www.yousabai.com is my favorite cooking school in Thailand - a truly special place you should make time to visit if you're in the Chiang Mai area and want to get off the tourist trail. Many travelers prefer Pai to Chiang Mai.
-TP
I spent time in both Pai and Chiang Mai - both are special for their own reasons.
Chiang Mai is pretty chaotic, but the markets are a must and I did a two day hike organised from there which I'd recommend as well.
Pai is much quieter, and there are a lot of non-Thai permanent residents, hippies from decades past which just never left. The electricity is dodgy as, it's off as often as it's on, but everywhere has candles set up in preparation.
When the lights go out, the activity doesn't stop - I spent a few very happy nights lying around drinking with fellow travellers in the flickering light.
I wrote a little about my stay in both Pai and Chiang Mai on my blog:
http://marksteele.co.nz/2006/11/08/thailand-october-2006/
There are also some pictures here:
http://flickr.com/photos/marksteele/sets/72157594357030515/
Hope that helps! :)
Joined: 04-22-08
Planning to visit Thailand and didn't know what are nice places to go. A friend suggested Chiang Mai and gave me this link: http://www.mapjack.com/ChiangMai. Looks like a good place to explore.