Thailand - Week 3

Bangkok

From Chiang Mai we took an overnight train to Bangkok where we stayed for 3 days. After visiting rural villages, Bangkok is quite the juxtaposition. As the capital of Thailand, it is a very cosmopolitan city. Bustling with restaurants, hotels, nightlife, and entertainment, Bangkok presents most everything the western and eastern world have to offer.

Having only three days there, we hit the highlights of interest to me but here is a longer list of suggested activities: A Temple Tour, the Floating Market, Chatuchak Weekend Market, a boat tour along the Chao Phraya River, a stroll through Lumpini Park(Bangkok’s version of Central Park), watch a Muai Thai competition, shopping, spa and of course sample tons of delicious food.

Jim Thompson House

Being a textile and architecture lover, a tour of the Jim Thompson House was at the top of my list. His iconic red home embodies everything my mind had originally envisioned about Thailand.

Jim Thompson, also known as the “Thai Silk King” is responsible for starting the Thai silk industry after World War II. His home is a beautiful representation of a traditional Thai stilt house and offers a peak into his interesting past. Born the son of a textile manufacturer in Delaware, he worked in architecture in New York as a young man before he enlisted and served in World War II. The war led him to Thailand where he discovered and made known the beautiful work of the Thai silk weavers that still continues today. His legendary disappearance in 1967 is still a mystery.

A tour of his home starts in the luscious tropical grounds, continues with the history of the silk process from worm to weaving and displays a lovely collection of Asian art and pottery. It was one of my favorite stops. You can read more of his story and purchase his luxurious silks through jimthompson.com.

Chao Phraya River, Reclining Buddha & Wat Arun, The Grand Palace & Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles

Definitely tour the Chao Phraya River on one of the many varieties of boats available. It’s interesting to see the juxtaposition of modern skyscrapers next to thousand year old wats and wooden long-tail boats.

While the Buddhist temples possess such an intriguing variety of architecture, my time was short in Bangkok and I did not want to spend all of it only touring wats. I narrowed down to visiting the most famous: Wat Pho; the Reclining Buddha(note the size and the mother-of-pearl inlay on the feet), Wat Arun and Wat Saket. From the roof, to the ceilings, to the columns to the chedis; the attention to detail is amazing. We also enjoyed touring the grounds of The Grand Palace which is meticulously maintained. It was my second favorite stop in Bangkok. Nearby is Queen Sirikit’s Textile Museum where of course I had to stop and explore(buy) some silk(see a pattern here?) You can see me trying on some of the costumes below.

Tuk Tuk Tour - high Tea at The Sukhothai Bangkok - Dinner & a Show at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok

Bangkok has many modes of transportation and we sampled most of them. From tuk-tuk to boat to the BTS Skytrain, we made our way around the city. Since it was just before Christmas when I visited, we sought out a few ways to celebrate traditionally in Bangkok. We treated ourselves to high tea at The Sukhothai Bangkok hotel. The presentation of tea, desserts and chocolate is a real feast for the senses. Our last night was spent enjoying dinner and a show(Sala Rim Naam) of traditional Thai dancing at the Mandarin Oriental-Bangkok(highly recommend) where we arrived by boat and were greeted by one of the few Christmas trees(interestingly flown in from Canada) we had seen in Bangkok. It was both magical and comforting to experience some of our western traditions and luxuries after being away from America for over two weeks.

My three days in Bangkok were a whirlwind but I am glad we made the stop. From here, we headed to the beautiful beaches of Krabi for the final leg of the trip. I can’t wait to share these beautiful photos with you next weekend!

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If you are new to this Wanderlust Weekends Series, you can catch up here:

Week 1 - Tales from Thailand - Chiang Mai

Week 2- Chiang Mai continued

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Thailand - Week 2

Chiang Mai, continued…

Thanks for following along on this new wanderlust weekend series: Travel Tales from Thailand. This weekend’s story concludes my second week in Thailand and my last week in Chiang Mai.

There really is so much to do in the Chiang Mai area that I was glad to have had two whole weeks there. This week was spent continuing some very rewarding volunteer work, taking a Thai cooking class, touring street markets and coming as close as I ever will to a real tiger.

Tiger Kingdom- Mai Rim

Now I am no tiger king(queen) but I can say that I have had a very real and up-close encounter with these big cats. At Tiger Kingdom in Mae Rim, one can hold a cub and pet the largest tiger your courage will allow. I’ll admit I was skeptical at first about their captivation but after seeing the care and health of these tigers and learning about how T.K. was focusing on conservation through education, I was put at ease. I also learned that they collaborate with universities for veterinary research.

After checking the place out, I decided to take my one chance to encounter these beautiful animals. Nervous and excited, I approached the tigers from behind as instructed. The size of his paws and the depth of his purr alerted me to the sheer magnitude of his strength. From the unique striped pattern of their fur to their magnetic amber eyes, everything about tigers is beautiful to me.

To answer any questions that you might have about visiting Tiger Kingdom, I’ve included a link to their website and here are several reviews found on Trip Advisor.

Thai Cooking School

If you love Thai food like I do, you will definitely want to take a class at one of the many wonderful cooking schools available. Here is a list of highly recommended classes.

Our experience began with a tour through the street markets and a Thai herb garden. I was amazed at the beauty and variety of fruit and vegetables available. I tried many fruits that I had never seen or even heard of before. Have you ever tried rambutan, mangosteen or durian? I learned that there are five flavors that join to make the holy grail of Thai food: spicy, sour, bitter, sweet, and salty. Curry paste, rice vinegar, lime, coconut milk, fish sauce and fresh herbs(cilantro, mint, Thai basil, Vietnamese coriander and lemongrass to name a few)are key in making authentic Thai dishes. If you’ve never smelled fresh Thai basil, you are in for a treat! After an tour and education on the basic of thai cuisine, we were able to select two dishes we wanted to personally prepare. I chose the popular Pad Thai and Thai Red Curry. (After tasting all the curries, I like Massaman Curry the best) Now my dishes were not chef-worthy presentations but the taste was amazing. The fresh noodles and herbs straight from the garden definitely made the dish. The night ended by sharing our dishes around a family style table. The instructor and the group setting with fellow travelers made for a very fun experience that I highly recommend.

Street Markets

Any night that we had free time, we could always find an exotic street market to tour. We would sample the street food(I did refrain from trying the fried insects), enjoy the entertainment and always shop the latest hand-crafted treasures I could find. In fact, I bought so many that I needed a second suitcase to get them all home! Tha Pae(artsy), the Night Bazaar(huge with everything) and Warorot Market(great textiles) were some of the favorite street markets I visited. After a night of walking the markets, I suggest ending with a foot or back massage(which you can get almost anywhere you go for about $10)

Connie’s Home

The real highlight of my time in Chiang Mai was volunteering at a special place called Connie’s Home. This christian ministry was originally started and completely funded by a dear couple from the US. Not only do they provide a loving home and education for at-risk children from overcrowded orphanages, but they also minister to female juvenile offenders by providing a work-release nanny program. Playing with the children there and connecting with the teens through sewing projects will always hold a special place in my heart. If you would like more information on Connie’s Home or would like to volunteer or offer support, I encourage you to read more of their story here.

ACCOMMODATIONS in Chiang Mai

I was lucky to have stayed with a family member during my two weeks in Chiang Mai but if I were to go back today, the following hotels would be on my list of picks. For a highly recommended budget-friendly hotel in the heart of Old Town Chiang Mai, try Phra Singh Village. The Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai is set on 60 acres lush tranquil grounds in the historical heartland of Northern Thailand and I would be my pick for an intermediate priced stay. Situated along the Mae Ping River, Anantara Chiang Mai Resort would be another idea. For a real splurge, check out 137 Pillars House Chiang Mai. It won the 2019 Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice Award and I can see why. I must mention though that a splurge on accommodations is not necessary in Thailand. Many of their nicest hotels range from $50-$125/night. For your drooling pleasure, I did include a few photos below(credits to Trip Advisor) of the accommodations I mentioned below.

I hope you have enjoyed these highlights from Chiang Mai. If you have any recommendations or tips from your travels in Thailand, please share in a comment below. Stay tuned for next weekends Travel Tales from Thailand (Hint- We head south.)

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Thailand - Week 1

Sawasdee ka(hello in Thai) is one of the few phrases I remember from my visit to Thailand but the country itself still mesmerizes me today.

Still lingering in my memory several years later, Thailand is by far the most exotic and magical place I have ever visited. Where else can you pet tigers, ride elephants, eat exotic food, afford daily massages and island hop through the most beautiful water you have ever seen?

The lantern festival of lights is what first lured me to Thailand. Having a family member living there at the time made the trip a reality. I stayed just short of a month and visited three main areas: Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Krabi. It was truly a bucket list trip for me. There is so much to experience there that I could never cover it all but I will share my highlights from my trip starting with week one.

Week 1 - Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai which means “New City” in Thai is a mountainous region and the largest city in Northern Thailand. Founded in 1296, it was capital of the independent Lanna Kingdom until 1558(according to Google). Its Old City area still retains remnants of walls and moats from its history as a cultural and religious center. With its revered temples alongside its modern buildings, today Chiang Mai is a place where the past and present merge to create a beautiful melange for the senses.

First Stop - Thai Festival of Lights

I arrived in Chiang Mai at the end of November just in time for the Thai Festival of Lights(or what looks like a scene from the movie Tangled). The country-wide annual celebration of Loy Krathong (loy meaning float + krathong referring to a banana trunk decorated with flowers and incense sticks) collides with the northern tradition of Yi Peng (referring to the full moon day in the second month according to the Lanna lunar calendar) in Chiang Mai. As the largest city in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai boasts some of the most incredible parades, firework displays and traditional art performances in celebration of this holiday.

The Thais see it as a time to wave goodbye to misfortune, wash away sins of the past year, and make wishes for the coming year. For me, it was truly a magical experience and it has become a tradition that our family pays homage to almost every year around Thanksgiving.

Second stop - Patara Elephant farm

I highly recommend visiting Patara Elephant Farm. I signed up to be an “elephant care-giver” for a day and it was an experience like no other. The day includes a thorough education on these gentle giants as you are guided through feeding and grooming them. The bath ends with a surprise splash and is followed by a picnic lunch under a thatched hut that clings to the mountainside. After lunch, you finish the day touring the mountain trails on your newly trusted companion. I’ll never forget how she carefully carried me on her back by enveloping my legs with her magnificent ears. Is was as if she was caring for me instead. At the end of the journey, I said goodbye to my new friend and as her trunk wrapped my waist, I knew that neither of us would ever forget our meeting.

Third Stop - Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a Theravada Buddhist temple (wat) in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. It is one of northern Thailand’s most sacred temples and is a beautiful example of northern Thai architecture. To view the beauty of this wat, one must first climb the iconic Naga serpentine steps(306 of them) to the top. Once there, the view of the city is breathtaking.

Fourth Stop - Hmong Village on Doi Pui

While visiting Doi Suthep, we also visitied Doi Pui where the Hmong hill-tribe lives. The road up to the village is steep but worth the visit. I was told that most of the hill-tribes of the north used to cultivate opium poppies. Today, the Hmong community is sustained by selling agricultural products and traditional crafts(too intriguing not to purchase).

This concludes Week 1 of my travels in Chiang Mai. Stay tuned for Week 2 of my Thailand adventure by subscribing via email below.

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