Adventures in Chiang Mai

Well after the a lot of monkeys and temples it was time to move on North! We have been doing little train journey after little Train but we decided it was time for a bigger move away from the Bangkok area. So the overnight train it was!  We spent about 8-9 hours on there coming from Lopburi but it was a pleasant trip (for me anyway I got the bigger bed and could stretch out!).

Late night bored photo on the train!

We loved Chiang Mai so much more than Bangkok a knew it would be a lot less faffy! We started our time there with a walk around the old city to see a few of the temples and get an idea of the area!

One of our favorite moments in Chiang Mai was our Thai cooking class!

SAMMY!

It was done by Sammys Organic Farm. If anyone is near Chiang Mai and wants to do a good cooking course, I would highly recommend it!  He was really fun and passionate about food,  he took us to a local Thai market and showed us how they make coconut milk and also explained the differences in local rice with there being 200 varieties in Thailand alone. The best kind of rice in our eyes is glutenus rice which is used to make sticky rice!!

The whole day was fun as we cooked 5 different dishes each ranging from spring rolls to Thai red curry. There was an hour or so rest in the afternoon in the hammocks (it was pouring down but still really warm) before we did round two of cooking where we made mango and coconut sticky rice. One of the crown and glorys of the day has to go too Sammys Toilet! No joke it was one of the best toilets I have ever seen! It felt like your own private jungle whilst doing your business!

The MIGHTY Pooper!

As well as going to some amazing looking markets and the night bazaar, we went for a day trip to the local national park and mountainous area too do a variety of activities. The first being a butterfly and orchid farm, I wasnt impressed and the future seemed bleak. Thankfully I was wrong as we went for a mini walk through the forest to a lush waterfall! It was really busy but totally worth it as it was very refreshing after the mini hike. The next part was white water rafting which was so much fun even though it was more like brown water rafting! It didn't seem very safe baring in mind the guys were using their lungs to blow up the raft, we were given helmets and life jackets which added a little comfort..ish. After rafting for a good half hour we were transferred to a bamboo raft which strolled us down the river until we reached the end point. The final activity of the day envolved Elephants! They seemed really well cared for and you could see a connection between elephant and owner which was really nice. They let us take an elephant ride without a saddle meaning sarah was screaming as we held on for dear life as the elephant chose to go down the steepest of hills! The best part was that the whole day including lunch came to the grand total of £40!

Now it's time to chill for a bit in a small town called Pai!