A Nice Hangout Outside, Where?

[Soulwy]

I am looking for a nice, cool place to hang out. To read, to take a nap, to listen to the music, guitar, to have a picnic etc.

Is there a park or something in/ near Chiang?

[Ulysses G.]

Cool? Outside? Not during hot season.

[Soulwy]

43 Degrees Celsius last Saturday...

I meant by cool...shaded, of course ;-)

[eek]

Inside the city moat you have Nong Buak Hat Park, which is nice. You will likely see people play takraw and jogging. YOu can rent a mat to sit on and buy food to feed the fish if you like. Vendors around selling various things. Its on the southwest corner of the moat.

Some parts of CMU are nice to to go, such as the area near the convention Hall, and the Lake area (on the right after entering the main cmu entrance).

Further out, you have Huay Tung Tao, which is a really nice park Lake area.

Should be able to find them all on a map or google. If you cant, let me know and ill get you more details if you want them.

[daoyai]

Huey keau waterfall at the top of Huey keau road, just past the zoo is the first place that comes to mind. Big grassy area, many people picnic and play guitar there. For wandering and relaxing, wat umong is good, lots to explore there. The fitness park also on huey keau rd. is another alternative.

Edited April 27, 2010 by daoyai

[whiterussian]

Ang khan nature reserve. bloody lovely. Not telling where it is though... wouldnt want too many visitors

(not doi angkhan)

[jackr]

The park eek mentioned is one of the best bets right in the town (old town). Also good for people-watching.

[dave2]

soulwy.

eek is right about buak hard park and this is it.

see green arrow

enjoy ... dave2

[Soulwy]

Oh my...so many places near where I live... I really have to get myself from the scooter and waaaaalk...

And when I have more 'time' the Whiterussian's secret Ang khan nature reserve

Thanks guys for your posts. And thanks Dave for the pictures!! (I love the hand drawn map..)

Edited April 27, 2010 by Soulwy

[whiterussian]

sorry my bad..

it is Op Khan... http://www.dnp.go.th/parkreserve/asp/style...npid=2&lg=2

last time i went with the wife for picnic and a swim (it has currents like one of those endless pools).. anyway.. last time I went, a convey of CMU students turned up and went for a dip in hotpants and blouses. Dreadful!

If you follow the nature trail you get to a 'secret' beach... so secret in fact that I think I may have caused a few squirrels to blush when I skinny dipped!

Edited April 27, 2010 by whiterussian

[IanForbes]

Do you have a scooter? If so then the nicest place in Chiang Mai is off the road up to Doi Suthep. A small stream comes tumbling down over a series of waterfalls. It flows right behind the zoo. As you go up in elevation the temperature cools quickly. It is always cooler in the forest. I have gone up on some of the hottest days and often felt like I needed a jacket when I got to the top. There is a little pull-out on the side of the road about a kilometer or two up from the zoo. It is a popular access spot close to the stream. There are several trails going up and down from there. here are just a few photos of the area. There is also a national park half way up the Doi Suthep road, but it has a fee to enter.

If you take a scooter right to the top, past the main temple, then you go over the top of the mountain and down the other side. You can look down at the hill tribe villages. The elevation is about 900 meters.

I've got lots more photos of the area in my gallery = http://gallery.fishbc.com/gallery/view_alb...umName=album366

[WinnieTheKhwai]

- All the city parks suck. (Trash, stray dogs & riff raff)

+ Ang Kaew @ CMU is good, perhaps also the area around the Sala Daeng. (Ang Kaew is nicer and cooler though)

+ Horizon Resort on the Doi Saket Road is great (though not free)

+ The waterfall up Doi Suthep mountain (the one you pay for, the free ones are full of riff raff again)

+ Ob Khan is indeed nice but quite a drive away.

+ Some areas near the Night Safari, where there's deer etc. (Not including the Royal Flora, unless you like scorching hot cement 'gardens'.)

+ Some other resorts on the Samoeng Road, both Mae Rim side and Hang Dong side.

Edited April 27, 2010 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Loaded]

Tweechol Botanical Gardens located next to the Horizon resort on the Doi Saket road is a beautiful day out for the family.

http://www.tweecholbotanicgarden.com/

[Soulwy]

Whooaaaaa! So many 'cool' places! The pictures are really tempting, I definetely want to go there. Actually, I 'd like to be there right now, now, now. But I am not sure if I can find it on my own, so I'll ask a victime to acompany me.

Wow...

Seeing the pictures of nature I realise I really need to get away from the city for a day.

[jackr]

Tweechol Botanical Gardens located next to the Horizon resort on the Doi Saket road is a beautiful day out for the family.

http://www.tweecholbotanicgarden.com/

Shhh

[Yunnie]

Whooaaaaa! So many 'cool' places! The pictures are really tempting, I definetely want to go there. Actually, I 'd like to be there right now, now, now. But I am not sure if I can find it on my own, so I'll ask a victime to acompany me.

Wow...

Seeing the pictures of nature I realise I really need to get away from the city for a day.

Just tell the tuktuk driver to drop you off at Suan Prung Gate. The Nong buak Had park is right there then.... and across the street is Suan Prung Hospital. Just in case youre feeling a little crazy. lol jk..

Or you can just tell them to take you to the hospital... every Thai person ing Chiangmai and their mom's cousin knows where it it. lol

But besides the subject of the mental ward, as a Psychiatric hospital/clinic its pretty good... at least in SE Asia. lol

Or get dropped off at Wat Pra Sing and walk south till you hit the moat road and turn right and keep walking till you see the park.

[InspectorRex]

sorry my bad..

it is Op Khan... http://www.dnp.go.th/parkreserve/asp/style...npid=2&lg=2

last time i went with the wife for picnic and a swim (it has currents like one of those endless pools).. anyway.. last time I went, a convey of CMU students turned up and went for a dip in hotpants and blouses. Dreadful!

If you follow the nature trail you get to a 'secret' beach... so secret in fact that I think I may have caused a few squirrels to blush when I skinny dipped!

Wow whiterussian, that place looks like a great spot for a dip...lovely looking countryside, and I wasn't even aware there was a river with rapids like that in the Chiang Mai area. I'm sure the place is pretty popular at the moment with the weather you guys are having over there. Would be a nice location for a picnic and to cool down no doubt! Oh yeah, I wonder if the CMU ladies are regular visitors (for future reference )

[whiterussian]

Wow whiterussian, that place looks like a great spot for a dip...lovely looking countryside, and I wasn't even aware there was a river with rapids like that in the Chiang Mai area. I'm sure the place is pretty popular at the moment with the weather you guys are having over there. Would be a nice location for a picnic and to cool down no doubt! Oh yeah, I wonder if the CMU ladies are regular visitors (for future reference )

They do have bamboo rafting advertised near there.. I suspect the river is pretty shallow right now though...

its a lovely place, the driveway to the par is stunning... i love it! used to know the head man there, so free bar tab.. but alas he is no longer in charge...

There is an even better river about an hour away, totally packed with Thai's on a weekend and bank hol.. no idea where though... one of those trips where you just get taken somewhere by a thai friend. Really strong currents, and a wide river. The occasional inflatable comes down stream with a group of sunburnt farang!

[Soulwy]

Just tell the tuktuk driver to drop you off at Suan Prung Gate. The Nong buak Had park is right there then.... and across the street is Suan Prung Hospital. Just in case youre feeling a little crazy. lol jk..

Or you can just tell them to take you to the hospital... every Thai person ing Chiangmai and their mom's cousin knows where it it. lol

But besides the subject of the mental ward, as a Psychiatric hospital/clinic its pretty good... at least in SE Asia. lol

Or get dropped off at Wat Pra Sing and walk south till you hit the moat road and turn right and keep walking till you see the park.

Good to know Yunnie, thanks for pointing it out for me

I think I know where the park is, it is at the corner were I saw half naked male students

[Soulwy]

The Nong buak Had park was nice.

Do you have a scooter? If so then the nicest place in Chiang Mai is off the road up to Doi Suthep. A small stream comes tumbling down over a series of waterfalls. It flows right behind the zoo. As you go up in elevation the temperature cools quickly. It is always cooler in the forest. I have gone up on some of the hottest days and often felt like I needed a jacket when I got to the top. There is a little pull-out on the side of the road about a kilometer or two up from the zoo. It is a popular access spot close to the stream. There are several trails going up and down from there. here are just a few photos of the area. There is also a national park half way up the Doi Suthep road, but it has a fee to enter.

If you take a scooter right to the top, past the main temple, then you go over the top of the mountain and down the other side. You can look down at the hill tribe villages. The elevation is about 900 meters.

I've got lots more photos of the area in my gallery = http://gallery.fishbc.com/gallery/view_alb...umName=album366

The little stream 2km from the Zoo was funny, only Thai people were there, taking a dip, doing something that looked like baptising . It was still hot there and I couldn't find a nice spot to sit in the shadow.

Then I rode until I reached the top of the mountain, the smell was so nice...there even was a breeze. I ran out of fuel so I went back to Chiang Mai. In the middle of the road between the top and CM, where the road is curved, there was also a little stream. It was cool there, I loved the fresh air and I felt I was inhaling oxygen. It was nice not to sweat for a change

I will go to the Suthep more often, next time I will make sure I have enough fuel so I can go to the other side of the mountain.

Ian, the photos were taken on the spot after the first little stream (nxt to Zoo)? I saw it was more crowded there, but I was overheated so I kept riding.