Melia Chiang Mai, the newest five-star hotel in town, has a culinary pearl lodged on the hotel’s 21st floor. It is the signature restaurant Mai Restaurant & Bar, apparently the tallest in Chiang Mai. Mai Restaurant & Bar offers unparalleled panoramic 360 degree views of the city, a compelling design that references the city’s rich culture, offers an intimate fine-dining experience, and above all an amazing menu of contemporary Northern Thai (Lanna) dishes. It was with this in mind that last. month, while staying at Melia Chiang Mai a couple of nights before flying to Vietnam, I decided to try their set menu comprising 4 dishes. I made my way to the 21st floor, also home to the hotel’s The Level lounge intended for premium customers, and I was welcomed by the sight of an arch that pays homage to a nearby temple. I was immediately attracted by the wall artworks: umbrella canopies with antique Chiang Mai textiles, in a nod to Chiang Mai’s Bo Sang Umbrella Village. These ware matched by large lit installations of umbrella ribs cling to the ceiling. The glass panels that offered those amazing views I had read about completed the job. At that point I smelled food and I got that hungry feeling, so I picked a seat and browsed the menu. It was still early and I shared the hall with only a few diners. I decided to go for their Sampler Menu, and I accompanied it with a Sauvignon recommended by the knowledgeable waiter, one that according to her would go well with the Lanna food I would be served. The meal started with the Mai’s Sampler, a five-bite tasting sampler which arrived so pretty I had to take a photo of it. There was the Northern Thai pork sausage, a grilled green chilli on crispy salmon skin, a Vietnamese pork sausage and edible flower roll, a crispy and fluffy catfish with pomelo in a betel leaf, and a nham prik oung mini tortilla, all perfectly balanced and offering an intriguing taste at each bite. Next was the soup, the Gaeng Phak Whan Baan, a seasonal dish. It was delicious, especially with the added smoked dried fish consommé, and tasted unique and aromatic. It came accompanied by mushrooms and locally sourced greens. These greens are part of Melia Chiang Mai ‘360° Cuisine’ program that promotes healthy and sustainable eating based on ‘farm to plate’ and ‘plate to farm’ processes. The main was the Salmon Nham Prik Oung, a baked salmon fillet with northern Thai-style tomato confit, sautéed gurmar leaves and pickled garlic served upon steamed pandan rice. Definitely a recommended dish, surprisingly lemony and delicious. I am quite familiar with Lanna food, but these one-of-a-kind dishes looked contemporary and tasted exciting. Each bite was a delight and celebrated an intriguing taste of Lanna flavours with an infusion of Mediterranean, obviously from Melia’s Spanish roots. Mai Restaurant & Bar offers a new dining experience in Chiang Mai that is definitely worth checking out. Mai Restaurant & Bar is open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday from 6pm – 10pm. Dishes are priced from 190 – 850 THB++ (USD 5.25++ – 23.50++). Call +66 52 090 601, email  fb@meliachiangmai.com or visit https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/thailand/chiang-mai/melia-chiang-mai/index.htm 

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Chiang Mai’s newest five-star hotel has unveiled an intimate fine-dining restaurant serving contemporary Northern Thai dishes with Mediterranean influences accompanied by spectacular vistas and a compelling design that references the city’s rich culture. Meliá Chiang Mai, on Charoen Prathet Road in the heart of Chiang Mai, has opened its signature restaurant Mai Restaurant & Bar on the hotel’s 21st floor with panoramic views of the city and famed Doi Suthep Temple on the mountaintop to the west. The venue Adjacent to the hotel’s executive lounge and tucked under the highest rooftop bar in the city, the 38-seat restaurant is a visual marvel. Diners enter the venue under an arch that pays homage to a nearby temple. In a salute to Chiang Mai‘s Bo Sang Umbrella Village, large lit installations of umbrella ribs cling to the ceiling. Various artworks of umbrella canopies hang on the walls, such as those made from antique Chiang Mai textiles. The carpet’s concentric patterns, in the likes of gun-metal gray, periwinkle and soft amber hues, reference umbrella tops in a striking yet subdued way. “Given there are so many local restaurants in our vicinity that offer a great bowl of food, we knew from the outset that Mai Restaurant & Bar needed to be different with not just an aesthetically pleasing environment and a great view but also with one-of-a-kind dishes,” said the hotel’s general manager Edward E. Snoeks. The menu “The menu celebrates traditional Lanna cuisine in a contemporary fashion with Mediterranean touches, each dish is so distinctive due to profound combinations of ingredients and textures, and the ‘360° Cuisine’ program promotes healthy and sustainable eating based on ‘farm to plate’ and ‘plate to farm’ processes.” Under the stewardship of award-winning executive chef Suksant Chutinthratip (Billy) and sous chef Karn Phojun, each dish from the restaurant’s seasonal menu is prepared à la minute from an open kitchen. The recommended ‘Mai’s Samplers’ (THB 390++/USD 10.80++) comprises tasting size portions of five different delicacies: Crisp fried fluffy catfish and pomelo salad scented with rice field crab jus Vietnamese sausage and edible flowers salad roll with yellow chili puree Grilled green chili relish on crispy salmon skin Northern Thai-style pork sausage with grilled ginger and pickled cucumber Warm spicy tomato relish in golden-fried tortilla Main dishes ‘Pappardelle Soi Neur’ (THB 350++/USD 9.70++), featuring fresh homemade pappardelle with creamy khao soi curry sauce and slices of seared Australian sirloin, served with homemade pickled vegetables and chili oil, and ‘Pla Salmon Nham Prik Oung’ (THB 550++/USD 15.20++), a baked salmon fillet with northern Thai-style tomato confit, sautéed gurmar leaves and pickled garlic served upon steamed pandan rice, are also recommended dishes. Of the 28 vegetarian, vegan, meat and seafood menu options, 12 belong to the hotel’s ‘360° Cuisine’ concept, which has been designed to minimise waste and carbon emissions. Under the program, the chefs craft dishes using produce from the hotel’s nearby organic gourmet farm partnership with ORI9IN, and use every part of each ingredient possible before leftovers are returned to the farm as compost. With 28 years of hospitality experience, Chef Billy was previously the executive chef at some of Bangkok’s top hotels. Chef Billy began his hospitality career in 1994 as a cook helper and climbed the career ladder at various hotels in Thailand as well at Lotus One in Dubai and Raffles Singapore. After 19 years as a chef, Chef Karn joined Meliá Chiang Mai late last year from work as a sous chef at Bangkok-based Michelin Guide restaurants Baan Suriyasai Royal Thai Restaurant and Saneh Jaan. Starting out in 1993 as chef de partie at Mahanaga Thai Fusion Restaurant, his career has taken him as far as Switzerland where he was the head chef at Michelin Guide restaurant Patara. Mai Restaurant & Bar is open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday from 6pm – 10pm. Dishes are priced from 190 – 850 THB++ (USD 5.25++ – 23.50++). Call +66 52 090 601, email  fb@meliachiangmai.com or visit https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/thailand/chiang-mai/melia-chiang-mai/index.htm 

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As I find myself here writing about Wat Lok Molee temple after my umpteenth visit to the place, I am more than convinced that it is a really calm, peaceful and simple local temple with a lovely calm atmosphere, one of the best places in Chiang Mai for a re-charge of batteries. Wat Lok Molee may not be Chiang Mai‘s most well known temples. but it looks different than most of the others. The temple grounds only cover a small area, and the temple and buildings are not so richly decorated like other temples, but in a small area Wat Lok Molee manages to convey lots of history, and its architecture is fabulous. The buildings are mainly of plain wood, which quite a change from the usually brightly decorated buildings of most of the other temples. The use of bricks in the stupa is to be attributed to the Angkorian period, when the wat was built. HISTORY Wat Lok Molee origins are somewhat unclear. Its name first appeared in historical documents in 1367, when the sixth Lanna King of the Mengrai Dynasty, King Kuna (1355-1385), sent an invitation to 10 Buddhist monks from Burma, offering them to bring their study, practice and teachings of Theravada Buddhism to his kingdom, taking residence at Wat Lok Molee. Lanna King Chettharat of the Ayudhaya Period had the large brick stupa (or chedi) built in 1527-1528. The main hall (Viharn) was added by Kong Kret (aka Mueangketklao) in 1545. Wat Lok Molee was maintained by the Royal Mengrai Dynasty until the demise of their dynasty, and it is said to house the ashes of several of its members (definitely those of its founders). It was then abandoned and fell into a state of dilapidation during World War 2, and it has recently received a facelift that beautifully restored it to its former glory. VIHARN The first building to your right as you enter the temple complex from the Chiang Mai walls ring-road, is the large meeting hall (Viharn). Though not particularly old, the Viharn boasts a fairly classic design and it was tastefully designed. The plain wooden interior is made of dark wood and is nothing like the usually highly decorated Thai wats. This low key building hosts a beautiful Buddha image, and it is decorated not with the usual gaudy murals, but in some interesting mosaics and reliefs, that adorn the hall’s walls and show the different Buddha positions of the week. Wat Lok Molee is elegant and serene at the same time. Viharn is the Sanskrit and Pali term for Buddhist monastery. Its meaning is “a secluded place in which to walk”, and represented the refuges used by wandering monks during the rainy season. One other uniqueness of Wat Lok Molee is that it is aligned along a north-south axis, while most Buddhist temples are orientated towards the rising sun, towards East. To be noted that the Viharn has seen a a major overhaul in recent times, which contributed to its current beauty. CHEDI Wat Lok Molee is notable for its massive and impressive 490-year-old stupa (chedi), totally built in red bricks and without any cement, is still standing after all this time. The stupa is located at the back of the Viharn, and it enshrines a number of sacred objects. Its bare brickwork is in net contrast to the stuccoed stupas of other temples in Chiang Mai . STATUES The eclectic range of subsidiary statues, images and carving present in various corners of the garden are intriguing to say the least. Wat Lok Molee entry path is flanked by amazing elephant sculptures, as well as by trees with fluttering metal leaves hanging on them: a silver leaved tree inset with gold coins and a gold leaved tree inset with silver coins. There are Chinese-style ceramic lions, a carved-out wood mural where roots from an old tree  wind about hypnotically, and finely sculptured Naga snakes. But the most intriguing of all is the presence of prominent sculptures of a few Hindu Gods: a Ganesha shrine in one corner, a Brahma that manages to combine aspects of Shiva, and the multi-armed (this particular representation has twenty four arms, and hands bearing objects which symbolize the attaining of merit) mother of all deities Maha-Chundi, wearing an ornate crown with an image of the Buddha. ODDITIES A visit to a Thai temple is not complete if one doesn’t spend time poking around in corners, peeking behind things. It is there you usually find interesting items. At the rear of the main hall, a small building houses a small massage area and an aluminium workshop, where craftsmen painstakingly hammer away at slabs of metal, creating a new door to the main Viharn. Their massive relief pieces are so precise, no wonder some may take up to a whole year to complete. Besides the main office are parked two gorgeous antique Mercedes cars which are there to be shown, for some reason I am still not aware of. EPILOGUE I often see visitors whizzing into the parking area with a bike or a car, take a quick detour, a peep at the Buddha, shoot a few pictures and leave. Wat Lok Molee deserves more than that, and it is well worth a decent visit, considering it is an old site of significant importance, and that it is not the same as other temples in the area, On top of that, its surroundings are serene, the main hall is a nice refuge from the sometimes very hot sun, and is is not clogged with tourists. Best pictures are taken in the morning or early afternoon, when the light is the best for photos. Visitors should not be shy to make conversation with the temple monks. I found them of extremely good manner, they are open to assist you in any way they can, and appreciate the English conversation which help them improve their language skills. GETTING THERE Wat Lok Molee is easy to access as it is...

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Doi Luang Chiang Dao is the third highest mountain in Thailand after Doi Inthanon and Doi Pa Hom Pok. It is well-known amongst Thai and foreign tourists who travel there yearly to challenge its peak, an exercise to cultivate one’s body and mind. November is the beginning of the misty winter season in Northern Thailand, when the magic of its colorfully dense jungle attracts travelers from all corners of the country, and the world. The mountain areas of Thailand are home to ancient people and legends and can be visited during different months of the year for the purpose of ‘winning the mountains’, a traditional challenge for the Lanna People. Doi Luang Chiang Dao, located in the Chiang Dao District of Chiang Mai, is a 2.225 meters high limestone mountain and comes under the Wild Animals Protection Area. It is one of Thailand‘s many wonders, a complex ensemble of mountain peaks that are an important water source to the local people and home to rare and endemic flora and fauna. Thanks to the area’s fertile forest, Doi Luang Chiang Dao has more than 1.700 different species of fauna, including 160 varieties of mammals, 78 kinds of  reptiles, 105 kinds of butterflies, 203 kinds of birds and 36 kinds of fish. 50 million years ago this area was covered by the sea. Sediments started to deposit on the sea floor; they piled up and compressed to eventually emerge from the sea as mountains. Local Lanna people who live in the Doi Luang Chiang Dao area inherit their customs and beliefs from their ancestors, passed on from generation to the other; these beliefs form the core values of their life today. Lanna people believe that Doi Luang Chiang Dao is the sanctuary of Gods that protects them, and a ceremony is held every year as a mark of respect to the mountain divinities. Rules for visitors to the Doi Luang Chiang Dao Wild Animals Protection Area are strict. The first requirement is registration, where you will be asked to list all items you take into the park (including potential garbage such as water bottles and carrier bags) and pay a deposit which will be returned once you exit the park and have brought back all that you took in with you. You leave only your lightest footprints in this delicate ecosystem. Lighting fires or singing songs might disturb the local fauna and are forbidden activities inside the park. Only a maximum of 200 visitors are allowed in a day. You can take advantage of the 3 camping areas in Doi Luang Chiang Dao for longer stays in the park. For those of you who love challenges and support ecotourism, tackling Doi Luang Chiang Dao Mountain will reward you with spectacular flora and the rare animals you will encounter. Allow Doi Luang Chiang Dao to regale you with some unforgettable travel memories, the Lanna way. HOW TO GET THERE To reach Doi Luang Chiang Dao from Chiang Mai, take highway 107 to Chiang Dao District, turn left at km 76, and go straight for 5 km to the Chiang Dao Cave. From there, a minibus will take you to the Ranger Station. Distance from Chiang Mai is 77 km. The hike to Doi Luang Chiang Dao summit should take about 5 hours.  

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