• Getting to Chiang Mai and around
• Chiang Mai City transportation

There’s also a guide to Pai that I forgot to mention earlier, a neat little city pretty close to Chiang Mai and worth checking out.

Enjoy!

Tuk-tuk

Although tuk-tuk seems to mean ‘cheap-cheap’, they’re not really the cheapest way to go (check out the red busses information, below). But they can be pretty convenient if you’re in an hurry, or stuck after a night out.

You will have to bargain, and do it before entering the vehicle. It will end up being more expensive than any songtaew (the triple of the price, or more). But they’re fast and mostly reliable.

Oh! If there are a few of you inside, it may turn less expensive than spending 20bht/each on the songtaew. Check it out.

Red bus (or songtaew)

The cheapest way to go!

It works a little like the tuk-tuks: a driver will stop on customer’s demand anywhere in the city – the big difference is that you won’t be the only one inside (or you may be, at certain hours, but it’s quite rare).
Depending on where you’re heading, and on where all the other customers inside are heading, he will accept to take you or not. He will then drive everybody to the right place. A ride with songtaew will be often longer than with a tuk-tuk, due to the many people to take to different locations, of course.

If you stay inside the moat (city center), you will pay 20bht. Outside, the prices are at the discretion of the driver and/or you: up to you if you want to bargain. By night, it’s the same: prices will vary. If you’re all alone in the bus and you’re heading to some place that is not likely to bring any other customer to the driver, he’ll also probably charge more too. A ride to the airport, bus/train station usually costs 50bht.

At a certain time of the night, they may not be a lot of red busses around.

Taxi

Soon.

Renting a motorbike

The traffic jam in the city, at certain hours/days/spots could be a little bit daunting or scary at first, but believe me, you’ll get quickly used to it considering the ease and pleasure of having your own transportation mean.

You can rent a motorbike in Chiang Mai for a more than fair price (from 150bht/day for a semi-automatic 145cc, to 1’000+bht/day for a huge biker toy). There are few chances that they will ask you for a driver’s licence… but the police could, of course.

You will find plenty of rental shops in the center of Chiang Mai.

International Chiang Mai Airport

Welcome to CNX! You can fly to Chiang Mai, or to anywhere from Chiang Mai (Bangkok, or the islands, for example) pretty easily. Internal and international flights tend to be quite cheap: AirAsia and other low-cost companies have routes at least to Bangkok, where any destination you could dream of is available.

Trains and busses

Chiang Mai public transportation is straight-forward and the offer is wide: you won’t get lost. It is really simple to route from Chiang Mai to anywhere in Thailand or in the border countries (i.e. Laos, Cambodia, Burma, etc) by combining busses, boats, trains… or booking a full tour at any travel agency (which will be more expensive than doing it all by youserlf, of course).

Roadtrips

Yup, northern Thailand is just perfect for roadtrips, be it by motorbike or by car.
For more information on renting your motorbike, check out the Chiang Mai city transportation page.

From Chiang Mai, you have easy access to…

• to all the most beautiful Northern Thailand cities, as Pai (check the mini-guide)!, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son…
• to adventure: there’s plenty of play space for dirt-bikes, through the jungle and the villages!
• to the beautiful Issan region (north-eastern Thailand)
• to the natural heart of Thailand, check out this satellite map of Chiang Mai: it’s so green around! Jungle, national parks, mountains, rivers, tons of waterfalls and hilltribe villages…

The food market of this shopping mall is -awesome- plenty of stuff to watch (because it would require a life to try everything) and to pick, of course. Noodles, foods, snacks, sweets, for a really convenient price (cheap)!

There are also the common brand venues (Mac Donald’s, KFC, etc) inside the mall and nice other small restaurants. You can’t possibly get bored inside.

Shopping

There’s literally everything inside – from renowned brands, to less common thai boutiques. It all comes with a price, of course – but heck, if you’re heading to a shopping mall… Clothing, electronics, toys, artisanal goods… You can even shop for your new residence (true!)

Other services

Most banks, telephony, etc. brands are to be found inside. There are also pharmacies, hairdressers, salons and… cosmetic chirurgy booths

Meanwhile you can check this nice calendar:

http://www.thaiworldview.com/feast/feast.htm

The city of Pai, in the northern Thailand, is pretty well-known by tourists (be it thai people or foreigners) and can get quite packed during high season… but is usually pretty laid-back and quiet.

Pai is sympathetic city, full of resources, especially when the night comes. There’s an interesting (and always crowded) market every night on the main streets, that are turned into walking streets.

There are lots of going out venues, bars with extremely different moods and styles, very close to each other… which makes the city perfect for a colorful bar-hopping night.

Pai is quite chilly, especially at night! Take a warm jacket with you… or warm yourself at one of the many bonfires that you will be able to find in most of the open-air bars.

Check out my map of points of interest in Pai, Thailand

Nature around Pai

Bar-hopping

Here’s how I do it!

• Let’s start at Riverside which (as its name stands for) sits on the border of the river, in a very quiet and cosy environment: you sit on cushions on the floor, or around one of the several bonfires. There’s ambient, electronical sweet music and if you’re lucky you’ll be able to attend a nice fireshow performance.
• Then hop on to Lun Laa Bar, which offers a nice selection of live music (thai, rock, reggae usually) and has the friendliest staff around.
• Continue to the Bebop, at the entrance of the city – where locals have loads of fun on old school rythms (80′s), rock, reggae or thai music (this is, to date, one of the most renowned bars in Pai).
• End up either at the Bamboo Bar, or at the Don’t Cry Bar, or at both – there’s direct neighbors anyway. Enjoy the bonfires, and excellent thai food at Bamboo Bar. It seems to me that those are the longest-lasting open places in town, so tourists and locals meet up there at the end of their journey.

Muangpang hotsprings

Pai and around

By day, Pai’s sight-seeing is quite quickly done… But the nature around offers tons of possible escapes! You can go get yourself lost in the streets, find yourself next to a ricefield, or one of the many natural hotsprings, a green valley (for example, at Muangpang)… Or you can head to the Pai Canyon, where you can play climbing (watch out, it’s very high and steep) and enjoy an amazing sunset with the many locals.

Pai Canyon

Accommodation in Pai

Accommodation prices vary a lot also – they can get from simple to triple through high season in the same resort.

There are several resorts offering bamboo bungalows for a more than reasonable price. They offer all comfort, including a private hot shower, but can it can be quite chilly at night.

I tried two places over there:

• Don’t Cry Bungalows: far enough but close enough to the mumbling of the city, they’re built in the middle of the rice fields, therefore they are really quiet. Expect to pay between 250 and 350bht per night and per bungalow.
• Baan Tawaan: this is more of a classy resort, huge rooms with air-con, private shower, sparkling clean and cosy bed, terrace… Although prices are reasonable during low season (350/450bht per room and per night) they can go to triple during high season. This may be, though, a good alternative for those looking for more comfort.

How to reach Pai?

• By bus | You can buy a ticket everyday at the bus station or through a tourism agency. Be aware that sometimes busses may be full, so you better make a reservation a little bit in advance. It takes around 3:30/4 hours to reach Pai.
• By motorbike | Seriously, it’s a ton of fun! There are 746 curves on the way to Pai. Just rent yourself a motorbike for a few days (150/250bht per day in Chiang Mai) and enjoy! It will take you around 3:30/4 hours to reach the city if you take your time and drive safely. If you speed up like crazy you can do it in 2:30, too.
• By car | (same same, but different)
• By dirt-bike | Yep, you can do it the adventure way! Book a motocross tour around and reach Pai through the jungle and the villages. I can guarantee you tons of adrenaline and good feelings… but also a big pain in the arse after your first day ride :p

• Learn about the wai (thai greeting)
• You’re not required to wai everybody (public places like shops, airport, etc = not necessary) but if somebody wai’s you, be sure to wai back.
• The older the person you’re greeting, the higher the wai: the highest spot is your finger tips slightly above your nose tip… higher, it’s for monks & bouddha – on your chest for kids (though not necessary)
• If you can do it, be sure your head is always lower than a monk’s head, or than a bouddha statue’s head
• Don’t show the palm of your feet to anybody, it’s considered to be one of the worst insults
• Don’t use your feet to move stuff around
• Try not to point to people with one finger (it’s better to use your whole palm)
• Thai people use chopsticks… but usually only for noodle soups/salads! For regular food they use spoon and fork – use the spoon with your main hand.
• Never pass above somebody else (or somebody else’s body parts). If you don’t have enough space to go somewhere without passing above somebody else’s feet, don’t: ask for permission and they will move their feet.
• Be patient – they rarely count in minutes in Thailand. If you asked for a service of any kind, be ready to wait for it (it is also quite common to be late on appointements).
• If you hear the King’s anthem and see thai people stand up, stop what you’re doing and stand up too. It’s not about politics and you’re free to agree/consider it or not – but understand that everyone is really fond of the King over here, and they have very good reasons too: it’s just a way to show your respect.
• Don’t go around semi-naked. Wear a t-shirt. It is OK to wear short pants, mini-gowns, etc. but remember: it’s just like at home, every attire is good in the right circumstances. If you go out in classy night clubs or venues, consider putting a little effort in the way you dress up: even though your money has a better value than the one of Thailand doesn’t mean you can behave like you’re on a beach.
• Thai people consider an older person owns more respect than a younger one. So they use the prefix P (pronounce pee) before the names. I.e. Pee June. If you use it, it will be appreciated. You can refer to young ones as Non. I.e. Non June. At a restaurant, you can call the waiter pee kaa/krup (check the basic thai vocabulary page for an explanation). If you’re not sure if a person is older than you, choose pee.
• Don’t go around laughing at transvestites (referred as ladyboys). Be kind to them as you would be to any other human being.
• Don’t go too close to monks if you’re a woman. Let space for them to walk on narrow sidewalks and avoid sitting next to them in busses. A monk is not allowed to touch a woman, also.
• Although it may seem weird, don’t throw used paper in the toilet: use the bin or you’ll end up with a stuck toilet.

This family of travelers (Got Passport) wrote a very nice article about basic respect when travelling: Be a gracious guest, not a pest

Not only it is invaded by colorful goods and people, but also by both locals & tourists: it is crowded and can also get quite packed. It is nice to wander around the streets and look for nice stuff to take back home, but the reason I love this market is the food.

Food courts

There are several food courts.

My favorite is the one at the entrance of the market on Ratpakinai Rd (enter from the north side!): you will find there lots delicious stands of thai goodies, but also a few ‘restaurants’ where you can sit on very low tables while eating a good soup. A few examples of what you can find: chicken with honey, yum (has to be one of the best chickens in town , cheap sushis, different rolls – rotees – gyozas – samosas, sweets, barbecue, etc.

There is another very good food court, around a temple (although I don’t remember the name of it, sorry!). They have thai, vegetarian, but also delicious indian food – and a cool recycling center.