If you, like me, watch travel, house-hunting, and cooking shows, you know that Chiang Mai, Thailand, is touted as the latest laid-back, inexpensive place to enjoy great scenery, food, and hospitality. Thailand’s second-largest city, located in the cooler, mountainous north of the country, offers plenty to see and do. You can tour awe-inspiring Buddhist temples by day and peruse the famous night markets for dinner, entertainment, and handicrafts. An hour or two from the historic center, you can trek deeper into Chiang Mai province and visit elephant sanctuaries and indigenous villages.