Henry
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.
Zornitsa
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.
Mae Taman Elephant Camp at Chiang Mai
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.
