Thailand Travel Blog

September 4, 2009

Songran Festival in Chiang Mai Thailand

Filed under: Chiang Mai — Tags: , — tibb @ 8:35 am

Chiang Mai is Thailand’s largest city in the country’s northern region. It is considered the most culturally place in Thailand. In the past years, Chiang was developed into a more modern city. It has a vast number of attraction sites which bring thousands of tourists in the city every year. the city is important for it holds most of the country’s history.

If you are ever in Thailand in April you definitely must travel to Chiang Mai to celebrate Songkhran, The Thai Lunar New Year. The Songkhran is celebrate all over Thailand the Festival in Chiang Mai is the mother of Songkhran festivals.

I had the privilege of celebrating Songkhran in Chiang Mai a few years back. It was a most memorable experience. The good feeling chaos is something you have to experience for yourself to understand. I am happy to report that will all the people interacting with each other in a big water fight I never once observed anybody losing their temper. That included Thais as well as the tourists and expats.

It is the extreme high tourist season during this festival. Hotel rooms are at a premium and if you don’t reserve early you might just be out of luck. Try to get in the city near the canal. The canal is the focal point for the activities. Most of the water comes out of the canal. For 3 days people are crowded around the canal celebrating, partying and just having a good time.

Get up around 8 and have a good breakfast and some hot coffee. No need for a shower because most of the day will be a big community shower of sorts. Activities would begin around 10am and continue til evening. So after a few hours and a couple of laps around the canal it is time to break for lunch. It might get a bit soggy but it tastes good and the energy is needed. After the recharge it’s time to hit the streets again until dinner. I found the whole experience invigorating.

I would recommend arriving early, a couple of days before the merriment begins. It’s worth it as Chiang Mai has a lot to offer besides Songkhran. It is a tourist and travel destination year round. You can experience Eco-tourism, shopping, travel to the highest point in Thailand at Doi Intanon or just hang out in town and watch people at the Night Bizarre. I was happy to find an authentic Mexican restaurant there. Nightlife offers, discos, pubs, restaurants, karaoke and shopping.

From my personal experience I would highly recommend you schedule Songkran Festival in Chiang Mai on your travel calendar. Until I actually went there to see for myself it was just one of those things that are hard to envision. Happy Travels.

September 3, 2009

Your Guide to Nightlife in Chiang Mai

Filed under: Chiang Mai — Tags: — tibb @ 11:26 am

The Chiang Mai nightlife may look limited to newly arrived tourists and they do not know where the happening bars and pubs are. Though not as plentiful or varied as the scene in Bangkok, Chiang Mai does have its own cool party venues. Choose from these nightlife places that target farangs (Westerners), or those that attract hordes of locals every night. Check out these popular bars and pub/restaurants.

Dining and drinking are probably the first things that come to mind. Fear not, the food in Chiang Mai is not only delicious and the helpings large, but the cost is amazingly low. Filling meals can be found from street stalls and vendors in Chiang Mai for less than 25 baht – that’s about sixty cents! Eating at restaurants will cost a bit more, but if you stick with the local Thai food establishments and avoid the hotel restaurants, you’ll still be amazed at the serving sizes and the prices.

As far as drinking goes, imported beer at the expat pubs is very reasonable, but if you’re not picky, a large bottle of the local spirits will last you and your friends the night and will only set you back around 120 baht ($2.90 US). Of course, if you overdo it you may continue to pay for it the next morning.

Another favorite nightlife activity in Chiang Mai is shopping at the famed night bazaar in the middle of the city. Here you will find all kinds of foods, crafts and other goods from the region. There are plenty of bargains to be had here, but be ready and willing to haggle. A word of warning though, so called antiques here are often fakes.

Finally, if you like to dance, there are many popular discos in Chiang Mai. Cover charges are reasonable, and if you practice basic caution and stick with the more well known ones such as Bubbles disco at the Pornping Tower, they are also very safe and friendly places to relax for the night.

September 2, 2009

Finding Guesthouses in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Filed under: Chiang Mai — Tags: — tibb @ 10:11 am
Chiang Mai is Thailand’s largest city in the country’s northern region. It is considered the most culturally place in Thailand. In the past years, Chiang was developed into a more modern city. It has a vast number of attraction sites which bring thousands of tourists in the city every year. the city is important for it holds most of the country’s history.

There are a few things to keep in mind about guesthouses in Chiang Mai though. First, there are so many of them that there is currently more rooms than there is demand. This means the prices are really low. There are plenty of comfortable guesthouses available in the $5-$10 (200-400 baht) per night range. Your price per day even at the most comfortable of guesthouses will be reduced even further if you pay for a week or a month.

You’ll do better to compare prices and reserve your guesthouse room online or by phone ahead of time, or go look for a guesthouse on your own when you arrive. If you end up in Chiang Mai at the airport or bus terminal from Bangkok, many locals will come up and offer to bring you to a guesthouse. These folks get a share of every new customer they bring to the guesthouse, and you usually end up paying the price if you take them up on their offer to help you.

If you get into town without reservations, you might be better off hitting a pub or restaurant first and finding some local expats to chat with and get their recommendations.

Also, guesthouses in Chiang Mai are usually private, sometimes with shared toilets and showers though. Rooms with a air conditioner are more expensive than those with just a fan, but not by much. If you’ve been travelling south of Chiang Mai, the weather will seem much cooler to you though during most of the year and a fan room might be more than suitable here.

Finally, remember that many guesthouses also offer trekking tours and dinners. The owners at the really cheap guesthouses may be a little pushy about you signing up and paying for these extras, so be prepared.

September 1, 2009

5-Star Chiang Mai Hotels – At 3-Stars Price

Filed under: Chiang Mai — Tags: , — tibb @ 9:34 am

Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second city and lies 700km (440 miles) north of crowded Bangkok. In many ways Chiang Mai is a world away from the bustling cosmopolitan capital. Set in a fertile valley encircled by rolling green hills, teak forests and work elephants are more commonplace in Northern Thailand than five star hotels. Travelers are drawn to Chiang Mai for its beautiful countryside which lends itself to trekking holidays, its unique culture and dress, arts and handicrafts and its well-preserved temples, called ‘Wats’.

If you’ve been budget travelling in the more so-called developed parts of Asia, such as Hong Kong and Japan, you’ve probably had to skimp on comfort when choosing accommodations. If you ever want to pamper yourself though and not spend much more than you would at most youth yostels, you should certainly check out the hotels in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

This city in northern Thailand is the second largest in the country after Bangkok. Don’t let this fool you though. Not only is it cooler and much less crowded than it’s big brother to the south, but it is also within spitting distance of some of Thailand’s most beautiful forests and mountains which are home to many of the country’s famed hill tribes.

Furthermore, Chiang Mai is a safe and convenient city with many excellent hotels. Too many in fact. The current glut of extra hotel rooms during all but the busiest holidays combined with the current favorable US dollar to Thai baht exchange rate has created an excellent opportunity for budget travellers.

In fact, a recent check of hotel prices there turned up many rooms with plenty of space, comfortable beds, air-conditioning, satellite tv, fridge and shower for less than $25.00 per night. Furthermore, hotel room prices in Chiang Mai are listed per room, not per person. This means an even better bargain if you are travelling with someone. Keep in mind, most hotels offer an extra discount for booking online, but it never hurts to call the desk and check too.

The next time you find yourself getting weary of sleeping in dorm style rooms and sharing toilets, consider enjoying a few nights of comfort at a Chiang Mai hotel.

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