I’ve always wanted to go to Chiangmai, never really knew what was there, but really wanted to go nonetheless. So when the only tour available to suit my travel dates turned out to be a 5 day tour of North Thailand, I jumped at the opportunity. With Lily in tow, we set off to explore Chiangmai, Chiangrai & the Mix Hill Tribes organised by Five Stars Tours in April 2012.

Pre-departure, the itinerary looked extremely comprehensive, with barely an hour to spare for self exploration. It covered the major Buddhist temples, factory tours, elephants, monkeys, snakes, butterflies, orchids and a trip to the hill area to see the Long Neck and Long Ear tribes. There was also a detour to Chiangrai en route to the Golden Triangle.

In general, the tour was excellent value for money, including Silkair flights, transport, entrance fees, most meals and 4-star hotel accommodation right in the heart of the night market for under $1000 per person on twin sharing basis. We travelled around in a 9-seater van (packed full) with a driver and local guide. And the guide’s Malaysian girlfriend. Our fellow travelers were a great bunch, and that made the holiday extra special. The guide was a huge disappointment, being more interested in his girlfriend than in doing his job. The food was very variable, ranging from exquisite Khantoke dinner buffets to quails eggs hard boiled in hot springs, to tasteless inedible Chinese family style fare. So we never knew if we would be in culinary bliss or starved beyond belief.

As a taster to North Thailand, I’m pretty satisfied in general. And I’d love to return again, but in the cooler months. April is the warmest time of year, with day time temperatures averaging a sweltering 38 degrees Celcius. So it’ll be a year end trip next round, and hiring a private tour guide (lots highly recommended on Tripadvisor) on that end, so the tour is tailored to our interest, plus we get to see the real Thailand, not scrape the surface as a tourist.

But even despite the problems with the guide, the beauty of North Thailand is captivating, and I will aim to bring each place to life on these pages when I have the opportunity, hopefully before the little details escape me.