There is a huge contrast between Bangkok and Chiang Mai even tho its Thailand's second biggest city.
Our quick flight up to Chiang Mai brought us into a busy but clean and spacious city. This mountainous region of Thailand is jam packed with activities so we didn't wait around and jumped straight in the back of a pick up truck and headed out.
At the golden temple Steffie and I had our sticks read, an ancient Buddhist tradition. This involves shaking a pot of sticks whilst making a wish and the stick that falls out at random decides your future. The scariest thing was that both our futures predictions were the same and told us both to calm down and be patient with your loved one. We both looked at each other and laughed - all of those who know us will know that we are not patient at all!
One of our highlights on this trip started straight after a quick lunch - visiting "Tiger Kingdom".
We started out worried about the way the animals were going to be treated, but once we where there we realised straight away that this was a fun, safe and humane sanctuary.
Getting to hold tiger cubs was really lovely and a unique experience. The keepers didn't rush us and were happy to take photos of us together, which we didn't expect.
We then went into the adult tiger enclosure and the stark contrast between the cubs and adults was instantaneous, they are HUGE! Even though we felt safe, we were both very nervous, as these animals were free to walk around the enclosure as they pleased.
The keepers were brilliant with the adult tigers and weren't cruel. Because they have been brought up knowing not to bite and use there claws the keepers don't have to use brute force. We could see that the tigers enjoyed the company of the keepers and the visitors.
We posed for some more photos (all the while keeping one eye on the tiger) then headed back to our hotel.
On our way to the jungle trek we stopped off at a beautiful waterfall in a National Park. Not only did we get to frolic in the waterfall but we also made friends with a sweet little Thai boy. He took a liking to our group and came along for a walk and a swim.
The jungle trek.
I've been banging on about doing a proper jungle trek for months and now this was my chance, a three day hike into the sub tropical jungle with only a small backpack.
The first day they broke us in gently with a 2 hour downhill walk to a remote hill tribe village hidden in the jungle. This place was beautiful and really was surrounded by dense foliage with only a narrow path connecting it to the outside would. We all shared a few beers after an amazing dinner of local Thai food. After the beers, the home brewed whiskey came out and we all new it was time for bed.
The next day was the big one - a full day trekking through dense jungle with a climb up a mountain called "big mumma".
We were first out the gate with a few others in our group and set the pace all day but the thing we found hardest was the humidity. We weren't just sweaty we were soaked. The wick-away tech t shirt that Rich recommend me to buy was a godsend, purely because it stopped me getting cold when we stopped moving - so thanks Rich!
By the end of hike we were all tired and sore but were rewarded by finishing our hike on the back of elephants. 3 beautiful Asian elephants that Steffie named "Frank", "Matilda" and "Frances". Frank the big bull actually stole Steffie's bamboo walking stick because he thought it was a snack - she attempted to take it back, but he was too strong!
We rode on the elephants for about 45 minutes and they dropped us straight to the village where we were saying for the night - 2 big rooms and a balcony on stilts. No home-brew for me on that night - as we were both asleep by 7pm.
Throughout the whole of our jungle trekking we enjoyed the most delicious Thai food we have ever eaten - it is all organic and fresh as that's all they have around them. How thy managed to cook such amazing food with such limited equipment is beyond us!
We ended our adventure by bamboo rafting down the river for 4 hours and finished our jungle adventure with a truly memorable experience.
Back at the hotel we had a very well deserved shower, threw ALL of our clothes in the wash and donning steffies harem pants went to get a traditional Thai massage.
During our last day we did a Thai cooking class, getting to make red and green Thai curries, spring rolls, pad-thai and chicken with cashew nuts. So be ready for homemade Thai dinner parties when we get home!
That evening with a few of our other travellers we went to a very special cabaret show....
The Chiang Mai lady boy cabaret show
This was a full scale assault to the senses! Loud music, sparkles, sequins, feathers galore and of course questionably gendered divas everywhere! The best thing to do is just go with it! Grab your drink and sing along to the likes of Abba and Aretha Franklin. The show was so much fun and we left on a high and maybe a few a little confused (me and josh - not the girls).
This brought us to the end of our north Thailand adventure. We now have a little holiday within a holiday, so let us go pick up two very pasty and tired holiday makers from the airport and embark on 10 days island hopping around south Thailand with Steffie's brother Sam and his girlfriend Claire. Steffie being excited is an understatement!
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