Chiang Rai II

Jasper left around 5AM-ish and I gave him a sheepish sleepy good bye as I tried to get some more sleep. I remember waking up and feeling this sort of emptiness as my travel buddy for the past 2 weeks or so is now gone and I'm left all alone. It definitely does take time to adjust and get used to not having anyone to talk to so I decided to go out for a morning swim to go into a bit of a meditative state. As I floated and stared at the passing clouds, I reflected on the journey so far and what was still coming. I had traveled with Frida before but it was my first time really sticking with someone for so long and I realized just how fun it was compared to going solo. I prayed to the Universe with the hopes that I may meet good people along the way. Either way, the show must go on and after much introspection, I went back to the room to fix my things and take a shower after ordering some food from Grab. I was contemplating whether it was still worth it to go out or not as I might miss my flight back to Bangkok since I didn't have any wi-fi but I still had the whole day ahead of me and I decided to at least try going to the Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple. Quite similar to the White Temple, this one was coated in blue and also functioned as an exemplary artistic temple.

I once again used Grab after checking out and got to the Blue Temple. This time around, I had to carry all my stuff with me so after making the rounds around the temple exterior, I made my way inside to just sit in the presence of Buddha. I meditated and prayed and let the time pass by. People were coming and going and at one point, I had the whole temple to myself which was always a blessing for me. I decided to get rid of my coins by putting them all in the donation box and decided that it was time to go out and try to find a place with wi-fi. On the way out of the temple grounds, a girl who I recognized from the temple approached me with a question asking if I was a solo traveler. I told her I wasn't until recently but I am now, and she asked if I was interested in splitting a cab going to the Black Houses of Baan Dam which was actually also on my list. I was a bit worried about missing my flight but what the heck, I just went with the flow as spontaneity was one of the best traits I can attribute to being a solo traveler. It was a good opportunity to make a new friend as well.

Inside the car, we started to introduce ourselves. Her name was Lina from Lithuania but now living in Germany. She was surprised that I knew about her country. I counted my lucky stars as I wasn't expecting to get to explore the Black Houses as well. The ticket pretty much cost everything I had and Lina even had to lend me 1 baht just so I can purchase one. There was also this random dude who was trying to ask some donations from us but he also ended up singing some random Japanese song when I told him I came from Tokyo and he added us both on Instagram. Lina and I exchanged a lot of jokes as the Baan Dam museum was definitely not a place for the faint-hearted. It seemed to have an obsession with phallic artwork and didn't hold back in putting it on pretty much everywhere from the toilet signs to these impish looking creatures. The overall vibe of the place was macabre but the music in the main house tried to portray itself as some spiritual place. Truly one of the stranger locales in Chiang Rai. Lina and I sat down and really started to get to know each other some more, sharing bits and pieces about our lives and our beliefs, sharing information about scams and cultures of other countries. I also found out that she was a spiritual person, so I was pretty sure this was the Universe at work with my manifestations this morning. I told her about my thoughts on our serendipitous meeting to which she made comments that she does manifestations as well. Our vibes were definitely on point. I soon decided that it was really time to go and she helped me by sharing her hotspot so I could call a Grab scooter to the airport. In the end, everything turned out perfectly on a supposedly otherwise mopey day. I said good bye and left in high spirits as I cruised across Chiang Rai and taking one last look at it before getting dropped at the airport with plenty of time to spare.Read more