Chiang Mai, Old and New

Last week, we finished up the first leg of our trip in Bali and moved on to our second stop: Chiang Mai, Thailand.

We had been to Chiang Mai once before — on our honeymoon 12 years ago — so we were interested to see it again with fresh eyes and to share the experience with Little Miss and Young Mister WorldSmith.

So far, the city has not disappointed. Last time we were here, we spent most of our time hanging out at our resort and exploring the Old City (the historic centre of Chiang Mai, which is home to countless ancient temples and touristic sites).

This time, we’re staying at an Airbnb on the opposite side of the city in the Nimman area, which is a bit trendier and tends to attract lots of hipsters, expats, and tourists from China, Japan, and South Korea. While we have done a lot of the things we did on our first visit here as twenty-something backpacker honeymooners — visiting wats, wandering the streets, shopping the night markets, and sampling street food — this time around we have also layered in visits to trendier cafes and restaurants, playgrounds (Nong Buak Haad park has a nice one that’s free), and water parks for our children (we purchased a pool day pass at the Shangri La). We also eliminated the viewing of Thai blood sports this time around, even if Young Mister WorldSmith might get a kick out of it (pun intended).

The Nimman area is filled with art galleries, small boutiques, and fantastic restaurants, and has a more modern feel to it than the Old City. It’s been amazing to have the opportunity to jump back and forth between the Old City and the new — spending the morning contemplating the meaning of life among the monks at Wat Chedi Luang and then heading back to Nimman for lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant (where you can get the best khao soi of your life for less than 3 USD per person) and then taking in a movie at the large cinema there.

Every day we experience a bit of temporal whiplash, jumping from the distant past of 12th century wats to futuristic Japanese arcades, all while the days quickly pass us by.

It’s been a nice change of pace and scenery from our previous stop in sleepy Sanur, Bali, and we’re looking forward to exploring more of what the city has to offer over the next couple of weeks while we’re here.