Category: Travel

For most people planning a tour or vacation, Thailand is always on the top of the list. For so many years, the number of tourists flocking the country has always gone up. Thailand has a favourable climate, tropical beaches, fantastic food, and vibrant life. The most common city receiving tourists in Thailand is Bangkok. Bangkok is a busy city offering lively nightlife, a beautiful panorama view, cultural festivals, good food, and luxury shopping outlets. However, Chiang Mai is a place for a person who loves quiet life.

Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand. It is not as busy as Bangkok and Nakhon. Instead of heavy traffic, Chiang Mai offers beautiful scenery with misty mountains, hills, and historic temples. The city has so much to offer that people who have been there always look forward to going back. If you Chiang Mai is a great tourist destination if you plan to travel to a new place and a famous destination to teach English in Thailand. Here is a Chiang Mai travel guide for you.

Featured image by Adli Wahid on Unsplash

A Guide to Chiang Mai

1. Climatic conditions

Chiang Mai has favourable temperatures all around the year. However, it is essential to note that temperatures can go slightly higher than average during summer and lower during the winter. That is because the city is 700 meters above sea level. Expect rains between May all through to October. Even then, you can plan a tour of this fantastic city any time of the year. Remember to pack a jacket if you plan your vacation in the winter.

2. Accommodation

When people plan on a vacation, accommodation is one of the determining factors in where to go. Accommodation in Chiang Mai should not give you sleepless nights. There are excellent and affordable hotels near the airport and the train station. If you love nature more, you can book hotels near or along the banks of the Ping River.

3. Meals

One of the most frustrating things is to travel somewhere and find meals you have never seen before or those you do not take at all. Remember, not everyone likes trying out different foods in the first instance. Chiang Mai considers every visitor, and they have restaurants that have different varieties of food where everyone can fit in. local cuisines, international cuisines, and vegetarian diets are all available in the city. Try the Khao Soy. You will love it.

4. What to remember about Chiang Mai

The nature in the city is something to behold. Being surrounded by hills and mountains gives you the need to appreciate natures’ beauty. Chiang Mai also offers you the opportunity to trek, cycle, and zip line. If you love kayaking, then this is a destination that you should consider going to. Lying by the Ping River and watching as the sun sets is something you do not want to miss.

5. Costs

Everything in Chiang Mai is affordable. The food, the accommodation, and the shopping. If you want to hire a tour guide, it will not cost you much compared to other tourist destinations in other parts of the world. Hiring a tour guide will help you know and visit many places, know their language and see things from the locals’ perspectives.

About the Author

Monica is a passionate writer and content creator. Her interests include outdoor activities, fitness, technology, entrepreneurship and everything in between. Say hi to Monica on Twitter @monical_lee.

We often hear the phrase ‘support your independents’, but how many of us actually know how or why we should do this? Supporting ‘independents’ basically means dealing with smaller, local traders in any aspect, rather than big corporate companies. This can mean anything from your local fruit and vegetable trader, to locally made clothing and of course, locally made art and interiors. It’s something many people know they should do, so why is it then, that most people still hand over money to giant companies rather than their own peers? If you were in any doubt of why you should start supporting your local independents, here are just some of the benefits of doing so.

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You know where the money goes

When you buy an item from a large chain store, do you really ever know where the money goes? We like to think that the majority of the sale would be handed straight over to the designer and manufacturer, but in reality, most of it usually goes to the suits at the top of the business. International business owners can often be multi-millionaires, whereas most small business owners struggle to get by. When you buy from an independent trader, you know that most of your money will be invested back into the company. Any left over will go towards supporting that individual person, and possibly their family too. Doesn’t that feel a lot better than paying into some global businessman’s retirement fund?

You get something completely unique

The thing amount most large, well-known businesses is that everything they produce, they produce en-masse. Therefore you could end up with a really lovely painting from a high-street store, or maybe some fabulous home decor. But the sheen wears off a little bit when you realise that thousands of other people up and down the country now also have living rooms that look exactly like yours. Another benefit of buying from an independent trader is that you know what you get will be absolutely unique. Even if they do produce a range of products, that may only mean that thirty or forty replicas are made – so that’s still a pretty unique item. If you want to see how artists and other independent creatives work, try reading art history articles online. This will help you make your next purchase with a bit of knowledge to back it up.

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You may be able to sell it on

Of course, no really buys anything (except property) with the sole intention to sell it on. But there may come a time in your life where you need to downsize – or maybe you have just grown bored of a particular item and feel as though you need a refresh in your life. So, don’t just reach for the bin bag to chuck everything away. Items from independent traders may sell for a decent profit, simply because they are so unique. People tend to appreciate handmade goods, so the base price is almost always higher than a mass produced item. Plus, who knows – that artist you bought that print off ten years ago could now be Banksy!

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