Chiang Mai - the coolest city in Thailand

4th February 2024

We had met an elderly Dutch couple at our hotel in Phnom Penh who were raving to us about their trip to Chiang Mai. This guy was a few years older than me but had already visited twice as many countries as I had so I assumed that he knew what he was talking about. We had already planned to fly back to the Philippines from Bangkok anyway, a six hour drive from Siem Reap. The bus dropped us off close to the airport from where we flew to Chiang Mai later that evening.

Chiang Mai is located on the Ping River in the scenic mountains of Northern Thailand. The third largest city in Thailand, it serves as the religious, economic, cultural, educational, and transportation centre for both northern Thailand and part of neighbouring Myanmar (Burma). Once the capital of an independent kingdom – Lanna – it also has strong cultural ties with Laos.

In contrast to the normally densely populated Asian cities, Chiang Mai has the appearance of a large village - orderly, clean, traditional, and not sprawling – and is  rather a calm place where you can relax and recharge your batteries. It is still very much Thai in its atmosphere and attitude.

Our hotel, DUM (cheap, laid-back and friendly, highly recommended) was located in the older part of town, on the west bank of the river. Here, close to the 18th-century walled settlement, you can find the ruins of many 13th- and 14th-century temples. This whole area hosts most of the best sites in the city - temples, museums, monuments and other places of interest, as well as great street food. 

We took a four-hour cultural walking tour which focused on the main temples in the Old Town, including Chedi Luang, with its towering, ruined Lanna-style chedi (built in 1441 and recently restored) and which was powerfully atmospheric. Our guide talked not only about the temples themselves but also explained the key principles and practices of the Buddhist religion which enabled us to better understand what we were actually seeing there.

Most travelers who come to this part of the world visit one of the famous elephant sanctuaries, about a ninety minute bus ride from the city. It was quite an experience to be able to get up close to these huge animals in their own habitat, rescued from their previous hard lives (generally ferrying tourists around all day). An elephant needs to eat up to 10% of its weight every day and therefore spends a lot of its time eating. We were able to feed them with bananas and sugar cane and help bathe them in the river nearby; it was truly a wonderful experience.

After lunch, the bus set off to the Doi Inthanon National Park to visit “the roof of Thailand” (the highest point in the country at 2,565 meters) and where it was somewhat cooler. The next stop was at the two pagodas built in honour of King Rama 9 and the Queen of Thailand. Especially impressive were the magnificent gardens offering great  views of the valley. Later, we went trekking through the monsoon rainforest, admiring the tropical fauna, spectacular waterfalls and the rice terraces and coffee plantations tended to by the khon muang, an ethnic group which has lived in this region for many centuries. We were also able to sample some of their products at a stall in their village before returning to Chiang Mai. 

Chiang Mai has many markets of which the oldest and largest is Warorot Market,  located near the Ping River. It is not only a shopping destination, offering all kinds of food and other items but is also a hub of local life and culture. As we wandered through it, we could feel the energy of the vendors and witness the bargaining between shoppers and sellers,

The epicentre of shopping in Chiang Mai however is the Night Bazar, located at the intersection of Chang Khlan Road and Loi Khro Road. It offers everything you can find in any Thai market, just more of it, from football shirts to furniture and artwork to homeware. As the sun sets, it really comes alive with its vibrant atmosphere and colorful stalls, the air filled with the smell of delectable street food (grilled meats, pad Thai, mango sticky rice, coconut ice cream..) Check out the food courts too, offering a great vibe, good food and live music (I even joined in the fun by getting on stage to sing Country Roads :-)

A nice way to end our trip that had seen us travel through Vietnam, Cambodia and Northern Thailand. Where to next? Watch this space!