Chiang Mai is the main center of Northern Thailand and a popular city to escape too, especially after the hustle and bustle of Bangkok as Chiang Mai lies on an agricultural plain surrounded by leafy green hills. It is also historically an interesting city, complete with the central city being surrounded by an ancient wall and moat defensive system.
It took me 14 hours to travel to Chiang Mai on an overnight train from Bangkok, but once I arrived into Chiang Mai I was greeted by Yang (who I had met on a train in China) and her friend Ying. I’m not kidding, Ying and Yang. So here I was, hanging out in the more chilled out north with Ying and Yang and feeling totally at peace. Well, not quite, protestors were still in Bangkok’s airport and I was now in the opposition’s part of the country, so there was tension in the air. More importantly, I couldn’t wear my red polo for fear of being assaulted, which was a pity as it was my last clean top – as I’m sure Ying and Yang will attest.
Thai’s are a very religious bunch, predominately Buddhist, as a result there’s no shortage of temples and other religious structures with the central walled city containing in excess of 30 temples. We visited the central temple of the previously walled city where I would see my first monks up close, before heading up to the most famous temple in the region (Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep) atop of a nearby hill 13km away where it overlooks the city.
While hanging out with Yang, who is pretty much a local as she has been teaching Chinese for five years in Chiang Mai, I randomly ran into the Irish boys who I had spent a week with in China. We would do a lot of our catching up while getting a Thai massage, a few big nights (when I would see more monks getting their early morning alms) and during a Thai food cooking course. We would learn how to cook hot and spicy soup with prawns and spring rolls, aswell as green curry.
After a thoroughly enjoyable five days exploring Chiang Mai with interesting travellers, it was time to move on to Laos as time was marching on. Before leaving though I would join Ying and Yang out for a buffet dinner at a very popular ‘Korean BBQ’ type place. Thanks a million Ying and Yang for a showing me around and ensuring I had a great time, experiencing a new city is always better when you get to spend time with locals.
