清迈闲逛第二天 – Wandering in Chiang Mai

11/24/2025 星期一， Monday, the 23rd day of our Down Under to Eastern Delight trip

清迈是一座坐落在泰国北部群山之间的古老城市，建于公元 1296 年，曾是独立的兰纳王国的都城，直到 1558 年才结束它作为王都的历史。如今人们所说的古城，是一个被完整护城河包围的方形区域。今天上午，我们从古城的东侧一路走到湄平河畔，慢悠悠地穿过大街小巷，看见了这个城市很多真实、日常的一面。

Chiang Mai is an ancient city nestled among the mountains of northern Thailand. Founded in 1296, it was once the capital of the independent Lanna Kingdom, a role it held until 1558. Today, the “Old City” refers to the square-shaped area still encircled by a complete moat.

This morning, we started from the eastern side of the Old City and slowly walked all the way to the banks of the Ping River, wandering through streets and alleys. Along the way, we saw many real, everyday scenes of this city.

当然街上最常见的，就是大大小小的寺庙、按摩店和纹身店。我俩一路走一路好奇：到底哪一种最多？后来咨询了一下万能专家，ChatGPT给的数字是，清迈大概有300多座寺庙，至少有492家在泰式按摩协会注册的按摩店；至于纹身店，它没能提供一个明确的数字。

Of course, the most common sights on the streets are temples, massage shops, tattoo studios and weed shops of all sizes. As we walked, we kept wondering: which one is actually the most common? Later we consulted the all-knowing expert—ChatGPT—and the numbers it gave were: Chiang Mai has roughly over 300 temples, at least 492 massage shops registered with the Thai Massage Association, and as for tattoo studios and weed shops, it couldn’t provide a clear figure.

Speaking of weed shops, we can now confirm that anyone can easily buy weed in the shops, you don’t need a medical prescription. Someone went in to inquire, but did not purchase.

午饭我们去了一家专做脆皮烤猪肉的小店，店名叫 Neng’s Clay Oven Roasted Pork。这家店在油管上被很多博主强烈推荐，本身也非常接地气，就藏在一条不起眼的街道上。店里的招牌是用传统陶罐烤制的猪腹肉和烤鸡，猪肉皮酥肉嫩，脂肪在陶罐里慢慢受热融化、最后把外皮逼得超级脆；味道真的很绝。更让我意外的是烤鸡，肉质鲜嫩、层次丰富，完全不输主角。他们家的玉米沙拉也很好吃，是酸甜辣的典型泰式风味。这顿午饭真的吃到心满意足。

For lunch we went to a small shop specializing in crispy roasted pork belly, called Neng’s Clay Oven Roasted Pork. The place is heavily recommended by many YouTubers and has a very local feel, tucked away on an unassuming side street.

Their signature dishes are pork belly and chicken roasted in traditional clay pots. The pork skin is incredibly crisp while the meat stays tender—the fat slowly melts in the clay pot and pushes the skin to that perfect crunch. It was genuinely outstanding.

What surprised me even more was the roast chicken: juicy, flavorful, and every bit as good as the supposed star of the menu. Their corn salad was also excellent, a classic Thai mix of sweet, sour, and spicy.

We left completely satisfied with this lunch.

吃完午饭后，我们一路散步回到古城，在一家榴莲咖啡店停下来享用下午甜点。点了芒果糯米饭配芒果冰淇淋，美式咖啡加橙汁气泡水。那杯创意咖啡非常特别，下层的橙汁里还有橙子果粒，一口喝下去既有咖啡的香气，又有果粒的清甜和气泡感，意外地好喝！

After lunch, we strolled back toward the Old City and stopped at a durian-themed café for some afternoon treats. We ordered mango sticky rice with mango ice cream and an orange sparkling coffee drink.

The coffee was especially memorable—the bottom layer was orange juice with real orange pulp, so each sip carried the aroma of coffee along with the sweetness of the fruit and the fizzy sparkle. Surprisingly delicious!

在这里随处都能看到各种漂亮的观赏叶植物，有些在美国花店里花钱才能买到的品种，在这里却像野花一样随意生长。真希望能带回家几盆。

Here you can see all kinds of beautiful plants everywhere. Some varieties that cost real money in flower shops back in the U.S. are growing here as casually as wild plants. I really wish I could bring a few pots home.

晚饭我们去了一家颇受欢迎的泰国餐厅，晚上 7 点半到时已经在排队了。整体菜味偏向游客口味，对我们来说只有那道炸鱼真正好吃。这里也是我俩第二次尝试泰北咖喱面，和那家米其林推荐相比，还是米其林那家更胜一筹。

For dinner we went to a popular Thai restaurant, Kat’s Kitchen, and by the time we arrived at 7:30 p.m., there was already a line. The flavors were clearly geared toward tourists, and for us only the fried fish truly stood out. It was also our second time trying Khao Soi, and compared with the Michelin-recommended spot, that one clearly wins.

Bear left to join a motorcycle gang … 小熊离开我们去加入机车帮了…