Thailand's second city has a pretty chill feel and we both enjoyed our time in the North.

Wat a View

We went up to a temple in the hills outside Chiang Mai. The views from here are amazing and the air is cooler and cleaner. There are steps up or a lift if you are lazy. Don’t forget to wear long clothes if you want to go inside, although you can borrow some up there.

You can clearly see the square canal that surrounds the old town. You can also see the airport and planes taking off / landing.

Dragons, Snakes and Bees

One day we took an excursion to a zip line centre in the hills towards Chiang Rai. This was a lot of fun and the transfer was in a nice minibus rather than the usual back of a pick-up truck.

The zip lines from tree to tree were great and we also saw some wildlife. There was a well-camouflaged green snake in a bush and a hive of wild bees in one of the trees (thankfully not one we went up).

Elephants and Castles

Another day we went to visit an elephant sanctuary high in the mountains to the South West with Into the Wild. They say to bring flip-flops but I would recommend sturdy shoes too for the walk in the forest. The ride along the steep dirt track to the venue requires a lot of hanging on to the truck.

We fed the elephants bananas and a medical mixture of spices. We also gave them a mud bath and a rinse in the river with vine soap. We needed a clean too and bathed in some rapids with a submerged hole in a rock that we swam through.

In the early evening in the city we checked out some more wats and the old city walls that follow the canal. We also did some chores and went out for dinner / drinks.

Night Life

Chiang Mai has some great night life and is pretty trendy in places. We stumbled upon a craft beer and sports cafe / bar (Ugo / Renegade) that also did decent Thai food. We visited this on multiple occasions, played some pool and table football then stumbled home.

Transport

Grab is available in Chiang Mai but we didn’t use it as the fares were not great. It also appears that it uses yellow taxis rather than private cars, probably due to local regulation. There are however other modes of transport.

Red Diesel

The standard way to get around is in an old Japanese red diesel pick-up truck that has had some benches put in the back. These are not very comfortable to ride in and the air quality is appalling in traffic, as you are exposed to all the fumes. You’re breathing in far too much Particulate Matter and Oxides of Nitrogen.

We felt so ill after a journey in one of these at rush hour that we had to take a Thai break and get some drinks, while following the Murray tie break. It can’t be safe either, as there are no belts and we were told the roads are the most dangerous in the country. Many drivers have dash cams, which indicates that incidents are common.

OK Scooter

The future of transport is electric and there is a good example in Chiang Mai (and in Singapore). They have electric stand-on scooters that you can rent via your smart-phone.

Neuron is a Singapore based company and we’d seen their scooters when we were there. However, this time we decided to give them a go. The app isn’t great and has an average rating in the store but it’s functional, if a little clunky.

You need to push off and start the scooter moving with your foot before you can use the accelerator to engage the electric motor. The ride is pretty fun and I think these would work well in London, if they don’t get vandalised or stolen. They solve the last leg transport problem quite well.

Mobike dock-less bikes are also available in the city, as they are in London and many other places. Cycling appears to be very popular but the heat and hills may put a lot of casual cyclists off.