CHIANG MAI Nightlife

Nightlife

The Chiang Mai nightlife is much quieter than Bangkok or Pattaya. There are many relaxing bars, a few discotheques, and one street with many go go bars, located primarily along the western end of Loi Kroh Road, including a walk-in arcade near the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel, and a stretch of Moon Muang Road south of Tapae Gate. The city also accomodates the gay and lesbian scene. The Chiang Mai nightlife is quite restricted after midnight due to a current directive from the governor. A selected number of places have been allowed to remain open until 2 a.m. Bars are located all over the city, but are mostly located on either side of the moat's eastern flank (in the Tapae Gate area,) along the Ping River near Nawarat Bridge or in the vicinity of the night bazaar. At the Galare Centre, there is a free display of Thai cultural dancing and music. There is also a cluster of bars, coffee houses and restaurants at the intersection of Chang Klan and Loi Kroh Road. A little further down Chan Klan Road (heading north) there is a small arcade, known for its 'Peak Climbing Wall'. Karaoke lounges (which some regard as a national obsession) can be found all over the city. Many are found at Chiang Mai Land, a purpose-built street off Changklan Road, south of the city.

Shopping, massage and cookery

Shopping: Chiang Mai has a large and famous night bazaar for arts, handicrafts, and counterfeit products of all descriptions, and a number of large, well-appointed modern shopping centers. The night bazaar alone sprawls along several city blocks along sidewalks, inside buildings and temple grounds, and in open squares. A handicraft and food market opens every Sunday evening on Rachadamnoen Road, the main street in the historical center, which is closed to motorized traffic; the Sunday event attracts many local residents and tourists.

Thai massage: The back streets and main thoroughfares of Chiang Mai have an abundance and variety of massage parlors which offer anything from quick, simple, face and foot massages, to month-long courses in the art of Thai massage.

Thai cookery: A number of Thai cooking schools have their home in Chiang Mai (see also Thai food).

CHIANG MAI

Chiang Mai (Thai: เชียงใหม่ , Lanna (local): เจียงใหม่), also sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand, and is the capital of Chiang Mai Province. It is located some 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok, among some of the highest mountains in the country. The city stands on the Ping river, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya river.

In recent years, Chiang Mai has become an increasingly modern city. It has several attractions for the approximately 1 million visitors who come each year. Chiang Mai's historic importance is derived from its strategic location on the Ping river as well as trade routes. Long before the modern influx of foreign visitors, the city served as a major center for handcrafted goods, umbrellas, jewelry (particularly silver) and woodcarving.

While officially the city (thesaban nakhon) of Chiang Mai only covers most parts of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population of 150,000, the urban sprawl of the city now extends into several neighboring districts. This Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area has a population of nearly one million people, more than half the total of Chiang Mai Province.

The city itself is subdivided into four wards (khwaeng): Nakhon Ping, Srivijaya, Mengrai, and Kavila. The first three are on the west bank while Kavila is located on the east bank of the PingRiver. Nakhon Ping district covers the north side of the city. Srivijaya, Mengrai, and Kavila cover the west, south, and east side respectively. The central part (the old walled town) is covered mostly by Srivijaya and partly by Nakhon Ping and Mengrai wards.

CHIANG MAI

History

King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning "new city") in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. The monarch was called Chao. To protect it against raids from Burma, the city was surrounded by a moat and a defensive wall. With the decline in power of the Lannathai kingdom, the city lost importance and often was occupied either by the Burmese or Thais from Ayutthaya. As a result of the Burmese wars that ended with the fall of Ayutthaya in April 1767, Chiang Mai was depopulated and its remaining inhabitants abandoned the city from 1776 to 1791. During that time, Lampang functioned as the capital of what remained of Lannathai. Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 in an agreement with Kavila, when the Thai King Taksin helped recapture it from the Burmese. Chiang Mai rose in cultural, trading and economic importance to its current status as the unofficial capital of northern Thailand, second only in national importance to Bangkok.

The people generally speak Kham Muang (also known as Northern Thai or Lanna) among themselves, but Central Thai of Bangkok is used in education and is understood by most. English is generally used in hotel- and travel-related businesses and many locals speak English. The old Kham Muang alphabet is now studied only by scholars; Northern Thai is commonly written using the standard Thai alphabet.

The modern municipal entity dates to a sanitary district (sukhaphiban) created in 1915. The district was upgraded to a municipality (thesaban) on March 29 1935, as published in the Royal Gazette, Book No. 52 section 80. At first covering an area of 17.5 km2 (7 sq mi), the city was enlarged to cover 40.216 km2 (16 sq mi) on April 5, 1983.