Northern Thailand takes the cake as my favorite part of my Thailand trip last summer. I wish we had more than two weeks to explore the amazing country, but I’m thankful we were able to spend four days in Chiang Mai.
I found Chiang Mai to be wonderful in the simplest ways. Like Koh Tao, life is laid back here. There’s no such thing as being in a rush. Our visit started and ended with the incredible hostel we stayed at: Thai Thai Hostel
The owner, Pom, was a dream come true. Friendly, informative, helpful, kind, and just an all around great guy, he went above and beyond all expectations. The other staff members were just as lovely. Together, they gave this place a homey charm, making this by far the best hostel experience I’ve had….EVER. I 200% recommend anyone visiting to stay here. It’s conveniently located (only a 15-minute walk to the city center) and squeaky clean as well. Additionally, Pom provides a free, light breakfast, and there are coffee, tea, and snacks available throughout the day.
On our first full day in Chiang Mai, we set out to explore as many temples as we could manage. The city center is a square, and it’s lined with temples all along the border. We stopped and explored at least five, all different from one another.
Now, I’ve never been a history buff and I won’t pretend to be. I’m awful at remembering historic names and dates, because well…. it’s not usually interesting for me. I know it should be fascinating, but… sometimes I just zone out. Instead, I’m drawn to scenery. I love soaking in colors and landscapes. So for someone like me, visiting temples means enjoying their amazing beauty no questions asked. Just appreciating how the place makes me feel. But ask me a temples name or why or when it was built, and I won’t be able to tell you.
Here are some of the images that made me feel something wonderful.
Cafes are also quite the rage. During the day, you can take your pick from numerous hot spots. In the evening, street food vendors pop up every which way. As we aren’t thai food experts, it can be overwhelming to know which dishes to try. Because of this, Sam and I opted to sign up for a street food tour. We used Tripadvisor to find a recommendation, which worked out great! The tour lasted for about three hours and ended up being private, just us and our tour guide. For only about $30 a person, it was a steal! We ate and ate… and ate and ate. And learned a lot along the way! We even got to taste a famous pork dish that was on an episode of Anthony Bourdain. It didn’t disappoint.
Throughout my entire time in Thailand, I could NOT get over how cheap all of the food was. Every meal, I left feeling engorged, and every meal, I never spent more than a few bucks. Spicy food also happens to be my jam, so I thoroughly enjoyed all the chili peppers that Thai food had to offer. One of my favorite dishes, that I ate consistently throughout our trip (not just Chiang Mai) was Pad Thai. It hit the spot every time and my tummy and wallet always left happy.
If you aren’t the food tour type, but still want to have an authentic nightlife experience, you could always check out a Muay Thai fight! That’s what Sam’s brother, Kevin, chose to do and he said it was awesome. Muay Thai is BIG in Chiang Mai so there’s almost always an event in motion.
If you have another day to spare, renting out a taxi for the day so you can go to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and Bhubing Palace is a good idea! It takes about an hour to get there, but it’s worth the transport. WARNING: If you aren’t great with motion-sickness, be prepared for some winding roads!
To get to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, you’ll first need to make your way up a few hundred steps. But once you reach the top, there’s plenty to see.
From the temple, you can then have your taxi driver take you to Bhubing Palace. Make sure you’re covered up well, otherwise you’ll need to rent some clothing. The palace grounds are filled with gorgeous gardens. I personally enjoyed the gardens more than the buildings (although at this point I was on the verge of being templed-out).
As much as I enjoyed seeing all of the temples and flowers in Chiang Mai, my favorite day in town consisted of a completely different animal. Literally. I give you a hint. They’re big. They’re gray. They have trunks and they’re cute as can be.
Stay tuned for my next post about our day spent feeding and bathing elephants!
When You Wander 