Hotel Experience: chiang mai

Shopping is quite affordable in Chiang Mai. There are umpteen shops outside the historic city center, where you can find a large variety of items. The goods sold here are also of a very good quality. The Sunday Market is a good place for sightseeing and shopping. On Sunday, the place becomes packed with clothes sellers, art and souvenir sellers, jewelery sellers, food counters and more.

If you want to see a Panda, do make a trip to the Chiang Mai zoo. The zoo is home to two Pandas brought over from China via an animal exchange program. If you have some time left after all this, visit the Bo Sang Umbrella Village. This place is famous for its traditional Thai umbrella. You can also buy some souvenirs here.

You can easily spend a week in Chiang Mai doing sightseeing, engaging in outdoor activities and sampling different foods. Believe us, you won’t regret going to Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is considered the cultural capital of Thailand and that influence has also spread to the food served here. Being in the North, the food is heavily influenced by Burmese and Chinese cuisine. It is also quite distinct from the food served in the rest of Thailand. Here, the curries are milder and there is a heavier use of turmeric and ginger.

In Chiang Mai, they eat more sticky rice than steamed rice. The rice is complemented by chilli dips (nam priks) which are unique to the northern cuisine. Dishes such as egg noodle curry (Khao Soi), grilled herb sausage (Sai Qua), Burmese sweet curry (Gaeng hang Lay) and Jackfruit salad (Tam Khanun) are very popular.

The street stalls in Chiang Mai serve tasty northern inspired Thai snacks and cuisine. The food is hygenic (the Thai are known for their cleanliness) and will go easy on your palate, since it is not very spicy. Some common street food in Chiang Mai are Khao Soi (fried noodles in coconut milk gravy and cabbage), Sai Ua (minced pork sausages), Kaeb Moo (crispy fried porn rinds), Sarabao (steamed buns filled with minced pork, sausage and salted egg yolk). If you want to try something sweet, don’t miss Kalamae. It is created from molasses, coconut milk and coconuts and it comes in different flavors.