Chiang Mai is small city situated in the northern Thailand and it is very close to Laos and Myanmar. Chiang mai region is famous for its mountains and pagodas. Chiang mai is a perfect place for hiking and mountain biking. Flights to Chiang mai is available from Bangkok. You can also take a overnight train or a bus in order to reach Chiang Mai.
Bicycle is the best mode to explore Chiang Mai. All the major tourist attractions are situated very close to each other. You can rent a bicycle from your hotel or any renting shop for 500 baht per day which I feel is very reasonable.
My first stop of the day was Wat Chedi Luang. It is a Buddhist temple with unique architecture. It was built in the 15th century with a wall in order to protect the city. There are three temples in the same complex not far from each other.
My next stop was Wat Chiang Man. It was a 13th century Buddhist temple with gold chedi offering ancient Buddha and elephant on the scenic grounds.
My next stop was Phae gate. This was used as a gate to the ancient walled city of Chiang Mai. The place is the center of Chiang Mai town and all major activity happen in this place.
Next I visited Wat Sri Suphan. It was a Buddhist temple but the color of the temple was silver. This was very unique temple compared to what I have seen in the entire day. It was built in the Mangrai dynasty.The dark silver color looked beautiful on the temple.
All the temples were very close to each other. Google maps will be an immense help here in order to find the temple locations. I always avoid tourist maps or guide because it is static and confusing at times. My next stop was Wat Phra Singh.
It might get repetitive after visiting 4-5 temples. I would recommend not to miss the famous night market in Chiang Mai. Night market starts from 7 pm onward. This night market is the biggest in Thailand and it is the best place for buying souvenir items. Visit to the famous iron bridge is highly recommended. The bridge looks beautiful during evening time on the background of Ping river.
You can also send Sky lantern from various spots in Chiang Mai during Loy Krathong and Yee Peng festivals which happens during 1st week of November. They also send Sky Lantern during major festivals such as New years day and Christmas. It was a unique experience to see so many Sky Lantern released at the same time.
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