Chiangmai free and easy : Street food and restaurant food

We were walking to our travel agency, saw this small little stall with a sweet little couple selling rotee.

It is like prata, with special ingredients.

The chocolate banana should be the most popular one.

Quite yummy.

This can be found at the night market too.

This is the famous Ping Ping SEafood restaurant at Anusarn Night Market.

Will not really recommend this. Not really authentic Thai food to me. The price was average, cost 1050 baht for the 6 dishes. The tom yam soup has a very strong taste of the spices that we did not drink it at all.

The chicken was too dry.

It is a popular restaurant for tour guides to bring loads of tourists.

The night market has stalls selling snacks, sweets and ice cream.

 They poured the actual fruits in and just blended.

Healthy food juices to keep us in best conditions during our trip.

7-11 and other convenience stalls are all around. Some are for breakfast and some is for me to snack during long sightseeing trips.

 Burger King breakfast.

Khao Soi (Egg Noodle Curry) and Satay and Papaya salad

I love the noodles, not too spicy and two different texture of noodles (one fried).

I ate the chicken version but I heard there is the seafood version.

My tour guide bought me to this stall, no idea how to get there but the place looks very clean.

I love their satay too because it pure meat, I don't really like Singapore satay at times as there are too much fats.

Cafe at Chiangmai University

FRuits!!

We followed some guides and went to a food court near our hotel.
My advice is don't go there. I think is inside Kalare night market.
The food looks like they have been on displayed forever, does not look fresh. My pad thai looks it is soaked in oil and it is not really cheap, one plate is like a few Singapore dollars

Dustin D2 organised a night bazaar just outside the hotel.

Sell delicious and clean street food. There are grilled squid and satay.

The small white dish in the middle photo is crispy fried chicken wings, not sure what is called but I know is delicious

Because the food at the food court was too horrible to be eaten. We went in search of another restuarant, not sure is because the previous food was too horrible. 

The food here is very tasty and is only a few dollars more expenisve than the food court. 

The walls are filled with scribblings of past patrons.

The good thing about this place is that they let you decide what to go into your curry or noodles so if you don't want all the extra frills, you can just don't ask for it.

We had macdonalds as we were quite in a hurry to go to the airport and it is different from Singapore. We had fried chicken and something that looks like Zinger. Not bad.  Between, there seems to be no KFC at chiangmai.

Chiangmai free and easy :Maesa Elephant camp

Maesa Elephant camp. 

We choose this camp as it was the nearest, just need a half day.

We booked from the same agency at 800 baht per person.

However, we joined a group this time as there is not a need for a personal guide at the elephant camp as everything is quite simple.

1.our tour guide brought us to ride the elephant. The elephant rider will help you take a photo with the elephant midway through the ride.

There are photos taken by them on sale after the ride too.

I think is around s$10.

2. After we were bought to see some elephants, you can take photos and interact with the elephants and also buy bananas to feed them.

3. We watched the elephant bathe.

4. Elephant show.

Then the half day tour end. For any interaction with the elephant, taking photos. It was recommended to give around 20 baht tips. Bring some snacks and drinks along.

chiangmai free and easy : Home Industries Tour

We were unsure if we should visit the home industries. but since it started to rain, we decide to go for it.

We just took a short walk around 10-15 minutes for each and we are allowed to leave anytime we want.

The good thing is that our tour guide was not a bit interested in asking us to buy anything. 

Most of the things are quite expensive, not sure about the quality

Quite good for educational purposes and a break from sightseeing.

Leather accessories. I find it a bit expensive and design a bit old.

Ceramic factory. Place was one of the prettiest, even the toilet is pretty.

You can pay around 100-200 baht and ask the artist to personalise our item.

Engraving. Jewellery factory.

Lacquer factory 

Silk factory

Chiangmai free and easy : Temples and sightseeing

We booked a Chinese speaking tour guide  because my parents only understand Chinese.

We need a driver as my parents are not really good at walking. This is more of trip catering to senior citizens. 

Actually if you book direct which means you call up the guide, the price is cheaper.

We booked kind of late so we could not get a driver cum tour guide directly.

Hence, we booked through an agency. We paid 3000 baht.

My tour guide is quite good but he is not those chatty kind so if you prefer someone who liven up the atmosphere, then is not suitable. We are not really chatty so we don't mind and he can speak chinese quite well as he worked in Taiwan for a couple of years.

His car is a MPV so it is quite comfortable and the car is very clean.

We were lucky that we booked a private guide so the itinerary is flexible. 

It started raining very heavily in the morning.

Instead of visiting temples, we switched to visiting the handicrafts places as that is the only sheltered places. 

He was quite flexible, we asked him to drop us at a market and when we decided not to go shopping near chiangmai university, he bought us to one or two temples to make up for the time difference.

I booked by tour packages through this website. I chatted with them in chinese via QQ.

http://www.fuchiangmaitravel.com/

He drove us to a market selling fresh fruits as my parents are interested in markets and fruits.

We bought some fruits back to try in our hotel.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Can either climb a flight of stairs or take the cable car. The steps are still manageable.

They charge an entrance fee  for foreigners only. My guide explained that is because locals will donate when they entered the temple so that is their entrance fee. For foreigners, sometimes we don't know how to donate so they just charge as the entrance fees.

Beautiful skies. BEautiful photo.

 Can catch the beautiful view of chiangmai at the back of the temple.

Bells, bells, bells...

Look carefully, donation from a Singaporean.

After all the walking, is time to snack. 

If you are not into roadside food, which includes corns, hotdogs and fruits

 can buy chips or icecream from a provision shop.

There are various stalls selling clothes and accessories, remember to bargain.

Near to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is the Chiangmai University. Beautiful lake.

Coffee break at Coffee Man at Chiangmai University. 

He bought us to 2 more temples. I did not get the name but I did get some beautiful photos.

I did enjoy my temple visit because the temples looks very beautiful and also they do not look alike.