Chiang Mai

This guide contains information needed for a visit to Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand. Information is included on history and culture, accommodation, local cuisine, places to visit, health and safety and prices to pay.

A translation from Dai Yuen of one of the major versions of the Chronicle of Chiang Mai, a major city in northern Thailand, which was the capital of Lanna Thai, a former kingdom in northern Thailand.

Chiang Mai (literally, “new city”) suffered badly in the 1997 Asian financial crisis as the Northern Thai real estate bubble collapsed along with the Thai baht, crushing dreams of a renaissance of Northern prosperity. Years later, the ruins of the excesses of the 1990s still stain the skyline. In Ghosts of the New City, Andrew Alan Johnson shows how the trauma of the crash, brought back vividly by the political crisis of 2006, haunts efforts to remake the city. For many Chiang Mai residents, new developments harbor the seeds of the crash, which manifest themselves in anxious stories of ghosts and criminals who conceal themselves behind the city’s progressive veneer. Hopes for rebirth and fears of decline have their roots in Thai conceptions of progress, which draw from Buddhist and animist ideas of power and sacrality. Cities, Johnson argues, were centers where the charismatic power of kings and animist spirits were grounded; these entities assured progress by imbuing the space with sacred power that would avert disaster. Johnson traces such magico-religious conceptions of potency and space from historical records through present-day popular religious practice and draws parallels between these and secular attempts at urban revitalization. Through a detailed ethnography of the contested ways in which academics, urban activists, spirit mediums, and architects seek to revitalize the flagging economy and infrastructure of Chiang Mai, Johnson finds that alongside the hope for progress there exists a discourse about urban ghosts, deadly construction sites, and the lurking anxiety of another possible crash, a discourse that calls into question history’s upward trajectory. In this way, Ghosts of the New City draws new connections between urban history and popular religion that have implications far beyond Southeast Asia.

The North of Thailand is emerging as a standalone, off-the-beaten-path destination in the otherwise well-traversed Southeast Asia travel route. With the northern mountains covered in verdant jungle and sprinkled with age-old hill tribes, elephant camps, and ancient ruins, it is no wonder that the North is becoming an unforgettable experience for travelers. Laid back cities like Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai offer a burgeoning restaurant and nightlife scene that provides the perfect respite after experiencing the natural beauty of Northern Thailand. T. F. Rhoden has spent seven years exploring this fascinating country. First as a graduate student, then as a Peace Corps volunteer, and finally as an aid worker on the Thai-Burma border. Through his unique experiences, Rhoden provides insight into the country that has become his second home. With a comprehensive background section covering the history, culture, and logistics of travel, and sixteen sections dedicated to each stop on his recommended travel route, this book will allow travelers to feel like locals while enjoying the indisputable beauty that the North has to offer.

Chiang Mai has been centre of lowland Northern Thai culture that is as distinct from the ethnic traditions in the hills as it is from the Mon-Khmer heritage of Bangkok and the central Siamese Thai. Located at the foot of a sacred mountain at the heart of a culture based on wet-rice cultivation, Chiang Mai was the capital of a kingdom called Lan Na that rivalled Ayutthaya, the Siamese precursor to Bangkok, for 200 years. However, with an inland location unable to take advantage of maritime trade, and with a cultivable land area too small to support the manpower required for large armies, Lan Na was to disappear in the struggle between Burma and Siam, and was ultimately eclipsed by the rise of Bangkok as the metropolitan heart of the Kingdom of Thailand. Chiang Mai, however, was to remain the centre of Northern Thai culture.With the expertise of a resident, Oliver Hargreave first presents Chiang Mai as a historical city with traditions that have evolved into a thriving modern culture. Then hetakes the city as a starting point for journeys into the picturesque landscape of the surrounding valley and mountains.This is the first international edition of this guidebook, first published in Thailand in 1997, and revised as a second edition in 1998.

Written by the founders of HoneyTrek.com, this inspiring book reveals hidden-gem destinations and insider tips for unforgettable couples travel. In these informative pages, Mike and Anne Howard--officially the World's Longest Honeymooners and founders of the acclaimed travel blog HoneyTrek--whisk you away to journeys of a lifetime. Drawing on their experience traveling together across seven continents, they curate the globe and offer tested-and-approved recommendations for intrepid couples, bringing culture, adventure, and romance to any couple--no matter their age or budget. Chapters are organized by type of destination (for example, beaches, mountains, and deserts) to help travelers discover new places and experiences based on their interests. Each entry focuses on a specific region, getting to the essence of each locale and its one-of-a-kind offerings. The authors reveal the best time to visit, the best places to stay, and recommended activities--each with their own adventure rating to illustrate level of intensity. Special features include funny and insightful stories from the Howards' own adventures, expert advice from other renowned traveling couples, and tips to increase the romance and excitement at each destination. A large map shows every location covered in the book, and each entry has a locator map depicting the city and country. Both entertaining and informative, this book is an invaluable resource and inspiration for a lifetime of travel.

For seven centuries, Chiang Mai has been the center of a lively culture and civilization in the hills of what is now northern Thailand. "The Chiang Mai Chronicle," one of the most important histories of the region, was written in 1827 to explain the growth and strength of the Kingdom of Lan Na which Chiang Mai dominated, and to foresee a glorious future after a generation of warfare. This translation of "The Chiang Mai Chronicle" was prepared from a palm-leaf manuscript. Extensive indexes and annotations have been added, and maps have been drawn especially for this edition. David Wyatt is the John Stambaugh Professor of History at Cornell University, and Aroonrut Wichienkeeo teaches at Chiang Mai Rajabhat Insitute.

Temples are everywhere in Chiang Mai, filled with tourists as well as saffron-robed monks of all ages. The monks participate in daily urban life here as elsewhere in Thailand, where Buddhism is promoted, protected, and valued as a tourist attraction. Yet this mountain city offers more than a fleeting, commodified tourist experience, as the encounters between foreign visitors and Buddhist monks can have long-lasting effects on both parties. These religious contacts take place where economic motives, missionary zeal, and opportunities for cultural exchange coincide. Brooke Schedneck incorporates fieldwork and interviews with student monks and tourists to examine the innovative ways that Thai Buddhist temples offer foreign visitors spaces for religious instruction and popular in-person Monk Chat sessions in which tourists ask questions about Buddhism. Religious Tourism in Northern Thailand also considers how Thai monks perceive other religions and cultures and how they represent their own religion when interacting with tourists, resulting in a revealing study of how religious traditions adapt to an era of globalization.