Things to do in CHIANG MAI
Below are all the places we visited while in Chiang Mai:
Loy Krathong Festival & Yee Peng Festival, Si Phum and surrounding area
Loy Krathong is a festival celebrated over two days during the full moon in the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar (generally around November time). The premise for this festival is paying respect to the goddess of water as well as celebrating new beginnings and releasing bad energy from your life. By incorporating these elements together, the idea is to send what is called a ‘Krathong’, or a vessel, into the water for it to float downstream and fade away.
Yee Peng is a festival which also happens over the same time period. This is probably the most well-known festival of the two as it involves the floating of lanterns into the sky. Similar to Loy Krathong, this festival celebrates the release of negative energy and hoping for good fortune. However, the release of lanterns is now officially illegal and only allowed outside of the main square after about 11:30pm.
Wat Phra Singh - Temple, Phra Sing
9am-6pm
Dress Code: Must have covered shoulders and knees. Remove shoes before entering the temple and place them on a shoe rack.
Wat Phra Singh is a large complex that is home to multiple temples and hundreds of monks and novices. As such, along with its beauty and location, this temple complex is very popular among tourists. And if you are lucky enough to be here around Loy Krathong, you will witness bands practising and the temple area decorated with festive banners.
Wat Chedi Luang - Temple, Si Phum
8am-5pm
50THB per person
Dress Code: Must have covered shoulders and knees. Remove shoes before entering the temple and place them on a shoe rack.
Wat Chedi Luang is another temple complex just a short 10 minute walk from Wat Phra Singh. The main difference between the two is, all temples in Wat Chedi Luang circle one dominating central pagoda. The complex also houses a small sacred enclosure prohibiting women from entering – as we menstruate – and any men who are dressed inappropriately.
Elephant Sanctuary
Elephant Rescue Park 7am-4:30pm (but available later than this), Mae Taeng
3,000THB per person for a full day tour
Elephant Rescue Park is a centre created to form a safe haven for elephants who have been rescued from the logging industry, circuses and camps, and the money that you put into the company helps supplement the needs of these animals. There are four different types of tours to choose from, but in general, you will have an opportunity to feed, walk and wash these gentle giants in each option.
Wat Phan Tao - Temple, Si Phum
8am-5pm
Dress Code: Must have covered shoulders and knees. Remove shoes before entering the temple and place them on a shoe rack.
Wat Phan Tao is a temple in central Chiang Mai that tends to be overlooked due to its lack of gold and its popular neighbour, Wat Chedi Luang. You will walk past this multiple times and each time you will probably make a mental note to go see it. When you eventually visit, you will find that this temple is actually very different from most others in Chiang Mai. It is a small temple made entirely of teakwood and hidden behind is a golden pagoda.
Grand Canyon Water Park, Hang Dong
10am-7pm
700THB per person
Grand Canyon Water Park is an outdoor inflatable activity park for those of you who would like a fun day out. Catering for both adults and children it offers separate areas with additional activities such as slides, kayaking, ziplining and aqua sports. This is a great opportunity to act like a big kid and meet new people.
Wat Pha Lat - Temple, Suthep
6am-6pm
Dress Code: Must have covered shoulders and knees. Remove shoes before entering the temple and place them on a shoe rack.
Wat Pha Lat is one of the most stunning temples that we visited during our 6 months of travelling. This temple is immersed in the fauna of the mountain which looks over the beautiful views of the North. Similar to Wat Phan Tao, this temple is overlooked by its extremely popular neighbour, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Due to the lack of knowledge and therefore people, along with its surroundings, Wat Pha Lat is immensely quiet. This allows for a totally different experience you will have in most temples in Thailand.
Cooking Class
Grandma’s Home Cooking School 8am-8:30pm, Saraphi
1,390THB per person for a 4.5 hour class
Grandma’s Home Cooking School is a workshop that teaches you how to prepare and cook traditional Thai food using organic ingredients. With three workshops offered, you can have either a full day, a morning class or an evening class - we chose an evening class.
You begin with a tour of their farm area and along the way you are taught the health benefits of each ingredient and pick the product needed in preparation to cooking your dishes. You will next be taken step by step to create four dishes in their high-tech kitchen. You can make a selection of dishes including soup, curry, pad thai and mango sticky rice. It is an exciting way to appreciate the culture and try new foods.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Temple, Suthep
6am-6pm
100TBH per person
30THB per person for the tram
Dress Code: Must have covered shoulders and knees. Remove shoes before entering the temple and place them on a shoe rack.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is one of Chiang Mai’s most well known temples. It is said that if you miss a visit, you have not seen all of Chiang Mai, but we are not totally in agreement with this. A little further up from Wat Pha Lat is a large complex of temples placed on the top of the mountain. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is commonly known for its long stairway to the top and its many golden statues, embellishments and its central pagoda. Despite its wow factor and stunning views, its extreme popularity ruins the experience a little.
Alms Giving Ceremony, Suthep
Sunrise 5:00am/5:30am-7:00am
Dress Code: Must have covered shoulders and knees. Remove shoes before entering the temple and place them on a shoe rack.
Alms Giving Ceremony is providing food to support monks and novices in their practice of Buddhism and in return they will pray for you. On arrival to the ceremony area, the custom is to buy a food offering from a local stall to donate to one or several monks. Monks will come and go and to be included in this, you will have to wait patiently knelt on one of the many mats placed on the floor. Once a monk has acknowledged you, you are allowed to stand up and place your food offering into their silver bowl. But you MUST NOT touch the sides of the bowl when emptying the food into it. Kneeling back down, pour water slowly from a small jug provided into a small bowl, also provided, whilst they chant their prayer.
The ceremony is conducted by locals on a daily basis and as a tourist who is visiting this ceremony, you should either fully immerse yourself or take a step back and watch from the sidelines. Either way, you should be respectful of this religious practice.
SUGGESTIONS
Below are some other activities that may be of interest to you:
Talat Warorot Market 6am-5pm
Talat Warorot Market is a huge local market where you can buy almost anything. Offering items that locals may need such as cooking ingredients to toys to fishing nets. That said? Visiting tourist may find souvenirs to buy. Even if you are not planning on buying any trinkets, I believe it will be a good opportunity to see the authentic lifestyle of a local Thai.
And across the road you can also visit a local flower market.
Accommodation in CHIANG MAI
Below are four accommodations we were able to try out while in Chiang Mai:
OYO 635 Sira Boutique Hotel, Old City - GOOD
Pros:
- Spacious room
- Cheap
Cons:
- Lacking character
- No elevator
= £11.92 per night
Sunny V Hotel, Charoenmueng - GREAT
Pros:
- Very spacious room
- Lots of facilities included
Cons:
- Outside of the main centre
- Bad shower pressure
= £19.11 per night
OYO 899 Villa De Hun, Old City - GOOD
Pros:
- Cheap as chips
- Great location
Cons:
- Very small rooms
- No vibe
= £8.90 per night
Your Space Hotel Phra Singh, Old City - GOOD
Pros:
- Spacious room
- Great location
Cons:
- Basic decor
- No elevator
= £18.22 per night
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