Chiang Mai Confidential: Our misadventures in northern Thailand
Chiang Mai Confidential: Our misadventures in northern Thailand
In this episode: Dodging mopeds and visiting temples (and a mall or two) in a remote part of Thailand (Recorded 8/18/2023 in Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Appears in this episode
Hello again from Northern Thailand!
We spent this week exploring the ancient city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. What an adventure (and, at times, misadventure).
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This week’s question: Have you ever stayed in a hotel that wasn’t a hotel? Maybe it was someone else’s home, a castle, or a hostel. I’d love to hear about your misadventures. Please leave a comment and we’ll read it — and respond — in our next podcast!
The temples here in Chiang Mai are showstoppers — one more spectacular than the next. We spent hours wandering around and taking pictures. (Pro tip: Don’t forget to take your shoes off before you enter a temple.)
Here’s the ancient wall surrounding the city. It takes about an hour to walk the perimeter, but there’s no consistent sidewalk, so you have to dodge mopeds and tuk-tuks. But it’s worth it.
This is the Ping River as seen from the Anantara Resort Chiang Mai. We spoke with an American expat from Oregon who has been coming here for the last three decades. He said parts of the city used to have dirt roads when he visited for the first time. Now, the riverfront has dozens of high-rise buildings. I guess that’s what you call progress.
Northern Thailand has been an unforgettable experience.
Don’t forget this week’s question: Have you ever stayed in a hotel that wasn’t a hotel?
Chiang Mai Confidential: Our misadventures in northern Thailand
Many years ago we traveled to England, Scotland and Amsterdam with our two daughters, then 9 & 14. We spent one night in a family's home that was a "castle stay" near Leeds. It was a wonderful visit, complete with a climb up to "the tower" from which we could see for miles. The pinnacle, however, was being awakened in the middle of the night during a huge rainstorm. As a side gig, the delightful couple raised pheasants and when it was cold and rainy, the babies would huddle together for warmth, often smothering each other. "Would you be willing to come out and help us separate the babies and keep them safe?" was the plea. You BET we would. We all hopped out of bed, headed for the barns, and spent the next several hours wrangling baby pheasants in all their adorability. We were treated to an extra special breakfast the next morning by our grateful hosts, but in truth, we should have cooked for them, as this moment elevated our trip from just a sightseeing tour to a lifetime memory. p.s. When our hosts cooked us a special meal, our place settings were enhanced by beautiful and tiny silver animals that were used to designate your place. We loved them and asked where they were from. We spent the rest of our time in England searching for and purchasing one for each of us -- including a pheasant. We now have one for every member of our 3 generation family and are a treasured family tradition at holidays and special events.
I’ve stayed in the usual places - hotels, castle hotels, B&B’s, Inns, Resorts, etc. One time in Ireland where we were staying at a B&B while visiting our parish priest from NJ. I somehow, broke this very cheap plastic toilet seat. I embarrassingly apologized profusely to the owner and offered to pay for it. He gave me a look and then said no because I was friends with “the priest” who was treated like a local celebrity. The priest and my family were good friends and he teased me unmercifully about this forever!