Chiang Mai, Thailand

Northern Thailand is the home to one of the world's finest cuisines, as can be seen by the number of Thai restaurants that have sprung up around the world in the last few years. One of the best ways to experience Chiang Mai's culinary delights is to sample some of the many different dishes that can be found in this 'Rose of the North'. Even the most fastidious of gastronomes will find satisfaction here!

The Thai people's imagination shines through in their preparation and presentation of food, and tourists soon discover that dining in Chiang Mai is a special delight. As is often the case in Thailand, some of the tastiest meals prove to be some of the most affordable and these can be found in the city's many food stalls. However, for service, decor and topnotch cuisine, Chiang Mai also offers a variety to choose from.

One of the best ways to experience the region's culture and cuisine is to attend a khantoke dinner, a traditional northern Thai way of extending hospitality. The name originates from the small round table made of lacquered wood or bamboo that is used on these occasions. Guests are garlanded with flowers called phuang mali and are entertained with dance performances during the meal. Traditional dishes normally served at these events include kaeng haeng le, a delicious curried pork, Burmese style; nam phrik ong, a spicy dip of ground pork and tomatoes; kaeng khae kai, a chicken and vegetable curry; and khao niao, glutinous rice, the staple cereal of Chiang Mai. You can experience a khantoke dinner at the following places—Nakorn Lanna 1296, The Old Chiang Mai Cultural Center and Kantoke Palace.

Chiang Mai abounds in vegetarian food. If you are in the old city, try AUM Vegetarian Restaurant, where the specialty is khao soy, a coconut curry with crisp noodles and a north Thailand favorite. Equally recommended is the very inexpensive Chiang Mai Vegetarian Society, which is open for breakfast and lunch and serves some tasty cuisine, buffet style. Quite near to the Night Bazaar, and a bit more upscale, is the Whole Earth Restaurant which provides a relaxed ambience in a beautiful garden setting.

For some wonderful traditional Thai food, try Kanjana, The Wok, Huen Phen, Ratana's Kitchen or Antique House. For the more adventurous gourmet, Aroon Rai stocks three kinds of fried insect dishes, all northern delicacies: Rot duan, a kind of caterpillar; meng muan, a woodborer; and ging gong, a type of cricket. For something unusual, experience dining amidst the rice paddies at The Rain Forest, about 10 kilometers south of the city. However, If you find yourself near the Night Bazaar, check out White Lotus or the Kalare Food and Shopping Center, which also provides live entertainment.

Many restaurants serve a mixture of Western food and traditional Thai fare, and some along the river also offer live music. Popular venues are The Riverside Bar and Restaurant, The Good View and La Brasserie. For a quiet, more romantic meal on the river, check out Tha Nam, or dine on the river by taking the Mae Ping River Cruise.

For topnotch European cuisine, Chiang Mai is a great place. Classic Italian fare is served at da Stefano, Art Café, Pum Pui and Piccola Roma Palace. French favorites can be found at Chez John Restaurant and Chez Daniel. For a highly stimulating grande buffe, try Le Coq d'Or, which has been serving haute cuisine for more than 30 years. For German fare, make your way to Le Garage or German Hofbrauhaus. Sitting Bull offers a good steak in an American Old West setting. If you crave a pizza, head to La Villa, which boasts Chiang Mai's only authentic wood-fired oven for baking delicious pizzas and homemade focaccio. If it is a pint of beer you are after, you could do no better than go to the Red Lion English Pub and Restaurant or The Irish Pub, crowded on Thursday nights for the local pub quiz. Some of the best coffee can be found at JJ's Restaurant and Bakery, Fish ‘n' Chip Shop, Cafe Chic and Libernard Café.

To experience many different foods all in one sitting, try some of the good-quality buffet-style luncheons, including Nang Nual Seafood, famous for fresh seafood, and two others located in hotels—Suriwongse Zenith and the Amari Rincome Hotel. For sushi, there is Irasshai Japanese Restaurant or Yamato.

Another way to experience Thai cuisine is to cook it yourself! Traditional cooking courses are popular. They include an introduction to Thai ingredients, paste making and a tour of a local market. Most courses are offered for one to three days and include an easy-to-follow recipe book. You can learn to enjoy Thai cuisine through cooking with the Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School, Thai Kitchen Cookery School or Sompet Travel & Thai Cooking School. Whether you cook it yourself, dine by the river or have a drink in a pub, something enjoyable awaits you when you go dining and drinking in the 'Rose of the North'. Chok-dee, kab!

Chiang Mai is both a city and a province. Blessed with rich natural beauty, almost 70 percent is covered by mountains and forests. The population of more than 1.5 million makes Chiang Mai one of Thailand's largest provinces. Estimates vary, but over 200,000 people dwell in the city, while hill tribes inhabit the surrounding mountain areas. To learn more about their history, visit the Tribal Museum, after which you might like to book yourself an organized trek to a hilltribe village.

The city has a long and rich history, which has been encapsulated in the National Museum. To trace its beginnings, we have to go back more than 700 years to Yunnan, a province in southern China. Many ethnic Thais lived in this region, the kingdom of Nanchao, from the middle of the 7th century. In 1254, Kublai Khan conquered their kingdom and forced them south a few hundred kilometers to what is now northern Thailand. The Thai immigrants founded many new towns in the region, the largest of which was Chiang Rai, about 100 miles north of present-day Chiang Mai. Here, King Mengrai of the Nanchao Kingdom created the Kingdom of Lanna, which means the Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields.

First, however, he had to contend with the Haripoonchai Kingdom, which had already been a lively center of culture, art, and religion for some 600 years. After Mengrai and his followers conquered Haripoonchai, they retained many of its beautiful architectural styles and Buddhist art forms. Indeed, the Haripoonchai Kingdom significantly influenced the architecture of northern Thailand. This can be best appreciated in the small town of Lamphun, approximately 25 kilometers south of Chiang Mai, where, perhaps, the most outstanding example is Wat Phra That Haripoonchai.

Mengrai's new kingdom quickly grew large, but it was restricted to what is now northern Thailand. A larger Thai kingdom, established by King Ramkamhaeng, ruler of Sukhothai, simultaneously flourished in the south. Fortunately the two leaders were on friendly terms and both kingdoms grew strong.

In 1291, King Mengrai wanted a new capital. He chose a location on the rich farming land between the Suthep mountain range and the Mae Ping river. The city spread out. A wall was built and a defensive moat encircled the city. Thus was the beginning of the ancient city of Chiang Mai. Strong gates, many of which are still present today, were constructed, along with Wat Chiang Man, a temple standing in the northeastern corner of the old part of town. It is here that Mengrai spent the last years of his life. It affords a great example of the beautiful northern Thai Lanna style. Another notable temple, tracing its roots from 1345, is Wat Phra Singh on the western side of the city. The original building has been added to over the centuries, but the temple is home to the Phra Sihing Buddha—a golden Buddha said to have been cast in Sri Lanka in A.D. 360. Another old temple is Wat Chedi Luang located in the southern part of the old city. Originally comprising four smaller temples, it bears an elegant chedi (spire) constructed in 1381, which stands where the original Chiang Mai city pillar once stood. Today the temple serves as a center for Buddhist learning in Chiang Mai.

Soon, the good relations that existed between King Mengrai and his southern counterpart began to sour. King Ramkamhaeng did not want to accept the Lanna Kingdom as an equal, and he made repeated attempts to turn that kingdom into a principality of his own. The Lanna Kingdom allied itself with the Burmese for protection, and remained under their influence from the 16th to 18th centuries. Burmese influence can still be seen in Chiang Mai temple design and architecture from this period.

The city was abandined for about 20 years from 1776 to 1796, and was then re-established by Chao Kawila, who is seen as a local hero almost as important as King Mengrai by modern inhabitants.The region came under the increasing influence of Siam during the 19th century, but did not finally become a province of Siam until 1932. Even as modern Thailand's second city, it retains many distinctive cultural features from the Lanna Kingdom.

Today Chiang Mai is a bustling, thriving city. It celebrated its 700th anniversary in 1996.