3 December 2022
Steve and I were delighted to be back in Chiang Mai after such a long absence. As we rode from the airport to our favorite hotel, it felt like we were coming home. Unfortunately, our favorite front desk staff had moved on to other jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the new staff, who were just as welcoming and helpful.
After dropping off our bags, we headed out to explore. First went to Maya Shopping Centre, which is a large, modern mall with a variety of shops and restaurants. We needed to get our phone plans updated so that we could use them on the local network, so we stopped at AIS in the mall.
After we got our phones updated, we decided to walk around the neighbourhood. We passed by a few small shops and restaurants, and then we came to a large, abandoned shopping center. The Kad Sum Kaew Shopping Centre was built in the 1990s, but it closed down a few years ago. It’s a huge, multi-story building, and it’s eerie to see it empty.
On our way back to our hotel, we dropped into make sure our favourite Pad Thai Restaurant was still there. Happily for us, it was.
After a rest it was time to find dinner. We walked through the streets, looking for our favorite small restaurant, but to our disappointment, it was gone. In its place was a vacant lot.
We were about to give up when we saw met a couple sitting in the street outside a small cafe. It turned out they owned the cafe we were standing in front of. They invited us to join them, and we were happy to accept.
Tom and Pam were very friendly, and they made us feel welcome. They told us about their lives in the city, and we told them about our travels. We talked as we struggled with the Thai menus, and by the time we left, we felt like we had made new friends.
The food at the cafe was delicious, and it was clear that Tom and Pam took great pride in their work. We were so glad that we had met them, and as it turned out we visited here many times.
4 December 2022
Steve and I were awake early again this morning, and enjoyed our breakfast in bed. We spent some time catching up with emails and backing up photos. After that, we decided to head out to the Jing Jai Farmers Markets, where we could check out the weekend markets, as well as the Chiang Mai Design Week displays.
We took a grab taxi to the market, which was already bustling with activity. There were stalls selling all sorts of things, from fresh produce to handmade crafts. We spent a few hours exploring the market, and we even bought a few souvenirs.
After we finished at the market, we walked back to our hotel. We were feeling a bit tired, but we were also excited to meet up with our online friends, Vincent and Dave, for dinner.
At 5:30pm, we walked down to Nimman to the Chinese Restaurant Yangtze Jian. Vincent and Dave were already there, and we were all happy to meet each other in person for the first time. Vincent ordered some food and drinks for all of us, and we spent the next few hours catching up and talking about our travels.
We had a great time at dinner, and we were all sad to say goodbye when it was time to go. We made plans to meet up again soon.
5 December 2022
Steve and I went to Maya Shopping Center this morning to top up our mobile phone balances. We saw that some houses in the area were putting up Christmas decorations, even though Thailand is a Buddhist country. We also noticed that the bank was closed for Father’s Day, which is also the old King’s birthday. Catching up with our bank manager would have to wait another day.
We walked down the road to Maya, checking out some of the sights along the way. The big head sculptures in Think Park were still there, but they were now surrounded by beautiful red poinsettias.
We went downstairs to the food hall for lunch. There were fewer food vendors than usual due to the pandemic, but we still found a lot of good options. Steve had Chinese stir-fried noodles, and I had a sampler meal with a veggie burger, rice paper rolls, and potato balls on a stick. Everything was very reasonably priced.
After lunch, we went to the AIS shop to top up our mobile phones. Then, we walked down to the 71 Export shop, which is an American vintage clothing store with a huge collection of vintage memorabilia. We could have easily spent hours browsing the four floors of the store.
We made our way back home by stopping at the Amazon Coffee shop. We usually get coffee from Amazon when we’re out driving, but Steve made the mistake of not asking for an in store cup and received his coffee in a paper cup. The coffee was good, but it didn’t taste as good in a paper cup.
We had a nice day exploring Maya Shopping Center and the surrounding area.
6 December 2022
Steve and I left 3Season this morning around 9:30am. We walked down to the bank to update our passport and telephone details. Along the way, we passed our old favorite restaurant, which had been torn down. A new restaurant had been built in its place, with different owners. We were able to get the address of where our friends had moved, which was actually closer to our hotel.
At the bank, we found that our bank supervisor, Noeng, who had originally helped us set up our account, was no longer there. However, there was still an officer who spoke reasonable English, so we completed the paperwork and deposited some money. The bank’s exchange rate was terrible, so we were glad we didn’t need to change any AUD.
We walked up the street towards the markets. We checked them out and saw that the fresh fruit and vegetables looked good. There was also a lot of Thai sausage for sale. Alison found her usual hairdresser and went in for a cut and wash. It was a great job, and it only cost $20!
We headed back home for a rest. Later, we went out to dinner at a Pad Thai restaurant near 7-Eleven. It was good. Afterwards, we went for an ice cream. Then, we went to Wat Suan Dok to take some pictures. The roti girl was in the same old place, so we each had a banana roti. Finally, we went home to watch some movies.
We had a busy day, but we enjoyed ourselves. We were glad to see our friends and to get our hair done. We also enjoyed trying new food and exploring the city.
7 December 2022
Steve and I woke up early in the morning, excited to explore Chiang Mai. We had heard great things about the city’s vibrant markets and delicious street food, and we were eager to experience it all for ourselves.
We headed out around 10am and found a red truck that took us into the city center. From there, we walked to China Town and the markets. The streets were already bustling with activity, and we were immediately overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and smells.
We wandered through the markets for hours, taking our time to browse the stalls and sample the different foods. We tried everything from pad thai to khao soi to sticky rice with mango. We were particularly impressed by the fresh produce, which was so much more vibrant and flavorful than anything we could find at home.
By the time we were ready for lunch, we were starving. We found a small Thai street cafe and ordered pad kai dao moo, a stir-fry dish with pork and fried egg. It was absolutely delicious!
After lunch, we continued to explore the markets. We bought souvenirs for our friends and family, and we even picked up a few things for ourselves. We were starting to get tired, but we didn’t want to leave. There was still so much to see and do!
Finally, after hours of exploring, we decided to call it a day. We headed back to our hotel, exhausted but happy. We had had an amazing time exploring Chiang Mai, and we couldn’t wait to come back again. Tomorrow we leave for the south Thailand where we pick up a hire car and drive back to Chiang Mai.