Chiang Mai memories

Chiang Mai is the main city of the north of Thailand, and it's famous for its thriving night market, traditional Thai handicrafts, hilltribe treks, elephant tours, and cooking schools. I really enjoyed Chiang Mai because I never felt that it was overrun by tourists. It was so easy to find places where one could enjoy a local food stand or a quiet temple without battling the crowds.

We were fortunate enough to stay at a gorgeous world-class spa and resort called The Regent Chiang Mai, and for me that was one of the wonderful memories of Chiang Mai.

We also enjoyed a fun and easy elephant jungle tour in Chiang Dao, a nearby city. There is so much history and diverse culture in Chiang Mai, with influences from Burma, China, Thailand, and India that you will find in the food, folklore, and even the faces of the people. Make sure you take the time to visit amazing temples like the beautiful mountaintop Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, which overlooks the city from its mountaintop perch.

Handicrafts lovers will be almost overwhelmed at the local paper, celadon, lacquer, and silk works that can be found in the area outside the city called San Kamphaeng. My favorite shops were the lacquerware factories because I never thought sticky black stuff from a tree could be transformed into such artful household knicknacks!

Quick Tips:

The rainy season begins in September and don't be surprised if it rains two to three times a day for brief periods. This makes the landscape lush and cool, so bring raingear to enjoy the outdoors and the cool rain!

Make sure you bring some insect repellent if you are sensitive to mosquitoes. They aren't terrible here, but the wet season seems to bring them out.

Best Way To Get Around:

We flew on Thai airways from Bangkok to Chiang Mai international airport. That was a quick one hour flight.

The Regent resort was outside the city, about a 25 minute drive, so we took the Regent's free minibus to visit the city and the night market. For shopping excursions and sightseeing from the hotel, we hired a car and driver provided by the Regent for about US an hour. That is definitely a more luxurious way to get around, but we were able to see a lot and not have to worry about figuring out local transportation options. Our driver Somporn also knew of some great places to eat!

We stayed at The Regent Chiang Mai resort and it felt like we were on our honeymoon because the place was so luxurious, elegant, and gorgeous. The Regent is actually built on a working rice farm, and our room and veranda overlooked real rice paddies. We visited during the rainy season and the daily rains made it an even more exotic and lush setting.

The resort is designed in the airy and spiritual Lanna-style architecture of northern Thailand, and the rooms are designed to be spacious and simple, and the buildings are hidden behind trees and foliage. Some real artful thinking went into the design of this place. Each room is a remarkable 750 square feet! That's bigger than my NYC apartment! The hard part about staying here is you really won't want to leave the grounds.

Every morning we enjoyed an amazing outdoor breakfast buffet. An international selection of Asian and Western breakfast foods, fresh-baked pastries, and a wonderful assortment of fruits. It was my first time tasting Dragon Fruit here.

For the more active traveler, you can borrow a high-quality mountain bike for a ride in the valley and a visit to some country temples and the Mae Sa Waterfall park. During my memorable ride, I caught a glimpse of daily life in the countryside-kids playing soccer, moms grilling chickens outside, people riding motorbikes and scooters on their way home. After the bike ride, you can enjoy the Regent pool area, and you can enjoy great mountain views from there.

The service was quite special, and all the concierge staff know your name. This resort is located in a secluded valley outside of Chiang Mai, so you'll really be getting some amazing peace and quiet. There is a bus that leaves several times a day for trips into Chiang Mai and the night market.

Our meals at the Anusam market were probably the most memorable meals we had in Chiang Mai. Our driver, Somporn, took us there one evening after shopping for handicrafts in the Sankampaeng district. He recommended this place as "where the local people eat noodles," and this really is where the local people eat dinner. It's a large open area square, with common chairs and tables set up in the middle, and food stalls lining the sides of the square. We enjoyed tasty and cheap dinners here on two warm late-summer evenings. This market is only a five minute walk from the main Night Bazaar area.

You can get all the northern Thai specialties here and eat with the local Thai people. We especially enjoyed fried fish cakes, freshly fried oyster omletters, and delicious chicken satay skewers with Singha beer from a bottle. Believe it or not, I think I single-handedly ate about 12 of these excellent, fresh grilled chicken skewers. A polite dog also joined us for a few pieces of chicken, but I mostly gave him the fatty pieces, which it liked. But I felt that wouldn't be too nourishing for it, and then gave him a few complete chicken pieces.

The chicken curry noodle soup dish is also a spicy and delicious specialty! Most places have an english menu, but it's also easy to walk up to a stall and simply point and nod. You can enjoy a complete dinner with drinks for about $8 U.S. dollars! Quite amazing. There were only a few families enjoying dinner here and not too many tourists at all. We thought perhaps people eat here very late, but Somporn says on weekends it's quite a bit busier, and on weekdays most Thai people eat at home.

This market is really most well-known for its fresh seafood stalls where fresh fish, shrimps, and shellfish on ice are displayed at many restaurants. We did not try the seafood places, but other food stalls we tried were the Pad Thai guy, the Chinese noodle lady, and we would have tried the Thai Soup Noodle guy, but he wasn't quite ready for orders! A stop at the Anusam market is a dining treat before a night of shopping at the night bazaar.

The concierge at The Regent recommended The Gallery for our first dinner in Chiang Mai. It is located along the Ping River and the front of the restaurant is an art gallery. We had a nice Thai dinner, though I wouldn't say the food was fabulous. But the food was certainly tasty to our weary, jet-lagged taste buds. We were very happy to be in Chiang Mai and sitting down to enjoy some Thai food.

I drank a coke, and had the spicy-sour Tom Yum soup and Thai chicken curry, and Ally had the Pad Thai noodle dish. We also tried a very tasty and crispy appetizer called Ta Bong, which is deep fried battered pumpkin. That was one of the more unique things I enjoyed in Thailand. It tasted a bit like acorn squash.

The Gallery had a menu with more than just Thai food, and included international selections like Spaghetti and Fish and Chips! Perhaps they were for homesick tourists! There were several merry tour groups enjoying large group dinners, and that added to the festive atmosphere. Apparently, The Gallery is a well-connected place because Hillary Clinton ate here in 1996!

The Gallery is located on an active street with several bars and clubs along the Ping River. It's about a 15 minute walk from the main Chiang Mai night bazaar. Here is a link to their website: check it out here.

The Chiang Mai Bazaar is one of the highlights of any trip to Chiang Mai, and is a paradise for bargain hunters, shoppers, and anyone looking for a deal on Thai handicrafts, spices, cheap T-shirts, and dozens of other items. You can find the Night Bazaar on Chang Klan and Loi Kroa roads, and you can't miss block after block of streets lined with open air stalls, and travelers and shoppers weaving their way from one stall to another.

I have a decent memory of the two nights we spent at the night market, so I'll try to give you a detailed list, just to prove to you that even if you don't love shopping (like me), you will find something of interest!

All Prices quoted in U.S. dollars:
Thai silk shawls, scarves, shirts, etc. (about $20 per piece)
pirated recent Hollywood DVD movies and music CDs (good quality - $5 per movie)
pirated PC and Playstation games, rosewood or teak kitchen utensils, bowls, and chopsticks ($2-$5)
Thai decorative sa paper (mulberry pulp) lanterns, and lamps ($5.00)
Handmade candles, sa paper fans, umbrellas, photo albums, fake Rolex and fancy watches ($30-$50 each)
silver and semi-precious stone jewelry, cheap T-shirts with Thai beer logos, lacquerware knicknacks, Thai curry and other spices, tailor-made shirts and suits, dried herbs, teas, and fruits, and more ($3 each). Of course, you can also find some higher-end shops selling furniture, home decorative items, and jewelry.

You can spend hours here browsing and bargaining, which is a fundamental part of shopping here. You can bet that every price they quote here can be reduced by at least 30%. But sometimes I feel badly when I haggle too much over 50 cents!

One thing that surprised me about the night market was the lack of food stalls selling local food. There are a few restuarants in the area, including Burger King, Pizza Company, and others, but the area for finding local food stalls is a 10 minute walk away in the Anusam market.

Doi Suthep is the cloud-shrouded mountain that dominates the western edge of the city, and Wat Phra is the holy Buddhist temple located at the peak of Doi Suthep. We visited the Wat Phra on a partly rainy morning before we left on our flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, and we were touched and amazed by the history and beauty of the North's most sacred site.

To get to the temple, you take the steep but modern paved road up the Doi Suthep mountain. ("Doi" means mountain in Thai). We were spoiled and our driver Somporn drove us there, but there were many buses and motorbikes heading up the hill.

The gateway to the temple is a steep and impressive 300 step stairway that takes 10 minutes to ascend. There is also some sort of electrical tram that takes the less fit travelers to the top. Travelers have to remember that this is an active and living temple for Buddhists, and you have to dress appropriately. So keep in mind there are no shorts, tank tops, and short skirts allowed! You also have to remove your shoes, and walk around barefoot in the inner sanctum of the temple area, which I found to be a comfortable and unobtrusive way to visit the temple. Barefoot is the only way to go at Thai temples.

When the rain cleared and the sun came out, we were thrilled at the most incredible view of the gleaming golden Chedi (tower) that dominates the inner sanctuary. It seemed to glow against the clear blue sky. Worshippers placed offerings of flowers, candles, gold foil, and incense in front of the Chedi and Buddha images, and they pray to Buddha. The most impressive views of Chiang Mai are also found here. Walking around the temple, we took in the ornate and gilded spires and peaks of temple buildings, growling dragon fixtures, precious Buddha statues, and observed the worshippers and monks.

We left the temple with an appreciation of the religious customs of Thailand, and how Thai people and monks worship. After descending the 300 steps, we stopped by one of the dozen stalls and shops to get a snack. Some hawkers bugged us to buy some artwork. I bought some freshly fried sweet, sticky bananas for the ride to the airport, and I was feeling a bit sad to be leaving Chiang Mai.

I'm not a golf addict, nor am I an expert player, but for some reason I still lugged my golf clubs half way around the world from New York City to play golf in Chiang Mai.

The Chiang Mai Green Valley golf course is located only 10 minutes away from the Regent Chiang Mai, and about 20 minutes away from the city. At about 1200 Baht ($30 US) for 18 holes, it's a great deal. The good news was the course wasn't too crowded, and I noticed several players playing as singles or twosomes. I'm glad they weren't too difficult with tee times.

The golf experience in Asia is different from the U.S. because you're required to play with a caddie, who is a woman covered head to toe in the caddie uniform. They wear straw hats, long sleeves, and long pants to protect them from too much sun. They pull your bag, mark your ball on the green, give you some advice in basic golf-english, and keep your score. They even laugh with you at your bad shots!

I didn't play all that well, even with some new Callaway balls! The course is quite flat with mostly wide fairways, but there are a fair number of water hazards. In fact, water comes into play on about 10 holes. The course was in very good condition, which is an achievement in the September rainy season when it can rain two or three times per day. You'll have periods of heat and humidity, then you'll have to wait 15 minutes under an umbrella for the rain the stop.

I actually played a half round with Ally on Monday, and one full round on Wednesday when she had scheduled a long Spa treatment at the Regent. That way, I didn't feel too guilty about enjoying a round of golf!

Chiang Mai is famous for its handicrafts, and we found the Sa Paper and Umbrella Center to be a rich shopping center for all things made of decorative Sa Paper. "Sa Paper" is produced from the Sa plant, a type of mulberry tree. They have hundreds of different types of patterns and shades in the same distinctive faded and weathered texture. We (mostly Ally) bought everything from 3 feet long Sa paper sheets, photo albums, notebooks, a baby mobile for my brother's new baby, and other things. A Sa paper notebook costs about 3-4 bucks here, but they have such a unique, homemade feel that is perfect for a travel journal. You can find most of these items at the Chiang Mai night market, but you definitely find a bit better pricing and much more variety here. Sort of a "one-stop-shopping" experience for Chiang Mai paper handicrafts. Shopping is not my favorite thing, but even this place was somewhat interesting to me as a study in the local arts and crafts industry.

This is a popular stop in the Sankampaeng shopping district, where there are dozens of arts and crafts stores. This area not a walk-about type of shopping district, as each shop is in its own lot along a busy thoroughfare. You'll certainly need automobile or bus transportation to visit. We were lucky enough to have our driver Somporn take us here. It was about 25 minutes drive from the Regent Chiang Mai.

We also found giant, life-size versions of the mini umbrellas found in Polynesian umbrella or tiki drinks like the Mai Tai and Singapore Sling. You can see a small production facility and watch how they construct these amazing umbrellas. At first we thought that these umbrellas were decorative items only, until we actually used one during a rainy afternoon a few days later. Had I known these lovely, hand-crafted umbrellas were actually sturdy and useful for tropical rainstorms, I would have definitely purchased one!