Chiang Mai: Cooking, Hiking, and a Wild Week

We rolled into Chiang Mai on a bumpy overnight sleeper from Bangkok and checked into Stamps Hostel, which immediately felt lively and social. After dropping our bags and meeting a rotating cast of new friends, we kicked off the city the best way possible: a Thai cooking class on Sammy’s organic farm. Sammy giggled between instructions while we cooked up tom kha gai (coconut chicken soup), pad krapow (holy basil chicken), khao soi (Chiang Mai’s signature), and papaya salad—an instant highlight and a delicious first taste of the north.

Back in town that evening we jumped into the hostel pub quiz (no trophy this time), then drifted to Blacklight for beer pong and dancing. A late-night detour for Mexican food scratched a small Western itch before we finally called it.

The next day was for sweat and stairs: the Monk’s Trail up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The jungle path was humid and muddy, with trail runners breezing past and a few friendly dogs adopting our group for the climb. We paused at a smaller temple, then pushed the steep final stretch, rang the giant gong, and climbed the last 306 steps to the chedi. Mist drifted across the mountain as monks chanted—one of those perfectly calm travel moments. Cold Cokes at the village stand tasted like victory; the winding ride back down… less so.

Mid-week stayed playful. We missed an early Muay Thai session after a late night and pivoted to the Grand Canyon Waterpark instead—cliff jumps, inflatable obstacle races, a wobbly hydrobike, and one last 10 m leap for good measure. We rode back in the red pickup songthaews, swapping stories with hostel friends from all over. Burgers with the crew, music bingo at Stamps, and a stop at a local jazz bar with a Thai band capped it off.

Friday turned into an adventure day I won’t forget: ATVs through back roads and farm tracks, past rice and corn fields and elephant sanctuaries, then a short hike behind a waterfall. After that, we traded throttles for a bamboo raft, skimming down a fast river on a few poles lashed together while a storm rolled in. It was soaking, muddy, cold—and kind of awesome. My stomach didn’t love the curvy drives, and the rest of the day became a recovery mission back at the hostel.

By the weekend I was back on my feet: Thai omelet with rice for 80 baht, route planning in the common area, and a big next step—renting two 155cc motorbikes for our next adventure, the legendary Mae Hong Son Loop. If the weather cooperates (a typhoon’s in the neighborhood), we’ll roll out early tomorrow and trade city lights for mountain switchbacks, small towns, and viewpoints.

Chiang Mai brought a bit of everything—flavors, temples, laughter, rain, mud, and new friends. It’s exactly the kind of variety I was hoping this trip would bring. Next stop: the open road.