Alright, so people keep asking me, “What’s the deal with Chiang Mai? What did you actually do there?” It’s not like I just lounged around, though, okay, maybe a little bit of that happened too. Can’t blame a guy.
First thing I did when I got there was just… walk. Well, after I rented a scooter, which, looking back, was maybe a bit brave on those roads. But hey, it’s how I roll. I just wanted to get a feel for the place, you know? Different vibe from the chaos of Bangkok. Much more chill, or at least that’s how it felt to me pretty quick.
And temples, man, temples everywhere. I heard – and it’s probably true – if Chiang Mai is famous for one thing, it’s the city’s 300 Buddhist temples. They say ‘wat’ means temple in Thai. And seriously, most can be found in the historic centre. You practically trip over them. I didn’t go into every single one, that’d take forever, but I saw a good few. Some were super grand, all gold and glittering. Others were older, quieter. It was nice just to step inside, away from the street noise, and just be for a minute.
Then there was this elephant thing. I spent ages looking for a good place, one of those sanctuary spots where they actually care for the animals. Found one, and spent the whole day just hanging out with these massive creatures. We fed them, walked with them through this muddy field, and then helped give them a wash in the river. Got absolutely filthy, but totally worth it. Seeing them up close, not doing tricks or anything, just being elephants, that was something else.
Oh, and the food! Let’s not forget the food. I basically ate my way through the city. The night markets were my jam. Stall after stall of delicious smelling stuff. I’d just point at what looked good, hand over a few baht, and dig in. Pretty sure I had Khao Soi almost every single day. That creamy, spicy noodle soup? Amazing. And sticky rice with mango, don’t even get me started.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, mind you. One afternoon, I tried to find this waterfall everyone was talking about. My phone map was useless, and I ended up on some crazy dirt track in the middle of nowhere. Sun starting to go down, thinking I might be sleeping with the critters. Bit of a panic. But then, out of nowhere, this old Thai fella on a rickety motorbike just appeared, gave me a smile, and pointed me back towards civilization. People there are generally super helpful, even when you’re a clueless tourist like me.
So yeah, that’s a slice of my Chiang Mai trip. I explored the Old City walls, wandered through markets selling everything you can imagine, and just tried to soak it all in. It wasn’t about ticking off a list of ‘must-sees’ for me. It was more about the overall experience, the little moments, the food, the vibe. I definitely didn’t see everything, but that just means I’ve got an excuse to go back, right?
