Reader Stories: Amy Clover Visits Chiang Mai

Reader Story By: Amy Clover

Let’s start this post off with a little bit of honesty: I hadn’t even heard of Chiang Mai 6 months before my trip there. I know, I know, but I’d always focused my attention on the beach cities in Thailand when I drooled over travel blogs and Pinterest pins.

The reason we decided to venture north instead of south to the beaches was for the Loy Krathong/Yi Peng festival, one of my “life list” items (a positive take on the “bucket list”). You’ve seen those Pinterest images with thousands of lanterns floating up into the night sky? Those were likely taken at the lantern release at Mae Jo University just north of Chiang Mai’s old city.

We landed in Chiang Mai as part of our honeymoon, after a slightly disappointing experience on the Western shores of Bali (too party-hardy for us), and feeling a bit untrusting from a bad experience in our 24-hour stopover in Bangkok (don’t trust people who draw you maps).

We didn’t know what to expect, but we hoped it would be a more pleasant, quiet experience than the ones we had on the former part of our Southeast Asia trip.

Thankfully, our hopes were fulfilled and then some. We arrived in a serene villa that welcomed us into their warm, family-like atmosphere like a bear hug from Grandpa. I highly suggest The Secret Garden just outside of Chiang Mai city; the service is above and beyond anything we’ve experienced anywhere else, and it’s surprisingly affordable. Book well beforehand, though, as they fill up quickly; we couldn’t stay for our entire stay in Chiang Mai due to full occupancy.

Walking around Chiang Mai instilled in us a sense of peace, oneness and harmony. People will look to help you if they can, and if they can’t, they’ll ask someone else if they might be able to. We felt more than welcome in this new city; we felt taken in by the community.

One of my favorite parts about our trip was eating our way through the Sunday Night Walking Street Market. We left our guesthouse with the equivalent of $40 USD to get us through the day. We started off at a restaurant for breakfast, then went to take in a few temples, donating to each one we visited, before going to a massage appointment.

When we emerged from our appointment, the streets were lined with vendors. Food, crafts, clothes and musicians packed the sidewalks as a few tourists roamed slowly amongst them as they set up. Renewed from our massage and considerably hungry, we joined the trickle of tourists, slowly taking in each stand as we walked. It was a wonderful way to take in the culture of the city while taking part in the collective wide-eyed delight that embodied every tourist’s face, as we slowly moved as one down the street.

We’d stop periodically to try foods we’d never seen before. Most of them were delicious. Some were… an experience.

Within 30 minutes, we were shoulder to shoulder with other market patrons. I mean, this market was packed! We had to take little breathers, not because the crowd was pushy, but because we were becoming so full on all the street food that the body heat created by the crowd was a little nauseating.

When we finally made it back to our guesthouse at around 10 PM, we still had money left over! It was a fantastic experience, but my favorite part of our entire trip was attending the event that brought us to Chiang Mai in the first place: the Yi Peng lantern release at Mae Jo University.

The celebration can only be described as magical. The guesthouse we were staying in pulled together all its travelers to form a group that would attend the festivities together. We scheduled a taxi to take us there, wait for us in the same place we’d park, and drive us home. This is essential when you’re planning on attending this festival; getting in and out can be super tricky. Don’t plan on finding a way home from Mae Jo without having paid a taxi to wait; it’s downright impossible.

Though we had read “warning” blog posts from foreigners who had bad experiences at the festival (some people thought it was too crowded and feared that it would become riotous… to which I would reply, “It’s a BUDDHIST ceremony!”), the people facilitating the event couldn’t have been more helpful!

Volunteers from the university stood at each turn to direct us toward the arena, some even chanting welcome greetings in English, Thai and Chinese. Our group arrived only half an hour before the event was due to start, so the arena was pretty packed. We made our way in and scattered a bit to find seats, setting a meeting place before we did. The arena was full, which was amazing to reflect on; an entire arena full of people who attended to release wishes and good fortune into the universe? As a new-age hippie, I was all in.

The event was narrated in English, Thai and Chinese. Many of the visitors refused to listen to directions and let off their lanterns before the voice on the loudspeakers instructed us all to, but in the end it didn’t really matter. The actual release was beyond astounding; it was life-changing.

Staring up into the wishes of thousands of people burning bright and rising into the clear, star-studded sky was moving beyond compare. The emotional power behind the rising solar system-like spectacle brought strangers together in embraces, regardless of the party’s language. I couldn’t help but laugh through my tears of joy as I silently took in the climbing lanterns, lighting up the darkness with the strength of our collective good intentions. Like I said, magical.

We came for lights, but left with an even brighter one inside us. A part of us will always shine from within thanks to our experience in Chiang Mai. I can’t wait for us to visit again…hopefully for an extended stay next time.

About Amy Clover

Amy Clover is the woman behind Strong Inside Out, a site devoted to helping you unleash your strong through movement and positive action. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook to stay up to date and catch her on the upcoming Strong Inside Out Tour!

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