Chiang Mai Information

Chiang Mai Information

Located in the far north of Thailand about 700 km (435 miles) from Bangkok, the beautiful city of Chiang Mai lies on the Ping River and is surrounded by lush mountains. This city of around a million people is one of Thailand's most culturally important cities.

Chiang Mai is revered by most Thais because it has retained many of the traditions of it's rich past and has a deep spiritual heritage. In and around the city there are literally hundreds of Buddhist temples and shrines and the monks that live in and tend the buildings are held in the highest regard. There is definitely an underlying spiritual soul to this city that is evident when you speak to the people and see past the frenetic activity all around.

Chiang Mai certainly has an active night life and you can find the seedy aspect if that's what you're looking for, but generally it is a lot quieter than other popular tourist cities further south. Throughout the city you'll find great places to eat and drink everywhere with many places offering menus in English as well as Thai, so even if the waiters can't speak English you can usually get your order across by pointing. And anyway, if they get it wrong you're bound to end up with something interesting!

The Chiang Mai night markets are famous and here you'll be able to pick up bargains galore. If you're looking for that fake Rolex or Gucci handbag then you'll find it here. The watches are incredibly cheap and even though they may look a million bucks it's an even bet whether they'll still be working by the time you get back to your hotel. Buying twice as many as you need won’t cost much and will give you better odds on getting a decent watch. There are also great food stalls at the night markets and because the meals are usually cooked in front of you they are generally quite safe to eat.

Getting around Chiang Mai is an adventure in itself. Songtheaw cabs are modified utes, or pickup trucks, that have bench seating in the covered back. They are the cheapest way of travelling around but can get very full as the drivers just keep stopping to pick up fares. A little more expensive but a lot more fun (and still cheap) are the 3 wheeled tuk tuks. These noisy two-stroke blue smokers can carry two or three passengers and seem to ignore just about every road rule - but then again so does everyone else!

Some of the not to be missed attractions outside the city include the magnificent Doi Suthep Temple that overlooks the city and is one of Thailand's Doi Suthep Temples, and also the wonderful elephant hospital up in the hills that cares for sick or injured elephants that were once used as work-horses but are now treated with kindness. For those looking for more energetic adventures there are hundreds of kilometres of walking and hiking paths in the hills around Chiang Mai, or you could take an elephant safari or sail down the river on a bamboo raft.

Chiang Mai is city that is genuine in its appeal whose people are friendly and inviting and whose culture is gentle and reverent. The region and it's surrounding mountains offer so much to visitors that you could easily spend an entire vacation and be satisfied that you've experienced the 'real' Thailand.