Roger Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Hello All, I will be going to Chiang Mai on Saturday..Arriving on the first plane around 0730am and leaving at about 22:00 at night. I will be taking a close friend. ( Thai Female) It is her first time flying and her first time in Chiang Mai? Would appreciate it if someone had some ideas on where to go, what to see?what to eat etc.. taking into account I will be there for only 15 hours. Suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Sounds like Doi Suthep.....spectacular view and Thais love it up there. Some decent places to eat. Any taxi will be happy to take you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboy Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Perhaps riverboat trip and visit to the night bazar? Plenty of reasonable restaurants to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chanchao Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 > Perhaps riverboat trip and visit to the night bazar? No!! The Ping River really doesn't come close to rivers in Central Thailand, especially not this time of year! You can pretty much walk across! And as for the Nigh Bazar, if you do go then you can play the game "Find something I don't also see all over Sukhumvit, Pattaya, and Patong". I do agree about Doi Suthep being an essential. Just not much of a view this time of year. (You'll be looking at haze) but still a nice temple and a nice trip. If you go, do make a point in going further up past the temple. There you get to the National Park proper and it's quite nice there. Don't go down to the first hill-tribe village (again, it resembles lower Sukhumvit.. ;-) but especially if you have you're own wheels you can do a right turn (just before where you would go left and down towards tourist-ville) and find some nice nature, a weird old ruin of a stupa and then on to further villages. Also before you get to Doi Suthep temple you will find some waterfalls. 2 of those are fee, but Montrathan Falls is officially part of the park and will try the 200-baht entry fee spiel on you. Recently when I was there I also saw a backpacker-tourist on a motorbike by himself and he got in for 20 baht, so if you just explain you live in Thailand you have a good chance. Let's see if I can find a post I once wrote for some other board.. (Lonely Planet..) hold on. Cheers, Chanchao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chanchao Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Here's part of it: * For a daytime swim, Ob Khan National Park is very nice too. (No entry fee) This is a river flowing through a rock gorge. It's pretty deep in places, on weekends it's a popular place; watch Thai kids climb up really high on the rock walls of the gorge and dive in. ;-) Also Huay Tueng Thao lake, off the Canal Road North of town. You can swim, or sit on a raft and eat and drink beer. How to get there: Take the Canal Road SOUTH. Canal road you can reach by taking Suthep Road East, until you reach the intersection. Then turn left on to the canal road. First you'll pass the intersection of the road to Samoeng, keep going South, I believe for another 5-6-7 kms from the Samoeng road intersection. After said 6-7 kms you will notice an unfinished, concrete carcass of a tower kind of structure off the right side of the canal. (So on the other side of the canal). You can't miss this one; it's like a 3 storey concrete frame of a tower; no clue what it's for but it's your cue to turn RIGHT. That village is called Ban Nam Phrae. Keep going on that road through the village. Be careful of some unexpectedly sharp corners here and there. Then you will reach a branch of the Suang Prung looney house, which is fenced off, and the road goes around it. Just keep following that road. The road then turns into a dirt track. Keep going. After some time you will reach some brown wooden signs indicating Ob Khan National Park. I think these are only in Thai, but there's nothing else of interest there so that's probably your cue to take a left. (Actually the valley and village further along that road is quite scenic too, especially in the rice growing season) Then you're there. Keep going all the way, until the river turns into this gorge. Fun area to swim and dive. Pretty deep too inside the gorge, you could climb on it pretty high then dive in. There's also a path going alongside the gorge, then you can climb back down later and be in in this quiet little niche close to the water. * Wat Umong. It's in The Book, but I thought I'd highlight it here because it's cool. * Really spaced out new-age kind of pastel colored murals at Wat Doi Saket in Doi Saket disctrict. * All the ruins of older abandoned pagoda's (chedis) that are scattered around town. You'll find these when waling throught the 'old town' which otherwise doesn't seem 'old' at all, but is rather nice and quiet and you find interesting stuff in all the lanes. (But perhaps not when with a Thai woman if she doesn't like to walk and if she thinks all temples look alike.. Oh: Look into getting the book 'Chiang Mai - City, Valley & Mountains(? or some such) by Oliver Hargreave. Awesome book about Chiang Mai. Not cheap (600 baht?), but definitely an asset. I've lent it to peole (and lost it) and re-purchased my copy 2 times by now!! I think I'm entitled to a discount the next time I lose it. Cheers, Chanchao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chanchao Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 So I guss I would look into getting a car (optionally with driver; in that case just renting out a Red Bus (Songthaew share taxi) for the day would seem like a good bet. Too bad it's not a Sunday you're going.. The Sunday evening 'walking street' on Ratchadamnoen near Thapae gate IS interesting. More so than the Night Bazar anyway. Consider doing the Mae Sa Valley loop.. That's basically the road that starts North of town in Mae Rim, then goes all the way around the Doi Suthep area and then ends up South of town again near Hang Dong. It's a nice drive through the mountains, and you will find some tourist-traps along the way that may not be your cup of tea. (Though perhaps your friend/girlfriend/wife would enjoy the elephants.) Personally I always skipped the butterfly farms, orchid farms, monkey schools, bungee jump (!), snake shows and the resorts. If your lady likes flowers then perhaps try Kritsada Doi; it's one of the resorts that's propably the most famous among Thais. For foreigners it's less interesting because it's mostly the flowers we've known all our lives (Petunia's, Marigolds, Salvia, etc, etc, etc,) but Thais do seem to like it. Kritsada Doi is on the Southern half of the loop; most of the tourist-hoopla is on the Northern end. Also some waterfalls there of course, Mae Sa Falls being the most well-known one but of course part fo the National Park so you'll be in for the 200 baht spiel. Note though that if you did pay earlier at Doi Suthep, that Mae Sa (and Tad Mok falls) are part of the same park, so you wouldn't have to pay again. And then there's Chiang Mai zoo where the Panda's are.... not sure if that's worth it. I seem them on Animal Planet all the time. :-P As far as zoos go though it's one of the better ones; it's a HUGE area; you can take your (rented) car in! Cheers, Chanchao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Looks like you they could be having a busy 15 hours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardinalblue Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 If you are going up the mountain to doi suthep, then also take in the Royal family's summer palace/garden. It is on the same road; i can't remember if it is just above or just below doi suthep (i think below). She will appreciate it...... Leave the afternoon free to walk aound inside the old city walls and eat at one of the many good restaurants around for lunch and dinner. While everyone puts the night market on their chiang mai agenda, it is nothing to get excited about. I think it is more of a function of the lack of night-time activities. It is basically the same stuff you can buy in bangkok, pattaya or phuket. The only advantage is that the pricing is more like JJ's than the other tourist locations. Great golfing around but not with someone in tow.... Cardinalblue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chanchao Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 chuckwoww said:Looks like you they could be having a busy 15 hours! I already had a busy 15 hours writing all that. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Chanchou has done a good job covering it but I might also add that there is a good Thai style BBQ on the roof of the Porn Ping Hotel at night. food pretty good and nice view. Plus, close to the night market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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