Tips

Even though Chiang Mai is not my favorite place, If I had to plan a trip to Chiang Mai again, I would get a hotel within the Old City, which makes everything more convenient, and book tours that takes me out of the city to go trekking and to see some nice waterfalls.


Getting Around

Most travel agencies, currency exchange places, touristy restaurants, massage places, and temples are inside the rectangular shaped Old City. If you don't mind walking, it's pretty easy to get around on foot. Within the Old City and near popular touristy places, it's not difficult to get a taxi, a songthaew, or a tuk tuk where you want; however, if you're going somewhere not as popular, make sure you ask your driver to wait for you, as it can be difficult to wave one down outside the Old City. Negotiate the price beforehand!
Bicycles rentals are everywhere, starting at 50 baht per day. Chiang Mai is pretty flat so easy to cycle, although the traffic can be pretty bad so be extra careful! Motorcycle/scooter rentals are 200-800+ baht. Monthly/long term rentals are way cheaper. Again, the traffic could be tricky so be sure you're confident enough to ride one.
Taxis are usually a flat rate of 120-150 baht within the city. Tuk tuk (motorcycle taxi) starts at 50 baht, but you need to negotiate a price first. They are likely to quote you a ridiculous price at first. If you're going through a highway, don't take a tuk tuk... it's dangerous! Songthaew (shared pickup truck taxi) usually have the route written on the windshield; however, if you see one passing, you can wave it down and negotiate a price. Like tuk tuks, the drivers don't usually speak English so have an address/map ready to show him!


Currency Exchange

Not all currency exchange places have the same rates so shop around! I find that just taking money out of the ATM machine gives you a pretty good rate, but usually you'll be charged a 50 baht fee by the machine and maybe another fee by your bank.


Get a SIM card for your phone!

If you plant to stay in Thailand for a while, you can get a Thai number by buying a SIM card from 7-11 and just pop into your phone. The one we bought was 299 baht and the 100 baht credit is good for 35 days. It's can't hurt to have a number/phone!



Temples have bathrooms!

It might be hard to find a public bathroom around town. The solution is, pop into a temple! They will probably have a public bathroom inside although toilet paper is not always available — better than nothing!. So, be sure to carry a pack of tissues and some hand sanitizer with you! Some bathrooms might charge you 3 baht so have some change on hand.


Order food in non-English-speaking restaurants!

While there are loads of restaurants tailored to tourists, some of the more local restaurants don't have English/picture menus and nobody speaks English. What can you do if you don't speak any Thai and can't read the menu and there's nothing to point to? You can write down the names of your favorite dishes on a piece of paper. A trick I figured out is to use my iPod to take photos of menu items with both English and Thai so I can just show it to the restaurant staff until they have a dish I want.

Learn some basic Thai!

While it's fun to practice your improv skills, it doesn't hurt to know some Thai! These are the only Thai I know, but they go a long way! For women, you use "Ka" at the end of sentences and "Krap" for men. For numbers, you can just use them in combination.
nueng 1
song 2
sam 3
see 4
har 5
hok 6
jed 7
bad 8
gao 9
sib 10
sib et 11
sib song 12
yee sib 20
yee sib song 22
sam sib 30
nueng roi 100
song roi 200
nueng pun 1000


Kob Khun Ka♀/Krap♂ thank you
Tao Rai Ka♀/Krap♂? how much?
Mai Ped not spicy
"Hong Nam"
You Tea Nai Ka♀/Krap♂? 		Where is the "bathroom"?


Tampons!

While most western amenities are easy to find in Chiang Mai, it's a bit harder to find tampons. You can buy tampons at Boots (near Thapae Gate east of the Old City), Tesco (a few surrounding the Old City), or Tops market (a supermarket also carrying some import goods), but they tend to carry only Regular or just have o.b. tampons which are without applicators. Some places have Tampax or Playtax as well. If you want Super (some stores have it sometimes) or Super Plus, bring them from home. A box of 8 Regular costs around 100-140 baht.


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