สวัสดี ครับ (Sawatdee krap)
Hello all!
Admittedly, some of us were slightly upset during our first few days in Chiang Mai when we couldn't find places besides 7 11 that were open at night. I can't believe how wrong we were. This city's night life is unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and I am happy to say that we made some of these places our home. I want to talk specifically about four different locations. Magenta, The Monkey Club, Warm up Café, and Shazz Addicted Bar.
Our first legitimate outing was to Magenta and The Monkey Club a few weeks into our trip with Kyley's and Miranda's lab mate: Phaitong. Magenta was a beautiful club fairly close to the main street. Live music, pool table, good drinks, and fantastic people. Every now and then a random vendor would pop in and ask us to purchase some of their goods which would range from things like pastries to garlands and flowers. Monkey Club is again just a few minutes from Magenta and it's a bit more active. There are two sections: one is more relaxed where you can have a seat, grab a few drinks, chit chat with friends, and enjoy the performance of a large but surprisingly entertaining and exceptional dancer and singer; and the other has a live band performance and a huge crowd of people dancing. I would just like to say how it's set up differently than a typical club in the States. How it works is that you go in with a group of people, order whatever snacks and beverages you want, find a spot somewhere on the floor, and then the servers will bring you a cart with water, ice, and your snacks and drinks. Then the entire night you pretty much dance and hang out with your friends. Totally different than just walking to a huge area where everyone is dancing, which is typically what we would find in the States.
Next is the Warm up Café. This place is ALWAYS hectic and has a similar set up to the Monkey Club with a relaxed area on one side and dancing on the other. No matter what day, Warmup Café is packed and the people are always having a great time.
Finally, Shazz Addicted Bar. The absolute, no-doubt-in-my-mind best club in Chiang Mai. This is a tiny little place, about the size of our room, underneath a rooftop bar and in between two equally small shops. There's always great soul, jazz, and house music playing that, no matter what, will have you dancing at least once during the night. The owner is fun-loving, generous, and simply a fantastic host that will make sure her guests are always having a great time. This Soulhouse/Jazzbar stays open into the wee hours of the night and is always there when you need an escape from the everyday stresses. One of my greatest memories of this trip will be when a few of us went to the Shazz Addicted Bar for the second time. The bartender and owner recognized us and greeted us with a familiar "Heeeeeeeyyy!!!" Then we set up shop in the middle of the bar, busted out our jenga, and played and talked and had an absolutely unforgettable night. (Props to the Theary,our own personal great idea factory.)
There are many more places that we've been to enjoy the night life (such as Dude Café, Night Bazaar, Drunken Flower, and more) but the aforementioned places have been the most memorable for innumerable reasons. We've made new friends, created stronger bonds, learned and shared equally fantastic stories, and have always had an incredible times in the middle of the night because of these fantastic places. These are some experiences that I will always treasure.
Sincerely,
Apu
Hello all!
Admittedly, some of us were slightly upset during our first few days in Chiang Mai when we couldn't find places besides 7 11 that were open at night. I can't believe how wrong we were. This city's night life is unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and I am happy to say that we made some of these places our home. I want to talk specifically about four different locations. Magenta, The Monkey Club, Warm up Café, and Shazz Addicted Bar.
Our first legitimate outing was to Magenta and The Monkey Club a few weeks into our trip with Kyley's and Miranda's lab mate: Phaitong. Magenta was a beautiful club fairly close to the main street. Live music, pool table, good drinks, and fantastic people. Every now and then a random vendor would pop in and ask us to purchase some of their goods which would range from things like pastries to garlands and flowers. Monkey Club is again just a few minutes from Magenta and it's a bit more active. There are two sections: one is more relaxed where you can have a seat, grab a few drinks, chit chat with friends, and enjoy the performance of a large but surprisingly entertaining and exceptional dancer and singer; and the other has a live band performance and a huge crowd of people dancing. I would just like to say how it's set up differently than a typical club in the States. How it works is that you go in with a group of people, order whatever snacks and beverages you want, find a spot somewhere on the floor, and then the servers will bring you a cart with water, ice, and your snacks and drinks. Then the entire night you pretty much dance and hang out with your friends. Totally different than just walking to a huge area where everyone is dancing, which is typically what we would find in the States.
Next is the Warm up Café. This place is ALWAYS hectic and has a similar set up to the Monkey Club with a relaxed area on one side and dancing on the other. No matter what day, Warmup Café is packed and the people are always having a great time.
Finally, Shazz Addicted Bar. The absolute, no-doubt-in-my-mind best club in Chiang Mai. This is a tiny little place, about the size of our room, underneath a rooftop bar and in between two equally small shops. There's always great soul, jazz, and house music playing that, no matter what, will have you dancing at least once during the night. The owner is fun-loving, generous, and simply a fantastic host that will make sure her guests are always having a great time. This Soulhouse/Jazzbar stays open into the wee hours of the night and is always there when you need an escape from the everyday stresses. One of my greatest memories of this trip will be when a few of us went to the Shazz Addicted Bar for the second time. The bartender and owner recognized us and greeted us with a familiar "Heeeeeeeyyy!!!" Then we set up shop in the middle of the bar, busted out our jenga, and played and talked and had an absolutely unforgettable night. (Props to the Theary,our own personal great idea factory.)
There are many more places that we've been to enjoy the night life (such as Dude Café, Night Bazaar, Drunken Flower, and more) but the aforementioned places have been the most memorable for innumerable reasons. We've made new friends, created stronger bonds, learned and shared equally fantastic stories, and have always had an incredible times in the middle of the night because of these fantastic places. These are some experiences that I will always treasure.
Sincerely,
Apu