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Sports in Chiang Mai

If it's sports your're after, you've made a good choice in coming to Chiang Mai. You name it, pretty well, the Rose of the North has it - from cricket (you know, that esoteric English activity involving men in white who seem effortlessly to be able to call up rain) to - you're going to find this hard to believe, but it's true - windsurfing.

So OK - let's go through alphabetically. Chiang Mai city has clubs, courses, courts, pools and plain places offering:

Badminton, bird-watching, bowling, bungy-jumping, cricket, go-karting, golfing, hash-house harry-ing,ice-skating, microlite flying, mountain bicycling, rafting, riding horses, rock-climbing, shooting, squash, swimming, tennis, trekking (of course), white- water rafting, working out in the gym, and windsurfing.

Well, now, some specifics. Among the activities and locations are:

Bird-watching

There are getting on for 400 bird-species in the province, and while the city itself has a number of lowland varieties, there's no doubt that the country around offers far more, with Doi Suthep and Doi Inthanon particularly high on the ornithologists' listings.

Bicycling

For info. on hiring and riding, try the shop ‘Velocity' on the Chotana Road, while ‘Top Gear' on Chang Moi Road and ‘Wild Planet Adventure' on Charoenprathet Road are also helpful: the CM Bicycle Club meets for rides every Sun. morning at 7 am at the Thaphae Gate.

Bowling alleys

Bowling alleys are all over town, with aficionados especially rating UFO (Tel: 053-801446-9) and the Bully Bowl (Tel: 053-224444 Ext. 19938) at Kad Suan Kaew as worth a visit.

Bungy-jumping

Bungy-jumping for the really intrepid has only the one location, north of the city. (Tel: 053-298442)

Cricket

Cricket is beginning to take off here, and the place to play it is the Gymkhana Club (Tel: 053-241035).

Fitness Centres

Fitness Centres - offering a variety of activities, often including swimming pools as well as equipped gymnasiums - include the Chiang Mai Orchid Fitness Center (Tel: 053-222099 Ext.1028) on the Huay Keaw Rd and the Chiang Mai Sports Club (Tel: 053-896037).

Golf

Golf is played over 9 or 18 holes on some seven major courses, from the CM Gymkhana Club on, while the Gassson Driving Range at Amphoe Sarapee and another on the Airport road, opposite the Plaza Shopping complex give you the practice you need.

Hash House Harriers

Hash House Harriers have regular runs.

Horse-riding

Horse-riding is on offer at the Lanna Sports Centre (Tel: 053-221911) and the Chiang Mai Sports Club (Tel: 053-896037), as well as Mae Jo, twenty minutes' drive out to the north of the city.

Ice-skating

Ice-skating now - how about that: newly arrived at Bully Ice in the Sky (Tel: 053-210337), Kad Suan Keaw.

Karting

Karting has its own track 10 kms. south of the city, on the Hang Dong road (Tel: 053-430059-60).

Rock climbing

Rock climbing you can do right in the centre of Chiang Mai, at Rock Climbing Plaza (Tel: 053-820 776-8) on Chang Klan Rd: and if you want some of the hands-on real stuff out town, talk to the experts there.

Shooting

Shooting anyone? Try the Chiang Mai Shooting Adventure range on the Chotana Road (Tel: 053-211828).

Wind-surfing

Wind-surfing - yes, we really have it in Chiang Mai: out at the Huay Dtueng Tao Lake on the canal road, approx. eight kms out past the 700 Year Stadium.

And White-water rafting

And white-water rafting on the Pai River. White-knuckle adventures July - December for those who don't mind dunking, under expert guidance (Tel: 053-277178).