🇹🇭 Thailand – Chiang Mai

Disclaimer

The information in this blog is accurate as of October 2019.

Contents

• 🤔 – What to Expect
• 🌅 – Activities
• 🍛 – Food
• 🚇 – Transport
• 🛌 – Accomodation

🤔 What to Expect

• A squared city soaked in Thai culture.
• Greenery and mountains
• Smaller than Bangkok.
• Mosquitoes, lots of them.
• Home of the elephant sanctuaries – majority now have NO RIDING. 😀

🌅 Activities

Muay Thai Boxing

• Standard seat entrance fee 500 baht (around £13) when bought on the door or we bought via Klook app for £10.29
• 5 fights, starting with young teen Thai boxers and gradually goes up in age groups, ending with an adult fight.
• The young teen (we speculate around 13 years old) boxing was uncomfortable to watch especially as we were expecting adult matches.
• Interesting to watch the match with older boxers, especially seeing the Wai Kru Ram Muay ritual dance at the start of the match to pay homage (respect) and gratitude to their teachers, family and ancestors.
• Drinks are a little expensive but are generally what you’d pay at most of the bars on the main streets (120 baht for large Chang or Leo beer).

Doi Inthanon National Park

• Doi Inthanon National Park Day tour bought on Klook for £27.80 per person (includes all day transfers, English speaking tour guide, lunch and entrance fees)
• Great price as it costs 300 baht per person at 2 different check points plus … baht for a car or … baht for a motorcycle.
• First stop was at the highest point in Thailand where we learnt about the types of trees in the forest and the shrine to King Inthanon.
• The Royal pagodas, each built to commemorate the birthdays of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his queen, are surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Thai Cooking Class – Lanna Smile

• Bought voucher on Klook at £18.05 per person.
• The price includes making a soup, noodle dish, vegetable spring tools, curry paste, Thai curry and a Thai dessert.
• Lanna Smile had the best choices of 3 per item (excluding spring rolls).
• Nim is passionate and knowledge about Thai cooking. She also has a great sense of humour!
• You get to visit a local market and learn about the key ingredients of Thai cooking (which Rachael knew already). You also get time to wander around, take pictures if you are not sure of anything and get them answered by Nim or Pim.
• The cooking class was awesome and there was no rush! The times on the voucher stated from 4pm till 8pm, including drop off & pick up, but we didn’t get back till going up 9pm.
• As it was slightly out of peak season we ended up having a private class however generally expect up to 12 people.
• You also get a recipe book to take home!
• Check this amazing experience out!

Home

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, Camp 8

• There is plenty of choice for Elephant Sanctuaries in Chiang Mai, we opted for Elephant Jungle Sanctuary.
• We bought a half day tour bought via Klook at £36 however you can also opt for a full day, one day walk with elephants and 1 or 2 night visits (which is obviously increases the price £££).
• Half day experience includes transfers to & from hotel (within 3km radius of Chiang Mai), lunch, feeding and playing with the elephants in water and mud.
• There were 9 camps at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary however there are various sized Sanctuaries available. Most camps don’t ride now either which is best for the elephants.
• You get the opportunity to meet, feed, play and bathe different aged elephants.
• We learnt about their previous use for logging work and how the sanctuary is the best place for them. This is due to previous owners simply releasing elephants back into the wild. This in turn causes them to be killed because they eat crops or out of fear due to these “domesticated” creatures approaching locals.
• Did you know? Elephants eat 10% of their body weight daily.
• Fantastic experience for all ages!

Anusarn Night Market

• Free entry unless you plan on grabbing some souvenirs.
• Jewellery, scarves, clothing, wooden bowls and utensils galore.
• Pretty much sells the same stuff as most other markets.
• Be prepared to barter to get the best deal.
• There’s also lots of stalls lining the streets running up to the market.
• If all the shopping has worked up an appetite then there’s plenty of restaurants and bars located around the edge of the market.
• If you’re all shopped out or shopping isn’t your thing, alternative options within the market are Chiang Mai Cabaret, in other words a lady boy show (see next title), and Muay Thai Boxing.

Chiang Mai Cabaret Show

• 350 baht per person including 1 drink (beer, softs and juice available).
• 100 baht for a small beer however there is a happy hour (which Arran missed by minutes) where they sell them for 80 baht. Or, if you’re not feeling a beer, buckets are 500 baht.
• It whiled away an hour or so.
• Entertaining and hilarious – their lip syncing and dancing is somewhat to be desired. I could teach them a thing or two!
• If you want to be a regular prop/ part of the show sit near the front. If you’re a little shy then my advice is sit nearer the back or the performers will eat you alive. 😂
• Oh and they always choose one guy to go up on stage, dance over them, take off his top and have a little fun. Your reward is a beer.

Amazing Eats

Delish Kafe

• Great Thai food at great prices.
• We had krapao duck, chicken and pumpkin red curry, duck red curry and chicken with cashews – they were all delicious!
• Main dishes were from 70-150 baht so just under £2-4.
• An English guy named Mark owns the place – he’s fab and gave us loads of recommendations on where to go and who to book with.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293917-d7204664-Reviews-DeLish_Kafe-Chiang_Mai.html

Angels Secrets

• Quaint little place off the main road.
• It has a fairy tale feel with fresh flowers and miss matched wooden furniture.
• A little more expensive than other places we’ve eaten but doesn’t break the bank.
• We spent around £10 each time we visited.
• Lovely selection of food including sandwiches, pancakes, smoothie bowls and Thai food. Also lots of drinks to choose from e.g. fruit juice, beer, Thai tea, coffee etc.
• Portions are decent too!

Transport

Local Bus

• Quite a new transport system, set up in 2018.
• 20 baht flat fare.
• Bus route goes around old city, night bazaars and to the airport.
• We went on to tour the city one evening thinking it would cost 20 baht for a loop but they charge you another 20 baht at the airport as this is the start & end of a route. So cost 40 baht in total.

Red Songthaew

• Generally 30 baht per ride.
• They also have other fares which depend on where you are travelling to in the city ranging from 100-250 baht.
• We got one from Bus Terminal 3 to 1984 Holiday Residence and it cost 150 baht for the two of us. (It’s only an 8 minute drive 🙄) I reckon you could have bartered a tuk-tuk cheaper.

Accomodation

1984 Holiday Residence

https://youtu.be/w4Hp6QncxI4

• Clean.
• Spacious – large double bed with private bathroom.
• Hot Water Shower.
• Shared common room.
• Free use of a washing machine!
• Fridge but in separate flat next door.
• Cooking facilities are in a sperate villa further up the street. However, it looks as though there would be one on site soon.
• Great WiFi.
• Gym.
• Yes, would stay here again.

Would be better if…

• A fridge in the common area. There was plenty of space for one.
• A sweeping brush for the room – just to keep things tidy.