Thailand 2024 - Chiang Mai Part 1

Partying until the early hours when you have a morning flight to catch the next day is not recommended, but we did it and we survived, one of us with a little more composure than the other. It helped that it was a stress-free journey with our transfer arriving on time, we breezed through check-in and security, before finding some seats to chill out in whilst we waited. The journey through Chiang Mai airport was just as simple and we quickly found our driver who took us the short journey to our hotel. 

We stayed in El Barrio Lanna, a small boutique hotel within the ancient city walls with beautiful landscaping, friendly staff, good breakfast, and a lovely pool area although the water was a little bit too cold for us and it could have done with a few more sunbeds. 

We did have to have a little sleep to recover from the partying, but it was needed so that we could enjoy the Walking Street Night Market. This market is on every Sunday from 4pm until around midnight, and it is huge. The market along the main street is 1km, but then it goes down multiple side streets, into courtyards, down alleyways, and even into the temple grounds. Its amazing just how big it is and there is no way you'll even see half of the market in just one night. The temples along the route are all open for people to use their toilets, and in the grounds are large food courts with lots of street vendors surrounding a seating area with live music. The food was amazing! There was so much choice, it really was difficult to decide what to have, and it was some of the best food we have ever tasted. Our favourite was the BBQ pork ribs which we had with some buttered corn covered in cheese. The market is full-on and we found we needed a break from it. The usual bars, restaurants, and massage parlours along the street are all open too, and we found a really nice Japanese themed bar with a second floor seating area where we could enjoy a beer and watch the market down below. 

The next day, we decided, was going to be temple-hunting day. There are over 300 temples in Chiang Mai, and whilst we had seen a few during our time at the market, we wanted to try to cross a few more off the list. We picked up a map, marked off roughly where some of the recommended temples were, and then went exploring. 

Chiang Mai is a really lovely city for just walking around and exploring. We always felt safe, and there was always something to see or do around most corners. There were a lot of coffee shops, massage parlours, street vendors, and of course, temples. It was quite nice to just get lost and explore whatever we came across. 

One temple not to be missed is Wat Chedi Luang and to get to it, involves a small entrance fee (40 baht, 80p) which gives you access to a complex with multiple temples, statues, monuments, museums, and even the opportunity to talk to a monk in 'Monk Chat'. You do need to have shoulders and ankles covered to get into the grounds but if you don't have appropriate clothing, they do have things you can borrow. 

Wat Chedi Luang is the biggest temple in Chiang Mai and is at least 600 years old. It was damaged by an earthquake but it is still very impressive. The Emerald Buddha, which we saw in Bangkok, used to live here until it was relocated to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. We really enjoyed the 'Monk Chat' where we got to speak to a monk about his life. We found out he was a Chelsea supporter (poor guy) and that all monks support premier league teams. They also use Facebook for communicating about monk education and events, and regularly chat to their superiors to ensure they are not being tempted by other content available online. Speaking to a monk was free and definitely a good experience as it helped us learn a little more about them, and they got to practice some English on us.  

After a few more temples, some we looked inside but the vast majority we just enjoyed the outside and the grounds, we found ourselves at Three Kings Monument. Here there was a cultural centre but we were a little cultured out so decided to find some of "the best chicken in Chiang Mai" as per one of the guide books. This chicken place was Kiet o Cha. It was a very local and rustic eating place but the food and the experience was great. One of the great things with Thailand is they do street food so well, even in the smallest, most locally restaurants, the food is authentical, tasty and cheap. 

We continued wondering around the city and eventually needed some air conditioning and a cold drink. We stopped at a café, which turned out to be a cat café. There were loads of these dotted around the city and it was good fun to chill out with some furry friends. 

Our final stop was to Tha Phae Gate. Chiang Mai is surrounded by a moat, and a city wall, with four gates on each of the sides. A lot of the wall and the gates are eroded but Tha Phae Gate is the most impressive. It dates back to the 13th century and was used to protect the city from invasion from the Mongol Empire. 

In the evening, we headed to Chiang Mai's red light district, Loi Kroh Road. We didn't think it was that red lighty, especially when compared to Soi Cowboy in Bangkok. There were a lot of bars, with a lot of girls sitting outside waiting for single western men, but they were all fully dressed in normal clothes, it didn't feel seedy. Visiting these bars as a couple, a single lady, or even a groups, you are perfectly safe, its just the single western men who need to watch out, unless this is what you are after. We enjoyed drinks in a number of these bars, people watching, playing Connect 4, and even having a game of pool. 

Wandering around, we came across a Thai Boxing ring. Neither of us wanted to see a match but surrounding the ring was a lot of small bars which were free to get into. We had a drink and a game of pool in one of these bars, watching the women pouncing on the single men, who didn't seem to mind the attention! 

We ended up needing a nightcap in a slightly more conservative establishment, so we jumped into a tuk-tuk and headed to Chiang Mai's only craft beer pub, The Grumpy Old Men. This was a really nice low key bar with a good selection of beers (2 of their own) we could try, and a friendly bar bunny to pet. 

When the bar closed, we grabbed another tuk-tuk and headed back towards our hotel, with a stop off at a 7-Eleven for another infamous toasty.