Tag 2 Chiang Mai
- Heike Panagoulias
- Oct 28, 2024
- 7 min read
The hotel in Bangkok very reliably organized a cab back to the airport for me. The cab driver was super nice. He made a great effort to talk to me in his broken English. Incidentally, I had a great conversation with all the cab drivers. Although they often struggle with foreign languages, they don't shy away from contact with tourists at all.
He dropped me off at the right entrance and I checked in my rucksack straight away. Checking in your own luggage is obligatory here. You won't find long waiting times at the check-in counter here!
After I got rid of my rucksack, I went for a coffee. To Starbucks. I love Starbucks! I had enough time to enjoy the coffee and a small breakfast.
I went through security to the gate in good time, the flight was on time and only took about an hour.
Arrived in Chiang Mai and after baggage claim I took a cab to the hostel. The journey only took a few minutes and the cab driver gave me lots of tips on what to see in Chiang Mai and raved about his home town.
I had booked a room in a hostel, my first time! There are only mixed rooms here, so I was curious to see who my roommates would be. The staff were super friendly, the room was modern and clean. Everyone gets their own toilet paper and is provided with towels.
My roommates were three men, all very nice and I felt comfortable. We exchanged experiences and had nice conversations. And to be honest, I just had to laugh. I talked to so many people beforehand and told them that I had booked a place to sleep in a hostel in a shared room, a mixed shared room. That was because that's what is usually offered in Thailand. The question, what do you do when you're in a room with lots of men? Hahaaaaaa! That's exactly what happened. And I have to say, yes! I would do it again and again, it was great!
So... off we go again! Out into the adventure! My hostel was right on the edge of the old town. So I set off and came to the first temple after just a few meters. I had picked out the must-visit temples in advance. This one wasn't on the list, but it was almost right next to the hostel, Wat Lok Mo Li. Wow!
I was simply impressed. If this “unknown” temple impressed me, what else is to come?
Chiang Mai - a city in the north of Thailand in a beautiful location, it is nestled in the mountains and is called the “Rose of the North” by the Thais.
The historic old town is surrounded by a city wall with gates and a moat. There is a temple on every corner and in what feels like every courtyard. So keep your eyes open when exploring the old town!
I made my way to the first temple on my list, Wat Phra Singh. On the way there, you pass lots of stores, restaurants and cafes. And, of course, stalls where you can buy smoothies. You choose the fruit you want and they prepare it right in front of you from fresh fruit and vegetables. Woah, that was so delicious!
It was the perfect refreshment for the walk to the temple. It was hot and the planet was burning.
Wat Phra Singh is one of the most famous temples in Chiang Mai's old town. I was thrilled! I think the pictures speak for themselves.
I made my way to the next temple, my destination was actually Wat Chedi Luang. But then I discovered that Wat Phan Tao was right on the way. It's one of the smaller temples but definitely worth a visit.
Wat Chedi Lang is an entire temple complex and there was an incredible amount to see.
And you might laugh, but my first public toilet here was also very interesting. You take off your shoes, slip into the slippers provided and go to such an incredibly clean toilet!
“Relieved”, I continued towards Tha Phae Gate, the eastern gate of the old town. There is so much to see and it felt like there was another temple in every second courtyard. This also applies to Wag Phan On. You turn in quite inconspicuously and find this:
What a sight!
On the way to the east gate, I remembered a video from a Tiktoker who posted an agency where you can book the best excursions. I realized that I had already walked past it, but I happened to be on this very street! However, the east gate was already in sight from here. So I decided to keep walking, have a look and book various excursions with this agency on the way back. There were also posters everywhere about a Thai boxing match tonight... Let's see. One of the things you should definitely do in Thailand is watch a boxing match.
There is a large square next to the east gate, where a big stage has already been set up for New Year's Eve. Maybe I'll spend New Year's Eve here... alone.
So I went all the way back to this agency to book my excursions. The lady was super nice. I got a special discount because I had come to her attention because of the Tiktok.
I really wanted to go on a day trip to Chiang Rai and visit an elephant resort.
She was able to book me a place on the day trip for tomorrow, and a half-day trip to the elephants was planned for New Year's Eve. I also bought a ticket for today's boxing match.
I found it very interesting that there are no “tickets” in that sense here. They just write you a receipt for it. She also explained to me in great detail when I would be picked up from the hotel, what I should take with me for the trip, what was included and that I would of course be taken back to the hotel. So I didn't have to worry about anything! That was really relaxing.
Now that I had finished planning the rest of my stay here, I was getting really hungry. I took a different route back to the hostel to see as much as possible and noticed a long queue of people. They were all queuing for a place in a food stall. Okay, if there are so many queuing here, it must be delicious. I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity and joined the queue. I have no idea how long I stood here. It was definitely long. But more and more people kept coming, so it must be worth it.
As it turned out, Blue Noodles is a very well-known restaurant. It is famous for its very tasty noodles, reasonable prices and fast service. You can choose from a variety of noodles, side dishes and meat. And I can tell you, it was worth it. It was soooo delicious!
After dinner, the time change, climate change, walking for hours through Chiang Mai, the heat and of course the many impressions made themselves felt. So I went back to the hostel to get some rest. In the evening, I went to a boxing match.
But then I also felt like having a coffee. Just before the north gate, I discovered a hotel with a café in a small courtyard. It looked so cozy. I let myself be carried away by the sounds of the water and the fog to relax. That's how it should be. I had no stress, no time pressure. I could sit for as long as I wanted. I was starting to enjoy it.
So now back to the hostel, shower and rest. In the evening I got ready and went to reception to ask for a cab, tuk tuk or other option to get to the boxing match. The clear recommendation was to order a motorcycle cab via the “Grab” app. All right then. Let's do that then! No sooner said than done. The driver came, I sat in the back and we drove at hair-raising speed between queues of cars towards the boxing arena. You can't shy away from physical contact here... hahaaaa but it's super practical, very fast and, above all, incredibly cheap. I didn't pay a whole euro for the ride.
I imagined a boxing arena... Yes, well. It was more like a hall, chairs lined up, a few bars and restaurants and of course the boxing ring in the middle. I was early, so I went out onto the street again, because it was the night market. There were soooo many stalls with everything you can imagine to buy and of course food! I found a small square where there was also a small performance. I got myself a delicious Pad Thai and watched.
The boxing match was really exciting and, above all, very different to Thai boxing as we know it here. It was absolutely worth seeing! I didn't watch all the fights though, just the most interesting ones. One female boxer came by bike from China for this fight! I wanted to see this woman!
At the end, I walked around the night market for a while and then took a tuk tuk back to the hostel. It was already late, my day had been so endlessly long and tomorrow morning I was off on my day trip to Chiang Rai. I wanted to be fit, because this day was certainly going to be very exciting and long.
My conclusion for today: we should walk around the world with open eyes, there could be a beauty in every backyard around the corner!
And... get involved in something, a boxing match for example. I haven't become a Thai boxing fan, but it was very exciting and thrilling to watch something like that.
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