YAY CHIANG MAI!
In Chiang Mai we met up with Eileen and Ivan <3 !
The first night we went into Old Chiang Mai, and the flower festival happened to be going on! It apparently only occurs like 3 times in February, so we were quite lucky!
We then to visit the Sunday Market which is right behind Tapthae Gate. It was a lively market, with lots of food, similar to the many other night markets we had visited previously. BUT, everything was much cheaper. The selection may have been smaller, but if you are looking for any of those famous “Thai Tourist” pants/shorts or some pashminas, wait until you get to Chiang Mai before purchasing.
We also all got 1 hour Thai Massages for 180 Baht, which is an insane deal. And it felt sooo good. Eileen said these massages were far better than the ones she experienced in Cambodia.
Skyline Adventures
The next day we signed up for a Skyline Adventures package where you pay 1,800 baht per person, and they pick you up from the hotel and take you on adventures lol.
Elephants
First the bus took us to ride elephants. I know, I know, riding elephants is bad. And we saw them use the bow hook tool to hit the elephants as well as tug on their ear to direct them. Eileen and Ivan also went to an elephant conservatory in Cambodia, and Thomas and I also read online a lot of the horrors that come along with elephant/tiger exhibition. But it was part of the package deal and we decided to just do it :/.
Anyways, we got to see one of the elephants poo in the river, and these majestic creatures have equally majestic excrements. They were the size of bowling balls, and they just kept going! As we were traversing the river, our elephant decided to suck in some mixture of water and sand to spray upon itself to cool itself down. However, we were riding upon said elephant, so Thomas and I got sprayed with these small rocks and water. It was surprising, hilarious, and a little gross. Thomas had this big piece of elephant snot on his cheek lol.
Side note, they were using a car battery to power a printer for pictures! How cool is that
Bamboo Rafting
This was awesome! It’s exactly what it sounds like, but the river they take you around is so peaceful and beautiful. We also had really playful tour guides who managed to get us all soaking wet, and a very funny mishap happened with Thomas where the guide jumped over a tree branch and convinced Thomas to do the same when you were in fact supposed to go under the branch. What ensued was a confused Thomas falling into the river as the bamboo raft glided away.
It was sort of like extreme scenic paddleboarding.
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Ziplining
Ziplining in the states is about $120. If we were to say that each of these activities (there being a total of 3) were given the same cost, then that would mean ziplining in Thailand is about $20 per person. That’s INSANE.
There were a total of 19 different platforms. Some of them were sort of “ropes course” like, while the majority were ziplining from platform to platform.
One of the final ziplines was SUPER long, not sure how many meters it was but the view was amazing! We also had the option of doing the zipline “Superman Style” for this one, where instead of being harnessed in the front at your waist, you were harnessed on your back between your shoulder blades, allowing you to “fly” like superman! So much fun!!
We then went to get some more massages, this time I tried an oil massage. It was what you imagine when you think massage, and definitely relaxing. But I definitely prefer the traditional Thai Massage.
Bar Scene!
We went to the Bars (just look up Zoe in Yellow), and we got it poppin! The DJ’s were hella good, and we danced our asses off! The drinks are more expensive, but they’re still cheaper than SF drinks ;).
Nong Buak Park
In the south west corner of old Chiang Mai, there is this park. Which is very cute! We bought a huge bag of fish/bird feed? for 10 Baht. And we killed 2 hours there luring pigeons in and then scaring them. Thomas even managed to catch a bird with his feet!
It’s a nice park, and there were many people having picnics and sunbathing near the pond.
Thai Cooking Class
Dude!! These are amazing. Small somewhat of a digression; even as an ethnically Chinese person, when I walk into a 99 Ranch, I have no idea how to use 90% of the things in that store. The 10% I do know is from what little I have picked up from watching my parents. But the same goes for trying to cook Thai food. Without knowledge of what ingredients to buy, and what they look like, or what they’re called, you can’t really cook authentically!
We learned everything needed to cook most Thai dishes, and even made our own curry paste! It was very fun, and you definitely learn a lot. They also give you a recipe book and a little certificate saying you completed the course lol. I cannot wait to cook Thai food at home! :)
Doi Suthep
This is a temple at one of the highest points in Chiang Mai, and everyone told us that you have not visited Chiang Mai until you’ve visited Doi Suthep. On top of climbing a mountain by taxi to get there, you have to climb 306 steps (which really wasn’t that bad at all..) to get to “360” panoramic views of Chiang Mai.
There was so much construction going on at Doi Suthep, as well as foggy weather, that we were deprived of the promised views. The temple was indeed pretty however, but overall, it was too similar to the many many temples we had already visited before.
Monk Chats
A really cool thing that Chiang Mai has is Monk Chats. At almost every temple, there is a time in the day where many young monks will sit at tables and conversate with you about Bhuddism and Monk Life. They spend about 3 hours a week learning English, and this is part of their practice.
We went to Wat ChediLuang and talked to a couple of monks, and during the process we met three “missionaries”, they’re not allowed to say they’re missionaries in Thailand or something. But it was really cool learning about what they were doing! They had already spent 3 months in Guatemala, and 2 months in Thailand. They were heading to South Africa next, and were big fans of the cheap tattoos in Thailand haha. We also talked to one monk who’s english was more proficient, and he explained to us the journey of becoming a monk. From 7-20 years old they are novice, and after that they have the option of becoming “Monk” if they believe they are ready.
They also have extensive schooling where they attend the same schools as the other Thai students, but they have designated “Monk” tracks. I won’t keep going, and let you learn for yourself when you talk to them! :)