Entry #22, Apr 1, 2023, Thailand

 

Chiang Mai, Thailand. A destination spot for multitudes of people. I know many who have not only visited there, but several who have called it home. We added it to our list of locations so we could find out what the fascination is all about. And we discovered many answers.

 

Thailand is a beautiful, tropical country with mountains, jungles, farmland, and world-renown beaches. The capital city of Bangkok is on the coast in the south of the country, while Chiang Mai is in the mountains of the northern interior.

 

It did not take us long to discover Chiang Mai’s appeal. The people are friendly and seem to love having foreign visitors. The city has a slower pace than Bangkok and other cities we’ve visited around the world. It’s refreshing with its many trees, gardens, waterways, and flowers. There’s a good mix of western influence with traditional culture, so the streets are lined with modern coffee shops and cafés as well as street vendors selling traditional Thai cuisine from their carts. Every 4th or 5th storefront seems to be a massage parlor, and in between are restaurants, shops, tailors, pharmacies, and dentists (there are a lot of dentists).

 

Chiang Mai is known for its beautiful ancient temples. Though Buddhism is the primary religion, other religions are accepted, and Chiang Mai is the headquarters to several Christian mission organizations. We attended Chiang Mai Community Church, where we met expats (foreigners living abroad) who have lived there for decades. I asked several of them why they choose to live there, and the common response was, “The kindness of Thai people, the beauty of the country, the mild climate, good food, and good health care.”

 

Thailand also has a retirement visa to help lure expats. I believe it’s only good for one year, but with the ability to extend indefinitely. They’re also working on putting in place a 10-year retirement visa.

 

Besides the lovely city, there are the beautiful surroundings with so much to do like hiking, visiting elephants, exploring villages, rafting on rivers, and discovering waterfalls. One of our favorite adventures was taking a tuk tuk (three-wheel motorbike taxi) tour to an elephant sanctuary. There, we fed the elephants then walked them to the river where we got in with them to help bathe them. So very cool! Though we had to be careful not to get stomped on.

 

On that excursion, we also took a bamboo raft ride down a narrow river. The rafts were about 20 feet long, and there were a lot of people using them on the river. We were in one accident where our guide fell in the water. And the locals would party along the riverbanks and splash water on us as we’d glide by. A very fun (and wet) time of it.

 

One note of caution about Thailand, though, and it’s the same warning I had for Nepal: February and March are the field-burning season. The air quality was in dangerous ranges most of the month. If you are to visit, I highly advise for you to come between November and January—between the wet season and burn season.

 

We SO enjoyed our stay in Chiang Mai. It was a relaxing month in the city highlighted by several adventures outside the city. You cannot go wrong choosing there for a visit.

 

A stroll in Chiang Mai means:

 the roar of a tuk tuk, the heat of the sun

 the sight of a temple, the cicadas loud song

 the smile of a vendor, the taste of Thai tea

 the glint of a Buddha, the shade of palm trees

 a massage for relaxing and street food galore

 an unhurried pace in an enchanting place.

 

Now, off to “down under” to cuddle koalas!

 

Hasta luego,

 

Pam

 

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world. You are surrounded by adventure.” ―Freya Stark