Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the mrlukeniktravels blog, coming from Chiang Mai, Thailand. I have finally reached the north of Thailand after travelling (almost) the length of the country. It is much more mountainous up here with plenty of jungle too. The journey here involved an over-night bus from Kanchanaburi. It is an experience I have become used to over the length of this trip. I wonder how many hours I will have spent on buses by the time I end this trip? I dread to think! As I write this blog, the sun is disappearing over the horizon in a glorious sunset. It is a much needed break after an unusually hot day. Here is what I’ve been up to in northern Thailand.
Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second city after Bangkok. Originally an independent kingdom, it was invaded and incorporated into the Kingdom of Siam (Bangkok). Eventually these two kingdoms and a few others became the Thailand we know today. One of the city’s main exports is Chang Beer. At Chiang Mai’s heart is the walled city, containing the original forts and palaces. I enjoyed being able to explore these close to each other- unlike Bangkok! It was strange to me to see ancient walls across the road from a KFC. It seems history and modern collide here quite abruptly. The business of the city is counter-balanced by the peacefulness of the surrounding countryside, which I also explore whilst here.
Whilst staying in Chiang Mai, I took a couple of tours out of the city, one of those to Don Inthanon National Park. The park is home to Thailand’s hilltribes, big waterfalls and plenty of hiking. It was nice to escape the bustle of the city for a few days. I particularly enjoyed the hiking as it was a challenge, but really good fun. I try to spend a good amount of time out in the fresh air if I can. Halfway up the trail we were treated to some local coffee. It was very dark, intense flavour which I really liked. The end of the hike reached the highest point in Thailand 2,565 metres above sea level. I reckon we probably gained around 400m of elevation from the start, so not all of those metres we climbed! During our descent we passed Wachirathan Falls which were spectacular swollen by heavy rain. A good two days of hiking were had and I would definitely recommend for those who enjoy hiking.
After hiking, I spent a couple of days in Chiang Mai’s neighbour, Chiang Rai. The city is best known for the Wat Rong Khun and Wat Rong Seur temples, known to non-Thai speakers as the White and Blue Temples. Both of these temples were designed and built by local artists, partly to improve temple provision and partly to attract business and tourists to the area. The temples are recent developments unlike other historic temples in Thailand. The decoration inside and out is very un-traditional. I enjoyed visiting the temples and spending time looking around all the artwork. There was so much to see. I’m not sure if the high temperatures helped or hindered my appreciation of the temples, but I shall say it helped! On the journey back to Chiang Mai I visited a hot spring, so I was able to dip my feet in thermally-heated water once again.
After all that temple-gazing and hiking, I headed back to Chiang Mai before preparing to return to Bangkok and then fly eastwards out of Thailand. I certainly have covered some distance in this country as it is very long from north to south! I have to admit that I flew back from Chiang Mai to the capital as I did not fancy a very long bus or train journey. The flight took just over an hour before I had returned to Bangkok. This left me a day or so to prepare for crossing another border and into the ninth country on this trip. After printing my electronic visas, it was time to head eastward again. A new country, and adventures, awaits. Next week I shall be writing from there, but I’ll leave you in suspense until next week as to my destination.
All that remains to be said is to remind you that you can follow me on Twitter with the handle @mrlukeniktravels for updates between blogs. Secondly, I have an Instagram feed which can be found using the handle @mrlukeniktravels. To follow this blog and receive emails when I upload, click the subscribe button below. That is all for this week and from Thailand in general. See you next week on the other side of the border. Stay safe and travel on!