Visiting Chiang Mai, Thailand’s MOST Charming City!

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Check out the article Judy wrote about the beautiful candle we received from Tear and Lin Lin, which includes pictures of it after opening: 📝 Chiang Mai article w/opened candle pictures! findingginamarie.com/articles/a-kindness-in-chiang-mai

[@Leonardo-cq4zd]

Brilliant job guys, you covered so much in this video. Your videos have such continuity, are very well constructed and edited, and are thoroughly informative.

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Thank you SO much, Leonardo. We really appreciate hearing this from you. They take a good amount of work, but they are so fulfilling creatively and also in helping others. We spent 37 days in Chiang Mai and had such a great time. You can watch our entire video series here if you're interested. -Judy 🎥 Thailand video series: kzbin.info/aero/PLNT98lWfwdF3cqPH8_O_WDVYgoT13KJRq

[@jamestravis1037]

Very well done... You are the best in the business! Thanks

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Thanks so much for watching, James! We have a full series from our time in Chiang Mai. We ended up getting some medical tests done there (at a fraction of what it would have cost in the US) and decided to stay longer. Hope you enjoy our series from there, including the ethical Elephant Nature Park. -Judy 🎥 Thailand video series: kzbin.info/aero/PLNT98lWfwdF3cqPH8_O_WDVYgoT13KJRq

[@jamestravis1037]

@@FindingGinaMarie Thank you!

[@388_days]

Hey, guys! Awesome video. It was a very different take than all the other Chaing Mai KZbin videos out there so congrats on doing some unique and interesting. We saw another commenter mentioned the music. We definitely agree. The music in this video was really well done. We both figured Kevin would love Roast8ry. The coffee was amazing, and that Latte Art was off the charts. What a journey this has been (for both of us). We are so glad we could meet up while we were both in town, and thanks for mentioning our tiny channel 🙏. Cheers!

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Hey Steph & Chris, It was our intention to ping you, but time has gotten away from us. We were very glad to have been able to meet up with you and so happy to share your channel with our viewers! We'll have a more traditional style video coming this Saturday from Chiang Mai just to cover all the bases for a complete trip to someplace where we spent so much time. We were glad to find this Roast8ry so close to our Airbnb, especially since there was food alongside it! We are here in Hoi A trying to decide which additional tours to take, and we just finished watching your My Son video to help us decide. Our host from Saigon gave us a historical tour of Hoi An and is actually from the area of My Son and has a tour there, too. So many interesting things to do and never, ever enough time! Safe travels! ♥️ -Judy & Kevin

[@erinaustin9968]

The candle is so sweet! We just started planning for our visit to SEA. This info is so helpful.

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Thanks so much for watching, Erin! We've got another 2.5 months between Southeast Asia and Asia before heading to Europe. We are enjoying this time more than we expected. I thought we'd miss the architecture of Europe, and while we do, there's so much here to enjoy! Here's a link to the article I wrote about the candle, and you can see some opened images of it! Such a sweet gesture! -Judy 📝 Article: findingginamarie.com/articles/a-kindness-in-chiang-mai

[@brianmcgeown4707]

Awesome to meet up and get to know you both a bit more. Thank you. And the video is awesome

[@FindingGinaMarie]

It was so great to meet up with you Brian and Corinne! We enjoyed our time with you both so much! Thanks for watching and for allowing us to give you a shoutout! Safe travels and keep in touch!-Judy & Kevin

[@owlscoffeecats]

Another amazing video! So kind the gift 🎁 you were given 😊 The information that you show is wonderful!

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Thanks for watching, Carolann! Wasn't it just the sweetest?! Here's a link to the article I wrote about it where you can see it after it was unwrapped. Such an absolutely precious gift! Thank you for being such a loyal viewer! -Judy 📝 Chiang Mai article w/opened candle pictures! findingginamarie.com/articles/a-kindness-in-chiang-mai

[@owlscoffeecats]

Just got over to read the related article on your beautiful website! The candle is gorgeous & the kindness you & your husband are seeing in other parts of the world... are a huge reason for my husband & I wanted to venture to that part of the world! 😊

[@FindingGinaMarie]

@@owlscoffeecats Wasn't it just the sweetest gesture?! We are overcome by how the world has opened up for us when we set our mission statement of traveling around the world and making connections. It has meant so much to see this happening for us! Sometimes Kevin and I both are shy and our instinct is to be closed off, but it is so rewarding when we get out of our own way and say yes to new experiences and people. Tear and Lin Lin will always hold a special place in our hearts! -Judy

[@insightwisdom7022]

Educational and edutainment tour of everyday Thai life .

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Thank you so much for watching! We have our final episode from Chiang Mai coming out this Saturday. It is a great city! -Judy 🎥 Thailand video series: kzbin.info/aero/PLNT98lWfwdF3cqPH8_O_WDVYgoT13KJRq

[@sarahponton6285]

I will be traveling to Chiang Mai next month. Can you share any info about the bike tour you took in the countryside? Thank you!

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Hi Sarah, Yes, it was called "Half-Day Colors of Chiang Mai," and we booked it through Viator. If you use our link, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. We hope you have a great time! Here's our full series from Chiang Mai. We were there 37 days! -Judy 🚴🏽 link.findingginamarie.com/Colors-of-Chiangmai-bike 🎥 Thailand video series: kzbin.info/aero/PLNT98lWfwdF3cqPH8_O_WDVYgoT13KJRq

[@melissamartin9237]

I love the way you travel! I’ve been to Chiang Mai but your video has me wanting to go back and spend more time.

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Thank you so much for your kind words, Melissa! We were surprised at how comfortable we felt in Chiang Mai! -Judy

[@livingworkingoutsidebox]

Congratulations 🌟 Looks like you had a wonderful time. 15:06 Wow what a beautiful temple. 😊

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Thank you so much! Yes, it was such a great series of experiences. We loved slowing down a bit and making some meaningful connections! And we agree that the Silver Temple was absolutely spectacular. -Judy 🎥 Here's a link to our full Chiang Mai, Thailand series-kzbin.info/aero/PLNT98lWfwdF3cqPH8_O_WDVYgoT13KJRq

[@keciacotton4895]

Although I have no immediate plans on visiting. This is a great video! Well done!

[@FindingGinaMarie]

We appreciate it so much! And maybe someday... We never had any part of Southeast Asia on our list of must-see places before we became full-time travelers, and then, poof, the world opened up to us! -Judy

[@GlobetrotterGranny]

Loving your Southeast Asia adventures! Was actually talking with my husband Rick and he agreed that he would love to revisit the area at some point in the not too distant future. It’s been since 1969 since he was in there!😊

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Hi Rebecca, Thank you so much for your encouraging words! We had not expected to enjoy our time here as much as we have. We've still got a few more months before we pivot to Europe. It's been such a great experience! It's exciting to hear that Rick is considering a visit. I know you'll build out the perfect itinerary! -Judy

[@flutingaround]

Someone has good taste in music...it doesn't go unappreciated 🙏

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Thank you so much! Kevin gets the credit on that (although I rejected his first choice, so we do collaborate a lot). We appreciate your comment, especially because music is so subjective and there are so many choices out there that we just have to trust our guts. -Judy

[@flutingaround]

​@@FindingGinaMarie I'm a musician. Keeping it soft, relaxing and balanced under your narration works in this one. You never want the music too loud because people often wear headphones

[@FindingGinaMarie]

@flutingaround Kevin works very hard to lower the sound during narration and raise it a bit when we’re not talking. it takes a little more time to do that, but we tried to keep it at the right balance. We don’t always get it right, but we do our best. -Judy

[@vhoov2218]

Great tips for our trip to Bangkok, Ko Samui and Chiang Mai in April Did you use a tour group or guide for the Silver Temple If so, would you recommend

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Thank you for watching! We walked through it ourselves because it was somewhat of a short notice decision. It's a fairly small complex, so it won't take long to explore everything it has to offer, but the area is loaded with silversmiths and it's just a short walk afterwards to Wulai Road, the Saturday night walking street and night market. The biggest downside is that this temple does not allow women to enter inside the temple. But the entire complex is still beautiful and worth seeing. It costs 50 Thai baht ($1.41) per person to enter, and the formal name is Wat Sri Suphan. We hope you have an amazing time as you travel throughout Thailand! -Judy

[@keciacotton4895]

Running into channel viewers. That's epic!

[@FindingGinaMarie]

It was, Kecia! We keep a little running note about some of our channel journey highlights, and this one definitely made the list. It was surreal to be recognized, and so fun to spend time meeting them! Steph and Chris also are channel followers, and that was special too, but we had different things to chat about as fellow KZbinrs! Thank you so much for watching! -Judy

[@wizardofoz4284]

Can you kindly share the hotel or Air b and b you stayed in? Name and URL would be great! Thanks.

[@wizardofoz4284]

My wife and I are American retirees living in southern Italy. We plan to visit Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia from December of 2024 thru mid March of 2025. Any help regarding accommodations would greatly be appreciated. Love your channel!

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Sure! Our Airbnb in Chiang Mai is called "Reservation at Elegance Room At Nimmanhaemin Rd.- Tambon Suthep," and here's a link: www.airbnb.com/rooms/38447625?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=b14ee8ad-3a52-4b6e-ac25-8a98834ad234 We were very comfortable at our Airbnb. It had a pool and a small workout room and a receptionist who helped us print out some paperwork we needed when we extended our visa and also had to make an Amazon return. It was very convenient for getting packages as well (although the only thing we bought was a water bottle that we returned). It also was pretty convenient to the Chiang Mai Ram Hospital we used and was about a 30-minute walk to Old Town. Overall we were glad we stayed in the area we did, but knowing what I do now, I wonder if we could have found something similar for cheaper. We didn’t mind walking and there are plenty of means of transportation if you need to use one of them. The receptionists weren’t particularly friendly or engaging, but it was convenient to have them there. Probably the best feature was that we got water delivered to us free in glass bottles that tasted superb and we didn’t have to lug bottles from the 7-11 that was nearby. Our Airbnb host from Cambodia (who split his time in Chiang Mai) was actually more helpful to us, but this wasn't a bad experience. -Judy

[@FindingGinaMarie]

How wonderful for you! You know our hearts are in Italy always! We'll be spending three weeks there in the summer and then five weeks in the winter, which we are thrilled about. The summer will be fast travel, unfortunately, but we'll be showing our daughter around Italy for the first time and that will be a whirlwind trip. We'll be visiting the place where my grandfather is from (Summonte) for a week and then to Sardinia for a month in November. We are crossing our fingers that we won't freeze there! We're here in Hoi An in a great Airbnb that we'd recommend. If you plan to spend any time here, we'd be happy to share it with you. We wouldn't recommend our Saigon Airbnb, and we stayed in a hotel for a week in Hanoi that was very lovely, but it was more expensive than we'd usually pay ($71/night). I'm sure there are cheaper places, but we had a great experience there (and that included breakfast). It was right around Christmas, so that could be the reason for the high price. Here's a link to Golden Sunshine Villa Hotel and Travel: www.booking.com/hotel/vn/golden-sunshine-villa-and-travel.html?dksc=2&aid=304142&label=postbooking_confemail. Even if you don't stay there, the area is great. Unfortunately, we won't be in Malaysia this year. After Hoi An, we'll be a month each in Taipei, Taiwan and then Busan, South Korea before heading to Orvieto, Italy! -Judy

[@Misterdave998]

Kevin is so handsome and so sexy ❤❤❤

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Thanks for watching! He's taken though! You might enjoy our entire video series from Chiang Mai, including our episode that just released yesterday. There are a few cute outtakes in there, too! -Judy 🎥 Thailand video series: kzbin.info/aero/PLNT98lWfwdF3cqPH8_O_WDVYgoT13KJRq

[@SomchaiSpeaks]

Before you visit take note of the never ending months of winter pollution that the government does nothing about because to declare an emergency would hurt tourism. Today the AQI hit 309, which is Hazardous and hospitals are literally having thousands of extra patients caused by pollution. Chiang Mai is a wonderful city but it is being poisoned by crop burning, arsonists, forest fire burning for month after month. My partner relies on tourism and business is down 40% which is a disaster but we cannot hide the danger that visitors will take by coming here. We are on lockdown like during COVID, with air purifiers trying to clean the air in our house. It is a living nightmare.

[@FindingGinaMarie]

Hi Ian, During no part of our five weeks in Chiang Mai did we encounter smoke or any meaningful air pollution (Jan. 21-Feb. 27). That's not to say that there wasn't an issue before or after. We know that it was problematic in Bangkok, so we were glad to have missed that. We were told that the government has been trying to communicate that crop burning isn't necessary or helpful, but I can appreciate that generations of behavior won't change overnight. There are many places in the US and in Europe that also have the same issue, so I wouldn't specifically avoid Chiang Mai. I agree that air pollution isn't great for anyone and nobody should have to deal with it. We are very sorry that tourism is down, but we have done our best to support Chiang Mai to our viewers based on our personal experience, which was overall very positive. -Judy

[@ORIGINOLINDIVIDUAL]

is it still bad ?

[@FindingGinaMarie]

@@ORIGINOLINDIVIDUAL It looks bad today, but beginning tomorrow the next several days look good. You can check on a daily basis here: www.iqair.com/us/thailand/chiang-mai -Judy