Chiang Mai, Oh My

August 4-8 Chiang Mai

August 4 

The family of five left Bangkok and headed to Chaing Mai. A few options exist to getting from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. One is the night train, and another is flying (bus is cheapest but least comfortable and slowest). We opted for flying and booked five relatively inexpensive tickets on Thai Airways. The taxi from Chiang Mai airport into town is quick, easy, and not expensive (which is true about taxis in general in Thailand). We again chose The Shangri-La, and were welcomed with the same nice welcoming customer service and we were able to get upgraded to the concierge floor. This included drinks, snacks, evening cocktails and newspapers at all times. Oh were the kids so excited, it was actually a nice way to unwind after a day of touring.


Once in town, the best amusing of transportation and most exciting for the kids are the Tuk Tuks. A Tuk Tuk is essentially a three wheeled motorcycle, with a covered bench in the back for passengers. Don't look for seatbelts, doors, or any safety devices of any type on them, since they are nonexistent. The three kids loved it, and would fight over who got to sit in the front next to the driver on his motorcycle saddle. While it did cross my mind that one wrong turn might throw my children out into the middle of the heavily trafficked road, it did remind of the glory days when we could ride in the back of our parents car without seat belts, all while beating the crap out of each other. Sigh.

Upon arrival, we ventured into the main part of the town and explored some of the amazing Wats. The temples of Chiang Mai are among the oldest in the country. First stop: Wat Phra Singh.  Beautiful, a must see.  Lunch followed at SP Chicken, Samlan Rd Soi 1, Tambon Si Phum, Amphoe Mueang . Our older son sampled the prize parts served next to the roast chicken, on the platter: chicken heart and chicken blood cake. After a long walk back to the hotel, it was time for a nap and a swim.

August 5- 

Elephant day was here. Amazing day. A number of elephant parks are clustered around the city. They vary widely in activities and philosophies. After our research and discussion with a fellow traveling family, we chose  Elephant Nature Park.  This preserve is dedicated to injured elephants being rehabilitated and raised conscientiously.

 We were able to feed them, pet some and of the course the highlight for the kids was bathing the elephants.  This turned into a water fight between my three. The preserve was also a cat a dog rescue center and we also encountered many students (a lot of Americans) doing service work here. They receive service hours while enriching their lives through travel. We gained a deep appreciation for the social and family structure of elephants watching them at play. This day will stay with us forever.

August 6 

Day three in Chaing Mai, we decided to hire a guide for the day.  Similar to our river guide in Bangkok, he really wasn't a guide. He was a taxi driver that took us to different locations in the city. The first stop was the Chaing Mai Zoo. Of course the kids loved it, I really could've done without it. Its claim to fame is its pandas. These are housed in an airconditioned cinder block building, where you can gaze at them through glass, similar to the National Zoo in Washington DC. Otherwise, it's an adequate but fairly unremarkable zoo.  But, if kids are happy then so too are the parents.

Next we went to the Doi Suthep Wat. You have to climb 300 steps to get to the top, but once at the top the sight is spectacular and the views are amazing. After the Wat visit we ate a small restaurant recommended by our driver, that literally looked down the side of a mountain. The monsoon rains soon kicked in and all I could think was that in case of mudslide, we are doomed. The food was amazing. For the kids, their main interest  was the fact that they had to use a squat toilet. They were not pleased but this then prompted a conversation about bathrooms of the world and how different cultures "go" when they need to "go."

August 7 

The day of the Hill tribes. Our research had directed to Thailand Hilltribe Holidays, which seeks to create awareness of these communities and economically improve the. We were picked up at the hotel and brought to a center that is designed to introduce all the major hill tribe communitties. Here we had to pay an entrance fee and were taken to see a variety of tribes;  Hmong, Long Necks and Karin tribe members. While it felt a bit contrived, we found out that this is a way they support their tribes.

You can come and buy some of their goods, observe their lifestyle all so you can sustain their way of life--something I am happy to help support. From here we drove an hour to a Hmong village. As we walked through the village, Hmong kids kicked a soccer ball to our kids. We came across a family reunion.  While the kids and I had to stay outside, my husband was invited in by the clan men. They poured him beer and plied him with random parts of the pig they were roasting. He was having his Bourdain moment and was in heaven. I, meanwhile, was trying to make sure the kids didn't get lost as they chased chickens up and down the street. We bought beer to thank the family who invited my husband in, which made him an even bigger hit of the party.

After that, we drove another two hours to a Karin village in the middle of the Thai jungle and sat with an elder in his raised hut. He offered us freshly harvested honey, which was delicious. After that, he passed around a traditional Karin snack, fermented tea leaves and salt. Right as we were getting ready to leave, the monsoon rains started. We lay on the mats and waited it out.

Listening to the rain on his thatched roof was so relaxing, I was ready to move in. We then visited another Karin village, where the kids got to see family homes.  They learned about traditional tribal homes, where the family's valued livestock lives on the ground floor, and they live above them on a floor over stilts.