A Trip to Chiang Dao

Part of the reason why it seems the expats in Chiang Mai love it so much is all of the small weekend trips you can take around the main city. So on the weekend of December 8th, everything finally fell into place so that we could take our first weekend trip: We had Sparkules, our trusty steed, we had received our first paycheck (and sufficiently freaked out/jumped around with the confirmation that we actually achieved our goal of moving to a foreign country, finding a job, and getting paid for it), and we had time to spare (that we didn't have to dedicate to visa runs, work permits, immigration things, etc.). I had compiled a list of "fun things to do" in Chiang Mai and we agreed upon traveling up north to Chiang Dao, about an hour and a half away. Most famous for its caves and hot springs, the area attracts expats and tourists mostly for its getaway from the city feel (debatable...this will be discussed later). It's quite a small city that is incredibly over-priced, and Jules and I came to the conclusion that one would really only be able to spend about 3 days there before going insane. Don't get me wrong, it was really relaxing and a perfect weekend adventure, but it's a small place that's quickly becoming more well-known and thus more packed with people looking for things to do in a place that isn't ready yet to entertain them all. Because calling ahead of time to book a place wasn't working, we took our chances and just tried to find a place to stay when we arrived. This is why, after an hour and a half drive (which really makes your butt sore around kilometer 40), we were exhausted at being turned down place after place for being too full. What's funny is, coming from LA, I realize how funny it sounds to be like, "Man we drove for a whole hour and a half!" when people definitely do that daily, and in traffic nonetheless. It was quite scenic and chilly for the last half of the ride as we scootered up the winding mountain. Although, thinking back to my life in LA again, I'm not entirely sure I know what cold is anymore, after living in constant 90-100 degree weather. After a bit of a search, we got some help in finding one of the homestays, Hobby Hut, which really completed the experience. It had a tucked away feeling, right by the famous Chiang Dao mountain (third tallest in all of Thailand), with only four traditional Lanna homes, each about 10 x 10 feet, with only a mattress, a mosquito net, a light and an outlet. The owners explained that they realized we have grown used to living with so many things we consider necessities, but really all we need are a few simple things (which they provide with a shared bathroom and kitchen in addition to your one bedroom home). The main things to do in Chiang Dao are to hike the mountain, see the caves, and go to the hot springs. So the next day we set out to see the caves, which is really just a overpaid Thai guide rushing you through a cave and telling you about how all the different formations look like various animals or objects. Though it was an impressive cave, it was already taken over by tourism, and was really only a site worth seeing because it's the thing to do. Though we didn't hike the mountain, it seems that would have been the more impressive thing about the area. As I said, Chaing Dao is a place where tourism is only beginning, and it seems they aren't quite prepared with how to deal with it. For example, when looking for a place to eat, we scootered into town and came across a restaurant that had Happy Hour from 9 am to 5 pm, where all drinks were half off. There are multiple hot springs in the area, and some of them are free, so it was great stumbling upon a small hotspring with some concrete tubs setup right next to a shallow stream. I also mentioned earlier that it has a false get away from the city feel because at night (at least on this particular weekend when we were there), the drunken singing into the early morning from the nearby-but-somewhat-still-far-away karaoke bar really cut into the quiet sounds of nature and stillness. Overall a fun getaway and our first trip out of Chiang Mai, which inspired me to buy a "Weekend Road Trips around Chiang Mai" book.

Among other activities we've been able to find in the area is an adorable mini golf place where each hole is a Wonder of the World or a significant landmark in Thailand. And for my birthday, we went bowling in a place that made me temporarily forget I was in a foreign city.

We have pictures of all these things of course, but have yet to upload them, so hopefully we'll get around to that.


I have a feeling this entry is a bit broken up and anti-climactic but I've had the beginnings of it saved for weeks now and I feel with all the complaints from loved ones, you'll take what you get. So this is it for now, but hopefully...HOPEFULLY, there's more to come.