💎 Hidden gems remaining: 6
A very western city at first glance contains various McDonald's and KFC restaurants. Other than that, it is pretty Thai. The old city centre is almost perfectly square-shaped with a river flowing next to ancient wall remnants as the boundary, which makes navigation incredibly simple – just follow the compass in your head. Cultural tradition is vibrant. You can also find natural nature spots, however.
If we drove from Chiang Mai to Pai and wanted to go back to Chiang Mai, you can only guess the route was entirely the same, so we can spare you the details about the fast and furious ride. Žan had less problems this time, thanks to the day-time ride, however.
Upon arrival to the main bus station, we tried our best to locate a public "Smart bus" we had read about online, but failed massively. We had already spent over an hour walking under the burning sun when we finally gave up and took a ride with a Songthaew. Those are local taxis with a fixed fare of 30 Bahts inside the city and 40 Bahts outside the city so make sure they don't try to scam you - the fare is well written on the roof of every red truck. He had dropped us at the nearby Wat, from where we located our accommodation - the KAYAN hostel.
The old city measures only 1 square kilometre, making it an ideal half or full-day attraction. Packed with many different temples and a quiet, well-maintained public park it has a lot to offer for such a small area. You do not need to have a plan ready. Just head in any direction until you reach the border, then turn in another direction and repeat. You will find many hidden spots on the way, should you wish to visit them.
We do strongly recommend planning a stop in the park in the southwest corner of the city. You will be offered anything from shade, open-air gym and benches around the lake to the botique coffee shop. Rest your feet before continuing your exploration for the ultimate satisfaction.
What a mess
Trying to give lectures in the park
Only taking a rest
Harmonious colors in the temple
We have to admit we had omitted a teeny-tiny Thai detail. We met with our friends travelling Thailand as well and went for a drink. And this is when an idea emerged. Friend Jon managed to dig out an interesting show taking place just that weekend - Drag show. So we seized the opportunity.
On the day of the show, just as we had wanted to depart, a monsoon rain started - of course. So we waited patiently as there was no need for us to arrive so early. Or so we thought. Once the rain subsided half an hour later, we departed. Since the venue was just outside the old city, we went by foot. When we arrived, the show was already in full bloom. We were seated in the very first row - VIP seats gang. But unfortunately as soon as we got our drinks, the first part of the show ended and half an hour of break was announced. So we waited patiently for the show to continue. And oh boy was it worth it. Afterall, the first row did not turn out so VIP, as we were involved in literally every intermezzo. Still, we were very pleased with how it turned out.
One spray remaining
This one had been sitting on our schedules since the beginning of the trip and it was only a matter of time when it would be realised. And we thought, what a better place than Chiang Mai with its famous Khao Soi dish. Accompanied by our friends, we booked a class with Organic Smile farm.
In the morning, we were picked up in front of our hostel. Picking up other people, we tried to guess which country they originated from. We were mostly on spot, as figured out later. After the succesful pickups, the first thing on the list was the visit of a local market (the one where every restaurant picks up the goods). We were explained the basics of ingredients and given some free time to shop for our breakfast. After that, we departed for a distant farm where the class was held.
We took a half-day class, which included preparing of the curry paste and 4 dishes (one from each of the big areas of the cousine). The first dish was prepared with joined forces. Famous spring rolls were to be cooked. We made the filling together and proceeded to fold it into a beautiful roll on our own. From the classic stir-fired category, we chose the famous Pad Tai and Fried Basil. We won't go into details as this is something to be experienced on your own, but let's just say that the procedure is not a tad as difficult as it seems - it just takes someeee preparation. We were given time to eat those two dishes afterwards to satisfy our rumbling stomachs.
Mortar and pestle
To get an insight into why everyone is so thin and healthy, we explored the garden. Some plants there were, hmm, quite unexpected #Amsterdam. By the way, there's something called that is said to relieve the spiciness. With newly gained knowledge began our next journey: pestling the green and red curry pastes with a mortar. This approach is better than using a food processor, similarly to how grinding wallnuts the traditional way is better than mixing them.
Fast forward, we used the pastes to make Khao Soi and Massaman curry. Then we boiled Hot and Creamy Soup with Prawn and Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup. At the end, we ate everything. Thanks to the portion sizes, we did not require any more food until twilight.
There's a cooking station for everyone
The garden
Pad Thai, Fried Basil and Autumn Rolls
Quite a long drive to the top, there's a hilltop with a view. Or so we were told. A taxi will charge you 200 Baht/person, but you might get a red truck for 80 Bahts combined (30 to the zoo, then 50 to the top – the latter only if you can await the truck to fill up).
As we were travelling off-season, we threw in the towel while waiting for 8 more tourists at the zoo station. There's a very nice park nearby. At first, we wanted to reach the accumulation lake, but were unsuccessful due to a barbed wire. Instead, we went to a university campus, not knowing the lake was a part of it. A short walk around gave as a rough idea of their student lives. We also managed to ruin some photos for their new merchandise. It was unintentional, we promise!!! (No, seriously, it was unintentional)
A winding road through the park
We will be short this time around as you are probably all wet from those gorgeous photos from the cooking class. We ate a lot of authentic Thai cuisine. There were two new dishes though. One of them is particularly special to the Chiang Mai as they say you had not been truly in here if you have not tried it. We are speaking about Khao Soi, special curry soup with two types of noodles inside, fried and boiled. The former add to the crispiness and the latter to the nutrition. We tried it in the cozy ambient of the 9 Siblings restaurant. 100% recommend.
The other one was a jelly and chewy combination of various seafood from a resturant from out hostel. There are no other good words to describe it. Not our favourite though.
Khao Soi in the 9 Siblings restaurant