Two Weeks Backpacking Southeast Asia from Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is the ideal base for a first SE Asia trip: cheap, walkable, friendly to solo travelers, and well-connected by overnight bus and budget flights. A solid two-week loop: 4 nights Chiang Mai (old city + cooking class), 2 nights Pai (motorbike loop), 3 nights Luang Prabang via slow boat or AirAsia, then back through Bangkok with a 2-night detour to Ayutthaya. Plan on $35–50/day excluding flights. Pack light, laundry is $1–2/kg everywhere.