Lanna (Englisch: One Million Rice Fields) was a kingdom in the north of Thailand around the city of Chiang Mai. This blog is about Chiang Mai
ภาษาไทย, Pai, Mae Hong Son เชียงใหม่ ปาย แม่ฮ่องสอน and Nan น่าน. You find reviews and pictures by people who have been there, Google Maps and background.
More destinations in Thailand: #treasuresofthailand: Your Thailand Guide
Doi Inthanon ดอยอินทนนท์, formerly known as Doi Ang Ka, is the highest mountaintop in Thailand (2565 meters above sea level. A mountain chain joins it to the Himalayas. It supports Himalayan flora and fauna and is one of the famous birding heavens. Read, what Mong Cor Mun found here and more about birdwatching by green-jungle.com.
Doi Inthanon National Park has beautiful natural scenery as many waterfalls. Read more by Thaiparkwordpress.com. The best period for viewing the waterfalls is May through November, while the best period for viewing wild flowers is December through February and for ornithologists is November through March.
Nearly on the top ypu find the Ang Ka Luang Nature Trail, which was surveyed and designed by Michael MacMillan Walls, a Canadian volunteer biologist who devoted to his work and died from a heart attack on this mountain. This trail, 360 metres long, passes through wet and cold areas in a lush valley. The forest is covered with lichens and wild orchids. Indigenous plants that needs a high level of nutrition, organic deposits, and rare species of birds are seen along the trail.
It's not so easy today to find authentic scenes of life of Chiang Mai's past. But in Wat Kate, on the East bank of Ping river, there are places, where time seems to stand still. Wat Ket วัดเกตุ community has been trading on Ping River for 500 years. Therefore the architecture is multicultural with Western, Chinese and ethnic influences as Haw Chinese and Khmu. So you find Chinese shop houses, Christian churches, colonial style schools and traditional Lanna buildings, the Dara Academy โรงเรียนดาราวิทยาลัย and the victorian buildings of Prince Royal College and also the around 140 years old wooden house of Doctor Chinda Singhanetre. The RarinJinda Resort has conserved it in its traditiona style and is using the upper floor for traditional Thai massage. Read more here.
Another witness of the past is the "Sala Bart", where women used to bring food to be prepared and presented for merit making.
Wat Ket was also the site of Borneo Company Limited, which had a concession from The Chiang Mai King for 100 years for teak wood. Read the blog of tourcm.blogspot.com
There is a plan of Chiang Mai City, to put Wat Ket into a zone for commerce and construction, where residents are opposiong, as The Nation noted.
Wat Gate Ka Ram วัดเกตุการาม: Also: Wat Ket Garam. See the Gallery of Ram J. This temple has been founded around 1428, it is of Lanna origin, but some buildings show Chinese and European influence. It's first name was Wat Sa Gate. At the center of the temple is the large chedi,whose corners are guarded by garudas. East of the chedi is the ubosot, whose stairs are guarded by nagas. The roof of the viharn has five gables, what is unusual. At the back you find a mirrored tile tree - a decoration you usually find at Lao temples.
Wat Ketkaram Museum: At the back of Wat Ket. Owned by 87 years old Jack Bain, who's Scottish father William worked for the East Asiatic Company and married a Thai and owned Bains compund. A lot of things from the past life as the first bank notes of Thailand, textiles, ceramics, old grammophones... You will see a collcection of old photographs going back more than 100 years to the early days of western trading with Chiang Mai: Old river boats, markets and temples. Read more at Chiangmainews.com and read about The Life of Jack Bain.
If you turn north from Bain’s compound and the front gate of the temple and turn left to Nakorn Ping bridge you will see a teak house, that belonged to the former prime minister, Dr. Sukij Nimmanhemin. A brief walk toward south brings you to Baan Tree House, that belonged to the Tantipong family and “Baan Orapin”, which is an over 90 year old, teak wood residence built in European, colonial style. Such huge houses were usually the home for merchants and another, called “Baan Khun Arak” was the residence of a rice trader. See pictures in an article on chiangmai-chiangrai.com
If you sit in front of one of the music bars on Nimmanhaemin Road in Chiang Mai at night, you can be nearly sure, that a mahout with his elephant will pass by and try to sell you bananas or sugar cane to feed the elephant. More than 200 elephants are said to wander around in Thailands cities, from Phuket to Bangkok and Chiang Mai. And that means stress for the animals: standing and walking on the concrete damages their feet, street- and bar-noise irritate them and the polluted air is poison for their lungs, and sometimes they are injured by traffic accidents (read the report by Cindy Tilney). But since Thailands government 1989 banned the logging with elephants in the wood - to protect the wood and prevent erosion and floods - the elephants and their trainers have to look for another income to survive. The ban let 2000 animals and their mahouts unemployed. But a way to employ elephants has been developped: Many camps have been created in a natural surrounding for a get-together of elephants and tourists. Many treat their elephants well, but some don't have proper working conditions for the animals. So if you want to be sure to do someting for the protection of the elephants, you can head to the National Elephant Institute in Lampang. There are shows presenting the traditional logging work, of course you can go riding on a saddle, but there is a homestay program too: You will stay at the home of the mahout, accompany him during his day with the elephants and learn how to ride without a saddle. And some elephants even know how to play music in an elephant orchestra - read more.
Find your way: Take a bus at Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Station for Lampang (timetable). One way will take one and half an hour. Ask the driver to stop at the elephant center. Another possibility is to travel by train, but the trains to Lampang leave Chiang Mai only in the afternoon (see timetable), so you will have to stay for a night in Lampang to go to the elephant shows in the morning. In Lampang you take the bus for Chiang Mai at the bus station and ask the driver to let you out at the elephant center.
Nimmanhaemin Road (also: Nimmanhemin) is the place to be for the local nightlife scene, mostly students from the nerby universities or youn working adults: "Young, beautiful and trendy Thais partying like there's no tomorrow!", writes Jaxon Toh in his blog.
Warm Up Cafe: 40 Nimmanhaemin Road. Popular hangout for young Chiang Mai with two glass enclosed dance floors, DJs and often live music and an outdoor zone for sitting, talking and watching.
Warm Up 9th Anniversary Music Video:
Monkey Club: Nimmanhaemin Road Soi 9. Open 17 pm to 01 am. Another hotspot for the students. Indie music and outdoor eating.
Drunken Flower: 295/1 Soi 1, Nimmanhaemin road. Open daily from 18 pm to 01 am. Restaurant and bar, visited by a mixed Thai and expat crowd. Most weelends live folk music. Read James' review on tripist.com. "Food is poor, drinks are over-priced, seats uncomfortable and the live music is lame. God knows why we all go there", says the review on chiangmaitouristguide.com.
NimMahn Bar: 59/8 Nimmanhaemin Rd. "Cavernous industrial-looking interior, softened with smart leather poufs and sofas", according to the review of Lonely Planet.
Glass Onion: Room 1 project, 61, Nimmanhaemin Road. Open 6 pm to 1 am. Bar with a grand piano, red carpets, red bar-chairs and art deco chandeliers. "James Bondesque", means Lonely Planet. Popular by gays.
Fine Thanks: 119 Nimmanhemin Rd Soi 5. In a restored wooden Thai house. A live band plays Thai and Western songs. Cute waitresses from the universities around the corner, good food, popular with locals.
Tawan Dang: Nimmanhaemin Road Soi 6. Open from 6 pm till 2 am. Live music.
Huay Kaew Road
Discovery: 12 Huay Kaew Road. Live Band, DJ, Video-Screens.
Fashion Paris: Unterground of Lotus Pangsuankaew Hotel. Dancing room and Hip Hop room. Read review of Lonely Planet.
Mo'C Mo'L ร้านน่านั่ง (The Monkey Club and Moon Lover): 233 Huay Kaew Road. Pub and restaurant with Thai, European and Japanese Food and a pond with fish and frogs. And a chic coffee shop. Live Bands (Jazz, Pop, Acoustic). Place of the hip and trendy.
Sudsanan:30 Ratchaphuek Road. Wooden house with Thai restaurant and stage. Rock, Folk and Jazz-Bands. In the middle of the evening the owners play: Souat (guitar), Houag (bongos) and Pleuay (Khane = Isaan bamboo instrument). Read a fine review of Sudsanan by Delacroixyut.
Isaan Ban Hao live at Sudsanan:
Riverside Area
Tara Bar: 140/1 Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road. Live music, dance. See a video.
Tha Chang Jazz Club: 25 Charoenrat Road. Open 8 pm to 1 am. Live Jazz on Saturdays.
La Brasserie: 37 Charoenrat Road. Very popular for live rock and blues. From 23 pm Thai guitarrist Took and friends play Hendrix, Dylan, Marley. Read the review by ichangmaihotel.com and changmainews.com. And read an interview with Took on Chiangmainews.com
Took plays Jessica from the Allman Brothers, Part 1:
Mandalay Bar and The Dark: 5/3 Soi 1 Moon Muang Road. Multistorey-complex, foreigners get charged at the entrance. Thai live music, dancers, concerts, shows. Read the review of Chiangmainews.com
The Garden: 139, Ratchadamnoen Rd. Every Sunday night live music with the Chiang Mai Blues Club. Warren Simpson ist playing here Delta Blues Music.
The North Gate: Every Tuesday everybody. who can play an instrument, can take part in a jam session. Live music every evening. Read the review on chiangmaiplan.com
Spicy: 82 Chaiyaphum Road. You go, when everything else has shut. It's open till 4 am. Who is there? Read review of chiangmaitouristguide.com
Night Bazaar Area
Crystal Cave: 199 Chang Klan Rd, in the Empress Hotel. Disco.
Horizon Club: 132 Loy Kroh Road, in Hotel Centara Duangtawan. House and Hip Hop, popular by young Thais.
The Bubbles: 46 Charoen Prathet Road (Pron Ping Tower). Disco. Read revoew by Lonely Planet
Other Area
Chai Blues House: Music by local artists and classic blues by Chai, a Thai performer, who has moved from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Right now he is looking for a new space according to his homepage and playing in the city.
Houn Soontaree: Houn Soontaree Vechanont is a singer of Northern Thai folk songs in Chiang Mai and restaurant owner. She and here daughter Lanna are singing, while you enjoy Northern dishes.
Picture gafas
Nimmanhaemin Road, a place for arts and crafts and trendy bars.
The "arty epicenter" of Chiang Mai is Nimmanhaemin Road (also Nimmanhemin), according to Time Magazine. Boutiques sell pottery, textiles, other crafts and jewels. An Arts-and-Crafts-Show is held here every december, to see the next generation of Lanna artists and designers you come here (see video). This year the Nimmanhaemin Street Fair takes place from December 1-7.
Studio Kachama: 10-12 Soi 1, Nimmanheimin Rd. Waved cotton and silk wall hangings, cushions, table covers. Kachama Perez studied design in Japan and rewaves traditional Hmong, Karen and Yao patterns. More in Soi 1: See this map
Gerard Collection: No. 2/8 Soi 3, Nimmanhaemin Road. Bamboo furnitures. More in Soi 3: See this map
Living Space: Thai and vietnamese lacquerware, tableware, Indonesian silk textiles and leather handbags, chosen by British-French expat Jennifer Dyson.
Lila Thai Massage ลีลา นวดไท: Naowarat Thanasrisutharat, the director of Chiang Mai's female prison, has established a massage shop, popular by tourists and residents. The women in the prison can learn massage there and earn money and with that they often support their families. As Bangkok Post writes, also women, who have left prison, are working there, because they see it as a way for reintegration in society. You find the shop on Prapokklao Road. Read how Ash and Bi describe this experience.
And more tipps for massage:
Nerve-touch massage: 25-27-29 Ratchadamnoen Road, next to Siam Commercial Bank. "Nerve-Touch" is a method of working on the lines and muscles. It is deeper and more therapeutically oriented than the usual Thai massage. Pressing, rotating and squeezing techniques following the meridian lines. In Lek Chaiya’s family, the traditional Thai Healing Arts have been handed down from mother to daughter. She operates this place now with her son Tananan Willson. A massage with medicinal herbpacks takes 1 1/2 hour. Training courses for 3 to 5 five days are also available.
Shivagako Marapa Old Medical Hospital: 5 Wualai Road. Thai body massage and massage training for 30 years. A full massage lasts two hours. The practitioner uses hands, forearms and feet to apply firm rhythmic pressure to almost every part of the body. There is pulling and stretching of arms, legs, fingers and toes, arching the back and neck and even walking on the back. Read more on Easy Chiang Mai.
The Garden Chiang Mai: 139 Ratchadamnoen Road. Footmassage, Thai Traditional Massage and Oil Massage. The homepage gives a lot of information about the massages and the massage schools in Chiang Mai.
Baan Tawai, 20 kilometres south of Chiang Mai, is the centre of wood carved handicraft and antique trade in Northern Thailand. And also the production of reproductins of antique art is a growing business here. Shopowners from Bangkok and abroad come here to buy their goods. So the prices are more reasonable than elsewhere. You find arcades full of shops and on the road to Hang Dong you discover many mini-factories with showrooms and can see the artisans and their work: Wooden Buddhas, wooden elefants, wooden reliefs, sandstone sulptures, textile hangings, frames, lamps and vases for your home. Many shops construct teak furniture and can ship it abroad. Thai antiques are famous for the early artistic expression of Buddhism. If you are looking for genuine antique, you have to look for a certificate from the Fine Arts Department.
Lisu Hilltribe Homestay in Nong Tong near Soppong. Here you can be guest of the Lisu people, who originally lived in Tibet. Around 80 years ago they settled in the mountains of North Thailand. You live in a traditional bamboo or teak house. And you can take part in classes to learn more about lisu culture. Lisu Hilltribe Stay. More hilltribe information Lisu Hilltribe Resources And a Video and one more Video
Phu klon geographically means a mud source and natural mineral spring which is between 60-140 C. Rising together with the mineral water; boiling black mud is clean, free from sulfur smell and full of healthy mineral for the skin and blood circulation.. See the homepage of Phu Klon Country Club with more informations. Phu Klon Country Club
Mae Aw lies near the Burmese Border. Thai name: Ban Rak Thai บ้านรักไทย. This is a village founded by Kuomintang soldiers. Mae Aw is famous for its tea cultivation and Yunnan food, that you can enjoy at the restaurant and shops around a small square. You can buy ginseng, jasmine, oolong and green teas, as well as Chinese teapots and cups. More: Read here: Chiangmainews. And here background about the immigration of Muslim Chinese from Yunnan to Northern Thailand Muslim Chinese A festival is held in February to promote tea products. You follow hot tea tasting, tea-making demonstrations combined with cultural shows. Visitors can also ride a horse around the village. Sleepeing there. See picture by Buddhamountain.
Not far from Mae Aw lies Pang Ung, known for its production coffee beans. Pang Ung was a reforestation project by Queen Sirikit. A few kilometers out of the village there ist a lake, a water reservoir, surrounded by pines with a camping area. The lake is covered by fog in the early morning, until the sunshine comes. Very romantic! A road runs along the lake to a green hill, where there are some guesthouses: Pang Ung Garden Houses (Phone 01-992-9891, 01-783-3981). Find more information: guesthouses.
Huay Pu Keng is reached by boat on the Pai River and lies near the Burmese boarder. Karen refugees from Burma are living here and in other villages and making their money with tourism, showing their longneck women and selling their products. There is a lot of controversy about their conditions of living. More on: Karen Center and Huay Pukaen Info Read Background story and also this Background story
Ban Nam Phiang Din is the Thai name of the village. The people are known as Kayan. In Burmese they are called Padoung. Listen to Karenni Music
Mae Hong Son - seen from Doi Kong Mu temple trough the mist
Wat Phrathat Doi Kong Mu วัดพระธาตุดอยกองมู:
Wat Chong Khlang วัดจองกลาง:
Wat Chong Khlang, built around 1860, contains a Vihara housing a replica of the Phra Phuttha Sihing image brought from Burma in 1857. It has been gilded with gold leaf. Near the main altar are you see nearly 200 paintings in glass of the Phra Vejsandorn Jataka (tales of the previous lives of the Buddha). Then you find thirty-three wooden human and animal figures representing scenes from the Vessantara Jataka. They were carved by burmese artisans and taken from Burma in 1857.
Wat Chong Khlang
Wat Chong Kham วัดจองคำ:
Wat Chong Kham lies beneath Wat Chong Klang. Both temples are built in burmese style.
It was the oldest wat in Mae Hong Son, founded in 1827 by the Shan ruler Phaya Singhanataraj. But it burnt down and had to be reconstructed in the 1970. The viharn is graced with a seven-layer pyatthat (multi-tiered spire).
The viharn with a seven-layer pyatthat
Night has fallen on the temples and the lake. Picture by fredalix - อาลิกส์
When the light is fading, the streets near the lake are closed for the traffic and everybody is preparing for the night market.
At the nightmarket you can buy art and handcrafts from hilltribe people, for example Lisu and Hmong. Your eyes will be amazed by clothings, bags, embroideries or jewels. And your tongue will be delighted by what the food hawkers are selling.
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