Oh My, Chiang Mai

If I had a month's worth of uninterrupted vacation, Chiang Mai would be in the top two cities of my choice. The city bustles with life, though you may end up choking on its fumes. It is often referred to as the "rose of the north," and with good reason. Though it has embraced many of the 21st century's modernity, it also celebrates its roots with home crafts produced by the hill-tribe people.

Eating in Chiang Mai is delightful, especially if you stick to local foods. However, the scale of international restaurants is not lacking here at all.

If you are an arts-and-crafts lover, you are going to be drunk in Chiang Mai. There is so much beauty created, even in the mass-produced items; why, there is even an "Alliance Francaise" here!

Starbucks is very comfortable on Chang Klan Road, and you've guessed that Chiang Mai is also a university town. There are remains of what used to be the wall girding the city; huge, synthetically made lotus float on a man-made moat, which forms a square in the heart of the city.

Many young people come to Chiang Mai, usually backpacking it. Certainly, enough bars, cafes, and nightclubs will satisfy their tastes.

The shopping is superlative--especially for Thai silk, lacquerware, and decorative home objects.

Quick Tips:

Take a tour of the city if you have the time so that you may make mental notes of the areas you'd like to explore more fully. If you are an experienced shopper, then the road to Sankampaeng will be a must-do. The lovely umbrellas which are sold countrywide are made in Borsang, along with other handicrafts. I found that leather shoes were a bit on the high side, but had no choice at one point, as my feet had swelled beyong my usual size 7.

Love masks? woven baskets? textile folk art? pottery? candles? luminaries? jewelry? It's all here, waiting for you.

My favorite all-time shopping/eating venue? The Night Bazaar!

Best Way To Get Around:

We loved the tuk-tuks for their convenience and speed; otherwise, take a cab. There are red vans, which are communal cabs in which you pay a fraction of the cost to get to your destination, but must yield to other passengers' destinations.

Find a tour that will take you further north for elephants, orchids, and other native charms.

Amari hotels are very luxurious and include several resorts in Thailand. If you’re looking to do the major cities with them, you’ll be covered. Check out their website right here and you’ll understand why I say luxury at this unbelievable rate. Actually, we had very little to do with booking this hotel. As I was planning to spend a few days doing business, my host was very kind and booked ahead as apparently the city’s hotels were at full capacity. Very lucky indeed.

The Amari is minutes from Chiang Mai International Airport. They have pick up and drop off service, and when we landed, after a wonderful flight aboard Thai Air , we had a fairly long wait for our van to arrive. A heavy downpour and menacing grey skies greeted us, but it hardly mattered. I had already fallen in love with the gilded statues that watched over the baggage claim area. Paper lanterns with long tails hung from the ceilings and floors sparkled.

After we were picked up, our check in went flawlessly. The area around the hotel is not terribly scenic, however, once you cross that threshold, everything seems to engulf you in a different world altogether. The reception area is more than meets the eye; naturally, there are seating arrangements and comfortable sofas, but take a few steps up, and voila! You can sit a little higher and just as comfortably, and enjoy a drink if you wish. They greeted us with such a drink, orange colored, with a showy umbrella and a piece of fruit wedged on the rim of the glass.

Our room was magnificent: a huge, king size bed dominated the room and wall carvings and wood mouldings added to the simple yet elegant décor. There''s a desk in room bar, color TV with cable channels, direct dial telephones, and a heavenly balcony from which you could see the night market tents. The air conditioning was not necessary most of the time since it is considerably cooler in Chiang Mai, as it is north of Bangkok and surrounded by mountains. It can get wretchedly hot though, so bring a hat and water.

Though we faced the outdoor pool every morning at breakfast, we were too busy discovering the charm of the city. Much attention is given to detail here, and the grounds are so lush with splendid palms and other trees, and orchids and amaryllis to die for. Your comfort is their business, and they will go to any extent to provide it for you, including in-room Thai massage, which is an ancient art enjoying quite a revival.

There are two restaurants on the premises; the Lanna Coffee shop and La Gritta Italian Restaurant. We did not have an opportunity to sample the restaurant, but have much to say about the breakfast there. Lanna refers to Northern Thailand, and also was Chiang Mai’s ancient name when it was the capital of the country.

The name of this hotel seems to draw a smile on anyone that hears it. Imagine putting this name on your company expense account! However, all kidding aside, the Porn Ping is one of the oldest, established hotels in Chiang Mai, and we had the good fortune to be lodged in the older part of the hotel which conjured up all sorts of interesting analogies.

One of the greatest things about this place is its central location; the Night Bazaar is literally within steps of the hotel, and it's about 20 minutes from the airport. Here again, Q was very kind in reserving ahead for us, as hotels were booked solid, and we needed to move from the Amari after two nights' stay. In comparison, Porn Ping is not as luxurious, but it is in a better location if you like to walk.

They do have a good restaurant on the top floor, as well as a bar/lounge next to the reception area. Avail yourself of the excellent laundry/dry cleaning service, which is cheap, fast, and spotless.

The folks at the front desk are extremely helpful and great with phone messages, which they deliver to your room in sealed envelopes!

The furnishings in our room were fairly modest: two double beds, mirrored sliding door closet, a writing desk, IDD telephone, two armchairs with a small table, and a small fridge with beverages including water. This is in addition to the two complimentary bottles of water they supply daily.

Breakfast is complimentary as well, and this is where you realize that this hotel is well traveled; the dining room is buzzing with activity every morning with people from all over the world.

I am told that one of the city's most popular discos lies at the entrails of this hotel, where both Thais and Farangs (foreigners) can dance till 1am.

I recall that room service is painfully slow (up to an hour or more, and sometimes, they don't even enter your order!). Our bathroom had a leak, and we had to request some help more than once until it was fixed. The facilities are quite small, although there is plenty of hot water. The shampoo bottles were very exquisite and were shaped like a pagoda. Forget about shelf space in the bathroom; I basically kept all my toiletries in one of the drawers. Also, be frugal with the towels, as you only get two bath size and two hand size till the next day.

Our accommodations were reminiscent of a cabin you'd find on the Queen Elizabeth; low ceilings, dark teak furniture, small window. The view promised a glimpse of the Mae Ping River, but all we got was the parking lot with some trees, of course. Depending upon where you look, the Porn Ping is rated at three or four stars. If you are more interested in convenience than luxury, this is the place.

Coffee Shop is definitely a misnomer for this enchanting eatery. Our breakfast was included in the price of our room, and the buffet they present looks like artwork. I was totally dazzled by one ceiling area that sported umbrellas as chandeliers, cleverly turned upside down, all in solid colors and ever so festive. I made a quick association to the million dollar piece we had seen in Las Vegas at the Bellagio entrance. This restaurant is open from 6:00am till midnight.

The Thai rival just about anyone in their presentation of food, let alone their culinary skills. They managed to turn simple carrots into exotic looking tropical flowers! Fifty or so different plates, each with its own color, flavor, and texture. Salads of tomatoes and other greens, dried apricots with nuts, whole, raw green beans, toasted soy nuts (if you’re vegetarian, this spread will have you doing summersaults), rice, noodles, and broth with several small plates which accommodate your soup ingredients.

Center stage are the sweetest fruits, and my favorite area of all. Melon, cantaloupe, mini bananas, pineapple, black grapes, fresh watermelon slices form a circle around a lovely celadon vase with a simple flower arrangement, as well as a gilded praying figure. Continuing on, you will find rolls, toast, croissants which are not soggy, and surprise of all surprises, brioches made to perfection. The ubiquitous egg is also here in all its forms, and Chuck would not be the same without his favorite: the omelette. I also managed to find sliced cheese with a variety of cold meat cuts; the cheese was a bit bland, but for lack of another, I took pleasure in savoring it with a croissant and black tea.

You have a choice of eating in or outdoors; we always opted for the outside. The seating arrangements are a bit too close to each other in a long and narrow veranda like setting. Table linen is a crisp egg pink and the armchairs, though rattan, are quite comfortable and cheerful. Overhead are planters displaying some of Thailand’s reputedly famous orchids. The first morning was a bit overwhelming, as there was too much nature to absorb in one sitting; looking below was a huge, sparkling clean pool which no one seemed to ever use, but it was constantly being cleaned by the staff. The tall trees and floral islands are well positioned so as to hide the very banal street scene behind the hotel.

Here again, we encountered the Western male/Thai woman-child couples that proliferate in this country. It is very unsettling to me to watch the body language of the couple, and the apparent dominance of the male in all cases. More on that in another journal.

Located on the 20th floor of the Porn Ping Tower, the Nimannoradee Grill is quite elegant and romantic. The evening that we invited Q and escort to join us, we had the place pretty much to ourselves. Except for the pianist, and the wait staff.

The lights were very dim, so it was hard to make out all the details, but the restaurant seemed very vast. The dining area was surrounded by windows, but we couldn't see anything at all for some reason. We sat close to one of the windows, and had two of the waiters attending to us.

While I usually don't favor meat, Q had filet mignon. I learned that beef is not as popular as pork in Thailand, and if prepared, it is done so in an indigenous manner. Most of the beef destined to be served as steak is imported from the US (best quality and most expensive), New Zealand, and Australia.

I saw one of my favorites on the menu, canard à l'orange, and I splurged. It turned out to be mostly fatty meat, and I regretted my choice. Actually, both Chuck and I much preferred the Thai food and did not feel that the restaurant was a "knock out" by Western standards.

Table settings were very elegant, linen napkins etc. Also by Western standards, a continental dinner for four would never cost about US$80. However, for our particular taste, I would recommend you step out of the hotel if you're looking for continental cuisine.

Had it not been for the music and the dancing, we probably would not have stopped here for a bite. This is a great place for lunch, because you get live entertainment for your BAHT! The restaurant appears to be recessed into the back wall of the mall, as it has not closures, much like the rest of this place. No windows or doors to obstruct view or muffle sounds..If you read the journal on the Shopping Centre , then you saw the picture of the women's clothing display. The Terrace is located to the right of that little island.

In the center runs a long and narrow table with several olla type jars containing the day's offerings. The menu is bi-lingual even though you see few tourists here, if at all. The expats will come here to shop though. We walked the entire length of the restaurant to decide where to sit, and returned for a small, roundish and intimate table for two. It was not terribly crowded, so service was fast, inexpensive and totally delicious.

We both had the fried noodles and chicken, a picture of which is below. Note the side portion of red chili pepper, salt and a cucumber slice. Our meal cost less than $3.00 with beverages, one of which was a beer!

By the way, I understand that there were some restaurants on the level where the cinemas were, which are no longer there. However, if you look at the picture of the restaurant, you'll be quite tempted and not disappointed.

When in Chiang Mai, you are going to need one of these regardless of whether or not your hotel has IT connections. Chances are that if they do, it will be the dial-up type, and you can waste precious time waiting to get on line.

Prices fluctuate wildly for these; we’ve seen them go from Bs. 20/hour to Bs. 300/hr. This particular one was quite reasonable, and though they claim to open at 9:00 am, they really don’t, and remain open till 2:00am. They are situated on one of the main drags which crosses the night market, and the majority of people that streamed in were backpackers.

It was dreadfully hot that morning, and we wanted to get our business taken care of immediately so that our day would go uninterrupted. It was marvelous to find iced bottled water there, along with a wider menu of other beverages like cappuccino, espresso, latté, hot and cold coffees, and frappuccino.

Amazingly, all 15 or so terminals were outfitted with the latest version of Windows XP. Actually, why am I surprised, when the cost of software here is tantamount to buying pantyhose? There had been some difficulty initially in getting the system started, and this was not enhancing my mood in any manner. Chuck opted for going next door to look at magazines and postcards and purchased a newspaper. Once we were both able to get online, things went much smoother, and the shop began to fill up with what appeared to be regulars as they addressed each other by first name.

This is yet another argument for the ownership of web based email. Once again, I found that the majority had hotmail (the same in Istanbul). Except here, there was no confusion with strange characters on the keyboard. And apparently, the email messages translated perfectly well when they reached their destination. Which is not what exactly happened when I tried from Osaka.

By the way, Loi Kroh Road is reputed for having an entire row of bars in one section of the street which have developed a reputation as sex bars. One can apparently go in for a drink and leave with a Thai girl for about Bs. 1000. I was told however, that for the hardcore sex scene, nothing beats Bangkok.

What a terrific pleasure to go to a mall and not be greeted by the usual tired brand name boutiques! When our host ("Q" from now on) suggested a mall visit, both Chuck and I raised our eyebrows in unified disapproval. Sensing this, "Q" immediately reassured us that this was no ordinary mall, but where the locals go shopping. This managed to elevate our mood immediately, and we were ready for more adventure!

Kad Suan Kaew Shopping Centre would not have occurred to us, and I see from prior journals, not anyone else, had we not had the good fortune of knowing Q. We ran up the steps, opened the main doors, and how awesome! There are no doors to separate you and the individual boutiques on this floor; everything is laid out so tastefully, and the handmade touch is everywhere; be it the merchandise, the display, - there is nothing ordinary looking. Even the sales girls (and most if not all are girls) glide in and out of the shops to ensure you are not left without assistance, should you need it. Some of the girls actually look overdressed, as if attending some sort of black tie affair. The paper and paper goods stalls were an immediately draw to me, naturally, as I'm always curious about paper and how other people use it. Saa paper is king here, and is used for just about anything you can imagine, aside from the usual stationery and journals. Clothing boutiques feature many handmade goods from the northern hill tribes, and you begin the recognize the colorful and geometric patterns which originate there. Furnishings and decorative accents for the home are irresistible draws; if you like shopping Pier One , Cost Plus and Pottery Barn , you'll be drooling like a newborn.

They also had a magnificent display of women's clothing and accessories, calling attention to a sale, in the midst of the traffic path. There are 5 floors in this mall, all accessible by elevator or stairs. I need to talk to you about the bathroom facilities. Ladies, take tissues or napkins; guys, you can handle it. First, all toilets are in the ground. There is NOTHING in the way of paper for personal needs, or even to dry your hands. All there was in the corner of the stall was a bucket of water. Very tricky for performing certain bodily functions, albeit not a deterrent.

I bought some great lingerie at Central Dept Store , the country's biggest retailer. The prices were in line with the US in some cases, higher in others. Both Chuck and I loved Hong Kong based drugstore chain's Watson's . I was actually able to see Garnier's skin care line there first before it hit the US. They are definitely giving the UK'S Boots a run for the money. A separate entry follows for the meal we had here.

Chiang Mai’s Night Bazaar has a reputation that precedes it. As bazaars go, there are many "night bazaars" in this and other cities throughout Thailand, but the one on Changklan Road is "the" night bazaar, and with good reason. We were quite fortunate in that the Porn Ping Hotel, where we stayed for the second half of our journey to this city, was located within a short walking distance. We would come in through the Kalare Food Center and Beer Garden and from there, anything goes! Aside from the phenomenal shopping, you can enjoy food from various nationalities and enjoy a free nightly show of traditional Thai folk dancing and music. Chuck developed a fondness for Singha beer, which is the national brand.

The Kalare Night Bazaar is a three storied building, with both ends open so that you may enter from either side. It must be part of your Night Bazaar experience! Should you need quick cash, we found a bank that will gladly take your dollars until 10:00pm! It’s the Bangkok Bank, and it’s located on the first level of the Kalare. We found the exchange rates very close to the day’s spot rate for the baht there. You cannot possibly take in the whole bazaar in one evening, and we came back for more the next evening. Eye candy, brain candy, call it what you will. I will make a feeble attempt at giving you some highlights.

Jewelry: just like in Bangkok’s Chinatown , prepare to be assaulted by gold. Aside from that, you can also find precious Asian stones like jade, amber, turquoise, and others. The designs are almost as intoxicating as the stones themselves. Next item which makes a grand statement is Saa , the Thai name for the mulberry plant. From that, hundred of decorative items are formed from sheets embedded with flowers, the most prominent one being the bougainvillea. You can also purchase full size sheets for various media of art, or for expensive gift wrap. I didn’t buy any of this on the streets since I was due to visit a few manufacturers in the area. However, I encourage you to splurge, because even at retail prices, it’s a damn good value. Especially the lamps.

Perfumes abound, all the known brands, but beware of imitations. We smelled some watered down versions of Drakkar Noir and CK. An interesting difference on the fragrance target market was that here, men’s fragrances outnumbered women’s ten to one, whereas in Western countries, the reverse is true.

Thai silk is also predominant in ladies’ bags, scarves, boxes, and some apparel. Handcrafted statues made to look like bronze include powdered water buffalo bones in the mould mixture.

Hill Tribe art can also be found, either in the booths, or through the many hill tribes people who come down to the market from further north to peddle their wares. They are very difficult to escape once they latch on to you, and "no" is just not part of their vocabulary. I made the mistake of waiting on the street corner for Chuck to finish a purchase and they found me! They like to hang around the entrance to Starbucks , as they sense a ready audience about to come out or go in. They do have some very colorful wrist bands and hats, but we had a chance to purchase those at the village itself.

I do remember a very talented artist at the basement level of the Kalare who was doing portraits as long as you could provide him with a picture. Well, so much for digital cameras, which is all we had with us, and no pictures. Unlike other sidewalk artists, he did not use live models. His prices are worth bringing a picture along ahead of time. On the same level, there were several knick-knack places that specialized in wooden crafts that would make wonderful gifts, especially for children. There was a huge assortment, but I do believe some of the goods were imported from Indonesia.

Here you will also find baskets galore, bamboo and rattan based. Every size, shape, and color you can imagine. Some are quite elegant, others ordinary. Interesting decorative home accessories made of iron and other metals. Along the second level of the Kalare are furniture showrooms featuring teak in some very contemporary designs.

Candles and soaps with heady perfumes scent the air. Articles of hemp are also quite popular. Soapstone is a material used extensively, as well in small and large home accessories in different color ranges; you can also find hand dyed batik fabrics as bed covers or shawls. Ceramic vases and dishes had me weak at the knees. And then there is lacquerware! And that’s before we became acquainted with the factory that produces the stuff which is wood based. Super interesting.

I had to exercise control: I did purchase some chopstick and matching bamboo placemats for the office staff. Businesses seem to be hurting, despite the crowds. Sellers were eager to make a sale, and were giving generous discounts.

Masks are also a big thing here, and it’s really difficult to zone in on one a type. Now I know where Pier One gets their mango wood vases!!! They were here in all their splendor in natural wood and colored black. Actually many companies have websites and will sell directly to the public. Chiang Mai is definitely a wired city.

Check out this website prior to leaving for Thailand; it has a lot about shopping, lodging, dining, and transportation. Find it at Thailand Preview .

Musical instruments abound as well. This was also true when we shopped in Bangkok. Large, scenic umbrellas are a great buy here as well for home décor. Though somewhat redundant, you’ll find artificial flowers which are so unique that you can almost forgive the artifice. There's some rugs and other floor textiles, but not a whole lot of that unless you have a huge space in the indoor part. Gold, copper, or silver plated orchids are a good buy here, especially if you purchase them from an orchid farm. Most are located in the North as well. Bring back some sand dolls for your kiddies; they are well made and feel good in your hands.

In summary, if I came back to Thailand, I’d head straight for Chiang Mai. At the night market, where pricing is generally not shown on the merchandise, you are expected to bargain. Many of the products you see here are the results of what we call small cottage industries, and are made by hand, one at a time. Thus, considerable skill is required to produce certain goods. Chiang Mai is intimate, yet large enough for you to get lost in. It’s definitely international, and that is borne by the immense diversity of the restaurants and ex-pats who have made it their home.