Hiking in the mountains, splashing in the water, and munching on spicy chicken — Brother Guo Renrong enjoys an exciting trip to Chiang Mai

Written byGuo Renrong

Thinking about paying homage at Chiang Mai’s most famous temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, to pray for a peaceful year? Have you ever taken a ride in Thailand’s iconic TUKTUK (auto rickshaw) to explore the ancient city of Chiang Mai? Want to become Tarzan in the northern Thai jungles and enjoy an exhilarating zip-lining adventure? If you’re excited, why not plan a trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand, just like I did?

Currently, TransAsia Airways operates direct flights every Wednesday and Saturday from Taoyuan to Chiang Mai. With just a three-day leave, you can easily enjoy the unique Lanna culture of northern Thailand. Here’s my travel itinerary for this trip:

Day 1 Arrive in Chiang Mai via GE631 flight at 19:00 > Check in at Kantary Hills Hotel
Day 2 Wat Phra That Doi Suthep > Explore the ancient city by TUKTUK > Sample super cheap fruits at the fruit wholesale market > Stay at Kantary Hills Hotel
Day 3 Mae Taeng Elephant Camp > White-water rafting > Black Forest Restaurant > Stay at Kantary Hills Hotel
Day 4 FLYING SQUIRREL jungle tour > Return to the airport > Take GE632 flight back to Taipei at 20:05

If you find it troublesome to search for routes or book hotels yourself, or want to save some money by getting group rates, consider using a travel agency to book a group tour.

Upon arriving in Chiang Mai, we drove straight to check in at the Kantary Hills Hotel. It felt like home — I booked a one-bedroom, one-living-room unit. The living room was quite spacious with a full set of sofas, the kitchen had a complete set of cookware, and there was even a convenient washing machine — so we didn’t need to pack too many clothes for the trip.

Early the next morning, we visited Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a highly revered and iconic temple in Chiang Mai. Remember to donate some incense money, light two candles, and take a bud of a lotus flower that hasn’t bloomed yet. Walk clockwise around the golden stupa three times, keeping your mind calm as you sincerely make a wish and state how you plan to fulfill your vow. I believe the deities will definitely help you.

By the way, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is also known as the “Temple of the Two Dragons” because at the entrance staircase, there are two giant golden dragons. That’s why many Chinese tourists call it the Twin Dragons Temple. After leaving the Twin Dragons Temple, I recommend looking for one of Thailand’s most famous TUKTUK drivers near Wat Phra Singh — TUKTUK is what we call the roofed three-wheeled taxi.

For about 250 baht, you can take a TUKTUK tour around the Lanna ancient city. If you want to fully appreciate the sights of Chiang Mai’s old town, walking will definitely wear out your feet. The TUKTUK has no windows, which makes it perfect for taking photos.

Oh, and here’s a tip: ask your TUKTUK driver to take you to Chiang Mai’s most famous fruit wholesale market. The fruits there are insanely cheap!!! A bunch of bananas for 25 baht, Fuji apples at 20 baht each~~~ Isn’t that incredibly inexpensive?! In Japan, one apple costs nearly 30 baht, and in Taiwan, the price is easily double. You can print this page and show the photo to your TUKTUK driver — he’ll know where to go. The Thai word for fruit is POLAMAI (波拉埋).

On the third day, you can head to the Mae Taeng Elephant Camp in northern Chiang Mai to watch the elephants’ amusing performances. I was most impressed by the fact that these elephants can actually paint — especially one named SUDA. I think the paintings it created were even more beautiful than mine — I feel humans are inferior to elephants~ haha, I need to reflect on that. Kids often buy a bunch of bananas for 20 baht to feed the elephants. These elephants are all well-trained and can even perform soccer-level penalty kicks — truly amazing.

Riding an elephant is one of the highlights here. While you can ride elephants in many places in Thailand, only the Mae Taeng experience involves crossing rivers and climbing hills. On the way back, you can even ride a water buffalo cart back to the entrance. The wheels of the water buffalo cart are made entirely of wood, not rubber tires — you can imagine how bumpy it is.

Oh, and by the way, the ticket to the elephant school comes with a free buffet lunch. After eating, gear up for white-water rafting. Put on your life jacket and helmet. Before starting, the instructor will teach you basic rafting skills on shore — when to lower the paddle, when to paddle forward, when to paddle backward, how to save energy, and when to duck inside the raft. After a 10-minute briefing, you’re ready to go.

When you encounter huge rapids, follow the instructor’s directions to avoid accidents. After 30 minutes of teamwork, we completed the challenge. To be honest, the river here isn’t as turbulent as Taiwan’s Xiuguluan River — it’s suitable for beginners. But there are two or three exciting rapids in the middle that are really thrilling. ^^
Everyone, if you have the chance to visit Mae Taeng, you must give it a try.

Next, I’ll take you to one of my favorite restaurants in Chiang Mai — the Black Forest Restaurant. Its actual Thai name is Khao Mao Khao Fang, which has nothing to do with the Black Forest. “Black Forest” is a name given by Chinese visitors — see the photo below to find out why.

Doesn’t it feel like dining in the Black Forest? Like having dinner in the Amazon rainforest. Among the dishes,my favorite is the spicy fried chicken (Prik Gai Thod). That night, I loved it so much I ordered three more servings. It’s different from regular fried chicken — it includes stir-fried diced fried chili peppers. It’s the first time I’ve tasted something this delicious in over 30 visits to Thailand.— I swear I’ll visit Chiang Mai again just for this dish.

Pineapple fried rice

Day 4 (also the last day of the trip), I woke up early and headed to the mountainous area about an hour from Chiang Mai city to try out the latest jungle adventure activity — FLYING QUIRRELS. There are over ten jungle zip-lining companies operating in northern Thailand, but today’s featured FLYING SQUIRRELS is the newest and offers the most diverse and exciting experiences. Their longest zip line stretches an incredible 600 meters — truly impressive!

Proper gear is essential before taking on the zip lines — professional staff will help you get suited up. Then we hopped into a small utility truck and drove deeper into the mountains. Honestly, as long as you’re not overly afraid of heights — and you avoid looking down too much — zip-lining is really simple. You don’t need to exert any effort at all — just sit back and let the zip line carry you across. But remember to bend your knees slightly before reaching the platform to avoid bumping into it!

You can even see me holding a camera in one hand while taking a selfie — I really went all out for this one. Besides traditional zip lines, this company also offers suspension bridges, aerial bikes, rope bridges, and even Spiderman-style crawling challenges. Of course, after successfully completing any of the challenges here, you’ll be rewarded with a Thai-style snack meal!

Travel show host — Guo Renrong’s Food, Fun & Adventure Support Team