Chiang Mai City, the "Rose of the North", as it is often called, is the geographical and also the political capital of Northern Thailand (Lanna). It is the second largest city of Thailand, after Bangkok.
The city is located in a valley on the banks of the river Ping. West of the city is the holy hill of Doi Suthep that is crowned with the temple Wat Prathat. If you arrive by plane one of the first things you see after the plane has landed is the high green hill to the left of the runway with the sparkling golden temple roofs.
Until the 1960s Chiang Mai was a relatively quiet town full of beautiful traditional teakwood houses and surrounded by ricefields. |