Chiang Mai, My Time Exploring the City and Adjusting to Solo Travel

Hi all, I’m back in Thailand! Part of me was sad to leave Vietnam, part of me was grateful. Vietnam is a wonderful country, it has some of my favorite food now, and there is so much to do and see, so much natural beauty to appreciate, and the kindest people that welcome you with open arms. I will forever treasure my time in Vietnam, but also, I am content with all I saw and the time I spent there. In total, I was there 12 days, and that to me was a good amount of time for one trip to Vietnam. While there, I was already planning my trip to revisit with the knowledge I have now. Thinking of seeing more of the North, Sapa has the most beautiful rice paddies and is well out of the city to just relax and relish in the nature. To spend 4 days doing the Ha Giang Loop, a motorbike excursion that takes you through the vast hills of northern Vietnam and is acclaimed as one of the coolest travel experiences ever done. I would want to do Ha Long again, this time on a luxury boat (so the trip would have to be well in the future). Stay at a local Ninh Binh hotel and take my bike out everyday around the hills. Go back to Hoi An, show this quaint city to someone I love, and to eat banana flambe every night I am there. And then finish the trip with some of Vietnam’s beautiful beaches, either in Da Nang or Nha Trang. It’s so cool not only when traveling to see such amazing things, but to learn so much about the country that you know exactly where else to go and what deserves to be revisited. If you ever plan a trip to Vietnam, I would love nothing more than to be your trip planner! And if you are a foodie, this must be at the top of your list.

Alright, leaving my peace on Vietnam, let me tell you now about my return to Thailand. There’s something so satisfying about getting another stamp in your passport. It is my goal to have it filled up before it expires (2027), so I have three years to travel as much as I can to have that book as a keepsake for my adventurous young self.  Although it wasn’t the most convenient to leave the country, at least I got another stamp out of it. Also, I got pretty lucky with my seat, I was the second row, meaning I was the first off the plane and first in lines at customs to breeze right through in about 20 seconds and I was home free. 

I entered this new country, this new city, alone. Solo. You heard my tales of fear, of anxiousness, of worry for the future. But I am already feeling loads better. I knew Chiang Mai would be the best city to start my solo journey. Thai people are so kind, so I walk around with zero worry for my safety (don’t stress, I am still very alert), but that right there takes away so much anxiety about being a solo female traveler. I also decided to stay in this city for way longer than I need, a full five days. Part of me knew I would need to readjust to a new type of travel, and another part of me knew this city was something special and it deserved the time, more than my typically in and out in 3 days. 

Thankfully I did give it the time because I won’t lie, the first night I flew in, I spent almost all of it at the hostel, with a quick mission to the vegan restaurant just a 2 minute walk away. I called my family, I wrote about my time in Hanoi and my thoughts. It’s so cool how therapeutic writing is for me and many others I know. If you are going through something or have a lot on your mind, give it a go and see what it does for you. It has been transformative in my personal journey to write. To journal. To put my thoughts to words and to work through the things in my life. It allows me to see so many different sides of my position, to vent, to rationalize, to see what I should be grateful for, and to conclude my posture towards my situation, which typically ends up in it being a positive, optimistic one. I have used this tactic since my freshman year of college and it has taken me so far as a person and through so many developmental and life changes. 

The first night really was just food, writing in my hostel lobby, and getting settled in my top bunk of the hostel life I would now endured here on out. I scrambling the first night trying to take a shower because I completely fell out of the routine of bringing everything you need in there with you and it almost took me 30 minutes to just shower and get ready for bed because I was going back and forth so much. There’s something so nice about just chilling in a bed, which I did while chatting with some friends at home, knowing it was late morning for them so the response rate was high. What good company I have at almost all times, this keeping me sane and my heart full.

The next morning I knew I couldn’t be a bum, so I threw on my long pants and short sleeve shirt to begin my temple hopping self-guided tour. First, I got free breakfast at my hostel, the only vegan options being strawberry jam toast, but that's certainly better than nothing. I went along my merry way, with my camera draped around my neck and google maps in hand, guiding me through the city as I made my way to each monument highlighted in the app. I began at a famous gate, there were lots of pigeons and it was a relic from the brick structure that used to surround the whole city. I saw remnants of it as I would walk along the square borders (Chiang Mai is laid out in a perfect square, outlined by this wall and a moat-like water system, check it out on maps to get a better image). 

Next was to my first temple. What a great change from Bangkok to walk into all the temples free of charge, and their most famous one was only $1.50. I took my photos, honored the beauty and age of these temples, and quietly revered the inside of each temple marked by a buddha to pray towards and an open floor to sit (no chairs/pews in these temples).

In just an hour, I made my way through the gate, a jewelry store, three temples, a monument of the founders of Chiang Mai, a park, so I headed to the mall. Yes, the mall. I am not the biggest shopper but I was on a mission. My laptop charger died while I was in Hanoi, so I went to a verified apple reseller (I got scammed in Bangkok, I was given a fake charger in Apple packaging and told it was a real one, that one dying on me in two weeks) and writing on my laptop has become a lifeline for me during my time solo. $50 later (and $30 wasted in Bangkok), I got my charger that I hope will take me through the rest of my trip. I went into Starbucks as I desperately wanted to get my computer charged, and I relaxed in the familiarity of the shop and went through some photos on my phone. I was here for quite a while, to the point when my jam toast could no longer hold it’s own, and I went to a vegan garden cafe for lunch. It was the most gorgeous place to spend the afternoon. I got a power wrap, it was so filling that I didn’t even need dinner and had to wait 4 full hours to be even slightly hungry enough to try the dessert I was eyeing up in the display case on my way in. I was one of few in this restaurant garden that got to enjoy the tranquility of it and to feast on this good food. I stayed there, read, wrote, and enjoyed the peace of this cafe. Cafe hopping is truly a joy of mine and I am proud to say that my time in Chiang Mai was well spent doing just that. 

For the night, I chilled in the lobby, reading some more, chatting with friends and family, and going another day without much in-person communication. Really hoping this wouldn’t last much longer.. And thankfully it didn’t. I went to the elephant sanctuary the following day, a new post for that! But first, I have one more Chiang Mai city day that I want to share with you all, day 3.

Before I visit any city, I typically do a lot of research and write down the places that I see online and on social media that make it one of the reasons I want to go. There was this one cafe restaurant that pulled me here. I was called Chom Cafe, it had a mystical jungle-like entrance as you walked into the cafe and on your way to the tables to enjoy your coffee or brunch moment. I knew I must go.

I slept in, taking any opportunity to get some rest and stay healthy. After I got ready, ate my hotel's free breakfast, I ordered a ride and made my way to this cafe. It was a bit away, past the airport (albeit the airport is only a 10 minute drive from my hotel) so this felt like a commitment and if I was doing it or not. I didn’t want a more expensive ride to hold me back from seeing one of the places that initially drew me here. As I was in the car to go see this cafe, I thought to myself that I never checked if it was open. In Thailand and Vietnam, some stores have scattered hours, taking random days off in the week, requiring you to double check hours of every restaurant before you decide to go. I pulled up the cafe on my phone and saw in big red letters “CLOSED”. My heart sank as I was literally a minute away. Thankfully, I just got there too early, an hour before they opened, and to my luck, there was a cute cafe right next door. Who would have thought that a cafe opens at 11am? I thought 10am was already late enough in the morning, but Thailand starts their days much later, or at the time their owners please for the day. It became a cafe hopping day essentially, as I started at this place next door, getting to try butterfly pea tea. And then eventually migrating over to Chom when it opened up.

Chom Cafe was lovely. At the front when I checked in I got a section and table assigned to me, so it was up to luck if it was a good one. I have to admit, I think I got one of those! I was right next a waterfall, getting to hear the water rushing down. It was so peaceful, I had one of the best cups of coffee, and I worked on my laptop in an oasis of an environment. With no music in my hears and the waterfall providing the sweet noise to keep me focused, time flew and I found myself staring at the clock with it saying 3pm. I got another beverage to treat myself and to try new things. They called it a healthy shake, it was coconut milk, banana, and chia seeds. It was a refreshing beverage and a nice afternoon sip. 

All of those drinks kept me full until the late afternoon, when I decided to order some food at Chom as well. I didn’t have the most hearty breakfast (3 pieces of strawberry jam toast and cut up cucumber) so I thought I should have some tofu for lunch. The only option was tofu with chilis. I’d say I am pretty proud of my progress tolerating spice, working on it when I entered college to now finally being able to hold my own in the midst of a heat-packed dish. It was great, so much flavor and complexity, and just as I was finishing up my meal with only a few bites left, one of them hit harder than the rest. My mouth was overheated, all I could do was wait out the pure pain, and to add fuel to the fire, I finished my last two bites and rode out the heat for five minutes, sipping the last remaining melted slush of that coconut healthy smoothie to provide any sort of relief. It ended up being alright and not lasting too long, and I can think of that experience as another opportunity to get better at handling spice.

I left the cafe and headed back to my hostel where I hung out for a bit, walked around the city, and grabbed dinner. I didn’t do much more with my day but I don’t want to feel too guilty because I have the ability to take my travel slow and it’s nice to do just that some days. So with two days to lay low, I slowly got used to solo travel, and time doing its work as I discover new ways to get acquainted and find my new groove.