Maesa elephant camp

Travels in Thailand (Chiang Mai)

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May 3rd 2010
Chiang Mai was my favorite place in Thailand. King Mengrai founded the city in 1296 and the word Chiang Mai means "new city". It succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. Because of the Burmese wars that culminated in the fall of Ayutthaya in the middle of the 18th century, Chiang Mai was abandoned somewhere in the late 18th century. It later became part of Siam and slowly grew in cul ... read more

Asia » Thailand » North-West Thailand » Chiang Mai

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A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy.... ... read more