Following the epic scooter journey I definitely needed a day of rest. Hunched over the handlebars with tightened shoulders, I had been running on adrenaline the whole day without fully realizing it until the following morning. My body was fatigued, and I was emotionally exhausted. My plan for the last couple of days in Chiang Rai was to do a little sightseeing, hang out with Allish again, and visit a couple of local restaurants that I had heard good things about.

One restaurant that had been recommended to me was called Chivit Thamma Da Coffeehouse, so I decided to head there for a long breakfast and a few hours of quiet time reading. It was located a couple miles away on the Kok River.

You have a couple options to get around towns in Thailand: tuk tuk, taxi, scooter, and sometimes Uber. I believe Uber is not technically legal, so using this service can be frustrating to for several reasons.

Taxis are available but uncommon. Tuk tuks are the easiest, but then you have to wrestle in haggling a fee (which doesn’t sound bad bt this can get old after a while) and these drivers have a less trustworthy reputation and they are more inclined to to scammers. Every time I got into a tuk tuk I was pressured heavily to visit a couple shops along the way. If you say no firmly they will literally just walk away, even if you’re already sitting in their tuk tuk.

This is why most people get around on scooters. It’s the cheapest option, the simplest, and allows complete independence.

I decided that today I was intereted in none of those options. The hostel rented bicycles, so I thought it might be easy to rent a bike and get around town this way.

This was a mistake.

Just as at the resort in Kanchanaburi, the bikes were all in poor shape. Once I got on the road I also quickly realized that with the sheer volume of traffic (in virtually any Asain city I imagine), and the chaotic flow of cars in every direction, it was simply too dangerous a proposition. It was hiughly stressful – not exactly what I’m looking for today.

After a mile or so frantically weaving in and out of traffic, I returned to the hostel to return the bike and grab an Uber or a taxi.

Chivit Thamma Da turned out to be a complete gem – I highly recommend a visit of you are in Chiang Rai! It is an oasis of tranquility tucked into a secluded corner on the Kok River near the main highway.

You could entirely forget you were in Thailand at this establishment, If not for the ethnicity of the staff you might have thought you were in an upscale cafe in Charleston South Carolina. The restaurant and cafe were in a colonial style house with a library and billiards room, creaking floors, exposed beams, sofas with plush cushions, bookshelves with porcelain tea sets on display, a porch overlooking a small lawn with fountains. The cafe had innumerable delights – muffins, scones, lattes, cappucinos, a wide varioety of imported teas, smoothies and other beverages.

The menu included a wide range of western comfort foods representing the variety of worldly travelers who are looking for an oasis: Bluebaerry banana super energy bowl (gluten free of course). New York Style bagel with Lox. Pork chop with fried potatoes and onion cream sauce. Australian beef steak sandwich with horseradish sauce. Fish and chips, English style with tartar sauce and potato wedges or fries. Prices for these items started inching towards western norms, ranging from $5 up to around $12, but still were easily acceptable. I believe the Blue Museels in white wine garlic sauce was among the more expensive options at around 390 baht, or $12.50.

I ordered duck eggs benedict with smoked salmon and truffle hollandaise, bacon and smoked salmon on sourdough bread, and a latte. Reminder, I’m in northern Thailand. It was just what the doctor ordered! After weeks and weeks of noodles, rice, and stir-fry pork, it can be a real treat to have a familiar western comfort food again.

After breakfast I moved to an outdoor porch at another part of the cafe for some tea and reading time. I plannedon sitting there wellsd, the entire day if necessary. By mid morning though it was raining with biblical force – sheets of thick, drenching rain fell for hours.

They also had many traditional Thai dishes on the menu, and northern Thai (Lanna) as well, so for lunch I had the traditional Kaho Soi Curry. This is easily the most popular and accessible of Lanna dishes, and should be on your Northern Thai to-do list. A mild, coconut based curry with soft egg noodles, and beef or other protein, and crisph noodles on top. It is then garnished with lime, onion, chili and pickled cabbage.

After several hours I got restless and had a little stroll around the place. Upstairs was a library and billiards room. There was a coat rack in the corner by the door with several trench style coats and library. The whole place looked like a prop shop for the film industry, everything represented carefully to create a certain atmosphere. Or perhaps a an old hotel or leisure club. Floor to ceiling paned windows, creaking stained floors, plush furniture, a pool table with balls and cues arranged casually as if a game had just been underway.

Wednesday July 5 would be my last day in Chiang Rai before flying down to Phuket. Allish texted me in the morning to check in, and we made plans to see a couple of temples and then get lunch at another restaurant I was interested in trying.

We visited Sing Rua, aka “The Blue Temple.” The mood was relaxed and pleasant, and Allish showed me how to make a donation and an offering with incense. The temples are simply amazing to behold – walls covered in colorful paintings of mythical origin stories, the altars  covered in flowers, filled with intricately carved statues.

We bought a small token of a Buddha and a dragon for good luck. Later, Allish scolded me for buying another Buddha statue (for my son) at the market when I guess you are supposed to shop at the temple to support them. Well, what are you gonna do.

She showed me how to kneel down and pray “for lucky.” Bow your head to the floor three times. I followed her lead. I turned my head to see what she was doing, and she was staring at me, seemingly in amazement that a westerner was praying to Buddha like a Thai would do. She smiled, and I felt closer to her for it.

I can only explain the connection between Allish and warm and friendly, in a cross cultural discovery kind of way. She barely spoke a word of English. Our conversatons were fragmented, extremely simple, and incomplete. But there is an energy that forms between people when traveling that seems to transcend the familiar, and bypass conversational obstacles. The fact that we could not easily communicate presented something new to pursue – we were forced to enjoy the silence, and we still felt comfortable. In the west, too much silence when you have just met someone often means you’re not connecting. But not here.

The next temple also housed a museum of northern Thai handicrafts, carvings, artifacts, currency notes, jewelry, ancient tools, weaponry, and more. Allish took my hand as we walked around.

Next was off to Lulam Restaurant, recommended to me and confirmed by Allish as noteworthy in quality for regional cuisine. And this time I had the benefit of local company to help with the menu!

While Allish was at the restroom to wash her hands, the waiter immediately arrived to take an order. I wanted to wait to see what she might want, but he hovered and insisted. Fine, I ordered a beer. When he brought the beer, he placed two ice cubes in the glass. No idea why, since the beer was already quite cold. Allish sat down and I put the ice cubes onto my spoon and flung them into the river. Allish laughed. Oh the westerner who fools around and doesn’t understand our customs. When the waiter returned, he put two more ice cubes in my glass, and I again flung them into the river.

We ordered minced pork, a sampler platter of pork rinds, different kinds of sausage, steamed root vegetables. A bowl of herbs and cucumbers, banana leaf and beef in broth. It was all delicious, and too much for two people.

Allish mentioned another restaurant and music venue next door called Lee Lawadee, though we did not have a chance to visit.

She had to return to work at the pineapple factory for the evening, and I was in the mood for a nap. She dropped me off at my hostel. It was my last night, and I had a very early flight tomorrow morning. We agreed to check in later in the night to see if we could go for a drink at one of the riverside restaurants.

We did not get a chance to go out later that evening, but Allish offered to take me to the airport in the morning so we could say goodbye. At the airport, I got my bag and put it on the sidewalk. We hugged and said goodbye. I felt I had made a dear friend in Chiang Rai. I don’t know when I will be back, but friends made through travel are usually for life. I am sure I’ll see Allish again someday.