We’ve now just arrived in 4-star Wiang Inn Hotel, located in Chiang Rai City, where we’ll be staying for 2 nights, before driving back to Chiang Mai.

Map of Wiang Inn Hotel Chiang Rai :

Wiang Inn Hotel pamphlets :

We’re now at the Wiang Inn Hotel lobby & reception :

Checking into our 2 connecting rooms now :

The rooms are not as big as the ones in Holiday Inn, Chiang Mai, but they’re very nice & clean too, with beautiful decorations & wooden furnitures. And I love the huge beautiful Thai paintings on the walls above the beds!

I’ve put all the other photos taken at the Wiang Inn Hotel lobby & inside our 2 rooms in the following Slideshow :

My babies are all very excited to meet their new friend from Phya Meng Rai – whom I’ve named Raitie.

The Thai Coffee & Tea gifts from our Thai friend’s parents whom we visited earlier in Phya Meng Rai :

As we’ve arranged  to have dinner at 7pm, & it’s only about 5.30pm now, I decide to go out alone to the shop round the corner of Wiang Inn Hotel where I saw some Dolls on display earlier on! Heheh I go crazy whenever I see Dolls haha!! 

Outside Wiang Inn Hotel now :

I’m going straight to that round the corner shop to check out the Dolls!!

And here they are below – the 2 Thai Northern Lisu Hilltribe Dolls (wearing tasselled turbans over their heads) which I just bought!

Aren’t they pretty – the Lisu people originated from Eastern Tibet & came to Thailand from Yunnan in China about 100 years ago, & they’re probably the most pyhsically attractive of all tribes! 

And here below is a beautiful Butterfly Thai Blouse with silver ornaments in the middle, & ribbons on the sides, for my lovely Mom :

And I also bought these Thai recycled Cards with handmade pics of couple elephants & coconut trees – how lovely!!

And as I’m really fascinated with the Thai ethnic minorities, I also bought the following Post Cards of the various Hilltribes :

The below are the Akha (or Aka) Hilltribe Post Cards – the Akha is the poorest Ethnic group in Thailand. They’re believed to have originated from the Tibetan Highlands & have migrated South to Yunnan, North Burma & Laos, & entered North Thailand some 150 years ago. They’re easily distinguised by their headdress adorned with all kinds of eye-catching paraphernalia such as silver, coins, beads, shells etc.

The Lesor (or Lisu) Hilltribe Post Card – do you notice that the mouths of the women are stained in color? Well, it’s a tradition, custom & culture (dating back thousands of years) to chew Betel Leaf wrapped with Areca Nut (seed of the Areca Palm which is a straight & graceful palm tree grown in most tropical countries). Simply known as chewing the Betel Nut, some pieces of Tobacco leaf are sometimes added to the Betel Leaf, & chewed, for their effects as a mild stimulant, causing a hot sensation to the body & heightened alertness. Chewing the Betel Nut is very addictive & prolonged chewing causes the black red stains on these women’s mouths.

Another Lisor (or Lisu) Hilltribe Post Card showing lovely Lisu women among lovely flowers :

The Thai Young Hilltribes Post Cards showing beautiful innocent children whom I simply adore :

The Golden Triangle Post Card – the Golden Triangle covers an area of 350000 square km & overlaps the mountains of 4 Southeast Asian countries - Burma, Laos, Vietnam & Thailand.

After walking & shopping for an hour, I’m back to my room in Wiang Inn Hotel for a shower before dinner time – the following Slideshow contains all the photos taken when I was out : 

Well, Chiang Rai City is more laid back & not as busy & crowded as Chiang Mai City, but it’s a pretty City & the location of Wiang Inn Hotel is very good with its surrounding banks, earteries & restaurants, bookshops, souvenirs shops etc!

And I heard the Night Bazaar is also nearby too which I’ll check it out tonight haha!!