Chiang Mai is the largest city in the North of Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province and one of the most visited cities in Thailand. If a crowded and noisy city doesn’t interest you at all and you’d rather be in a relaxed city surrounded by nature, Chiang Mai would be the best place for you.
I was privileged enough to travel to Chiang Mai this year to join a field trip as part of our school’s extra-curricular activities. Luckily, everything was free for me including the flight fare, accommodation (tents), food, etc. Because this trip wasn’t a trip I arranged myself, I didn’t explore the place like how I usually do when I travel to a new place. I want to share how the trip went and the activities that I did while in Chiang Mai.
It started upon our arrival at Chiang Mai International Airport from Bangkok very early in the morning. Our flight was at 6 in the morning so we had to wake up at 4.00 A.M. which was a struggle for me. I was impressed of Chiang Mai airport though it was nothing like the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok in terms of size. It was a small airport but a busy one. Lots of tourists and Thai people were busy doing their own thing. People are coming and going.
Flying to Chiang Mai in the morning
Then, we rode a bus which was already reserved for us to Chiang Dao, a subdistrict in Chiang Mai where we were going on camping. It took about 1 hour and a half to reach Chiang Dao. Once we were there, we set our tents and tried our best to survive without lights and internet. This was a nice experience for the students. They had to cook their own food using the ingredients given by the campsite staff. It felt like we had to go back to the life of the past and it was difficult at first.
Bus waiting for us.
Tents are set and ready for the entire camping week.
For one, the temperature could drop to less than 10 degrees Celcius at night. Considering that I was not used to that kind of weather, it was tough for me at night. I would wake up and tried to sleep again. My feet would go numb of cold even with socks on it.
The cold in the morning is grueling. The tents are covered with fog.
The second point was that there was no internet nor cellphone signal. With the current lives that we’re living in, being dependent on our phones and internet dominated our once simple lives. But because there were no distractions, I was happy to be spending my time talking and making new friends.
Look at there greenery creation. It looks beautiful and very natural.
Lastly, what I loved the most on this trip were the outdoor activities that we did. Being surrounded by nature, we easily appreciated and enjoyed the view around us. Aside from the basic life skills that I learned, it also gave me the experience to try other things especially the rock climbing activity. It was very exciting for me to climb an actual rock with different formations. I am proud to say that I did try almost all of them on my first real rock climbing experience.
Rock climbing- Easy level
Doing community service involved physical labor under the heat of the sun.
Campfire at night gives us a more authentic feeling of camping on the mountain.
This Chiang Mia camping trip is one of my favorite camping experiences that I would say I felt as I was back to the past life. This trip taught me to appreciate the little things more and be happy with the simple life that you were given.
Indeed, it was an awesome camping!
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A CM local stumbled upon your blog. After reading the post I’m glad to know that overall you seems to be happy with your trip. Anyway sorry for any incoveneince you might encounter while living/traveling here, not just in CM but in TH.
Too bad you haven’t explore CM. Please take my comment as an invitation for your next trip in the future.
CM is one of the tourist destination of TH. Ther are lots of tourists/expats here. But they are different from those who go to beach. They are not party-goer. More laid back and artisttic type if you ask. Some blog I’ve read said CM would be loved by girls. Somehow I agree.
Time best time to visit CM (and other northern provinces) is winter. Avoid summer since there will be haze. Although the situation is better ecah year, still not as good as it should be.
A little info very few outside TH know. There is a yearly tradition for Chiang Mai University students esp. freshmen which was practiced since it was established in 1964. On any specific day, students will walk 14 kms (including the path in the campus) up the road to Doi Suthep to pay respect for the temple up there. There’s only one rule: leave no man behind. If you friend is tired, you have to help. If your friend is disabled person, you have to push his/her wheel chair. If you friend cannot walk, you have to carry him/her.
The ceremony gain more and more attention countywide each year. Below are some clips/news from the past 2 years trekking. Also a blog by a tourist.
http://wander-lush.org/chiang-mai-university-doi-suthep-temple-thailand/
https://www.facebook.com/teammorchor/videos/481998295506680/
https://youtu.be/tAeuN8t7tP4
https://youtu.be/EKoYxSDQKdc (For this vid you can hit Cc for subtitle)
https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/advanced/1084301/shorty-the-dog-leads-chiang-mai-university-up-doi-suthep
If you want to joy, you can do as an onlooker. Problem is that they usually announce only 1 months before the trekking, which usually be on the second week of September. If you are free on that time and if you are intrested, feel free to come.
There are more of events in CM, say, NAP (Nimmanhaemin Art & design Promenade), Sawasdee Craft, etc. Or you might interested to take the pictures of Wild Himalayan Cherry or นางพญาเสือโคร่ง (Nangpaya Sue Krong) in Thai, which is sought after by many Thai photographers. Just type or copy and paste on google for pictures and info of them.
TH is not different from every places. We are just a small country which have good and bad things, also good and bad people. Hope you see the first ones wherever you go. But please don’t expect much from us. You know the level of disappointment depends on the level of expectation.
Sorry for any typos. I always do them. Be our guest again any time.