Trip to Chiang Mai - 23rd to 26th Oct - Part 2

To be brutally honest,  we did not do much in Chiang Mai.  And although I brought along 3 cameras (1 RF with B/W film, my Nex-3 and A900).  I did not even took more than 30 shots during the trip.  I took some videos in the hotel though.  Will post that later.

The following day after we reached Chiang Mai, we visited my condo in Nakornpin area.  The person currently renting the apartment is a Russian (very heavy Russian accent).  Nice chap but he looks like a typical hacker :P.  We chatted a bit and he told me he works online (hmmmm.....).  I didn't dwell too much into the details but the apartment was in very good condtion.  My funitures are still there and everything is working fine.  We left for Doi Suthep after viewing the apartment.  Whoever comes to Chiang Mai and never visits Wat Phrathat (temple) on Doi Suthep is not considered to have visited Chiang Mai.  Just like China, 不到长城非好汉。(Not a man if you do not visit the Great Wall).  

It's a beautiful temple on top of the mountian and it overlooks Chiang Mai city.  I have visited it more than 2 times, this is the 3rd time for me actually.  Girl girl and and wife 2nd time while it's boy first time.      Boy woke up at the base of the temple (in the picture on the left you can see the steps leading to the main temple ground. )and proceeded to climb the steps on his own (with wife accompanying him of course) all the way up 178 steps (wife counted it).  Girl was in hyper mode.. She made it to the top first.  I nearly died at the top as I was carrying the heavy stuffs.  Cameras, daipers, milk bottles and water....  Wife and I immediately sat down just outside the temple garden while the 2 kids became even more hyper and ran around like crazy.  Both of us has no more energy left to control them and look and each other and laughed...  Rest of the people were like staring at us, hehehe.  I think they think we are just a weird family.

After Suthep we just dropped by Kad Suan Keow (another big shopping centre) for lunch before we went back to the hotel to rest.  We had a swim later and boy boy got hooked.  Each time we went down he would scream for the pool.  He really likes water I guess.

In the evening we went for dinner at the Night Bazzar area.  Ate an expensive seafood dinner, think the reason for that extortion price was because we make a silly mistake of taking a tuk tuk there.  (Too tired to walk)

Day 3 was even more boring, Just shopping again in Airport Central Plaza, swim and more shopping.  Last day we had an early breakfast at the hotel and checked out around 10pm.  Drove back and reached Chiang Rai around 12 noon and again, dropped by Central Chiang Rai to have lunch and a short walk before hitting back to Maesai. 

Trip to Chiang Mai - 23rd to 26th Oct

We decided to have a short road trip to Chiang Mai recently.  In the beginning we actually planned to return to Singapore as it was girl girl's school holiday.  But we decided not to  as the flights were expensive and it will be a rushed trip.  Moreoever, we plan to visit SG during Chinese New Year in a few months time.  Another reason we chose Chiang Mai instead of other places (such as Bangkok) is because I need to check on my condo over there.  It has been 3 or 4 years since I saw my apartment and I need to take a look at its current conditions.  

I didn't plan any itenary this time as I know it will be havoc having 2 kids on board :P.  So its just drive there, check into the hotel and decide later.  Seems like the decision paid off as it was more relaxing then the one we had in Singapore.  And also less dissapointments as the one in Singapore (planned so much but in the end only visited the zoo and birdpark :P).

The drive to Chiang Mai on the 1st day was actually pretty smooth.  We woke up at 7am and took off around 8.  Boy was half awake when we carry him to the car and he slept all the way on the entire journey!  He was sleeping even at the pit stop in Mae Suai.  Girl was a bit excited but doze off later.  I don't even need to turn on my ipad. hehe.  Wife spoke to me all the way while I was driving to keep me awake :P.  It's actually my first time driving there and she's a bit worried. The actual distance is about 300km  (less than that actually) but it took us 3 hours (including a 15min break) to reach our hotel in Night Bazzar area.  The roads were good compared to Mae Fa Luang (also mountain road) which we frequent so it was actually quite easy for me.  Road to Doi Tung is actually more challenging even though its nearer.  At around 11pm we reached the hotel.  Wife and I was dead tired but the kids woke up and ready to go for some action.... :S  Can't sleep anyway so we went out for lunch at the Fuji restaurant at Pantip plaza just around the corner.  After the meal we took a nap in the hotel... well, my missus did actually while I entertained my kids. :(  Evening we drove to the Airport Central Plaza to have a meal and shopped a bit before I screamed I can't take it anymore and need to sleep. hehehe   Finally had my beauty sleep around 9pm.  End of Day 1.

TBC

Getting to Chiang Mai

kc said...

Hi Fatboi,

when you are free pls give me some advice on my forthcoming journey to chiangmai..

what airline is best in terms of fares, shud i fly to chiangmai direct or bkk and take a train up north? i heard the journey by train is 12 hours, is it easy to find the station at mochit bkk? anything to pay attention to? is chiangmai an expensive place compared to bkk?

thanks for the heads up buddy.
4:29 AM

Got this comment for help in regarding Chiang Mai(CM). So I post it here so all could reference. But this guide is mainly for Singaporeans.

Sad to say, the only budget airlines that fly to CM is Tiger airways but they have canceled it recently. So the only airlines I currently knew (maybe got others) that flew direct from Singapore to CM are Thai Airways, SIA and Silkair. If you are going alone and want a cheap fare, just go Thai airways and book online. Price is about $700plus with all taxes included. Pretty expensive as it used to be only 500 plus. The recent hike in fuel surcharge are crazy.

The cheaper way as mentioned by kc is to fly to BKK and do a domestic transfer. The money you would save will depend on the flight you get. Can be much cheaper at around 500 plus if you buy the tix earlier for budget flights. My recommendation is to get Airasia. Then do the domestic transfer at the same new International airport (Surwahnabumi). Less money spend on the taxis to get to the old airport Don Meaung. But if you plan to stay in BKK for a night or 2. This method is plausible also and you can get even cheaper flights at Don Meaung.

I never tried the train before as its neither here or there. And its actually slower than the bus from what I heard from those who took it. So what I suggest is the bus. Its 11plus journey and you can get tickets easily. (Every hour got one departure). The bus station for the northern provinces are Mochit Mai. There's another station for all the Southern parts but I never been there so sorry, can't help on that. As mentioned by KC. (He researched well!) Just tell the taxi driver to Mochit Sathanni Rot Meh. If the driver asked Khang Lang(downstair) or Khang Bon(upstair). Tell him to go downstair or just tell him you are going CM. Mochit bus station is an interesting place itself. Its a huge huge bus station ... hehehe... Anyway, just go around the hundreds of counters and pick the most expensive one (now not sure, last time about 2 years ago, 900baht is the most expensive). They have English signboards on their destination so should not be a problem for us. Avoid those in Thai scripts as those are normally non-aircon ones. The reason to get the most expensive is because they are 24 seaters and they have less stops in between. The seat are also very comfortable. If not, get those in the range of 700 to 800 baht at least. Avoid those 600 or less. Thai people are small and if you as big as me, you would be in a hell hole. Hope this help for those who want to explore other part of Thailand.

PS. Never take the bus during the Song Krang Festival or Loi Krathong (coming Nov) I've tried once during Loi Krathong. BIG mistake. You can get buses but the crowd and queue is damn packed. You don't even have a spot to stand on the bus pavements. Now I wonder how I ever survived that.......

Thailand Business Guide (Chapter 1.1)

For me personally, I would classify urban areas as a location where major city centres are with a big population. I am not going to write about Bangkok or even Hatyai as I don't stay there as long. However, I would describe more about the northern areas of Thailand.

At the north,there is Chiang Mai. This is the 2nd largest city in Thailand. There are many shopping centres and you will be surprised that a lot of expats prefer to stay here than in Bangkok. This is because its busy but not as polluted as Bangkok (although things might be changing now). Chiang Mai thrived on Tourism as it serves as a gateway for people to visit furthur northern areas like Mae Hong Song or Chiang Rai. Its International airport was recently renovated with one more terminal to handle the growing crowd.

The expats ratio staying in Chiang Mai are quite high. My condo in Kad Suan Kaew has more than 80% taken by foreigners. If you walk along the street, its very common to see foreigners on the street. One of the main reason is that the city has a lot of schools that attract these people. Chiang Mai University is worldwide recognised and gives lessons in English rather than Thai. Thai language, art/crafts and Buddhist schools also peppered the city.

There are pubs and bars in Chiang Mai but their number is not as much as in Bangkok. Expat pubs are common for foreigners and most of them cater to a niche group. Such as German restaurant and Irish pubs.

Overall, the impression of Chiang Mai is that its still developing and have not reached its potential yet. Business opportunity is good. Capital needed to rent a shop house or even a store is definitely not as high as in Bangkok. But again, things are changing as Chiang Mai has recently become more and more expensive.

Here's some references
http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_mai
http://www.cmcity.go.th/english/history.php