Any expat or visitor to Chiang Mai will quickly become familiar with the town’s main drags. You’ll have strolled along Ratchadamnoen running through the centre of the old town, tuk-tuked down Tha Pae Rd on your way to or from the night bazaar and of course eaten, drank, hired a motorbike and bought a Bangkok … read the full post

Now we’re not adding this to the Chiang Mai see and do section — nor even suggesting this for “hikes and walks” or “entertainment”. This is, frankly, just a boring-looking pond surrounded by some comatose anglers. But the pond does have an interesting story behind it. “Lake” is a bit over the top to describe … read the full post

Temple of the Four Buddha Footprints, or Wat Pra Prabat Si Roy in Thai, is a remote and spectacular forest temple located in Mae Rim’s Salouang district and the subject for today’s see and do post for Chiang Mai. . Though it’s a highly prestigious and popular temple among Thais, very few foreigners make it … read the full post

Following on from our recent train to Chiang Mai post you might want to consider the daily special express train to liven up the journey. It’s an all-sleeper train with only 1st or 2nd class air-con options. So what’s so special about the ‘special express’? For a start, it has a disco carriage and a … read the full post

So you’ve got three options for getting to Chiang Mai: road, air or rail. Never liked the first one much ourselves since the busy Bangkok-Chiang Mai highway is not the most scenic part of the country and some of the hell-for-leather drivers can give you a pretty scary ride. Yes, it is the cheapest means … read the full post

The Roomjai Kai Yang restaurant is a Chiang Mai institution and certainly our favourite Isaan (northeastern Thai/Lao) spot in town. It’s not haute cuisine but rather simple, rustic dishes with plenty of intense flavours from the liberal use of herbs and spices. This is the spot for spicy salads and vegetable dishes of, for example, … read the full post

An easy but very scenic short hike near Chiang Mai that’s practical to do on your own is this trail from Doi Suthep’s ranger sub-station at Huay Tung Tao to the nearby waterfall of the same name. At present our route is about an hour there and an hour back by the same route, though … read the full post

Well correctly speaking, (and we need to be correct here), we’re talking about the Chiang Mai Women’s Correctional Institution. The governors of the women’s section of Chiang Mai prison, located in the heart of the old city, have instigated some extremely enlightened, and truly praiseworthy schemes over recent years and we reckon a visit to the … read the full post

Following on from our recent Songkran post: if your $1,000 Nikon does get totally destroyed by water pistol-frenzied 5-year-olds during the festivities then the following may well be a useful address for you: Den Chai Trading, Rattanakosin Rd (T: 053 211 450). It’s the largest photographic store in Chiang Mai and possesses the most efficient … read the full post

I recently re-visited the Doi Pui Hmong Village with some trepidation; on my first visit nearly 10 years ago I’d found it tacky and touristy, and had turned my nose up at a hill-tribe village with Visa stickers and a coach park. As it turns out, I thoroughly enjoyed it this time around. No room to … read the full post