Culinary cruising in northern Thailand

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Baskets full of chilies can be found at the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar.

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- I was halfway through my second mojito of Thai whisky and fresh-picked mint in a Chiang Mai back-alley bar when a fellow walked by with his elephant.

They seemed to be out for an evening constitutional before bedding down for the night. No one else at the outdoor bar batted an eye as the pachyderm sashayed by, his tail lightly batting the tuk-tuks lining the alley.

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A vendor sells ant eggs at Chiang Mai Night Bazaar where you can also buy locally crafted gifts. (POSTMEDIA)

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Khao soi lunch in Chiang Mai can cost you as little as $2. (POSTMEDIA)

"No big deal," said my Thai host when I brought it to her attention. "They just live around the corner." At least I wasn't hallucinating.

We were sipping our mojitos in the chill of a January Chiang Mai evening. It must have dipped to 26 C that night. We were rehydrating after a long day of culinary cruising -- visiting food markets, roadside cafés, hilltop restaurants, a fish farm and even a winery. My mouth was still tingling from the burn of Thai chilies and I was enjoying the cool and potent 50 baht ($1.65) mojitos.

Chiang Mai is a city of one million in northern Thailand about 700 kilometres from Bangkok. Situated on the Ping River and surrounded by high hills (they call them mountains) Chiang Mai is cooler (a bit) and less humid (a lot) than Bangkok. It's also a fine place to explore Thai culture and northern Thai food.

Where to stay

The Chiang Mai Plaza is a large, centrally located hotel at 92 Sridonchai Road (www.cnxplaza.com) with rooms -- including breakfast -- starting at about $80 per night. This is a lovely hotel with one of the largest and prettiest lobbies I've ever seen. In Canada or western Europe it would be many times more expensive.

There are other similar large hotels throughout Chiang Mai, plus many guest houses where you can rent a suite with cooking facilities, full bathrooms, air conditioning and even a small private patio for as little as $15 a night.

Dining

Many Thai restaurants are simple constructions of wooden posts covered with a corrugated metal roof, plastic chairs and tables and an open kitchen. They are almost all open-air and cooled by fans. They serve freshly prepared Thai cuisine -- curries, sticky rice, grilled sausages and more than a little chili paste. Northern Thai food is generally less sweet and less spicy than southern styles, but can nonetheless burn a major hole in your palate.

One Chiang Mai specialty is khao soi. That's a soup made from curry paste and coconut milk and filled with noodles, meats, lemon or lime and fresh vegetables. Simple and sublime. Many khao soi restaurants don't have names, but two of the nicer upscale places we visited for full Thai meals were Palaad Tawaron, located at the top of Suthep Road in the Chiang Mai Zoo, and Huen Phen, at 112 Rachamankha Rd. Palaad had the added bonus of a beautiful view over the city and Huen Phen has a garden-like setting where the traditional food of the area's Lanna people is served.

Dining in Chiang Mai on Thai food is very reasonable, ranging from about $2 for a khao soi lunch to $20 to 30 for a big dinner with drinks. Note: as far as the local fruit wines go, stick to the Thai beer.

Sightseeing

Chiang Mai is known for street markets that operate in various locations throughout the day and night. The Night Bazaar in downtown Chiang Mai is a lively location for picking up locally crafted gifts, foods of all sorts, silver jewelry, antiques and clothing.

Like the rest of Thailand, Chiang Mai is dotted with Buddhist temples. Wat Prathat Doi Suthep is the most sacred temple in northern Thailand and a colourful place to visit. Note: like most temples, Doi Suthep requires men to wear long pants and women to cover their shoulders and legs. Visitors must also remove their shoes when entering the temples.

Another highlight is the elephant camps in the area. We visited the Maesa camp where we saw the elephants bathing and playing soccer. We took a ride on the big animals, too.

Getting there

Air Canada and Cathay Pacific are just two of the airlines that can get you from Vancouver to Asia -- perhaps to Hong Kong or Tokyo -- and then on to Bangkok. From Bangkok, Chiang Mai is about 90 minutes via Thai Airways or Bangkok Airways. Flights from Calgary to Chiang Mai will cost about $1,500 return.

While in Chiang Mai, tuk-tuks -- three-wheeled, motorized rickshaws -- are the conveyance of choice.

-- Postmedia News

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 19, 2011 D5