Northern capital of Thailand. (Chiang Mai)

Member Name: Holidaying

Product:	Chiang Mai
Date:	30/01/09 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful city, festivals.

Disadvantages: Questions over ethics of some activities nearby, low standard of accomodation, not much to do.

Chiang Mai is a city of northern Thailand that I visited when I was in Thailand last year.

I travelled from Bangkok to get to Chiang Mai. It took about twelve hours on the train. You can fly in about two hours. This is more expensive. From the train you get to see the countryside which is quite worth seeing, and train travel in Thailand is an experience, as I have written it my previous reviews.

The train was comfortable and on such a long journey there is no choice but to book a bed. There are two meals offered, dinner and breakfast, and these are good quality although a bit more expensive than normal food. If you want to read more about train travel in Thialand, please visit my review on the State Railway of Thailand.

Arriving at the train station in Chiang Mai, the train is met by a lot of people who want to take you where you're going in their tuk-tuk or songthaew. The songthaew is cheaper but the tuk-tuk is more of an experience so I'd go with this one every time!

As I entered the town, I thought it seemed very beautiful. There are some historic features that are immediately apparent, such as the old town walls. There are lots of little backstreets which are good for getting lost in (and easy to do so) but which are charming.

I found food and drink to be priced much cheaper in Chiang Mai than it is in Bangkok or in other parts of Thailand. I had a meal for under one pound here and it was very tast.

Chiang Mai is usually used a base from which to explore the surrounding area. It is popular to go hill walking to see the local tribes but there are sustainability questions over this and I wonder how much money goes to the tribes people so I didn't do this.

There is also an elephant park nearby where you can ride elephants. I didn't do this either as I think it is cruel.

There is a popular statue on the outskirts of the town of a religious figure (whose name I've forgotten) that I went to see. It is expensive to get here though so sharing with some friends would be a good idea.

However I did enjoy the town very much. Chiang Mai is known for its markets. There is a weekend market and there are night markets as well. These are wonderful places to buy Thai items and gifts for those back home.

The town plays host to some wonderful festivals and these are popular times to visit so accomodation should be booked ahead.

Some of the accomodation is quite expensive here, for what you get, so I would advise paying more money, stay close to the centre and expect to pay fifteen or twenty pounds a night for a nice single room.

Overall I would think carefully about visiting Chaing Mai because although it is beautiful if you are not going for the hill walking or elephants, and you are not going at the time when there is a festival on, you will not have much to do. I stayed here for two nights and it was plenty.

Summary: Think carefully about visiting Chiang Mai.