it is the land of beauty, warm hospitality and good manners It's also as the land of fascinating, mist-shrouded mountains and fertile valleys. The religion places there are over 1,100 Buddhist temples in this city and the land of Thai arts and handicrafts. An old city of over 700 years, Chiang Mai has rooted its culture so deeply that it has its own dialect, its own architecture, its own costume, its own dances and its own cuisine. Though modernization has crept into this faraway region for decades, Chiang Mai still retains its natural charm and old culture.
Chiang Mai is much older than it first appears. During the city's medieval heyday, almost everything was made of teak hauled by elephant from the surrounding rainforest, with the notable exception of its towering wát. The monasteries still remain, centred on ancient brick chedi (stupas) in a remarkable range of shapes and styles, but the gaps between them have been filled in with modern Thai houses and traveller hotels. Despite this, the historic centre of Chiang Mai still feels overwhelmingly residential, more like a sleepy country town than a bustling capital.