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After some fun in the sun in Koh Samui, we flew to Chiang Mai. It’s the 2nd largest city in Thailand, yet much smaller than Bangkok. It’s a totally different world in Chiang Mai. It’s a very tranquil city and there are a lot of foreigners staying or living there. Many from all over the world come to live in Chiang Mai to begin their start up business journey, or to live their digital nomad life. The cost of living is super cheap and the vibe is super chill. I wouldn’t mind living here myself.
ARRIVING AT THE AIRPORT
Arriving to the Chiang Mai airport was a breeze since we were flying from Koh Samui and didn’t have to deal with immigration, etc. Once we collected our bags, we got a taxi outside of the airport to take us to our bed and breakfast. We tried to order a Grab car, but we always received a message stating that all Grab cars were busy. It made me wonder if Grab was popular in the city or not. The airport taxi cost us 150 baht which was about $5 USD at the time. Not bad for an airport taxi.
GETTING AROUND
Chiang Mai is a much smaller city, and a lot of the attraction is around and within the “old city” walls. Getting around in tuk tuk or a taxi is what we used, although we did a lot of walking since walking the entire old city is totally doable. Taxis and tuk tuks are cheap and cash only, just make sure to settle on a price prior to you jumping in.
ACCOMODATIONS
We wanted to stay in the old city, so we turned to Booking.com for our accommodations. I’ve had very good experiences with Booking.com in the past when booking places to stay in Brazil, Peru, Greece, Puerto Rico and Russia. They seem to protect the consumer much more than Airbnb does. If you haven’t signed up for Booking.com, check out the link and we could both earn $25!
We ended up booking our stay at 18 In Town Homestay. It’s a VERY clean and cozy place to stay. The lady that owns the property is very nice, speaks English and has a beagle named Coffee to greet you in the mornings during breakfast. It’s a simple, basic place but was exactly what we were looking for. The WIFI is excellent, the breakfast is out of this world and for $50 USD a night, what more could you ask for? I would totally stay here again!
THE FOOD
The food in all of Thailand is excellent. We found it to be much cheaper in Chiang Mai compared to Bangkok and Koh Samui. You’ll find the same traditional dishes here in Chiang Mai as in other parts of the country. We ate in an amazing restaurant named Huai Kha while we were in Chiang Mai. It was recommended by our host and it didn’t disappoint. I highly recommend this place if you’re looking for a local place to eat.
THINGS TO DO
Chiang Mai is a historical city as it was the capital of the Lanna Kingdom. The ancient city walls from the late 1200’s are still up and ready for you to visit. There’s a lot for the history buff to sink his/her teeth into and many other religious sites to see if that’s what you’re looking for.
There are some places to see some animals too. There’s Tiger Kingdom, which I didn’t go to and don’t recommend. While I can’t say with certainty, there are several reports of mistreatment of tigers here so we didn’t support that company. There are a lot of places that offer you elephant rides around Thailand also, which we don’t support either as they’re mistreated in those places as well.
What we do recommend are the elephant sanctuaries. There are numerous sanctuaries throughout the country, so do your research when picking one in your destination. We chose Chiang Mai Elephant Jungle Sanctuary for a full day visit and it was unforgettable! After some information about the elephants, their tendencies and how to feed and treat them, you get to feed the elephants, give them some supplements, give them a mud bath and rinse them off in the lake! It was a truly magical experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Adriana and I said that they have a pretty good business going for them because not only do you do the chores around the sanctuary, like feeding and bathing the elephants, but you pay them to do it!!! Here, take my money! I’ll do it a million times over!
CONCLUSION
We needed at least one more day in Chiang Mai for sure. There’s such a chill vibe there and the people were very welcoming and friendly. The elephant sanctuaries are a must in my opinion. One thing that we didn’t get to see, and really wished we had the time to do so is visit more of the northern regions of Thailand as there are a lot of tribes and natural wonders to see. That’ll be on the agenda for the next time we visit!
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