A FUN-tastic Chiang Mai Family Trip Hoppin' On Thailand's Local Red Bus

DAY 1

Chiang Mai has always been one of the most enchanting tourism spots even for local Thais. People from other destinations not only enjoy the all-year-round comfortable weather here, but everything ranging from the amazing food to easy transportation makes Chiang Mai a destination for family trips!

And…not to keep you waiting any longer, let's dive into the detailed trip review below.

A Red Cab!

Straight from Don Mueang Airport to Chiang Mai Airport, our flight was at around 9 o'clock in the morning. We board on Air Asia's tiny plane, but everything was just great the flight, the services, and even those on board. Upon arriving in Chiang Mai for this trip, we chose not to rent a car. Instead, we went for a much local choice, and that is *drumrolls* a red cab!!! Well, many of you might not have heard of a red cab in Thailand. Basically, it is a local transportation that allows you to sit quite comfortably when compared to that of a local bus or a Tuktuk. This was because our plan included visiting an "Orange Orchard", and the road heading to the place isn't very nice, so the red cab is definitely a great choice we all agreed upon. I'm not confident in my driving skills when it comes to unfamiliar roads and routes, and my partner couldn't join me on this trip, so I don't find it very nice to burden my father with all the driving.

At last, we decided to rent a red cab all to ourselves. The price included gas, and it was very convenient too. The driver, whose name was Sant, was extremely excellent at driving and the ride was comfortable. We didn't have to worry about directions or parking either (which is what I was worried about). He even helped us take photos when we make our stops at different places. Renting a red cab with a driver was indeed a smart choice. We rented the cab through a page called "Chang Car Rental" for a total of 3 days, and the price was only 3,500 THB. I highly recommend this service and transportation choice if you want to visit Chiang Mai.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

On our first day in Chiang Mai, we visited "Wat Phra That Doi Suthep", a famous and iconic temple. We've been here before too, but it's been a while. This time, the driver suggested that we pay our respects to the "Poo Sae" and "Yaa Sae" deities before heading up to the temple, so we did. The flower vendor advised us to do so to clear the path before ascending to the upper part of the temple, so after paying our respects we continued our journey and soon arrived at "Wat Phra That Doi Suthep". We paid respects at various points and finally went inside to pay our respects to the main Buddha statue.

There weren't as many people this time compared to many years ago, but it was still quite crowded, to be honest. Many people were making offerings too. The only downside we thought was such a waste, was that the beautiful and cinematic city view of Chiang Mai was not visible due to heavy smog on the day we went. The sky and its color were very dull, coupled with bad air quality both my dad and mom literally sighed their disappointment. Moreover, the photos we took didn't turn out well which made me a little annoyed. Nonetheless, I'm grateful that we had the chance to pay our respects to the main Buddha statue once again after so long! We decided not to light incense sticks this time due to the smog, so we also hope that if you'll decide to visit Chiang Mai around this time of the year, you'd opt out using incense sticks or other smoke-producing materials to help out our mother Earth.

Kum Wiang Yong

After finishing our prayers, we stopped to have a meal because we were so hungry! We went to a Northern Thai restaurant called "Kum Wiang Yong" based on the positive reviews we saw on Twitter. The food was said to be delicious, so we decided to try it out. But you know what, actually, everything was delicious like what the reviews said, especially the spicy orange curry. We enjoyed the dishes so much that we ordered more servings. The "Sai Aua" sausage was also delicious. This restaurant was a gem indeed, and we all liked it a lot. We ate to our heart's content, and the bill for the food only summed up to 960 THB, which we thought was suitable and reasonable for all the delicate dishes served!

Wat Phra That Doi Kam

Afterwards, we continued our journey, visiting the next destination, which was "Wat Phra That Doi Kam" then headed straight to "Wat Phra That Doi Suthep" right afterwards. However, before going up, we stopped by the "Anusawari" monument to pay our respects as it is located on the way up to Doi Suthep.

After a while, we arrived at "Wat Phra That Doi Suthep", and it's no surprise that my parents couldn't walk up anymore (my dad mentioned that when he was younger, he could climb up, but truth be told, even though I'm not very old, I couldn't walk up either, hehe). We took the elevator, which costs 20 THB per person for a round trip. However, on the way down, my parents managed to walk down, so it was a relief. There weren't too many people when we went, so paying respects to the Buddha was comfortable without being crowded.

Forest Bake

After all the temple visits, we went to a cafe called "Forest Bake". This cafe is one of our favorites in Chiang Mai, as we have visited this place for about 5-6 years ago. We love everything about this café the coffee, the desserts, the interior. The pastries offered here are divine-tasting and freshly-baked. Plus, they have my favorite burnt custard, so I just had to visit the place again. We wanted to try every single pastry if we could, but that would be a bad idea because I wouldn't want to gain the pounds just over a few days! I'll tell you it is absolutely a cafe that I'll recommend even after a few years later. We've visited this café before and would surely visit again to try all the pastries, I promise. Also, "Forest Bake" is quite well-known in Chiang Mai for its delicious bakeries, pastries, and desserts, so if you search this place up, you'll know right away that the reviews are right and that I don't make things up, for sure.

Maplewood Hotel Chiangmai, Tha Phae Gate and Old Chiang Mai Road

From the cafe, it was time to check in at our accommodation which wasn't very far away. We stayed at the "Maplewood Hotel Chiangmai", a newly opened mini-mall hotel (and it's actually our very first time to check in at a hotel like this). We booked the room for around 700 THB per night, which was a good price indeed. The advantage was that the rooms were very new, since the hotel had just opened not long ago the time we were actually there. There's a cafe on the ground floor (although we didn't dine there), but it looks like a great place to have someone come over for a friendly coffee talk. The hotel is located not far away from "Tha Phae Gate" and the "Old Chiang Mai Road" they're within a walking distance. If you ask me about the hotel's location, I'd say it is at a really good spot, easy to get around and explore places just by walking. However, the downside is that if you're renting a car, parking might be limited like, really limited. We had a red cab to pick us up, so we didn't face any issues with parking at all (which is why I'd still recommend the red cab service that comes with a driver; it's just so convenient, believe me). The real problem was that the rooms didn't have soundproof walls at all! Throughout the night, you could hear the sounds of cars and people talking quite clearly, so this will be bad news and indeed a nightmare for those who have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places and places with noises. Fortunately, no one among us had troubles or issues falling asleep because we all were exhausted and too excited for tomorrow and the days to come.

Worrarot Market or Kad Luang Chiang Mai

As I am accompanied with elderly companions, (lol, if my parents get to see this post, I'd get a stare) my parents might not be able to travel a lot in a day. They would get tired after visiting a few places, so we focused on making merits and paying respects to the Buddha (like all the elderly trips, this one has a few stops to let my mom and dad rest a little before the journey continues). After checking into our accommodation, we took some time out and rest for a while, before heading out to find something to eat in the evening.

Our accommodation was close to "Worrarot Market" or "Kad Luang Chiang Mai". We walked around and were captivated by the vivid red-colored, plumping fresh strawberries. They were so tempting to our tastebuds, so we decided to buy a container full of fresh, bright-red colored strawberries. One container costs 200 Thai Baht, and even though the price seems a little high, the quality of each strawberry piece was excellent the sweet and sour tastes of the strawberry juice filled my mouth! This place is basically where local vendors, not big stores, come together to sell all the local items and foods. Despite it being a local market without all the luxury, it was indeed one of the most satisfying local markets we have been to so far. If you are a food lover and someone who likes to try out new things, Worrarot Market is a must-visit destination spot for you. As for dinner, we ate at a store which sells Chinese dumplings and the Thai Northern-styled noodles called "Khao Soi" in the market (I forgot the name of the store, so I really am sorry guys). The dinner was okay? I guess. It wasn't extremely delicious compared to the meal we had at "Kum Wiang Yong", but of course, for a store nearby Kad Luang, I think it was a fine dinner.

After our mini food hunt at the Worrarot Market, we returned to our accommodation, rested, and ended the first day in Chiang Mai with ease no trouble sleeping, no problem finding ourselves the strength to continue our next day.

DAY 2 DAY 3