Dan's Adventure

Chiang Mai surprised me at how big it actually was. It was the busiest city I had been in since Phnom Penh a month earlier. Theres something about it though, one of those places that its very easy to spend a long time in due to the all the activities on offer and the draws of the city itself.

History

The old city was once surrounded by a wall, the only remains of which are gates on each side and the corners, the rest of the wall is gone, but the moat is still there.

Markets

Chiang Mai hosts two large markets every week, the Saturday market and the Sunday market. In addition to those, every night the night bazaar is open and spills onto the surrounding streets selling all the usual knock offs, carvings and a wide selection of cheap food.

Culture

Like most cities in south east Asia, Chiang Mai is full of temples and other religious buildings. There is also the history and culture centre but unfortunately I tried to visit it on a Monday when it was closed.

Night life

Away from the go-go bars filled with fat old man looking for their Thai brides, Chiang Mai has a vibrant night life. Bars selling shots of local whisky for 6 baht, 7 elevens selling cheap rum and trekking groups that are happy to drink on the street makes for a great night out.