Paradise in Goat Coffee
Chiang Mai has stolen my heart
Allow me to gush briefly.
I’ve never been anywhere quite like this place. The cold, calculating accountant side would be quick to point out that the prices can’t be beat. But that only tells a meager fraction of the whole story.
Thursday afternoon, Ashley and I decided to visit the famed Chiang Mai Night Bazaar on the other side of town. Google Maps estimated it would be a 58 minute walk and that proved to be exhaustingly accurate.
Block by block, our hunger grew as we passed a seemingly infinite selection of restaurants. Just past a bar featuring soccer and football games, we were almost pulled in by a papaya salad joint.
Our blood pumped as we narrowly avoided being hit by scooters crossing the street (the “secret” is to just go and maintain a consistent pace, trusting they will dodge you).
Finally we turned onto ChangKlan Road and dove headlong into a 6 block bazaar. Stall by stall we passed vendors hawking everything from jewelry to shirts to toys to underwear.
Everything was turned up to another level with this being the weekend of Chinese new year. Firecrackers exploded in the streets, while sidewalk and road melted into one.
We ate the best pad thai I’ve ever tasted and offset the heat of spicy noodles with cool iced tea. My mouth is watering just from the memory.
My best stab at explaining Chiang Mai is to compare it to New York. There are fewer people here, but there are also no skyscrapers. The proportions are not equal, so main streets have people spilling out everywhere.
As we turned back for home, taking a different route, we continued to come upon new restaurants. The best have a line of Thai locals waiting for a seat.
We could literally spend the next two months trying to get to every restaurant that caught our eye on that walk home. That would not be enough time to hit them all.
Pardon the rambling, but I’ve never been so smitten with a city before. I’m currently writing this in Goat Coffee, half a block from my apartment.
If you’re reading this, I love you and strongly encourage you to visit Chiang Mai some time in your life. I will put together a collection of recommendations closer to my departure.
Best,
Aaron
