Chiang Mai Design Week: A City Not New, But Modern Like No Other

This review is a bit special, as it's about a trip I took just last week. It was a trip during the festival season, when everyone seems to be heading to Chiang Mai. If you're looking to eat, have fun, and enjoy yourself during this festive season, come along with us on our trip!

Take a 3-day break and find your perfect getaway from December 5th to 7th with Muang Di Shine.

Chiang Mai is a province that we have visited many times, but we have never been in the city center. Every time we come, we go out to the suburbs.

Everyone's gone up the mountain. Alright, this time we'll explore Chiang Mai city.

The first thing that comes to mind is the journey itself. I received an invitation from Nokair to try flying with the "Nok Proud", a brand new aircraft that was just launched. It's a Nokscoot Boeing 777-200 with 415 seats, which has been added to a route that is currently very popular, such as Chiang Mai. So we got to try it out. But since we were already flying, we decided to take a trip to Chiang Mai in a way we've never tried before.

The interior is quite spacious, with seats arranged in 3 rows of 3-4-3 configuration. The window seats have three seats, while the middle section has four. Initially, I thought my knees would be touching the seat in front, but that wasn't the case. The seats are much wider than I expected, and I could stretch my legs comfortably. I was so tired that I fell asleep before the plane even took off from Don Mueang.

Let me give you some background. I work in animation and I absolutely love design.

Coincidentally, from December 5th to 7th, there are many festivals in Chiang Mai, so much so that it can be called a design festival city.

Our 3-day travel plan that meets our design needs is as follows for 3 days.

Day 1, December 5th

Royal Flora Ratchaphruek

The Nap Design Market, where I spent a lot of money.

Let's stop by and walk around to watch the fireworks at Maya. That's what Chiang Mai people call it.

Stroll through the Art scene Market

December 6th

Today, we intentionally went out to find some peace and quiet at the temple. We chose...

Wat Umong and spend time with a mellow coffee shop at Baan Kang Wat

And we ended the day with a thrilling festival.

International Balloon Festival Huay Luek (Balloon Festival 2014)

Stroll along the Wualai Walking Street

The last day is December 7th.

Dive into the world of TCDC, a community-driven showcase festival.

And today was a fun day with many impressive stories to take home in big piles.

After arriving in Chiang Mai early in the morning, we checked into our accommodation to drop off our heavy luggage.

We booked accommodation near Wan Lai Road, Wua Lai Soi 2. The accommodation is a hostel with shared rooms. The price is only 250 baht per person per night. It's very cheap!

This room has a private bathroom. We opened the room to find two bunk beds, totaling four beds. There were three of us: my senior, me, and my junior.

This type of room, if we check in and there are still empty beds, it is possible that we will have more roommates. It has its pros and cons, in terms of privacy.

But it's very worthwhile compared to the price. We focus on traveling and going out more than the accommodation, which is ranked second for my trip. As shown in the picture.

After we finished packing, we headed to the World Horticultural Exhibition.

For those visiting Chiang Mai for the first time, you may be wondering how to get around.

We have a guide who is a volunteer and has been helping me throughout the journey.

We walked out to the front of the alley and hailed a taxi. The taxis were available in two colors, red and yellow (I'm talking about the taxis, haha). We hailed a red taxi that ran within the city and negotiated a fixed price. I remember the price was 200 baht for 3 people. Another reason we went to this event was because everyone on the Nok Air flight we took got a free ticket to the event.

Upon entering the event, we took a stroll around the various zones, including the orchid zone, the self-sufficiency economy zone, the groundwater zone, and the insect zone. The garden is quite extensive, so there is a tram service available for a flat rate of 20 baht per person. Each tram has a Thai guide who provides commentary at various points and allows us to disembark and explore the zones. The trams stop at stations in front of each zone every 15 minutes. We have brought you a lot of pictures. The flowers here look like artificial flowers, they are so beautifully fresh!

We were a little disappointed with the walk here. We were hoping for cold weather, but it turned out to be so hot that we were sweating. But the weather like this makes for some beautiful photos.

We had been wandering around since morning, but when we checked the time again, it was already afternoon. So we decided to go find something cool to eat on the famous Nimmanhaemin Road.

555 Upon arrival, we had to visit Ai Noh's Iberry shop, located in Nimmanha Soi.... We stopped by for ice cream and desserts. This place has become a landmark for both Thai and foreign travelers. When we went, there were only 2 Thai tables besides us, the rest were packed with Chinese guests. In front, there is a large pink doll for taking pictures. As for the taste, it is delicious, well-balanced, and there are many flavors to choose from (I didn't try them all). As for the price, it is normal, not too high. If anyone comes to Chiang Mai, try stopping by for a taste.

After that, we went to the design market. This event is held every year and is called Nap. Not only people from Chiang Mai come to set up booths, but also people from Bangkok and Khon Kaen. It is a medium-sized event, but it is full of shops that make you want to spend money, and I ended up spending a lot of money as well.

We walked in and immediately fell in love with this bag. It's tempting us to spend money. It means, "Go for it!"

This is making me want to spend money again, ugh.

That's not all, there's a lot more. We'll keep you updated.

Next to the nap event, there is another event called Art scene Marker or the Art Market. It is located next to the Maya Department Store. There is a booth of a writer I admire, so I stopped by to say hello and ask for an autograph.

This is a very cute cake shop.

Cute, huh? Let me have a piece.

The atmosphere at the event made me spend money again.

Today we ended the day with Father's Day fireworks at Maya. It's a bit strange here that they set off fireworks in the middle of the city, but I forgot to bring a tripod so my hands were a little shaky.