Rather than beaches, Chiang Mai is surrounded by Doi or mountains as it based in the north of Thailand, making it less popular than Bangkok. But it is as equally fascinating, especially as I now have experience in an Asian country, of course this meant comparing everything to Hong Kong and China.
What to start with: Getting around.
Oh gosh, if you're anything like me, you'd hate having to try and get around Chiang Mai. I do not bargain, and when I've tried, just proves I really have no idea what I am doing. And yet, Thailand is a place where you can and are expected to bargain at certain times, including on some transport.
Chiang Mai transportation consists of taxis, vans that are used as buses and scooters. Your best bet? Hire a scooter.
They are agile and small, and easy to drive. You can park anywhere and drive everywhere. Downside of course, is that in Chiang Mai at least, people do not follow the road rules. Which makes driving ridiculously terrifying. Luckily as we had rented a house out which had a car we could use and my brother had previous experience driving in Thailand, we were relatively safe and had little to worry about, transportation wise.
Royalty.
I can't say for Bangkok, but assuming it's pretty much the same, never have I seen so many images, shrines and dedications to the Thai royal family.
I mean they were literally everywhere.
By the side of the roads, by temples, and pictures of King or Queen are seen in abundance at places they have financially and politically supported.
one of the more stranger moments was when my siblings and I went to the cinema to watch the latest Star Wars movie. You have to stand and watch a commercial like video dedicated to the king before you can watch the movie. And to make sure everyone knows you're supposed to stand and pay respects, the first slide has instructions in multiple languages!
Honestly though, the video was not that bad, I certainly enjoyed how the pictures were changed by fading into or from drawings of the same image. It was pleasant to watch and see how this royal family interacts in it's own country.
This one's easy to answer. A Wat (although at times, can be VERY confusing) is a temple, and there are many based around Chiang Mai. *It's great for making terrible puns through out the day!*
Puns aside, if you actually appreciate history, and since I kinda of do, traveling around and viewing all the different styles and sizes of these Wats, just shows how different places are from one another, no matter how close they may be.
Food. Obviously.
The first real Thai food that I got to eat was on the night I arrived in Chiang Mai. My brother's (now) wife helped us try these egg noodles in a curry sauce with chicken (or beef in my case). If you don't know already, I don't eat any poultry, especially chicken (for various reasons), and I'm not a major fan of spicy food either. However I really enjoyed this noodle/curry dish, definitely a recommendation.
At traditional styled weddings, it is customary to have a large selection and amount of food for who ever may turn up. So I got to experience the famously called Old Ladies Market - so much delicious snack food eaten on banana leaf bowls, I really did not take advantage of that. And a specially ordered buffet of Thai food eaten with sticky rice (although we were given cutlery and plates).
On the 1st, my family and I went to an all you can eat buffet, which had food from all over the place, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, European, I certainly had my fill there. Next we moved to my brother's wife's family home, were I got to eat the freshest coconut and another full course of Thai food: beef curry, fried fish, sticky rice, and others that were delicious but have very little idea of there names.
(We got to end the day lighting lanterns for the new year and playing with fireworks!)
Markets.
There is a MASSIVE market in central Chiang Mai, which when at it's peak, you are pretty much squished and struggling to move. But the variety on things on sale was far greater than that of the Ladies Market in Hong Kong. Food, clothing, gifts, soap, paintings and artwork, all sorts of creations. Now that I look back, it was simple impressive.
I was able to see and experience so many different things for a tourist visiting Thailand, I loved most of the food I got to eat, seeing the various historical sites and major gardens (you know there is a banana that looks like a strawberry! Tastes pretty good too), going to a night safari for my 21st birthday, seeing the famous long neck women, the various markets, feeding and riding on an elephant and first holiday with the family abroad, celebrating the big event that was my brothers wedding.
