Most people arrive in Chiang Rai for the first time by bus or plane. At the bus station (Satani Rot Meh, Satani Khon Son or Boh Koh Saw, different names for the same place) eager tuk-tuk and song-taow drivers await. Super VIP bus line Siam First has its passengers disembark near the 5-way intersection ('ha-yaek') by the Mengrai statue; here also drivers await and ask to be of assistance. The airport is much different, perhaps even to be seen as a bit dicey. Cars can be rented from National or Avis, but you might prefer to save money by renting in town. The better hotels provide mini-vans, and there are expensive, old taxis, never seen elsewhere. Taxi prices are a good portion of airfare from Chiang Mai, more even than the bus from there. It's too far to walk, but a few kilometers away is the highway, where one can get on very cheap buses from Mae Sai, Chiang Khong or Fang.

Almost every hour of daylight a bus leaves for Chiang Mai; others soon start coming in hourly, until a few hours after dark. Buses also go to Mae Sai hourly. Other towns inthe area have their buses too; alternately, song-taows can be privately hired. This is called "mao rot" which sounds like, but doesn't mean, "drunken car". On Uttarakit Road by the main market is "Tha Rot Noi," terminus for the song-tiew people carriers.

Vehicle rental is easy - you put your passport on deposit. 4-wheel drive or 4-door sedan, mountain bike, or Honda Dream (Soon Motorcycle at 197/2 Trirat Rd., tel 053-714068, and St. Motorcycle (jeep and car)) at 1025 Jet Yot, tel 053-752180 or 713652, offer old Dreams for B150/day, new for B200, and 250cc Hondas for 5-600/day). Bicycles can also be rented, with a small cash deposit. There's several shops near PratuSiri intersection (the center of town stoplight a block east of the cloct-tower): try Gare Garon at 869 Pahonyothin, 053-753172, Pure Power Internet, 545/5 Rattanakhet Rd, 053-714619 (straight across the intersection from the main road in front of the Night Bazaar, by a new motorcycle distributor across from Chiangrai First Church), 4 Lens Tour, at Pratu Siri intersection and also Mae Gon Intersection at the south end of town, or TPK Guest House at 122/12 Mengrai Rd, behind the ha-yaek police box. Bicycle riding is easy in town and for some distance around.

For touring back roads, best to pay the B500 a day for mountain/dirt motorbikes. A car from the rental shop across from the front door to the Wiang Come Hotel, or the one next to Funny House Restaurant on Pahonyothin, is about twice as much, with over 5 hours counting as 24. The dirt bike is versatile, in some ways more accommodating.

All transportation around Chiang Rai is ground level. As of yet, we have no way to fly about, locally. In Chiang Mai, there is para gliding. But here we have the exotic too: long-tail boats (to Tha Ton) and elephant rides.

Planes: Thai Air flights leave Bangkok 7:20, 10:50, 13:45 and 17:45 and 19:45 daily, (1 hour 20 min., call 280-0070, 0071 and on up to 0089). Chiang Rai to Bangkok, daily at 9:35, 12:50, 15:50, 19:50 and 21:50. (Call the airport at 711460 to 2, or Thai Air at 711179). Air Andaman flies Chiang Rai-Chiang Mai daily 8:30 and 18:30 Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai, daily 7:30 and 17:25. 40 minutes. Chiang Rai-Kunming, M Tu TH Sat 12:20 Kunming-Chiang Rai M Tu TH Sat 16:05 (inquire first!)

Buses start at 6am; first air-con bus at 7, 1st special air at 8. No air, B60, aircon, B119. 3.5 hours, with a 5 or 10 minute stop at Mae Ka Jan, half way through. C.R. bus terminal tel. 711369. For info on buses from the New Mor Chit Terminal, BKK, call 936-3660. For Super VIP service, call Siam First Tours, 245-2677 or 279-1864 (about B420).