Travelfish correspondent

Website:

Posts by :

• Chiang Mai’s “Chinatown”

  First published: 31 Jan 2012
  

  “Forget it, Jake — it’s Chinatown!” is a classic line from a classic movie, but a Chinatown in LA, London or Sydney is going to stand out far more than a Chinatown in Bangkok or Chiang Mai will ever do. Chiang Mai’s so-called Chinatown is the Worarot market and commercial district though apart from a … read the full post

• Chiang Mai’s Wat Phra Singh

  First published: 24 Jan 2012
  

  It’s taken us a while to get around to writing a post on what is really Chiang Mai’s most important temple, Wat Phra Singh, and while walking around this afternoon we had the distinct feeling it was possibly actually our first ever visit!? Our office is directly opposite the main entrance — but then we … read the full post

• Suan Buak Hat: Chiang Mai’s only park

  First published: 16 Jan 2012
  

  Greater Chiang Mai weighs in these days with a good million inhabitants (the exact figure varies according to where one draws cut-off points), and it has most of the attributes a modern city aspires to have. It has whopping shopping malls and chic boutiques, a Chinatown,  a professional football team (albeit an embarrassingly bad one), … read the full post

• Kamthieng market

  First published: 10 Jan 2012
  

  We’re covering a very different kind of market compared to our last post’s one on Prathu Chiang Puaka though it’s certainly another of our faves in Chiang Mai. Kamthieng market is what in the West we might call a garden centre, as it sells flowers, plants, trees, garden equipment, furniture, decorations and so on. This … read the full post

• Great Chiang Mai street food at Prathu Chang Puak

  First published: 04 Jan 2012
  

  As we all know some of the best Thai food can be found in markets and street stalls. In Chiang Mai, the night market at Prathu Chang Puak or Chang Puak Gate market, is one of the best food markets we know of in town. It’s located on the exterior side of the northern moat … read the full post

• Geographical names in Thailand

  First published: 30 Dec 2011
  

  Look up Chiang Mai province in a guide or on a map and you’ll see the same Thai place names cropping up over and over again: Doi this, Mae that and so on. So what do they all mean? Some you may well have already guessed at but here goes with a few of the … read the full post

• Ethnic groups of Northern Thailand: the Shan

  First published: 27 Dec 2011
  

  The Thai name for the Shan people is Thai Yai, meaning great or big Thai. Indeed though possessing distinct cultural traits, a very separate history and inhabiting adjacent rather than overlapping regions, the Shan people are a part of the greater Tai* ethnic family — which also includes Lao, Tai Lu, Black Tai, White Tai … read the full post

• Chiang Mai Christmas

  First published: 23 Dec 2011
  

  I like Christmas in Chiang Mai — most decent nearby getaways from here are either booked out ages ahead and/or charge ridiculous festive season supplements. There’s a crisp edge to the weather in Chiang Mai too which, without climbing Mount Fansipan, is about a festive season a feel as you’ll find in most of Southeast … read the full post

• Chiang Mai’s Flight of the Gibbon

  First published: 16 Dec 2011
  

  We’ve been a bit reluctant to try this popular Chiang Mai attraction out to be honest since swinging through tree tops didn’t really sit well with our vertigo. But as it came recommended by several mates and, apart from anything else, its ads are plastered over every other tuk tuk and outside every tour agent’s … read the full post

• Chiang Mai and Mandalay

  First published: 13 Dec 2011
  

  With Burma much in the news of late thanks to the Burmese government at least appearing to be making some tentative steps toward “normalisation”, and tourism there looking set to increase dramatically we thought it would be a good time to take a look at the contrasting twin northern capitals of Burma and Thailand: Chiang … read the full post