As soon as I landed in Chiang Mai, at around 9am on Friday morning, I knew this would be a very different experience to Bangkok. Bangkok was crazy, overwhelming, and dirty, whereas as soon as I stepped off the plane at Chiang Mai everything seemed calmer; the air was clean, the airport was surrounded by lush green mountains and hills, and everyone just had a slower pace. My driver from the Shangri-La was waiting for me, and after a short drive to the hotel I could finally relax again before exploring the old city and temples.
