City and Equipment
Chiang Mai is on the bucket list of many travellers nowadays. Event though there is no beach the historic centre of the city is packed with sights and it’s small enough to walk all the time. In addition the climate is more enjoyable than in other parts of Thailand because the city is located 300 meters above sea level and the average temperature is a little lower than in the south of the country. You can spend a whole week in the historic centre without problems, there is enough to be seen – but of course Chiang Mai has more to offer then the historic centre.
When it comes to photo equipment I used the Olympus OM-D E-M1 with the M.Zuiko 75mm F1.8 for portraits and Olympus PEN E-P5 with the M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8 for some “classic” street photography. Both lenses are good for low light photography due to the large maximum aperture so it was possible to get high quality photos at night.
The old city is surrounded by the remains of the city walls, you can see this in the centre of the map:
It’s possible to walk the city on foot. Lots of people rent a scooter, this is also a good option. The traffic is not as crazy as in Bangkok so it’s likely that you won’t die on the streets ;). Since I can’t drive and make pictures at the same time I usually discover a city on foot or with public transportation. Speaking of transportation:
Tuk Tuk Ride
When I left the historic centre one time I chose a Tuk Tuk to get to the Catmosphere Cat Cafe. The driver was very…. experienced and the ride in the rather old Tuk Tuk during rush hour was an adventure. Nevertheless, I was able to make some nice pictures of the driver.
Monks
You can see lots of monks in the city of course. There are many famous temples and monks make a pilgrimage to Chiang Mai due to the historical importance of many temple complexes. Even monks are equipped with modern technology as I was able to see ;).
Night Markets
Chiang Mai is famous for its night markets. When the temperature is more comfortable you can have a nice shopping experience – or / and make interesting photos. It’s important to have lenses with a large aperture as already mentioned so you don’t end up with blurred photos or too much noise.
Other photos from Chiang Mai
Here some final street photos from Chiang Mai. I hope this short insight was interesting for you and you get an idea why it’s a nice travel location. I would visit Chiang Mai again at any time, people are friendly and it’s even cheaper than Bangkok. And last but not least the traffic is not as horrible as in Bangkok!
