PART FOUR: Chiangmai and Its Charms

Heading North & Going Back to Nature

Northern Thailand is not a very popular holiday destination for Singaporeans as compared to the shopping paradise, Bangkok. Living in an urban jungle like Singapore where nature is scarce and jungles curated, Northern Thailand makes an ideal vacation destination for Singaporean families, and honeymooners alike who love the nature. Populated by many ethnic minority groups, including Akha, Lisu, Hmong, Karen, Northern Thailand exudes a tranquil charm distinctly different from its Post Besides having a good selection of eateries, you can take part in a wide range of activities, including white-water rafting, bamboo rafting, elephant riding and visit hilltribe villages and temples within close proximity.

Chiang Mai

One of Thailand’s prime tourist attractions, Chiang Mai is blessed with magnificent mountains and forests and beautiful scenery. It exudes a totally different charm from the bustling Bangkok. A large part (69.31%) of Chiang Mai's land is covered by mountains and forests.

Chiang Mai’s Night Bazaar

The Night Bazaar in eastern Chiang Mai has long been known as the epicentre of the Northern Thailand shopping experience. Walking along the rows of shops selling sourvenirs, quirky T-shirts and lighting was fun, but the more memorable part of the night bazaar was not it. Kirby and I received our first traffic summon for illegal parking of our motorcycle along the roadside of the Night Bazaar. We had to make our way to the police station and ended up having a nice chat with the police officers. The policeman shared that people born on Monday are considered lucky, as the well-respected King of Thailand is also born on Monday. Ironically, we had to pay 200 bahts as a first-time offender for the illegal parking on a Monday night.