From Laos to Thailand...on a Slow Boat!

After my quite adventurous days in Laos, I decided it was time for me to move on to the next country...Thailand! I had already been to Thailand in 2012 and back then I did all main touristic stuff like visiting Ko Phi Phi, Pucket, Bamboo Island doing, of course, some major sight seeing in Bangkok. This time I was heading to the North, looking for seas of green forests, lakes and local minorities...BUT: how to get from Laos to Thailand with as little effort as possible? I didn't feel like being on a bus again for hours and hours in a row, and the only possible solution to my problem was just one: I was going to take a Slow Boat! And you know what? I am so happy I did it. Basically you do 2 days of navigation on the Mekong: the river itself, the villages located on it, the mountains, the landscapes, the sunsets, everything was so magical and I really took my time to meditate about the adventure I was living and I felt so extremely lucky and HAPPY. I left Laos from Luang Prabang and after about 9 hours of navigation we stopped for the first night rest in a small village called Pakbeng. Here you have quite a lot of nice places to eat and plenty of guest houses where to spend the night. The morning after off I went again and after additional 9 hours of navigation, we finally arrived into a new country! Welcome to Thailand! First stop-over Chiang Khong, only for the night, nothing really to see there but a good starting point to visit Northern Thailand, first stop: Chang Rai.

In Chang Rai there is only the White Temple to see and, in my opinion, it's not really worth going there just for that. The temple looks way more amazing on picture than in reality. Quite kitsch, full of tourists, nothing spiritual is in there. On the other side, in the old town there is a very big temple where everyday at 5pm monks go to pray. I went there a couple of afternoons and one day I was so relaxed that I fell asleep while the monks very praying, singing so delicately :o) They were very nice, welcoming me and showing me the right meditation postures. This was the real experience for me, for sure not the White Temple. Chang Rai is also full of prostitution, unfortunately. Many expats live there, mostly teaching English or just as a retirement location.

White Temple, Chang Rai

From Chang Rai I took a bus that brought me straight to Chang Mai. Nice city, but not so nice to stay there for weeks in a row, unless you decide to attend some meditation or yoga retreats, as many people do. In Chang Mai I ate the best food of the whole Thailand, in the evening there is a huge food market and really I have never seen so much variety all together. So freaking delicious! Also the massages were the best, and so cheap! I advise to rent a bike to make the most of the city, although the traffic there can be quite bad and the city is quite big, on the contrary of what many people may think. Leaving Chang Mai to the next and most beautiful destination: PAI!

Chang Mai, Minorities

PAI is a lovely small village, surrounded by mountains, where life goes slowly and you can't avoid relaxing :o)

Just take the time to stroll into the tiny streets of the old town, relax on the river side, explore the night market and its food, go up to the mountains and visit waterfalls. In this city there is a nice mix of religions and many ethnic differences, making the local art-crafts very specific from that area. Here as well it is possible to take some meditation classes. I advise you to bring some heavy clothes as this village is up in the mountains and can get quite cold in the night. Also, try the hot drinks served in bamboo glasses :o)

After some days in PAI, I decided to head back to Bangkok where I would meet a dear friend of mine. On a night bus for over 8 hours, without a functioning toilet, finally arrived in Bangkok and had a nice breakfast on the Memorial Bridge for the most beautiful sunrise. BLESSED.

Memorial Bridge, Bangkok, Thailand