A day in Chiang Mai

My flight to DMK (Don Mueang airport) was on time. I quickly came for the line where Visa on arrival (VOA) was being done. Generally, the line for VOA remains huge. Today there was relatively less crowd. I was very much hoping that I would be able to get my train to Chiang Mai on time. It so happened that before mine there was a group of Indian travellers who were also visiting Thailand for the very first time. They had a hotel booking in Bangkok itself. They had no rush. I requested the airport authority to process my documents slightly early so that I could get to the station on time. But they knew only one English sentence it seems “I am doing my job”. I know that they were doing their job perfectly well. But if they would have listened to my version once I would have easily got the train. After the VOA process was over, I came to the station only to find my train has already left. The next train is at 1.45 pm. There are no other cheap options available. I got the tickets. There were no reserved seats so I took a general ticket to Chiang Mai at the cost of 150 THB (1Thai Bhatt = 2.36 INR). The train is the cheapest way to get there. Flight to Chiang Mai is really expensive (price would be around 4000- 5000 THB one way). There is overnight bus also available from Chatuchak Terminal and Ekkamai Terminal (Price varies time to time but roughly around 600 to 700 THB one way)

I had some nice time pass at the china town nearby. I took another train to Bangkok's main station at 20 THB and walked to the china market. A lot of activities are there. Finally, my train was ready to leave. The total 14-hour journey by ordinary class is tiring. Anyway, I reached Chiang Mai around 5 am the next day. Just outside the station lots of TukTuk were available. I showed the booking PDF and I was at my hostel. It took me around 1 hour to get to my bed. The owner was deep asleep. It was a tough day for me. I quickly got fresh in the bathroom. Thank god, it was super clean. after around 2 to 3 hours of sleep, I was finally ready for the city tour. Right after coming out of the hostel, I got a TukTuk which dropped me at the bus stop. From there I took another bus to Doi Suthep temple (20 THB) This is the highest place in Chiang Mai. The bus only dropped me near another stop from where I had to hire another small vehicle to the mountain top (50 THB). The route was amazing and full of greenery. I could see lots of cyclists who are having their share of fun during the incline.

The temple is situated at the top of the mountain. You can either take a ropeway to walk to the temple by stairs. I took the stairs because I wanted to prove that I am fit. The view from the top was great. There is a saying that goes "If you haven't tasted Khao Soi or seen the view from Doi Suthep, you haven't been to Chiang Mai." It is one of the holiest sites in Thailand.

While I was capturing the beauty of Doi Suthep suddenly it started raining heavily. People took shelter here and there. I happened to enter into the silent Buddhist prayer hall. I stood there for quite some time until the rain stopped. Don’t know how long I was there but I could feel some calmness into my inner self. It was in some way liberating.

After visiting the monuments, it was almost getting dark. I came down. Took some Thai curry with rice. It was time to say goodbye to Doi Suthep as well as Chiang Mai. I already book the night bus to Bangkok. I wanted to stay here for some days but I had some other urgent work in Bangkok. I collected my belongings from the nearby hostel and headed to the bus stand. The bus was on time. It was my first overnight bus journey to Thailand. I had a tough time while coming here. So, during the bus journey, I was able to see the full moon view of the Thai roads. If possible, I would come back and take part in the Bangkok – Chiang Mai cycle rally which happens here every year.