Chiang Mai, Thailand
I stepped out of the Chiang Mai airport to cool temperatures and fresh air. I was surrounded by endless green mountains and instantly felt the need for adventure. Little did I know this trip would become one of my favorite trips so far in Thailand. A full week of exploring the mountains by motorbike, bar hopping with fellow backpackers, and exploring beautiful temples, markets, and cafes. The city Chiang Mai is truly special place and I will always remember the memories I made and the people I met!
The first thing I did after I checked into my hostel is wonder through the alleys of Chiang Mai. Little shops, cafes, and street art lined the peaceful streets. Chiang Mai is a smaller city, especially compared to Bangkok, but the quiet streets had so much charm to them. While I wondering I came across this street art asking for wishes to be written down and hung up for all to see. I decided on doing two. Of course the first one I wrote said “Seek Discomfort” and the other; “I wish for true happiness in all that I do”. It was so cool to add mine to the line beside other motivated wishes. Around the corner I came across a small bookshop. I was small but they had some awesome art that caught my eye. I grabbed a couple pieces and continued wondering back to the hostel.
So my hostels did get kind of messed up, but it turned into an awesome mistake. I was supposed to stay at the Sylvis Hostel for the entire week, but ended up only staying for the first night. I really loved the vibe of this place and loved meeting new people at the hostel bar. I met this guy Matthew from the UK and he was super cool. I ended up hanging out with him a lot over the next several days. I also met Jess, Eloise, and a handful of others there. Everyone was so down to Earth and in love with traveling. My kind of people! Later that night we went downtown to some awesome bars and clubs I’ll talk about below! Overall an awesome first night!
The next day I packed up and relocated to my 2nd hostel called Suneta. This was just a 5 minute walk down the road and was definitely way more laid back than Sylvis was. I had a private room here which was really nice. The staff was great and of course I met even more awesome people! One afternoon I just sat on the couch with Steph from the Philippines and just binged a short show on Netflix 😂 Sometimes a breather is needed from all the fun so you can keep going! If you’re looking for a quieter hostel this is definitely a good option while still being in an awesome location.
I didn’t stay at this hostel, but right across from Sylvis there was a place called Stamps Backpackers Hostel. Let me tell you it was THE place to be to start every single night! They had super cheap prices at the bar, super friendly staff, and welcomed anyone. They also hosted events every night. Trivia, karaoke, you name it. I met some random people there on trivia night and we actually got 3rd place! Sophie, Neja, Ryan, Ilse, Lucas, and Ashlee are just some of the few people I met there and I’m so happy to see them on Instagram still traveling!
On Sundays starting at 5pm the city shuts down this huge street in town and has one of the best street markets I’ve ever been to. The Tha Phae Walking Street has literally everything. Beautiful street art, delicious street food, live music, decorated temples, clothes, handmade goods, and even massages! I had awesome time exploring the market with my friends Chloe and Danika, who both teach and live in Chiang Mai. I was super jealous they get to go to that market every week! I obviously had to get some street art to add to my collection, and tried khao soi for the first time! It’s a northern Thai dish that has chicken and broth with noodles topped with crispy won ton chips. I added in some bean sprouts, red onion, and cilantro; it was amazing!
I highly recommend you rent a scooter while in Chiang Mai. The roads are not nearly as busy as Bangkok and you can rent one super cheap. I got one and did an entire day trip up into the mountains nearby to do some hiking and sight seeing. The first stop I made was was at the base of the Monks Trail right down the road from Chiang Mai University. This beautiful trail was just over a mile one way and was super easy to walk. The path is well marked and passes quite a few waterfalls through the jungle. The sounds of birds and insects echoed through the jungle as I walked across a bridge to the jungle temple. This beautiful temple had a mountain stream running through it leading to a series of cascading waterfalls. The temple was covered with decorative buildings and even a couple places for meditation. It was so beautiful and peaceful. Definitely worth the hike.
After the monks trail I hopped back on my scooter and drove through Chiang Mai University. I headed up the windy mountain road and took in the beauty of it all. Waterfalls on the side of the road, viewpoints looking at Chiang Mai below, little shops and temples all the way up. It was such a fun drive! My next stop was Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a beautiful golden temple on top of one of the mountain peaks. You could take some sort of cable car up, but honestly the stairs weren’t bad, and free! The temple was extremely busy, but I bought a trinket with bells from a lady to hang at the temple for good luck. Even with it being super busy it was a beautiful sight to see and there’s an awesome viewpoint at the top as well.
I left the temple and continued up the mountain to the Hmong Doi Pui Village. This small mountain village is home to one of the Hill Tribes of Thailand. It was so cool to see the difference of these people to the Thai people down in Chiang Mai. Very unique, friendly, and almost lived a completely different way of life. The locals were dressed in bright colors and had the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen. I had some amazing khao soi for lunch at a local shop, walked through the various shops and flower gardens, saw the village’s waterfall, and even shot a handmade crossbow that they used for hunting! It was a really cool experience I won’t soon forget.
I finished the day by driving even higher to the Doi Pui Viewpoint and and even higher to the Doi Pui Peak Trail. I found out the trail was closed, but I might have went around the barrier and climbed to the top anyways 😅 The trail hasn’t been maintained in awhile, since it’s been closed since COVID, but it was marked well enough for me to climb all the way to the top! The peak was 1,685m (5,528ft) in elevation. Took about an hour to climb to the top. I can truly say it was one of the quietest places I’ve ever been. Nothing but the breeze through the trees and the sounds of nature. It was so peaceful and was definitely worth it!
I headed back down trail and started down the mountain. It was a great ride down, even with a little traffic. When I got back into town I stopped by a local sushi shop called Shimbashi for dinner. It was some of the best sushi I’ve had in Thailand so far, and the prices were super cheap too!
Since we’re talking about food, Chiang Mai had some awesome eats! The street food at the Sunday market was delicious, but there’s a bunch of other places to check out. Right next to my hostel was a place called Sakura and it was probably my favorite places to eat during my stay. It’s a Japanese restaurant and the gyoza is to die for. The garlic pepper chicken is good and the chicken katsu was so crunchy, absolutely delicious!
If you’re looking for something fresh and healthy I loved this place called, The Salad Concept. The smoothies were fantastic, their salads were crisp and fresh and the chicken caesar wrap was definitely the best wrap I've ever eaten.
Across the street is a place called Mr.Green Restaurant. It’s a vegan and vegetarian restaurant and has some really good looking things on their menu. I had the burrito there and it was surprisingly really good. I’m not much of a healthy food person but if you’re interested in that kind of thing it’s definitely a cool place to check out.
If you’re looking for authentic Thai food that’s super cheap you should check out Aroy Dee on the main road. It’s nothing special, but the food was cheap and delicious. The locals were super friendly and if you like your food ped (spicy) like I do they'll definitely turn up the heat for you!
Lastly, the holy grail of Chiang Mai; Tacos Bell. This man makes the BEST Mexican food in all of Asia and you can’t convince me otherwise. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, this man does it all. Truly some of the best food I’ve had since I’ve lived in Thailand. This is a must do for everyone who visits Chiang Mai, and he’s open super late for all the bars across the street! I want to make the trip again just to eat his tacos!
Thailand is so much more than partying, but Chiang Mai definitely had some awesome spots! The first bar is just down the road from the main party area, called TongBar. This super laidback local spot had some awesome live music! Mainly acoustic rock and blues types of songs. I went there a couple times just because it was such a cool little spot before you go to where the big parties are. Also, across the street are two brothers who sell delicious gyros for cheap!
Right down the road from there is a handful of awesome clubs and bars and is definitely the best place to party and hangout with backpackers from all over the world. The biggest and busiest club every night was always Zoe. Awesome DJ and super fun if you want to dance the night away.
There’s a bunch of bars to check out in this area, I usually hung out at Roots Reggae in the back right corner, they had some awesome live music every night, and right next door was a cool little karaoke bar. On the corner across from the karaoke bar is a little bar with a pool table and popcorn that was a cool place to chill too. All off these bars were super fun and as always full of people who love to make friends and have a good time. I met Mackayla, Sydni, Jamie, and Mar one night at that local taco stand across from the bars and we ended up having an awesome night getting to know each other and closing down the bars! The best part about traveling is meeting other people and having fun experiences with one another. Remember to get out of your comfort zone and start talking with people! You’d be surprised how open travelers are to make friends.
If you’re staying in Chiang Mai for a few days I highly recommend you take a day trip to Chiang Rai to see the beautiful White Temple, Blue Temple, and Black House. Just ask your hostel or hotel and they’ll make the booking for you! It’s super affordable too, includes all transportation, and my tour even included lunch! The trip takes about 2 hours in a van, but you get to see the beautiful countryside in the way there so it’s not too bad.
The White Temple is absolutely breathtaking. Photos do not do it justice at all! This isn’t a normal Thai temple you usually come across in Thailand, in fact it’s a privately owned art exhibit. An artist completely redid this temple in his own image and the detail of it is absolutely stunning. Be sure to check out the local shops and galleries nearby and get some artwork for yourself to take home!
The Blue Temple was equally as stunning, and was truly special to see. The rich blues and gold really popped and I was able to get some awesome photos. While you’re there be sure to get the blue coconut ice cream too, it was so good!
The next place we went was the Black House. This was a very unique art gallery with a very dark animalistic vibe with some very unique American Traditional inspired art. It was a really cool place to wonder around and they even served charcoal ice cream, which was actually really creamy. Just beware your tong will be black until you brush your teeth 😂 I got a couple really cool prints here and enjoyed exploring all the unique buildings.
Some other adventurous things you can do in Chiang Mai are exploring the many temples of the historic city, various night markets and bazaars, or even go to the zoo! If you go to the zoo be prepared to do a lot of walking. It isn’t state of the art but it’s super cheap and a cool place to wonder around. You can even hand feed and pet a giraffe which is pretty awesome.
Sadly I cut my ankle pretty good while doing the hike up to the Doi Pui Peak so I wasn’t able to go to the elephant sanctuary like I had planned… However I have a lot of friends who’ve done it and they all said it was amazing. The Maesa Elephant Camp was one suggested to me by my friend Stephanie. This is a sanctuary for rescued working elephants, so that means they aren’t there to ride. When you go you bathe with them, feed them and just hang out which is super cool! I definitely plan on making another trip back before I leave!
You can also take tours to numerous waterfalls and swimming holes. I suggest the sticky waterfall if you want the best experience. You can walk right up the waterfall barefoot! This is because of this special natural coating on the rocks, makes it super sticky!
Chiang Mai is truly a special place. It holds so much history and natural beauty. The locals are friendly, the air is crisp, and a feeling of serenity covers the entire city. The fellow travelers you’ll meet along the way make the experience that much better. Even though I was only there for a week I truly fell in love with this city. If you go to Chiang Mai have fun, be safe, and don’t forget the street tacos!
