Thailand Part 2. Chiang Mai!

From the city to the jungle...

Chiang Mai turned out to be everything and more than we could have ever imagined!

I was so blown away by everything that it had to offer. I knew it would be really cool, but it was definitely one of the most amazing places I have ever been.

Chiang Mai was very refreshing after hot, busy Bangkok. The weather was a lot cooler. In the mornings and evenings we would need to wear our jackets! When we arrived in Chiang Mai it was Sunday evening. We had our cab driver hurry us from the airport to our hotel, Gaps House 2, so that we could get exploring. 

Although this hotel was a lot different from our hotel in Bangkok, once we got used to it, it was very comfortable.  We headed to the Sunday Market as soon as we got settled. It was much different from the markets in Bangkok, it was really calm and serene. 

There was lots of yummy local food, music, and adorable shops. We wandered the shops for the rest of the night, sipping on smoothies, and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

The next morning we woke up bright and early, and headed down to breakfast at our hotel. Although it was simple, we all really loved it. The mini bananas in Asia are seriously so much better than the bananas in America!

 We decided it would be fun to rent scooters and go explore Chiang Mai.

 The people in Thailand drive so crazy!! They drive on the opposite side of the road, and there really are no rules. Scooters dominate the roads! So for us to try and just jump in on the craziness was a little bit nuts! But once we got the hang of it, it was super fun!

First we headed to the Tiger Kingdom. We got to lay on the tigers and pet them. Sarah once asked someone at the San Diego Zoo what would happen if you got into a cage with a tiger and the trainer said that they would kill you! Apparently that's not the case with these tigers. It was pretty scary though! That's for sure! It was cool to be so close to such huge, powerful animals. 

After the Tiger Kingdom we headed up the jungle mountains on our scooters to some waterfalls! Much to our surprise, there was no body else around. We had the whole waterfall to our selves! It was so gorgeous. At first I wasn't going to get in the water, but it was just too tempting! 

Then we hopped back onto the scooters and headed to a second set of waterfalls. This one was a hike that had 10 waterfalls along the way. Each one was beautiful. The locals at the bottom of the trail sell food, and give you baskets and mats to have a picnic while you hike. So we ate a chicken and rice lunch right at the base of one of the waterfalls!

After our hiking to the waterfalls we went on a very long scooter ride, to the very top of the mountain to Doi Suthep. It is a big palace that sits literally on the top of the mountain. There are like 200 stairs that lead up to it. There was a beautiful view of the whole city of Chiang Mai from the top of Doi Suthep.

The food in Chiang Mai was our very favorite. We ate at a few delicious restaurants! The panang curry,  massaman curry, pad thai, fried rice, etc. were amazing!!! After a long day of adventure, and a big meal we were ready for yet another Thai massage! haha!

 Massages in Thailand are so cheap. Like literally $5! Unfortunately for Blair the lady who massaged him thought he had a hurt back and literally did a double knee drop on his back,  needless to say, it wasn't his most relaxing massage! haha! After our massages we cruised our scooters around and checked out the Night Bazarre. It is basically a long street where a bunch of tourists hang out. We weren't that into it! But it was still fun to see.

The next day was our Trekking day!

We booked a one day trek that included Elephant riding, a visit to the Karen hill tribe people's village, hike to a waterfall, and then a bamboo raft ride down a river. 

It was one of my most favorite days on our whole vacation! 

It started with riding elephants.  Our elephants name was Vuma. She was huge and liked to blow her spit on us if we didn't hand her bananas when she put her trunk back by us! Talk about demanding and spoiled! haha! Our guide let us climb off our seat and sit up on Vuma's head. It was really fun! The ride went through the jungle, and then up a river. So beautiful! 

After the elephant ride, we headed to the Karen hill tribe village. It was very interesting to see how such primitive people live.  Surrounding the village were some gorgeous rice patties. Apparently the people that live in the village don't need any money, they are completely self sufficient. I can't even imagine that!

From there we hiked to another waterfall. This one was freezing cold, and so powerful! I had a few minutes to sit by myself right on the edge of the water and think about how grateful I was to be traveling with my sweet husband and sharing these amazing experiences together. It was good to sit and reflect and to remember all of the things we have to be grateful for!

After visiting the waterfall, we headed down the river to go on a bamboo raft! This was seriously one of the highlights of the day. There were times when the water was pretty smooth and relaxing, and other times when we would be hanging on for dear life when going through the white water rapids! It was beautiful being surrounded by dense jungle while cruising down the river. I was a little nervous about snakes haha... luckily for us, no snakes came too close! We don't have a great picture of this because we weren't allowed to bring our cameras, dang it! Bamboo rafting was seriously amazing!

That night we rode around the city on bikes. I rode on Blair's pegs the whole way, like a real Thailand native! haha. The next morning we walked to a very old Wat in the middle of the city. We were able to talk to a Monk and better understand the things they do, and what they believe.  It was awesome!

Then we headed to the airport. We rode in the back of a Tuk Tuk truck. It was interesting to say the least!

Chiang Mai was truly incredible! 

We loved every minute we spent in this quiet, serene, nature filled city.

We will miss you Chiang Mai.

That's for sure.

From the jungle to the...

BEACH!

Phuket is next.