Chiang Mai is a bustling city located about 700km north of Bangkok. The fast growing metropolitan area has a population of a million or so but the city proper, with around 170,000 inhabitants, retains a small town feeling.
At its heart is the charming ancient square walled town surrounded by remnants of a brick rampart and a moat.
Chiang Mai’s northerly location and moderate elevation of 310 metres above sea level produce a comfortable climate.
The weather is perfect with mean low and high temperatures of 15°C and 28°C respectively and an average eight hours of sunshine per day.
Good weather, friendly people, delicious food and a vibrant culture combine to make Chiang Mai very attractive to tourists. It’s been listed on Trip Advisor as one of the 25 Best Destinations in the World in 2014.
Expats seem to like living in Chiang Mai and there are a lot of long-term foreign residents here, including retirees.
Over five million foreign tourists and 10 million local Thai tourists visit Chiang Mai annually.
The Night Bazaar is a good place to shop for tattoos, t-shirts, Thai handicrafts and souvenirs. Some of paintings sold by artists here are of a high quality.
There are dozens of splendid Thai Buddhist temples to visit, including the city’s most famous landmark, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep.
This temple is located on a hill overlooking the city at an altitude of 1,073 metres.
You can travel the 18 kilometres to the temple in the back of a songthaew which is a pick-up truck with bench seats in the back.
While this is a fun experience, much like a Jeepney ride in the Philippines, the diesel exhaust fumes you inhale are noxious and will probably affect those with asthma.
The tuk-tuks are just as bad and the sooner these ubiquitous methods of transport are replaced with non-polluting electric vehicles the better.
To experience some cleaner air you can take a river cruise on the Ping River which runs through the heart of the city and is a major tributary of the Chao Phraya River.
The two hour cruise is on a traditional teak rice barge and stops at the “Thai Farmer’s House” where you can see exotic fruit trees, herbs and vegetables and even admire a pair of large wild boar.
It is quite a touristy thing to do but pleasant all the same. Air Asia has direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Chiang Mai making it a convenient and inexpensive place to visit for Malaysians.
This article first appeared in Thrifty Traveller.