When planning the trip to Thailand I had a hard time deciding how many days we should stay in Chiang Mai. We ended with 3 nights and honestly we loved it so much we could have stayed longer. (Be sure to check out our time in Bangkok & Ko Samui).
The Bangkok Airlines lounge provides free snacks and drinks and it was actually very impressive. While walking to our gate I stopped by a rack of cookbooks and a couple from Sydney walked up and started laughing at a book, “Cooking with Poo”. I couldn’t help but purchase the book before heading to our gate. A Canadian woman on our flight to Chiang Mai was so helpful with tips for our visit. Roti was a must and trust me this was good advice as we had it multiple times.
Our Hotel
Our hotel, Aruntura was right on the river and couldn’t have been more quaint and quiet. The breakfast had everything you could possibly want and it wasn’t crowded at all.
Night Market
The night market was something everyone said we should visit and it truly was impressive. We saw it all and tasted everything! The Roti literally changed my life. I don’t think I will ever be the same. I purchased two photographs from a local photographer.
Breakfast and Clean Clothes
Breakfast is a feast if you want it to be and the Ungers didn’t hold back. From the coffee to the croissants to the waffles and Thai cuisine we were ready to conquer the day. We met a couple from Portland, OR on their honeymoon and shared tips with each other. The restaurant at the hotel was really good. I decided to venture off the Thai menu and the bolognese sauce with garlic bread was probably one of the best I have ever had.
Believe it or not we were able to pack all carry-on luggage for a 2 week trip so at mid trip clean clothes was a must. Thanks to Google we found EM’s laundry service. I have never been more happy to have fresh, clean smelling clothes in my life!
Cooking Class in Chiang Mai
We were picked up at our hotel at 4pm and spent the next 4 hours with Baan Hongnual Cookery and a lovely couple from Minnesota. Hands down one of my favorite things we did on this trip. I loved our instructor, she took us to the local market and bought us a couple things to try. She had only been learning English for the past 5 months and she did a great job communicating with us, I was very impressed. She took her time and made this a very memorable experience. And the food, oh the food we made was delish!
A Day with the Elephants
Kanta came with glowing reviews and I was impressed with all of it. From the staff to the facilities to the schedule and of course the beloved giants, I was impressed. There came a point where I needed to put the camera down and just be in the moment. We did get the chuckles out of our attire for the day. I laugh every time I see photos of John’s long flowing pants 🙂
We spent the morning with a small number of elephants. To feed them bamboo you hold one end of the stick and hold it out, they will grab the other end and you let go. After the bamboo is gone we then move to the long green grass. They like to eat the white ends first and then finish eating the greens. So fascinating. After lunch, which was incredible pad thai, we ventured to other side of the property where there were more elephants. More feeding and bathing took place.
The group helped make rice/banana balls, the size of a softball, to feed the elephants. They included all sorts of ingredients helping them stay healthy. You raise you hand in the air holding the ball and say “BON BON”, they open their mouth and you slip it in. So much fun, lots of laughs for sure.
If venturing with the elephants is of interest I highly recommend spending the entire day with them. It goes so fast and is truly a remarkable experience.
Cowgirl Lady
Anthony Bordain put Cowgirl Lady on the map and my mission for dinner was to find her. We did, luckily we arrived with little to no wait and enjoyed her famous pork and rice dish. Not sure it’s worth all the hype but it was good. We headed to the Saturday night market and enjoyed more street food. It started to get a little too people-ly so we decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel.
Next stop Koh Samui, Thailand.
