Chiang Mai: Getting There and Day 1 (Old City and Night Bazaar).

The Summervilles are in Chiang Mai for seven days (then on to Singapore). Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand and by some measures the second largest city in all of Thailand (the largest being Bangkok, of course). Chiang Mai is located in Chiang Mai Province near the Burmese border. Northern Thailand is much more mountainous than the flat coastal provinces and full of jungle.

Chiang Mai is the former capital of the kingdom of Lanna and was founded in 1296. The city lies on the Ping River, a tributary of the Chao Phraya, which flows south through Bangkok. The city center is the “old city.” The “old city” is a small square in the center of the larger metropolitan area. The old city was once surrounded by a square brick wall and a moat with four huge wooden entrance gates along each side. The defensive perimeter was built to protect the city from neighboring kingdoms of Burma and the Mongols. Now all that remains of the outter city boundary is the moat, some of the wall and the large ancient gate structures. The city is full of old temples and is heavily frequented by backpackers–who typically arrive by train and stay in one of the many hostels located throughout the city.

We decided we would also take the train. We booked second class tickets on the overnight sleeper about a week ago (first and second class tickets must be booked no less than 4 days before a trip and no more than 6 months out). The tickets entitled us to three bunks in the air conditioned sleeper cab. If we had booked earlier we could have reserved first class sleeper seats which would have entitled us to our own personal cabin. We didn’t plan far enough ahead to secure first class spots. But, second class worked just fine. The boys actually slept like champs for the entire 13 hour trip (they probably slept better than Chad and I). The train does make stops throughout the night and it can get a bit bumpy!

Our first day in Chiang Mai we got situated and walked around the old city. We also went to the sprawling night bazaar and had our first banana and nutella rotee (thai crepe). Sammy thought the rotee was delicious!

Getting There:

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