Sadly, while travelling with a camera for my short stay in Chiang Mai, Thailand, weather stopped play for the first time during my trip. The rain in Chiang Mai was rather persistent for the first night, most of the next day and drizzle the day after. Only being there for 2 full days scuppered plans of getting out into what would be a beautiful mountain range, Loi Lar, and the tribal villages, or I would not have seen any of the city itself.
Chiang Mai means ‘new city’ and is often called the ‘rose of the north’. The city historically was a walled square surrounded by a moat. Some of the old wall still stands and you can visit remains of the 5 gates. Chiang Mai has over 300 Buddhist temples or ‘wats’ as they are know in Thai. 30 of these stand inside the city walls. Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Pra Singh are the 2 most famous.
Inside some of the wats are the most realistic wax and resin models I have ever seen. They are made to honour highly respected monks who have practised well. I had to do a few double takes I can tell you! The outside and inside of these temples are spectacular.
Due to weather restraints, I used both the Nikon and Fuji X100T in Chiang Mai. I have to say it was quite refreshing carrying the lighter weight Fuji with me. Plus, it makes you think more about the frame of the shot on a prime lens and you can get some alternative view points.
Loads of places to eat here and there is a huge night bizarre to wandered around. There are some beautiful things to buy at really cheap prices. Sadly, I have no luggage room, however, if I had my time again, I would have brought less stuff and bought some here.
If you fancy an evening with a difference to immerse in the local culture, give the Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) stadium a visit. You will see adverts all over town for the arena but can pay on the door also. £10 for 7 bouts. Two western lads were fighting and I wasn’t holding out too much hope for them. However, they were far more aggressive than the Thais and used their boxing skills more effectively and both won by a mile. It won’t be everyones thing, but another option for you.
Getting around the city. Rót daang which are converted pick ups that you share with other passengers. Just hail them down, they may not stop, but just wait for the next, it won’t be long. You get dropped off in random order but it is the cheapest way to get around. As with tuk tuks which are more expensive, agree the price first but you need to barter. Metered taxis are available, but more scarce and more expensive.
The one learning point of my stop here is a hair cut. I asked the lovely Nong to take 1cm off, but ending up with 1cm left on lol! Always check your understanding of communciation when English is not someones first language! Love the haircut though :-).
The wats are no doubt an amazing sight to see. But sadly, rain stopped play on most of travelling with a camera at this stop. Mañana Chiang Mai.
