Chiang Mai - former capital of the Lan Na Kingdom. Beautiful and Restful
Before the Kingdom of Thailand, there were actually 3 different kingdoms. See graphic above.
White Market at One Nimman
I just finished a visit to the former northen capital of Thailand ChaingMai. Roughly 3.5 hours by plane from Singapore, it is a very nice getaway for Singaporeans who may be tired and slightly overwhelmed by Bangkok's commercialism and Pattaya's sleaziness.
Chiangmai is a very restful place, and it emits a lovely small town vibe and with the right mix of locals and tourists I would recommend it to anyone who needs a short getaway for 4 to 6 days.
There are lots of tours to participate, like the many temple tours for example. In addition, there are numerous walking trails (with guides of course), white water rafting for certain times of the year and the elephant conservation park for the city folk like me.
Crane showing off its plumes
My personal favourite is the Chiangmai zoo, it is at the end of Nimman road, and accessible by the many transport options like Grabcar, tuk tuks or even just take a long walk (half an hour) and you reach the place. I have visited it 3 times these last 2 years, and I enjoy just mosing around the enclosures, watching the animals basking in the enclosures and also during feeding times when they do come to life.
With a friend from Singapore, Fang
One Nimman is a walking street just like our Bugis Junction and it is airconditioned and provides tourists and locals alike with all the many trinkets and souvenirs to take back home for the memories. Food choices there are plenty, with Thai favourites like the Paad Thai noodles, Boat Noodles (I tried some yesterday and it was delicious), crab meat fried rice and the fried crispy pork fried rice. Desserts are plentiful, from Thai durian sticky rice, ice creams of all flavours , Red Ruby and the all too famous Mango Sticky Rice.
The one standout Chiangmai dish I tried and was fully satisfied was the Khao Soi (see previous posts), just whip out your Google Review and choose. My favourite was the Muay Khao Soy and Soi 12 off Nimman street.
Price wise, things are a lot more expensive than they were a year ago. The cost of living issue is a global one, with supply chains and cost of harvesting and manufacturing going up quite a bit. Food especially good food is around 75% of Singapore's prices. So come prepared.
We had a steak dinner for 2 just the other night at a supposed 4.5 star place on Nimman Road, 2 x Wagyu striploins, some mashed potatoes, a caesar salad and 2 non alcoholic drinks. The bill came to around THB 1,900 or $75. The quality of the steaks was not as good as even our NUSS Guild House which is above average
Wooloomooloo, Origins Steakhouse or even Bistecca in Singapore all of which are in my opinion, world standard are on a different league.
Do visit Chiangmai for a nice chill holiday, find decent even top notch hotels for a fraction of what you pay for a 4.5 star or 5 star one in Singapore. Dine like a top executive in some very nice places, with warm welcoming smiles all year round. Visit the zoo like I did. Try the Thai massages if you are so inclined (I am not) and walk and shop to your heart's content without the harriedness and hustle and bustle of the large metropolis like Bangkok.
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