Ok we’ve heard the joke about camping and how some of our friends like camping under the stars….. All five of them, but we’ve managed to upgrade from a tent to finding a hotel at the cheaper end of the accommodation market that is surprisingly cheap and has everything pretty much at you doorstep.

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Pattara Place Hotel, Chiang Mai

Pattara Place is situated on the northern side of town in an area known as Green Garden Home. As a $25AUD per night hotel it’s a bargain but there are a couple of things that you need to understand. First how to operate the hot water for the shower.

The other thing is – the walls are thin.. The sound of the Chinese couple going at it like a couple of dogs, with all the whimpering and little yelps all night and again the following morning was to much to bear… Jealous, hell yes, finally someone who gets it more than me… Now there’s a challenge, but after the second night I came up with a solution, each time the young lass next door would start with all the yelping during the heat of the moment I barked like a little chihuahua whimpering and whining mimicking her on the other side of the wall in a loud voice….Elena was laughing, but guess what either he finished the deed or she was too embarrassed to continue in the Chinese porn star role… Ah yes very cruel but very kind to my sleeping pattern, after all I’m paying for my room too and I deserve peace and quiet.

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Mr Mechanic has depot’s all over Chiang Mai

Hiring a scooter

If you’ve ever ridden a scooter in Thailand you’ll know how crazy some of the cities are. Here in Chiang Mai the story is a lot more relaxed. Scooter hire is on every street and every corner. Expect to pay $6AUD per day for up to 125cc and the best place to hire a motorbike from is Mr Mechanic. They also hire bigger bikes for the more skilled riders. We hired a 650cc for our journey on the Mae Hong Son Loop (600km 4000 corners!).

The really cool thing about learning to ride a scooter in Chiang Mai is that the road surrounding the old city is big, wide and straight. The old city is 2.4km x 2.4km and is flanked by a water-filled moat the road runs parallel to the old fortifications and makes for a picturesque ride in the city. Just watch for the odd local who will just pull out of a side road…. If you’re learning,ride slowly until you get to grips with your surroundings. Chiang Mai is the best city to learn to ride in Thailand.

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If it’s a Chang you seek….. (the local beer) and a little ex-pat/tourist culture there’s no better place that to amble on in to Johns Place located at Tha Pai Gate on the eastern side of the old city. Being three stories high, get yourself to the top in the open air and watch the sun go down. If you happen to be here for New Years, get to the bar early as the roof is paced to watch the lanterns float into the sky at midnight (and before).

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John’ Place in Chiang Mai. A great local hang out for Ex-Pats and Travellers

I’ve written before about Tiger Kingdom and if you’d like to experience anything to do with nature here, make sure you get up close and personal with the big cats. We planned to spend a morning and ended up staying all day. A word of advice, go early before all the “tourists” on the buses arrive.

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Get up close and personal with the tigers at Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai

When we went, we had an option to select which enclosures we would enter. We selected Cubs, Medium and of course Big Cats. It’s an incredible and surreal feeling to be in their domain.. This is a must do and I know when I get back to Chiang Mai I’ll do this again.

Thailand is well known for the affordable massages but massage places are like putting your hand into a mixed bag of sweets with your eyes closed. You know what you’d like, however the sweets are not always the same as we discovered.

Sometimes Elena would get a great massage while I was left wondering if the masseuse even touched me. The line from Forest Gump ring true when selecting a massage and the shop fronts can be deceptive. Some of the little shanty places with the old ladies came be some of the best.

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Lila Massage

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The most expensive we found was a place that was run by an prison warden and all the lady masseuses were ex-convicts. But the herbal 2 hour massage was just fantastic. The golden rule with a massage is never judge a book by it’s cover.

Ah, Chiang Mai…… A hidden treasure in Northern Thailand. It’s quiet, peaceful and cooler than the hot beaches…. It’s a secret place that’s now being discovered. So, get here before the crowds.