Chiang Mai Day 1: Temples, temples and temples

Chiang Mai has been a mixed experience for me. I have in total spent three full days in the town, in addition to three half-days when I arrived or departed from the town during the day. So I have had plenty of time to get to know this relatively small (only one million people) northern Thai city, which prides itself on its distinct ‘Lanna’ culture,the result of being the capital of an independent kingdom until only around 200 years ago.

Everyone I had talked to before coming to Thailand said that Chiang Mai was a delightful, chilled-out mountain city which as a bonus is also cooler than lowland Bangkok. My initial reaction was not particularly a favourable one. Yes, it more chilled out than Bangkok, and also slightly cooler. But, it is still a city of over one million people, and is therefore, outside of the sleepy soi of the old city, hectic, chaotic and stressful. Being a smaller, poorer city also results in much less opportunities to shelter in airconditioning, which means those few centigrades are barely noticeable.

On my initial trip to Chiang Mai, I was not feeling this city. When I came back for another day-and-a-half later in my trip, I was able to see a little more what everyone finds so special about this city. But my first stay in the city, I just didn’t connect with this city in the same way that I had with chaotic Bangkok.

My first impression upon arriving in the city was someone demanding 200B (£4.00) to take me from the railway station to my hostel, a mere 2km away.

But he was a tuk-tuk driver, so by default is a bit of a bastard.

Eventually I found a more reasonable, though still very overpriced, tuk-tuk for 80B to take me to my hostel. It was 10am by this time, and I could not check in until midday, so I spent a few hours drinking free tea in the guesthouse’s reception whilst catching up on my much-neglected blog.

My check-in time arrives, and my bed is occupied by a hungover American douchebag.

I shrug, and head downstairs to give it another hour.

...1pm comes around, and there is still a hungover American douchebag in my bed.

...2pm comes, and still, douchebag is just getting around to packing his bag.

I would quite like to shower and get out of the hostel by now, so I ask the receptionist. She shrugs and generally refuses to do anything that would involve her getting off her seat.

2.30 comes, and douchebag and douchebag’s accomplices in douchery stumble downstairs to get a guesthouse bus.

I gave up hope of having my sheets changed, so just dumped my bag in disgust by my bed, had a quick shower, and headed out with great intentions of spending the afternoon. However just before I reached the city walls, I found a Starbucks with powerful AC, something which my guesthouse lacked, so this happened

This could be in the UK 

However, eventually even I tired of sitting and drinking (and that Summer Berry Panacotta Frappuchino was dreadful!), so I head off to explore the ancient walled city of Chiang Mai.

One of the five city gates.

The walled city, laid out on a rough grid within square walls and moat, is famous for the number, age and wealth of its wats and monasteries, some of which have been in continuous use since the 15th century.

I had no real itinerary or plans for the afternoon, so didn’t seek out any of the more famous wats, but chose rather to just wander around and soak up the atmosphere. Even so, I still took some beautiful pictures.

So pretty I could not choose just one.

The city outside of temples is equally beautiful.

Exhausted by 45 minutes of walking, I decided to get a foot massage for an hour.

I was feeling really productive on my first day in Chiang Mai.

In my defense, whilst getting my massage, I organised to meet up with some friends at Wat Chiang Man, which they had recommended to me as unmissable. It certainly turned out to be worth seeing.

Elephants standing to attention.

The beautiful technicolour Wat Chiang Man.

The ground of Chiang Man - so beautiful in the afternoon.

A startling sunset at Chiang Man - I am all about the lens flare and sun beams.

We then walked around the old city a little more as the sun set.

These wats weren't even on the tourist map - Chiang Mai is just effortlessly stunning.

Staring out over the city at sunset.

Our ultimate target in our wanderings was the city’s Night Bazaar. This was ultimately a little of a disappointment, as it was explicitly a tourist trap, ful of souvenir stalls, overpriced massage parlours, and nasty imitation-Western restaurants. It was a real struggle to find real, local street food, and we ended up eating greyish fish noodles in a backstreet.

After the letdown of the market, we were all a little deflated so headed back to our hostels. I had decided to get some sleep as I had been up since 7am, but walked into my dorm room to find about a dozen people drinking around what should have been my bed. My plans to sleep swiftly turned into plans to head to 7/11 to pick up some beers to join them.

Several beers later we headed out to the bar district in Chiang Mai and to the eponymous Zoe’s, but found it closed already as we had arrived after 1am, so joined people heading onto Spicy’s nightclub.

It was awful. Expensive beer, and out-of-date R’n’B music. But I had fun.

As may be obvious from the lack of details here, my intoxication rather erased the details of the evening. ….I remember Spicy’s, and I remember dancing…and I remember sitting on the hostel’s rooftop with Sven and Alfonso discussing EDM (before certain people (Mum) misunderstand this, it stands for Electro Dance Music).

At some point I fell asleep. I woke up in my bed so I must have wandered downstairs at some point.

To put it short, or perhaps it is obvious because my description is so short, it was a good night.

DSP