Chiang Mai from the Air

Chiang Mai is the largest city in the Northern part of Thailand. With over a million visitors a year, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand. Still, it remains quite exotic and mysterious due to its relative distance from Bangkok.

I made a short visit to Chiang Mai recently, having done quite a bit of research on the net beforehand. Renown as the city of temples, it is an important historical and cultural centre. It is also a centre of education with many universities and colleges. But the main draw for me was a chance to visit the hill tribes who populate the hilly regions around the city.

My flight arrived in Chiang Mai in the early morning. It was foggy, and visibility was very low. This was what it looked like from the airplane window.


After some intensive post-processing in Photoshop, I managed to coax some details from the photos. They look a bit like impressionist paintings, don't you think ?


The outer part of Chiang Mai is mainly countryside and farm land.


Closer to the city it gets progressively denser.


Signs of modern developments invading the countryside.


Chiang Mai City.

A new adventure begins !