One Week Left

[angelal]

I've been here in Chiang Mai since mid-March, teaching at one of the universities. My flight back home leaves next Wednesday. Today's my last day of work, so I'll have about a week off before I leave town.

Since I know I'll never be back, I want to make sure I haven't overlooked any of the important things to do here in CM. What are the must-sees and must-dos here? I've been to Doi Suthep, of course. I've done the Night Bazzar. Sunday Walking Street. Local markets. Elephants. Tigers. Snakes. (Oh, my!) Monkeys. Cooking. Massages. Lots of Thai food. Tailor-made clothing.

What am I forgetting? I don't want to get back home and kick myself for not doing the fantastically important _________ while here.

Suggestions? Thanks!

[iainiain101]

Have you tried the Samoeng Loop? Nice views, though may be a bit smokey at the moment.

Iain

[Cuban]

If you have done Chaing Mai inside out, consider a few days exploring elsewhere, Pai, there are caves in the general area. Cross over to Burma for a look round.

[adjan jb]

If you have done Chaing Mai inside out, consider a few days exploring elsewhere

Good Idea. Go To Phayao: nice little town, nice lake, nice people, great food.

[junki3korean]

doi inthatnon.......you need to at least accomplish the hightest point in Thailand....you should do it on a big motorbike aswell alot more FUN and great way to see the scenic view!.....on the way check out the water falls and stop half way to have a BBQ chicken with rice....ooooo aroi mak!

Edited December 16, 2008 by junki3korean

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Yeah, I'd vote for Pai / Mae Hong Son too.

And you need to visit Sayuri Entertainment Complex, quite obviously.

[dave2]

WTK

And you need to visit Sayuri Entertainment Complex, quite obviously .

Or Pandoras ..... same same area and cheaper

Opens at 3 30 every afternoon.

Enjoy ; ) ..... dave2

[tigerbeer]

WTK

And you need to visit Sayuri Entertainment Complex, quite obviously .

Or Pandoras ..... same same area and cheaper

Opens at 3 30 every afternoon.

Enjoy ; ) ..... dave2

what if the OP is a female? i have a strange feeling its a she!

[Blinky Bill]

WTK

And you need to visit Sayuri Entertainment Complex, quite obviously .

Or Pandoras ..... same same area and cheaper

Opens at 3 30 every afternoon.

Enjoy ; ) ..... dave2

what if the OP is a female? i have a strange feeling its a she!

TB, I'm sure the staff at Sayuri or Pandora's won't mind.

[adjan jb]

WTK

And you need to visit Sayuri Entertainment Complex, quite obviously .

Or Pandoras ..... same same area and cheaper

Opens at 3 30 every afternoon.

Enjoy ; ) ..... dave2

what if the OP is a female? i have a strange feeling its a she!

If the OP is a female, what a faux-pas, mon ami!

[SomNamNah]

go to the flight of the gibbon, if only to get out into the jungle... the real jungle!

rent a bike and drive out to it... stop at the caves, then the hot springs - go for a mineral bath, then drive to the flight of the gibbon place.

very very nice.

[gpdjohn]

Why are you never going to come back?

[adjan jb]

Pai

Is Pai still populated by those neo-hippies who sometimes have to borrow a match to light their joints ?

[SomNamNah]

yup.

Although its also popular with Thai's now, lots of new resorts popping up. lots.

Nice place to visit as it easy to see everything in town (only 2 crossroads). Awesome countryside.

Was a bit put off on occasion as the youngsters seem to be in a farang bubble...

one guy from london i met had been there one year and didnt know how to order his DAILY banana fruit shake in Thai. Thats just rude and lazy.

Edited December 16, 2008 by SomNamNah

[adjan jb]

one guy from london i met had been there one year and didnt know how to order his DAILY banana fruit shake in Thai.

A Pai in the sky?

[ChiangMai2]

I've been here in Chiang Mai since mid-March, teaching at one of the universities. My flight back home leaves next Wednesday. Today's my last day of work, so I'll have about a week off before I leave town.

Since I know I'll never be back, I want to make sure I haven't overlooked any of the important things to do here in CM. What are the must-sees and must-dos here? I've been to Doi Suthep, of course. I've done the Night Bazzar. Sunday Walking Street. Local markets. Elephants. Tigers. Snakes. (Oh, my!) Monkeys. Cooking. Massages. Lots of Thai food. Tailor-made clothing.

What am I forgetting? I don't want to get back home and kick myself for not doing the fantastically important _________ while here.

Suggestions? Thanks!

Have you been with a pre-op lady boy?

Failing that I'd go to Tuskers... No trip to Thailand is complete without it......

[angelal]

WTK

And you need to visit Sayuri Entertainment Complex, quite obviously .

Or Pandoras ..... same same area and cheaper

Opens at 3 30 every afternoon.

Enjoy ; ) ..... dave2

what if the OP is a female? i have a strange feeling its a she!

Good intuition. I am a she (hence the "Angela" in my name). I don't know what Sayuri Entertainment Complex or Pandoras are, but given YOUR reply, tigerbeer, I have a strong suspicion. And if I'm correct...I have no interest.

And ChiangMai2, I'll leave all the pre-ops for you.

[angelal]

Thanks for all the suggestions, even the ones that don't interest me. (Yes, I'm talking to you, Dave2 and Chiangmai2. ) I am still considering Doi Inthanon, Pai, Mae Hong Son, et al, but at this point I'm particularly looking for suggestions IN Chiang Mai. Places I can get to via a not-unreasonably-long tuktuk ride.

Oh, and I've been to Tuskers. Tuskers is awesome!

[angelal]

doi inthatnon.......you need to at least accomplish the hightest point in Thailand....you should do it on a big motorbike aswell alot more FUN and great way to see the scenic view!.....on the way check out the water falls and stop half way to have a BBQ chicken with rice....ooooo aroi mak!

Can a foreigner without an international driver's license rent a motorbike here? I mean, I imagine it can be done, but is it legal?

[SomNamNah]

legal schmegal

[john b good]

WTK

And you need to visit Sayuri Entertainment Complex, quite obviously .

Or Pandoras ..... same same area and cheaper

Opens at 3 30 every afternoon.

Enjoy ; ) ..... dave2

what if the OP is a female? i have a strange feeling its a she!

Good intuition. I am a she (hence the "Angela" in my name). I don't know what Sayuri Entertainment Complex or Pandoras are, but given YOUR reply, tigerbeer, I have a strong suspicion. And if I'm correct...I have no interest.

And ChiangMai2, I'll leave all the pre-ops for you.

Your "strong suspicion" Angela, is probably spot on.

Many of the people responding to your post are real "chok well's" TB excepted.....

Edited December 16, 2008 by john b good

[adjan jb]

but at this point I'm particularly looking for suggestions IN Chiang Mai. Places I can get to via a not-unreasonably-long tuktuk ride.

Wat U-Mong at the foot of the mountain.

[ChiangMai2]

WTK

And you need to visit Sayuri Entertainment Complex, quite obviously .

Or Pandoras ..... same same area and cheaper

Opens at 3 30 every afternoon.

Enjoy ; ) ..... dave2

what if the OP is a female? i have a strange feeling its a she!

Good intuition. I am a she (hence the "Angela" in my name). I don't know what Sayuri Entertainment Complex or Pandoras are, but given YOUR reply, tigerbeer, I have a strong suspicion. And if I'm correct...I have no interest.

And ChiangMai2, I'll leave all the pre-ops for you.

Your "strong suspicion" Angela, is probably spot on.

Many of the people responding to your post are real "chok well's" TB excepted.....

What's a "chok well?"

[realthaideal]

Get a van or ride together up to Doi Inthanon with a few friends - ride may cost like 1000b up n 1000 back, but have 6-10 of you go, ask to be dropped at the Karen Homestay Village where they grow coffee. You can spend the night in some cabin style bungalows for like 400B for the cabin overlooking a waterfall/ stream. Spend a night or 2 days, and have a hilltribe dude take you on a trek to see flower gardens n waterfall. Then - with the food you brought up - hold yerselves a bbq at night in the fire pit. A great easy getaway and cheap divided by a few peeps. The trip up Doi Int to say you saw the highest pt in Thld or to see 'frost' - a big deal to Thais, not Faranguis - is overrated. But going to have a night by a fire n drinking n swapping tales with yer mates is nice. The driver you arrange that drops you will return a pre-arranged time you ask for return to city. There are places to rent sleeping bags in the city too - it be cold up there now! You will need a hat n gloves even maybe, so cold at night n morning - I know, was just there yesterday. A small effort can make for a cpl day trip you will remember for a long time. Have fun. And by the way, the time I did it, there were vegetarians along n they managed the bbq quite well throwing a pumpkin n potatoes into the fire to cook real slowly; it was good stuff.

[john b good]

WTK

And you need to visit Sayuri Entertainment Complex, quite obviously .

Or Pandoras ..... same same area and cheaper

Opens at 3 30 every afternoon.

Enjoy ; ) ..... dave2

what if the OP is a female? i have a strange feeling its a she!

Good intuition. I am a she (hence the "Angela" in my name). I don't know what Sayuri Entertainment Complex or Pandoras are, but given YOUR reply, tigerbeer, I have a strong suspicion. And if I'm correct...I have no interest.

And ChiangMai2, I'll leave all the pre-ops for you.

Your "strong suspicion" Angela, is probably spot on.

Many of the people responding to your post are real "chok well's" TB excepted.....

What's a "chok well?"

Ask a Thai

[Mestizo]

doi inthatnon.......you need to at least accomplish the hightest point in Thailand....you should do it on a big motorbike aswell alot more FUN and great way to see the scenic view!.....on the way check out the water falls and stop half way to have a BBQ chicken with rice....ooooo aroi mak!

Can a foreigner without an international driver's license rent a motorbike here? I mean, I imagine it can be done, but is it legal?

When you rent the motorbike, they will ask for your passport. They could care less if you have an international DL or not. Alot of times, I never even gave my passport. I just told them I didn't have it and gave them an old expired Virginia drivers license instead.

As far as being pulled over, it has not yet happened to me. It seems that most, if not all, the police in Chiang Mai appear very reluctant to pull over a Foriegner. Additionally, I have a sneaking suspicion that if pulled over, they would much prefer to see your passport instead of an International drivers license. (Note, that is pure conjecture on my part). I do have an international license issued by the AAA office in DC. Its a cheesy yellow piece of paper with my passport photo stapled to it. The lady that issue it wrote mostly in cursive and very sloppily. I'm convinced that most Thai police would fine it near useless.

Additionally, I have used my old expired Virginia drivers license at police/ army checkpoints, etc. Most seem to look at it confused, but unwilling to admit they don't know what it is, just pass me on.

-Mestizo

[Mestizo]

Pai

Is Pai still populated by those neo-hippies who sometimes have to borrow a match to light their joints ?

I was just in Pai this past weekend. After what I read, I expected to see a whole lot of "hippie" types. Instead what I noticed was a whole lot of hi-so looking Thai girls and farang tourists that seem to be of a higher class than normally seen in Chiang Mai. I even ran into a whole group of girls from my office here in Chiang Mai.

Oh, another random observation.. It seems to me that the ratio of American tourists to other farangs is quite a bit higher than I normally see in Chiang Mai, BKK, or Koh Samet.

-Mestizo

[Puwa]

WTK

And you need to visit Sayuri Entertainment Complex, quite obviously .

Or Pandoras ..... same same area and cheaper

Opens at 3 30 every afternoon.

Enjoy ; ) ..... dave2

what if the OP is a female? i have a strange feeling its a she!

Good intuition. I am a she (hence the "Angela" in my name). I don't know what Sayuri Entertainment Complex or Pandoras are, but given YOUR reply, tigerbeer, I have a strong suspicion. And if I'm correct...I have no interest.

And ChiangMai2, I'll leave all the pre-ops for you.

Your "strong suspicion" Angela, is probably spot on.

Many of the people responding to your post are real "chok well's" TB excepted.....

What's a "chok well?"

Ask a Thai

I think he means ชักว่าว

[tigerbeer]

Get a van or ride together up to Doi Inthanon with a few friends - ride may cost like 1000b up n 1000 back, but have 6-10 of you go, ask to be dropped at the Karen Homestay Village where they grow coffee. You can spend the night in some cabin style bungalows for like 400B for the cabin overlooking a waterfall/ stream. Spend a night or 2 days, and have a hilltribe dude take you on a trek to see flower gardens n waterfall. Then - with the food you brought up - hold yerselves a bbq at night in the fire pit. A great easy getaway and cheap divided by a few peeps. The trip up Doi Int to say you saw the highest pt in Thld or to see 'frost' - a big deal to Thais, not Faranguis - is overrated. But going to have a night by a fire n drinking n swapping tales with yer mates is nice. The driver you arrange that drops you will return a pre-arranged time you ask for return to city. There are places to rent sleeping bags in the city too - it be cold up there now! You will need a hat n gloves even maybe, so cold at night n morning - I know, was just there yesterday. A small effort can make for a cpl day trip you will remember for a long time. Have fun. And by the way, the time I did it, there were vegetarians along n they managed the bbq quite well throwing a pumpkin n potatoes into the fire to cook real slowly; it was good stuff.

excellent idea RTD. an unofficial ThaiVisa pissup would be ideal up there.

[Ulysses G.]

Pai

Is Pai still populated by those neo-hippies who sometimes have to borrow a match to light their joints ?

I was just in Pai this past weekend. After what I read, I expected to see a whole lot of "hippie" types. Instead what I noticed was a whole lot of hi-so looking Thai girls and farang tourists that seem to be of a higher class than normally seen in Chiang Mai. I even ran into a whole group of girls from my office here in Chiang Mai.

Oh, another random observation.. It seems to me that the ratio of American tourists to other farangs is quite a bit higher than I normally see in Chiang Mai, BKK, or Koh Samet.

-Mestizo

The hippies got out after they started doing random pee tests a year or two ago. Pai is popular with Thais because of a movie that was set there.