Culture in North Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai was a lovely city – not too large and easy distance from airport to hotel and hotel to activities we did were superb – visiting Temple Wat, Grandmas cooking experience and night market. This was a big favourite of mine and I hope to return for longer next time to explore out into hinterland and head further up into the hills where there are some lovely boutique hotels and resorts.
From Bangkok, I travelled north to Chiang Mai, a short 90 minute flight and checked into Meliá Chiang Mai, which quickly became my favourite property of the trip.
The hotel is centrally located close to the river. It is ideal for exploring both the Old City and the night markets. Just 2 mins walk from the hotel we found a bustling street market and food court, perfect for tasting local dishes. The lobby and entrance forecourt has a wow factor with high double doors opening into a high ceiling lobby all in Thai design. A sense of space and calm as soon as you walk in. The highest rooftop bar in Chiang Mai is on the 22nd floor, which is a superb spot for evening drinks and panoramic views over the city and towards the surrounding hills and views of Temple Wat in far distance.
My deluxe room on 17th floor was really spacious and had lovely window seat area for relaxing and watching across the roof tops of the city, all this complemented by a nice bathroom with good power rain shower .The Breakfast buffet was extensive and super mix of international and Thai dishes. We managed to squeeze in an hour at the hotel pool after busy day sightseeing temples & attending Grandmas Cooking School – deep cushions and parasols and bar area made it great relax spot. The kids pool is nearby behind bamboo screens with a fun slide and water falls.
On the first evening we enjoyed a contemporary Thai tasting menu with a strong focus on specialities from Northern Thailand. It was a fabulous meal, beautiful presentation, amazing flavours and all in a special setting in their panoramic restaurant Mai on 21st floor looking over the city. Combined with the skyline views and distant hills, it made for a truly memorable night.
Our EXO guide then took us on a series of activities and cultural experiences during our 2 day visit, starting with lunch at Khaomao-Khaofang Imaginary Jungle which was a short drive from the airport. The restaurant has a jungle atmosphere with big tropical trees, vibrant coloured flowers, an enormous waterfall and mist to keep you cool - shady and refreshing surroundings in the daytime as well as harmonious music at nighttime. A wide selection of Thai, regional, and seasonal dishes. It had a real zen feel to it and was perfect way to start unwinding after vibrant Bangkok, not to forget the super dishes.
Our guide then took us to visit the hidden jungle temple of Wat Phalad, one of Chiang Mai’s most peaceful and atmospheric sites, built to enshrine a relic believed to be from the Buddha. Surrounded by jungle this temple was really special and not over visited. We carried on up the hill to get to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Two options to get up from the carpark, 309 steps or use the tram – we opted to do our penance and climb the steps in the 30C heat ! Once up at the temple which is 1073 metres above sea level the air was cooler and the views over Chiang Mai impressive. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a gorgeously planned Wat with a detailed story to tell about Buddhism.
After exploring the various temples and admiring the amazing carvings and seeing the emerald Buddha we had the opportunity to attend a blessing by a monk. Gift packs of daily essentials pre wrapped and you purchase these then offer to the resident monk who then blesses you and showers you liberally with holy water. Once blessed and cleansed we continued the tour finishing on a terrace with panoramic views of the city far below.
The next morning was our morning at Grandma’s Home Cooking School, located south of Chiang Mai’s city centre. We went to meet our local chef at a nearby fresh market to select ingredients and learn about Thai herbs, spices, and food culture. Then we headed to our open air sala to prepare and cook a selection of authentic Thai dishes. I elected to cook Hot & Sour Chicken Soup, Kao Soi Chicken curry , Pad Thai Shrimp – chef showed us how to prepare each dish, we then made our own and sat down to eat together at each course. Great fun, lots of laughs and positive energy and came away with the recipes.
In the afternoon we headed to Fahlanna Art Museum – a multi-sensory journey through Chiang Mai’s heritage, a place where history, art and culture come alive through interactive rooms and multisensory exhibits. Housed inside a former tobacco factory, the building itself tells a story. Also the big plus was it was air conditioned so a nice stop to bring down the body temperatures! After all the culture, we popped next door Fah Lanna spa and had full Thai treatments, followed by tea and sticky mango rice with lavender.
Friday night is the big night market in central old town Chiang Mai – local artisans come into town for the market and I found some nice linen shirts and trousers to add to my wardrobe. We stopped in to a bar on way back to the hotel to watch local talent in a cabaret show – more laughs and good energy.
Next day was off to Phuket – as in Bangkok, our guide escorted us to the check-in desk, assisted with formalities and then we said good bye and headed off on next leg of our trip around Thailand.
