Chaing Mai how long and 1-day meditation retreat
 

Hi all:
I will be in Myanmar for 2 weeks in December on a guided tour with a friend. Then I'll be solo. I'll be taking a lot of flights/covering a lot of territory on the tour. After the trip I have some extra vacation time and I want to go somewhere I can park myself for a little while and take in the days at a somewhat leisurely pace and enjoy walking around. I've been to Luang Prabang (which I adored) and figure I'll save Angkor Wat for another trip. Been to Bali recently and have spent a little time in Vietnam. So I zeroed in on Chaing Mai. I've read through the archives and also another forum - I know some love it-finding it quaint, charming, with a great art scene and say 2 weeks is not enough. Others are not so enamored. My Myanmar trip ends Dec 20-The. I have about 10-11 days to explore.I now realize this is high season so I know I have to book very soon Availability might inform my decisions. I'd like mix of guided tours and city exploration on my own. I'm thinking of doing a day/night at the silent meditation retreat in Chaing Mai, which is Tues-Wed. My instinct is telling me to do it when I arrive in CM rather than at the end of my trip.
Has anyone gone to this retreat?
Should I consider Chaing Rai (or somewhere else) - or stay the entire time in Chaing Mai?
I could go from Yangon to Chaing Rai, - I would only have Sun afternoon and all day Monday. Then I guess I'd need to leave early Tues in order to be at the CM retreat by 1PM Tues. My budget is pretty flexible and I don't mind paying for nice experiences and accommodations. I like joining day group trips since I'm on my own but private guide is fine too. I want to do the half day Elephant preserve (the eco one with no riding)- some of the temples (I may have a little temple fatigue but I'll definitely want to see some).I live in a big city and love cities - so beach is not high on my list. Been to Bangkok once--to major sites. Any suggestions are most appreciated. Thanks.

If it was me - and it isn't - I'd spend all of my extra time in Myanmar. Myanmar is really a special place. In two weeks there, you can cover the "big 4" but there are plenty of other places to go - all of which will be calmer, quieter, much less crowded and more interesting than Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai itself is a huge, sprawling city with terrible traffic, no public transportation, and more particulates in the air than Bangkok. I cannot think of any reason to do a guided tour in Chiang Mai.

thanks so much, Kathie
Appreciate your advice. We're visiting the 4 but also several other locations. I will look at the Myanmar TA to see what we're missing. For CM I was thinking of tours for day or half days outside of CM. I'm intrigued by the silent day/night retreat. Kind of want a city atmosphere at least for some of my 10 days with culture, character, fun boutique shopping, art(not much of a foodie bc I'm vegan). Chiang Mai seemed to have a lot to offer based on some trip reports. I don't mind moving a bit, but like the idea of settling someplace that has enough to do for more than 3 days. A friend suggested HCMC as well. Maybe I should consider Cambodia too. So many choices!! thanks.

I have to admit that for me, CM gets boring quickly. Bangkok, on the other hand, can keep me occupied and happy for weeks. We are all different.

If you want input on the Myanmar portion of your trip, I'm glad to offer ideas. I don't post on TA.

thanks, Kathie:
I would love to know your thoughts on Myanmar. Also, what continues to draw you to Bangkok?

--suzanne

Bangkok is my favorite city in the world. I love the people, I love the beautiful wats, the fabulous food, the shopping. There is so much to see and do there, I never get bored.

Are you on a group tour in Myanmar or have you arranged a private tour? I don't know where you are going in Myanmar, so it's hard to know what to recommend. But if you can devote some extra time to the country, you might consider going to Mrauk U. You might find it useful to browse our photos at www.marlandc.com We have two sets of photos from Myanmar, one from 2009 and one from 2011.