The next stop on the South East Asia Trip in 2009, after visiting Ayutthaya, was Chiang Mai. We traveled north for nine hours by day bus, so we arrived in Chiang Mai at 6pm. This post will not include any temples or historical sights because by the time I reached Chiang Mai I needed a temple detox. So instead of exploring the city, we explored the nightlife.

My first impression of Chiang Mai was shocking. I expected a little mountain village, instead what I found was a huge sprawling city that in some areas looked more polluted than Bangkok. This is not to say it is necessarily a bad thing because Chiang Mai certainly as its charms. The night bazaar which extends across several city blocks along footpaths, inside buildings and temple grounds, and in open squares, is quite charming.

JJ Guesthouse

Chiang Mai also hosts one of my favourite hostels of all time. Our first night was spent in Same Same Guesthouse, not the best place we could’ve chosen because everything was quite shabby including the communal area. For one night it suited its purpose though. On that same evening, we ran into two Northern Irish guys and a girl who invited us for a drinking game at JJ Guesthouse. We decided to follow them and it was love at first. Sometimes you enter a building and you know you just came home. JJ is such a place. The owners are the friendliest people I have met in Thailand and all night long they were bringing over buckets with ice for the boys to keep their drinks cold. This kind of service is very unexpected in hostels in Thailand. They also advised us which Elephant Mahout Training to do, in order for us to avoid the ones that mistreat the animals, and they were worried for our safety when we told them we came back from Pai by moped (both these experiences will be described in future blog posts). It goes without saying that the second night we checked into JJ, our love, straightaway.

They had the cutest/craziest dog in Thailand. It was impossible to take a normal picture of him.

Nightlife

Nightlife in Chiang Mai can get really crazy. We followed the boys to a dingy club called On The Rocks. There the boys met another guy who was looking for lady boys to hook up with so we all followed him to the shadiest nightclub I’ve ever been to called Spicy. When we arrived the club was dead, but after a few hours it started filling up with men in their 50s and very young girls and lady boys. The Irish boys gave us some insights in the culture of Thailand which we didn’t experience as girls. They were approached a couple of time while they were peeing in the bathrooms by men checking whether they would be interested in a massage. How bizar is that?

We also visited some less shady places, like THC Rooftop Bar. The highlight here is obviously the rooftop, where customers sit on the floor around small tables in a very chilled setting reminiscent of bars on the islands. The bar contains some beautiful psychedelic paintings which will put you in a trance even without any narcotics.

Restaurant

Chiang Mai also has some beautiful restaurants. We had dinner at Riverside Bar & Restaurant. It was on the Ping River and very close to the night bazaar. It was also incredibly delicious. Another great place to have some food, even though it’s not technically a restaurant, is on the street. On the Elephant Mahout Training we met a girl who advised us to go to a street chef who makes the best Pad Thai in Chiang Mai; a very nice experience, with delicious food.

Conclusion

Chiang Mai is a great city, even though it was unexpectedly large in my view. There’s a lot more to explore here than what I saw in 2009. I especially regret the fact that we didn’t go on a two-day hike. Of course, this was impossible with the state both me and my friend’s feet were in. All-in-all we made the best of it and the highlight was most definitely the hostel and the Elephant Mahout Training which will be described in the next post.

Please note, this post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission for purchased goods/services at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my writing!