For our first holiday and Christmas together we wanted (well, I wanted and she agree’d :D ) to go north in Thailand to enjoy the cooler ‘winter’ weather. Patcha had seen some beautiful camping sites amidst the mountains and we decided that would be a perfect way to start out trip.
We arrived in Chiang Rai without a real plan to get up the mountain. We thought about renting bikes, but it was already getting dark and a 2 hour drive up the winding mountain paths didn’t seem like the best idea. We settled on just taking a grab car, which can be a mixed experience here in Thailand. We’ve dealt with a lot of strange drivers some who just started driving recently, some who are quite old and who seem a little lost on the roads, and some who are simply rude or reckless. They almost always accept without checking where you want to go, and often don’t know how to get there, even though they have gps. In this case it was a nice young lady who had just started driving for grab the day before. She picked us up, and then upon realizing where we wanted to go, immediately seemed unsure and quite hesitant. But she had another idea, so she asked if she could call her father and ask if he’d be willing to drive, was that okay with us? Sure, why not. So we made a quick detour, picked up her father, and headed up the mountain pass.
It turned into a fun “family trip” up the mountain and her father was a good driver, much to our relief. As we drove up the winding mountain roads, we could see the lights strung up indicating the different camp sites along the way. I was so grateful for the car, trying to ride a bike up that far late at night would have been a nightmare. We arrived safe and sound, settled in for a small dinner as we overlooked the valley shrouded in darkness before us, and got to bed at a half decent time.
Phu Chi Fa Sunrise
We actually woke up with a start and in quite a panic, just after 5:15 am, cursing ourselves for having missed the ride up at 5 am to the mountain top. Luckily though, there were still rides going up, and we got to experience the full Phu Chi Fa sunrise in all its glory.
The walk up wasn’t very difficult, but it was chilly, actually, quite cold, with a lot of wind. Quite a few people didn’t bring a blanket or jacket and you could see them suffering as they shivered their way up the mountain. We huddled together for warmth and found a wonderful spot to sit and await the sunrise. Perhaps what was most surprising is that it was not simply one moment of unveiling as the sun pierced the clouds. There was that initial glow and a slow rise, but then the sky lightened quite a bit and it seemed to be over. That was getting closer to 7 by that point and we thought the show was over. But that’s when we noticed the glowing ball of red actually rising from beneath the final layers of clouds. It was incredible to watch the actual sun come up, even with all the daylight already spilling across the horizon. We were extremely fortunate since we heard from friends who visited just days later that they barely saw any of the sunrise through the thick cloudy overcast skies and bits of rain.
Once we made our way back to our tent, the valley below us was fully visible and was in its own right quite a sight. The air felt incredibly crisp and clear, quite a change from Bangkok and exactly what we had been hoping for. It was quite an adventure getting up the mountain, and actually heading back to Chiang Rai also had its twists and turns, but definitely worth the trip and spending the night there. Somehow the North of Thailand always calls me towards it and I constantly fall in love with the slower, quieter, more serene way of living up here.