Chiang Mai - the city with so much to do (Chiang Mai)

Member Name: georgieturpin

Product:	Chiang Mai
Date:	18/02/09 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: There is just so much to do and see.

Disadvantages: It takes quite a while to get there.

When I decided to go travelling, everyone who'd been to Thailand told me that I had to go to Chiang Mai, so after I'd done a bit of reading up I realised that it would be ridiculous to miss it. We decided to end our travels in Thailand, mainly to top up our tans! We arrived into Bangkok and after one night there decided to head down to the islands in the south west. We spent two glorious weeks island hopping before heading on up to Chiang Mai.

We decided to get the train up from to Chiang Mai as, the buses weren't that comfy and the horror stories about people stealing from your bags were terrifying. We had to get a minibus from Phuket to Surat Thani, where we got the train to Bangkok; we had to wait a while in Surat Thani before getting the last train, and even then we had had to book the most expensive sleeper as they were all full. There was no denying the cosiness of them though. Once in Bangkok we got another train to Chiang Mai, this time getting 2nd class seats, which were perfectly adequate and a much better price.

When we arrived into Chiang Mai there were the usual 20 or so people trying to take you to their guesthouses, we went with Julie's guesthouse as it had been recommended to us and they were lovely. We then spent a fabulous week exploring Chiang Mai.

We did a Thai cookery course, which I would recommend to anyone, we made six different dishes, and you have about 36 to choose from, I chose to try the classic Thai green curry and it was incredible. The best thing we tried though was mango sticky rice, it is absolutely amazing!! They sell it everywhere but I hadn't tried it till now, and from then on I had it almost everyday.

They run numerous treks from Chiang Mai, all different lengths and different routes. We decided to just do a two day trek, and it was fantastic. We started off my having a delicious lunch before riding elephants for an hour or so. It was incredible!! And we had by far the biggest elephant. Then we left the elephants and began to walk through the forest. It was absolutely beautiful; until it came to a 3 hour uphill trek. The ground was to dry it was hard to not slip down. We then spent the night with a hill tribe village in a bamboo hut. They cooked us the most incredible meal, naturally including green Thai curry. We all sat around the food on rugs on this kind of bamboo balcony overlooking the most amazing view of the valley. The people of the village were so friendly and made us feel most welcome.

On the way down it was even more painful that the way up, as our legs were so achy. It was very steep in places; I am the clumsiest person in the world and managed to slip over six times when others didn't fall over at all! We made a stop at a waterfall, and then followed the river until we got to the white water rafting station; this was tremendously fun, being thrown around all over the place. Part way down the river we changed to bamboo rafts, which was the perfect end to a fabulous trek, being punted down the last part of the river to finish off with another delicious meal.

Back in Chiang Mai, we explored the various restaurants, ate copious amounts of mango sticky rice, and went for a massage in the women's prison. It was quite an experience prisoners that are about to be released in less than six months can train and be paid to give massages, this was definitely needed after the trek. You cannot go to Chiang Mai without visiting the famous night market; it is endless and incredible but be prepared to barter.

Chiang Mai is a fantastic city, if you are going to Thailand it is essential not to miss it. It has something for everyone and you will never be bored, two days is definitely not long enough to make the most of this amazing city, allow a minimum of 5 days. Its extraordinary.

Summary: This city should not be missed.