Chiang Mai
Located in the north of the country, Chiang Mai is considered to be the cultural capital of Thailand. The temples here are basically on every corner, each one just as beautiful as the last. Plus, northern Thai cuisine might be my favorite, so here’s my guide to third night in Chiang Mai:
Eat and Drink
First things first here, make sure you are in Chiang Mai on Sunday night. This street market the city puts on through the heart of Old Town is the best street market in Thailand, hands down. You can find basically anything here, and not to mention a glorious variety of cheap street eats. An absolute must if you’re planning a visit to Chiang Mai!
You can take the boy out of LA, but clearly, you can’t take LA out of the boy
SP Chicken: Seriously mouth watering food right here. Thinking about it has me just salivating. This Michelin-guide acknowledged food stall is famous for its roast chicken, and its papaya salad (Som Tum) and red pork are to die for as well. Plus, its conveniently located smack in the middle of Old Town, so you have literally no excuse not to go.
Fern Forest Cafe: Chiang Mai is famous for its trendy cafes all around the city, but this cafe in Old Town is the best option in the cultural center. It’s a beautiful, fairy-tale like building surrounding by lush gardens and serving great Thai food and drinks (along with some Western options as well). It’s a bit on the pricier side, but hey, it’s trendy and cute and very Instagrammable, so it’s worth it.
Maadae Slow Fish Kitchen: Fresh seafood in the north of the country? Can’t be that good right? Wrong. This place is absolutely bomb, and all the fish is caught that day and delivered, cooked and served on your plate within 24 hours of it being caught. The flavors and quality are just next level, so be sure to make a reservation and check this place out.
Khao Soy Nimman: My favorite Thai dish? Khao Soi. This creamy, spicy, sour soup with egg noodles and your choice of protein is as complex and beautiful of a dish as it gets. It is literally the best food you will ever have. I know I’m being very energetic about this but words just don’t describe how good Khao Soi is. It’s a northern Thai dish, and Khao Soy Nimman does it wonderfully.
One Nimman: This is the Chiang Mai version of Bangkok’s Commons. Its a trendy, upscale renovated marketplace with a buzzing food court to go along with beautiful, high-class shopping. Very Instagrammable for sure - and be sure to check out the upstairs exhibition space. I got to check out a very hip collection of clothes, along with every other skater boy and girl in Chiang Mai. Oh, and for some of the best coffee in the city, you absolutely have to make a pit stop at GRAPH. Highly highly highly recommend it!
Howling Why Not: A great, albeit absurdly tiny, bar with the highest quality ingredients in the city. Plus, the decor is super cute (talking vinyl records and unique plants, and old books and whatnot). A solid place for a quick drink.
The Chang Cafe: This is where you go for a party. You show your ID and you are welcomed inside a complex of different nightclubs, bars and restaurants, something I found very intelligent honestly. The Chang Cafe is the largest of the bunch, complete with tables, dance floor and DJ. It definitely surprised me, although I’m not sure why, given that Chiang Mai is one of the largest cities in Thailand. Regardless, it’s a very fun time for sure.
Sights
Wat Chedi Luang is a bit more unique with its crumbled, ruin-like aesthetic
You come here for the temple and cultural relevance. That’s what Chiang Mai is known for. Wat Chedi Luang is a beautiful, partially crumbled temple that is smack in the center of Old Town (which, by the way, is a perfect square surrounded by a moat). Wat Phra Singh is another absolutely stunning 14th-century temple that is worth a visit. Then there’s Wat Chiang Man, Wat Lamchang, Wat Rajamontean, Wat…well you get the point. Spend a day just walking all around the Old Town of Chiang Mai and just do some Wat hopping. Tha Pae is the main street of this historical city center, so that’s where you’ll find a bulk of the sites and restaurants and whatnot.
The grand daddy of all Chiang Mai temples though is undoubtedly Doi Suthep. Get on a Songtheaw (Chiang Mai is famous for these, basically trucks with seating and cover in the bed), and ride all the way up the mountain to this amazing temple. Once you get to the top, you’ll have to climb up a solid set of stairs to reach the temple, but once you do, my gosh is it worth it. Its gold finishes, intricate details and unbeatable views out over the city make Doi Suthep the best temple in Thailand. I was lucky enough to walk through it as the monks were doing some of their daily prayers and chants, which added to the special aura of this place. Plus, the airport is right down below, so getting to watch the planes take off and land from the foot of a stunning temple was pretty cool to say the least. Warning though - the dogs up here are not nice. Lil fuckers fully barked and charged at me as I walked through the grounds, which had I panicked and ran away could have been a serious issue. But dogs aside, Doi Suthep is wonderful - and try to be here through sunset as well, adds to the magical experience of it all.
Extras
Definitely get some time to hang out with the elephants on your visit to Chiang Mai. It is a really special experience and there are so many options to choose from but be sure to pick one that treat the elephants right. I coupled my elephant excursion with some river rafting which was much more relaxing than I would have liked given that it was dry season but beautiful nevertheless.
Hang out at the Four Seasons. It’s just such a beautiful hotel, built around rice paddies and with stunning pools. I ate lunch here and even though it was pricey, given that it is in fact a Four Seasons, it was a joy nevertheless. Great service, ingredients and flavors to go along with stunning views over the rice fields and infinity edge pool made this worth it. I also just enjoyed touring the immaculate, Bill Bensley designed grounds of the hotel - got some great photos and it was good research for my job anyway!
