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Published: June 19th 2010
View of Chiang Mai from Doi Suthep
We drove up a huge mountain to see a temple that was under construction. But the view was still nice.What to say about Chiang Mai....you can do anything and everything here! Including getting your daily/weekly/yearly dose of adrenaline.
Our first full day in town (June 16th) we took a taxi up a mountain West of town to see a big, famous wat (temple). Not so spectacular. The drive up was really beautiful and so was the view of Chiang Mai. However, there was repairs/construction at the temple so its beauty was marred by scaffolding and tarps.
Later that evening, Andrew totally caved (don't be swayed by tales of draft beer - a rarity - and big screen tvs with world cup soccer) and we went to "Chiang Mai Saloon" for dinner...I kid you not. With out a doubt the worst meal to date (and hopefully of the trip). After dinner, it was time to move on. We tried to find this Canadian pub we had stumbled upon the night before but unfortunately, it was closed!! Just not our night.
On Thursday (June 17th) we did a full day cooking class. We each learned how to make 7 dishes, so we have a full thai repertoire! The class started with a market tour so we got to see all
the vegetables that are in the dishes we've been eating. The class was a lot of fun and we were sooooooo full by the end of it. Food Coma!
Yesterday, June 18th, we went "trekking." This is one of the big things to do in Chiang Mai, with many people opting to go for a one or two night trek through the jungle and mountains. We decided to go for a one day trek which, surprisingly, didn't include any actual trekking. It was fun nonetheless. First off we went white water rafting. It was good, but definitely nothing crazy. Because there hasn't been much rain here the rapids were pretty weak for the most part. Not even close to Jinja!! Then after that we were taken to an elephant camp where we enjoyed an hour long elephant ride. Sarah got to sit on the elephant's head as well and chauffeur me around the park a little. After this we took a bamboo ride down another part of the river. It was very peaceful, but also very hot. To finish off our one-day "Trek" our organizers took us to an indigenous town to see how some of the local people
live. It was quite exploitative and a little weird. There was a small market there with 3 or 4 stalls - everything hand made - but we didn't buy anything.
Today was our adrenaline-pumping day. After some debate we decided to sign up for Jungle Flight - a zip-lining excursion through the jungle. It ended up being a great choice and was lots of fun. Our tour took us to 21 platforms and also a few rappelling stations. The last rappel was about 40m straight down and Sarah thought she had convinced our guide to drop her nice and slowly - as opposed to the freefall we got at the other, shorter drops. However, since she went before me and it was only me and the operator left on the platform we decided we should have a little fun and send her for a ride. (he dropped me straight down. fast. not nice.) What she doesn't want me to tell you is that she screamed and was a little, tiny bit, teary at the bottom. Ultimately though, I think she enjoyed the extr it was terrifying!
Off to Laos.
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Sue S
non-member comment
Yes, Andrew, what is that on your face? Wonderful pictures. We will expect a home cooked Thai meal when you get back. Have fun