The tourist attractions in Chiang Mai, Thailand, are often touted as must-sees. If you know anyone who’s been to northern Thailand, you’ve probably heard tales of zip-lining, tiger-petting, and elephant-riding. In the city, ardent tuk-tuk drivers rumble through the busy streets, honking their horns in search of vacationers to whisk away to tourist destinations like Doi Suthep, Tiger Kingdom, or Walking Street. Many travelers come to Chiang Mai to see these things but leave without experiencing the charm and beauty tucked away in the village countryside.

Outside the city, the busy streets and crowded bars give way to miles and miles of green rice paddies that stretch earnestly into the horizon. The air clears and the sky opens, offering the most striking pink and orange sunsets. The world gets quieter, older.

This is the Chiang Mai that belongs to the locals. The homes here are simple—some of them constructed of nothing more than wooden planks and tin panels. There are gardens in the backyard and hammocks strung between trees. Villagers spend the evenings chatting and laughing in the street as chickens and dogs dart through their legs. From the bank of the canal, crickets chirp and frogs bellow. Wind chimes dangle from the eaves, clothes hang on the line, children play in the stream.

Here village markets are thronged with locals who have come to buy ingredients for the evening’s meal—rice, chicken, cashews, eggs. Here weather-beaten Christian cemeteries lie silently next to modest Buddhist temples. Here the leaves of mango trees sway in the warm breeze and water buffalo graze in the fields.

This is God’s country—the kind of landscape that reaches into the core of your being and awakens a new sense of self. In the countryside, the rainclouds are not a damper on your plans but a complement to the scenery. There are bicycles rather than motorcycles, butterflies rather than street rats. It is only in these places, away from the immutable thrum of the city, that you will experience the essence of Chiang Mai—the very foundation of Thai culture and community.

These three sisters have lived in the same village their whole lives.

In the morning you will be awakened by the sunlight streaming through the window and the cry of exotic birds calling from the trees. You will shower with a bucket of water and a ladle; you will be fed chicken legs and sticky rice for breakfast. And when you step outside onto the porch, you will not hear the rumbling of engines or the shouting of street vendors but the laughter of children and the hum of insects in the reeds. You will smell the sweet scent of eucalyptus and jasmine. You will see the sunrise reflected in pools of still water.

This Chiang Mai, the whimsical countryside of the locals, stands as a reminder that Thailand is not only a place of adventure and excitement but also a place of rejuvenation and introspection. Here, outside the city limits, the beautiful, quiet energy can be just as gratifying as the fast-paced city life if you just slow down to notice it.

—Jenna Hoffman