Vivid red poinsettias are used to decorate Thai homes and gardens at Christmas and the fact they are still in bloom is a timely reminder that the festive season has only just passed. Nong Buak Haad Park is on the inner side of the southwest corner of the city moat and is the place to head for to see the best displays. Vendors set up stalls here and sell flowers, plants, seeds, snacks and children’s toys.

The park is also the end point of the Flower Festival highlight, a parade with floats garlanded with blossoms and local beauty queens. The parade sets off from outside Chiang Mai Railway Station at around 08:00 on Saturday. The floats then make their way up Charoen Muang Road, over Narawat Bridge and up Thapae Road to Thapae Gate, before following the road round to Nong Buak Haad.

Anywhere along the procession route is a good vantage point. The parade does not move much faster than a snail and there is ample time to take photographs and accept roses from traditionally dressed locals and hilltribe people. Once the parade reaches the park, it is time for refreshments and snacks. In the afternoon a bevy of beauties line up for the Flower Festival Queen pageant.

The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek expo was previously held in 2006. A major draw then was the Netherlands Gardens. A highlight for local visitors at this garden was tulips as they do not grow in tropical climates. The tulips are making a re-appearance and are expected to draw massive crowds again. Other prominent draws include Yemen’s dragon’s blood tree, a native of the Socotra Islands; cold climate offerings from Canada and 30 locally grown varieties of lily.

Indian, Chinese and Sudanese gardens are among the other international areas. There are also covered gardens with numerous different kinds of colourful orchids in them. Regional carrier AirAsia has its own garden and is promoting it in conjunction with special air fares. Royal Flora Ratchaphruek ends on 14 March. Admission fees for adults are 200 Baht, and for children and pensioners they are 100 Baht.

In Chiang Mai the festival is also referred to as Yi Peng. People here prepare for the auspicious occasion by igniting fireworks. I usually head for a small town south of the city where I have friends. The grounds of the village temple here are brilliantly lit up by massive home-made rockets and Roman candles.

In Chiang Mai itself, residents and tourists head down to the River Ping to launch the boats. In Thai to launch is loy and krathong is a small craft, usually made from a small piece of a banana tree trunk. As well as lit candles and possibly a sparkler, people usually place a small coin on the krathong to apologise to the river gods for using their waters.

People in Chiang Mai also launch balloons made from thin Chinese paper into the sky. There are sometimes so many of them in the sky that evening flight schedules to the city’s international airport are severely disrupted. Tudongkhasathan Lanna in the northern capital’s Sansai District is a great venue to take in a mass balloon launching. This year there is a special programme on the evening of 9 November.

Getting to Doi Suthep, is enough as public transport is available to travel the road 16 kilometers northwest pout of Chiang Mai, past Chiang mai University and ascending the winding road up the mountain to the base of the temple and they are two choices once you have reached the base of the temple, either you hike up the 300 steps to the temple gate(admiring the longest Naga staircase in Thailand on the way) or , hop on one of the cable cars and get conveyed to the top though, it is more fun walking the stairs.

Once inside Wat Suthep, you are free to wander the grounds, admiring what each section has to offer and like many temples in Thailand, there are many elements of Hinduism, missed in with Buddhism and an intriguing array of statues, include the god of Ganesh, Peek out from the corners, cubby stones and from the sides of the temple. There are metal bells, double-stacked, line a couple of walls and are kept busy throughout the day.

This is a place not to be missed, if you are in Chiang Mai as the out-look area from the other side of the entrance gate, is an amazing view of the city of Chiang Mai and it’s international airport far below and from here, you can have clear views of the winding Ping River and the surrounding mountains. So don’t miss it, if you ever find yourself in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

If you ever find yourself in Chiang Rai or happen to be going or coming back from Mae Sai on a visa run, stop in Chiang Ray and a visit to Doi Mae Salong mountain will be well worth it. The Doi Mae Salong Mountain is located on Route 1089, 40 kilometers from Mae Chan and it is possible to get to the mountain by a bus from Chiang Rai to Ban Basang (fare 15baht) and from there, and you can pick up a songtaew to the mountain top (50 baht).

A brief history of Doi Mae Salong mountain is that, much of the area’s history has a strong Chinese connections because when the communists took over mainland China in 1949, remnants of the nationalist Chinese army fled to the Thai-Burmese border and 1961, they driven into Thailand and some settled down on Doi Mae Salong mountain and formed a Yunnanese community right in the heart of Thailand.

The Yunnese who settled here were involved in the opium trade until the Royal Thai army resisted these activities and a road was built into the area in the 1980s and since then, there has been a great effort to incorporate the Yunnanese into the mainstream of Thai society but despite these efforts, there is a strong Chinese heritage and Chinese language is often spoken so as the Chinese satellite TV.

There are so many reasons why a visit to this mountain is well worth it, aside from it’s picturesque scenery, there is quite a bit to do here and if you wanted, you could easily stay two or three days because it will give you time to take a tour to Chokechamrem Tea plantation which is a good sight, however this brand of tea, came from Taiwan, there is a museum, a village market and there is a number of Akha, Lisu, Mien and Hmong villages in the area which are unique and different, there is also a hill tribe development and a welfare center which supports them with the sale of their handicrafts, mainly, woven clothes and silverware.

The museum opens daily 08.30am to 16.30pm and the entrance fee is only 30baht.

Chiang Mai is a dynamic and modern city surrounded by legendary mountains, mystical attributes that have successfully managed to combine its rich history and traditions with an increasing modern side.

Chiang Mai has always had many feathers to its bow with its cultural riches, relative peacefulness, fantastic handicraft shopping, delicious food and proximity to many natural treasures. Changes are afoot however, with the city becoming somewhere to watch in the style stakes. Chic, Thai-style boutique hotels are popping up everywhere, and one look at the trendsetters setting up shop (and bars and restaurants), particularly in the Nimmanhaemin area, shows that the city’s identity is changing. Yet, the northern capital still manages to retain the relaxed, temple-sprinkled, cultural capital atmosphere of yore, alongside these new hip happenings. With its many and varied attractions, the days of Chiang Mai just being a quick stop off point before heading to the hills are long gone.

Chiang Mai is also known for it’s many shows, nightclubs, reggae bars and the so many tourist attractions to see while you there. Some, love it because it has something for everybody plus it caters for everyone’s budget as you will find very cheap and 5 star accommodations, very cheap food and world class restaurants.

One of these great places is Sangkhlaburi. Sangkhlaburi is located in the north-western part of the popular Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand. Sangkhlaburi is a sleepy little town that doesn’t have that much to interest tourists in terms of huge and impressive monuments and statues like in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. However, it is an incredibly historical place and does have some very important structures and temples that are definitely worth seeing.

Sangkhlaburi was founded by Luang Phor Uttama, who is a particularly famous monk in Thailand. The village is a Mon village, which is one of the largest ethnic minorities living in Thailand. So this is a great place to go to really get a taste of Mon culture and their way of life.

There is an absolutely stunning handmade bridge that stretches across the lake at Sangkhlaburi. It goes for 400 metres and is the longest handmade bridge in Thailand. If you head down early in the morning you can enjoy the beautiful sunrise as well as the morning market that sets up on the other side of the bridge. The lake is also a nice place to take a leisurely boat ride and visit some of the temple ruins that sit around the edge of the lake.

Another particularly famous, yet interesting form of Thai coffee is that from the Chiang Rai area, also in Northern Thailand. This coffee is some of the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world. Made from the dung of Civets, this coffee may not be to everyone’s liking, but the reality is that coffee lovers are willing to fork out as much as fifty dollars a cup to sample this coffee which has become a real delicacy in gourmet circles throughout the world. This is very similar to the civet coffee of Indonesia. This coffee is also rare within Thailand, but can be found if you visit the Doi Chaang coffee plantation at Chang Rai. It certainly is a unique experience that every coffee lover should try.

Northern Thailand displays heavy influences from the neighboring cultures of Myanmar (Burma) and Yunnan (China). The kingdoms of Lanna and Sukhothai were the first historical Thai nations.

A series of Communist insurgencies and the effects from Myanmar’s drug battles and civil wars has meant that recently a large portion of northern Thailand was off limits. However, these problems have now been mostly resolved, and safe, easy travel is possible throughout the north.

Although standard Thai language is widely understood, the people of Northern Thailand have their own Thai dialect called Kham Meaung. The hilltribes also have their own languages, and if you wish to make extensive contact with them it may be a good idea to employ a translator/guide.

The main airport in Northern Thailand is Chiang Mai, which serves both domestic and international flights. There are also small domestic airports at Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Pai, Phitsanulok and Sukhothai.

Spicy and bitter, Northern Thai food is quite different to that eaten in the rest of the country. There are dozens of local specialties and this is a great place to sample the traditional food of the hill tribes as well. A regional specialty is thick, slightly spicy sausages stuffed with raw garlic, the pride of Chiang Mai Province.

Other dishes to look out for include:

kaeng hang le – Burmese-style pork curry

khanom jiin naam ngiew – rice noodles with pork ribs and thick sauce

khao soi – a Burmese curry noodle soup served with shallots, lime and pickles to add as required.

Most of the more vibrant nightlife can be found in Bangkok, but there are also colourful options in Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai and large towns. On the islands, wild beach parties and bar hopping form the main types of entertainment. It is worth remembering that most bars, restaurants and clubs have a 1 am curfew. However, there are usually one or two places around where you can continue drinking if you want.

Here is a run down on some of the types of entertainment available.

Cabaret Shows can be found in the cities and large tourist areas. This is an extremely colourful affair where dozens of stunning women dance on stage in dazzling sequin covered outfits. Thailand also offers Tiffany Shows, a own unique twist on the traditional cabaret show. Now world famous, these transvestite or ‘lady boy’ shows are extremely entertaining. The performers are stunning and the shows contain comedy and dramatic displays as well as singing and dancing.

Bangkok is by far the best place to go clubbing in Thailand. There is an incredible variety of clubs where you can dance the night away, from the classy Bed Supperclub in Sukhumvit, to the male-orientated DJ Station in Silom. Another great option is Royal City Avenue (RCA), where there are dozens of clubs and bars playing everything from Thai disco music to hardcore Drum and Bass, Hip Hop and Techno. Expect to pay a cover charge at most clubs (300 baht+) and take a photocopy of your passport for identification.

Go-Go bars can be found in most cities and large towns, especially Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. They are generally located in special areas and can be easily identified by the flashy neon signs and scantily dressed women in the doorways. In Bangkok, head for Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza or Patpong.

Karaoke Bars can be found all over Thailand. Imported from Isaan, these bars specialise in loud Isaan music, flashing coloured lights and sexily dressed women crooning on stage. Many bars also have a selection of Western songs and Westerners are welcome to sing, although be aware that a charge for this is often included in your bill.

Full Moon Parties are another Thai speciality. The most famous of these can be found on Koh Phangan, where is it so popular that they now hold a half moon party as well. Other good places to party on the beach include Koh Phi Phi and Raleigh beach. Bars usually play loud music until dawn and you can expect a selection of DJs, spectacular decorations and fire shows.

Alternatively, if you just want to take it easy, there are movie theatres all over Thailand. All show movies in English with Thai subtitles, even in small villages. When booking, make sure you ask for the ‘subtitle’ movie. A tribute to the king is played at the start of the movie, and you are expected to stand and show respect along with everyone else. The movie theatres are highly air conditioned and can be a bit chilly, so it is a good idea to take along a light jumper or jacket.