Chiang Mai is the epitome of an expat haven. Tons of westernized-restaurants, delicious coffee, yoga, and countless markets to spend all of your money on souvenirs. We were supposed to leave after a week, but ended up extending our time because we enjoyed it so much. The weather was amazing, the people were friendly, and khao soi is our new favorite food.
Here's a rundown of our favorite Chiang Mai things:
1) Khao soi. It's a curry noodle soup that you can only find in the north of Thailand. It's amazing. We tried it everywhere we went, but Khao Soi Mae Sai was unequivocally our favorite. And it cost us $1.20 each. We ate it every day. In a hut, on the road, or on the train.
2) The Elephants. We went to the Elephant Nature Park, which was incredible. We did the half-day tour (because #budget), and it was great. ENP provides a sanctuary for "retired" elephants that have been abused and exploited for entertainment purposes. We were grateful to learn so much about these amazing creatures and observe them in a semi-natural environment. If you are going to do elephant-based tourism, PLEASE do your research. Do not ride elephants.
3) Aerial Yoga. I've been wanting to try this forever, so Ben booked a session at Satva Yoga as part of my birthday gift. We had an absolute blast. For every good picture, we have approximately 46 outtakes. We were terrible at it, but that seemed to make it even more fun.
4) The Sunday Night Walking Street Market. We were told to go at 7, but we went really early. Like at 4. We were so glad we did, because it was a complete zoo later in the evening. We've been to a ton of Asian night markets at this point, but this one was our favorite. The vendors were more unique than what we've seen before, selling more authentic things than just your typical tourist crap.
5) The Overall Vibe. Chiang Mai was just a cool place. There were neat bars, and walking streets, and cool people. We ended up going to a comedy show that was done in English (it featured a broadway musical-esque song about fisting #win). We also stayed in the heart of the expat district northeast of the Old Town, which was perfect: we had tons of local restaurants that were cheap, and it was super-safe.
Quick note on transportation: Chiang Mai has these fantastic red trucks, that pick you up anywhere, and take you wherever you want to go in the city for dirt cheap. So great. Also, the night train from Bangkok is awesome. One million times better than Vietnam's night trains. Don't hesitate to take them!
Here's a rundown of our favorite Chiang Mai things:
1) Khao soi. It's a curry noodle soup that you can only find in the north of Thailand. It's amazing. We tried it everywhere we went, but Khao Soi Mae Sai was unequivocally our favorite. And it cost us $1.20 each. We ate it every day. In a hut, on the road, or on the train.
2) The Elephants. We went to the Elephant Nature Park, which was incredible. We did the half-day tour (because #budget), and it was great. ENP provides a sanctuary for "retired" elephants that have been abused and exploited for entertainment purposes. We were grateful to learn so much about these amazing creatures and observe them in a semi-natural environment. If you are going to do elephant-based tourism, PLEASE do your research. Do not ride elephants.
3) Aerial Yoga. I've been wanting to try this forever, so Ben booked a session at Satva Yoga as part of my birthday gift. We had an absolute blast. For every good picture, we have approximately 46 outtakes. We were terrible at it, but that seemed to make it even more fun.
4) The Sunday Night Walking Street Market. We were told to go at 7, but we went really early. Like at 4. We were so glad we did, because it was a complete zoo later in the evening. We've been to a ton of Asian night markets at this point, but this one was our favorite. The vendors were more unique than what we've seen before, selling more authentic things than just your typical tourist crap.
5) The Overall Vibe. Chiang Mai was just a cool place. There were neat bars, and walking streets, and cool people. We ended up going to a comedy show that was done in English (it featured a broadway musical-esque song about fisting #win). We also stayed in the heart of the expat district northeast of the Old Town, which was perfect: we had tons of local restaurants that were cheap, and it was super-safe.
The yoga looks awesome and I chuckled when I saw the pup!
ReplyDelete