Chiang Mai | Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Interesting Food Chiang Mai Thailand

September 4, 2021 by David Herd

Here are some excellent restaurants

Interesting Food Chiang Mai Thailand

Interesting Food Chiang Mai Thailand, even though we were only here 4 days we found some very good restaurants. I hope his photo blog takes away the guesswork for you. 🙂

Aiku

Aiku was right beside our hotel above Starbucks, good Japanese food at a reasonable price. Our hotel the Dusit Princess was a terrific hotel in the very best location in Chiang Mai, book through THIS LINK for a discounted room rate.

Out of 108 Japanese restaurants in Chiang Mai TripAdvisor rate Aiku number 5.

Whole Earth restaurant

Nestled in a beautiful garden setting this turned out to be a nice surprise, food & service were excellent.

Mushroom soup was delicious

Very filling & a great start to our meal.

A large menu & you can sit inside or out.

The staff were very obliging, the chicken above was very good indeed. Rated 51 out of 1,744 restaurants by TripAdvisor.

The long & the short

My friend Patrick is around 200 cms tall, we just had to get a photo with this tiny waitress at Whole Earth restaurant. 🙂

Rabieng Na Maerim

This delightful restaurant is halfway between the city & Wat Ban Den which is the most spectacular Thai Buddhist Temple I have ever seen .

Fresh spring roles to die for. 🙂

My only criticism was the serving was so big. 🙂

Chicken sate & a Thai Omelette.

Both excellent.

Beautiful country view from the restaurant.

Here comes the storm. 🙂

Rock Me Burgers & Bar

Watch the passing parade while enjoying the burgers , hot dogs & beer. Rated 38 out of 1,744 by TripAdvisor.

I settled for a hotdog

The best I have had in years. 🙂

Fabulous green pea soup

TripAdvisor rate David’s Kitchen the number one Chiang Mai restaurant. I’m not going to argue as the food was very good and the staff excellent.

Lamb shank

Two of us ordered the lamb shank & were surprised when the bill showed a B200 price difference. It turned out there were 2 versions o the menu, my advice to David the very attentive owner is to ensure staff point this out rather have have an argument at the end of an excellent meal.

Talking about he owner

He makes an effort to interact with his customers & explained that his wife come in of a morning to make he deserts. Here are two fabulous old photos of them in their younger days. David looks like is stepped out of the role as the artful dodger in Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. 🙂

Interesting Food Chiang Mai Thailand

The staff singing happy birthday to some happy customers.

Dusit Princess good rooms & great location

A terrific hotel in the very best location in Chiang Mai, book through THIS LINK for a discounted room rate.

Thanks for visiting my Interesting Food Chiang Mai Thailand photo blog.

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Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

October 24, 2017 by David Herd

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep, this temple is often referred to as “Doi Suthep” although this is actually the name of the mountain where it’s located. Perched on top of the mountain 15 kms from the city.

You have a choice

Climb the 300 steps to the top or take the tram. I compromised by taking the tram up & walking down. 🙂

At peace among the trees

Our driver told us there were 2,200 temples in Chiang Mai province.

Lots of gold here.

Featuring a photo of the new King.

Lots of Thai people paying respect.

As well as Thai there seemed to be a lot of Chinese tourists.

Lots of steps

Lots of steps & it was a very hot day, like most days in Thailand. 🙂

A view of Chiang Mai

The view from the Temple.

Posing with the bell.

My friend Steven Bates & I taking a photo opportunity at the Chiang Mai Province Sacred site.

Naga decoration

Background on Thailand: A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict.

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep

Steve has found a new friend.

More elephants

Magnificent animals, magnificent statues. 🙂

Shame about the advertising.

The signs do seem out of place here.

It’s a long way down.

As I said earlier I took the steps. 🙂

I really like this shot. 🙂

The children look great in their traditional clothes.

Coffee time before heading to our hotel.

The coffee here is quite famous, sadly I prefer Starbucks. 🙂

Asia’s best coffee

Is the claim, this nice lady ran the coffee shop.

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Amazing shopping mall

Chinatown Bangkok

Notorious Nana Plaza

The fabulous Commons

Patpong red light district

Canal cruise long-tail boat

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Four Aussies Chiang Mai

October 18, 2017 by David Herd

Our Hotel was in a great location

Four Aussies Chiang Mai

Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure, our hotel the Dusit Princess is the white building on the left. Without a doubt this is the very best location in Chiang Mai.

A terrific hotel in the very best location in Chiang Mai, book through THIS LINK for a discounted room rate.

Across the road from our hotel

Burger King & Hard Rock Cafe are there if you don’t want to eat Thai food. 🙂

Of course sometimes it rains.

When it rains in Thailand it really rains. 🙂

Opposite the Dusit Princess.

Only 50 meters up the road is the famous night market.

Entrance to the night market

Not just a night market but lot’s of bars & restaurants, many specializing in live seafood.

Forty winks

Relaxing at the night market.

LadyBoys everywhere. 🙂

It looks like Patrick has found some soul mates. 🙂

Of course if you want a massage

There are many available not as suspect as this one. 🙂

Three Aussies

Here are 3 of the 4 Aussies on this trip besides Patrick, Steven & Justin Bates & yours truly David Herd.

Patrick is around 200 cm tall. 🙂

He returned to his home in Singapore for his 51st birthday on October 8.

Le Meridien Hotel

Another great location, for a terrific room rate just book through THIS LINK.

The Meridien has an excellent Italian restaurant.

So many food outlets

In fact I’m doing a separate blog on some of the great Chiang Mai restaurants we found, including David’s Kitchen & Whole Earth which were both excellent.

Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure

We flew Nok Air return from Bangkok & I must say it was an absolute pleasure, the best budget airline I have flown with.

Dusit Princess good rooms & great location

A terrific hotel in the very best location in Chiang Mai, book through THIS LINK for a discounted room rate.

Thanks for visiting my Four Aussies Chiang Mai Adventure photo blog.

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Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

October 18, 2017 by David Herd

You gotta love a pink elephant. 🙂

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand, Wat Ban Den is the most impressive I have ever seen. It was totally renovated in 1998 after the new Abbott Kru Ba Tuang raised huge amounts of money from people all over the country.

Work is still in progress

As you can see from the first 2 photos work is still in progress. 🙂

Incredible works of art

The detail and the beauty really takes your breath away.

They could be twins. 🙂

Patrick Taylor is an Aussie living in Singapore, he loves having his photo taken & is fully certified selfie expert. 🙂

The Tigers are here.

Everywhere you look there is another fabulous statue.

Totally spectacular

As I said before Wat Ban Den is the most impressive Thai Temple I have ever seen.

Absolutely brand new.

It’s a huge credit to Abbott Kru Ba Tuang & all the generous Buddhists who donated money to completely renovate the original structures as well as adding new.

Magnificent dragon

This would be a great location for an Asian version of “Game of Thrones.” 🙂

Renovated in 1804 & 1998.

In 1804, Kruba Thueang Natsilo, a former abbot, also had the temple renovated. It became far more exquisite with Lanna-style architecture. The abbot intended to turn it into a beautiful place of worship with religious teachings. He hoped this would attract more people to the temple so that they would have a chance to learn about the religion.

Ring the bell folks. 🙂

The temple stands prominently on top of a small hill and can be easily seen from afar.

Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand

As you can clearly see this Temple is a photographer’s dream.

Attention to detail…

Perfection is everywhere you look.

My favorite shot

I think I captured a special moment here.

Reach for the sky

Surely this has to inspire you? 🙂

Patrick & I enjoying Wat Van Den

As you can see Pat is a very tall happy character.

I have found a new friend.

Many thanks for visiting my Remarkable Temple Chiang Mai Thailand photo blog.

The Dusit Princess

A terrific hotel in the very best location in Chiang Mai, book through THIS LINK for a discounted room rate.

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Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

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Free Cancellation.

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Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 3 photos

Chiang Mai tiger warning Thailand

November 21, 2013 by David Herd

Chiang Mai tiger his name is Tone

Chiang Mai tiger warning

Chiang Mai tiger warning, the sign could not have been clearer. It was placed a metre from the cage which was at the rear of the zoo away from the other tiger enclosures. It simply said “danger, don’t go past this sign”. Looking back I have done many stupid things in my life and this certainly ranks highly in the “stupidity stakes.”

Naturally I ignored the warning and moved past the sign and put my camera lens through the wire to get a clear shot of the magnificent beast sitting quietly in the pond two meters from my lens. Within one second of taking the photo there seemed to be an explosion in front of me and suddenly I jumped backwards totally soaked with water.

I could barely hear my brother’s raucous laughter from several meters away due to the rapid beating of my heart. The 240 kilo beast had lept from the pond and hit the wire full force with all his four giant paws. My luck held as did the wire, which without exaggeration saved me from being torn to pieces.

The following week I e-mailed the tiger zoo and inquired about this particular Chiang Mai tiger. They told me his name was Tone, he weighed 240 kilo and was far too dangerous to allow the public to get close, he was just used for breeding.

Chiang Mai tiger warning

My brother Warren is happily drawing my attention to one of the warning signs.

This guy was much more docile.

To get this close to a Chiang Mai tiger without being mauled I am sure these guys are drugged fairly heavily. Even so, is an amazing experience.

Getting ready for the night market.

There are many markets in Chiang Mai, this is the Anusarn Night Market Eastern side of Old City on Chang Khlan Road.

Anusarn Night Market

Chiang Mai’s historic importance is derived from its close proximity to the Ping River and major trading routes. While officially the city of Chiang Mai only covers most parts of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population of 160,000, the urban sprawl of the city now extends into several neighbouring districts. This Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area has a population of nearly one million people, more than half the total of Chiang Mai Province.

Downtown Chiang Mai.

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Foot massage only 120 Baht per hour.

Right opposite our hotel, the Raming Lodge.

Raming Lodge, good location.

The Raming Lodge is only short walk to lots of bars, restaurants and night markets.

River cruise in Chiang Mai.

This was a nice little tour.

Will the motor last the distance?

Notice the fuel source is a gas bottle?

Riverside temple.

So many temples and so little time. 🙂

Museum on the river.

This was certainly worth exploring.

Kissing a cobra.

If you don’t have a girlfriend then you can always kiss a cobra.

I’m glad it is him and not me. 🙂

These guys must be crazy.

Bus to Bangkok, never again.

The problem wasn’t the 10 hour journey, it was the tv with the volume too high showing for several hours a Thai variety show. Totally infantile, well suited for 5 year old children. Naturally we requested a lower volume but the control was not working. As I said before, never again. My most vivid memory of course was when the Chiang Mai tiger jumped at the wire fence intent on having me for lunch. 🙂

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Akyra Manor Chiang Mai

Want some luxury in Chiang Mai? Rooms here start at $1000 usd per night however if you book through this link you will only pay around $145 and that’s in peak season.

Thanks for visiting my Chiang Mai tiger warning photo blog.

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