Hello, 3-day long weekend during King Piyamaharaj Day in 2015.

We went on a slow-paced trip to Chiang Khong. Haha! When I say slow, it's because we felt that Chiang Khong is a quiet, laid-back town. It's a border town that's not too busy. This trip was another solo adventure for me. It's my second time traveling alone in Thailand, after my solo trip to Nan last year.

Chiang Khong, our city, is a bit lonely, actually. It used to be bustling, but now it's changed. The owner of the guesthouse where we stayed told us about it, and we'll tell you more about it later.

Our journey began in Chiang Mai, where we hitched a ride with a friend to the Chiang Rai Bus Terminal. My friend is a Chiang Rai native and was heading back home to Thoeng District. We set off around 7:00 AM and made good time from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. However, we only managed to catch the 2:00 PM bus to Chiang Khong because we stopped by a riverside cafe in Chiang Rai city beforehand.

The bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong district looks like this. Oh, by the way, the Chiang Rai bus station is currently under construction, so they have temporarily moved the bus parking area outside, nearby. Therefore, the bus station area is not very comfortable. There are few chairs to sit on and the weather is quite hot.

This is the bus that will take us to Chiang Khong. It departs every half hour. I'm not sure what time the last bus leaves, but it should run until late in the evening. The fare is 65 baht. There are no tickets; you just pay on the bus. Just tell the driver where you want to get off, and you can get off at the last stop.


View along the way, taken from the car.

Atmosphere in the car

It takes about 2.30 hours to reach the parking lot in Chiang Khong, which is a market.

From the market, we took a taxi to our accommodation. At first, we didn't know how far it was, but the driver charged us 40 baht. We thought, "40 baht is 40 baht." It turned out that it took less than 5 minutes to reach our accommodation. We could have walked and gotten a little sweaty, but if we had known it was that close, we would have walked. But it's okay, haha.

For this trip to Chiang Khong, we chose to stay at "Baan Tamila" because we read reviews from both Pantip and your website, thetrippacker, by Cocorattankorn, whose photos were so beautiful that we wanted to follow in their footsteps.

Here it is, Baan Tamin La, the entrance.

The entrance to the reception area of Baan Tomila is on the left-hand side, which looks like a souvenir shop.

This is the way down to the information counter. You can see that the Ban Tomila is nestled in the middle of the woods. The air is cool and very refreshing.

The following will be photos of the accommodation, which is Baan Taminla. That's because on this trip to Chiang Khong, we're focusing on relaxing and taking things slow.

(I forgot to mention that the accommodation will be right next to the Mekong River, so you can see the view of the Mekong River from the accommodation.)

This photo was taken from the bottom of the stairs leading up to the entrance of the accommodation. It's important to note that the accommodations along the Mekong River in Chiang Khong district are typically situated on steep slopes. The main entrance road is at a higher elevation, but it slopes down as it approaches the road that runs along the Mekong River.

This section serves as the front desk of the accommodation. You can pick up your keys, order food, pay your bill, or contact the owner here.

The dining atmosphere at Baan Tum Mila is great. Even if you're not staying at the resort, you can still enjoy the restaurant. The food is delicious and they even have homemade cakes. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try the cake, which I'm a little bummed about. -_-"

From the dining area, you can see the Mekong River view. It's very relaxing.

Local

Photos in the area of Ban Tomila

Let's take a look at the room. We booked a room with a fan.

This is the balcony in front of the room. There is a wooden chair for you to sit and relax. From the front of the room, you can see the view of the Mekong River. It may not be very clear, there are some trees blocking the view, but it's still a nice natural view.

In the room, hehe, it's a bit messy. This picture is after we slept in it for 1 night. The staff here is very kind. I told them that I would be staying alone and asked for a fan room. They called back to ask if I would like a single or double bed because normally one room can accommodate 2 people. But I went alone and didn't want a twin bed, so I got a single bed for 2 people. Hehe, it's wide and very comfortable to sleep on. The blanket is also thick. I stayed in a fan room. It was the end of the rainy season when I went, and the weather wasn't too hot. It was cool and comfortable. I turned on the fan to sleep, and I got up in the middle of the night to turn it off because it was cold.

Okay, we've seen the house. Now let's go for a walk along the Mekong River in the evening. There are stairs leading down to the road along the Mekong River.


This is the front door of the Baan Tamila house, located on the Mekong River Road.

Actually, the accommodation had bicycles to borrow, but we didn't know. So on the first evening, we walked along the road by the Mekong River to explore. Facing the Mekong River, we turned left and walked northwards.

This is the view of the Mekong River bank road in Chiang Khong. In the evening, there are people walking, running or cycling for exercise.

The evening atmosphere is very chill.

Taking a picture as a souvenir, hehe. Traveling alone like this, you can also get pictures. This time, we are willing to carry a tripod just to take pictures, especially this time.

We walked north, against the current of the Mekong River, until we reached the end of the road along the riverbank. If we wanted to continue, we would have to walk on the main road, so we decided to turn back. This time, we walked along the river, following the current southwards. We saw that they were practicing rowing, and they looked really strong.

I walked past Baan Tomila again and saw this logo sign. I think it was built by the Riverside Water Hotel because the sign is in front of their hotel.

The water of the evening (The locals here call the Mekong River "Nam Khong", which is the name of the city of Chiang Khong.)

The light is fading, it's getting dark and we can't take good pictures anymore, so that's it for today.

The viewpoint at Tha Pha Tan Pier, but we arrived when it was almost dark. We'll come back tomorrow to explore again.

The next morning, I planned to wake up early to watch the sunrise. But it turned out that the bed was so comfortable that I overslept.

I woke up to the sun already high in the sky, so I could only admire the Mekong River in the morning light while ordering breakfast.

Breakfast is not included in the room rate. You have to pay separately. For our first meal, we ordered French toast with honey. You can squeeze as much honey as you want. We also had a glass of iced milk.

The water in the late morning was taken from the restaurant of Ban Tamila, opposite Huai Sai town. I could hear the loudspeaker announcements from the Lao side throughout the time.


In the middle of the night, the Lao side was also very lively, with music floating in the air, as if there was a concert. I asked the owner of the accommodation, and he said that it was the time before the end of the Buddhist Lent. The Lao people celebrate it with great fanfare, including the floating of fire rafts on the night of the end of the Buddhist Lent. It's similar to the Loy Krathong festival in Thailand, but we didn't stay until the end of the Buddhist Lent, so we missed the lively atmosphere of that day.

After finishing breakfast, I had the opportunity to chat with the owner of the house. I learned that Chiang Khong was not always this quiet and that the tourism atmosphere was much more lively in the past. At Baan Taminla, most of the guests were Western backpackers who were going to cross into Laos by taking a boat at the Bak pier in Chiang Khong. Or they were Westerners who came from Laos and were going to continue their journey into Thailand. They would stay in Chiang Khong first.


However, since the completion and opening of the 4th Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge connecting Chiang Khong and Huay Xai, the Lao authorities have allowed border crossing using passports only at the bridge checkpoint. The checkpoint at the Bak Port in Chiang Khong town only allows for border crossing using a border pass, not a passport. This bridge is located more than ten kilometers from Chiang Khong town. Therefore, instead of staying in the town, foreign travelers cross the border at the bridge and take a car back to Huay Xai to stay overnight before waiting for a boat to Luang Prabang. As a result, Chiang Khong has become as quiet as we see it now.


At first, we didn't quite understand when the owner of the house told us about it, because we didn't know how far the bridge was.

Okay, here's the translation:

It was so far that we initially thought we could cycle there to take photos, but we couldn't cycle that far, haha.

Previously, you could cross the border to Laos at the Bak Port by boat using your passport. Tourists who wanted to take a slow boat to Luang Prabang could also cross here using their passports. However, currently, only people with border passes, which are local residents of Chiang Khong and Laos, can cross. Foreign tourists can no longer cross here. Instead, foreigners and tourists will cross to Laos at the Friendship Bridge and take a bus back to the town of Huay Xai, which is directly opposite Chiang Khong. They can stay overnight there and wait for the next boat. If they choose to stay in Chiang Khong, they will have to pay for a taxi twice, from Chiang Khong to the bridge and from the bridge back to Huay Xai. This situation has caused the town of Chiang Khong to become more depressed than before. However, around the bridge area, there are new buildings and hotels springing up, and development is spreading to that area.
After finishing breakfast and listening to our host's gossip for a while, we borrowed bicycles from our accommodation today and cycled to take photos around the Bak Port area.

Let's take some selfies since we brought the tripod. I'll adjust the colors in the photo editing program later.

This is the real color.

Upon seeing the flower field, he immediately rushed in.

The weather was really hot, the sun was scorching. After taking pictures at the pier, I rode my bike back. I was going to change into shorts because it was so hot. Before I got back to my accommodation, I found a beautiful photo spot, so I stopped by.

Cool coffee shop but closed. Passed by many cute coffee shops but most of them are closed.

I think with a 3-day break, the shop owner would want to go out and have some fun. -_-"

Passing by Wat Phra Kaew while still wearing long pants, I decided to stop by for a bit.

I went back to the accommodation for a bit to change into shorts to welcome the hot air and sunshine. Then I went out for a bike ride to find lunch to eat. Hehe.


The owner of the guesthouse recommended that I try the Khao Soi Nam Ngiao Chiang Khong at Tha Pha Tan. The name of the shop is Pa Jan's Khao Soi Nam Ngiao. I heard that in this area, they call Nam Ngiao "Khao Soi" and they eat it with noodles that are similar to those used in Kway Teow, somewhere between thin and wide rice noodles. They are made from rice flour and cut into strips, hence the name "Khao Soi".

However, we prefer the rice noodles that are similar to those in Chiang Mai. So we ordered the rice noodles. Hehe. The atmosphere of the restaurant here is very good. You can see the view of Tha Pha Tan Pier on the Mekong River. This is a picture of the front of the shop. I have asked the shopkeeper for permission.

However, we encountered a strange person here. The table we sat at had a bowl from a previous customer that the owner had not yet cleared away. Then, a woman came to another table, which also had a bowl from a previous customer that had not been cleared away. Out of the blue, she picked up the bowl from the previous customer at her table and piled it on our table, even though she could see that we were sitting there and had not yet received our own bowls. We were still waiting for the owner to clear the table and prepare it for us.

We think this is a very rude thing to do. We wouldn't do this to other tables, so we're confused by the locals here. We don't want to generalize, but we think it's just this woman and her friends. From a good mood, it turned into a bad mood, so we didn't take any pictures of Aunt Jun's Khao Soi Nam Ngiao. Sad.

This is a view from the shop. The table opposite is hers, but she's gone now. The owner has already cleaned up the table, so I finally have the mood to take a picture. 555

After finishing the Khao Soi, we continued cycling. At first, we were going to cycle to take pictures of the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, but after cycling for a while, our arms started to burn, so we couldn't take it anymore. We decided not to continue.


From the main road, we turned the car back to the Mekong River Road again. We came across this point just in time: "Tha Had Krai". Here, they are building a road along the Mekong River that goes down south. That's great!

The village of Had Krai is located in the Wiang Chiang Subdistrict Municipality. It is famous for catching the Mekong giant catfish, the largest freshwater fish in the world.

However, nowadays, people no longer catch giant catfish from natural sources like the Mekong River for consumption. It is said that the giant catfish used for cooking are farmed giant catfish.

Is this real? We really don't know because there's no one around to ask. Someone from Ban Hat Krai, please explain!

We didn't go to Wat Hat Krai because I was wearing shorts.

It's Khai Rai Beach. The vehicle that brought us here, hehe.

Let's take a selfie as a souvenir since I brought the tripod anyway.

Here we met a hunched-over grandmother who had to use a cane to support herself. She was walking slowly and came to sit in the pavilion by the water where we were also resting. So we started talking to her. We spoke in the northern Thai dialect, as she was from Chiang Khong and we were from Chiang Mai. She told us that she was lonely at home, so she came out to sit and relax. She doesn't have any children and lives alone. Oh, I almost cried when I heard that because it reminded me of my own grandmother who passed away.


The grandmother also said something that made me reflect. I told her that I was traveling alone from Chiang Mai. She said, "Why didn't you bring your mother with you? It's dangerous for a woman to travel alone." She then said that next time I should bring my mother to Chiang Khong with me. I almost cried again because I started to miss my mother and felt guilty for not bringing her with me. 5555 And my grandmother told me to stop by her house.

Actually, grandma invited us to have some water at her house, but I felt bad, so I refused. Actually, she must be lonely. I almost cried, so I asked to take a picture with grandma as a souvenir. Before we left, grandma gave me a blessing like an old person. Grandma also said my name, but I forgot grandma's name. I'm so sorry.

I hope that if I ever get to go back to Chiang Khong, I will be able to find you and visit you.

After saying goodbye to my grandmother, it was already late afternoon. The "nam ngiao" I had eaten at 11 am had already been digested. I should go find something else to eat. 555

This trip was all about taking photos and eating. The next restaurant we went to was another famous restaurant in Chiang Khong, "Pa On Khao Soi". Khao soi again, haha! But this time it was a Khao Soi in the style of the twelve panna, which is different from the Khao Soi with coconut milk that we usually eat in Chiang Mai. What does it look like? Let's take a look.

The coordinates of Pa On's Khao Soi restaurant are in the alley opposite Wat Phra Kaew (just to let you know, Chiang Khong is a very, very small town). You won't get lost, because Wat Phra Kaew is located on the main road that runs through the center of Chiang Khong.

Aunt On's shop is located on the opposite side of the alley from Wat Phra Kaew. Keep going straight until you reach a small intersection. The shop is on the right corner in front of you. You will see a large replica of the milestone in front of the shop.

Just a heads up, we recommend avoiding parking near the entrance door on the right-hand side of the restaurant. There's a wasp nest located there.

We parked our bicycles and the moment we did, we were stung by a hornet. In a split second, the owner of the shop warned us not to come near this area. We replied that it was too late, we had already been stung. The owner then applied balm to the sting. Luckily, the hornet didn't have a stinger and it stung through our clothes. We are also not allergic to hornet venom, so we just felt pain, swelling, and numbness. We then ate Khao Soi Sib Song Panna. 555 This is what Khao Soi looks like.

I think he might have gotten rid of the hornet's nest by now (or maybe not), but it's better to be safe than sorry. After eating, I cycled to the next viewpoint.

The left side is the turn to Tha Pha Than pier, while the right side is the way back to Khai Rai beach. Before going to Tha Pha Than, we turned back to Khai Rai beach again because we had been riding our bikes on the main road before, so we didn't get to take pictures of the view during this time.

Here you go, turn and you will find cute views like this. The bushes are cut into the shape of a giant catfish, lol.

At this point, there were no people around, so it was a good opportunity for us to set up a tripod to take pictures. Hehe, we wanted a shot of us riding a bicycle past the camera, so we set up the tripod and set the timer to take a picture, then we rode the bike past it. Haha, it took about ten laps to get the picture just right, but it wasn't that relaxing because we were too busy looking at the camera and wondering if the shutter had gone off yet. Haha.

This sign is what we used to name the review, lol.

A restaurant with a view of the Mekong River, but we didn't eat there. Haha.

After taking photos to our heart's content, we cycled back north to Tha Pha Tan Pier. We're finally here!

Very beautiful, the atmosphere is very good. There are many people, both tourists and locals, who come to relax, ride bicycles, and exercise.

Evening atmosphere at Tha Pha Than

It was almost dusk when we left Pha Tan Pier. Let's find something to eat for dinner. I heard that there will be a walking street on Saturday evening.

It's not really a walking street because the road isn't closed for vendors. Cars can still drive on the road as usual. The vendors will set up their stalls on the sidewalks instead. This is because Chiang Khong is a very small town. There is only one main road. If they closed this road, there would be no way for cars to drive. So, they have to sell their goods on the side of the road instead.

The items sold here are mostly fresh market items, such as vegetables, fruits, fresh meat, wild game, pre-packaged dishes, northern Thai local food, grilled food, and so on. There are hardly any souvenir shops. We could barely find a shop selling local clothes, but even though there was only one shop, we still ended up spending money there, haha!



Live music in front of the temple. The musicians seem to be a group of elderly people, but they are amazing.

After wandering around for a while, not knowing what to eat, we ended up at a pad thai restaurant with young musicians singing in front. This is the place.

Enjoying Pad Thai while listening to music played by children. Hehe, the Pad Thai is delicious. There are many foreigners eating at the restaurant on a Sunday morning. Today, we have to take the bus back to Chiang Rai. After that, my friend will pick me up from the Chiang Rai bus station and take me back to my hometown, Chiang Mai.


I tried to wake up early today, but it was already past seven. I didn't see as much fog as I had hoped. Haha, I really can't wake up early.

I had breakfast at Baan Tomila. The tuna pineapple fried rice wrapped in an egg was so delicious! It's a pity that I had bread on the first morning. I should have ordered rice from the first day.

In the morning, there was still time, so I went down to walk and take pictures for a while before checking out.

I peeked at the tourist boats on the Mekong River that were parked by the water on the Thai side. I saw them wake up and eat breakfast with a cool atmosphere on the boat. I'm so jealous.

Mostly foreigners are seen.

The morning atmosphere is so cool.

It's time to check out. To get to the bus station in the market, we chose to carry our backpacks and walk along the Mekong River.

I was wrong. The road along the Mekong River on the east side is incredibly hot. I almost fainted. The backpack on my back was heavy, and I was also carrying a tripod. So I climbed back up the hill and walked on the main road, which had some shade from buildings.

I sent it by post and just realized that I forgot to send a postcard to myself. But it's too late now.

I walked with a backpack and a tripod, panting and sweating in the sun, almost fainting. It took me more than 20 minutes to reach the bus stop at the market. Hmm, I should have just paid 40 baht.

The car is here! Let's go home!

After enjoying the atmosphere of the rice fields for a while, we ended up looking like this couple too, hahaha.

Leaving with a picture of the rice fields on the way back to Chiang Rai.

Farewell, Chiang Khong. See you again when fate allows.

Thank you for following.

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