The Long and Winding Road to the Cultural Heart of Thailand

After our short stay in Bangkok, we took a 12-hour overnight bus to Chiang Mai, the hub of northern Thailand. The region is mountainous, and the small city-centre is contained by medieval-era walls. The city is one of the most sought after destinations in the country since it is perceived to preserve Thai culture, and is home to hundreds of Buddhist Temples. We would both consider Chiang Mai among our favourite cities here, but we only made it here after a hellish ordeal of overland travel.

In Bangkok we weren’t sure how we wanted to get to Chiang Mai (the two most popular options are overnight train and bus), but eventually opted for a sleeper bus that would leave at around 7PM and arrive at 7AM the next day. Our bus was full of other young backpackers – the ride consisted of watching the new Karate Kid movie on full volume, quasi-sleeping in our reclining chairs, and me finding a huge beetle in my hair when I woke up at a rest-stop. We ended up getting dropped off behind a gas station/bus stop just outside of Chiang Mai in the early hours of the morning (probably around 5AM), with everybody groggy and disoriented from the previous night. It took about half an hour to organize how the busload of us would travel in taxis (i.e. pick-up trucks with roofs) to the city, with little guidance from the “bus company,” and people constantly switching between the pick-ups in confusion. As a group of French Canadians began grabbing their bags, they noticed that they were missing valuables from their duffel bags stored under the bus. It is common practice for someone to search the bags and steal things, which is why I wasn’t overly worried, since all I had in my checked backpack were toiletries and clothes. But when the French Canadians tried to speak to the bus driver, he tried to drive away (to the point that a few of them were standing in front of the bus to stop it from moving). Eventually, we all made it into the city okay (and had to reorganize our backpacks, since everything had clearly been searched and haphazardly tossed back in). After we made it to Chiang Mai and to our guesthouse we weren’t so frustrated – guess it was just a part of the travel experience. It just wouldn’t have been the same if everything had gone smoothly.

When we finally had the opportunity to explore Chiang Mai, it had a sleepy small town vibe, and was a great place to walk around, eat, and drink. We also visited the main central temple (Wat Phra Singh), and the Sunday Night Market which were both great. The highlight of Chiang Mai’s “attractions” would likely be Doi Suthep – one of the holiest and most beautiful temples in the country on top of the mountain providing a stunning view over the city.

The best part of Chiang Mai, however, was the city itself – the city is good for walking and relaxing, and we stayed at the extremely hospitable Funky Monkey Guesthouse run by an English/Thai couple where we spent a lot of time chatting with them or playing with their dogs. We also established a “spot” that we would go a sit every night, which was at the East Gate of the city wall. We only realized on the last night that it’s also the prime city meeting point for sex tourists (meaning old American/European/Australian men courting barely legal Thai girls). Despite the grittiness, our time in the city was relaxing, and it was a great hub for exploring the natural beauty of Northern Thailand.