Chiang Mai

Just spent an extended weekend in Chiang Mai, packed with family, friends, food, and foliage. Coupled with the cool air, the latter was especially gratifying as there isn’t a lot of greenery in Bangkok.

Chiang Mai is more serene and it is relatively easy to get back to nature. The city is also very veg- friendly. We had a communal lunch at Santi Asoke's Vegetarian Society (where you also have to wash your own dishes - my mom was grossed out by the hastily-rinsed plates from previous diners, hehe) and two excellent meals at Baan Khun Churn on Nimanhaemin Road. We also guzzled the local coffee, which gives Starbucks a run for its money (yey!).

It was also fun to see various exhibits of the Royal Floral Expo, browse the galleries on Nimanhaemin Soi 1 (my brother Vit lives in Soi 3), stroll through temple grounds, and light hot air lanterns at a cousin’s tenth birthday celebration.

On the last day, we ventured to Mae Rim for lunch at the idyllic Pongyang resort. With its forested mountains, rippling stream, and waterfall, Pongyang is also a meditation retreat. We joked about joining this retreat -- as some of us (!) have short attention spans -- but it may actually be a good thing to try.














While we did a lot, it was a much-needed respite from Bangkok. We're going to try to get out at least once a month.