Doi Sep on Thai New Year's Eve
On Thai New Year’s Eve in amazing Chiang Mai, we were a bit lazy and wanted to see the number 1 tourist attraction - Doi Sep!
A Normal Day
Being less than a ten minute walk from Risot8o is exceptionally nice! Now a normal routine, I wake up just before the cafe opens and walk down there. I then have one or two cups of coffee, usually a tasty long black and one of their speciality brews. Today, I had a long black and a Satan Latte. While the latte had too much milk, the long black was extraordinary per usual! I cannot recommend Risoto8 enough!
Doi Sep
Getting There
Most of the internet, guidebooks, and the past visitors told us the best, cheapest way to get Doi Sep is hop on a red truck heading north and it will only cost 50-60B per person. However, because we had a lazy morning, we decided to take a private Grab taxi for only 800B roundtrip. While definitely most expensive, I was incredibly grateful for it because the road up to the Doi Sep is extremely windy up the mountain. Plus, it pays to have air condition!
Visiting
At Doi Sep, not only does it sit on top of the mountain, the temple is only accessible via many, many stairs. MF questioned why we had even come! Without a private guide, we took our time enjoying the beautiful design and architecture. The entire temple is stunning, well worth the trek up there.
Sadly, we lost our pictures here but doesn't mean that Doi Sep isn't worth it!
Khao Soi Nimman
Known as one of the better lunch places in the Nimman area, Khao Soi Nimman has fantastic khao soi. As we searched for the perfect khao soi delicacy, this one popped onto our radar. While Nimman is definitely not a hole in the wall like our experience yesterday, it appeared very corporate yet still very nice! Because yesterday’s losers had first pick, MF selected the pork khao soi while I ended up with the beef.
In the end, I think we both won! While the soup was better the Mae Sai, we thought the meat here was better. However, it came at a “steep” cost because Mae Sai was 40% of the price… For now the winner is Mae Sai, but I am cheap!
Beat the Heat
Because we were in the dead heat of the afternoon, we decided to beat the heat and go cafe hopping! Obviously, we first went to Riost8o for air conditioning and my favorite cup of coffee. Because we kept ending up at this cafe, MF gave in and tried….a cold chocolate milk! Turns out, they also make tasty chocolate milk!
Next, we went to a highly rated ice cream shop, iBerry, down the street from our apartment. Specialisting in unique flavors, we had a mango oreo and strawberry kiwi ice cream and vanilla. While unique, I enjoyed the delicious ice cream!
Celebrations at Italics
As we walked to our final dinner at Italics, we were bombarded with super soakers, water cannons, and just a whole lot of water. Heading into the Thai New Year, the tradition is to just toss water at everyone and get soaked! Now, we didn’t realize the party was start today!
Highly recommended by Lonely Planet, Italics is a classic Italian eatery. In the Nimman, I have really enjoyed this little neighborhood because it is full of fun cafes and excellent restaurants! However, compared to all of our meals in Thailand, this one might have been the most expensive! For 2100B, we had a feast! From the two giant pizzas to nice red wine, we enjoyed it all!
The UnChartered Summary
Combining Doi Sep with lovely food at the start of Thai New Years really was a great idea!
- Going to Doi Sep via Grab was an excellent idea! Our driver even waited for us while we toured and gave us a few extra tips on Chiang Mai!
- Between Khao Soi Nimman, Risto8o, iBerry, and Italics, we really hit some amazing food options!
- If in Thailand in April, plan your day around the deadly afternoon heat. Despite Chiang Mai being more northern than Phuket, the heat was more unbearable here.