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

Songkran is the Thai name for the Theravada Buddhist New Year which falls on the 13th April. (The Mahayana Buddhist New Year, in Vietnam or China for example, is based on the lunar calender – in Thailand it’s always a fixed date.) It’s not only Thai New Year but in theory is the same for … read the full post

The Mon Thaa Than Falls Nature trail near Chiang Mai is an easy-to-moderate hike of two to three hours that you can do on your own, though it does get trickier during the rainy season. The entire route is in the forest, with the first half or so being flat and the second downhill. It’s … read the full post

When should I visit northern Thailand and Chiang Mai is a very FAQ; there are pros and cons for each period of the year but before we go into that, let’s address a couple of common climate misconceptions, namely: 1. Chiang Mai and northern Thailand are cool (temperature-wise) and 2. The rainy season is a … read the full post

I often get asked by visitors about bookstores in Chiang Mai, perhaps because a) it’s hard to choose from among the bewildering number of secondhand bookshops, b) it’s hard to find the decent new book shops or c) they’re looking for books in obscure, minority languages like French. Thailand is not like Vietnam or Cambodia, … read the full post

Huay Tung Tao — much loved by Chiang Mai locals and expats and regrettably little known by visitors — is a small artificial lake at the foot of Doi Suthep. The shallow lake’s good for swimming and the grassy banks are packed with picnic areas, drink and food stalls plus the views… are awesome. And … read the full post

One of Chiang Mai’s most famous contributions to Thai cuisine is khao soi, (or soy), noodle soup. The classic version combines two noodle varieties: flat wheat noodles, (tagliatelli-ish in form) and deep-fried crispy noodles, in a spicy coconut chicken curry. The soup is served with a slice of lime, roast chilli paste and pickled cabbage. … read the full post

Although Chiang Mai’s Saturday Walking Street Market started up around the same period as the Sunday one, for some reason it’s never really caught on in the same way. The Sunday one down Ratchadamnoen Rd is laid out right through the centre of the old town, within spitting distance of most hotels and guesthouses and connecting … read the full post

Update January 2012: Taking over a successful restaurant, keeping the exact same menu, increasing prices and employing totally new kitchen and waiting staff doesn’t sound common business sense to us and the cliche ‘recipe for disaster’ springs to mind. Logically you keep at least a couple of key staff members to smooth over transition but … read the full post

Definitely one of Chiang Mai’s most unusual and interesting temples, Wat Umong, (or ‘tunnel temple’ – umong meaning tunnel in Thai), is set in forested grounds near the foot of Doi Suthep. An artificial earth mound in the temple grounds covers a series of underground passageways whose purpose has never really been explained but which … read the full post