Exploring The Rose of the North: 4 Days in Chiang Mai
- Mar 6, 2020
- 3 min read
In the months leading up to our trip, the one piece of advice any veteran SEA travelers would give us was to not miss out on Chiang Mai! I’m happy to report that this charming little city did not disappoint.
After a bumpy flight from KL, we hopped on a tuk tuk, buzzing down the highway in our doorless vehicle headed for the Old City. We turned down a quiet side street that must have had 50+ species of plants alone lining the pavement, and for that I was grateful.
We spent our first afternoon strolling through the city, which meant temple hopping. We made our way to Wat Chedi Luang, which dates back to the early 15th century.
We landed at Ming Kwan Restaurant for dinner. This vegetarian buffet spot features a diverse spread of vegetable dishes, rolls, soups (specializing in Khao Soi, Northern Thailand’s signature dish), along with the meatiest mushrooms I’ve ever consumed. All for the whopping price of 20 baht or ~$0.75. Yes - we ate here four more times!
We crossed the street and walked through a small market lining a temple. On the corner of the market, we discovered an outdoor massage establishment. At 120 baht, or $4, we couldn’t resist. Nestled in the shade on surprisingly comfortable floor mats, we laid down and our masseuses got cracking! A Thai Massage is basically a human foam roller. Expect to be spread, pushed, kneaded, bent, and smacked from different angles, over and over again. I personally loved it. Steven’s masseuse seemed to take pleasure in jabbing her thumbs through his pressure points, so he left the tent feeling a bit bruised and battered.
After our relaxing massages, we stopped by The Old City Inn and enjoyed a couple cocktails apiece.
Near our guesthouse at Tha Pae Gate, we stumbled upon a game of sepak takraw, which is basically volleyball with your feet. Hundreds of onlookers cheered as the players' aerials sent the tiny rattan ball back and forth. I thought back to my single day of freshman volleyball and contemplated my path in life.
We ended the day roaming bar-riddled streets, judging old men and their bar girl flings. A perfect way to end our first day in Chiang Mai.
The next morning, we rose early to observe our morning ritual - a sunrise hike!
Hiking The Monk’s Trail
The Monk’s Trail is aptly named as this path served monks making the pilgrimage up to Doi Suthep, one of Chiang Mai’s most famous temples, thanks to its sweeping views of the city. Doi Suthep was actually the biggest disappointment of the morning, being overrun by tourists with views cloaked by smog, but the trek up more than made up for it.
We left our guesthouse shortly after 6AM and ran about 3 miles to the back of the Chiang Mai Zoo (yay for avoiding inflated tour fees)! From there, we followed a steep dirt road for about 0.6 miles, before finding the trailhead. The trail was well marked and pleasant, taking us through the jungle before reaching Wat Phalat, a hidden temple and the halfway point to Doi Suthep. Most tourists bypass Wat Phalat completely by taking the paved road up by van or tuk tuk - a total shame. Unfortunately I had another ‘indecency’ moment (forgot to wear leggings instead of shorts) so Steven snapped these pics.
We continued onward for the steeper portion of the hike - a little less than 2 miles - before reaching Wat Doi Suthep. It was overcast due to the smoke, so there wasn’t much to see. The dip in tourism due to Coronavirus means we’ve seldom had to dodge mobs of tour buses - except today. After doing a quick loop around the perimeter and rolling our eyes at the tourists, we fled down the 309 steps to the official entrance/exit.
Chiang Mai by Night
Later that night, we temple hopped around the Old City to Wat Phra Singh and Wat Sri Suphan, among others, admiring glimmering gold plated walls and colorful prayer flags against the dimming sky.
I just love this photo:
We put on real clothes (Steven even wore hair gel and I dug out my eyeliner) and strolled over to North Gate Jazz Co-Op, which plays live jazz music every night starting at 7:30PM. We were the first ones there (it is normally ‘packed’ according to Google...) and stayed for several hours enjoying the music and atmosphere. These guys KILLED IT.
And here is my favorite dessert while in Chiang Mai, because why not.
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