Things to Do in Chiang Mai, Thailand: Gay Activities and Non Gay Activities

[TotallyOz]

A friend sent me a list of things to do in Chiang Mai as he is from there. He said that some things might be for my 80 year old Grandmother and not my 27 Year Old Boyfriend. I can find the bars and massage places on my own. All I need to do is walk out the door and follow the cute boys. LOL Anyone has other things to add?

 

Here's a list of a few things that you can use as a starting point for web searches as to what to do in Chiang Mai…

 

(Also have a look at Chiang Mai Life magazine on-line)

 

Ping River boat tour

Galae Restaurant

Night Safari

Khun Cheun restaurant

Mrs. Pa's smoothie stall at the Chiang Mai Gate Night Market after 4:30.

Zoo

Flight of the Gibbon

Muu Grata - cook at your table buffet

Palad Tawanron restaurant

Massage - Woman's jail

Doi Suthep

Monk Chat at Wat Suan Dok

Chiang Mai Sky Adventure

Balloon Adventure Thailand

Huay Tung Tao Hwy 121 - lunch at a lake

Mae Sa valley - paintball, bungie jump, off road buggies etc

Patera Elephants

Warawrot Market

Suan Buak Hat (tai chi etc) at 6 am sharp

Wat Umong

Museum of World Insects

Ratchaphruek Flower Gardens

Wiang Kum Kam - Old ruins

Ganesh Himal Museum - A short way off Highway 108 a little south of San Pa Tong, just into Doilo, an interesting break.

Bo Sang - Umbrella Town

Baan Tawai - furniture town

iBerry - strange and amusing ice cream spot

Akha Ama coffee

Sunday Night Walking Street - Tha Pae Gate

 

Some on-line resources :

 

http://www.gotpassport.org/2011/01/30/the-other-famous-question-what-to-do-in-chiang-mai-thailand/

 

http://thai-travel-info.blogspot.com/2007/10/40-things-to-do-in-chiangmai-north-of.html

[Guest fountainhall]

Just a few more -

 

DInner at the River Market - excellent newish restaurant by the river

Done on wonderful French cuisine at La Fourchette

Afternoon tea, drinks or even dinner at The Chedi

Visit an orchid farm

Trip to Doi Inthanon National Park - great waterfalls in the rainy season.

 

Mae Klang Waterfall

 

Watchirathan Waterfall

[firecat69]

www.tigerkingdom.com If you want to experience tigers close up including babies then this is the place!

[Bob]

DInner at the River Market - excellent newish restaurant by the river

 

Ditto on River Market, very nice place right on the river (50 yards south of the Iron Bridge) with very good food with reasonable prices. The other two of my favorite restaurants up here are Chez Marco on Loy Kroh (about 200 yards east of the moat) and The House (300-400 yards north of the Montri (or M) hotel on Moon Muang. As to the other restaurants in your friend's list:

(1) Galae Restaurant. I haven't eaten there so won't comment. Maybe a bit hard to find for people unfamiliar with Chiangmai.

(2) Khun Chuen is a vegetarian place on the north side of Soi 17, Nimmanhaemin, maybe 200 yards east of Nimmanhaemin road. I've eaten there a few times and it's okay but nothing all that special to me. If you go for lunch, try to get there a little before noon as it's vegetarian buffet is somewhat "picked over" after that.

(3) Palaad Tawanron. Also a bit difficult to find (somewhat near #1 above) for somebody unfamiliar with Chiangmai. Ate there just a couple of weeks ago and the food was fine. Big place, nice grounds (with waterfall right next to the restaurant), and, if you're there before dark, a partial nice view to the east of the the city and a nearby pond/reservoir.

(4) Moo Gata (or Grata). We have several of these barbeque joints up here where you go grab the food laying out all over and then cook it at your table yourself. I've gone a few times over the years but would never classify this as "good" food or "good" dining. And, at times, seeing the raw chicken or pork bits, veggies, or whatever sitting out in pans in the heat makes me fear the places at times. If you go, cook the stuff well!

 

With respect to the Tiger Kingdom up at Mae Rim, be sure NOT to go in the cage with the older (2-year-old) cats. It's simply too damn dangerous (a few tourists have been bitten and, if you take a good look at at 2-year-old cat yawning, you'll immediately notice that your head would fit nicely in it's mouth). You can get scratched a little in the pens holding the younger cats but at least there's no possibility you'll need a lot of stitches or a funeral...hehe.

 

Your list, Michael, contains a couple of other items I personally wouldn't bother with but generally is a good list of available options. The number one cultural attraction up here has to be the temple on Doi Suthep which, if you're lucky and the air is somewhat clear, will provide you with an amazing view of Chiangmai.

[Guest JamesBarnes]

From our current issue: http://www.out-in-thailand.com/articles/chiang-mai/

 

Best wishes,

 

James.

[firecat69]

I have been in the pens with the 2 year olds 3 times and have had no problem. But you must do what the handlers say.

 

You cannot touch the tigers head. Every instance where there has been an injury has been when the visitor did something they were plainly told not to. That being said of course they are still wild animals and you are at some risk when you elect to be close to them.

[fedssocr]

Has anyone done the Balloon Adventure thing? I did a hot air balloon ride for the first time in Myanmar last year over Bagan. It was pretty spectacular. It's not cheap though, that's for sure. I don't imagine the Chiang Mai balloon ride could rival Bagan but it still might be fun.

[Bob]

Has anyone done the Balloon Adventure thing?

 

Nope. Have thought about it but it is a little expensive (8,000 to 10,000 baht minimum) and, since the balloons take off near Doi Saket (about 10 miles northeast of the old city), I don't think you'll see much of the city of Chiangmai itself. Plus, given the air quality up here, I'm also not sure how clear the view would be on a given day.

[Bob]

Every instance where there has been an injury has been when the visitor did something they were plainly told not to.

 

I'm not sure how you actually know that information. I and the bf went several years ago and it appeared rather dangerous to me to go into the pen with the 2-year-olds and I remarked about it at the time. A month or so later, one of those two-year-olds grabbed a woman by the leg and rather severely mauled her leg (the newspaper article didn't say one way or the other what she did or didn't do). Since then, I've read of two more injuries that happened in the 2-year-old pen and those articles also didn't mentioned how it happened other than the injuries occurred in the 2-year-old pen. Personally, I'm doubtful that all the incidents are reported and/or hit the news.

 

Obviously, as long as they have the open pen with the 2-year-olds and they allow you to go in there (selling entry fees, of course), it's at your own risk. The tigers are normally lethargic as hell during the day and I've watched the handlers prod them with a long stick to wake/stir them up and get them to interact a little with the poor fools going into that pen. Crazy in my view.

[Guest thaiworthy]

I have a photo of me and the boyfriend feeding a baby tiger from a baby bottle at the Sriacha Tiger Zoo (not in Chiang Mai) in 1998. Miraculously, we survived. Later that same evening, I got mauled by the boyfriend, and happily survived that, too.

 

I don't know if Sriacha does that anymore, but I suppose if you really wanted to pet wild animals, you could do so at such designated places, and only if the animals were small enough not to (purportedly) cause any harm. Might still be a bit dangerous, but as some are very young, they do look awfully cute and cuddly.

 

http://www.tigerzoo....eng/visitus.php

 

In Chiang Mai, there is a tiger petting zoo, called Tiger Kingdom. I have never been there, but these pictures look interesting.

 

http://www.escapeart...ound-the-world/

 

Crazy in my view.

 

Bob, don't try this, you'll kill yourself:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSq0_oB3iG4

[firecat69]

The press in Thailand shall we say is not very diligent in following a story. The incident you mentioned where the Lady was mauled rather badly was covered quite well in the USA and it was quite clear that the woman did not follow instructions and surprised the Tiger around the head. I only remember one other incident reported and similar things were said about the visitor although in that case the injuries were much less severe.

 

You pay your money and you take your chances. When you go elephant trekking you are also at the mercy of those large beasts. When you go on those Gibbons wires you are at the mercy of that contraption not failing. And it goes on and on. Life is dangerous in many ways.

 

But I probably have a better chance of getting killed on the Motorway by a drunk Thai driver then losing my life visiting some Tigers. Just my opinion.

[Bob]

Bob, don't try this, you'll kill yourself:

 

The most that baby would do (presuming it really woke up and you pissed it off) would be to scratch you a little or inflict a small bite wound. But the 2-year-olds are a whole lot bigger, more capable, and could easily kill/maim a human. I like wild animals too but I'm a bit more wary of ones that can eat me.

 

A Thai friend who's taken hundreds of falang and Thai to the Tiger Kingdom also strongly advises them to stay out of the pen with the 2-year-olds. He's told me there have been other incidents that haven't hit the news and he also thinks it's nuts that they allow people to go into that particular pen. But, regardless, everybody has their own level of risk and if you want to play in traffic, be my guest.

[firecat69]

Well you certainly have a good time there and go in with the babies and the 6 month olds which are really quite playful but still big enough to be dangerous. I agree that the 2 year olds are at a different level of danger but may favorite photo of all time is with one of the big boys turning and letting out a big roar as I looked shocked.

 

I think people that go Bungee jumping are idiots and many other things that I consider more or equally dangerous.

 

To each his own as you say!

[Guest thaiworthy]

Bob, I was just messin' with you. There are two sides to every coin. But, you are actually quite right. Even an experienced trainer can get into serious trouble with wild animals. Just over 9 years ago, magician Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy was attacked by a 7-yr-old white tiger during a Friday night performance on the Las Vegas Strip. Roy grew up among exotic animals, but all that experience didn't help him. That show was to become their last regular performance.

 

Siegfried and Roy made 57 million dollars($US) a year showcasing these dangerous animals in their "magic act."

 

http://edition.cnn.c...4/roy.attacked/

 

On October 3, 2003, during a show at The Mirage, Roy Horn was bitten on the neck by a seven-year-old male tiger named Montecore. Crew members separated Horn from the tiger and rushed him to the only Level I trauma center in Nevada, University Medical Center. Horn was critically injured and sustained severe blood loss. While being taken to the hospital, Horn said, "Montecore is a great cat. Make sure no harm comes to Montecore."

Horn was in critical condition for several weeks thereafter, and was said to have suffered a stroke and partial paralysis. Doctors removed one-quarter of his skull to relieve the pressure of his swelling brain during an operation known as a decompressive craniectomy. The portion of skull was placed in a pouch in Horn's abdomen in the hope of replacing it later. Horn was eventually transferred to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California for long-term recovery and rehabilitation.

As of 2006, Horn was talking and walking (with assistance from Fischbacher). To host Pat O'Brien on the television news program The Insider, he commented about his daily rehabilitation, "They are slave drivers over there. You'd think they are the KGB from Russia."

Montecore had been trained by Horn since he was a cub; he had performed with the act for six years. Fischbacher, appearing on the Larry King interview program, said Horn fell during the act and Montecore was attempting to drag him to safety, as a mother tigress would pull one of her cubs by the neck. Fischbacher said Montecore had no way of knowing that Horn, unlike a tiger cub, did not have fur and thick skin covering his neck and that his neck was vulnerable to injury. Fischbacher said if Montecore had wanted to injure Horn, the tiger would have snapped his neck and shaken him back and forth.

 

http://en.wikipedia....Siegfried_&_Roy

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJyzcrczRY8

[ChristianPFC]

As far as I know (from the internet), there are problems with the way tigers are kept (not appropriate to the species). Furthermore, they might be drugged, and still accidents happen regularly!

 

It seems there is no way to keep a tiger appropriate to the species and allow many people to touch him. I will certainly think well about animal rights before I go to any zoo or show, or anywhere else that involves animals, in Thailand.

 

(There are even reports about abuse of elephants. The only animal I think is resistant to mistreatment in captivity is the crocodile.)

[Guest luvthai]

One of my favorite outings is a motorbike trip to the little lake behind the racetrack. The horses are taken to the lake after their workout and are swam from one side of the lake to the other. The handlers strip down to shorts or underwear and swim with them so needless to say when emerging from the lake theres not much left to the imagination. The handlers are usually younger guys. There are also vendors available makng for a park like setting.

[Guest fountainhall]

About what time does this little sideshow happen?