Thinh Pham

Tag: Yi Peng

  • A quick travel guide to Chiang Mai

    A quick travel guide to Chiang Mai

    There are 4 kinds of people who will love Chiang Mai: natural-oriented minds, budget travelers, culture explorers and adventure challengers. The quick Chiang Mai travel guide below will explain in details.

    Get in

    The cheapest mean of transportation to Chiang Mai is ordinary train, there’s one at Bang Sue station, only 270 baht. Overnight train but very basic equipment so you’re expected to deal with noise, dust and back ache because they are all wooden seat. It’s cheap but very fatigue.

    I’ve taken bus, which I thought it was quite more expensive than train at first (488 baht for a class I seat) but then I found that Bus was really worthy because you’re having comfortable seat, a small convenient meal, air-con whole trip with blanket and window offering landscape view.

    The Chiang Mai is close to the city center, the budget airlines as Nok Air usually offer prices at 900 baht, plus 20-50 baht for a songthaew ride, it seem not bad choice for limited-time travelers while still considering budget transportation.

    Get around

    chiang mai travel guide

    The old city (center area, square shape if you see its top-down map) is just 2 kilometer square, so it’s relaxing to explore it on foot.

    Bicycle is the cheapest mean (if you don’t mind walking), just 50 baht/ day, most of hostels offer these. I rented one, no locker, support light equipped (but you should turn off when day riding because it drains more your stamina).

    Motorbike is quite popular, but I read an information mentioning that in festival occasions, you sometimes probably get caught by police and fined for 500 baht if you don’t have helmet or IDP. I didn’t have much to waste 500 baht by chance, so no rental was done.

    Songthaew is popular public transport, and I prefer it if time is not your enemy: 20 baht from bus station to old city gate park. If you rent whole ride, it’s 100 baht as songthaew run in taxi mode.

    Bus is another good choice, but most of them look outdated. You should avoid them in the evening because of the heavy traffic jam, which you suffer exhausted fume, slow going and so much noise. The price is fix, depending on your travel distance. Ask the conductor to be clear, especially open bus.

    chiang mai travel guide

    Stay

    Budget travelers will love the town because there are many budget-friendly dorms/ hostels in town. The lowest price I found was 3 usd/ night (requires at least 2 nights up), usually 5-7 usd/ night is good choice. I experienced 2 dorms – and they are really good compared to the price offer.

    My first night I spent in Cham-cha hostel, dorm room with 6 beds for 5.5 usd/ bed. Check-in was quite slow. You will receive a key to open door to dorm area, so it senses secure.

    The unregistered guests are even fined 300 baht if they get caught. It is generally clean and neat. Bathroom is awesome. Guest space was relaxing and cosy with bed right at front, you can lazily read book on shelf.

    The second dorm I stayed in was Chiang Backpack house, for only 4 usd/ night. I extremely love their coffee space at front, very cosy and open. I ordered a cappuccino and very enjoy while working on writing there. However, the facility was not good, there was a leaking faucet in the bathroom.

    My dorm room was not clean at all. The junior staffs were not speaking English, only senior ones (I counted for three). No book area to read but full of tourism brochures. Laundry costs 40 baht/ kg / 24h service and double for fast service. Bicycle rental costs 50 baht/ day as neighborhood standard.

    chiang mai travel guide food

    Eat

    Don’t forget cho check Food when you read a Chiang Mai travel guide, because food really cheap and truly local.

    First, the option for tightest budget travelers (like me in the very last day in Chiang Mai) is instant noodle in 7-eleven shops. You should buy a canned noodle (just 10 baht) plus additional one (6 baht), pour hot water right inside and pay at cashier.

    Along some roads in the center of old city, there are stalls selling food for labors, just 15-20 baht/ pax, and it’s as delicious as you have in restaurant with a lot of traditional Thai foods.

    There’s no spoon/ fork available can be fixed with cans from instant noodle which you’ve already bought before.

    The restaurants often price from 40-60 baht/ dish, mini buffet for 100 baht. Drinks are the same price, which you can easily access in the old city bars or vendors. There’s one more thing: sweet soup is just 7-20 baht and they really delicious.

    Chiang Mai center market is also a ideal place if there’s a kitchen in your dorm. All ingredients are fresh, clean and colorful.

    Things to do

    Chiang Mai is the city of “Wat” (pagoda in Thai), so you are free to access and photograph as much as you can to most of pagoda in the City.

    If you don’t have much time, rent a bicycle and cycling around old city, spend 10-20 minutes for each so it takes merely a morning to experience “Wat tour”.

    Many Chiang Mai travel guides suggest traveler attending the famous Yi Peng – Loy Krathong festival, where you have chance to release big flying laterns into air with thousands of local people, watching the sky glowing beautifully in very sacred ambiance. 

    The first time visiting Chiang Mai, I missed it after all. So to avoid any nonsense reasons preventing you from taking part in full course of festival, do some research before backpacking to Chiang Mai.

    Read more: Yi Peng festival in my mind

    If you love adventurous sense then Doi Inthanon – the highest spot of Thailand– is a great choice. There are many gorgeous waterfalls, adventurous trails and a peak to challenge. The temperature is quite hot but when you get higher, be aware that it’s getting cold quickly, especially in raining case, so taking along some warm clothes is better.

    Doi Suthep is another choice, but it doesn’t brand the highest spot and just another pagoda complex which is very popular in Chiang Mai. That’s why Inthanon was chosen.

    Many Chiang Mai travel guide lure travelers as Thailand is Elephant country so people make it become a must-do experience while plentiful activists warn us not to put the elephant shows in our checklist due to the animal protection. Indeed, I prefer see wild elephants South Africa safari then.

    And don’t forget to visit various night markets in Chiang Mai, you will be full of surprise for what you see.

  • My first time with Yi Peng festival

    My first time with Yi Peng festival

    Yi Peng festival is a famous attraction in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Though pictures of air floating lantern lure travelers, it is really an occasion for all people to wish for merit. It was sad that I couldn’t attend it to the end due to limited schedule.

    All the experience below will cover my 3-day trip, including a day before and the first day of the festival. My second night experience was actually a view of flying lanterns from a bus window. To be honest, it’s still worthy than just looking through images with imagination, though just a few lanterns in the air.

    Day before

    As a highland city, there are many adventurous choices around Chiang Mai, so the first hours in Chiang Mai. I indeed spent on trip to Doi Inthanon. It’s really a must-have experience and worthy a place in your bucket list in Thailand – check-in the highest spot in pagoda country.

    First evening, the old walls are well lit by hundreds of tiny candles, put neatly on bricks, creating unique spaces for the city. Both foreigners and locals enjoy walking along these ancient walls accompanied by cool breezes bringing moisture from artificial fountains in channels which cover around old city.

    I spent my second morning walking around the town to watch monks decorating pagodas, transforming these ancient religious structures into very colorful look with flowers, hanging laterns, sacred flags and pictures. I read that some guy even suggest attending memorable rituals or a friendly monk chat, which definitely will be in my bucket list for next trip to Chiang Mai.

    It’s interesting that you possibly meet a rainbow if standing in right angles. Imagine there’s no raindrops but still a colorful event happening. How great it is!

    Doves are fed widely in the city, but most of bird grounds locate near ancient wall gates. You can buy some dried corn snack and feed them to take photos. Many people take their children there to play with doves while I completely enjoy photographing the kids.

    First day of Festival

    I asked my hostess where the best locations to enjoy the festival were. She used a pen and rounded Thapae Gate as the starting point and following Thapae road to the riverside, turned left to China town and headed to Nakom Ping Bridge as the final destination, that would be a parade.

    So in the evening, I came back Thapae Gate, surely I would get what I expected in Chiang Mai trip: a landscape of thousands of lanterns in the air as many many websites covered with such a incredibly beauty.

    When I reached the square, the local organizer started setting up candles on ground, the King altar had been done completely while the stage was playing some songs, which I guessed, to remember the King.

    After the open ceremony had done, people spread to take photograph. I didn’t see any air lanterns preparation, which made me suspicious a bit. I quickly joined the crowd and hopefully thought it hadn’t come yet.

    While I was trying to have someone photograph me, coincidentally I met the Chinese girl in Hua Hin (who had greatly contributed to my go-with-the-flow Chiang Mai decision). We shot for each other some photos.

    Admittedly, I did do some research on Yi Peng festival 2016. There were many sites mentioning Yi Peng but lacking of the essential information like the official schedule, even on Thailand Authority of Tourism website. So it was considered I was a blind traveler for anything happening that night.

    There was no sign of mass lantern release still, which made me afraid of something wrong. That was my last night in Chiang Mai, I had to take advantage of any chances. I remember that the parade would head to the riverside, so I quickly walked there, hopefully any good news came up.

    The road was crowded, but it wasn’t like a really parade happening but a big traffic jam instead. I search for “Yi Peng schedule 2016” and finally got my answer. As you can see it below, which I knew immediately that I would enjoy the beautiful flying lanterns from window bus view.

    Yi Peng festival 2016 schedule draft

    My steps stopped at China town. There were REAL people dropping the floating lanterns onto the rivers, not in mass but, yes, it happened. My stomach started crying and my eyes searched for some dish to feed myself. There was a crowded food vendor. Getting closer and I found that thay offered a noodle dish only 15 baht, quite cheap for dinner, and it was wrapped conveniently.

    I looked up the schedule of Yi Peng festival 2016 again for any useful information then a destination showed up – Three Kings monument. I typed the name into google map and followed the arranged route. That was shorter way but quiet, sometimes only me alone in dark corners.There were few people strolling around until I got the the old walls.

    Passing through massage road, finally I reached the square. Many people gathered there with dozen of lanterns both hanging and lying on the ground, which seemed I was at right place after all.

    I really enjoyed the surroundings, feeling lost in light yellow hanging lanterns. There was two areas: one by organizers and one for tourists to light up their own candles. You could buy your own candles and light them up, choose to put them into lantern rows or simply shaping them in your own imagination.

    The monument was exhibited as King altar and many people came to worship. That was one of the most peaceful moments in Yi Peng festival 2016.

    I passed to the night market nearby and got interested in dozen of colorful hand-made lanterns shaping something like a A-roof. But it’s not well lit, half of lanterns had gone dark so it was very difficult to capture photos because of the low light condition.

    MANY many many products were shown in the market. From t-shirt, paintings, scented incenses, handicrafts to fresh fruits and juice They were so impressive that I bought some things, even though my budget was very tight at that time.

    When I was back home, my feet hurt so I had to sit down for a while to recovery. At that time, there’s young Thai bring along a guitar with something like a pot with many cents inside.

    He said he played as a street artist with the guitar and revealed his triump with dozen of coins inside. That was really creative and interesting. I noticed him had done some practices on the day before but I doubted he just did for fun until he earned true money that night.

    Last hours in Chiang Mai: a new look for “local Chiang Mai”

    The next day, in contrast to my thinking, there was no such a big event happening. So I’d waited for the Bangkok bus since the afternoon. I knew I wouldn’t have a chance for close-up experience releasing air lantern and many days in Thai would make me fed up with “Wat visit”. Another reason was to make sure there was no sorry because of traffic jam reason.

    But after dozen of bargain for a cheap fair to the station, I eventually chose to walk to enjoy neighborhood daily life. You should walk in shady side of road or it would very hot under direct sunlight.

    The area near bus station actually new city of Chiang Mai which many government buildings and school/ academic institutes situate. Walking through these roads and I sensed a modern Chiang Mai but very local Chiang Mai.

    You would face difficulty because road names are mostly in Thai and people mostly speak Thai instead English. All they can show you is product price. But it was more peaceful than the old city. A walk tour is good in some term.

    P/s: When my bus started rolling its wheels at 20:00, the air lanterns started their journey into the sky. It’s surprising that there were much fewer lanterns in Yi Peng festival 2016 than it is in in 2015. Maybe because of King’s death limiting the range of festival. It’s so sad!

  • Something true about Yi Peng festival (Mass air lantern release)

    Something true about Yi Peng festival (Mass air lantern release)

    Whether you have to pay for ticket to join Yi Peng festival?
    yi-peng-festival

    Firstly, you have to understand the festival in depth. Following my research, there are 2 separate festivals but happening the same time: They are Yi Peng (air lanterns) and Loi Krathong (floating laterns on rivers).

    While Loi Krathong is popular nationwide in Thailand, Yi Peng is actually local. They are held separately, then combined into one occasion for better organization and tourist attendance. The festival lasts for 3 days officially. However, you can visit days before to experience the local preparation works on their houses and pagodas, or extend your staying longer to access to a self-releasing lanterns event held for foreigners as I read in a website.

    Most of travelers confusing the news this event is paid one but it’s proven wrong. Truth to be told, there’s a independent pagoda holding a latern releasing ground far away from the city (Maejo University). And after the attraction rising, they (initially a non-profit organization) start collecting tickets (100-300 usd).

    Actually, this is a free event for all Thai people and foreigners. At the arranged time (usually 20:00) people are free to release their lanterns into the sky or drop floating ones on the rivers and praying for their wishes. Candles can be bought anywhere in the city and you can light them up and put them along the old walls as the local do.

    I didn’t attend the mass lantern release so I’m not sure foreigners possibly buy one and release themselves but you can easily purchase decorated floating lanterns for 40-60 baht and so floating yourself.

    For any confusion of destination and activities, consulting this schedule should help a lot.

    It’s noticed that there’s no “Maejo University” mentioned in Venue column. Yi Peng 2016 is considered as least wonderful because of the King’s death event. However, it’s still worthy a look at flying lantern in the air and make some wishes!