Chiang Mai - experience with all your senses

07.01.: Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and is located in the mountainous north of Thailand. We already spent a week here in 2013. A lot has changed since then... Most tourists move within the old city walls, which form a square. Our hotel is also located there - in the middle of the hotspot, so to speak, but relatively quiet. From there we can easily explore everything on foot.

You see a lot of tourists here, from very young to old (actually quite a few pensioners), many people traveling alone, both men and women. When you sit down somewhere, you always have something to look at - there is hardly a place in Thailand where the mix of people from all over the world can be seen so colorfully in a relatively small area.

There are now a lot of coffee bars here (just like in Bangkok), some of which are more modern than here, for example they work meticulously with cold brew infusions - at least for us coffee freaks everything is good here - the day can start with a good coffee :-) In the simpler parts of the country there is only Nescafé powder, if it comes up maybe a filter coffee from the machine (like on Ko Libong - I then strengthened it a bit with Nescafé powder...). You can also get delicious cakes here.

There are an abundance of weed shops here - you can buy and smoke marijuana everywhere. Also the right clothes... There are also a lot of new souvenir and clothing shops in the streets (we also did a little shopping) - there were also significantly fewer of these 11 years ago. Everything was a little more original. Chiang Mai is also the starting point for many trekking and adventure tours in the surrounding area, which is really beautiful. In 2013 we also spent a week traveling in the mountains in a rental car.

The city has many different wats (monasteries) - which are often very beautiful to look at, especially when illuminated at night. I'll add a few impressions - but you could easily fill an entire photo book with wonderful pictures...

Typical night markets here are often very crowded, crowded and colorful and challenge the senses with a flood of sounds, smells and colors.

Also new and an enrichment: the most delicious coconut ice cream with mango (!) refined with sea salt - super delicious... Available in many different small shops in the city center.

Here, too, there are always curiosities - for example, if the refrigerator breaks down, you simply put a fan in front of it... Whether that is so effective when the outside temperature is 30 degrees...

However, in the Hug Academy you don't learn how to hug, but rather it offers various dance workshops... And smoking hash is not welcome everywhere...