Crazy clock, Chiang Rai

This morning we head to Mandalay Airport to take our Golden Myanmar flight to Tachilek, the border town in Myanmar where we will cross to Thailand before then going into Laos.

Andy is less than enthusiastic about a small, domestic airline but actually, despite its propellers, the plane is nice and the flight is trouble free.  On arrival at Tachilek, baggage drop is on the floor outside the arrivals hall, then we get in a trishaw with three other tourists and head for the border.  The taxi and trishaw drivers were trying to charge us an extortionate amount to get to the border so, after trying unsuccessfully to negotiate, we decide to walk to get the bus,  En route, a guy stops in a trishaw, says he is going our way and gives us a lift for free ... result as its quite a long way!

At the border, we change up the last of our Kyat and then exit Myanmar easily.  We do the paperwork and, before you know it, we're in Thailand again.  Another trishaw to the main bus station and we get on a local bus to Chiang Rai which only takes about an hour and a half. 

On arrival we wander around looking for a cheap guest house then head out for some food as we've not eaten since breakfast.  Chiang Rai has a rather ornate and rather ugly gold clock tower.  Our landlady said we should view it at 7 or 9pm.  As it happens, its 7pm as we leave the cafe and suddenly some loud music starts and the clock tower begins to change to a multitude for colours ... it lasts for quite some time and there are moving parts too so you could almost say its dancing as well as singing ... bizarre.

We wander round the night market and buy a couple of cheap t-shirts as we need to replace some threadbare ones and then head to bed.