Chiang Mai, Thailand - Intro

I chose to stay in Old Town while in Chiang Mai.  More specifically, Phra Sing. Old Town is surrounded by a moat which I thought was very cool. You can see fish swimming around, but unfortunately, there were no alligators.  The area is packed with guesthouses, hostels, food and entertainment.

One thing that is nice for people with bad direction (such as myself) is the fact that you're confined to the area unless you cross over to the other side of the moat. There were times while walking around that I was unsure of where I was. No worries. If I found myself standing at a body of water then I knew I had gone too far.

Most of the roads were small too. You still run into the main roads going through the middle of Old Town, but for the most part you can just casually walk along the side of the roads without being in too many peoples way. Like most places, you still want to be careful.  People will go around you but there is no guarantee that they will. And do keep in mind that they drive on the left side of the road.

There are pagodas everywhere! If you like seeing the temples then there are quite a few around town for you to see. I recommend Wat Phan Tao at night.


There are also massage shops everywhere. All the walking can put a strain on your feet so it's nice to just lay back in a recliner and have that soreness rubbed away.

I'm not into the party scene, but if you are, there are also a lot of bars and clubs around the area. I preferred going to the night markets. There are a lot of really nice hand crafted items for sale. Some places have prices posted while others leave it open to bargaining. A t shirt typically ran for 150 baht. The vendors are more likely to lower the price if you purchase more than one item. I usually don't buy many things, but this one item really stood out as a gift for a friend.


The vendor said 290 baht. My friend also wanted a smaller keychain doll that was 60 baht. We got her to bring the price down to 220 baht for both. This was found at the Night Bazaar Market. There are other markets around the city that run on different days if you want to see more locations.

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