My week in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
Chiang Mai Thailand Week Two My second week in Thailand we traveled north to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. A quick one hour flight from Don Muang airport in Bangkok took us to the beautiful mountain ranges of the Thai highlands. Chiang Rai was also on our itinerary and this is where my grandmother is from. Chang Mai is such a refreshing , green , lush contrast to Bangkok. Northern Thailand is simply breathtaking. I could live out the rest of my life here in these mountains , growing my own food and just enjoying the serenity We had so much fun over the next eight days even though it started off wet with heaps of rain pouring down on us from the moment we landed! Things to do in Chiang Mai We stayed at Nanta Glam CM .What a beautiful home with the sweetest family who make you feel so welcome. They have their own bakery and brew their own Kombucha which is some of the best I’ve had in my life. My husband HATES Kombucha and he drank it everyday so that’s saying a lot ! We were pretty hungry since we landed around dinner time but finding a restaurant that wasn’t closed , flooded or fully booked was becoming a task. Like Bangkok, Chiang Mai uses the Grab app . It’s their version of Lyft and I highly recommend it for getting around if you don’t want to walk or take a tuk tuk. http://www.grab.com If you plan on visiting Thailand Grab will be your best friend in Bangkok and Chiang Mai … We decided to take a tuk tuk and found MAADAE Fish kitchen. Cold wet nights like this need Tom Kha Gai or Tom Yum soup. We had a heaping bowl or Tom Yum seafood soup with a Crab omelette that was perfect. We spent the next few days exploring Chiang Mai by bicycle (another perk from Nanta Glam CM) We had two memorable meals at http://thehousebygingercm.com . The Pomelo Shrimp salad , fried whole fish with cashews and red curry in a whole coconut was to die for. Their version of a Pisco sour is the beautiful purple cocktail I’m pictured with …. There’s some incredible french bakeries Chiang Mai is known for. L’Opera had fantastic pastries and eggs for breakfast ,also a good baguette sandwich if you prefer take away. Lady Bake was a delicious breakfast spot with a full breakfast , amazing coffee and fruit . Khom Chocolate house http://linktr.ee/khomchocolatierhouse is next door and we stopped in to have some after our Day with Elephants . We had the Double dark chocolate drink and dark chocolate ganache cake.. We really wanted to visit an elephant sanctuary in Thailand . Seeing these beautiful animals up close in Africa is something I’ll never forget. Asian elephants are quite smaller in size , have a double domed head, and the females don’t grow tusks! For years I always wondered why asian elephants didn’t have them but it turns out only male asian elephants grow tusks .. Over the years I’ve heard stories and seen documentaries about elephant abuse through tourism . Elephant shows, rides, and bathing are still common practice and it can be a challenge to find an ethical sanctuary . http://elephantnaturepark.org was an amazing experience . We chose the half day excursion and it was the perfect amount of time to see all of the animals with a vegan lunch included. It’s a one hour drive into the mountains and the scenery is so beautiful. There are many other animals like water buffalo and dogs that have been rescued and live out their days on the reserve which is massive , and well maintained. Chiang Rai It’s about three hours to drive up to Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai . We stayed at Le Meridien resort in Chiang Rai. It was cozy with great food which was what I needed over that weekend. Their Tom Yum soup mmmmm … It’s quite a bit cooler here in the mountains and we had a lot of rain . August is the monsoon season so make sure you wear a good jacket , boots for hiking (there was mud) and layer up against the wind! I still have no idea WHY I wanted to see the White Temple or Wat Rong Khun as it’s called. It is just a tacky tourist trap that reeks of evil and something nasty I can’t put my senses on …. We did see another beautiful white temple with beautiful dancing dragons . I regret I can’t recall the name BUT I do remember the Hello Kitty tram that took passengers up and down the Wat and you all know I adore Hello Kitty … Phu Chi Fah Summit If you want to see the most beautiful part of Chiang Rai then head north to Phu Chi Fah summit. The sunset view is just incredible and we spent hours here just marveling at the beauty . As I stared out into the mountains and rice paddies I was envisioning my grandmother with my mother strapped on here as she tended the paddies… I watched the women with their children for hours and it was just mesmerizing … On our way back to Chiang Mai we passed this buddha that I remembered seeing when we left to Chiang Rai. I wanted to see it up close it was just pulling me in ! I took a picture and its name is WAT PHRATHATSANPAHIANG . I had to write it right I don’t want any bad juju! This place was just calling out to me as we drove by . It was a Sunday and it was empty . We could only hear the wind chimes above the Buddha but it was so serene and wonderful to be in it’s presence . Fun spots in Chiang Mai We stayed our last night in Chiang Mai at http://elbarriolanna.com . WeLOVED this hotel and
