Randy sent us some insights and suggestions for visiting Chiang Mai Thailand based upon his experiences living there, enjoy:

Advice for Visitors to Chiang Mai Thailand

Thanks Randy.

Thanks Randy for a great writeup on travel in Chiang Mai. Thailand is a beautiful country and we hope to visit some day. We have been to Malaysia which sounds very different but yet somewhat similar.

If anyone else is interested in travel to Thailand, Candi visited in 2009 and has a great write up of her trip. She wrote about both her plans and experiences along with some excellent photos.

2009 Trip to Thailand

Excellent Thank you!

Thailand is one of my fave countries. And I especially love Chiang Mai.
Allow me to add a couple of tips to the informative reports above:

1. Train travel in Thailand is very enjoyable, inexpensive and user-friendly, especially the night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Even the train food is excellent. At at every one of the innumerable stops, food vendors rush up to your window to sell you all types of wonderful street food.
The problem with the nighit train to Chiang Mai is that you should reserve a few days in advance if you want a 1st class berth, or even a week in advance for high-season or special days such as Chinese new year.
[URL=http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm#Bangkok to Chiang Mai]Here[/URL] is a very informative page on the Seat61 site.

2. Already one eats well everywhere in Thailand, but especially well in Chiang Mai. All the popular guides have lists and lists of good restaurants. I just want to add a recommendation of a hole-in-wall (byt an airconned hole in wall) noodle place: Kao Soi Lam Duan on Fah Ham road.

3. From Chiangmai there is a very slow and enchanting way of getting to Chiang Rai, which is to go slightly north to Ban Thaton, then take a boat on the Mae Kok river to Chiang Rai.. Takes all day - in fact we spent a night on Ban Thaton before taking the boat, - but what a great way to see the Golden Triangle. Golden Triangle has alays been much talked about, but seldom for its beauty. It is one of the most beautiful corners of the world. And on the Mae Kok river during the dry winter season, you can - am not kidding - wade to the Laotian side, LOL.

4. Thailand is truly the land of smiles. Every time I come back to Paris from Thailand, for weeks I can't wipe off the smile that I was condition to smile all day long every day for the past weeks. Of course people in France think I'm nuts. People on the metro change seats to get away from me. Once, stranded by a last-minute strike, we landed in Bordeaux and decided to visit the city. When we hopped on the tram and I saw the suitcase-lugging young attractive French woman smiling that unforced constant smile, I knew, I just knew she had just come back from Thailand. I was right. We had such a good time talking and laughing that she was ready to adopt us.

Wow thank you for that!
I've been to Thailand for several times with my family. And most of the time I stay in Bangkok near the Siam Paragon.
My only objective for my Thailand trip is to shop! Almost everything there, including gadgets, are so affordable. The clothes are so fashionable. It's so hard to select items because I feel like I want to get everything. Good thing they are cheap. My money is not put into waste whenever I go to Thailand. That's why I always enjoy going to Thailand when you talk about shopping!