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Published: December 24th 2010
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We got a flight from Phuket up to Chiang Mai and from the minute we got off the plane it felt like a different type of Thailand. Much more chilled out and perhaps even more organised in regards to transport from the airport. Walking around Chiang Mai felt much safer than in Bangkok or even Phuket and the people there were some of the friendliest we had met in Thailand.
We stayed at the New Mitrapap hotel which was very cheap for the clean and comfortable room we received.
We became very fond of the Riverside Restaurant which we visited THREE times in our time here. But excelled our expectations everytime. It was a cosy restaurant and pub right on the riverside complete with lanterns and live music every night, it was clearly loved by locals and tourists alike and was packed constantly.
Chiang Mai was filled with celebrations while we were there as it was approaching the Kings birthday and there was copious amounts of lanterns let off into the night sky every night which was a beautiful sight to see.
We met up with Jo and Nicole (friends from Koh Phangan) and enjoyed a night
out in the Rasta bars of the busier nightlife area. We headed out a couple of nights to the famous night bazaar which is literally hundreds and hundreds of market stalls as far as you can see. If you want to buy something in Thailand this would be a perfect place, they sell everything... just name your price.
On our third day the four of us headed to the Tiger Kingdom and came face to face with large and small tigers a like. It is free to visit but you pay a fee to go into the enclosures with your choice of the size of tiger, we all immediately chose the largest tigers and headed on in with our Thai photographer in tow. In was truly an unforgettable experience and we bravely patted and rubbed the tigers. I know from reading about the place that some people are sceptical and believe the tigers are drugged but there is no way we had that impression. While we were all in the cage with them they were roaming about and jumping around with one another, enough to give Nicole a big enough fright to jump back into the electric fence (see
one of the pics below). This is one of our top places to visit in Chiang Mai and we would also reccommend paying that little bit extra for the photographer as it takes the added hassle out of fiddling about with it when you only get about 20 mins inside of the cage.
On our second last day in Chiang Mai we headed on a tour to visit the local hilltribes. We met the Karen Long Neck Tribe who wear rings of brass round their necks and calves and gain a new ring each year. We had a go at trying on the rings ourselves and my god were they heavy, they apparently sleep in these and only take them off once a year! The reasoning we were given is that longer necks are seen to be more attractive in their society. We also visited several other tribes, some who black out all their teeth and others who put rings their ears to make the holes as big as possible.
During our day tour we also visited a butterfly/ orchid farm (which actually fades in comparison to Edinburgh's one), we went white water rafting, had a second go
at elephant trekking (this time on a much bigger elephant), and also went rafting down the river on a bamboo raft. A very eventful and fun day all round. On our day trip we met our new lovely aussie friends Chan and Micheal. After our crazy day we headed out for dinner and many many drinks with them to conclude an awesome day with an epic night.
We were definately reluctant to leave the incredible south with all the paradise and beauty of the islands but we didnt look back for a second once we got to Chiang Mai. This place was definately worth the visit and even our five nights here were so packed that we could have justified at least another one night.
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