Chiang Mai, oh My!

Chiang Mai, Thailand is in the northeastern part not too far from the Myanmar boarder. We stayed at the Astra Sky hotel, actually it was an Air BnB apartment, which was just like the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore with a few minor differences. The pool does run across the entire roof but is only on the 17'th floor. The price per night for our stay was $50 a night, much cheaper. And the grounds around the outside of the hotel were "slightly" unkept by comparison. For those who've been to Thailand before know what I'm talking about, anything goes in Thailand. For those who have not, well outside sometimes trash has a well defined resting place and sometimes it does not. 

Weekend market, super busy!

Downtown Chiang Mai

The location was great we were only a few blocks from the night market and we discovered some really great things to eat. My favorite was mango sticky rice. It's a Thai dessert where a half of a mango accompanies a scoop of sticky rice which is drizzled with a sweet milky coconut syrup and sprinkled with some salty crunchy bits. I have no clue what the bits are but they don't move so at least they weren't alive, probably. Doesn't matter its super delicious and I attempted to have it every night while there. Nicole and Zane also found these really good baked potatoes filled with cheese and spinach. They were tasty but I liked them mostly because the little Thai lady was cooking them using a blow torch like the ones you find at Home Depot in the plumbing isle. I'll have to mention that to my dad the next time mom asks him to help cook over the holidays.

Count Chocolate Lips Von Shteekifingers eating a desert at the night market.

Here is another idea dad, the next time mom asks you to remodel the kitchen show her this place we ate at. It's called the Carp Cafe and was unbelievable in so many ways. When we walked in, so many questions ran through my head: Who's idea was this? How did they build it? Is carp on the menu? Will I fall through the little squishy wooden bridge on my way back from the bathroom? Did I just go in the women's restroom? and How do you differentiate male and female carp? Fortunately we all survived and had a great time but yes that was the women's bathroom.

Oliver, Zane and Nicole at the center of carp action.

Zane feeding the fish, round three I believe.

 

Nicole REALLY got a kick out of this!

The dinner table seating was below waterline.

 

We were lucky to spend two of our days with some new friends; Josh and O and their sons Charlie and Oliver and Josh's mom Deloris. A great big thanks to our good friends Monica and Eric for making the connection. Before they set off conquering the reset of the world, Eric and Josh grew up together in Michigan just down the road from Whitehall where my mom grew up. Even after all we've seen it's a small world.  Josh now lives in Chang Mai so we were excited to spend time with true locals. Zane and Oliver are about the same age so they had a great time together.

After the Carp Cafe Josh and the family joined us, well they took us really, to the Chang Mai Night Safari. It's a zoo open until late at night so you get to see the animals up and moving in the dark. There is a tram that drives through the park and at some exhibits you get to feed the animals. We were getting deer, zebra, and giraffes close enough to feed. We also saw a tiger show where multiple types of tigers are paraded by behind a glass wall. There is no way I could ever out run or jump any of those cats, but hey all you have to be is faster than the slowest guy. The night concluded with a water and light show near the main entrance followed by the Zane and Oliver Dance Extravaganza. 

Zane at work.

Zebras got treats.

We kept our distance from the hippos.

 After a day relaxing at the hotel, Josh and the family picked us up for a ride up the mountain next to Chiang Mai. Doi Suthep Temple is about half way up and overlooks the city. On the way up to it we stopped at a little waterfall to scramble around on the rocks. The water was really cold but that didn't stop Josh.

The temple is very ornate and the gold in the afternoon light is hard to look at it's so bright. We were blessed by a Buddhist monk who threw water on us for luck, Zane liked that part. Then we all enjoyed the view and tried to find which building we were staying in. Charlie, Josh, Zane and I watched planes land and takeoff on the tiny airport below. After a bite to eat we headed back to the hotel for the kids to swim but that only lasted a minute as the water was too cold. They played Uno instead while us parents relaxed to finish the day. I had a great time chatting with Josh, he's a cool dude, and his mom had some really great stories from her travels!

The following day we hired a driver, recommended by O, to take us to a few more places outside of town. The first stop was the Tiger Kingdom where you get to spend a few minutes in a room petting a tiger. Our room had two small baby tigers only a few months old. Zane was a little scared at first but warmed up quick and liked giving pets. Nicole of course wanted to take one home. I told her we forgot the leash. 

 Just down the street from the tigers was Le Petit Zoo. It is a small cafe with a few unique animals to feed and pet: racoon, mercats, rabbits, unknown, hedgehogs, and the grand finale a Capybara. The Capybara is a large rodent like animal with a big round nose and webbed feet. They are really tame and friendly. It looks like a stuffed animal that came to life. The hair on it is thick and more like straw. So imagine petting a burlap sack full of chewed lettuce. They are silly looking creatures.

Mercats

Unknown

Capybara

 

A zipline park was just around the corner from the tigers and random animals so we stopped by. Lucky for us Zane was old enough to ride. It was a short course and not as spectacular as crossing rivers and waterfalls at 100ft like in New Zealand but still fun. Zane is a professional zipliner now so he even tried going upside-down on one crossing.

All geared up.

You wanna do WHAT?

One of the places Nicole found that looked interesting was Dantewata park and cafe. It's a strange spiritual waterfall park but everything is man made. The walkway went around, under and through various formations that resembled rock and had water flowing over them. At some places it gets a little misty and others can send you right under a waterfall. You have to watch where you step. It was interesting to stop by but whatever you do, do not eat at the cafe there unless you're free the whole day. It took more than an hour and a half to get lunch and the place wasn't big either. We should have bailed on lunch, but we were hungry. So we ate quickly then ran through the park and off to the last stop of the day.

Sticky waterfalls is also outside of town in the mountains surrounding Chiang Mai. It was a nice drive out across the rice paddies and farmland to get there. We were not sure what to expect once we arrived but it sounded similar to a favorite place of ours in Turkey, Pamukkale. It's a Travertine rock formation created by a natural spring that pours out of the side of a desert plateau. The Pamukkale formation in Turkey is very large and almost pure white, a must see if you find yourself heading to that part of the world! Turns out the Thai Sticky waterfall rock formations were similar although smaller and more of a beige color than white. I suppose it all depends on the minerals in the water. The spring is poring out through the jungle so as you climb up it you're surrounded by lush green vines winding up tree trunks. The entrance is at the top near the spring origin. A series of wooden stairs and boardwalks take you to the bottom. We passed a sign stating children under 8 shouldn't attempt to climb back up, I got a little worried Z wouldn't make it. After wading across a small pool, you begin to climb back up the formation with the water running down. Some of the really steep traverses have a rope to help pull yourself up. But, the rock has a strange rough texture to it so your feet grab hold even as water is flowing over it. Oh, I get it now "Sticky" waterfall! Forgot to mention you do all this barefoot. It was a really unique experience and we didn't get too wet but should have worn swimsuits to maximize the fun. Zane was having a great time and it was difficult to keep up with him as point man on the second run up the formation. He knew where to go and he was zipping past many of the adults. That dude continues to impress me.

Our last full day we spent at Elephant Friends, a resort with a few elephants and other activities. It's located about an hours drive southwest of Chiang Mai in the mountains. The resort was nice and even without the elephants it would have been a great place to stay a few more nights. It sits right next to a small mountain river and has a dozen or so cabins perched above it on the terraced hillside. A driver picked us up from town in the early morning and drove us there. Once we checked in we were assigned a guide for the day. We feed a few of the elephants and took them for a walk in the jungle. Zane was very intimidated and kept his distance. Nicole and I had fun feeding them huge chunks of sugar cane. During the walk the guide explained that the elephants come from other countries where they were used for labor and can no longer be release into the wild. He stressed that none of them are allowed to be ridden. They all had tracking chip implants and routine blood work to ensure their health was good. It seemed they had a very good life there. On the walk the trainers just let the elephants walk freely through the jungle, one of them wandered down a hill in the thick brush to eat leaves and scratch against a tree. It was funny to watch and it felt like my evening walks with Zoe dog. No leash just go have some fun sniffing around the block before we make our way back home to relax and eat more. At the end of the walk they lay down on their side in the river and we got to bath them. The guide told us to splash water all over them, we did, it was fun. Then he said to get the sand and mud from the river bottom and rub their hide all over, we did 'cuz they like it. Then wash them off again, we did again. Then the other side, WTF. My back was starting to hurt bending over. Finally, a bunch of pictures of us posing with the elephants in the river, sometimes giving kisses with their trunks. After a morning of eating, walking, bathing, and modeling the elephants were guided to friken lunch. While proofreading this I'm realizing this wasn't a resort for humans no mater how nice the damn views from the cabins are.

Good morning treats.

 

While the elephants had the rest of the day off our fun continued. We were driven a few miles up stream and took a bamboo float raft back down to the resort. I think rafting over rapids is one of the most fun things to do so this was great. The rapids were small except for one point where we got stuck on a rock and everyone had to bail. The water was pretty cold but only a few inches deep. Once clear of the obstacle the guide let me be captain. That turned out to be another workout. I was just getting the hang of it and we floated right past our stopping point. After capsizing that tiny catamaran in Punta Cana last summer, it's clear now I'm not as good as I think I am with boats!

Bamboo raft float

Our turn for lunch now. The guide took us to a waterfall farther up stream where we sat on the rocks below and ate Pad Thai and fruit. Afterward we were allowed to explore the area. If you could make it across the super slippery rocks there was a path that lead behind the falls. Nicole and Zane lead the way and found a small cave with a temple behind the waterfall - so cool! Zane also found a not slippery path out the other side of the falls. We probably should have listened to the guide but it was more fun the way we went!

Zane found tadpoles and was catching them with mom, a little slimy.

 That night we stayed at the resort and woke up to a few of the elephants wandering around the cabins in the morning. We said our goodbyes and were driven back to the airport in Chiang Mai. Our next stop ... Bangkok.

Roman Family this is your wake up call.

Adventure recovery mode.

Later Chiang Mai, good times!