Chiang Mai

As the plane touched down at Chiang Mai airport I was relieved to see lots of green hills and space.  We were staying at  the lovely Ruen-Come-In Guesthouse.  The owner’s son, Taam, met us at the airport and we soon joined the queue of traffic.  The guesthouse, built in traditional Thai style in teak, has just 5 rooms and is located just outside the centre of Chiang Mai.  Our hosts were very helpful and made us feel at home.  There are no busses in Chaing Mai - instead you hail a songthaew (communal taxi) if the driver’s going your way you agree a price and hop in, if not, you continue walking until you find one that is.   Our first morning we visited the government run Hill Tribe craft centre where I wished I had brought a bigger ruck sack.  I couldn’t resist some small souvenirs, which were placed in a recycled shopping bag depicting five different hill tribe characters.  We   walked through the city gate into the old town and headed to the river where we took a boat trip up the river, which was very relaxing.  When we got off the boat our boatman pointed to one of the characters on our shopping bag and explained that it was his very own hill tribe.    

At the weekend Chiang Mai holds its "walking streets" or night markets.  We were lucky enough to be there and headed into the throng of people.  There were colourful sights, delicious smells and enthusiastic entertainers.  We couldn't move for the mass of people.  At six o'clock an announcement came over the speaker and everyone stopped what they were doing and stood still - then the national anthem was played.  I have never witnessed anything like it - a bit like musical statues.  Once it finished everyone resumed what they had been doing before.  I later learnt that the national anthem is played in public places twice a day (eight in the morning and six in the evening) and everyone is expected to stop what they are doing.

I plucked up courage to have my first foot massage.  It was painful in parts, but all in all a relaxing experience.  The session was an hour long with the last 15 minutes dedicated to a shoulder and back massage Thai style - I thought I was going to be trampled to death as the lady literally walked all over me!  

Soi Pui Summit 1,688 mtrs

Coffee Beans 

The next day feeling revived by our massage we decided to go up the summit of Doi Suthep.  We hailed a Songthaew along with two other passengers who also wanted to go to the summit.  En route we stopped off at a coffee plantation.  The road soon deteriorated and the driver enthusiastically pointed to the track going uphill saying that was the way to the summit.  He wasn't sure how long the walk would take.  In the end it only took 50 minutes and was very low key - in fact we were the only ones making the climb to the top.   

Next stop was at a Hill Tribe village, where we wandered beyond the usual souvenir stalls and stumbled on a local sporting event where the participants wore traditional dress.  We were the only tourists watching and they seemed totally oblivious to our presence.  

Then it was back down the hill to the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep with its panoramic views over Chiang Mai (I haven't managed to capture it!)  The temple was lovely, but busy with tourists, including monks on holiday.

I had read about the government run Elephant Conservation Centre, which came highly recommended in our guidebook as being a worthwhile and ethical thing to do.  It was an hour’s drive away so entailed having to hire a driver, but I’m so pleased we did as I had an unforgettable day.   

Again, it was very low-key and there weren’t many visitors.   It was possible to get up close to the elephants and I’ve never seen such happy and healthy looking animals – sadly the ones I’ve seen in the past were working in the streets of India.  There was a German man who was volunteering at the centre and he happily told us all about his day and the fact that it is geared towards the elephant’s needs and not the tourist’s needs.  The centre recognises the intelligence of these huge beasts and encourages activities – I would not have believed an elephant could paint unless I had seen it with my own eyes!  

We went on to the town of Lampang where we had a delicious lunch at the Riverside café (my first massaman curry) where we got chatting to a couple of British cyclists who were on an epic journey through Asia.  On the drive back we stopped off at Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao Temple – there are no shortages of temples in Thailand!