Falling in love in Chiang Mai
From the moment I arrived in Chiang Mai, I knew it was my kind of place. The city was vibrant but not overly crowded with a backdrop of stunning mountains. Compared to Bangkok this was a different world and one I would much rather live in. The city also offers plentiful activities to do: Temples to visit (of course), amazing northern Thai food to eat (and cook), and jungle hikes and waterfalls to explore! I spent a week in Chiang Mai, and in this post, I’ll chat about all the things I loved about it and everything I managed to do.
Monks Trail
My first day, I had a chill morning, hit the gym and got my
laundry done – travelling life admin. Then in the afternoon I completed the
monks trail which is a 4km hike passing through Wat Pha Lat (a temple) which can can be extended to include Doi Suthep (another temple). I wanted to complete
this hike for sunset so grabbed a Grab (Asian uber) to the start point and
began my hike. I immediately started chatting to two other lads doing it, which
meant we had a decent wee group to do the walk. This was my first encounter with
an exotic beastie when we walked under a huge cobweb containing a Nephila Pilipes (known as a northern golden orb weaver can look up a photo if you wish), one of the guys I was walking with asked if he could go on my
shoulders to take a photo of it. To which I replied absolutely not.
The First stop on the hike was Wat Pha Lat which had an
incredible waterfall, with a sort of infinity pool looking out to the city. It
was a spectacular view, with the ancient temple built into the jungle behind it. Wat Pha
Lat was built during the reign of King Kuena (1355-1385). The story goes that the royal entourage journeyed to the top of Doi Suthep with the king riding on a white elephant. When they reached the top, his exhausted elephant lay down and
died, which became the temple of Doi Suthep – the top of the hike. However the
three areas where his elephant stopped to rest also became temples, one of these stops being Wat Pha Lat.
From here, the two boys I was with decided to head back down
and not venture to the top temple. I wanted to power on to have plenty of time
to experience the sunset. Arriving at what I thought was the top of the climb, I was unfortunately greeted by an additional 306 steps to reach the top –
Great! Anyway, it was certainly worth it for the amazing views at the top!!
Doi Suthep
Sticky Waterfalls
My next highlight in Chiang Mai was a morning excursion to climb the sticky waterfalls. These waterfalls are a natural wonder; their limestone rocks and mineral-rich water create a grippy surface, making it surprisingly easy to climb. The experience felt almost surreal, as the idea of climbing a waterfall seems counterintuitive—you expect to be cautious about slipping, but here, the opposite is true. It was a fun and memorable morning, with plenty of great views. However, it was extremely busy and felt somewhat like a water park.
Muay Thai fight
One evening, I attended a Muay Thai fight, and it was an incredible experience. One of the great things about being on a well-travelled backpacking route is that most people you meet are often heading to the same destination. As a result a lot of people I had met were in Chiang Mai at the same time, so we managed to gather a good group to watch the fight together. Muay Thai, Thailand’s national sport, is truly intense. Known as “The Art of Eight Limbs,” it involves punches, kicks, elbows, and knees flying all over the place. During the event, there were two knockouts, both caused by liver shots. It looked excruciating, and the wee guys that took them looked in a rough state afterwards.
Cooking Class
I absolutely loved this! As an avid cook at home, and a huge fan of Thai cuisine, this was one my most anticipated things to do in Thailand and thankfully it lived up to the hype. The class began with a tour of an organic garden and then selecting what meals to cook. We were tasked to cook 5 different meals, I was eager to challenge myself (in the taste department not culinary) so selected the spiciest options.
During the class, I made Pad Kra Pao, Massaman Curry, Sour and Spicy Soup, Mango Sticky Rice, and Thai Iced Tea. The Pad Kra Pao featured seven chilies of three different varieties, and while it was delicious, I definitely felt the heat afterward! The Massaman Curry was my favourite as it had a great blend of creaminess and spice. The soup was incredibly flavourful, packed with a variety of whole spices that added depth. Finally, the Mango sticky rice and Thai iced tea were a well-earned sweet treat to end the class.
I’d never heard of Mango Sticky Rice before, and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it, but after trying it I'm onboard. It’s absolutely unreal, and I would highly recommend it!
Drag Show
This was just a laugh, having some beers with the boys (and
gals), watching some beautiful ladies dancing. What more is there to
say. Great evening.
No suitable images available
Loy Krathong &
Yi Peng Festival
One of the main reasons I stayed in Chiang Mai for a week was for the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Festival. These festivals are ancient Thai festivals which are celebrated around the full moon in the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar, which is November. Yi Peng is the releasing of Lanterns into the sky, which is specifically a Northern Thailand festival, and Loy Krathong is releasing homemade baskets with candles onto a bed of water. Both festivals are about giving thanks and letting go of grudges and negative thoughts.
My experience of the festival was mixed. I had met people in Bangkok that had said I had to buy a ticket as it was selling out fast! This was the most expensive thing I had
paid for in Thailand, 90 quid! Before I arrived in Chiang Mai I hadn’t given it
much thought as I knew the festival was a huge thing so it made sense it would
cost a lot. However, it later dawned on me “how do Thai
people afford this?”. It was after this, I conducted further reading and discovered
there are free lantern release undertaken by locals around the city. Annoying
to say the least.
I still went with an open mind to my ticketed event. Arriving at the event it had a decent set up and free food but as I expected it had hundreds of westerners in attendance and a very instagrammy/influencer vibe which was not my cup of tea.
But then the actual
lantern release happened, and it was amazing, the scene was incredibly picturesque
with the lanterns and the full moon illuminating the night sky. It made me feel
quite overwhelmed, another pinch me moment of experiencing something I didn’t
even know existed a few weeks ago. The pictures and videos I took didn’t do it
justice.
Chiang Mai and travelling
Chiang Mai was the first stop that made myself very grateful
that I decided to travel. I completely fell in love with the city and I most
definitely will be back. I would also recommend everyone to try to visit this part
of the world and Chiang Mai once.
It was also my first stop where I had met people I felt I
had a good connection with and would have loved to spend more time with. With
solo travelling though, everyone is on their own routes and own journeys and
the people I met that I would of liked to travel more with were going the
opposite direction from me. So with most people you meet out here, you have quick
hellos, whirlwind friendships then a quick goodbye. It’s a weird way to live, it’s
like living life with the intensity dialled up to 11. You can meet someone one
morning, spend all day with them, go out for meals together in the evening,
then be off to never see each other again the next day. Not a chance I’d go for
dinner with someone I’d met in the street randomly back in the UK. I guess you
never know though, life works in strange ways and if I’m to meet them again maybe
I will.
Miscellaneous
Khao Soi is the most elite Thai curry, I always thought my
love for Thai red would never falter but Khao Soi has done it!
Khao Soi
I met my first fellow Scottish person, took two weeks! There’s not a lot of us out here. Mainly English, Dutch, German and French.
On that point it is strange being so far away from home, and
primarily meeting westerns and spending time with westerners. Hoping to do some
more off the beaten track things later in my travels to see the local side of the culture.
I met a Malaysian millionaire in a hostel one night, the guy
was dripping in Versace. He owned an oil rig and showed me all the engineering
design drawings for it. Was extremely odd, he also invited me to stay in his
penthouse guest house in Kuala Lumpa….I’ll probably stick to hostels though.
The best thing with travelling compared to a holiday is you
have time, time to do what you want and decide what you want to prioritise.
But at the same time moving from place to place semi regularly,
does mean I’m constantly trying to ensure I’m not missing anything. I think
that’s why I’m enjoying doing this to reflect and slow down once I’ve visited
somewhere.
Just to hammer it home I loved Chiang Mai, and can’t wait to
return one day.
Next stop: The hippy paradise of Pai
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