It seems that our initial impressions of CM were too favourable. It really is the most boring place.

There seem to be two tourist markets here:

The young backpacker scene with troops of young backpackers hanging out together eating "all day breakfasts" and passing on tips about awesome-like adventures. This scene is very conspicuously catered for by every second shop front advertising "adventure activities" such as :
Tiger Kingdom: where you can cuddle up to and have your photo taken with an obviously well fed and sedated tiger

Elephant Camp: where you can learn to drive your very own elephant for the day (the elephant of course already knows what to do, it is you being trained). You can also give the elephant a bath and risk contracting schistosomiasis or worse in the mucky water

Bungy jumping: of course, for the big adrenalin rush - don't forget the clean pair of underwear

Gibbon Glide: where you hook onto a fixed line and go "wheeeeee" through the forest

River rafting: more of those pesky water borne diseases

The other scene is perhaps not so conspicuous except at night and in certain areas that show a preponderance of very seedy looking middle aged European men, singly or in pairs in huddles drinking and smoking. We don't hang around long enough to determine what they are here for but it's not nice.

And then there are the "spas", tattoo parlours and massage places. If a shop front isn't an agent for the adventure tours, a restaurant, a guesthouse or a bar, then it is a massage place or tattoo parlour.

We have seldom found ourselves in a place more devoid of any intrinsic interest or more devoted to contrived pleasures.