MAI, OH MAI
Where to stay, what to do and where to eat in the Thai cultural capital of Chiang Mai
Nazir Keshvani
Thu, Oct 11, 2007
The Straits Times
CHIANG Mai has grown up in a hurry, it seems.
A decade ago, it had little going for it that could be termed super-exciting. Certainly, it was no threat to the mesmerising buzz of capital Bangkok, 650km away in the south.
The 700-year-old city is regarded by Thais as their cultural capital, with its aged wats (temples) and quiet courtyards.
Backpackers chilled out in budget digs, trekked to tribal villages in the countryside and feasted on pad Thai (noodles).
Then, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a Chiang Mai native, gave it a boost with new highways and an airport expansion.
Today, the walled, wat-dotted and moat- bordered city is surrounded by a modern sprawl of shopping centres and Starbucks outlets.
New luxury hotels have sprouted. The long-standing Four Seasons has competition from the Chedi Chiang Mai and D2, a boutique offering from the Dusit Thani chain.
With tourists pouring in, traffic has worsened, international chains like Haagen-Dazs have set up shop and once-quaint attractions have become less so. At perhaps the most famous of the wats, the mountain-top Doi Suthep, tourists and Thai families alike now file past vendors of strawberries and brass bells, and take a 20 baht (90 Singapore cents) cable-car ride to the peak.
Still, Chiang Mai offers sufficient rewards to write home about, especially if you like adrenaline-fuelled activities. The shopping also remains a pleasant enough diversion.
Here's what I recommend:
- Where to stay
- Adventure: White water rafting, mountain biking, ATV and more.
- Shopping: Night bazaar, Tung Kwian market, design shops and more.
| About Chiang Mai LOCATION: Approximately 650km north of Bangkok, Chiang Mai is set around the Mae Nam Ping River in the fertile Chiang Mai Valley, 310m above sea level. CLIMATE: March and April are the only unpleasant months. In mid-April, the heat is declared officially over with Songkran festivities which ring in the Thai New Year. The rains follow and last for the next eight months. WHEN TO GO: You can visit all year round, but March and early April are warm for sightseeing. At this time, the bamboo-covered hills are a dull brown and the orchids in the teak forests are not in bloom. |
Photo: Nazir Keshvani
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Oct 7, 2007.