Chiang Rai is a great old city which has not spread out like it's cousin Chiang Mai. You can stay in any hotel in the downtown core and it's in easy flat walking distance to the King Mengrai Monument which is at the center of town. A lot of the temples are placed on top of hills so it's a bit more of a workout to go to some of them, but there are nice ones right in town if you are not up for a hike up the Naga steps.

Chiang Rai City Rain Storm -The above picture was taken from our hotel room looking North toward the Kok River. There are 2 temples and a great restaurant right across the street and the Monument is about 1/2 block away on the right.

Kok River Longboat Ride _ this is a must do. It takes about 4 hours round trip and the boat will normally stop a few times along the way. There is a beautiful hot springs up the river along with hilltribe villages and cave temples. Although the river looks big it's very shallow about 4 feet deep in most places.

Hilltribe Girls - Mae Sai - This is the shopping hub for all of Chiang rai. Even the locals go there often to pick up deals from the people that come over from Myanmar to sell their wares. If you are a shopper you can exhaust yourself walking through all the small markets or you can hop across the border for a day trip.