Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [237]
So much merit-making works up the appetite, but you’re a little far from the city’s main rice breaks. Instead you can use this opportunity to indulge your wheat tooth by turning right on Th Wiang Kaew and taking another right on Th Phra Pokklao to reach Amazing Sandwich (5; Click here), a popular expat anti-dote to rice. Head south on Th Phra Pokklao and turn right at Th Ratwithi where you can nod to the Anusawari Sam Kasat (6; Click here), the Three Kings Monument, on your way to the informative and air-conditioned Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre (7; Click here).
* * *
WALK FACTS
Start Wat Phra Singh
Finish Chiang Mai Women’s Prison
Distance 2.5km
Duration Two to three hours
* * *
If your feet are aching, carry on along Th Ratwithi until you reach Chiang Mai Women’s Prison, where you’ll find the Chiang Mai Women’s Prison Massage Centre (8; Click here). Don’t attempt to enter the prison itself (unless you have something to confess!) but go to the building on the south side of the road with the ‘Prison Shop’ sign.
ACTIVITIES
Chiang Mai is truly new millennial with its selection of adventure tours. The surrounding mountains, rivers and byways now boast a new wave of adrenaline sports that have begun to eclipse the traditional trekking tour. If you’re more of a do-gooder than a go-getter, consider volunteering at one of Chiang Mai’s many NGO-run English-language schools; Click here.
Return to beginning of chapter
Canopy Tours
Flight of the Gibbon (08 9970 5511; www.treetopasia.com; Mae Kampong; tours from 2000B) is a new adventure outfit in Chiang Mai operating a zipline through the forest canopy some 1300m above sea level. Nearly 2km of wire with 18 staging platforms follow the ridgeline and mimic the branch-to-branch route a gibbon might take down the mountain. You can also tack on a waterfall hike or an overnight at a homestay in Mae Kampong (Click here), a pretty high-altitude village an hour’s drive east from Chiang Mai.
* * *
THE FRESHMEN MARCH
At the start of every academic year in July, the freshman class from Chiang Mai University makes the annual pilgrimage on foot to Wat Suthep. It is a long-time tradition that fills the winding mountain road with close to 10,000 exuberant students and faculty members. The purpose of the trek is to introduce the new students to the spirit of the city, believed to reside in the mountain, and to make merit to the revered Buddha relic at Wat Suthep. But it is also a chance for the students to introduce themselves to each other and make friends that might last a lifetime.
* * *
The company has some ambitious conservation goals, including donating 10% of its profit to forest restoration projects at the zipline site and working to develop a healthy habitat for a small population of macaque monkeys.
Cycling, Mountain Biking & Motorcycling
The countryside and mountains surrounding Chiang Mai are exceptional for two-wheeled outings. The city’s closest green space, Doi Suthep (Click here) is gaining its own fame for off-road mountain biking. For motorcyclists and long-distance cyclists, the Mae Sa–Samoeng loop (Click here) is the closest and most stunning escape into the mountains. Chiang Mai is also an easy town to scoot around on a bicycle or a motorcycle; see Getting Around (Click here) for tips on hiring your own two-wheeled chariot.
Chiang Mai Mountain Biking (Map; 08 1024 7046; www.mountainbikingchiangmai.com; 1 Th Samlan; tours from 1450-1550B)