Chiang Mai
After Hanoi and Halong Bay, we flew back to Thailand and went to Chiang Mai which is north of Bangkok and very different from it. We stayed in the Makkachiva Hotel inside the old city and used it as our base for 4 days.
Doi Suthep Temple - On our first full day in Chiang Mai we took a private tour with Lanna Kingdom Tours. Its first stop was Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, also known as just Doi Suthep. The temple is said to have been founded in 1383 and over time it has expanded, and been made to look more extravagant with many more holy shrines added. A road to the temple was first built in 1935.
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Wat Pha Lat (Hidden Temple) - Our second stop was at a jungle temple called Wat Pha Lat, a.k.a. Hidden Temple. It was very peaceful with many of the structures and artifacts still covered by jungle vegetation.
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Elephant Sanctuary - Our final stop for the day was at the Lanna Kingdom Elephant Sanctuary. We were given clothing to use that could get dirty and we were warned that it would be a wet and dirty experience. Definitely a lot of fun to feed the elephants and observe their antics.
John getting his introduction on what was to come.
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Cooking Class - We spent the next morning taking a cooking class from Zabb-E-Lee Thai Cooking School. It was fun and we enjoyed the experience, but we found it rather hurried because the teacher/guide was trying to do too many things at once. We walked away with a small Thai recipe book, but very little more knowledge on what to do.
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Wat Chedi Luang - Wat Chedi Luang is a Buddhist temple in the centre of Chiang Mai, just up the street from our hotel. After 2 days traveling it was nice to just walk a few blocks to check this out. In addition to the big temple which is set back from the road, there are several other chapels and statues in the compound.
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Around Chiang Mai - Below are a selection of photos taken in the area around our hotel.
This is Wat Chang Taem as seen from the balcony of our hotel, the Makkachiva.
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