New Adventures In Backpacking

Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is an eleven-hour bus journey from Bangkok. Whilst it would be untrue to say that Chiang Mai is ‘off the beaten track,’ as it does attract a large number of tourists, it is fair to say that most backpackers in Thailand do not stray any further north than Bangkok. This is a real shame, as for me, Chiang Mai is the best backpacker destination in Thailand.

Certainly to the naked eye there is nothing special about it. It’s not the prettiest city in the world. In fact I’d go so far as to even say it’s a pretty ugly town and lacks all the characteristics that you associate with Thailand. It doesn’t party like Bangkok and it doesn’t have the blue seas of Kao Tao, or the golden beaches of Krabi. It’s the welcome respite from the usual backpacker attractions that makes Chiang Mai what it is.

Chiang Mai is the town where people come to chill. There are endless ways to spend your days there: from taking Thai cooking courses; trekking in the nearby jungle; mountain biking; and the famous Flight of the Gibbon, which has the world’s largest zip line. Then there is the food. There are more dishes on the average menu here than in any other Thai destination, including many that you simply cannot get anywhere else, like the super yummy Khao Soi soup. Not a day passed without my trying a new dish and washing it down with a fresh fruit juice or wheat grass from my favorite café—the wonderfully named Juicy 4 U.

It’s incredibly easy to come here and detoxify and leave feeling healthy and full of energy. Being a vegetarian has never been so easy. That’s not to say you cannot live it up here, with a host of cool bars and clubs, including several mobile bars popping up all over the place, Chiang Mai has it all.

So how did I spend my days? Well after the craziness of India, and the physical tests of Nepal, I was more than happy to come and sit here and do nothing but eat myself into a healthy goodness coma. However, I spent my time between taking Thai cooking courses (more soon) and taking up yoga, which I have meant to do for a long time. I was a little apprehensive at how I was going to be at it in my first class, but I really wasn’t that bad and learned that it’s not all about who’s the most flexible and more to do with where you are and not where you want to be. Despite the fact that I hurt like hell after my three-day course I really enjoyed it and look forward to taking it up on a full time basis once this trip is over.

One of the other great things about Thailand in general is how cheap Thai massages are. Having enjoyed the odd couple of hundred over the years I thought it was about time I learnt how it was done and enrolled in the Nittaya Family massage course. The course was instructed by Nittaya herself, who despite being nervous at first, was a lot of fun and made the course a bit of a giggle as well as highly valuable. I was surprised into how much of a work out it is to be the masseuse. Given the state of my chosen profession and my lack of passion for it, I’m thinking if things get desperate in NZ, I now have something to fall back on. Working the hostels and giving Thai massages at a backpacker rate of course!

I met several nice people during my time here. Mainly through a wonderful woman named Boom who I met through my cooking course. Most nights we meet for dinner, with her bringing along someone new every night who she had met during her classes. It led to a nice eclectic bunch of people getting together most days and after the isolation of India it was nice to be hanging out with some new people and having the occasional boozy evening.

Someone recently asked me, ‘What type of traveler are you?’ I told them I had only been drunk once so far this trip. It simply has not been that type of trip and, to be honest, I am quite pleased about that and have enjoyed doing and learning new things rather than spending my time sleeping off hangovers. I’ve been there, done that, and I would feel a little sad chasing former glories. So the answer to their question is, ‘I’m the sort of traveler who wants to develop as a person,’ and there is no better place to do that than Chiang Mai.

The biggest compliment I can pay Chaing Mai is that I could easily see myself living here one day. I really fancy it. It has everything I would ever want. I just need to figure out exactly how I do it.

I spent eleven nights here, I did not want to leave, and if it was not for a promise to meet a friend in Bangkok I would still be there. I don’t need to be too sad; I will be back for sure. It will be interesting to see in what capacity!

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This entry was posted on Saturday, January 16th, 2010 at 2:10 pm and is filed under Thialand. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.