If Bangkok is a financial and tourist center of the country, then Chiang May is cultural and intellectual. More than 300 Buddhist temples are located here, the oldest of which dates from the 13th century. But the main thing that attracts tourists in Chiang May is not even excellent examples of medieval Thai architecture, but a unique atmosphere, friendly and relaxed. They come here to see the numerous ancient temples and stupas, admire the magnificent nature of North Thailand and get acquainted with the customs of the small peoples of the country, in general, to fully feel the flavor of Southeast Asia in its least tourist manifestation.
I want to go to Chiang!
Independent tourists and backpackers love to come to Chimovka, the benefit of life here is much cheaper than in the south of Thailand, and a convenient location allows you to make short outfits with excursions to neighboring Laos and Burma. The best way to examine the city is to rent a bicycle and slowly go around all the temples, markets and the picturesque surroundings of the city. A free city card is issued in almost all hotels or guesthouse. And if you are limited in time, try to order a tour of the city for the main attractions of the city in one of the many tourist bureaus. The list of binding places usually includes churches of Wat Prai Sutep, Wat Pra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang, the ruins of the old city of Wiang Kum Kam and the city market Talat Varot.
Wat Pra Doi Sutep is 15 kilometers from the city on the top of the mountain 1600 meters high. The first stupa of the temple was laid in 1383 as a storage for a very important relic – a piece of Buddha’s bones. It is believed that the place for the construction was indicated by the sacred white elephant, for this the relics of the enlightened one was hoisted onto the back on the back, and the elephant, circling a little, brought them to the top of the mountain. The relic itself is stored in a huge golden mortar surrounded by small altars with the statues of the Buddha and four gold umbrellas. The rise to the temple is equipped with a funicular and a staircase of 306 steps. From the center of the city to the foot of the hill, it is most convenient to get to Songteo (indoor pickups, something like our minibus) from the zoo.
The oldest temple Chiang May is Wat Pra Singh. Like many other Thai temples, it consists of several wall painting and carvings of pavilions. The temple is named after the sacred statue of the Buddha stored here, Pra Singh. According to local residents, she was brought to Chiang May from India through Sri Lanka in the middle of the 14th century.
Every year during the Songkran (Thai New Year) festival, a colorful procession with a statue runs along the streets of the city, and believers as a sign of respect are watered by Buddha (and each other) with water. In this strange, but rather cheerful action, tourists love to take part, so we advise you to buy water pistols so that there is something to shoot from.
Wat Chedi Luang is strikingly different from the other churches of Chiang May and is rather picturesque ruins. The stupa of this temple, erected in 1441, was once the highest structure of Northern Thailand, but it was badly damaged during an earthquake of the 16th century and the war between Thais and Burmans in the 18th century. In the 1990s, the temple was saved from further destruction and partially restored as part of the joint program of UNESCO and the government of Japan. It is believed that Wat Chedi Luang is the first place of storage of the famous statue of the Emerald Buddha. Today, this statue is located in the Bangkok Museum, and a replica donated by the city of the city in 1995 is stored in the niche of the temple.
5 kilometers south of the center of Chiang May on the banks of the Ping River are the ruins of the ancient city of Viang Kum Kum. This city was founded a little earlier than Chiang May, in 1288, on the site of an ancient settlement, and for several years served the capital of the principality of Lannathei, which existed on the territory of North Thailand from the 13th to the 16th century. But the place for the construction of the city was chosen unsuccessfully, and due to constant flooding, Wiang Kum Kum was left by people and abandoned in the 16th century. Gradually, the city disappeared under a layer of silt and dirt, and for several centuries they did not remember it. Archaeologists have discovered the Ruins Wiang Kuma Kam only in 1984, since then many ancient buildings and relics have found in the territory of the ancient city, the oldest of which dates from the 8th century.
If you find yourself in the city on Sunday, be sure to visit the night market Chalot Varot, one of the largest in Asia. The market completely occupies one of the central streets of the city and adjacent alleys. Here you can buy anything, from a variety of souvenirs – crafts and figurines from tick wood and bamboo, jewelry, varnish caskets – to dishes, toys, fishing gear, voks and other household items.
On the market, of course, they actively sell street food – baked mussels, grill fish, freshly squeezed juices and baking. Do not miss the main Chinagma delicacy – meat sausages with spicy herbs.
The climate in Chiang May is quite humid and warm, but exhausting heat, as in Bangkok, in the north of the country. During the most warm months, February, March and April, forest fires often occur, and then a haze hung over the city. Together with the smog from the burning of natural garbage (local peasants are so preparing the fields for sowing) they create a dense smoke curtain, so it is not recommended to go to Chiang May at that time.
The best season for visiting the city is from November to early February. But keep in mind that at night in winter it is quite cool here, about +15. If you are going to jungle tracking tour, take the clothes warmer, the temperature may drop to +5 in the mountains, but usually it is +10-+15.
Average prices in Chiang Maya:
- Lunch for one person in an inexpensive, but good cafe – 69 rubles
- McDonald’s (Big-Mak + Potato + Cola)-from 216 rubles
- The cost of one trip by public transport is 34 rubles
- A bottle of 0.5 liters of mineral water – from 10 rubles
- The prices of the night in an inexpensive, but a pleasant hostel starts at 500 rubles per day
