Chiang Mai is the place we lived the longest over the last two years with two stops totaling 10 weeks, so we really became quite attached to the city and our neighborhood. So, what is life like when you are just hanging out in a medium-sized city in Thailand?
Welcome to our world at 22/4 on Sirimangkalajarn Road in the Nimman district and the neighborhood stray dog that followed us around.
Gym and Massage
Every morning started off with a workout at the gym or the pool. We would take the elevator up to the 6th floor of the beautiful Lotus Hotel to get to Harris Fitness Center.
The gym was well-equipped with treadmills, ellipticals, plenty of free weights, a room for yoga and stretching, and even a ping-pong table. But, my favorite part was the rooftop pool!
Although there weren’t any lane ropes, I was always able to swim laps and loved the fact that the pool was WAY longer than typical hotel pools. In fact, the length was longer than a standard 25-yard pool but not quite the Olympic length 50-meter pool. Getting a bit of sunshine during my workout was a nice bonus, especially in January.
Of course, another aspect of being fit and healthy is flexibility, so I made sure to get a Thai massage once or twice a week. Now, if you have never had a Thai massage before, just imagine a challenging yoga position that you can’t get yourself into but now a tiny Thai woman somehow forces your body into this unimaginable position. Yeah, not exactly the relaxing kind of massage. Thai massage parlors line the streets, but here are the two places where I became a regular.
Sunday Walking Street Market
Southeast Asia loves street markets, and Chiang Mai is full them – different locations on different days of the week. Some cater more to tourists while others cater to the needs of the locals. Street markets are a great way to spend an afternoon or evening shopping or, better yet, relaxing and eating good food. My favorite of all was the Sunday Walking Street Market. I feel like this one brought the best of everything together and was a nice mix of both locals and tourists. The artwork and unique souvenirs were beautiful and high quality.
Many artists were working on their craft right behind their tables, such as the glass blower.
This enthusiastic fellow was the proud creator of metal bookmarks that he made by hand. Each one was slightly different, and I bought an elephant bookmark for my sister.
I can only shop for so long before getting burned out. Luckily, plenty of places exist for you to relax whether you want your nails done or a foot massage. I opted for a soothing foot massage.
While shopping, you can enjoy the music from numerous street performers from a diverse range of backgrounds including a band of blind musicians, a young student, and a gentleman in the military playing for charity.
One of the things that I find interesting about the street markets is that it is a family affair. Often times, we saw children behind their parents’ stand, curled up on a small cot napping or reading a book. The family dog was often nearby as well.
Even grandma is out there serving up her delicious homemade dishes.
Last, but certainly not least, is the food. The Chiang Mai Sunday Walking Street market probably had the most unique line-up of food. Some markets we have been to get a bit repetitive with similar types of offerings, but at this market, I wandered around forever struggling to decide what to go with. Luckily, most things are served in fairly small portions and only cost 15-20 baht (the equivalent of about 50 cents). So, I shopped, I nibbled, I shopped, I nibbled, I got a massage, I nibbled, I listened to a street performer, and nibbled some more…and here were my indulgences:
Steamed rice with pork
Steamed rice flour with banana, pumpkin, or melon
Some sort of crab cake still in the shell
Sticky rice with bananas and beans
Guava juice
Steamed cassava and banana cake
Noodle roll
Fried sweet milk
Sadly, Jimmy was not even with me on this outing, which means I managed to eat all of that myself. I got pretty full and didn’t have room for the other 100 delicious items that I saw, such as noodle dishes, grilled meats, and my favorite mango sticky rice.
Thai Cuisine
Continuing on the food theme, eating in Thailand was always a highlight. We went back to all of our favorite spots that we mentioned in our blog from last year, such as cowboy hat lady and her stewed pork and Tong Tem Toh’s fermented pork sausage.
However, we also found some new favorites to add to the list. In the Nimman district, we went to a noodle shop called Rod Yiam that is a really popular lunch spot with the locals. Although it looks just like a simple beef noodle soup, the flavors were outstanding.
We also finally made it to one of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite spots in downtown Chiang Mai, Aroon Rai. They are famous for their curries, and we were most definitely delighted by the food there.
Running Errands
Although we would prefer to spend all our time working out and eating, we do have to work and run errands. Outside the mall next to our place, we could find tuk-tuks and songthaews waiting to whisk us off to wherever we needed to go.
One day, I hauled a load of our clothes and other things we no longer needed to a donation center. We figured that it would be a great way to help the local community while also freeing up some space in our bags to bring back souvenirs to our family and friends. The Free Bird Café is a “café with a cause feeding your belly, heart, and mind.” The household donations go to the charity shop or Burmese refugees, and all profits from the shop and café go to a language and arts learning center for the refugees. So, I dropped off some clothes and accessories and then enjoyed a lovely lunch that included the traditional Burmese tea leaf salad and a pumpkin curry.
They even make their own kombucha here! Red velvet and passion splash were my picks…yum!
After donating and eating, I decided to walk home instead of taking the tuk-tuk. You never know what you may run into when wandering the streets of Chiang Mai. The blend of people here is amazing including so many different backgrounds: European and American expats, college students, Thai military personnel, Thai businessmen, tourists from all over the world, hippies, backpackers, and digital nomads (like us!). For anyone that was wondering, Santa Claus spends the off-season in Chiang Mai and exchanges Rudolph and his sleigh for a scooter and a pup.
I also meandered past this beautiful Buddhist temple.
I decided I needed a dessert to complete my amazing lunch and wandered into the neighborhood 7-Eleven. I found a pre-packaged pandan custard with young coconut sandwich, and they even threw it on a grill to warm it up for me.
Mmmm…a little sweet, warm, and gooey. Delicious! I wonder if I could petition the US 7-Elevens to start carrying these…and the onigiri from Japan’s 7-Elevens.
Even after 10 weeks, a wander through the streets of Chiang Mai does not disappoint.
Speaking of wandering through the streets, on another shopping outing we came across the Elephant Parade. Artists and celebrities have created these life-sized baby elephants in order to bring awareness to the importance of elephant conservation. Each piece is a unique work of art, and the exhibition travels around the world.
Cleopatra
Khao Soi (the famous chicken noodle dish of Chiang Mai)
New Year’s Eve
NYE isn’t exactly a daily life occurrence, but we were fortunate to arrive in town just in time to celebrate the new year. So, to wrap up the daily life in Chiang Mai blog, I have to add in a quick snip-it about what celebrations are like here.
As our Uber was getting close to the main downtown area where NYE celebration festivities were taking place, I looked up into the sky. Wow, the stars are really bright and twinkly today!!
Wait a minute. Those aren’t stars. As we got closer, I realized that it was all the sky lanterns floating up and away from Chiang Mai.
I thought everybody waited until midnight to let the floating lanterns go, but I guess the lantern parade lasts for a couple hours. We hopped out of the Uber and were thrown immediately into a crazy scene of people lighting their lanterns and letting them go. Many lanterns were already stuck in trees, and I wondered how this town hadn’t burned down yet.
Sometimes a lantern would struggle to get airborne, like the one above. The crowd gasped as it looked like the lantern was going to hit the water and fizzle out. But, then, at the last moment, a slight breeze lifted it gently up. The crowd roared with cheers and clapping.
Similar to the Sunday Walking Street, the main drag through town was closed off to traffic for locals to set up their stands to sell all kinds of art, clothes, and food. The crowd was massive, so getting through the area was extremely challenging. That took away a bit of the fun, but we found some good food and even some Thai wine (what?) before we headed to the temple to celebrate the new year with the monks. The scene inside the temple grounds was peaceful and serene.
Leading up to midnight, we listened to the monks chant and watched as they symbolically let go of the famous floating lanterns.
After midnight passed, we headed out through the crowds back to the area where the lanterns were being let go. We bought one, made a wish, and let it fly.
I was a bit worried about this as a natural hazard, but I was told that the lanterns are biodegradable. And since the city and nearby forests have never burned down, it must somehow be safe. So, there you have it…our NYE celebration in Thailand.
Farewell
My last day in Chiang Mai, I wandered the streets one more time trying to absorb every last bit of this amazing city that we’ve fallen in love with. I found a stand to have a couple of the famous Chiang Mai sausages one more time.
I tried to balance the fatty sausage with a healthy salad from a local Western fare restaurant. But, the salad was locally inspired and topped with purple potato (taro) dressing.
And, of course, I had to stuff my face just one more time with mango sticky rice from a local stand on the walk home.
As our sweet Airbnb host, Koon, drove me to the airport, I was close to tears. Jimmy had already flown to Europe to start a new job, and after 31 countries and 20 months, our nomadic world travel was coming to an end. And I was leaving one of my favorite of all the countries we visited. Luckily, Koon gave me one last laugh. When I gave him our leftover whey protein powder, he promised that he would have muscles as big as Jimmy the next time we came back. Hopefully, his wish of big muscles will come true and our wish to have a winter retirement home in Chiang Mai will one day be a reality. Until then, lift hard, Koon.
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