Chiang Mai smells like incense and flowers. In the streets, bikes whirl by as men shove foreigners in the back of red trucks for tours and golden spires reflect the sun onto the water in the moat. Street vendors shuck coconuts and grill skewers as a mix of foreigners and locals bustle about the shops.
My first day of my trip I find myself in a cafe tucked behind a museum. A jazz trio is playing Etta James by the bar and I’m having my sixth meal today. It’s noon.
“Summer time, and the living is easy.” Yes.
Chiang Mai, old city
While my trip to Japan was very much immersed in nature, this trip was all about culture. Chiang Mai, which means “New City” is in Northern Thailand. The city is home to more than 300 temples, with at least 30 of these temples in the old city alone. The old city is a square in the heart of Chiang Mai. A moat is decorated with the remnants of stone walls.
Most of my free days in this city I didn’t have a plan. I would open Google maps and choose a direction along the old city to follow. It was easy to find temples, food, and I could easily find my way back by following the city walls. Chiang Mai is a tourist spot, however, it is a different kind of tourism. The tallest mountain in Thailand is in Chiang Mai. This brings in a specific group of tourists. There aren’t bars and shows to go to like you will find in Bangkok. While busy, Chiang Mai is peaceful. SO I purposely got lost every morning and these are the temples that I stumbled upon:
Wat Chiang Man
Wat Lok Molee
This one was actually one of my favorites. While it was small, it didn’t boast the gold detail that most of the others did. It was placed along the north road of the Old City but once you passed the gate it was quiet.
Wat Chedi Luang
The grounds for this temple were pretty expansive to the other temples. This place was beautiful. I recommend going earlier in the day. I went in the later afternoon and the sun was in a place that made in hard to take pictures. This temple had the most tourists, with the exception of Doi Suthep.
Doi Suthep
This is known as the Golden Temple on the mountain. There are two ways you can get there: hike or truck. There are smaller temples to see on the hike up but it is a moderate hike. I didn’t have too much time so I opted for the truck. This temple is the more well known temple in Chiang Mai. There is a fee of 30 baht for foreigners, it’s the only temple that I had to pay to get into. The grounds here are also quite large and there are small souvineir shops all around the entrance. Lots of food too! While the temple is beautiful and definitely worth seeing, it is very touristy.
I’ve read about others becoming “templed-out” in Chiang Mai. All of the temples have a similar structure, but I do think they each have their own character as well. Chiang Mai has a lot to offer besides temples; you can set out each morning without a plan and fill your entire day easily. However, I never grew tired of the temples.
-K.
Casting Paper Planes 