The Ada House journal

Stories from Chiang Mai

Local culture, hidden corners and practical tips — from the people who actually live here.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of a traveller showing a written allergy card to a smiling cook at a Chiang Mai market food stall, with steaming pots, fresh herbs and sauce bottles around them

Practical tips · July 5, 2026

Travelling in Chiang Mai with food allergies

Thai food and food allergies can coexist — with honest preparation. Where shellfish and peanuts really hide, how allergy cards work, and what to do in an emergency.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of a traveller greeting a smiling market vendor with a wai among morning fruit stalls in Chiang Mai's Old City

Practical tips · July 5, 2026

Essential Thai phrases for Chiang Mai: a survival kit that makes people smile

You don't need fluent Thai to thrive in Chiang Mai — you need about ten phrases and the courage to use them. Here's the survival kit that opens doors, softens prices and makes vendors beam.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of a circular seasonal wheel of Chiang Mai moments — floating lanterns, monsoon rain, paper umbrellas in bloom and misty mountain mornings

Things to do · July 5, 2026

A year in Chiang Mai, month by month

Chiang Mai is not one city but twelve. Our month-by-month almanac covers how each season feels, what blooms, which festival defines it, and what we'd do without fail.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of two grapplers rolling on soft mats in an open-sided gym, a folded gi and flip-flops at the edge of the mat and Doi Suthep rising in the distance

Things to do · July 5, 2026

BJJ and martial arts in Chiang Mai beyond Muay Thai

Muay Thai gets the headlines, but Chiang Mai quietly has one of South East Asia's most liveable grappling scenes. Here's how to find the mats, what it costs and what to bring.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of a traveller in a wheelchair and a companion sharing the shade of golden temple eaves, a jacaranda tree scattering blossom over a flat stone courtyard

Practical tips · July 5, 2026

Chiang Mai with limited mobility: an honest accessibility guide

Chiang Mai wasn't built with wheels in mind, but harder doesn't mean impossible. Here's our honest guide for wheelchair users and their companions — what's hard, what works, and how to plan around the gap.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of Wat Suan Dok's golden bell-shaped chedi rising over a field of whitewashed royal cenotaphs at sunset, with the dark ridge of Doi Suthep behind

Local culture · July 4, 2026

Wat Suan Dok: the temple of the flower garden

Just west of the Old City moat, Wat Suan Dok pairs a golden chedi with a field of whitewashed royal cenotaphs — and a legend it shares with Doi Suthep.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of a hillside viewpoint at golden hour, with a temple terrace in the foreground and Chiang Mai's valley glowing softly beneath layered blue mountains

Things to do · July 4, 2026

The best viewpoints and sunset spots around Chiang Mai

From Doi Suthep's east-facing terrace to bamboo huts at the edge of Huay Tung Tao, here's where — and when — to catch Chiang Mai at its golden best.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of a cosy Chiang Mai apartment at dusk, a ceiling fan turning above a desk with a glowing wifi router, an electricity meter and tangled power lines framed in the open window

Move here · July 4, 2026

Setting up utilities in Chiang Mai: electricity, water, internet and bills

Utilities in Chiang Mai are cheap and refreshingly simple — once you know how the billing actually works. Here's what to ask before you sign, what you'll pay, and how to get fibre installed.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of a tailor's shop with bolts of fabric on the shelves and a seamstress working at a pedal sewing machine under a market awning

Practical tips · July 4, 2026

Tailors and clothing repair in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai's needle-and-thread world splits in two: tailor shops that cut a suit in days, and market seamstresses who fix a zip for less than a coffee. Here's how to use both well.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of a turquoise swimming pool shaded by palms and frangipani, a swimmer gliding through the water with misty mountains beyond

Things to do · July 4, 2026

Swimming pools in Chiang Mai: where to actually swim

Chiang Mai has no beach, but it has plenty of water. Here's how day passes work, where to swim proper laps, and the local pool rules worth knowing.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of a dawn market breakfast stall in Chiang Mai, with steaming bowls of rice porridge, golden fried dough sticks and bags of hot soy milk under a striped awning

Food & coffee · July 4, 2026

Thai street breakfast in Chiang Mai: what locals actually eat

By the time hotel buffets open, Chiang Mai has already eaten. Here's the local street breakfast repertoire — jok, patongko, hot soy milk — and how to join in for under 100 baht.

A warm Lanna-style illustration of a coiled golden sausage grilling over charcoal at a Chiang Mai market stall, with sticky rice baskets and green chillies alongside

Food & coffee · July 4, 2026

Sai ua: Chiang Mai's herb-packed northern sausage

Lemongrass, makrut lime and chilli packed into a coil of grilled pork: sai ua is northern Thailand in sausage form. Here's how to find it, eat it like a local and take some home.