My First Impressions Of Chiang Mai

[jackers]

Based on the day I spent here so far, I would say it's nothing special I expected to be bowled over but I'm not. I find it to be rather touristy. I also think it's not particularly polluted. The city is a lot more busier than I expected.

[Yuu_CM]

One day impressions? Sorry mate, but they are worth SFA.

First time I came to CM i was here for three weeks and didn't like it much. Three weeks.

Second time I was here for four months and loved it. It takes a long time to 'discover' the city and to know what is great and where to go.

Hanging around Thapae on day one = you're missing out on 99.9% of what's good.

[seekingfriends]

what did you expect elephants walking down the street and burnese rebels selling ak 47s in back streets, james hat yai sydney

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun Jackers,

Welcome to Chiang Mai !

If you give us a hint about what you'd like to find here (or what you imagined you'd find), and share with us where you went, and what you did on your first day: You just might get some useful reactions, and ideas, from the many of us here on this forum who've lived here for years, found "home," here, and love Chiang Mai.

best, ~o:37;

[cheshiregent]

chiang mai is not a fantastic place to visit as a tourist once you have done the elephant and tiger places which id never lower myself to do

its just another thai city nothing special but we do have a few nice places to drink eat and be merry

we have a large xpat community of all ages and hale from many places its the people that make a community once you are part of it

ita a nice place to live

but as a tourist hang out id not rate it at all

[anonymouse]

Mrs Richards: I asked for a room with a view!

Basil: [muttering to Manuel] Deaf, mad, and blind...

[He goes to the window and peers through it.]

Basil: Ah, this is the view as far as I can remember, madam... yes, yes, this is it.

Mrs Richards: When I pay for a view, I expect something more interesting than that.

Basil: That is Chiang Mai, madam.

Mrs Richards: Well, it's not good enough.

Basil: Well, may I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Chiang Mai hotel bedroom window? The Sydney Opera House, perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeasts sweeping majestically—

[meadish_sweetball]

The best thing about CM is the surrounding areas. Get your own wheels and start exploring, if you feel confident enough to drive.

[luther]

Rent a bike, ride to the river, turn left, head north, go under the super highway, keep going under the second ring road, keep going across the third ring road, then go right until you hit the irrigation roads and then get lost.  (This takes about an hour and forty-five minutes.)  Keep riding, stop for lunch, and then try and find your way back to the city.  Then post again.

[Raindancer]

It all depends on where you have spent your time in CM...If you spend it around the city centre of the "Moat"....indeed you will find it touristy..

But if you take the time to explore the outlying areas of where the average Farang lives and visits for recreational purposes ....you might find it to be different...But you cannot post a constructive report of CM with only a limited experience and time in CM , based upon a snapshot of a limited time in this fair city.

THis is a typical report of a Farang to this city by an unexperienced traveller who does not really understand Thai culture and has different experiences of those of us who live here.. Around CM there is so much to offer. But I must add that these differ from the indigenous collection of Farangs to the views of the visitor from the west.

[Raindancer]

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun Jackers,

Welcome to Chiang Mai !

If you give us a hint about what you'd like to find here (or what you imagined you'd find), and share with us where you went, and what you did on your first day: You just might get some useful reactions, and ideas, from the many of us here on this forum who've lived here for years, found "home," here, and love Chiang Mai.

best, ~o:37;

"Spot on"as we say where I come from....Don't come here and criticise until you have done the whole thing in CM and outlying areas.. Do not know where you come from ...but do not criticise...what you do not understand, based upon your western ideals of life!!!

[dickyknee]

The best thing about CM is the surrounding areas. Get your own wheels and start exploring, if you feel confident enough to drive.

actually this is the best thing about most cities, the best bit is when you get out of it. Chiang Mai is no exception.

[PlanetX]

your a douche jackers

[Flatouthruthefog]

<br />Rent a bike, ride to the river, turn left, head north, go under the super highway, keep going under the second ring road, keep going across the third ring road, then go right until you hit the irrigation roads and then get lost.  (This takes about an hour and forty-five minutes.)  Keep riding, stop for lunch, and then try and find your way back to the city.  Then post again.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Luther! You are a genius.

You've expressed in (what?) 7.2 lines what would have taken me half a page.

I know exactly the sort of place where he would have to stop for lunch. A basic, hot, open fronted place with a jolly, slightly overweight, Thai owner/cook who is brilliant at what she does, charges almost nothing, speaks no English and it does NOT dam-well matter!!

And when he does get back to the city, and if he does NOT find a western or a Thai place he likes for the evening, then he is truly tired of life.

[jackers]

To all those jumping on my back and making assumptions that I don't understand thai culture, I'm a typical westerner etc, the thread is entitled my first impressions of Chiang mai. I'm perfectly aware that it takes a longer time to get to know a place. There is a lot that I haven't seen yet, so it's not a final conclusion, its a first impression something that we all have when we go to a place or meet someone for the first time.

About renting a motorbike, I'm not confident about riding a bike I have no experience of riding bikes. The city is a lot busier than I expected and I don't want to take the chance.

What did I expect to find here? I guess I expected it to be picturesque and not that busy. Today I've mostly been walking around the moat area getting to know my surroundings, I've visited a few wats and I've been really impressed with those, I've visited some markets, found the fruit a bit more expensive than Philippines or Malaysia but perhaps who would be cheaper in another area. I've seem some quite side streets which look interesting and I will explore in more detail tomorrow. Also tomorrow I'd like to go to a muay thai boxing match.

I met someone today who told me about a town called Pai, he recommended it highly, so that could be a place I could go and have a look at somewhere down the line.

[thrilled]

To many tourist in chiang mai.It was alot better years ago.

[Mickeem]

I met someone today who told me about a town called Pai, he recommended it highly, so that could be a place I could go and have a look at somewhere down the line.

Your'e too late - by about 10 years or so...

[ThaiPauly]

To all those jumping on my back and making assumptions that I don't understand thai culture, I'm a typical westerner etc, the thread is entitled my first impressions of Chiang mai. I'm perfectly aware that it takes a longer time to get to know a place. There is a lot that I haven't seen yet, so it's not a final conclusion, its a first impression something that we all have when we go to a place or meet someone for the first time.

If you don't like people jumpimg on your back why didn't you give it a bit more time before making such a provocative post.?

I say provocative because most of the people who have responded to your post have made CM their home and really don't like to see outsiders coming in and saying CM does not impress them, its certainly impressed all of us that have moved from the other side of the world to live here, including me.

Maybe better to post back once you have found the Chiang Mai we love, and if you don't well we don't really mind, different strokes for different folks and all that.

I really hope that you do find more things that will make you happy here and hope that the remainder of your visit is a positive experience

For the record, the fisrt time I came here 9 years ago, I didn't like it compared to Bangkok, I thought it was way too slow and at that time I liked to live fast.

Within 2 years I was living here, it gets to you

[nikster]

I met someone today who told me about a town called Pai, he recommended it highly, so that could be a place I could go and have a look at somewhere down the line.

Your'e too late - by about 10 years or so...

I was in Pai 10 years ago. What they told me back then is this: Pai used to be a lot better 10 years ago, it's now overrun with tourists, and over. ROFL.

Things change. Places change. People change. Don't let that deter you. You might very well discover your own Pai that nobody's seen. In any case the crazy Thai tourist season in Pai was shorter this year, only during the peak December/January dates, so it's perfectly fine to go there now. You might even enjoy it!

About your first impressions of CM - it's gotten a lot busier in the last years, in terms of traffic. It's still tranquil when you consider it's the second largest city in Thailand with 1M people living in the greater CM area.

[gotlost]

I met someone today who told me about a town called Pai, he recommended it highly, so that could be a place I could go and have a look at somewhere down the line.

Your'e too late - by about 10 years or so...

I was in Pai 10 years ago. What they told me back then is this: Pai used to be a lot better 10 years ago, it's now overrun with tourists, and over. ROFL.

Things change. Places change. People change. Don't let that deter you. You might very well discover your own Pai that nobody's seen. In any case the crazy Thai tourist season in Pai was shorter this year, only during the peak December/January dates, so it's perfectly fine to go there now. You might even enjoy it!

About your first impressions of CM - it's gotten a lot busier in the last years, in terms of traffic. It's still tranquil when you consider it's the second largest city in Thailand with 1M people living in the greater CM area.

Second largest.. Not even close about number 5 if lucky. TV does not fib.

• Category: Regional capital
• Region: Chiang Mai
• Time Zone: Asia/Bangkok GMT+7
• Population: 200952
• Geonames-ID: 1153671
• See it on: Map

• Latitude: 18°47′25″N
• Longitude: 98°58′54″E
• Decimal coordinates: 18.7903 98.9817
• Altitude: 312 m.

[canuckamuck]

Are you here to stay, or is this just a visit?

It takes a while to get a feel for this place, what do you wish to see/do?

[jackers]

To all those jumping on my back and making assumptions that I don't understand thai culture, I'm a typical westerner etc, the thread is entitled my first impressions of Chiang mai. I'm perfectly aware that it takes a longer time to get to know a place. There is a lot that I haven't seen yet, so it's not a final conclusion, its a first impression something that we all have when we go to a place or meet someone for the first time.

If you don't like people jumpimg on your back why didn't you give it a bit more time before making such a provocative post.?

Because I wanted to post my first impressions, if people want to jump on my back they can do, but I find some of the responses a bit over the top to be honest.

I say provocative because most of the people who have responded to your post have made CM their home and really don't like to see outsiders coming in and saying CM does not impress them, its certainly impressed all of us that have moved from the other side of the world to live here, including me.

Maybe better to post back once you have found the Chiang Mai we love, and if you don't well we don't really mind, different strokes for different folks and all that.

I really hope that you do find more things that will make you happy here and hope that the remainder of your visit is a positive experience

For the record, the fisrt time I came here 9 years ago, I didn't like it compared to Bangkok, I thought it was way too slow and at that time I liked to live fast.

Within 2 years I was living here, it gets to you

So even for yourself your first impression was not really a favourable one.

I have a lot of time to explore the place and find out what works for me and what doesn't. It's really a fact finding mission, I wasn't going to come here until later on in the year but I decided to come as I was a short plane ride away I might as well experience it now. A couple of people have said that its the surrounding area rather than the city which is attractive. So longer term that is where I might find myself staying, in those surrounding areas where I can still get easy access into the city.

[jackers]

Are you here to stay, or is this just a visit?

It takes a while to get a feel for this place, what do you wish to see/do?

I would call it a visit, I have a 60 day visa which I hope to extend, longer term I'm looking for suitable places in Asia to base myself. As well as visiting temples, I'll be doing some drawing. The temples inspire me but the small part I've seen of the city doesn't. I want to get up into the mountains more anyway to do that without renting a motorbike?

[jackers]

I met someone today who told me about a town called Pai, he recommended it highly, so that could be a place I could go and have a look at somewhere down the line.

Your'e too late - by about 10 years or so...

I was in Pai 10 years ago. What they told me back then is this: Pai used to be a lot better 10 years ago, it's now overrun with tourists, and over. ROFL.

Things change. Places change. People change. Don't let that deter you. You might very well discover your own Pai that nobody's seen. In any case the crazy Thai tourist season in Pai was shorter this year, only during the peak December/January dates, so it's perfectly fine to go there now. You might even enjoy it!

About your first impressions of CM - it's gotten a lot busier in the last years, in terms of traffic. It's still tranquil when you consider it's the second largest city in Thailand with 1M people living in the greater CM area.

When I go to Bangkok it will be interesting to see how different it is to CM. I'm definitely going to spend a few days in Pai, I heard that the weather is a lot cooler there.

[Ulysses G.]

I'm definitely going to spend a few days in Pai, I heard that the weather is a lot cooler there.

Well, it was cooler about a month or two ago, but not so much now - a lot less air-con businesses to take refuge in there too.

As far as Chiang Mai being a lot busier. I remember people complaining about that all the time 20 years ago and it being almost impossible to cross the street in many places because of all the traffic.

[canuckamuck]

When I go to Bangkok it will be interesting to see how different it is to CM. I'm definitely going to spend a few days in Pai, I heard that the weather is a lot cooler there.

This time of year, everywhere in the north is hot and dry and it will peak in another month. This is just a factor of the time of year you chose to visit. The best time for me is August - September when everything is very green. But also Dec to Feb because of the cooler temperature. But do find a way to get out of the city, there are lots of tours/day trips. If you are here to draw, mountain village life is full of character.

[personchester]

Mrs Richards: I asked for a room with a view!

Basil: [muttering to Manuel] Deaf, mad, and blind...

[He goes to the window and peers through it.]

Basil: Ah, this is the view as far as I can remember, madam... yes, yes, this is it.

Mrs Richards: When I pay for a view, I expect something more interesting than that.

Basil: That is Chiang Mai, madam.

Mrs Richards: Well, it's not good enough.

Basil: Well, may I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Chiang Mai hotel bedroom window? The Sydney Opera House, perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeasts sweeping majestically—

Fortunately on this occasion Basil did not mention the German war, and did not walk the goose-step .

[alobar]

That was Faulty-less

[ThaiPauly]

To all those jumping on my back and making assumptions that I don't understand thai culture, I'm a typical westerner etc, the thread is entitled my first impressions of Chiang mai. I'm perfectly aware that it takes a longer time to get to know a place. There is a lot that I haven't seen yet, so it's not a final conclusion, its a first impression something that we all have when we go to a place or meet someone for the first time.

If you don't like people jumpimg on your back why didn't you give it a bit more time before making such a provocative post.?

Because I wanted to post my first impressions, if people want to jump on my back they can do, but I find some of the responses a bit over the top to be honest.

I say provocative because most of the people who have responded to your post have made CM their home and really don't like to see outsiders coming in and saying CM does not impress them, its certainly impressed all of us that have moved from the other side of the world to live here, including me.

Maybe better to post back once you have found the Chiang Mai we love, and if you don't well we don't really mind, different strokes for different folks and all that.

I really hope that you do find more things that will make you happy here and hope that the remainder of your visit is a positive experience

For the record, the fisrt time I came here 9 years ago, I didn't like it compared to Bangkok, I thought it was way too slow and at that time I liked to live fast.

Within 2 years I was living here, it gets to you

So even for yourself your first impression was not really a favourable one.

.

No but I didn't tell those that have chosen to make a life here that

[ChiangMaiFun]

here's my nearly three year impression:

• a balance of old and new
• typically friendlier Thais than those down 'South'
• gorgeous scenery
• great restaurants
• normally tolerant surroundings
• reasonably priced
• not much PC rubbish going on
• beautiful temples
• reasonable nightlife
• great 'jump off' point for the rest of Asia

I could go on... and on... and on... (but I shall resist - for once!). I have traveled extensively but never once when I was in Moscow, Lithuania, New York nor indeed Bali or Mumbai (well maybe Mumbai was THE exception!) was I tempted after one day to make a rather silly judgement on such a beautiful place. Come back and tell us after a year.

[alfieconn]

. Also tomorrow I'd like to go to a muay thai boxing match.

Chiang Mai is not the place to see good Muay Thai Boxing, looks like you havn't really done your homework