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| Sawatdee kha from the jungle! |
I could live in Chiang Mai. What an amazing place. We flew here from Ubon Ratchathani and received a warm welcome from our hosts at Yaang Come Village. The hotel is incredible with its traditional style and lush setting. It was sometimes hard to leave but the markets and temples beckoned. I loved getting lost in the old city which felt more charming and less crazy than Bangkok. The night markets were exciting and we even went to a ladyboy show. There was so much tasty food, including a Burmese restaurant- The Swan, which was so popular among our group that we decided to return there for our last night.
We toured Wat Phra Singh and Doi Suthep, two beautiful temples. The view of Chiang Mai from the top of Doi Suthep was impressive and the scope of the temple was incredible. We climbed the 300 steps to the top and walked around the chedi with the monks. It was so wonderful to stand under a bodhi tree that is said to have come from the original one in India where the Buddha became enlightened.
After spending most of our time in cities, it was refreshing to take a day and head to the jungle. We drove to the mountains in the far north of Thailand right near the Burmese border. There we hiked through dense bamboo forests with breathtaking views and made our way to a hill tribe village. We were prepared a delicious lunch with ingredients we'd purchased at a market earlier in the day. Nothing tastes better than an authentic Thai lunch after an arduous, sweaty hike. Have I mentioned how hot and humid it was in Thailand? So. Hot. I have never been sweatier in my life. But it was worth it- the heat, the bugs, the toilets or lack thereof, the early mornings, and the endless walking. It was so worth it, to experience such a rich, beautiful place.
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| our spectacular hotel in chiang mai- yaang come village |
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| the lobby |
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| the path to my room |
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| orchid |
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| chiang mai |
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| night market |
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| buck and silk |
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| songthaew taxi |
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| yes we ate here and it was delicious |
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| walking street market |
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| ladyboy show |
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| wat phra singh |
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| noi telling us about buddhism |
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| inside the temple |
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| foreshadowing? |
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| wax monks |
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| hiking up to doi suthep |
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| traditionally dressed children and naga |
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| the view from the top |
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| noi telling the story of the buddha's life |
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| bodhi tree! |
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| the chedi |
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| monks circling the chedi |
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| tourists |
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| walking around the chedi for good luck |
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| a nun preparing lotus flowers |
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| garlic guard cat |
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| so much heat! |
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| trekking in chiang dao |
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| our guide |
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| which way? |
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| bamboo |
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| can you spot the snake? we later learned from the village folks that this is an extremely poisonous species and "if it bit your leg, you'd probably have to have it amputated." yikes! |
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| hill tribe kitchen |
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| machete, slingshot, lunch |
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| hot sauce, dragon fruit, noodles |
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| hill tribe market |
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| hibiscus |
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| dragon fruit |
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| no idea. dreadlock tree? |
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| village kids |
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| pit stop on the way to elephant nature park! i got a fresh coconut water but now wish i'd gone for the "scoops of happiness" |
