The bustling town of Chiang Mai offers the traveler a chance to experience authentic Thai culture and daily life. It’s the perfect location to absorb the beauty of the natural settings, rice fields and the lush forest groves, as well as the modern city with its many restaurants, shops, and places of interest. Chiang Mai truly is the best of both worlds.
While in Chiang Mai, I strongly suggest an early morning start – not only are the temperatures cooler, there are less crowds. Wat Phrathat Doi Suthe is lovely this time of day, with the young monks up and about. We purchased food and gave alms to the monks; and at that point, they stood and prayed a blessing over us. Venture up to the top of the hill and then climb further by foot to the Temple where you will delight in a fabulous view of all of the city of Chiang Mai. As you stroll around, you will see many ornate structures, gilded displays of art, and a general feel of calm and well-being. During my visit, I was fortunate to experience an elder monk giving a lesson to the younger monks as they were chanting and reciting the prayers in their books. In addition, we were able to kneel and receive a blessing through an elder monk.
Another incredible experience in Northern Thailand is to spend time at Patera Elephant Reserve. The reserve is set up to respect and care for elephants that have been in captivity, abused, and/or released from a captive situation such as a circus. Here they are well-cared for and enjoy a natural and nurturing environment. We were given the opportunity to spend time with our own elephant and his handler. I spent the afternoon with an elephant named Bott, who can only be described as a “gentle giant.” After feeding him (the amount of food was incredible), we were given an opportunity to take him into the water to assist in cleaning and caring for him. I was embracing every aspect of this, but approached riding on the elephant with great trepidation; especially when they demonstrated how to use the trunk to get up on the elephant’s neck!! Thankfully, there was another way – my elephant lifted his heel and then his leg, of which I then shimmied up onto his neck. To say it was exhilarating is putting it mildly. You are not really holding on, just placing your hands on his head and legs and knees help balance yourself. It’s an incredible feeling walking through the forest on an elephant.
A perfect setting for your stay in Chiang Mai is the stunning Four Seasons Resort that is situated on terraced rice fields in a gorgeous natural reserve. You feel as if you are in a Thai village with lush forest flora and fauna everywhere. The resort has a wide variety of activities such as their spa, the large pool area, fitness center, and walking trails. Another authentic experience is to meet in the morning with the general manager who will take a group biking around the local village areas. It’s off the cuff and at your own pace to wherever and whatever length of biking you’d like to do.
The cuisine at the Four Seasons is spectacular. Our hosts, knowing that we had eaten Thai food throughout the trip, prepared a special meal of pasta with a choice of lamb or lobster sauce, followed by a beautiful cheese board display.
For the shopping enthusiast, you won’t want to miss the “Night Markets” of Chiang Mai, open from 9 pm to midnight. It’s great fun to navigate your way through the plethora of fresh food stalls, bakery treats, and vendors’ booths full of everything from designer items to local crafted wares. It’s easy to purchase as prices are really reasonable, and of course the challenge of bartering is always invigorating. Throughout the area, one can enjoy a beverage and/or meal from an outside café complete with a variety of street musicians entertaining the crowd.
This northern area, with its mystical and ancient experiences, as well as its small village towns and yet a surprisingly cosmopolitan city, is not to be missed.
A perfect vacation would be to enjoy the city of Bangkok upon your arrival, then relax in the southern portion of Thailand at one of their famous islands, and finally finish up experiencing amazing Northern Thailand.