Thailand, day 6 - part one. I have one thing on my list today – the Yee Peng festival mass lantern release tonight – giving me a full day to explore Chiang Mai's Old City. Almost a week away from home and work, I'm completely relaxed, and happy to have no agenda.
As we chat, I watch tourists stream in and out of the modern cafe across the road; it looks like any number of hipster joints at home. I wonder why people travel, if only to stick with the familiar. I also wonder how long the authentic parts of Chiang Mai will survive under the weight of tourism.
Breakfast with the locals in Chiang Mai
I wander through the market and enjoy breakfast with the locals, then spend an hour bonding with the owner of a tiny, rustic coffee shop with great gaa-fae yen. She's a single mum, like me. "Thai men have no responsibility," she says, with no bitterness. "Lots of women, lots of drinking." I ask if she's going to the Loy Krathong festivities, the main reason I'm in Chiang Mai. She laughs: "No, I'm too old; there are too many people now." Too many tourists, I suspect.
As we chat, I watch tourists stream in and out of the modern cafe across the road; it looks like any number of hipster joints at home. I wonder why people travel, if only to stick with the familiar. I also wonder how long the authentic parts of Chiang Mai will survive under the weight of tourism.
Lunch with foodies at Khao Soi Khun Yai
My lazy day continues with a luxurious 250 baht (C$10) pedicure (you can find one on any corner) and the (reputably) best khao soi in Chiang Mai (60 baht). I wait 30 minutes in line at Khao Soi Khun Yai, a busy outdoor kitchen with a dozen small tables, surrounded by foodies from San Fran, Sydney, Toronto. Khao soi is common throughout the region, but it's known as Chiang Mai's signature dish. Crispy egg noodles, slightly spicy coconut curry, chicken: simple, delicious, just what I wanted.
I kill a couple of hours quietly wandering the Old City, taking photos of stunning wats, admiring linens and silks and art, resting for a cheap Singha on a patio. If you ignore the tourists and tourism, Chiang Mai is lovely: peaceful, pretty, with wonderful food and people.
Read next: checking off a bucket list item -- a mass lantern release in Chiang Mai