If You Want To Escape The Pace of Bangkok !

For centuries, the tranquil Thai city of Chiang Mai has been a haven for people seeking refuge or quiet contemplation.
From the Buddhist monks who congregate here and chat with tourists outside the many temples, to the hill tribes who have fled troubled spots such as Tibet and Burma, it has always been happy to extend a welcome.

For modern travellers, who invariably come via the hustle and bustle of Bangkok or the tourist “invaded” beaches of the south, it also provides a refreshing change of pace.

It's climate is cooler than that of the southern capital, and the pace of life within the old city walls much slower.

As you walk past countless outdoor market stalls selling fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and fish, smiling locals stop to “wai” – the Buddhist greeting, putting the palms together with fingers touching the tip of the nose, and bowing the head slightly.

If there is a better place for finding yourself than Chiang Mai among such beauty and serenity, it probably has yet to be discovered !!.

Make sure you leave enough time to enjoy Chiang Mai's many tourist attractions. For the energetic, the most popular activities are elephant rides and treks to visit the hill tribes.

Treks can be organised for anything from one day to four or five, and small groups of wide-eyed, and inevitably poorly prepared, tourists are led on wondrous trips through dense rainforest, up steep slopes, across rushing rivers to meet hill tribe communities.

While the tribes have long embraced tourism as a way of making money – and there is no shortage of souvenir shops along the way – they have thankfully recognised that their historic way of life is what attracts the visitors.

These treks provide an opportunity to meet the Karen Hill Tribe “Longnecks”, where the women's necks are adorned with heavy-looking, and ultimately physically deforming, neck rings – designed to resemble the neck of the dragons revered by their culture.

Nights are spent in bamboo huts on wooden stilts, falling asleep in mosquito nets with the sounds of the rainforest just outside.At the Maesa Elephant Camp, as well as providing rides for tourists, the elephants paint and play football.

Although this can seem demeaning for these grand beasts, they are well cared for and their role in Chiang Mai's thriving tourism industry ensures their survival now they have been replaced by machinery in the area's agricultural industry.

The Thais are masters of relaxation, so the less adventurous can choose from countless massages and other treatments that are available all over the city. Whatever you need to strike a counterbalance with the navel-gazing, you will find it in Chiang Mai.

Home to the controversial former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the city also has more than 300 temples, some of them among the most revered and beautiful in the Buddhist world.

If you are looking for a new you, Chiang Mai could be just the place to start your journey.

Who knows where it might lead ??.