Becpowell's travel blogs:
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City of scooters and Package Deals
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Day 27 - Caught an early bus to Chiang Mai. I was a little sorry to leave Sukhothai as it was so friendly and endearing. The bus was air conditioned and I got a seat by the window for the 6 hour trip. However, there were so many people taking the trip that many had to stand in the aisle! People got on and off, but some stood the whole way! At one point there were three of us, me and two young men, sat on one seat! This bus didn't enjoy refreshments or toilet stops.
I picked the Eagle House 2 for accommodation as because of its central location, its cheap price and its good reputation for treks. They had a single room for a fan for 200 Baht per night and it even had its own bathroom, hot shower, a massive double bed and a nice garden restaurant downstairs. I went for a walk around the city and my first impressions are mixed - in the old city there's lots of little soi (streets) with guesthouses and restaurants nestled amongst they trees and it has a general relaxed feeling, however the people seem less amicable than elsewhere in Thailand and I suspect this is due to the large amount of tourism in the area - it's more of a package holiday with all guesthouses offereing standard trek deals over well trodden paths. The worst bit for me is the huge amount of traffic - especially on the road around the old city which is furious and non-stop - you can't even cross the road - how I miss the safety of pedestrian crossings!
Day 28 - I rented a bicycle to explore Chiang Mai - another classic upright style which are the most fun - this one even had a bell! On the other hand it was a heap of junk and I worried it wouldn't make it back by the end of the day! I enjoyed cycling around the soi of the old city and stopping at a few temples. The first, Wat Chiang Man is the oldest within the city walls and is really beautiful - there were very few people about so I could take lots of time looking at the murals which covered the inside walls. Wat Phra Singh is the main Wat in the centre of the city and despite being under restoration, the inside was, again, stunning and housed a bit gold seated buddha at the far end. It was great to see the Wats still being used and of importance in the present day and there were monks roaming around as I visited.
I wanted to cycle to a Wat a kilometre out of the city walls, but crossing that main road was just madness and decided I cared for my life too much and gave it a miss. Having seen another temple, Wat Chedi Luang which is an impressive remains of a Chedi that collapsed during an earthquake and has not been perfectly restored, thus showing the original ruins, I tried to cycle into the new city to Warorot Market. The traffic was insane and there were scooters everywhere, but I came across the market quite accidentally - thankfully! It seems motorcycles have replaced bicycles as the main mode of transport in Thailand, and this is most marked in Chiang Mai.
The market was really busy and exciting with lots of food stalls, flowers and fruit being sold. I wandered around but after an hour or so I'd had enough and needed a break from all the hustle and bustle. Unwilling to cycle any further I took my bicycle back in a sawngthaew and spent the afternoon taking it easy.
Before arriving my expectations of Chiang Mai were quite high as I'd heard great things about it. However, I found it stifling and infuriating, mostly because of all the scooters and also the Package Deal feel I got from the place and am thus keen to leave and travel more into the countryside.
Where I stayed:
Eagle House 2
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