Chiang Mai’s 10 best kept secrets

Posted by Arda on June 22nd, 2007 filed in Chiang Mai, Eating and drinking, Northern Thailand, Activities, Adventure, Thai Culture, Thailand travel

By Andrew Bond

The ‘Rose of the North’ has plenty to offer tourists, and certainly more than meets the eye or can be found in your guidebook. Some of the popular tourist attractions can get crowded and you may prefer to rent a scooter and go off finding your own little surprises. Just wandering aimless through the leafy back lanes can be charming but we’ve picked out 10 of our favourites that are usually overlooked. Guide to Chiang Mai

1. The giant Buddha at Wat Doi Kham
Although most visitors make a bee line for the famous temple on the peak of Doi Suithep, the less ornate temple of Doi Kham southwest of the city pre-dates all other temples in the area and also offers some good elevated views of the Ping River valley. About five years ago a forty foot high seated Buddha was constructed on the same hill and offers some excellent perspectives of the Buddha form. Get your cameras ready because it has fingers as long as your arm and a classical Rattanokosin styled head the size of small car. It’s easy to get to if you follow maps leading to the new Night Safari and can be clearly seen from afar. It’s also completely overlooked by tour buses and remains refreshingly peaceful.

2. The road to Tard Mork Waterfalls
There are all sorts of wonderful day trips out of Chiang Mai which can offer you a glimpse of Northern Thailand’s mountainous terrain, but one of the loveliest is also one of the most overlooked. From the road to the popular Mae Sai valley area, north of the city, follow the signs to the Tard Mork waterfall. You’ll soon find yourself windy along a lovely elongated valley with verdant forest about you as the road climbs gently into the hills. There’s a picnic park en-route as well as the exquisite Sukantara resort, which has it’s own cascading waterfall to admire meters away from your lunch table. Beyond that is the pretty Tard Mork waterfall as well as a further small waterfall, called Wanghorn (free entry), a little further up the hills.

3. Mountain biking down Doi Pui
Very few of the visitors to Chiang Mai ever get to properly experience one of its most rewarding drawcards – the Doi Suithep/Doi Pui national park, which covers the entire mountain that so dominates the western side of the city. From the peak, which is accessible by sealed road, there are several routes down the rear that feed the various hill tribe villages, streams and orchards on the mountain. And the best way to really appreciate the fantastic jungle atmosphere is to go whizzing down these dirt roads on a mountain bike. Be warned; it’s quite a thrilling adventure and you’ll need your wits about you! But it beats any other activity in Chiang Mai for sheer enjoyment. The Mountain Biking Chiang Mai tour company offers full suspension bikes and protective gear, with safety guides at hand

4. An afternoon at Khamtien flower market
Markets in Asia are always a fascinating experience, full of food (alive and dead), exotic fruits and spices, and plenty of bustling activity. Chiang Mai has several but the most refreshing is certainly the Khamtien flower market behind Tescos food mall on the Northern ring road. Every February Chiang Mai hosts a flower show and Thailand is a cornucopia of tropical flora and gardens. At Khamtien you can find it all. You may not be able to buy anything to take home here but you can enjoy a wonderful afternoon among the plentiful heliconias, bouganvilla, frangi pangi, ‘delicious monsters’ and numerous species of palms. Many of the shops have created enchanting oasis of koi-filled ponds and water features among all the greenery.

5. The doll museum at Baan Tawai
One of the most charming and unusual of Chiang Mai’s several museums is the Doll Museum, which has just moved into a fancy new traditional Thai building in the Baan Tawai crafts district south of Chiang Mai. These dolls are colourfully decked out in costumes of Asia, specifically the distinct outfits of Northern Thailand’s unique hill tribes. Dolls can be bought here and are also liberally found at all the tourist markets, but you can come and see the crafts women in action and learn all about the different styles.

6. An enchanting cultural evening at a Khantoke
Your exploration of Northern Thai culture isn’t complete until you have attended a Khantoke dinner evening, and this is the best way to experience the food, music, dance and folk tales of the Lanna kingdom - all in one evening. Although hardly a secret nowadays, you should ask your agent or hotel concierge to arrange for you to be taken to one of these superb venues scattered out of town. They are usually held in wonderfully restored old teak salas (pavillions) where everyone sits on the floor. Sit back and relax as you feast on Northern food taken with your fingers from a lap level central table, and be treated to an enchanting evening of classical and Northern Thai dance with the distinctive traditional orchestra accompanying them.

7. Uncle Tom’s Restaurant near the Chiang Mai University
If you get tired of spicy Thai food there are plenty of places to get your ‘farang fix’, but most of them are either a tad expensive (by local standards) or else poorly done. We’ve found a great foreign trained Thai chef who cooks excellent European cuisine at Thai prices. Uncle Tom’s is an unpretentious place and seldom busy so you never have to wait. The dishes such as spinach pie, chicken cordon bleu and others are delicious and properly prepared. A meal and a drink will cost you no more than 100 baht ($2.50). It’s located down a small soi opposite Boat restauant on Huay Kaew road near the University entrance.

8. Monk chat at Suan Dok temple and theology college
Every afternoon at 5pm the youg monk students of this establishment look forward to practicing their English on curious tourists who wish to find out more about their lives in robes. There is nothing sinister about Buddhism and they will be happy to answer your questions about their ‘dhamma’ lifestyles. They’re also eager to find out more about where you come from and it’s a wonderful way to get to learn more about Thailand and its people. The temple is found along the Suithep road leading from the western side (Suan Dok gate) of the moat.

9. Foot massages at the Walking street
Thailand is famous for its massages and one of the most refreshing is the foot massage – an ancient practice which is similar to the science of reflexology. It is not entirely your feet that are massaged but the energy lines within your bodies organs are revitalised by applying pressure to corresponding points on the soles of your feet. Of course, after an evening on your feet, plodding around the Sunday walking street in the old town, the soothing rub down of your aching legs rejuvenates them for the next sight seeing trip. Expert massage people are found all along the street and charge less than $2 per half hour.

10. Ester’s pumpkin pie at the River Ping Palace
Personally made by the the friendly and glamorous Singaporean owner, the pumpkin pie here will have you coming back again and again to this lovely upmarket restaurant and guest house. It’s set among a tropical garden on the banks of the Ping river, only a 10 minute tuk-tuk ride from the night market, and has a nice peaceful atmosphere in this restored Lanna teak house. The Asian-Western fusion food certainly won’t dissapoint, but remember to leave some space for that pie! TAT Chiang Mai