Survival Guide to Chiang Mai

Stories of Chiang Mai were some of the first things I ever heard about Thailand. I knew the city existed before I knew anything about it.

Anyone can get along here just fine. Like most of Thailand, Chiang Mai is set up to allow tourists the ability to do anything their little heart desires with the greatest of ease. There are, however, some very special things that happen her.

Chiang Mai is renowned for classes. There are a number of universities and specialty schools here that teach everything from the remedial to the spiritual. Unfortunately, they are not all in the same place.

Chiang Mai is something of a rectangle. There is a wall ( or sorts) surrounding the inner city with 4 gates. These gates provide easy navigation points for directing taxi and tuktuk drivers.

One of the most important things to know about getting around this town is the red and yellow trucks. The red trucks will drive around and take anyone to anywhere for 20 baht, or about 65 cents. The yellow trucks drive along relatively fixed routes through the city and will take passengers for 10 baht. Flag them like a taxi, state your destination to the driver who will then accept you or not. Do not ask how much it costs, because the driver will then seize the opportunity to make some extra money off of you; just jump in. When you arrive at your destination, pay the man the correct amount and go on your merry way.

If the driver asks for a different amount, simply correct him before getting in or find another truck. they come along often enough.

Chiang Mai is home to the largest amount of proper motorcycles I have seen since I was at the MotoGP race in Brno last year.

Chiang Mai is very geared towards the tourist. You can rent bikes, motorbikes, ride elephants, play with tigers, or attend classes in almost anything you can imagine. My primary reason for being here was learning Thai Massage, but I managed to squeeze in some cooking classes too. The cooking classes in Chiang Mai are a fraction of the cost of the classes in Phuket, fyi.

One thing I missed out on that I hope someone will do and inform me of how cool it was, is the Jungle Survival Cooking Course! You can schedule it with the booking agent at +66-53-208-661, but in order for the class to run, they need a few people interested in it, or you have to pay for 2 spots. When I checked the class was 1200 baht; less than $40 a person.

There are plenty of great places to eat in town; Fat China Man’s BBQ, Jerusalem Falafel, Starbucks… take your pick. Odds are, if you wander into any restaurant in town, you will get a great meal at a decent price. Fair warning, the owner of Jerusalem Falafel is never in a good mood, but the food is definitely worth it!

Breakfast…

Don’t plan on being an early riser to catch the proverbial worm. Nothing seems to open here until after 8 a.m. Not even the coffee shops. The Starbucks in town doesn’t open until 10 a.m.

If you are looking for a unique treat, head to the Chiang Mai Gate (south gate) market and find the sticky rice vendors. They cook sticky rice inside bamboo tubes that you can peel like a banana!

While in Chiang Mai I attended an insect riddled classical music performance, I saw tiny motorcycles, met all kinds of wild people, and generally enjoyed myself. That does not mean that Chiang Mai is a particularly enjoyable town.

Chiang Mai is something of a funnel, designed over time, to draw as much money from tourists into the local economy. This is not necessarily bad, it’s just what happens when enough tourists come to a town with money. It’s a great place to enjoy a couple of days off, book a tour somewhere, or learn some new skills, but if you are going to be based here, try to get out of the city as much as possible to really enjoy the area.

Hopefully, this short guide will give you a few things to do and see and make your life a little easier while you are in town. Cheers!

Wrap-Up:

Chiang Mai is great… for tours and classes.

There is a ton of good food here. Look around.

Red trucks are the best way to get around town. Yellow Trucks are a little more difficult to work with, but are half the price.

There are so many tour agencies here that any question you have about almost anything can be answered in a very short time just by asking around.

Protip: I am told that The Tiger Experience is awful; don’t waste your money by helping those people profit off their poor treatment of the animals.