30th March – 4th April 2017
It’s always a sign that you have enjoyed a place when you don’t want to leave.
We had 4 nights in Chiang Mai (which is longer than we usually spend in one place) and I still wasn’t ready to leave by the end.
We loved it!
Ok, so it may have helped that for 3 out of the 4 nights we treated ourselves to a really nice hotel (still relatively cheap by UK standards), and that on the first night we went across the road from our hotel to the famous Chiang Mai Night Bazaar and had the most delicious Pad Thai for £1.25 (so good we went back twice) – a taste sensation after the relatively bland food in Myanmar and therefore we were already off to a good start.
The food on the first night set the standard for the rest of our stay and we weren’t disappointed – I don’t think we have eaten so well (and cheaply) in any other place. It’s a foodies dream and I think I would have been perfectly happy eating my way around the food stalls and cafes for the next 3 months.
Chiang Mai isn’t just about the food, it’s referred to as the ‘cultural capital’ of Thailand in many guide books so there are lots of ways to pass the time. Here is a little snippet of what we got up to:
Thai cookery class – it seems to be a travellers right of passage to go on a Thai cookery course. There are so many tour companies operating in Chiang Mai that offer them. However, the quality can vary greatly so we did quite a bit of research about which company to use before booking. The company we went with was the ‘Thai Farm Cookery School’, it is the highest rated on Trip Advisor and we weren’t disappointed. The class included a trip to the local market and then a day of cooking at a location out of the city. We were allocated a group of 10. The teacher, Gift, and the group we had were lovely and made the day so fun and memorable! (We were very stuffed by the end, always a good sign).
Night Markets – Chiang Mai has a variety of night markets to explore. Luckily we were there over a weekend when most of them seem to take place, they have a dedicated ‘Saturday Walking Street’ and ‘Sunday Walking Street’ which fill up with market traders and street food stalls from 4pm until midnight on, you guessed it, Saturday and Sunday evenings. However our favourite one by far was the ‘Ploen Ruedee Night Market’ – it had a great atmosphere with lots of great food stalls and live music – for those readers who are from Birmingham, it reminded us very much of the Digbeth Dining Club.
Yoga class – we decided to brave a yoga class and found a studio close to our hotel (Freedom Yoga) that ran sunset Hatha classes with an English speaking teacher. Although we ached the following day, I really enjoyed it (Ben not so much – the ‘Omm’s’ at the end of the class were just one step too far for him).
Temples – there are lots of temples to explore. We visited a couple, but we were a bit templed out from Bagan. One thing that really stood out for us was how well maintained the temples were. If you are interested in finding out more about Buddism, Chiang Mai is the place to do it, a couple of the temples hold ‘monk chats’ with tourists, they get to practice their English, and you can ask questions. There for also lots of opportunities to have a go at meditation.
Chiang Mai is also one of the most popular places to use as a base to go hill trekking. There are absolutely loads of companies selling some sort of trekking packages (most guesthouses can also organise tours). Most of the itineraries include elephant riding/bathing. We decided not to do this as we have visited an elephant conservation centre in Thailand on a previous visit. If this is something that takes your fancy, our only advice would be to make sure you research the agent well, sadly a lot of the animal welfare is still pretty poor.
The last time we visited Thailand was 8 years ago to Bangkok which left a lasting impression (not all good). Chiang Mai, although the same country was a very different and positive experience. Same same… but different. Like ladyboys.
I’m giving our next stop, Laos, the benefit of the doubt, you never know I might love it more, but I’m going to have to try very, very hard not to jump on the plane back to Chiang Mai tomorrow!
(Posted by Em)
Emma & Ben... Far From Home 