Chiang Mai, Thailand - travel

For those more used to Bangkok, Chaing Mai is a refreshing change. More relaxed, the emphasis here is very much on culture and exploration rather than the nightlife. That’s not so say you won’t have a cracking evening out in downtown Chiang Mai, but the place just feels friendlier and more laid back.

A lot of that is down to the almost legendary politeness of Thai people. The wai, the greeting with the slight bow and the hands pressed together, becomes infectious. You simply want to be polite in return.

It’s just one of the many little ways in which this place gets under your skin, in a good way. Chaing Mai is in the north of Thailand, surrounded by mountain greenery. It’s big, but sprawled out.

And, thanks to Qatar Airways, getting there is simple these days. The airline runs regular flights to its hub at Doha – the capital of Qatar – and from there it offers a direct service straight to Chaing Mai. It is still around 16 hours of flight time, but Qatar Airways prides itself on comfort and service which eases the stresses and strain of a long journey.

I was lucky enough to travel business class, completed with seat that transformed to a lie-flat bed, excellent food and attentive service attending to my every need, whether it was an extra bottle of water or something slightly stronger. I’ve rarely enjoyed a flight more.

It meant I arrived in Chiang Mai early in the morning but in reasonable shape to enjoy the day ahead. The Shangri-La in Chaing Mai is part of a chain of luxury five-star hotels, with big comfortable rooms well equipped with air-conditioning – a must when the average temperatures are around 30C or more and the humidity is high, particularly at night.

My tour group and I got to experience the humid Thai evening when we headed out to explore Chiang Mai’s Sunday night street market. Around 10,000 people regularly pack into the streets of the historic city centre to visit the hundreds of stalls selling handicrafts, most made by the local hill people. And then there is the street food.

Our guide, Ms Rattiya (‘Call me Yaya’) explained that most Thais eat out in the evening. As in many well-developed Asian economies, people work long hours and, rather than cook when they get home, it is easier to go out. As a result, restaurant and street food is both reasonably priced and very good indeed. The range of dishes on show is dazzling, from roasted meats and grilled fish to curries, noodles and even deep-fried insects. Crunchy, and, yes, they taste like chicken. I could take or leave the silk worms but the grasshoppers were very nice. We also discovered a particular Thai sweet treat: ripe yellow mango on sticky rice with coconut milk. Delicious.

For those who fancy a bit of gentle haggling, the market is great fun and none of the hand-crafted gifts are likely to break the bank. Elephants feature strongly in wood and other materials – I came home with a couple of hand-painted metal elephant tea-lights that went down very well.

After an evening at the market, a riverside restaurant and bar provided the ideal refuge, with some unexpected Thai craft ales on the menu.

And early start the next morning saw our minibus climbing the 2,500ft to reach the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple – almost. The final 290 steps are up a Naga staircase, decorated with dragons to reach the temple itself and its huge Chedi, or golden spired pagoda, which contains partial relics of the Lord Buddha. The pagoda is surrounded by a series of highly decorated temple buildings and gold statues. It is a wonderful experience but visitors need to show some respect – Thais take their Buddhist faith seriously and expect guests in their country to behave accordingly.

Meanwhile our non-stop schedule took us across the city to the Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School, where the hugely likeable and entertaining Chef Pon introduced us to the mysteries of Thai cuisine. He showed us what to do, and we then got on with it, eating each dish as we finished cooking it. Cooking our own dinner proved far more enjoyable than you might think, and we must have got the dishes right – little was left in the bowls afterwards.

Yes, those chillies can make Thai food very hot, but you get used to that and the flavours are amazing – fresh and lively. It’s part of the adventure. Cooking and eating five dishes, at around £33 a head (1,450 Thai Bhat) for a one day course, seemed pretty good value to me.

Those self-made dishes did mean that it was a struggle to find space for more food at the traditional Kantoke dinner that evening. While we sat on cushions on the floor to dine – easier for some than others – the main entertainment was a series of formal dances that showcased local culture.

And then for something completely different. The following day was a trip to the Thai Elephant Care Centre, at Mae Sa, near Mae Rim. This is effectively a retirement home for elderly elephants and their handlers, or mahouts. And I mean elderly. The grand dame of the centre is 93 years old. We were recruited into helping make up the elephants’ food – special grass chopped up and mixed with pellets and some sweet treats containing natural remedies for their health – before feeding them. There was no riding, however. This place is built around the needs of the elephants and their mahouts.

Getting close to these magnificent animals was a lifetime experience; they were gentle, patient and occasionally mischievous, as we found out when we went to help give them a bath at the local watering hole. We also learnt why we had been encouraged to change into blue denim work clothes. We got soaked. While we poured water over our elephant and scrubbed her with brushes, she discovered how much fun it was to spray water over all of us. I’ve rarely enjoyed myself more. Tours, including transport from the hotel and a hot lunch, are around 2,500 baht per person (£56) depending on the size of the party.

The next morning it was time to start the journey home, but we had the opportunity for a 24-hour stop-over in Doha. The benefit of breaking such a long journey is obvious, and Doha proved a fascinating layover.

Most of the country has been built over the last couple of decades – the city itself is a cluster of immense and spectacular tower blocks surrounded by man-made archipeligos. There was the chance to see the impressive Museum of Islamic Art and to visit the traditional Souq Waqif.

The stalls sell traditional clothing, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs while it is also home to restaurants, cafes and shisha lounges. It is one of the few remaining original Qatari buildings, although it was renovated in 2006 after a severe fire. The old town is also home to some very nice boutique hotels, but we stuck with Shangri-La. Can’t say anyone regretted it.

It’s been two decades since I was last in Thailand, in Phuket and Bangkok, and I can’t say I was impressed at the time. Very touristy and a bit seedy in parts. Chiang Mai was a revelation. Relaxed but packed with things to see and do. It is clean, the people are friendly and the scenery is spectacular. The food is fabulous. And then there were the elephants.

The memories you make a trip like this will stay with you for life.