Chiang Mai

So we ventured up north to the milder temperatures of the ancient Lanna Kingdon of Thailand or more commonly known as Chiang Mai. This city is centred around the Old City which is guarded by a moat and red brick city walls and is home to over 400 wats (temples) on the banks of the Ping River. The atmosphere here in Chiang Mai is a calm compared to the bustle of Bangkok, with cobblestone streets, distinctive Thai architecture and the beautiful surrounding mountains. It is here we checked into a quaint hotel made from a 125 year old teak traditional Thai home situated right on the banks of the calm Ping River.

Ping River

We spent a few days exploring the ancient city with its countless temples and maze of streets through this unique part of the city. He made stops at the traditional temple of Wat Phra Sing with elaborately decorated facade to the ancient temple of Wat Chedi Luang with its temple ruins with elephant statuses guarding the base. And we took in the famous Sunday walking street night market, with its over 2 km long stroll through food stalls and handicrafts of the local people.

Wat Chedi Luang

But no visit to this area of Thailand would be complete without a trip to an elephant camp. Here we watched in awe as elephants put on a show of their skills from playing soccer to traditional log rolling for the lumber industry to painting pictures. It was here that we took a very long elephant trek through the rain forests and rivers to really experience a way of life for the Thai people many years ago. We were also treated to a ride on a traditional Thai ox cart and a float down the river on a bamboo raft. From there we went on to Tiger Kingdom and spent some time with real tigers, here we cuddled baby cubs and full grown tigers in an experience like no other.

Elephants having a bath

Laurence Picked up by Elephant

We also took the opportunity to try our hands at zip lining through the rain forests of the Thai mountain side. Here we zipped along the tree canopy over 50 metres above the ground for over 300 metres at a time; it was a real rush for sure. Laurence being a bit afraid of heights struggled with it at first but soon got into swinging from platform to platform with ease. It was only the abseiling straight down to a 40 metre drop that scared him.

I feel like a bird

That was almost a code brown moment!!!!

I can't believe that he talked me into this!!!!

We only had a few days in Chiang Mai, but we made the best of it enjoying the ancient city, a 4 hour first class spa experience, zip lining and of course interacting with the animals. The tranquil nature of the city is very calming and the friendly people here have made our visit to northern Thailand a visit to remember.

I haven't done this since I was a kid