Chiang Mai (Thailand)

We are on a journey around South East Asia, and have just left Khao Yai and Ayutthaya in the eastern part of Thailand. Next, we headed to Chiang Mai in Thailand’s far north. We were going to there to see elephants and ancient structures. 

Us with Chiang Mai elephants, Thailand

Seeing elephants meant we had to go to elephant school, but first, we had to get there. So we purchased 2nd class sleeping berths on the overnight train from Ayutthaya. We were initially a little nervous about being in the train overnight. However, we were in the women-only “Lady Car” with female train conductors etc. We had clean sheets and pillows and plenty of space, so we were all good. 

Leigh outside our hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand

After a decent sleep on the train, we arrived at Chiang Mai station the next morning at 7:15 am - pretty well right on time. We found a tuktuk driver, negotiated a price, and very soon we were at our accommodation, the Tadkam Village Hotel. The Tadkam was really well located being only a 5-minute walk to the main area of Chiang Mai city.

A street in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai is a mountain town dating back to the 1200s. It is the main city in northern Thailand with a population of over 170,000 in the city proper (but more than 1 million in the metropolitan area), making it Thailand's fifth-largest city. As soon as we were unpacked, we headed out to walk around Chiang Mai’s narrow and colourful streets and found it to be quite a lovely city.

Part of the ancient city wall. In Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai has an historic centre and you can still see parts of the ancient city wall. The whole centre is surrounded by a moat, which has been restored and cleaned up. It now provides a lovely waterfront surrounded by shops, trees, walkways and bridges. 

 

Tropical fruit at a market in Chiang Mai, Thailand

One of the first places we came across inside the wall, was a very colourful market. The fruit and vegetables looked really fresh and all the produce was covered. We felt we could eat healthily and comfortably here.

Wat Chiang Man (1297), Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai is full of, and famous for, wats (Buddhist temples), many of which we were aiming to see. In fact, Chiang Mai is called “the City of Temples” as there are over 300 of them. The oldest is Wat Chiang Man which was built in 1297 CE and was the first temple in Chiang Mai.

 

Leigh at Wat Sri Suphan, Chiang Mai, Thailand

The wats we saw were stunning. They have ornate roofs with turned up eaves and the eaves have unique chofas. A chofa is the decorative ornament at the end of a temple roof. Wat Sri Suphan, or “the Silver Wat” has good examples of these. The chofa ornamentation, shape of the roofline, and number of roofs all signal the uniqueness of the wat.

The 14th century Wat Phra Singh

One of our favourites was the 14th century Wat Phra Singh. It has a beautiful entry, intricate gold patterns on red lacquer inside behind the altar, and ancient murals. A common sight in the grounds of a wat was a chedi. These are a sort of bell-shaped tower also known as a pagoda or stupa. They are used to house a relic of Buddha or a famous monk.

The 13th century Wat Inthakin Sadeu Muang, Chiang Mai, Thailand

We also liked the black and gold Wat Inthakin Sadeu Muang. This dark and broody 13th century wat contains a pillar of the old city called “Inthakin” that is said to be over 1000 years old. Most of the wats we saw had a small assembly hall called a viharn. 

Marg at Bhuridatto Viharn, Chiang Mai, Thailand

These are usually locked and not accessible to women, but the ornamentation of some of them, we thought, was more beautiful than the main temple. Our favourite was Bhuridatto Viharn at Wat Chedi Luang. It houses several Buddha relics, and one of them is a molar tooth!

Us at elephant school, Chiang Mai, Thailand

The next day, we went to elephant school. After a lot of research on places that work with elephants in an ethical way, we found “The Thai Elephant Home”. Their mission is to rescue elephants from unhealthy working conditions (e.g. logging) and provide them with a happy life. We were going to spend time with elephants so at elephant school, we learned how to treat them properly.

 

Marg with her adopted elephant at Chiang Mai, Thailand

We had to dress in clothes that elephants are used to and that don’t threaten them; we had to learn the language that elephants understand with basic instruction such as “stop” and “go”; and we learned how to feed and ride them. This meant knowing how to get on and off an elephant – no mean feat when you have short legs! 

Leigh on her adopted elephant, Chiang Mai, Thailand

So to get on, the elephant kneels and you climb onto her leg (we both had females). Then you try to throw your leg over the neck of the elephant and give the instruction to stand while you hang on tight. It wasn’t easy, but we got there in the end. Then we went for a walk down to the river about 1 hour away at elephant walk speed.

Leigh washing her elephant, Chiang Mai, Thailand

It was a fantastic ride, although not overly comfortable because we both tended to slide forward on the elephant’s neck. Leigh’s elephant used her ears to tell Leigh she was too far forward. At the river, we managed (with help from their proper handlers), to get them to lie down in the river so that we could bath them. They seemed to love it. 

Marg on her elephant, Chiang Mai, Thailand

After we all had fun getting wet, we rode them home and returned them safe and well. This is how these elephants spend their days now, with tourists like us, instead of logging and being in chains all day. Here, there are no chains, they are given the freedom to roam to and from the river at will, and socialize with other elephants in their group. 

On our elephants, walking to the river, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Elephants are sacred in Thailand as they are a symbol of Buddhism. They have contributed to Thailand’s economy for centuries and are the country’s national animal. However, in 1986, they became endangered, but ethical organisations that rescue elephants from poor treatment, have helped to restore their numbers. 

Us with our elephants, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Unfortunately, their natural habitats are still shrinking and now cannot support them; they are still brutally treated in the logging industry; and farmers continue to kill them. You could argue that taking them on a ride and washing them is still enslaving them.…but we think that it’s better than letting them carry on in the brutal situations that they were rescued from.

 

Doing the washing, hill village, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Our final stop in Chiang Mai was to visit some of the hill tribes. This northern part of Thailand is mountainous and there are around a dozen tribes that live in the mountain jungles. As with many small and tight communities, outsiders tend not to be welcomed. However, there are now one or two that make a living from tourism and we visited one of those. 

Marg with a Karen Long Neck tribeswoman, Chiang Mai, Thailand

It was the Karen Long Neck tribe. Their tourism focus mostly comes from the women who weave beautifully ornate and colourful clothing, which they then sell. After wandering around and buying some of their goods, we made the long trek back to Chiang Mai, then packed up ready to leave the following day. Our next stop is Vientiane in Laos.

This post is the second in a series about our travels through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in South East Asia. The first post was about Bangkok and you can read it here: Bangkok post.