When I first night we touched down in Bangkok, I was super overwhelmed. It’s a crazy city with tight sidewalks, heavy traffic in the streets, and aggressive vehicles. To be honest, even though I’ve lived in NYC all my life, I was uncomfortable. Thankfully, the very next morning, we flew to Chiang Mai because that was the scene I was ultimately looking for. Chiang Mai is a smaller city, north of Bangkok. When I was doing research, Chiang Mai was the most mentioned city besides Bangkok to visit so I knew I had to go. There are tons to do here – from cheap eats and massages to Temple hopping to seeing elephants to street markets to cooking classes. Chiang Mai to me was the chill, adventurous, spiritual sister of Bangkok.
Day 1 – Wednesday
- Arrival at Hotel at 1:00pm
- Walk around area
- Lunch at Its Good Kitchen (actually pretty good)
- 1-hour Thai Massage at Lila Thai Massage
- Wat Phra Singh Waramahavihan
- Walk down Rachadamnoen Road to Old Gate, window shopped
- Coffee break at The Coffee Club
- Dinner at Krua Dabb Lob (it’s ok)
Day 2 – Thursday
- Elephant Nature Park all day
- Dinner at Kanjana Restaurant (very good)
Day 3 – Friday
- Thai Akha Cookery School
- 2 hour massage at Lila Thai Massage
- Ploen Rudee Night Market
- Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
- Walk around night bazaar area
- Dinner at Ploen Rudee Night Market
Day 4 – Saturday
- Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep
- Lunch at Its Good Kitchen
- Monk chat at Wat Chedi Luang Varavihara
- Dinner at Cafe de Thaan Aoan (it’s ok)