CHIANG MAI is Thailand's

CHIANG MAI is Thailand's second city, famous for it easy-going ambience and an old quarter that's retained many of its traditional wooden houses and quiet, leafy gardens. Elegant temples are the primary tourist sights, but these are no pre-packaged museum pieces – they're living community centres, where you're quite likely to be approached by monks keen to practise their English. Inviting craft shops, good-value accommodation, rich cuisine and a tempting number of courses, in everything from Thai cookery to traditional massage, further enhance the city's allure, making Chiang Mai a place that detains many travellers longer than they expected.

Several festivals attract throngs of visitors here too: Chiang Mai is considered one of the best places in Thailand to see in the Thai New Year – Songkhran – in mid-April, and to celebrate Loy Krathong at the full moon in November, when thousands of candles are floated down the Ping River in lotus-leaf boats.

The most famous and fascinating temples in the city – Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Chiang Man – are clustered conveniently close to each other in the old town, though the main local place of pilgrimage, for Buddhists and tourists alike, is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, which glitters in the sun from its perch some 1300 metres up the neighbouring mountain. The city is also well-endowed with museums: the Arts and Cultural Centre in the old town for high-quality displays on Chiang Mai and Lanna culture, the National Museum to the north for the best of the region's historical artefacts, and, further north again, the Tribal Museum for a useful introduction to the hill-tribes of northern Thailand.

Beyond the city limits, a number of other day-trips can be made, such as to the ancient temples of Lamphun or to the orchid farms and elephant shows of the Mae Sa valley – and, of course, Chiang Mai is the main centre for hill-tribe trekking.

CHIANGMAI NIGHT SAFARI

CHIANGMAI NIGHT SAFARI
ChiangMai Night Safari is located in Doi Suthep - Pui National Park area of Mae Hia Local Area.
The Total area about 131Hectares, and 10 Kilometers from ChiangMai City ( South Of ChiangMai )
ChiangMai Night safari offer 4 Zone for tourist to spend your activities in ChiangMai.
Zone Lanna Village
Discover the modern services and the passenger' s station fir the trip to view / admire wild animals in the atmosphere of Savanna Safari, get exited in Predator Prowl and enter the Jaguar Trail to take a walk and closely watch the wild animals.
JAGUAR TRAIL
This wild animal zone starts from Lanna Village and goes around swan Lake and fishes at Lanna village again. There are many small animals to be seen such as bear cat, Brazil Tapir, dwarf hippopotamus, spotted cat, water pig and flamingo.

SAVANNA SAFARI
Enjoy the African Savanna atmosphere and view the harmless animals such as Elephants, giraffe, and Zebras. The open type trams are provided for your journey at savanna safari to enable you to have an experience of the outside atmosphere. Approximately 40 tourists can be fitted in this tram.

PREDATOR PROWL
Experience the adventure of sitting in the tour bus and watching the wild animal closely. Be exited and every second watching the Action of wild animals such as Lions, Asiatic black bears, tiger, hyenas and crocodiles, and more. The transportation is made by open type tour bus with a security system to protect you from the harmful animals. Approximately 20 tourist can travel in the Tour Bus.

SOUVENIRS AND OTOP PRODUCT
Enjoy shopping for handicraft products from the local communities, CNS Souvenirs and many types of exotic, fine food provided in our various beautiful and impressive facilities. You will enjoy the tasty food at our elegant restaurant.

Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

Chiang Mai Night Bazaar or just Night Bazaar (Thai: ไนท์บาซาร์, Nai Basa) is located in the heart of the city, on the Chan Klan road, between Tha Pae and Sri Donchai roads. It is famous for its handicrafts and portrait paintings. There are also jewelry, toys, clothing and high tech items such as, CDs and DVDs. The market is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Chiang Mai.[1] At first, the market was owned by Chinese merchants, but since it grew in size as more commercial buildings were built, it was no longer owned by a single group of people. Instead, there are many owners, and most of them are Thai.

Chiang Mai Night Market and Bazaar

Every evening, the centre of Chiang Mai comes alive with a massive Night Bazaar, and few people visit the city without picking up a few bargains here. In fact, the stalls that are squeezed on to the pavement and in the purpose-built arcades are one of Chiang Mai's biggest attractions.


Here you can pick up everything from antiques to fake Rolex watches, choose from an astonishing variety of handicraft souvenirs, sample the smoothness of the colourful silk on sale everywhere, have a suit measured up, ready for your collection the following evening, browse exquisite Asian silver jewellery or stock up on cheap DVDs.

The Chiang Mai Night Market is considered legendary and certainly one the cheapest places for tourists to shop in Thailand, due its close proximity to the source of products and the lower cost of living in Chiang Mai. It is situated along a three block stretch of Chan Klan road in the heart of the city, within walking distance of most hotels. Clustered around it are many restaurants and other useful services, such as camera shops, travel agents, internet caf�s and more. One
popular activity is to have your portrait done all dressed up in traditional Thai costume.

Pad Thai

Pad Thai

This is the one noodle dish to master and to love, over all the others (including the best that Italy has to offer). It's so addictive that it alone would keep Thai cuisine alive, were we ever to become too jaded for our own good and eschewed everything else.

Pad Thai is a splendid lesson in how the simple, and bland, rice stick (a.k.a. rice vermicelli) can evolve in the culinary hands of a tasteful culture. The result is so harmonious, so perfect in every way that it would be hard to imagine it without even one of its vast symphony of flavors and ingredients. Though daunting at first
(so many ingredients), it is actually relatively easy to concoct. The only caveat is that one cannot stint on the oil content, although it appears excessive. Too little oil, the noodles will stick and you'll have a mess in your wok. I've gotten away with 5 tbsp instead of the full 1/2 cup but I had to work awfully fast to avoid the sticking. This one is a treat; give it its full due and it'll pay back in memorable pleasure.

Wat Chiang Man

Wat Chiang Man


This temple was built in 1297 at the site of the camp King Mangrai used when he supervised the building of Chiang Mai. It was the first temple to be built in Chiang Mai and contains several very old artifacts. The oldest structure is the Chang Lom chedi, which is in a style that could have originated from Sri Lanka via Sukhothai, or from Pagan. Fifteen elephants represent a sea of unformed matter upon which the cosmos of the chedi floats.

Nearby are a lotus pond, a raised scripture repository and an ubosot. The stela in front of the ubosot was inscribed in 1581, and is one of the oldest known records that establishes the founding date of Chiang Mai.The temple has two Lanna style viharn. The larger viharn was renovated by Khru Ba Srivichai in the 1920's. The standing Buddha image (front right of the altar) has an inscription on its slightly lopsided square base that dates it to 1465. This makes it the oldest dated Buddha image to be found so far in Chiang Mai. Close study shows new gilt veneer covers pits and cracks that indicate the image's real age.The smaller viharn to the north (open 09:00-17:00) contains two small but very famous Buddha images. The Phra Sila image is a bas-relief that probably came from Ceylon in about the eighth century. The image is believed to have the power to bring rain and is the focus of a festival at the temple held from April 1-5.
The Phra Sae Tang Khamani crystal image belonged to Queen Chamadevi, who brought it from Lop Buri when she became the first ruler of Haripunchai. The image reputedly survived the burning of Haripunchai when it was razed by King Mangrai, and is honored for its powers to protect against disaster.

Located within the walls of the old city, near the Chang Puak gate, Chiang Man is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai. It was supposedly built by the founder of the city 700 years ago, King Mengrai, on the spot where he stayed while planning his new capital. It's a small temple, and not on the main tourist trail, but it was important for quite some time.


Several small buildings dot the temple compound, and behind the main prayer hall is a chedi. The base of the pagoda is lined with elephants crafted out of plaster. All the other buildings are finely decorated in the Northern style, with red lacquer, gold leaf and many-colored mirrors. Of special interest is the roof and stairs of the Wiharn to the right of the main chapel which houses two sacred Buddha images. The stair banisters are colorful naga dragons typical of the North. The roof gable-ends also forms beautiful nagas using colored glass and mirror tiles.

Giant Panda Live in Chiang Mai Zoo

In 2001, The vice-prime minister and minister of defence (a full general Chawalit Yongjaiyut) talked with the president and prime minister of The People's Republic of China about the giant panda.

He wanted to display giant panda in Thailand. The government of China was glad to give 1 pair of giant panda for friendship ambassador and celebration of Her Majesty the Queen's 6 cycle birthday anniversary in 2004. So, that is the reason for the project for panda research and display in Thailand.

The government of Thailand entrusted the Zoological Park Organization to take responsibility for these very rare giant panda. They are on display at Chiangmai Zoo in Chiangmai province.

Giant Panda Entrance Fee:
Foreigner : Adult 100 Baht, Child 50 Baht
Thai : Adult 50 Baht, Child 20 Baht
Giant Panda & Koala Zones open daily from 8.30 - 17.30 hours.

The Songkran Festival in Chiangmai

One of the high spots of the Thai calendar is the annual New Year celebration, or Songkran, which falls on or around April 13, when the sun moves into Aries, and lasts for three days or more. The word 'Songkran' originates from the Sanskrit meaning 'beginning of the solar year'. The holiday-loving Thais therefore get to celebrate New Year three times each year: the Western New Year on January 1, the Chinese New Year in February and the Thai New Year in April.

Traditionally, Thais visit temples at this time of year to offer food to the monks and to participate in bathing ceremonies for Buddha images. At home, young people pour scented water into the hands of their parents and elders as a mark of respect and to receive the blessing of the older folk.

April 12 is Wan Sungkharn Lohng. This is a day for house cleaning and general preparation for the New Year. In the evening it is traditional for Thais to dress up as a signal of the coming new year.

In Chiangmai, the Songkran procession is held on this day. This is a parade through Chiangmai comprised of Buddha images and attendants on floats, which are accompanied by minstrels and the town's people. The procession begins at Nawarat Bridge on the Mae Ping River and moves the Thapae Gate before approaching its final destination of Wat Prasingh.

April 13 is Wan Nao. On this day people prepare cooked meals and preserved food for the Buddhist merit-making that takes place on the following day.

Activities at Wat Prasingh continue on this day and in the evening local residents go to the banks of the Mae Ping River and gather sand to be deposited in piles topped by flowers in the temples. This practice is the ancient "raising the temple grounds" ritual which was necessary in the old days because then Thai New Year was held at the end of the rainy season in the first month of the old Thai Lunar Calendar.

April 14 is Wan Payawan. On this day a grand new year begins with early morning merit-making at the temples. Preserved and cooked foods, fresh fruit, monks' robes and other offerings are made at the temples. In the home, people do the final cleaning of Buddha images using scented water.

Traditionally this is the day that the pouring of water begins. It was once the practice to pour gently, but the fun-loving Thais have transposed this into a relative water free-for-all.

April 15 is Wan Parg-bpee. On this day homage is paid to ancestors, elders and other persons deserving respect because of age of position. This is called 'Rohd Nam Songkran', meaning 'The Pouring of Songkran Water', and the water is sprinkled on the elder persons while uttering wishes of good luck and a happy future.

In Chiangmai, this is the final day of the celebration and the day on which people have built up to a crescendo of water throwing. It is the day when all family and religious obligations have been completed and the people are totally dedicated to "Sanook...Sanook."