Travel Log: Highlights and Temples of Chiang Mai, Thailand

What do you think of when you think of Thailand?

I think of deliciously spicy food (in a mouth tingling way), friendly people, and beautiful temples.  I definitely got all of that when I went to Chiang Mai.  Chiang Mai is a quieter city in the North with great weather and food that is slightly different from the Thai food that is now so readily available outside Thailand.  I also loved that Chiang Mai was a good walking city with fewer Tuk tuks (motorized pedicabs which make a little tuk tuk sound!) and cars.  The weather was also gorgeous - though it was in the 80s F, there was no humidity and it was really pleasant (sigh, so unlike the typical humid weather I experience daily!)
Chiang Mai is a little more difficult to get to though because fewer airlines fly into the city; thus, the airfare can be slightly pricier.  But otherwise the prices for food and massages were very affordable (US $10 for a 1 hour massage!)  You can negotiate almost any price as well from the price of a massage to the tuk tuk fare.

Here are the highlights of my trip to Chiang Mai:
Watching kids be kids (these little ladies knew how to work it and were collecting money from tourists capturing their cuteness)

Seeing the temples of Wat Phra Doi Suthep on the hilltop and Phra Singh in town (but there are over 300 temples here!)  The colors were simply glorious!

Eating local specialities like the curry noodles (it is a little like laksa with a touch of coconut milk) and walking through the produce and night markets.

Enjoying a treat at the end of a day with a massage!