Chiang Mai, Thailand

Elephant Spray Down

<Cathy>    Sawadee!  We are loving our adventures in Thailand, despite each of us having a sick day - one after the other.  How we managed to avoid feeling crummy on travel days escapes me, but I'll point toward good karma for that.  Chiang Mai is a really vibrant city - tight connection to nature and the environment, strong commercial growth and expansion, with friendly, laid-back people.  We stayed in an Airbnb condo outside of the main square of the city so we relied on the local transportation, SaongTaos and TukTuks, to get around.  A saongtao is basically a pickup truck with an enclosed passenger area that fits 8 travelers on 2 long benches.  Like a taxi, you hail one, negotiate the price (interestingly they start with a better price for women than men), then climb through the doorway in the back and hang on tight!  Seriously, driving in Thailand is insane.  I counted over 15 tourists walking on the street just today with scraped up legs, elbows, and arms - clearly from scooter mishaps.  I think I'll leave driving to those that grew up in Thailand, thank you very much.

 One day, we had reservations to go into the country to a local market and farm to learn how to cook authentic Thai food.  Camryn was down and out that day, so it was just Callie and I.  We had our own exposure to the market via our guide where Callie and I tried Century Eggs or 1,000 year old eggs - think hard boiled eggs that are fermented in all kinds of stuff for 45 days.  The egg white is brown, gelatinous, and salty while the yolk is greenish, a little fishy and pasty.  Honestly, I thought it would be worse and can actually see  how the flavor would grow on you...over time people!

Callie cooking up a storm

 Amazing Thai Soup

Once Callie and I were in the country, we toured the garden then began to cook.  We made Tom Yun Goon soup (my personal fave), curry paste, green and yellow chicken curry, spring rolls, pad thai, and mango with sticky rice.  We were so full by the end of the day, but the food was absolutely amazing and the steps surprisingly simple.  The trick is fresh, fragrant ingredients.  Callie was a pro at rolling and frying up the spring rolls - ask her to make them for you some time!  It was cool to learn from a scratch Thai cook and make our own creations in an outdoor kitchen.

Steps up to the Wat Phra That Doi

Catmosphere Cafe

Another day, we took a ride up the mountainside to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a beautiful Buddhist temple from the 1300s overlooking Chiang Mai.  The temples here are so steeped in stories and traditions - quite an experience.  When the kids had their fill of Chaing Mai history, they convinced us to visit the Catmosphere Cafe - 3 blocks from "home".  So what is the Catmosphere cafe, you dare ask??  As you might have guessed, there are about 20+ cats inside a cafe that you play with while enjoying an afternoon tea.  It was clean and actually better than I anticipated.  A few really interesting felines and it helped the girls not miss Oreo (our kitty) so much.  They had a blast!

On the 4th of July, we took for the mountains again, this time to enjoy a day as an elephant caretaker.  It was definitely a highlight for all of us - and a bit of a life-changer I might add.  This was not a zoo, but instead a preserve focused on protecting and rehabbing rescued elephants and reversing their declining populations.  There were no fences and we were quickly

immersed in caring for and learning about what it takes to keep elephants able to live their full lives (about 85 years).  We arrived and quickly began to interact with two new baby elephants (2 and 3 months old) and their moms.  I was a bit anxious about how they would feel with having humans around, but I had nothing to fear.

The babies were very playful and quite adorable - one ran alongside Callie looking to have a little fun nudging here with its trunk.  They mimicked their moms, pretending to eat bananas and the foliage - so cute!  We were each assigned an elephant (mine was named Mejung - a 30 year old female) and we were to care for them for the day - feeding, health inspection, cleaning, washing, and exercising them.  They are most gentle, wise, and family oriented animals I've ever encountered.  Learning about their bonds and watching how they would communicate with each other was spellbinding.  How anyone could harm these beautiful giants is beyond me.  Humans are their predators and yet they need our protection.  We all had just an amazing day!

Intricate carvings made of soap

Sunday Night Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is known for its markets - food, clothing, household goods, tourist stuff, you name it.  We hit the Sunday night market where they close down a busy street in center city and all the vendors come to sell their wares.  At this market in particular, you can find high quality, traditional Thai items, and great prices.   We loved bargaining for our touristy purchases, plus there were a few food vendors with some awesome smelling offerings - definitely worth the visit!

What I love about Thailand is the people and the food.  Thais are a quiet, respectful bunch, but if you make an effort to talk with them and joke around, they absolutely come to life, with beautiful smiles, happiness, and some giggles as well.  There is a secret they must share about living a happy life because they all seem to ascribe to it.

Big thanks to Jesse, Ashley, Alec, and Nicole for the fantastic suggestions on our Thailand visit.  Next we head to Southern Thailand, an island off the east coast called Koh Samui.  See you there!