"Rose of the North" a Chiang Mai Travel Page by Audrey118

Chiang Mai, in the northern part of Thailand, was once the capital city of the Lanna Kingdom.
The old city is surrounded by old city wall - with many gates to access to it. Within and outside the city wall, are many many temples. It is like almost every corner of the street there is one temple, and really amazing, they are all working temples with many locals worshipping each and every one. The Thai people are very faithful to their religion.

When we were there this trip, it was also during the celebration of their King 60th anniversary of ascending to the throne.
The Thai people love their king a lot, and many people adorn bright coloured royal yellow to usher the celebration.

Outside of the city, has beautiful hill and mountaineous scenery, lakesm streams and waterfalls.
Further out, you can visit the many hill tribes as well.

The most important temple to visit while in Chiang Mai would be
Wat Phra Borommathat Doi Suthep. Our guide said that
those who go to Chiang Mai without visiting Doi Suthep are no
better than those who have never been to Chiang Mai at all!!!

The experience of Lanna cuisine was not an eventful one for us.
We tried the local khantoke (pronounced as khan tok) dinner which includes a set meal served on a lacquered tray while watching local dance.

Perhaps we were more accustomed to the southern fiery robust flavour and the Lanna cuisine was somehow a bit blend. We went to many restaurants as suggested by Nancy Chandlier guide; to Riverside, Antique House, Old Chiang Mai Cultural Centre, Jasmine Restaurant at Royal Princess, Whole Earth, Siam Celedon Tea house, Tha Nam...none of them truelly appealed to us with perhaps the exception of Whole Earth. However a Pad Thai Kung remains a pad thai throughout Thailand, and I was extremely pleased with having two sumptuous pad thai during my 6 days there!!! An oddly enough, I was lured to a big Mc Donald advertisement of choco banana pie - it was scrumptuous to the last crumbs!!!

Shopping in Chiang Mai has one helluva big night market. If and unless you favour such shopping, bargains, there is not much to offer in the city. The night bazaar is sooooo huge - amazing - it runs from one steet to the other end, selling many fake designer bags, to fancy Xmas lights, to hill tribe stuff, and there is one huge building which houses many many shops - and also you can get self portrait and dirt cheap prices.

If you are not into bargains, and perhaps if you are looking for large exports furnishing you may want to venture to Bo Sang and Samkampeng which is 9 km out of Chiang Mai - and you really need a car to get there as one shop to another is not walk-able.
Big names like Shinawatra Silk store (a family runned largest silk shop in the north - comparable to Jim Thompson - i am bias - much prefer the modern and colours of JT- btw, this northern silk store belongs to the sister of Thai Rak Thai's Thaksin), and there is Siam Celedon factory, and Sudaluck teak shop - amazing huge, Persian carpest by Oriental House.... the list is endless...of course Bo Sang is famous for their Sa Paper - so see lots of umbrella shops...

If you are in the old city area, you may want to check out Nimmarnhemin Road - Soi 1, which houses some very tastefully selected goods in the very few shops. On this section of the town, you get high quality home decor, nice lacquer wares (which forget it - they are much better and cheaper in Hanoi!), but I managed to buy some wonderful handmade pure cotton rugs and amazing handmade bronze taps - of a crowned frog!!! and also some frangipani (how boring but they are rather kitsch) door knobs which i may change to use as curtain holders instead!!! While you are there you may like to check out Gong Dee gallery - they have a small restaurant upstairs.

I also want to mention of a shop I favour - Doi Tung which is available at the Chiang Mai airport (upstairs near the domestic check in) and they have wonderful cushion covers and rugs etc...and coffee beans, nuts and honey to be purchased - most of the revenue for a good support