Go Thailand:Thailand's second city offers a double whammy: a vibrant metropolis paired with activities that range from the laid-back to the hair-raising, writes Fergal Quinn
THE PERFECTLY square moat that surrounds the old city in Chiang Mai was built hundreds of years ago to repel the marauding Burmese army. These days it serves mainly to keep the real world at a comfortable distance.
Across the moat Thailand’s second city has exploded into a vibrant metropolis in recent years; within the water’s boundary a degree of tranquillity has been maintained. A warren of narrow streets is chock-a-block with bars and restaurants, and although the signs of tourism are ever present there is little of the boozy, decadent sun worshipping that has defaced tourism centres in the south.
You can travel through much of southern Thailand and Bangkok while ignoring a lot of what is unique about Thai culture. Chiang Mai, in the northwest of the country, is a perfect way to catch up on what you’ve missed.
Its attraction for most travellers is a perfect double whammy: activities ranging from the sedate (trekking and cookery classes) to the hair-raising (abseiling down a waterfall, anyone?) are enhanced by Chiang Mai’s being regarded as the place to learn the arts of Thai massage and Thai cookery.
So you can stretch yourself physically before getting a top-class massage for half-nothing, then gorge yourself on one of the most delicious cuisines on the planet.
WIPING THE SLEEP from my eyes as I wander around on my first morning, the options for treks are a little bewildering. Most offer permutations of elephant riding, bamboo rafting and scenic hikes to isolated villages populated by the exotic ethnic minorities northern Thailand is famous for.
The only trouble is, the unspoilt nature of many villages has been irrevocably changed by the influx of money-waving foreigners. So shop around, and vet companies you might take a trek with, either while there or in advance of your trip. Once you keep in mind that these are all fairly well-trodden paths by now, and aim instead for an ethical and thoughtfully designed trek that benefits the people whose communities you are visiting, it is an enjoyable and enriching experience.
With medical students, graphic designers and a hairdresser as part of my group of 10 people trekking into Bong Duet National Park, an hour northwest of Chiang Mai, we were well prepared for almost any eventuality. Within an hour or two of setting off we are deep in mountain jungle that stretches as far as the eye can see.
The Karen villages we encounter are charming, their colourfully dressed inhabitants staring curiously at us as we pass. With an estimated 300,000 members in Thailand, the Karen, who come originally from Burma, are the largest hill tribe in the country.
We stay in a spartan wooden lodge, washing the sweat and grime from our bodies in a nearby stream before an excellent meal prepared by our hosts.
That night it rains heavily for a few hours, and in the morning we watch women smoking traditional pipes weave distinctive V-neck tunics.
On closer inspection the village, which at first seemed rudimentary, reveals a pragmatic embrace of the modern. The wooden cottages have roofs thatched with leaves, but solar panels outside several of them, and even a netball court, establish that this place is far from shut off from the outside world.
We ascend into the forest again and trek for several kilometres before descending a steep hill towards a small settlement beside the Mae Taeng river. Several elephants are tethered among the trees that surround the village. They are our means of travelling a few kilometres upstream, three people to each beast, with one unlucky soul – me in this case – having to perch on the neck.
The elephant and I establish a fairly satisfactory relationship: I swat the abundant flies from around her head in return for her not dunking me in the river. But an hour or two on the neck of a swaying, and somewhat headstrong, elephant is more than enough.
We spend our second night in a Lahu village; this tribe is best known for its hunting and trapping skills. They seem to have maintained their traditions rather less carefully than the Karen, but the setting, on a bend in the river, is picture perfect.
We set off downriver the next morning on a couple of bamboo rafts, which are little more than a few bamboo canes tied together; we propel them with a couple of poles. It is an exhilarating way to travel, with several hair-raising rapids that take some negotiation. Sore limbs and blisters on our hands are the worst of our injuries.
CHIANG MAI is something of a Mecca for gourmets. The food is so startlingly good that you begin to resent the time between meals. It’s not just the usual Thai specialities, either. Crispness married with softness, spicy toppings on sweet morsels: the I-have-no-idea-what-I’m-eating-but-damn-it’s-good moments here never end.
The food in northern Thailand tends to be slightly less spicy than that elsewhere in the country, and dishes such as khao soi chicken, a noodle curry, and kaeng hang lae, which includes pork, peanuts and ginger, make an immediate impression. This is a vegetarian’s paradise, too; even carnivores will be tempted to give meat a rest for a while to focus on the unusual vegetables and spicy sauces.
It makes sense to try to bring a little of it home, so I sign up for a day-long class at Baan Thai cookery school (www.cook inthai.com), which combines a learning experience with an all-you-can-eat buffet.
We visit the market, to familiarise ourselves with the ingredients, before making curry paste, spring rolls, papaya salad and deep-fried coconut bananas.
The instructors are excellent and the price – €18, which includes a recipe book and eating the fruits of your labour – is eminently reasonable.
THAI MASSAGE IS growing in popularity in Ireland. Chiang Mai is the place to find out more.Nuat phaen boran, or ancient massage, as it is known here, is primarily local to northern Thailand. Virtually every practitioner either trained in Chiang Mai or was taught by someone who trained there. Courses range from a day or two to, more intensively, a week and up.
Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai (www.tmcschool.com) is regarded as the pick of the schools. It’s a calm and soothing place, with excellent staff, and its fairly intensive courses in English can be tailored to your level of interest. Books, clothing, transport and food are all provided, so you can devote your full energies to the course.
CHIANG MAI is one of those places you can quickly feel at home in. Take as much time as you can for this city. Just be warned: it may be a wrench to move on.
When I tell the woman who runs the guest house I am staying in that I will be leaving in the morning, she looks at me and says: “Why?”
Thinking about it the next day, as I cross the moat for the final time, I still can’t come up with a decent answer.
Go there
Try an agency such as Ebookers.ie to put together a trip to Chiang Mai. Its flights cost from €757, including taxes and charges; its hotels start at €36 for the four-star Park Hotel, based on a three-night stay. Escape2 (01-8958000, www.escape2. ie) has a five-night BB package, staying at Centara Duangtawan, for €1,139 per person, including taxes. This includes flights from Dublin via Amsterdam, on China Airlines, and transfers.
Where to stay, eat and go
Where to stay
Accommodation ranges from expensive majors such as the Four Seasons and Sheraton to bargain-basement €3-a-night spots, but possibly the best value are the increasing number of boutique hotels, most of which offer excellent discounts off season. Sira Hotel (85/5 Sriphoom Road, Chiang Mai, 00-66-53-287555, www.sirahotel.com) is in a lively area on the edge of the old city. Its deluxe rooms cost from €38 per night.
Although they’re snazzier on the outside, the rooms at Eurana Boutique hotel (7/1 Moonmuang Road, Chiang Mai) are slightly shabbier, but the location and extras are a bit better, with a swimming pool a particular bonus. Rooms start at €55, with discounts of up to 40 percent off season.
Where to eat
Two words for you: street food. Graze your way through the day, sampling from the smorgasbord of delights from every little trailer. Baiporn, between Soi 9 and Th Si Phum, is an excellent little restaurant with great khao soi noodles and monsamun chicken. It also has a decent range of vegetarian food, all very reasonably priced.
Ratana’s Kitchen (320-322 Tha Pae Road, Chiang Mai, 00-66-53-874173) is also popular, with all the local staples plus a decent western-style menu if you’re spiced out.
There’s a great little cafe scene here, too. Peppermint Coffee House (1/1 Soi 5, Rachadamnoen Road, Chiang Mai, 00-66-53-326539) does incredible cheesecakes.
Where to go
Chiang Mai has no shortage of bars. If reggae is your thing you’re in luck, as Thais have taken to it like ducks to water. The city hasn’t been dubbed Chiangmaica for nothing. Boonyue Market has a good selection of lively bars; the area around the Night Bazaar offers bars for the slightly better heeled.
The trekking scene in Chiang Mai is bewilderingly varied. Travelfish.com has a sensible list of dos and don’ts when it comes to choosing yours, so it pays to do a bit of research. I chose Eagle House II, a fairly well-established trekking centre owned and run by an Irish lady and her Thai husband, and I was pleased overall. It costs about €50 per head; the more people go, the cheaper it works out.