took me. There was a neat art museum outside the city near the university as I recall, There was a city tour bus, several small museums in the town for Hill Tribes and one which explained the integration of many different ethnic groups which make up CR. There are a variety of side trips on the way to the Golden Triangle.
The people were very friendly and authentic.

[BonTong]

Chiang Rai still retains some of the old world charm that Chiang Mai lost years ago. It was great for a night or two and a regular getaway, though IтАЩve not been for many months now. Plenty of fun places, to go, though as mentioned above, you need to speak some Thai for best results.

The Night BazaarтАЩs a bit touristy, but good value, normal prices attract the locals too, including some young cruisy gays. ThereтАЩs live entertainment and draft beer, or food from any of the food stalls is delivered to your table by cute beer boys. There are several clubs and discos, all of which have a тАЬgay cornerтАЭ that has have proved quite fun.

ThereтАЩs a popular area on the river a bit west of the city with lots of typical Thai style riverside restaurants and kids playing in the water that is fun afternoons and evenings if you donтАЩt mind sitting on the floor.

Chiang Rai used to have two boy bars, Regency and Lobos, the later having been the scene of several debauched nights. It had quite a few boys from the Doi and, with few customers, you could have the place to yourself with some hungry guys :tongue3: . The mama san was a bit tricky though. Lobos moved along the soi to a small hole in the wall place and I recently heard itтАЩs now closed leaving Regency as the only game in town.

Recently the big attraction in town are the casinos just across the border. I understand these now attract many Thai visitors and a lot of Chinese.

Apart from the attractions mentioned by others, head for the mountains. The Queen MotherтАЩs gardens at Mae Fah Luang are spectacular, so is the Wat at Doi Tung and the scenery's fantastic. Doi Mae Salong is a nice place for an overnight stay. Originally home to the Chinese Kuo Ming Tang army, and lots of opium itтАЩs a fascinating place. The Chinese architecture remains but the opium has been replaced by Tea.

The Chiang Rai- Chiang Mai road has seen many improvements but is still a tedious three hour journey. Take your time and a longer route, either via Phayao, one of Northern ThailandтАЩs best kept secrets and a great place for lunch by the lake. Or go north via Chang Dao, Fang and the mountains. For apparently sleepy towns, both Fang and Phayao have a few nocturnal delights.

[Oliver]

I was in Chiang Rai three months ago- my second visit- and loved it. However, I was with P; anyone seeking gay night life will be disappointed.
It's attraction lies in the remarkable scenery that surrounds it. I recommend Chang Saen with its Lanna ruined temple, a place of serenity and beauty. The Golden Triangle is more touristy but a boat trip, as others have noted, is fun. Some like the White Temple but I find it unappealingly vulgar. The fact that it was pouring with rain when we were there didn't help.
A trip to the Burmese/Thai border town of Mai Sai is fascinating; frontier towns are always interesting.

Best of all for me was Mae Salong, an ethnic Chinese community in an isolated mountainous region. This is where defeated remnants of the Chinese nationalists retreated after the revolution and there is a rather tatty but highly-informative museum there telling their story. We rented a car and the drive through the mountains on what were usually decent (and quiet) roads was the highlight. At every turn (and there were many!) we gasped in amazement at the views.

We'll be in Chiang Mai in a couple of weeks; again, a town I like and with a gay scene too- but not one that I have ever enjoyed much . I appreciate that others like it. There will be some interesting driving there, too; Doi Inthanon ( I hope the weather is better than last time I went, when the mists had descended and I saw little) and Doi Suthep of course. But that is something of a tourist trap.

To sum up, I like both towns. Chinag Mai is the more interesting as a city but Chiang Rai's market is infinitely more interesting (and cheaper for crafts). Both are surrounded by wonderful scenery but , for me, the remoteness of Chiang Rai's is preferable.