During our trip to Thailand we traveled over as much as the country as we could in the time we were there. I'm going to give a shortish summary of each of the regions we visited starting in Northern Thailand, where we visited the cities of Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, and Pai.
Three days after arriving in Bangkok we hoped on another airplane for a 1 hour flight to Chiang Mai. A friend of my dad, Praneeh, was our host and guide for our 5 day trip. Her son is going to college in Utah and stays with my dad when the dorms close inbetween sessions. Praneeh was such a generous and gracious host, we were so happy to have her with us and are grateful for our new life-long friendship.
Chiang Mai is nestled in gorgeous green mountains and jungles. The cool mountain air was a welcome relief from the oppressive heat and humidity in Bangkok.
We met our driver for the week, a friendly man nicknamed Poo, which means crab in Thai, and he drove us straight up the mountainside where our first stop was Bhubing Royal Palace. My dad and I had to rent clothes as you cannot wear shorts that show your knees on the royal grounds
Our next stop was Wat Doi Suthep. This is probably the most famous Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai. Legend has it that a monk put a statue of the Buddha on the back of an elephant and sent the elephant up the mountain, wherever the elephant stopped would be where a temple would be built. The elephant climbed almost to the top of the mountain, stopped, and died shortly thereafter. The temple was built right there including 300 steps that lead up to it. We took a tram up to the temple, but did walk down the 300 steps. The view from the top, on the temple grounds is breathtaking.
We next made a quick stop at one of the nearby mountain villages and then checked into our hotel, the Chiang Mai Night Safari and Resort, our room was a bungalow in the wooded jungle (we woke up to the howls of monkeys the next morning)
As the name might indicate, that night after dinner we went on a nighttime safari. Basically we rode around in a tram at night to look at animals, the fun part is that the non-dangerous animals were free to roam around and we got so close to gazelles, deer, zebras, etc, that we could almost touch them (obviously the hyenas, lions, and bears were in enclosures!)
Yeah, my dad is holding a real lion cub!
The next morning we were up early to walk the grounds of the resort and say goodbye to the turtles, monkeys, gorillas, and deer before we headed to the elephant camp. At the camp, we watched an elephant show. In honor of the World Cup, the elephants kicked soccer balls and also demonstrated a number of other skills. After the show, we climbed up onto a platform to board an elephant for a ride. This was definitely a highlight of the trip. It was so much fun, very exhilirating, and also a little scary as we were up so high, sitting on a little bench with no seatbelt leaning forward and backward as the elephant moved. Let's just say that I had one arm around Paige the whole time because I was afraid she might just slip right under the bar of our bench and fall to the ground. After the elephant ride, you ride a wooden cart pulled by an ox back to the original camp where we had a nice lunch.
Following lunch, we hopped on a bamboo raft and floated down the muddy red river. Ashley even got a chance to grab the pole and guide us for a while.
Before calling it quits for the day we made stops at a snake farm and an orchid and butterfly farm
After a long day, we were happy to crash at one of the most beautiful resorts ever--Krisdadoi. It is nestled right up against the mountainside, all the rooms are housed in individual Swiss Chalets. Krisdadoi is famous for it's beautiful gardens and grounds, which really impressed us, even in the off-season. The girls really loved the pool.
After a good night's rest, we spent the next 4 days sightseeing on a road trip up through the mountains to the city of Mae Hong Son and then onto Pai, the last city in Thailand before you hit the Myanmar border. The road to Mae Hong Son is so winding and curvy that once you make it into the city, you can get a certificate and good luck blessing for driving all the way up there without throwing up!
The girls at Obluang National Park, they have just crossed the suspension bridge and have stacked nine rocks on top of each other for good luck.
Visit to the Karen tribe village, famous for the long-necked women who wear gold rings around their necks, the villagers here make some very nice single line silk scarves. (They are refugees from Burma, and rules limit their ability to take jobs, so they can really only make a living as a tourist attraction.)
Cultural immersion at Buddhist temples
Feeding the huge fish at the "Nampla" Fish Cave National Park
Once again a beautiful bungalow at the Pai Come Hideaway Resort, Ashley is with our driver Poo in this picture, who by this point has become a part of the family! I really enjoyed the vibe in Pai although I spent the whole time worried about mosquitos as Malaria was a threat this close to Myanmar. Needless to say I wasn't expecting to go this far north and ended up dousing us in insect repellent.
Hunan Village of Chinese refugees descendants of Ghengis Khan
A visit to the Chiang Mai Zoo Aquarium and to the Panda Exhibit
In Thailand, the wonders never cease, Roong Aroon hot springs and geysers and the girls in front of a mall in Chiang Mai. I am pretty convinced that you really haven't experienced a mall until you have been to one in Thailand---they are a wonder.
Hands on at the paper and umbrella factory, Ashley is pounding tree bark into pulp and Paige is having a handmade fan painted and personalized.
Whew! What an adventure-packed vacation within a vacation. I really fell in love with Northern Thailand, it is so beautiful and humbling. Dave wasn't with us for this portion of the trip, but I hope that our whole family can go back together one day, I loved it sooo much.
Absolutely breathtaking!
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