Chiang Mai, Thailand: Temples and Tigers and Festivals, Oh My! (November 2013)

I’m a beach person, no shocker there. I was excited to go up to Northern Thailand, but felt as if I was only going to check it off the list of places I’m suppose to visit. To my surprise, I loved it. I actually think it was my favorite part of our trip. It’s hard to pick a favorite place because they’re all very different and I enjoyed various experiences in each location, but Chiang Mai and Pai were the highlights of our trip for me. We arrived in Chiang Mai after an overnight bus trip from Bangkok. I was surprised how well I slept on the bus, and loved discovering the less expensive and time saving alternative to flying.

Arriving bright and early, we took a taxi to our hostel. Long story short, the hostel was overbooked and we were sent to a brand new hotel down the street. A little sketched out, we checked into The Elephant Hotel. We were literally the first people to stay in the hotel. We had our own room with a bathroom, and the owners were very accommodating. They don’t have a website yet, but I recommend staying at this hotel if you find yourself in Chiang Mai. 

 

We spent the first day strolling around the Old Town part of the city, visiting one temple after the next. After being crammed on a bus all night then doing a substantial amount of walking, we decided to treat ourselves to a traditional Thai massage, which felt great after the bending, pulling and popping. At this point we were stretched out, relaxed and hungry. Wandering around a bit more, we came across a restaurant that was a little run down but packed with locals, which to us meant it was where we were going to find our next meal. And then it happened… our first taste of Kao Soi. It was glorious. This curry noodle soup with your choice of protein became my favorite Thai dish and one of the best meals we had on the trip!

Chiang Mai is a clean, touristy city, but most of the the attractions are about an hour outside. We had many options such as ziplining, spending the night in a treehouse, elephant sanctuaries and playing with tigers. We chose the big cats. The Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai is where all your tiger dreams come true. You can choose to spend time in the cages with small, medium or large tigers… taking pictures, petting them, hoping they don’t eat you. I’m not going to partake in the debate of whether or not the tigers are drugged and abused, that can be for you ponder. 

Our last night in Chiang Mai was spent walking around yet another market. The Sunday Market is quite spectacular. Every street was packed with food, art, clothing and nicknack vendors. It was the largest weekly market that we came across. The street food was delicious, and we bought a few pieces of festive art as reminders of our time in the lovely Northern Thailand city.