Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and is considered the capital of Northern Thailand. Gilded Chedis and ornate temples abound. The ambience is very pleasing and the pace of life is slow, to say the least. This cannot be said of the markets however, the pace here is more frenetic. Should you be looking for crafts produced in the region you only need to visit the famous Night Bazaar to find all manner of goods displayed at very reasonable prices. If, it is possible, for you take a local Northern Thai resident with you when shopping, you will get a much more satisfying price.

There is without question a two tier price structure: one for the locals and one for the visitors. All of the goods on display at the Night Bazaar will have been manufactured in the local villages around Chiang Mai. The handicraft villages such as BORSANG and BAAN TAWAI represent excellent value, on their own but, if time is a limiting factor then the Night Bazaar showcases all of the craft items available in the area.

Also to be found in the area of the Night Bazaar are an abundance of bars and restaurants where you may quench your thirst and rest your feet. All of them are reasonably priced and offer entertainment, making Chiang Mai one of Northern Thailands most appealing tourist destinations. Some distance out of the city on the way to Doi Suthep you will find the Chiang Mai zoo. A popular day trip from Chiang Mai nestled among forest and spectacular waterfalls. Feeding the alligators is always a popular spectacle but, throughout the zoo you can see all sorts of species of mammals, reptiles and birds all in natural settings. It is quite exhausting to walk around the zoo, if you want to see everything but, they do have mini buses that you can jump on to get from point to point at a small cost.

Chiang Mai offers many hotels, from budget through to the luxurious Sheraton Chiang Mai. Something worth remembering is that the majority of hotels have a daily room rate and also a monthly rate. Should you be staying more than two weeks in the city it is definitely worth ascertaing the daily rate first. Having been offered the daily rate, enquire the monthly rate. At a hotel with a daily rate of 650baht, this represents a monthly rate of 20,000baht. You will be pleasantly surprised to find that the monthly rate will be somewhere around 7-8000baht. This results in a saving of 1000-2000baht against the daily rate. Any period longer than two weeks will mean that any extra days will in essence be free. The only difference in service is that sheets will only be changed once or twice a week and the same goes for chambermaid cleaning of the room. A small sacrifice I would suggest.

South of Chiang Mai is Lamphun, home to the Northern Thailand Trading Estate which provides jobs in many Multi-National companies who’s names would be instantly recognisable to most visitors. Lamphun, also has its own moat and several historic temples. Lamphun is the original capital city of the ancient Haripunchai kingdom. Farther south along highway eleven lies Lampang, another town that attracts tourists to its important temples. None more so than the temple at Kho Ka near Hang Chat.

Its claim to fame is that it was the original home of the Emerald Buddha. The Buddha was purloined by the early monarchs and now resides in the Grand Palace in Krung Thep (Bangkok to you and I). Marks from the weapons of the time can visibly be seen in the stonework surrounding the Chedi and great play is made of the battle that took place. The original wooden temple exists to this day and is visited with great reverence by the faithful.Another city well deserving of a visit is Chiang Rai. You will need to drive north from Chiang Mai and you will eventually come across the distinguished peak of Chiang Dao – another substantial peak possessing a fabulous complex of caves underneath it.

Further north, you can leave the main route and travel through mountain passes to Doi Angkhang – one of the last true wildernesses in Thailand before the hills of Myanmar stretch out before you. Another popular choice is to continue on to Tha Ton, here you can board an overnight raft trip to the older Northern Thai city of Chiang Rai. Much quieter and older than Chiang Mai but, beautifully kept and presented.By the Southern route you will leave Lampang heading for the hills towards another pretty city Phayao, via Ngao, which lies at the foot of the hills which need to be traversed.

I can testify from personal experience that it is very exhilarating to travel this route by coach. The drivers seem not to accept that others may use the road. Certainly anyone else on the route stays well out of their way.You will know when you are reaching Phayao by virtue of the huge expanse of water on your left. There is a temple nestled at the edge of the lake which must rate as one of the most peaceful places on this earth.Past Phayao the main road swings North and eventually you enter Chiang Rai from the South. Further North some 30 kilometres lies Mae Sai whose claim to fame is to be the Northern most point in Thailand. The so called Freedom Bridge marks the border between Thailand and Myanmar. I personally don’t imagine the locals of Myanmar consider it as a freedom bridge since the Military Junta keeps them firmly in Myanmar.

To cross from Northern Thailand into Myanmar however, is certainly an experience not to be missed. Immediately across the bridge is a market which is a hotbed of contraband or cheap goods of all hues.

Saintdenis Singapore