Gone There, Seen That: Chiang Rai Flower Festivals

The Colors of Doi Tung

Captain and I were in Chiang Rai during December, so were benefited from not one flower festival, but two! Our first festival was "The Colors of Doi Tung," at the top of Doi Tung in the Mae Fah Luang Gardens. Gai took us all the way to Doi Tung.

Near the gardens, everyone must park and ride in a transport to get to the top. This eliminates congestion on the mountain. And it's a steep road, so it's nice not to have to walk up!

These gardens were built under the direction of Princess Srinagarindra, who was the mother two Thai monarchs – King Ananda Mahidol, Rama VIII, and King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX. She was the grandmother of the current King of Thailand. She became known as "Mae Fah Luang," or Royal Mother from the Sky because she came to bring health care to the Akha village of Pa Kluay by way of helicopter. (Due to lack of roads.)

When she learned that the village was on the route of illegal drug and weapons trafficking, she came up with a way to interrupt that and employ the villagers in something beautiful: the gardens!

These gardens are really well-designed and beautiful to walk through. The Princess Mother's villa overlooks the gardens, too. The flowers are all cooler weather flowers so they can withstand the cooler temperatures at the top of the highest mountain in this province.

In the garden, there is the Continuity sculpture. It was created by Misiem Yip-In-Soi.

There are many food stalls outside the garden, as well as a market by local hilltribe people selling coffee, tea, clothing, and other handicrafts. I must admit, I had to pass on the grubs, but the chicken satay and fresh squeezed fruit juices? YUM YUM!

I thought bears like grubs, Captain. I still can't believe you didn't want a container of them to snack on as we left the mountain!

Yeah, well, just because some bears eat grubs doesn't mean we all should.

And, of course, you don't have to visit during a festival, it's open year-round!

Chiang Rai ASEAN Flower Festival

We also happened to be in Chiang Rai during the annual ASEAN flower festival, which takes place in two different parks. We went to the Garden of Reeds, or Suan Mai Ngam Rim Nam Kok Park.

Outside the festival are plenty of places to buy food and drinks, as well as souvenirs and handicrafts from the hill tribes! If you don't have a hat, you might even think about buying one before going inside!

I notice you still didn't grab any grubs, fried spiders, fried grasshoppers or other insects for sale, Captain. Not a traditional bear, are you?

Didn't see you buying any to snack on either, Spike. Besides, it's important to watch what you eat around the holidays, or you might gain weight.

Back to our visit at the festival then...First, take plenty of water inside with you. (This is where all those vendors might be a good place to shop!) It's sunny in a lot of places in this festival, although there are shady parts too.

And wear a face mask if it's still a pandemic or if the AQI is high.

But keep in mind there are not a lot of places to sit.

We were greeted by our favorite animal after bears and dogs...and elephant made of flowers! Here are some of the highlights of the festival.

Outside of the festival, but still in the same area for parking, is Kat Miew Lanna Kitchen Exhibition and the tribal lifestyle Pham Wisdom Lanna Sala. You can see traditional clothing, farming, and houses for each of the hill tribes in this region.