We got three guide books for Thailand and every one of them said something different about Chiang Mai. There was very little consensus as to what was the “must see” sights and things you should make sure you did. The only thing they all said pretty much was to go up Doi Suthep, a mountain just outside of Chiang Mai with a stunning temple, and to visit the Sunday night market for crafts. Other than that, it was all strong opinions!

These are the things that we found:

1. Probably the best find for us was Payap University’s Lifelong Learning Center. It’s on the eastern  side of the river in the “missionary” area. Every week they have three or more programs in English. They include day trips out and around the city, lectures about politics and culture, yoga and relaxation sessions and local music. There will certainly be something that interests you and the best thing is that they are done with local experts. It will also be a great place to meet other expats. Going on excursions with them are a step above the “tourist” experience because you’re going with experts who know what they are showing you. Sadly for us, it was badly flooded for about half the time we were there so we missed out on a lot of what we had planned on doing with them, but what we did was excellent.

1. Right near Payap University is a small shop run by missionaries called Thai Tribal Crafts Fair Trade. They sell goods made by Hill Tribe people so they can be self-supporting. But the best part is that they have a 3 hour weaving class every weekday taught by a hill tribe weaver. At the time of writing, the classes are 1200 Baht (about $35) where you make a small wall hanging you can take home. When I took the class I was the only one in it, and apparently that’s common during the low season. A wonderful experience.

1. If you’re looking for a beautiful place to walk and spend a day with locals, Huey Tueng Thao Reservoir is the place to go. You can take a Grab. It’s north of the city, with a 200 Bht entrance fee. Inside is a beautiful lake with hiking trails all the way around it, little huts that jut over the water that you can rent to sit in and order food, and whimsical straw animals to photograph. For the more adventurous, there’s a really good zip line that goes over the lake and then through the jungle.
2. My favorite temple in Chiang Mai was outside of the Old Town, just north of Maya, called Wat Jed Yot. It’s very old and has a unique architecture based on Indian temples. The grounds are lush and beautiful and mostly deserted. It’s the temple for the year of the Snake, and has a sacred tree that is said to be a cutting of the tree that Buddha sat under when he gained his enlightenment.

1. Something that’s probably often missed is the Lanna Traditional House Museum, just north of the airport. It has eight original traditional houses and three rice barns that you can walk through and learn about how people of various classes used to live in the Chiang Mai area.