Travel Colorfully: Chiang Mai

An old city in a new city, in an old city.

One of my favorite destinations in Thailand

Chiang Mai is a slower-paced city in Northern Thailand that offers a refreshing mix of city and country life. The charm of the city comes from its character and cultural influence from Burma, Laos and even southern China. Chiang Mai is a popular destination for travelers seeking accessible outdoor experiences.
The city is so enjoyable in fact, that I made 2 separate trips to this Lanna (Northern Thai) destination. The first for sightseeing and the second specifically for the Yi Peng and Loy Krathong celebration. It is a laid back city filled with creatives and artisans. Arguably the best place to shop in Thailand, Chiang Mai has several night markets with unique handicrafts, massage parlors galore and cheaper yummy cuisine.

On my first trip I stayed in a hotel near the old city and about 10 minutes walking distance to Ta Pae Gate. In addition to visiting the local sights and buddhist temples, I spent some time outside of Chiang Mai city exploring with day trips around the Mae Taeng river and Mae Rim.

Day One

Sights:
Wat Phan Tao: A stunning teak wood Temple built around 1846
Wat Chedi Luang: Next door to Wat Phan Tao. A 14th Century Lanna-style Buddhist temple


Wat Phan Tao

Wat Chedi Luang

Inside Wat Chedi Luang

After sightseeing we had dinner at Safe House Court, a family-owned guesthouse with great food, friendly service and good prices (195 TB for a large Chang, Fried Onion appetizer, and northern thai curry pork and ginger with rice). Suffering from a little food coma, we stopped for a foot reflexology massage at Saija Massage & Cafe (160 TB/hour). This massage place had the perfect ambiance to re-energize me for some late Saturday Night Walking Market shopping (My favorite night market in Chiang Mai for their assortment of handmade goods!). There are also many food and juice vendors with delicious items to keep you refreshed while bargaining deals.

Night Market Fruit Smoothies

Local Artist Selling Pieces

Day Two

We had an early start for a full day tour with Woody's Elephant Farm for trekking, white water rafting and mahout training with the elephants. This was an incredible experience. Woody's Elephant Farm owns about 8 elephants and takes care to educate visitors about these gentle giants. We spent half a day with the elephants: learning training commands in Thai, the background of elephant training, feeding and getting acquainted with the elephants, learning different ways to get on/off the elephant (not as easy or graceful as some make it seem), riding and bathing them in the nearby river.
After it we did some beginner white water rafting down the Mae Taeng and hiked to a local waterfall with a natural slide. FUN DAY!

Thai Elephant Training Commands

Elephant Kisses

Bath Time


On top of a raft, on top of a truck. Ready for rafting!

Waterfall Slide

Cowboy Tom blowing bubbles with plant sap

Dinner at Art's near Ta Pae Gate. Delicious mango and sticky rice with homemade mango ice cream.

Day Three

Visited Wat Chiang Man and Tiger Kingdom for play time with cubs and big cats. When I entered the pens the tigers were playing wildly with each other just like domestic cats (but Jumbo size), tackling each other and pouncing into the water. It was an experience being so close to these gorgeous animals.

Wat Chiang Man

Inside Wat Chiang Man

Baby Tigers tired from playing

Just Can't Get Enough

I didn't return to Chiang Mai until the last week of my trip, making my visits 3 weeks apart. What a difference three weeks and a festival make! Chiang Mai was packed with tourists. Taxis and tuk tuks were harder to come by and it seemed the entire city was transformed into a grand night market. I came back specifically for the Yi Peng ceremony celebrated by the locals on November 24 at Mae Jo University.

I spent the next couple of days relaxing in Chiang Mai with yet another foot reflexology massage and a full day cooking class at Siam Rice Thai Cookery School. I've been interested in attending a cooking class for some time, but never got around to it at home. Since I had some free time, I decided to try it in Chiang Mai and am more than happy I did! The Siam Rice class is very organized and fun! The class is limited to 10 people so they can help you ever step of the way. I did the full day class for 900 TB which included hotel pickup/drop off, class, ingredients, cookbook and beverages. Oh, and you get to eat all the food you cook!! In total I made 7 Thai items: Chicken Coconut Soup, Pad Thai, Fried Spring Rolls, Curry Paste, Red Curry with Chicken and Pumpkin, Chicken Cashew Stir Fry and Mango with Sticky Rice = Aroy Mak Mak!! The class was so much fun and should come in handy on the rest of my journey.