Days three-through-eight of our mission will be spent in the provincial capital of Chiang Mai (เชียงใหม่), the largest and most culturally significant city in the mountain region of northern Thailand. Chiang Mai is located in northern Thailand (425 miles north of Bangkok), on the banks of the Ping River.Wikipedia's entry on Chiang Mai provides a good jump-off point in your search for more information about the city. Chiang Mai's municipal website is another good online source of information.
The estimated population for the Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area is approximately 700,000 people, With its northern, highland location, the climate in Chiang Mai is cooler than you would find in Bangkok ..... but only a little, with daily high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s. And it's every bit as humid, if not more so.
Chiang Mai has more than 700 years of history, sometimes as part of Thailand, sometimes as part of neighboring Burma. It sits astride an important trade route whose use goes back to ancient times, bringing an influx of travelers and trade goods from around Asia and around the world for hundreds of years. It is home to hundreds of Buddhist temples, as well as modern universities and a developing infrastructure for transportation and mass public transit. Through its location in the north, and close proximity to Thailand's more rugged country and its wildlife, Chiang Mai has contributed to the nations burgeoning tourism industry.
Chiang Mai, is also home to Garden of Hope, a mission that reaches out to women, children, and youth involved in, at risk of, or affected by prostitution, sexual exploitation and/or trafficking by developing Christ-centered relationships and offering alternative livelihoods and resources for personal development so they may experience a life of restoration, dignity, and hope that will lead to the transformation of Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand for God’s glory.
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