This is about the lovely city in the north. This time in english to say thank you to my friend and host Jeab! Thank you for a wonderful week, for staying at your cozy home, for introducing all the good thai food I'd never tried without you. For letting me disturb you at work and confuse your normal run (Sorry!). For showing me your lovely home town and so beautiful unique places. For a special awesome birthday and the best birthday present and highlight of my journey by now: Chiang Dao. Thank you for your time, help, cooking and simply FOR EVERYTHING!
I enjoyed the week a lot. I could experience thai life apart from tourism. We were shopping and eating at local markets and went to bars and locations where locals go to and visited unique
places.
When people think of Thailand they mostly have beaches and palms in mind. But the country is so much more! To experience the beauty and diversity one has to visit the north and especially Chiang
Mai and its surroundings! The city is young and hip, many digital nomades choosed to live here. In a one- or two-hours-drive there is beautiful landscape to see, mountains, waterfalls, jungle.
Perfect for hiking and trekking. Besides from a beach there is everything one could need or want.
Firstly, after recovering from the elephant camp I spent one day at Nimman Road. This is the place where most tourists stay. There are a lot of hotels and shopping malls. It is nice to walk
through the side streets with many special cafes, restaurants and boutiques that offer handcrafts, jewellry and more. A good place to buy a unique gift. In the south of Nimman Road is the Wat
Suan Dok. It is possible to talk to monks there. You can ask questions about their life and get to know about buddhism and how they live to reach nirvana. They also offer a meditation retreat for
one or more days. I was interested, but plan to do that at another place.
Another day I explored the old city of Chiang Mai, visited temples and enjoyed the special stores also with handcrafts from hilltribes and more. There are approximately 200 temples in Chiang Mai. So it is hard to see all of them. But two very beautiful temples are Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang. Monk chat is also offered there. Furthermore, as a recommendation of Jeab, I have been to the Warorot market, a local market where you find spices, fruits, fabrics and handcraft. For shopping lovers I can also recommend the night markets during the weekend.
One of the top sights in Chiang Mai and a must-see is the Doi Suthep temple. It is located on a moutain, half an hour by car or 2-3 hours hike from the city center. Finally you have to go the 300 stairs to reach the beautiful temple and awesome view!
One place around Chiang Mai that should be visited is Doi Inthanon. It is the highest mountain of Thailand with 2.565 meters. Already the drive there is special as it leads through the beautiful landscape and the nationalpark. The way to the top is 50 km long and a car or motorbike is necessary. We choosed to drive to the top and did a 2-hours-hiking-tour to enjoy the landscape. There are also many trails to walk in the nationalpark. Almost at the peak of the mountain are two beautiful temples, a present from the thai armee to the king and the queen. The view is amazing! We did a day trip, but it is also possible to stay in the nationalpark.
It is located in the north of Chiang Mai in the middle of a nationalpark. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen: Chiang Dao. Translated it says 'city of stars'. Lovely name for a lovely place. Sitting on the terrace, in front of us those huge beautiful mountains, enjoying the sunset. This is a feeling that cannot be discribed by words or photos. One has to go there and feel it. We stayed in a tent with mountain view. When we came out in the morning to see the sunrise, breakfast was already waiting. Definitly one of the highlights of my journey!
The Chiang Dao Cave is also very nice to visit. There are guides who lead you through the small holes, sometimes only 50 cm big. Great experience!
On our way back from Chiang Dao we visited the Bua Tong sticky waterfalls. As a water lover I enjoyed this place a lot. Never thought a place like this exists. Because of the lime stone that floats in the water, it is not slippery and you can climb the waterfall without equipment and even without shoes. It is a great experience. In between there are nice places to sit down and enjoy the surroundings. Good to know: It is better to wear swim suits as it's gonna be very wet.
To summarize, it was a lovely week with a lovely person and experiences I will never forget :)