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Hello from Chiang Mai, the second stop on our Southeast Asia tour!
Our arrival on Monday, after a short 1-hour delay with our flights, marked the beginning of an action-packed week. After a smooth transition to our accommodation from the airport, we collapsed into bed, tired but looking forward to the week ahead.
Tuesday started with an early rise, arriving just in time to witness the sunrise at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. In the surroundings of this ancient temple we learned about the Buddhist way of life, observing monks in their morning rituals before they headed to the nearby village to receive food offerings. After spending the morning enjoying some more peaceful forest temples, it was time to be dropped back to our accommodation. We decided to spend the afternoon exploring, so we visited the local street food markets and eateries to scout out some options for the days ahead.
On Wednesday we joined an organised day trip to Doi Inthanon National park, where we got to walk to the highest point in Thailand, which is actually part of the Himalayan range! Next on the agenda was a visit to the twin pagodas, a monument built for the previous King and Queen's 60 birthdays. After this, it was time for a trip to a local market, where we were able to taste all of the fruit and veg and we came away with a big bag of dried mango, delicious! We ended the trip with a scenic hike through the jungle and rice fields, guided by a knowledgeable local, who pointed out plants and animals of interest and told personal stories along the way. This is what we really enjoy about guided tours, the mix of facts and information along with some insight into their lives and the local culture.
Thursday's main activity was a cooking class. We started the class by going to another fresh fruit and veg market. Our guide took us round the stalls, showing us the raw ingredients we would be cooking with and also buying some bits and pieces for us to try on the way round. Then it was time for some cooking! We had a lot of fun learning to make five local Thai dishes. We also enjoyed eating them afterwards, although 5 dishes is a lot to eat for lunch and we were pretty full by the end! After being dropped home with belly's bulging, we decided to walk off the food by visiting a nearby temple. By dinner time, Will somehow still had room to actually eat something!
On Friday we visited an elephant sanctuary. This might be my favourite day so far! We got to hand feed them and then take part in their daily routine of walking to the river and bathing. It was so much fun being that close to the elephants. We did a lot of research before to find the right sanctuary. After meeting the keepers and hearing how much they care for and love the elephants we were happy with our choice and our contribution to ethical wildlife tourism.
Saturday began with a visit to a huge cave system where tourists have been known to get lost for days on end! Luckily we had a local tour guide with us who showed us through the caves, pointing out when rocks looked like dragons or rhinos. We saw plenty of real life animals though, with bats hanging onto the ceilings and flying around the large caverns. After lunch we arrived at a river, where there was a local party for the annual water festival, part of the Thai new year celebrations. There were lots of families playing in the water, with waterside bars serving drinks and playing music. We jumped into our kayaks and waved at the celebrators as we headed into the countryside, where we enjoyed a peaceful few hours floating down the river. We paddled past water buffalo and lots of colourful bird species, stopping to swim about halfway. After kayaking, we were dropped back in town and headed to a bbq buffet recommended by the day's local guide. When we arrived we were surprised to see that the bbq part of the title meant we had to bbq the meat ourselves at the table, rather than enjoying a selection of ready bbq-ed meat! After a few tries and with some advice from a waiter, we managed to cook a fairly decent meal!
On Sunday we got to zip-line through the jungle on lots of different lines including the worlds longest one. I was a little worried that I might not like being so high up, but zipping across the jungle valleys was amazing and the views were fantastic. After about 3hrs of flying around, we had lunch and then headed back to Chiang Mai.
One aspect of extended travel that can easily be forgotten is the need for clean clothes and finding somewhere suitable to do laundry. We prefer places where you can do it yourself and choose what type of detergent you use, some of us have sensitive skin! This time we passed the 2-hrs by playing cards.
For dinner we decided to explore the options at the night market, which was teeming with delicious looking food stalls. There were so many stalls to discover at the market. We managed to pick up a few souvenirs and I even stopped to get my hair braided at one of the stands with bright blue thread.
Monday was our last full day in Chiang Mai and we spent it mountain biking in part of the national park. It was pretty hot and dusty but we had a good time learning about the plants and wildlife along the way. The best bit was when we were cycling through the jungle, in the shade of the trees and crossing through small streams. We cycled 15km in total! Then we were dropped off at a very picturesque spot by the river, where we ate our lunch. There were lots of kids and families swimming and playing with rubber rings in the water. We enjoyed a dip after eating, the water was just too tempting to resist! Then it was time to head back to our accommodation for a well deserved rest before dinner.
Tuesday began with packing up our bags and heading for the bus station, ready to head to our next destination. If all goes to plan, the next stop will be Chiang Rai for a couple of days before taking the slow boat to Luang Prabang.
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