Chiang Mai, Thailand.
I can see why so many people make Chiang Mai their home base. It's both quaint and big. East and West. The kind of place you can get $1 dinners at the market or satisfy any home food craving you might have. I arrived the morning after I left Vang Vieng. I joined a group of six Australian girls in search of rooms. It's hard to find a place to stay at 6am. Every place was either closed or didn't know if they'd have free rooms for the day or simply said they were booked....