Chiang Mai has always been one of my go to happy places. It’s a city defined by a moat around mostly ancient walls and is super easy to navigate. I just spent 8 days there, on a bicycle or walking and have mixed feelings. Maybe it’s this whole trip and not just Chiang Mai. Maybe it’s everything else going on in the world. On the plus side, I gambled the masses of visitors to Thailand and Cambodia would not have surged the moment they opened due to onerous COVID testing requirements, restrictions and uncertainty. That was a win, it’s been fairly empty. I also hoped there would be a fire sale on 5 star hotels due to low occupancy, win #2. There’s only been one quick downpour since I’ve been here, I’m getting tired of all the winning. But it’s also been hotter than a pair of balls in skinny jeans, even up in Chiang Mai. And because I came early, I missed out on prime rambutan and mangosteen season, durian are not exactly plentiful either. Triple win and then triple lose, but the wins were weighted way heavier than the losses. The real pain though, comes from witnessing the economic devastation of two economies who shut down hard that were overly reliant on tourism revenue.
Chiang Mai seems to be coming back slower than Bangkok. Large swaths of the Night Bazaar are empty and many businesses along Taeprae road were shuttered. The tuk tuk drivers were ‘tuk tuking sir?’ and the massage ladies were ‘Massage kaaaaaaaaing?’ with a sense of desperation I’ve never seen before. They have always been super pesky, but this was on another very sad level. But this trip, I did something I’ve never done in 28 years of coming to SE Asia. I didn’t bargain. Not once. It’s part of the culture to haggle, even among locals though there’s still a cheaper starting price for them. Tipping is also not something many SE Asians do. But I did. Generously.
The bike rides have been delightful. I usually started out getting lost somewhere outside the old city, then doing a loop on the outer and inter rings before stopping to pick up breakfast (20 baht or 60 cents for those counting, and surprise - I’m counting) at a market. Along the way, there always seem to be 15th century stupas woven into the fabric of the city.
