Chiangmai Day1 : Don Mueang Airport - Chiang Mai Airport - B2 Nimman Santitham Hotel - Steak meet love - Somphetch Jok Chiangmai Day2 : Thick Noodle Soup (Three Kings Monument) - Worshiping Phra Kru Ba Srivichai - Doi Suthep Temple - Chedi Luang Temple - Lunch at Chiang Mai University - Khantoke Dinner - Warm Up - Midnight Fried Chicken
Chiangmai Day2 : Khao Soi (Aun Sao Worawihan Temple) - Pay respect to Kru Ba Srivichai - Doi Suthep Temple - Chedi Luang - Lunch at Chiang Mai University - Khantoke Dinner - Warm up - Midnight Fried Chicken
Chiangmai Day3 : Khao Soi Samoei - Flying Squirrels - Nimmanhamin Curry Chicken - Curry Noodles - Wualai Walking Street - Myst (Maya)
Chiangmai Day4 : Buffet Khanom Jeen Baan Jed Yod - Chiangmai Zoo Aquarium - The Bistrorante - TCDC (Chiang Mai) - Miyazaki (Maya) - Chiang Mai Airport - Don Mueang Airport
On the second morning, I decided to revisit a favorite crispy pork restaurant from my previous trip, "Kway Chap Nam Khon Anu Sawari Sam Kasat."
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The shop is located in the moat area. The name comes from the fact that the shop is located near the Three Kings Monument. This shop has both Kuay Chap and crispy pork, but I prefer to eat crispy pork. More importantly, if I eat both, I'm sure I won't be able to finish it because the food here is very large.
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The crispy pork rice here costs 60 baht, while the kway chap costs 50 baht. I recommend ordering both if you're with more than one person and trying them both, as I personally think both dishes are delicious.
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After finishing the crispy pork rice, I crossed the road to pay respects at the Three Kings Monument for good luck both during my trip to Chiang Mai and after returning to Bangkok.
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Next to the Three Kings Monument is the Chiang Mai Arts and Cultural Center, but I didn't go in. I just walked in to have a look and asked for the ticket price. The art center consists of 3 buildings. If you only want to see one building, you can buy a ticket for 20 baht, but if you want to see all 3 buildings, you will pay a total of 40 baht for the ticket.
After that, we got in the car and headed to Doi Suthep. The day we went was a Friday, so there weren't many cars, making for a comfortable drive. If you can, it's best to come on a weekday. At the bottom of Doi Suthep, we saw a shrine to the monument of Kru Ba Srivichai, the man who initiated the construction of the road up to Doi Suthep. You can park your car and pay your respects to him for good luck. This area is also where the red trucks park that will take tourists who didn't bring their own car up to Doi Suthep.
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After paying respects to Kru Ba Srivichai, we drove up to Doi Suthep. Along the way, there is a rest stop with a pavilion where you can sit and relax. You can buy water and snacks here. Most importantly, the view from here is beautiful. If you go on a day with little smoke, you can see a clear view of Chiang Mai city. It takes about 10 minutes to drive from the bottom to the rest stop, and another 10 minutes to drive to the top of Doi Suthep.
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The parking area at Doi Suthep is located on the side of the road. Find an empty space and park your car. Don't forget to place a wooden block or rock behind your wheels, as sometimes the handbrake alone is not enough to prevent the car from rolling down and hitting the car below.
There are two ways to get to Doi Suthep: walk or take the lift. I chose to take the lift, which costs 20 baht. Be sure to keep your ticket if you want to take the lift back down after you've finished praying.
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The stairs leading up to Doi Suthep Pagoda have over 300 steps. If you're feeling fit, give it a try!
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After climbing up to Doi Suthep, there is a path for us to walk around the chedi three times clockwise while chanting the Katha Bucha. In my heart, I also prayed for good things that I wanted. On the way down, I walked down the stairs and saw children dressed in hill tribe clothes standing there. I passed by shops selling snacks and souvenirs, but I didn't buy anything because I was very hungry and wanted to go down to have lunch.
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After leaving Phra That Doi Suthep, we didn't go straight to a restaurant because we had to pay our respects at Wat Chedi Luang first. All three places I wanted to visit were close together: Phra That Doi Suthep, Wat Chedi Luang, and Chiang Mai University, where I planned to grab something to eat.
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The reason I chose to come and pay respect at Wat Chedi Luang is because it is said that this chedi has a similar design to the Mahabodhi Stupa in Bodh Gaya, India, which is a stupa that people born in the year of the horse should visit. Since I was born in the year of the horse, I came to pay respect here as well.
After that, we went to find something to eat at Chiang Mai University. Let's take a look at the atmosphere at Chiang Mai University. How is it? Then we went to eat at the cafeteria here. The price of rice here is really cheap. Steamed chicken rice mixed with fried chicken is sold for only 25 baht. It's very cheap. After that, we walked to the Faculty of Social Sciences, where there is a cafeteria and a shaved ice shop called "Sai Nom". We sat there for a while before heading back to the city.
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After settling back at the hotel for a bit, I had an appointment to go eat "Khantoke dinner at the Chiang Mai Cultural Center" for dinner. When you come to Chiang Mai, you can't miss the local food, so I decided to try it for a meal. There are actually many Khantoke dinners in Chiang Mai, but the most famous and well-known one is the one at the Chiang Mai Cultural Center.
The Chiang Mai Cultural Center is located on Thanon Thippanet, not far from Thanon Wua Lai and the city moat. It is easily accessible by red songthaew. There is parking available inside the center. Most of the tourists who come here are foreigners who arrive in vans.
Before entering the dining room, there will be a place to leave your shoes. We have to take off our shoes before entering. When we enter the dining room, which is called "Sala", we will see a stage in the middle. After we have finished eating, there will be a local performance, including various forms of dance, for us to watch on this stage.
The food is served on a "khantoke," a traditional northern Thai dining table. There are nine dishes in total: nam phrik num (green chili dip), nam phrik ong (tomato chili dip), crispy pork skin, fried chicken, crispy noodles, fried vegetables, stir-fried vegetables, gaeng hang lay (northern Thai curry), and fresh vegetables. You can choose between white rice or sticky rice.
After finishing the main course, the restaurant will serve fruits and desserts. You can choose between tea or coffee to finish your meal. All food is buffet style, so you can ask for refills until you are full. The taste is not too strong because there are many foreign tourists who come to eat.
The highlight of the show was definitely the performances. The first act was a series of traditional Thai dances performed on a central stage. I was lucky enough to be seated at one of the best tables, right in the middle and directly facing the stage. There were only two tables in this position, so I had an up-close view of the performance and could really feel the passion of the dancers.
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After the first performance on stage was finished, there was a second performance on the outdoor stage. The layout of the outdoor stage was similar to a theater, with chairs surrounding the stage. The performance during this time was a cultural performance by various ethnic groups. The performers were actually members of the ethnic groups, which made the performance even more interesting.
The all-inclusive ticket price is 520 baht per person, which is very affordable for such a great experience, especially for a show of this quality.
At night, we went to Warm-up, a popular nightclub in Chiang Mai, and then had midnight fried chicken after the club closed today. Then we went back to the hotel to sleep to save energy for playing Flying squirrels tomorrow.
Pongthorn Kaojai Laohavilai
Friday, July 5, 2024 2:09 PM