Every now and then one needs to get away from it all- the hustle bustle, the tall skyscrapers, the modern concrete landscapes. Resetting and rewinding oneself is something I truly crave for in a holiday. Chiang Mai is the perfect Thai destination for that. The smaller city charm, the night markets, the warm smiles, it took me hours to fall in love with this place.
This was indeed the most perfect weekend ever. Both of us prefer smaller but more homely cities when we do long weekend trips. So here is how our long weekend experience was in this beautiful place.
Day 01- Arrived at Chiang Mai Airport in the evening and reached our hotel Ruen Come In. This is a beautiful boutique hotel at little to the outskirts (which is 15 min drive from the city center), entirely wooden (I am guessing teak) influenced by the Lanna architecture. I absolutely loved our stay here, so please do try staying in the boutique hotels if you plan on this city. They are more homely, welcoming and they just transcend you to a different era.
In the evening we decided to walk around the area we were staying and explore the night culture. We walked the entire stretch of Nimmanhaemin Road and explored the inner lanes and other food places and art malls nearby. It was absolutely amazing seeing how tourist friendly Chiang Mai is, plenty of tourists had hired their own two wheeler's and seemed quite aware of their surroundings. We saw a couple of night markets and street food stalls with the best fresh fruit and coconut water that I have ever tasted.
We walked over to a popular night club- Warm Up Cafe, quite spacious and flocking with local and tourists we knew we had hit a popular spot. The club definitely had a nice feel to as it was quite spacious and with the local band playing that night. The food and drinks I felt were okay but over all the night was fun.
Day 02- The next morning we woke up late and spent some time at our gorgeous hotel, after which we decided to try out our first Thai massage. Either we had the wrong masseuse or I have never met women with stronger hands. We tried the Herbal Ball Thai massage, it left us with aching limbs but an extremely good after smell. I think it was after one day did our body actually feel good from all the rigorous stretching.
Post this we ventured off to visit the popular Wawaros Market and made sure we take a ride on the popular Songthaew. The market was quite close to the muddy and slushy Ping river and the outer roads of the market were all filled with fruit, food, clothes, small trinkets etc. It was a colorful sight all around the market. Wawaros Market itself was a sheltered market area in a building, with shops across various levels. The market was filled with herbs and spices of the region, handicrafts, utensils, incense, clothes, bags, you name it and the place had it. It was a must go if someone wants to buy somethings that are ethnic. I bought food items mostly and tried my best to bargain , unfortunately don't bargain too hard.
In the evening we walked over to this gorgeous temple in the city center, Wat Chedi Luang. It was cloudy and dusky by the time we reached and the temple looked absolutely serene near the dark blue sky. Built in the 14th century this has a Lanna style finish in its architecture. Parts of this Buddhist temple have been reconstructed after a section was destroyed in the mid- 15th century due to an earthquake. If you're staying nearby the city or even a little far off, this is definitely work the visit.
The evening we had completely reserved for the Sunday Walking Night Market right in the city center. It was bustling with tourists as we had expected. There was nothing one could not buy at a bargain from clothes, shoes, bags, handicrafts, soaps, toys, cards to the amazing street food. It was so delightful and colorful, they had occupied the main street at the city center and it seemed there was no place else one should be on a Sunday. We spent a good 2-3 hours walking around and eating there and finally came back after that.
Day 03- We had just one main agenda for the third day and it was- Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. We absolutely love wild life and possibly want to spend one holiday every year just focused on that. We spent the entire day from morning 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM with these magnificent creatures in their home on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. If you're in Chiang Mai reserve a day completely for visiting the elephants and learning more about them. You can check my blog specifically on Elephant Jungle Sanctuary.
In the evening we walked out to try some of the local delicacies in the near buy restaurants. I will have a separate blog on the food we ate at Chiang Mai.
Day 04- This was our last day at Chiang Mai. We wanted to make the most of it, so after a hearty breakfast we were out exploring the town. Went to a few book stores and an award winning coffee art shop.
It was superb fun, but we did not want to get back to Hong Kong without getting an amazing Thai Massage. So we went in for another one, this time it was Aroma Oil Thai Massage. It was absolutely amazing, I recommend the Thai Massage to everyone in Chiang Mai. Get a few before your trip ends, there are more than plenty Thai massage places. You can get the fancy ones in hotels like us or you could just want into any massage shop and get one. If you're at a night market, there are some stalls which give you a foot massage right there in the open. Just go for it!
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