Discover A Totally Different Side To The Land Of Smiles
RICH IN HISTORY AND TRADITION, Chiang Mai is northern Thailand’s most culturally significant province and arguably the nation’s best vehicle for educating and entertaining visitors. Rich in mountains, forests and rice fields, it’s still the home of a complex web of tribal groups, who began migrating there over 1,000 years ago from China.
SAVE ELEPHANT FOUNDATION’S Elephant Nature Park (www.saveelephant.org), founded and run by Lek Chailert, is arguably the most ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai. You can observe and feed the herds, and help bathe them in the river every afternoon. Long stays are an option as well as day visits – the food is fantastic and the valley beautiful.
WAT PHRA THAT DOI SUTHEP is just a half-hour drive from the city: some 300 steps lead up to the main temple, where elaborate murals depict the life and teachings of Buddha. At the centre, the gold-covered stupa is encircled by sacred, gilded, Myanmaresestyle parasols.
THE OLD TOWN OOZES A BOHEMIAN FEEL and it’s packed with artisans from all over Thailand, many of whom champion traditional arts and crafts. Like Ubud in Bali, it’s somewhere to watch craftsmen at work – producing everything from handwoven textiles and baskets to intricately wrought silverware – and shop ‘til you drop.
EVERYONE HEADS TO THE WALKING STREET on Sunday afternoon, which stretches from one side of town to the other. The whole area is blocked off to traffic and filled with stalls, where you find irresistible silks, parasols, silver- and lacquerware, pottery, hill-tribe treasures and, of course, Thai street food.
THAI PEOPLE WILL TELL YOU that you haven’t tasted khao soi until you’ve eaten it in Chiang Mai. The soup is a little like masaman in that it’s nutty, but khao soi is richer in coconut milk and topped with crispy flash-fried noodles. You also get to add your own garnishes – chopped coriander, shallots, chilies, pickled cabbage, lime juice – so every mouthful is slightly different from the last.
THERE ARE STUNNING BUDDHIST WATS (temples) at every turn in the old town. One of the most popular is Wat Phra Singh, which takes its name from the important Buddha statue of a singh (lion) it houses. Just a few blocks away, at Wat Chedi Luang temple complex, the 60-metre stupa is guarded by ferocious-looking stone nagas (divine serpent-people).