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Life.Culture.Discovery.

The locals’ guide to Chiang Mai, Thailand – from where to eat, to what to do

Sample local delicacy khao soi – recommended by Anthony Bourdain’s Thai food guru, hike to the temples of Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, or catch some Muay Thai or live music

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Insiders’ guide to Chiang Mai: try local delicacy khao soi and enjoy the lively markets and nightlife of Thailand’s second city. Photo: Getty Images

“We do all sorts of things: visit the lady-boy cabaret show at Ram Bar or watch Thai boxing at Loi Kroh Boxing Stadium,” says Faii Suporn, an ethnic Akha who leads residents of the Family Home 2 hostel to sample the best nightlife Chiang Mai, Thailand, has to offer.

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For visitors keen to have a go at Muay Thai, she recommends The Bear Fight Club, a gym in the old city that has “good coaches who work you hard”.

“I go there to train when I have time,” says Faii, who sells locally made silverware by day.

And “everyone wants to visit The North Gate Jazz Co-op at least once”, she says of a venue so popular that crowds trying to get a glimpse of local musos jamming often spill out onto the road. “Roots Rock Reggae is also good for live music. The house band regularly tours Thailand, although I usually end up in Zoe in Yellow,” a hedonist spot opposite the reggae bar where everyone seems to know everyone else.

The North Gate Jazz Co-op, Chiang Mai. Photo: Thomas Bird
The North Gate Jazz Co-op, Chiang Mai. Photo: Thomas Bird

“Chiang Mai is really just a big village,” she says.

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