This lovely gem has been on my to-do list for years since I moved
to Asia. It’s a wonderful, small city with 700 years of history, this adventure
started with a night at Bangkok after arriving from Nairobi. On this South East
Asia adventure my plan was to use as many trains, buses and local transport as
possible. For two reasons, I needed cheap travel and wanted to immerse myself
in the rich, warm and hospitable culture of South East Asians.
Well sometime I go for the good old African timing and
arrived 5 minutes before the train pulled of Hua Lamphong station in Bangkok.
Running around the train station with a backpack weighing 11kgs was not exactly
the best start but upon seating and meeting a Spanish girl who turned out to be
the best company was really great. The train ride was 12 hours...sounds
dreadful but it was actually very pleasant... I had my first beer... met some
great people and had a great party in the restaurant car.
My plan initially was to make it for the Yi Peng festival. It is indeed the best time to visit this incredible city lit up with lanterns... I missed that Shame!! Next time!! While I was there I opted to hang out with 2 lovely Thai girls who are from Bangkok and had come up to CM for some time away from the city. Being able to see CM from the views of a local gave such rich time whilst there.
Chiang Mai is one of those cities that has been able to retain its beautiful natural charm while still allowing for us the young party lovers to still have something to do with our nights.
I was unfortunate as my time there after the 1st week of doing the nearby attractions and was ready to head to Pai and Chiang Rai for Elephant Mahout training. The rain decided I would not leave and it rained for 4 days continuously. I got to meet interesting people, drink loads of mojitos at Mojito house. The calm, peace, warmth and great food of Chiang Mai made me happy:)
Happy Travels
- L -
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