Chiang Mai Thailand's second-largest city, is considered the best city for digital nomads in the country. The city is very clean and well-maintained. There are many stylish cafes, bars and restaurants here. Outside the city you’ll find the wonderful nature of Northern Thailand. In this post I’ll talk about the four most interesting temples in Chiang Mai and try to convey the atmosphere of the city.
We set off from Pattaya and stopped somewhere around the middle of the journey. We decided to eat at a cafe, which we found on Google Maps. The menu was entirely in Thai and the staff didn’t speak any other language. The menu featured dishes from Northern Thai cuisine and the reviews were excellent. We ordered Tom Yum soup, fried beef and an interesting salad. As everyone knows there was also simple white rice. If it had been our first time in Thailand, we might have found this cafe quite odd because it’s located in a dead-end, three streets away from the main road. However, over time we learned that such quirky cafes in remote and strange locations are quite common in Thailand. This place is popular with the locals.
The food arrived and the meat was particularly tender and delicious, though a bit spicy. The waiter seemed concerned that I might not like the spice, but I do enjoy spicy food just not with rice. The cafe had a peculiar atmosphere. The food took a bit longer to prepare, but overall it was an interesting place. The restaurant is called ฮากเลียด Home Kitchen. It’s a local spot and an elderly female chef seems to be cooking the meals. The food was really tasty, but it took a little time to prepare.
The meat they served was really delicious and we tried a different curry here. Thai curry especially the one in Pattaya, doesn’t taste like this. Here there are pieces of ginger and carrots, but the taste was quite different. I think this is due to the location. Perhaps because it’s close to Myanmar, there is a bit of Indian culinary influence. The curry wasn’t too spicy. The first meat dish was spicier. But the spiciest thing was the salad. Yes, the salad was incredibly spicy. The Tom Yum soup was also quite spicy but very tasty. It was a really interesting experience. If you have the time come and try it. The people here are very friendly and experiencing the food they make is unique.
For the next 100 kilometers, the road was quite winding and it wasn’t possible to drive fast. After a while we arrived in Chiang Mai. The city center is surrounded by a wall and has several entrances. Near one of these walls, a large night market opens on Friday evenings. We checked into our hotel, an old city hotel named Ingmon. The hotel was really nice and very convenient for us. We stayed on the first floor, which was a great comfort because carrying our luggage could have been difficult. The hotel’s garden was lovely and the only important thing was that our evening guests didn’t arrive yet, as taxis can be very busy here. And the breakfast was included, so we thought of trying European cuisine alongside Thai. I found a few restaurants, some of which close around 7-8 PM, but we arrived at the hotel by 9, so we looked for a place open late and found an Italian restaurant. This restaurant called Why Not, was quite good and the pizza was really delicious, baked in a stone oven.
The next morning we had breakfast in the garden, which was a lovely setting. Tea was unlimited, but the breakfast was a bit simple. We ordered an American breakfast, which I thought was nice. The hotel was very charming, clean and the staff was very friendly. It was close to the main square of the old city and near all the tourist attractions. We really liked it. Afterward, we went to visit Wat Sri Suphan, also known as the Silver temple. The temple is made of silver and aluminum alloy and the entrance fee is 50 Baht. They even charge for viewing the temple from the outside. The temple is quite old, built in the 15th century, but it has been damaged several times and rebuilt. It is covered in silver and has a very interesting structure. There are many people taking photos here, especially those in traditional costumes who are quite popular. The temple isn’t very large but is very impressive. Also, at this temple there’s a tradition of making donations for financial prosperity. We took advantage of this opportunity and made a donation.
Chiang Mai has many art galleries and craft workshops. We visited one called Lanna Craft. Lanna is the name of an ancient Thai kingdom and this gallery sells handmade crafts produced here.
As we approached the Wat Phantao Temple, we parked on a narrow road, meaning parking here is really difficult. The girls were dressed beautifully in traditional clothes and the photos were particularly impressive. We happened to visit this temple because there was parking available. The temple was quite interesting and our daughter really liked it and wanted to stay and look around a bit more. There were things like ice cream and water for sale. Water was 10 Baht and ice cream was 25 Baht, which is very cheap. In Thailand, tuk-tuks are always red and look like fire trucks. It’s really interesting because tuk-tuks are different colors in different regions of Thailand. The tuk-tuks where we were were blue and even in Sukhumi, there are white tuk-tuks.
We arrived at a new place and this temple had an entrance fee of 50 Baht. The previous temple was free, but the more famous temples usually charge a fee. Here there are modern temples, but we visited an older one. The Chedi Luang Temple, built in the 15th century, is quite famous. It has a column that was built to protect the city from attacks and it’s very well-known. This was our third temple visit and I think seeing just three out of the 300 temples in the city is enough. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is also very famous. This temple is located on the peak of a mountain 1600 meters high, a little outside the city, offering a stunning view of Chiang Mai. We prefer older structures, so the last temple we saw was the one we liked the most, as it’s really old, partially ruined and entering it is prohibited. I think the temple is in such bad shape that allowing tourists to enter could further damage it.
After visiting the temples we went to Nimman, the most modern and popular area in Chiang Mai. It has many stylish cafes, good restaurants, art galleries and shopping malls. We had dinner at a restaurant there the previous evening. There are many young people in the Nimman area, both Thai and foreigners. There are massage parlors here, but not Thai massage, rather Lanna massage. This region is located on the land of the ancient Lanna Kingdom, so the massage seems different, but to me, it’s actually quite similar. Coffee is also grown here in Thailand and the coffee we tried at a coffee shop was excellent. An Americano cost 75 Baht, which is quite reasonable. The cafe grows its own coffee on its farms, roasts it, grinds it and then prepares it. It was really an interesting experience, with the coffee being rich and slightly acidic, but overall very tasty.
Later we went to a German buffet for dinner. Lunch was 240 Baht and dinner was 290 Baht. There were many desserts and deli products, especially European-style cakes and sausages. It’s a large space with two halls and payment is made after eating. We were very hungry, so we tried a bit of everything. We tried a lot of dishes and most of them were really delicious.
We then decided to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of the most famous temples. This temple is located at the peak of a mountain 1600 meters high and you can see the city from here. The road is quite winding, but the asphalt is in good condition, so it’s easy to go by motorcycle. We did a little test on the winding road on the way to the mountain. The forest is very green and the trees are different from the palm trees and other types of trees further south. We opened the windows as we climbed the mountain because it got cooler the higher we went. We also had warm clothes with us, although they were packed deep in our bags. When going mountain climbing in the cold season, it’s important to bring warm clothes. I felt a little uncomfortable on the road because of the winding nature of the road and a small child might have some difficulty. But on the other hand, it felt a bit like Thailand’s Alps, with fresh mountain air. Wholesale clothes and souvenirs are sold here, but of course, they are all similar, especially Buddhist statues. Looking back, I noticed there were a lot of stairs to climb to reach the temple. But it was really cool here and we felt a bit relieved. There were people who came to the mountain by bike, which was interesting. They pedaled all the way up, but then they had to walk a bit more once they got there. This journey was a nature-filled experience!
Although the road was a bit uphill, it was easy for my daughter. It was a beautiful journey, but climbing the stairs was a bit challenging. The view from where we were was amazing. You could see the city from the top, especially with the slight fog, which, while making it harder to get a clear view, still allowed us to see the city quite clearly. We could even spot the airport. It was a beautiful place and the nature and view here were fantastic. It would have been even better without the fog. The scenery we saw was impressive. This is a very large city.
We saw a huge tree on the way and the depth of the forest was incredible. The air was fresh and the breathing felt great. The temples, mountains and the view were all very impressive.
This brings us to the end of this post. We set off towards Paya village from here. See you soon.
