The 7 Musts of Chiang Mai

Known as the northern capital of Thailand, Chiang Mai has plenty going on just without the hustle, bustle, and crazy traffic of Bangkok. It’s a beautiful town known for its markets, close proximity to elephants, awesome cafes, and incredible food. Guys, elephants though…

Getting There: Since I was coming from Khao Sok, I took a bus to the Surat Thani airport, which was about an hour away and then hopped on an hour and 45 min AirAsia flight for $50 up to Chiang Mai. If I was leaving for Chiang Mai from Bangkok, I would have taken the overnight train, which is only $20, and you don’t waste anytime travelling, as you sleep the whole way! (I did this on my way back to Bangkok and had a wonderful experience.)

Where to Stay: It would be most practical to stay in The Old City of Chiang Mai, as this is the main tourist area offering the most accommodation options, but my friend Erin currently teaching in Chiang Mai, (you can read Erin’s awesome blog about her experience in Thailand here) suggested that I stay somewhere in the Nimmana area. She advised that this would be a section of the city with a more authentic feel to it. I found the area to be extremely trendy, and it seemed to be where all the hip Thai college students hung out. The area is buzzing with great café’s like Rustic and Blue, a café that serves homemade vegan desserts and artisan dishes made with handpicked vegetables. For under $8 per night, Yuan Hostel (located in this cool area of Chiang Mai) welcomed me into an extremely modern, clean, and air-conditioned 8-bed female dorm, with a very clean, open bathroom, as well as free water, tea, coffee, and biscuits everyday. The receptionist was so friendly and even helped me get setup with a free bike rental.

Getting Around: I found Chiang Mai extremely easy to navigate by bike. Biking eliminates the limitations of walking, and allows you the freedom to explore a lot more on your own time schedule without spending any money on transportation. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather buy food with that money…The other way to get around is by songthaew. These are red trucks that work similar to taxis, but rides are shared and a ride goes for a flat rate of 20-30 Baht. The songthaew will make multiple stops and pickup people along the way, so factor in extra time when taking this mode of transportation. The truck bed has been converted into a seating area for passengers (no doors or seat-belts…) Just be sure to agree on a price with the driver before you get in! I heard the driver charging unknowing tourists triple the price that locals were paying. Since I knew what the price actually was, most drivers didn’t try to get too much more from me. (Again, thanks Erin for the heads up!)

Now to the good stuff. The 7 Musts of Chiang Mai:

1. Visit the endangered Asian Elephants at one of Chiang Mai’s humane, no-riding elephant parks: There are a few humane Elephant parks within a few hours of Chiang Mai, most notably The Elephant Nature Park, the leader in elephant rescue and rehabilitation near Chiang Mai. They only allow so many visitors a day as to not overwhelm the elephants, so I was unable to participate since I was so last minute with organizing my itinerary. Instead, I went to The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, another admirable sanctuary that’s mission is to rescue formerly mistreated elephants and provide a natural healthy environment as well as give them the opportunity to enjoy their lives without fear of being overworked or abused. Both of these sanctuaries have a strict no-riding policy and use no hooks or other harmful training devices. The elephant care-takers were so friendly and happy and seemed to have a genuine connection with the elephants. Our group of 20 spent a solid 45 minutes feeding bananas and sugar cane to the nine gentle giants (and one baby!) and then lathered them in mud and rinsed them off. I signed up for the morning half day session and felt like it was a good amount of time to spend with the elephants, though I could have stayed forever! Half day costs $50, full day is $70. There are also one week volunteer opportunities available!

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

2. Learn How to Cook Thai Food at Zaab E Lee Cooking School: Thai food is an internationally regarded cuisine, with the reputation of spicy and delectable dishes from the famous Pad Thai to specialties like Khao Soi and other coconut milk based curries. I couldn’t recommend Zaab E Lee Cooking School any higher. Ann the founder, was the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable teacher, and make the whole experience extremely fun (and oh so tasty). The class is $26 and includes pickup and drop-off to and from your accommodation, a market shopping trip to pick up fresh ingredients including an in-depth explanation, and five meals! I swear she has this down to a science and makes the class very easy, hands on, and super fun. The class size is between 2-10 people so you’ll never be stuck in a huge group trying to keep up with what is going on. The food was excellent and she even gave each of us a cookbook so that we could re-create the meals we had made. This experience exceeded my expectations!

   

   

   

   

3. Eat Khao Soi: This is Northern Thailand’s favorite dish, consisting of noodles and chicken (or tofu) in a red coconut curry topped with crispy noodles. It is to die for my favorite thing I ate in Thailand, and I tried a lot of different foods!

   

4. Go On a Self-Guided Temple Tour: Chiang Mai, like most of Thailand, is chalk full of beautiful temples. I spent a morning riding my bike around town and stopping at any temples I came across (there were a lot of stops). The most notable were Wat Umong, Wat Phra Singh, and Wat Chedi Luang

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

5. Visit The Many Wonderful Markets of Chiang Mai: Markets, markets, everywhere! I loved poking around the many markets of Chiang Mai and found so many amazing gifts to bring home to family and friends (and a few things for myself…) Warorot Market was my favorite market, as it was what seemed the most “local” to me. I didn’t spot too many foreigners on my 3 hour wandering session, and very much enjoyed the insane spectrum of items offered, from flowers to food, to clothing, housewares, accessories, toys, honestly you name it, they’ve got it. I also really enjoyed the Sunday Market, that takes over the streets of the Old City every Sunday. Similar to the Warorot Market, they are selling all sorts of goods, but it is mostly catered to tourists. I also stumbled upon The Ploen Ruedee Night Market & International Food Park, which I would like to name The Hipster Food Market. It reminded me of a food market you’d find in Melbourne Australia, with a set-up of super trendy food stalls and a live music tent. The food and the atmosphere was great, but certainly geared towards tourists with expensive prices compared to local street food you can find (still only $5) My least favorite market was the Night Baazar on Chang Klan Road, as I found it to be overpriced and lacking character.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

6. Spend An Evening At The North Gate Jazz Co-op: I was so pumped to hear about a jazz club in Chiang Mai. Jazz in Thailand, who would have thought? The band that played on the night I visited this cozy, outrageously hip jazz bar blew me away with their talent. If you’re looking for some incredible live music performed by local talent, this is THE place to go.

   

   

7. Participate in A 2-Day Silent Meditation Retreat: Because there’s just too much to say about this incredible experience, I’ve written a separate article you can read here. Run by Monk Chat University, this 2-day Silent Meditation Retreat challenges you to train your mind and open yourself to a whole new way of thinking. It’s an experience that can’t be missed on your visit to Thailand. The 2-day program costs $15 (an additional $2 for white clothing that must be worn) and includes transportation to the meditation center, all meals, overnight accommodation, and group meditation training from one of their extremely experienced Monks.

   

What I Missed: Due to time restraints, I wasn’t able to make it to the Chiang Mai Canyon, which is meant to be a great spot to go cliff jumping and swimming located about an hour outside of the city. I also missed the opportunity to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, also known as The Temple on the Mountain. From the Photos I’ve seen, the views look incredible.