Flocking To: Chiang Rai, a haven for Thailand’s artists

Four insiders on where to sleep, shop for handicrafts and find the best 'micro-seasonal' dishes.

View in browser|nytimes.com September 27, 2024 T's monthly travel series, Flocking To, highlights places you might already have on your wish list, sharing tips from frequent visitors and locals alike. Sign up here to find us in your inbox once a month, along with our weekly roundup of cultural recommendations, monthly beauty guides and the latest stories from our print issues. Have a question? You can always reach us at tmagazine@nytimes.com. By Eric Wilson Travelers to the northern provinces of Thailand have long been drawn by two things — elephant camps and campy temples. The most famous examples of each are within or near the 13th-century city of Chiang Rai, where the Wat Rong Khun, or White Temple, stands as an artist's parable of the world's ills, as depicted in the form of pop culture villains and other icons of kitsch. (If crossing a sea of grasping arms at the entrance doesn't terrify you, beware the Freddy Krueger-themed hanging planters.) Chiang Rai is also where the Emerald Buddha, a national treasure now housed in Bangkok's Grand Palace, was reportedly discovered in 1434. According to legend, a bolt of lightning cracked the stupa in which it had been hidden years prior. Chiang Rai — the city shares its name with the surrounding province — has gained a reputation as something of a tourist trap, thanks to the tour buses that ferry visitors from the White Temple to the equally gaudy Blue Temple and then to the very bleak Black House (which the artist Thawan Duchanee, who died in 2014, decorated with elephant skulls and antlers and a table runner made of snakeskin). But the city, having played second fiddle to the luxe-boho paradise of Chiang Mai ever since King Mang Rai moved the capital of the Lanna Kingdom — which ruled over most of what is now northern Thailand — to the "new city" in 1296, has more recently emerged as an unhurried haven for serious artists and other creative professionals seeking to escape the heat and sprawl of Bangkok. The Athita hotel sits just outside the ruins of a 700-year-old temple. Pietro Lo Casto The third edition of Thailand's roaming Biennale, which brought dozens of international and Thai artists to Chiang Rai this past winter and spring, shed light on an often-overlooked aspect of the city — its long history as a cultural crossroads. Owing both to its proximity to Laos and Myanmar and, to some degree, the Golden Triangle's uncomfortable past as a center of the global drug trade, Chiang Rai has been the site of intermingling cultures for centuries. "The constant migration of people of different races and religions make this an interesting place both geographically and culturally," says the Chiang Rai-born artist and gallerist Angkrit Ajchariyasophon. In 2023, Chiang Rai was also recognized by UNESCO's Creative Cities Network for its sustainable architecture design and landscapes. "My house is near the city's oldest Christian church, close to an Islamic mosque and a Buddhist temple off the same road," says Ajchariyasophon. "This is where I grew up and learned about cultural diversity, which I find wonderful." Today, multigenerational family-run restaurants featuring traditional Thai, Chinese and Myanmarese specialties likewise share a slow-movement sensibility with hipster cafes that serve coffee from beans grown on local farms, and stylish home stays that incorporate teak wood scavenged from nearby forests. Here, Ajchariyasophon and other Chiang Rai enthusiasts offer their recommendations on where to stay, eat, shop and sightsee in and around the city. Click here for a map of the locations mentioned below. The Insiders From left: Angkrit Ajchariyasophon, Gridthiya Gaweewong, Rose Chalalai Singh and Chomwan Weeraworawit. Illustrations by Richard Pedaline The artist Angkrit Ajchariyasophon has organized shows for the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre and the Singapore Biennale and runs an artists' studio in Suphanburi. Born in Chiang Rai, the curator Gridthiya Gaweewong is the founder of the arts organization Project 304 and the artistic director of the Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok. She served as one of the artistic directors of the 2023 Thailand Biennale. The Bangkok-born chef Rose Chalalai Singh, who visits Chiang Rai annually, has lived for 15 years in Paris, where she runs a private dining space, Rose Kitchen. Originally from Bangkok, Chomwan Weeraworawit founded the creative consultancy Mysterious Ordinary, based in the city, in 2010, and served as a co-curator of the 2022 Bangkok Art Biennale. With her husband, the designer Philip Huang, she co-founded the fashion label bearing his name, which collaborates with textile artisans in northeast Thailand. Stay Pa Sak Tong, a private estate with two villas, was built by an art collector. Pietro Lo Casto "The Legend Chiang Rai Boutique River Resort & Spa features balconies with views of the Kok River, which brighten up during the rainy season. The sight of the orange river sediment moving through the deep blue edges and fluffy white clouds creates a truly peaceful atmosphere." (From about $150 a night) — Angkrit Ajchariyasophon "The Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle looks like Hemingway and Indiana Jones met in the wrong place. The decoration is impossible, and it's bloody expensive. But the food is great and the location is the most beautiful in all of Chiang Rai. They have the river, the elephant camp — it's great." (From about $2,530 a night) — Rose Chalalai Singh "The Sooknirund is in the middle of town and very charming. A lot of my artist friends stay there because they can walk to Xibiao, the best breakfast restaurant in the province. They make their own yogurt and bake an amazing milk bun filled with cinnamon, and they have a really good masala chai. I also stay at Le Méridien when I'm doing production. It's on the Kok River, about a 10-minute drive from the city, so you can't really walk anywhere. But the view is stunning and there's a cluster of restaurants nearby. Pa Sak Tong, whose name means 'golden teak forest,' is a private estate built by an art collector who rents it out to one party at a time. It feels like you're walking into a lush, timeless home, with art throughout the property. There are two villas on the property; one sleeps 12, the other sleeps 18." (The Sooknirund Hotel, from about $90 a night; Le Méridien, rates from about $130 a night; Pa Sak Tong, from about $1,870 a night) — Chomwan Weeraworawit Eat and Drink La phat thoke, or Myanmar tea leaf salad, at Sangkaew tea.food local culture restaurant. Pietro Lo Casto "A few months ago, I drove out of town at sunset to Khun Korn Waterfall and stopped at a restaurant called Sangkaew tea.food local culture. It consists of two small wooden houses with views of rice fields and a stream flowing from the waterfall. The restaurant, run by the Shan ethnic community from Myanmar, serves a menu that should not be missed. The main dishes, side dishes and desserts are served as a set, concluding with hot herbal tea. This meal made for an unforgettable day." — A.A. "Nua Wuo Ros Yiam [on the other side of the street from the Sooknirund hotel] has the best beef noodles. Khao Tom Mee Na, where the signature dish is fried wood-ear mushrooms with egg, serves one of the best street-food dinners. Yod Aroy [about a half mile south on the main road from Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 1] is also a very good local place for dinner. Order the beef with oyster sauce, and seafood. "Ba(r)nana is a small cocktail bar in Chiang Saen, about an hour's drive from Chiang Rai, run by a funky cocktail master who moved back home after living in Bangkok. He uses local ingredients to make special drinks. Try his signature elixir, a variation on a Bloody Mary using the same chiles as in larb, or whatever he's serving that day." — Gridthiya Gaweewong "Chiang Rai food involves lots of aromatics, things like pork sausage made with lemongrass, cumin and herbs, and rice noodles with spicy curry. There are a lot of wild jungle mushrooms, vegetables and other things that you don't find in the south. [Chiang Rai] is close to China, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, so you'll find they have a lot of influence from those areas. There's a late-night place called Khao Tom Bua that has amazing food by a lady named Bua. I had pork belly that was wok sautéed, fried vegetables, a rice soup that's something like congee and then fried fish and the fermented fish salad, which is really good. "There's also a new generation doing a lot of interesting things. I really like Vinyl & Wine for natural wines and jazz, soul, and funk music, and Le Petit Café for wine and live jazz." — R.C.S. "Larb Sanam Keela and Lab Pa Lai are not to be missed for northern dishes. 'Larb' is the English spelling for a typical ground-meat dish, but we don't spell it with an 'r.' No one can agree what to call it on Google. I also love Saharodh for traditional pork-blood soup if one does not have two hours to spend at Xibiao. Locus Native Food Lab at Pa Sak Tong is a long experience, like three hours, but the chef's approach is very interesting. He deconstructs and dives into the history of northern Thai food and its micro-seasonality." — C.W. Shop Left: Sawanbondin Tea House & Experience serves artisanal teas, pastries and homemade ice cream. Right: The gift shop at the Athita hotel stocks textiles, embroidery, pottery and other crafts made by local artisans. Pietro Lo Casto "Chiang Saen is the ancient center of Chiang Rai province, where you're inside these historical ruins and archaeological sites with evidence of civilizations that go back to the start of the Iron Age. The Athita hotel is a precious place that was built next to the ruin of a stupa and reimagined as a hidden court made of teak wood. The rooms are very minimal, and it has a wonderful gift shop created by one of the co-founders. Local designers collaborate on the selection of textiles from remote hillside tribes. The textiles of the area are often embroidered and typically feature motifs of things seen in real life — buffalo and pastoral scenes. "Sawanbondin Tea House & Experience also has the most spectacular range of artisanal teas, organic rice, coffee and a rotating selection of paintings by local artists. It's on a beautiful plot of land with an outdoor kiln. If you don't have much time, they'll give you a takeaway container to store your tea bag in, because they believe each one should be used at least three times. They also have homemade ice cream. I like butterfly pea macadamia nut — it's blue, and so pretty." — C.W. Take Home Doy Din Dang Pottery, founded by Somluk Pantiboon, one of the country's most renowned ceramists. Pietro Lo Casto "When in Chiang Rai, you must visit Doy Din Dang Pottery. (The name is spelled Ban Doi Din Daeng, meaning red clay hills.) The handmade ceramics, created by the great artist Somluk Pantiboon, are glazed with natural colors and can't be found elsewhere in Thailand. A must-buy souvenir is a teacup made from Chiang Rai clay, glazed with rice straw ashes, to be used with Oolong tea leaves from Doi Mae Salong, a picturesque village near the border of Myanmar." — A.A. "It's incredible how many coffee shops there are now since the city has become bigger. I really like Akha Hill, which uses local beans, as they grow a lot of tea and coffee in that area. They roast them right there." — R.C.S. Explore Left: The Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park contains both ancient artifacts and architecture from the Lanna kingdom, which ruled northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th century, as well as contemporary pieces by young artists. Right: Chiang Saen National Museum houses archaeological finds from throughout the region including artifacts from the ancient Kingdom of Lanna that date back to the 13th century. Pietro Lo Casto "Chiang Rai has a community of over 300 artists organized under the Chiang Rai Artists Association, also known as Art Bridge Chiang Rai, which was established 10 years ago and today operates from the Chiang Rai Contemporary Art Museum. Most artists work in modern art, neo-traditional Thai art and crafts such as wood carving and bamboo weaving. After the Biennale, we initiated a project to build a creative design center and a Small and Medium Art Spaces workshop at the museum. "I also like the small museum inside Wat Phra Kaew called the Hongluang Saengkaew Museum. You can see a collection of small, intricately arranged items that tell amazing stories. Most of the objects displayed were donated by people from Chiang Rai Province, highlighting the faith and beliefs of ordinary people. These include dozens of small wooden Buddhas, given by couples who want to have children. This is a common tradition in Northern Thailand." — A.A. "The Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park has one of the best collections of flora and Lanna architecture and artifacts in the north of Thailand. You can find both old and new art and crafts here. A younger generation of artists are more experimental, critical and aware of the historical, sociopolitical context of Chiang Rai in relationship with the state and beyond. "The Chiang Saen National Museum is a small museum on the Thailand-Laos border near the Mekong River. It houses the most significant art objects and artifacts from the ancient Kingdom of Lanna since the 13th century. Wat Pa Sak is one of the most important temples in Chiang Rai. It features several images of the Buddha. The main one [standing on a lotus flower with his arms at his sides] is particularly striking." — G.G. "The White Temple is funny to see, but my preference is for the House of Opium museum. It explains the history of Chiang Rai through its geography and how its location relates to wars between the tribes, the government and the drug trade." — R.C.S. Practical Matters "Every year, Chiang Rai faces forest fires during March and April, leading to severe air pollution. I'm currently working on 'Art on Fire,' a project that involves fund-raising to support a volunteer forest fire agency. It will exhibit at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center in March 2025." — A.A. "All the temples are best to see first thing in the morning, before it's scorching hot. From 11 a.m. onward, there are hordes of tourists, even at the meditation center. But it's so peaceful in the morning. If you're planning to see everything, book a driver for the full day." — C.W. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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