I arrived in Chiang Mai after a long 38 hours of travelling (a night bus to Bangkok, a day in Bangkok and then a night train to Chiang Mai). Thankfully the night train provided a bed, and it seems the opportunity to be horizontal was all I needed to get a good nights sleep.

After a much needed shower in the store room toilet/shower room (my room wasn’t yet available), I headed out with a guy from the hostel to visit Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, a temple out of town. This was quite impressive, both in location and design. The temple was at the top of a large hill providing a great view over the city below, though unfortunately this particular day it was a little obscured by mist. The main stupa was the colour of gold, as were many of the surrounding Buddhas.

That evening I went to the night market to explore and to find food. I was a little disappointed with the night market, finding less interesting trinkets than places such as Luang Prabang, and also less variety of food stalls. I did eventually find food in an indoor food court area, and was surprised to bump into a Polish couple I had met at the bottom of Laos.

The evening wasn’t yet finished with bizarre coincidences, as when I returned to my hostel, three guys I had also met at the bottom of Laos were sat around a table. As it was one of their birthdays my early night was forgotten and I had a chance to experience the night life. The main nightlife area was an interesting mix of bars, providing music for tastes varying from rock, to reggae, to techno.

I had heard that Chiang Mai was one of the best areas to be able to visit elephant sanctuaries which focused on the health of the elephant, rather than purely for profit, and with some research I found such a place which seemed to reflect these qualities. I spent a day at the sanctuary where we fed, bathed and played with the elephants (I had specifically chosen a place that did not allow riding) and from what I could tell the animals seemed to be happy and allowed a fair amount of freedom. We were told they we tied up through the night for their own safety to ensure they didn’t wander into dangerous territory, or eat electrical cables or anything poisonous. I did leave the day feeling a little like the elephants were still made to follow a routine to benefit the tourists, but the obvious joy they had while playing in the mud, and later the river, made me hopeful for their health and happiness.

On my final night in Chiang Mai I went to watch Muay Thai Boxing. Although I am not a fan of boxing, or fighting, I was intrigued to see such an important part of Thai culture. My friend had informed there was also a spiritual side to the sport for Thai people. This was apparent throughout the night, as each boxer came in they would perform their own individual ritual and also wear a mongkol on their heads, which is traditionally blessed by a monk. Live music (known as Sarama) is played whilst they fight, this, I felt, had a slight Egyptian feel to it. The tempo speeds up or slows down depending on the pace of the fight, and in between moves the fighters seem to move in flow with the music.