I stayed in Chiang Mai for about a week, I stayed in Spicy Thai hostel. Not the most luxurious hostel but the location and the vibe are amazing! Is is also really clean and cheap! It is run by the nicest people, and many trips are organized such as going out to bars, going to Thai boxing matches, renting mopeds etc. It also had free breakfast: bananas and toast with jam.

there is so much to do in Chiang Mai. I went to an elephant sanctuary, to the Chiang Mai Canyon, ziplining through the jungle and to the sticky waterfalls (Bua Thong Waterfalls). Weirdly, I don’t have any pictures from it, I probably did not take my phone with me as they were both swimming occasions.

I went to the canyon and waterfalls by a rented moped. In big cities you have to watch out for the police as they like to pull over tourists, since most of them don’t have a legit international motor license and this is a source of income for them.

I also got a traditional Thai massage, the woman braided my hair afterwards because she was very interested in it as it was so soft and blonde.

One night, me and a lot of people from the hostel went to the cabaret show, which is an amazing night! The people who perform are amazing, it was so funny and interesting! One of my friends received a lap dance, and because he was such a good sports he received a beer. It was really hilarious. I absolutely recommend this if you are looking for a fun night out!

I took a tuktuk to the start of the monk trail, and then started my hike, which took several hours. At the middle of the hike was a small temple, with monks walking around. This temple could not be reached by car, only by foot! It was in the middle of forest, halfway up the mountain.

At the top was a really large, beautiful temple. You could also enjoy a beautiful view over Chiang Mai. The only downside to me was that it could be reached by car. The temple is really famous and thus crowded. The difference was that I had walked several hours to reach my destination, and thus was very appreciative of the view and the beauty of the temple. Most other visitors had taken a taxi up the mountain and weren’t as appreciative of the place. At a certain point I had found a quiet corner where I was enjoying the view. I had just taken a quiet moment to myself, away from all the photoshoots people were having, when all of a sudden someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around and the tourist girl asked: “can I take a picture?” She was signing to the place where I was standing. Flabbergasted I stepped aside from my quiet spot. When I thought about it later I thought it was really rude and I should have responded with: “you can take a picture of me.”

As a result of me enjoying the moment, I did not take many photos of the temple. But trust me: it’s gorgeous!

© Tiny Traveler