Phra That Si Chom Thong, Chomthong, Chiang Mai Province

Year of the Rat: About 59 kms south of Chiang Mai, on the same road for Doi Inthanon, you will reach Phra That Si Chom Thong. This is one of the most important shrines in Chiang Mai Province as it houses a holy Buddha relic. Normally, relics are buried inside a chedi, however, here it is enshrined inside a container in the main hall. This relic is believed to part of the right side of the Buddha’s head. According to legend, the Buddha once came to the hilltop where this temple now stands and he foretold that the place would later house a holy relic.

One year ago I visited the Elephant Nature Park north of Chiang Mai. The camp was created by Sangduen Chailert (Lek) who has been working to protect Thai elephants throughout her life. Many elephant camps around Thailand exploit elephants to make a profit. Lek's camp was created as a sanctuary for elephants. Her aim is to purchase mistreated elephants and allow them to retire at her camp which is located in some beautiful misty, green mountains in Northern Thailand.

The famous temple on Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai is recognized as the capital of Northern Thailand. The city itself has a lot to offer but it is also a major hub for a variety of trips that include hiking in the mountains, visiting hilltribe people, elephant and bamboo raft rides and handicraft villages. The city is about 700 kms north of Bangkok and if you drive straight here it will take you at least 10 hours. This is now my fourth visit to Chiang Mai in the last 12 years. The first time I came by overnight sleeper train which was both convenient and comfortable. The second time I flew here as the prices of domestic air flight have become very reasonable. The last two occasions I drove to Chiang Mai. I didn’t do this because it is cheaper than flying. In fact, the cost of petrol has gone up so much now that that the price of an airline ticket is cheaper. However, I really love the experience of driving on the open road and the convenience of being able to pack in the car just about everything, excluding the kitchen sink. And with a car you never need to worry where you will stay each night as you can just drive around until you find a hotel with a vacancy. (More on driving in Thailand later)

Today I spent an enjoyable day learning how to cook Thai food at the “A Lot of Thai” home cooking class in Chiang Mai. For about a month now I have been trying to decide which Thai cooking school I would attend while on holiday in the north of Thailand. There are about 20 schools in this city and I wanted to help people choose the best value for money course. I did shop around quite a bit. I visited a number of cooking schools, spoke to some of the students and also observed their visits to local markets. I was going to attend a couple of classes before I made my final decision. However, after today, I can unreservedly recommend “A Lot of  Thai” as an excellent choice for a Thai cooking school in Chiang Mai. This should be your first choice of school if you want to learn how to cook Thai food in a homely atmosphere. The school is run by Yui and her husband Kwan. Unlike other schools, Yui doesn’t delegate teaching duties to younger assistants. She not only has excellent Thai culinary skills but she also speaks English with a good accent and with great confidence.