Among the advantages are that it does, for example, have an infrastructure which permits any city lifestyle one can afford, but without the traffic, without the pollution, without the noise of Bangkok - and at considerably lower cost. The Tourism Authority of Thailand elected to summarize the advantages of Chiang Mai with the following words: "Many lowland Thais regard Chiang Mai city and province as being a national Shangri-la thanks to beautiful women, distinctive festivals, historic temples dating from the 1300’s, arresting scenic beauty, temperate fruits such as apples, peaches and strawberries, and a crisp, invigorating cool season climate." In matters of tourism, one even cannot help getting the impression that Chiang Mai has overtaken Bangkok though plain figures may not support such a claim. But it’s not the number of tourists that make Chiang Mai seem a more touristy city than Bangkok. Rather, it’s the attitude of visitors towards the city.

It’s a different matter with Chiang Mai. In comparison to Bangkok, Chiang Mai may be poor in architectural monuments and the display of art. Nevertheless, visitors throughout the last decade have put Chiang Mai into contrast to Bangkok, describing it as a nice place. And visitors who have time to spend often choose not to spend that time in Bangkok but, if they favor cities, much rather in Chiang Mai. As the Tourism Authority of Thailand worded it (probably a little bit too enthusiastically): "As countless travelers have discovered, Chiang Mai’s manifold attractions enthrall, delight, and to visit this northern Shangri-la merely once is to remain forever enchanted."

The absolute number of tourists on any given day may be considerably smaller in Chiang Mai than in Bangkok. Relative to the size of the two cities, however, the number of tourists per 1000 inhabitants (or whatever figure one wants to chose for that kind of statistics) is higher in Chiang Mai than in Bangkok. For this reason, too, Chiang Mai always seems a more touristy place. Actually, during the peak season, one seems to meet just as many tourists in some parts of Chiang Mai as one meets locals.

To some, this may be an impediment to enjoying the place. As always, a mechanism is in effect that resembles the mechanism of self-destroying prophecies. A tourist place retains its charm only as long as it doesn’t reach its full capacity for tourism. One may argue whether Chiang Mai has reached its full capacity already, or whether it’s still charming.

History

Chiang Mai has an history of more than 700 years. Oddly enough, it doesn’t begin in what is today Northern Thailand but the Southern Chinese province of Yunnan, a few hundred kilometers to the north. There, the well developed Thai kingdom of Nanchao existed from the middle of the 7th until the middle of the 13th century (for 604 years to be exact). In 1254, however, the Nanchao Kingdom was conquered by Kublai Khan, resulting in the southward migration of a large number of Thais. Most of these Thais settled in what is today northern Thailand.

A result of this influx of Thais from southern China was the founding of several towns and principalities in what is today northern Thailand. Among the towns founded and the principalities established in the second half of the 13th century was Chiang Mai.

However, a predecessor of Chiang Mai was Chiang Rai, some 180km (113mi) to the north. There, a prince of the Nanchao Kingdom who had migrated south with his people, Mengrai, established in 1262 the Lannatai principality (commonly translated as Kingdom of one Million Rice Fields). If one prefers to speak of a Lannatai Kingdom instead of a Lannatai Principality at that early stage, one of course has to upgrade Mr. Mengrai’s rank to that of King. However, one must be aware that Mengrai was of course designated in Thai and with a Thai title, and ranks of nobility in Western and Thai history are not equivalent to each other. Certainly, Mengrai was an independent and absolute ruler, but his realm just had the size of what would be considered as a principality in European history.

In the 30 years after the founding of Chiang Rai, Mengrai’s realm indeed grew to a size of what one may consider a kingdom. The development was aided by Mengrai’s close alliance to the ruler of Sukhothai, King Ramkhamhaeng who conquered a territory larger then present day Thailand but did not touch the considerably smaller neighbor in the north. Therefore, two fairly strong Thai kingdoms existed at the end of the 13th century, Sukhothai and Lannatai.

Chiang Mai was founded by King Mengrai as his new capital in 1291. The new city was completed with a surrounding moat and wall in 1296. The name it was given reads in full as "Nophaburi Si Nakhonping Chiang Mai".

The good relations between the Lannatai Kingdom and the southern Thais didn’t last for long. After the Sukhothai period which ended in the 14th century, the southern Thai’s approach to the Lannatai Kingdom was characterized by repeated attempts to degrade it to a vassal principality rather than accepting it as an equal Thai kingdom. And for the roughly 600 years from 1291 to 1774, the Lannatai Kingdom was a willing ally of the Burmese at least for as long a time as it sided with Ayutthaya. Actually for more than 200 years, from 1556 to 1774, it was a Burmese vassal state, just as the Shan principalities to the west of Lannatai. Due to its location in between Burmese and Siamese spheres of influence, Chiang Mai was not only repeatedly subdued by one of the two but also several times destroyed.

Chiang Mai became an integral part of Siam only in 1774 when the city, in preceding decades under strong Burmese rule, was conquered (or liberated) by King Taksin.

Local Nationalism

The visitor will notice that the people of Chiang Mai never get tired of pointing out that Chiang Mai has for centuries been the capital of an independent Thai kingdom - with the emphasis on "independent". But Thais from Phitsanulok southwards, or in northeastern Thailand, do not identify themselves with the Lannatai Kingdom. For them, Thai history begins in earnest with Sukhothai and continues through the Ayutthaya period into the Bangkok era. In books published in Bangkok on the history of Siam or Thailand, the Lannatai Kingdom regularly appears rather as a foreign power, on equal footing with the former principalities of Wiengchan (today Vientiane) and Luang Prabang which now form Laos.

Inhabitants of Chiang Mai, however, will argue that point, especially if they are natives of the city or belong to the educated class, as they identify strongly with their history reaching back to King Mengrai. And they view their history as independent history and as Thai history at the same time - in spite of the fact that this double interpretation has a tendency to be contradictory in many historical details.

Climate

The climate of Chiang Mai (and all of Northern Thailand) is slightly different from (and more agreeable than) the climate of central and other parts of Thailand, mainly due to the region’s elevation (300m, around 1000ft in the valleys). The cool season lasts from late October to the end of February. Average daytime temperature is 21° Celsius (70° Fahrenheit); nights are much cooler. The coolest months are December and January.

The hot season is from early March to end of May. Average daytime temperature is 30° Celsius (85° Fahrenheit). The hottest month is April. The rainy season usually begins early June and reaches to the end of October. Average temperature is 25.5° Celsius (77° Fahrenheit). The wettest month is September.

Festivals

Chiang Mai celebrates many festivals, most of which are also celebrated in other parts of Thailand, but probably with less fervor. Among them are the Flower Carnival (on the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday of February), Songkran (April 13-15) and Yee Peng (on the day of the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, generally mid-November).

The Flower Carnival celebrates the time when Chiang Mai’s temperate and tropical flowers are in full bloom; it is characterized by colorful floral floats and parades.

Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year. Chiang Mai celebrates Songkran with special elation in a 3-day carousel of religious merit-making, pilgrimages, beauty parades, dancing and uninhibited good-natured water throwing.

Yee Peng is Thailand’s loveliest festival when, under the full moon, people float banana-leaf boats bearing a lighted candle, incense, a flower and small coin onto rivers, canals, lakes and streams to honor water spirits and float away the past year’s sins.

Shopping

Chiang Mai is a major center for quality handicrafts. At any city emporium or at the Night Bazaar one can purchase an extraordinary variety of "antiques", silverware, silver jewelry, hill tribe opium pipes and embroidery, Thai silks and cottons, basketry, celadon, furniture, lacquerware, wood carvings or parasols.

The visitor can often watch how the various handicrafts are made especially at several outlying villages, particularly along the Bo Sang - Sam Kamphaeng Road. In genuine cottage industries, parasols, silk and cotton weaved cloth, jewelry, wood carvings, silverware, celadon and lacquerware are manufactured. However the visitor should be aware that many "factories" along the Bo Sang - Sam Kamphaeng Road actually are not primarily factories but retail outlets, and they charge not factory but retail prices.

Trekking Tours

Major hill tribes, including the Meo, Lisu, Yao, Akha, Lawa and Karen live in the mountains around Chiang Mai. The tribes share animist beliefs and honor numerous forest and guardian spirits. Each tribe has distinctive courtship rituals, games, dances, agricultural customs, puberty rites, languages or dialects, aesthetic values and hygienic habits.

Increasingly popular jungle treks, lasting from 2 to 7 days, take visitors through forested mountains and high meadows and include visits to remote high-altitude hill tribe settlements. Such treks sometimes also feature elephant rides. Best guides are hill tribe youths who commonly speak Thai, English and at least three tribal dialects.

Visitors contemplating joining jungle treks are advised to contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office on Chiang Mai - Lamphun Road to get the TAT-prepared Trekking Guideline Sheet which lists the common-sense precautions would-be trekkers should follow to ensure personal security and satisfaction.

There are currently three main trekking routes: the Chiang Mai - Mae Taeng route which usually includes a raft trip down the Mae Taeng River; the Chiang Mai - Mae Hong Song route through spectacular mountains and some rough terrain; and the Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai route with its exciting long-tail boat ride on the Kok River. Other trekking areas are in Chiang Dao, Mae Chan, Ngao, Phrao, Wiang Pa Pao and Lampang.

Sights in the Town

• Wat Phra Singh: This temple on Sam Lan Road dates from 1345 and is one of the focal points of Songkran festivities each April 13-15 when people bathe the revered Phra Buddha Singh image. Also on the temple compound is the Lai Kham chapel with exquisite wood carvings and murals and a scripture repository with striking reliefs.
• Wat Suan Dok: This temple on Suthep Road, built in the 14th century, is a favorite spot for photographers, particularly during sunset. Several of the white Chedis contain ashes of local royals. The 500 year old bronze Buddha in a secondary chapels is one of northern Thailand’s largest metal images.
• Wat Chiang Man: This Wat on Ratchaphakhinai Road is Chiang Mai’s oldest temple and probably dates from 1296. It first served as residence of King Mengrai, who founded Chiang Mai. It is noteworthy for a Chedi supported by rows of elephant buttresses, and a small, ancient Buddha image, Phra Kaeo Khao.
• Wat Chedi Luang: The temple on Phra Pokklao Road is the site of an enormous destroyed pagoda, originally 85m (280ft) high, which collapsed during an earthquake in 1545. At one time, Wat Chedi Luang housed the revered Emerald Buddha image now found in Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaeo. One of Wat Chedi Luang’s most striking architectural features is a Naga staircase adorning the main chapel’s front porch.
• Wat Ku Tao: The Chedi near Chiang Mai Stadium was built in 1613. The structure is colored with porcelain chips.
• Wat Chet Yot: This temple on the Super Highway, north of Doi Suthep - Nimmanhemin Road, dates from 1453. The seven-spired square Chedi was inspired by designs at Buddhagaya, the site of Buddha’s enlightenment in northern India over 2,500 years ago, and was built by Lannatai masters who had recently returned from Buddhagaya.
• Chiang Mai National Museum: The Chiang Mai museum beside Wat Chet Yot contains Lannatai works of art, ancient Buddha images and war weapons. The museum is open daily, except Mondays and Tuesdays, from 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:00.

Attractions to the West

• Tribal Research Institute: The Institute on the Chiang Mai University campus, 5km (3mi) from the city, has a permanent exhibition of artifacts which is open is open Mon-Fri 8:30-12:00 and 13:00-16:30.
• Chiang Mai Arboretum: The attractively landscaped garden near Chiang Mai University, 6km (4mi) from the city, contains many kinds of tropical trees and flowers.
• Chiang Mai Zoo: The zoological gardens, next to the Chiang Mai Arboretum, 6km (4mi) from town, occupies the lower forested slopes of Suthep Mountain. On display is a collection of Asian and African mammals and birds.
• Huai Kaeo Falls: The area around the falls near Chiang Mai Zoo, 7km (4mi) from the city, is a popular spot for picnics.
• Khruba Sivichai Monument: The Khruba Sivichai monument near the Huai Kaeo Falls, 7km (4mi) from the city, was built to commemorate Khruba Sivichai who initiated a plan to construct a hillside road for cars and people to the monastery on Suthep Mountain.
• Wat Phra That Doi Suthep: 15km (9mi) west of the city, this temple, 1,156m (3,520ft) above sea level on Suthep Mountain, overlooking the city from its forested backdrop, is one of Chiang Mai’s most important landmarks. It dates from 1383 and has holy Buddha relics in its golden pagoda. Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world come throughout the year. To reach it one can chose the hard way and climb a steep Naga staircase comprising around 300 steps; the less energetic may ascend by funicular cars.
• Phu Phing Palace: Phu Phing palace on Doi Buak Ha, 7km (4mi) further on the road passing Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, was built in 1962. The nicely landscaped grounds are open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, provided members of the Thai Royal family are not staying there at that time.
• Doi Pui Tribal Village: The Meo tribal village, some 4km (3mi) from Phu Phing Palace, offers vignettes of modern tribal life.
• Phu Dam (Black Cliff): This scenic spot near Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is popular for picnics.