THE EXPAT
Henry Wu
(37, United States)
Freelance front-end developer at Pixel Alchemists
My favorite place: Chiang Mai
Bring there: Comfortable shoes and sandals for all the walking you’ll do.
Must-do: Rent a motorbike and take a week to drive the majestic Mae Hong Son Loop.
Don’t do: Loi Kroh Road or the Night Bazaar, which are huge, inauthentic tourist traps. Must-see: Sport Day festivities at Chiang Mai University—one of the most amazing and vibrant displays of ingenuity and creativity.
Must-buy: A week-long Thai massage course at ITM. Learn how to give Thai massage while making lots of friends! What’s not to like?
Eat at: Burmese Restaurant and Library for their out-of-this-world tamarind leaf salad.
Drink at: Northgate Jazz Co-op, one of the best places for live jazz, hanging out, and a cold Singha beer.
Sleep at: The Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai, to literally feel like Thai royalty for a night.
THE TOURIST
Zornitsa Shahanska
(29, Bulgaria)
Designer at The Cute Pixel, California, U.S.
My favorite place: Chiang Mai
Bring there: Don’t bring much. The city has a great shopping scene.
Must-do: It was a dream of mine to wash an elephant. For me that is a must-do! Go to one of the many elephant camps and work there for a day or more.
Don’t do: The night bazaar. Most of the stuff there is very generic touristy items. Instead, go to Sunday walking street market and buy gifts from there.
Must-see: Go for the huge lantern release, Yi Peng. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
Must-buy: Handmade everything from Sunday walking market.
Eat at: Dada Kafé, a great small place in the old town. Everything is good there!
Drink at: When you miss the West. just go to Zoe in Yellow, a great place to have drinks with like-minded travelers.
Sleep at: If you want to be away from the tourist area and stay in the hippest part of town, go for the Nimmanhaemin area. There are many boutique hotels and hostels there.