Like most tourists in Thailand, we headed up north to the largest city, Chiang Mai. This city had a different vibe than Bangkok. It was more relaxed, mountainous, walkable and suburban-like. Most of my time was spent inside the old city, which had hundreds of temples but also lots of hip boutiques, restaurants and cafes. It was a nice change and I loved how walkable it was.

Day 5 – November 21, 2018

Tiger Kingdom was a debatable attraction to visit. While many would advise not to support the company, I reluctantly decided to go as it would be my only chance to see tigers up close and my research didn’t defer me away. While I am not certain if the tigers were drugged, they seemed healthy, accustomed to photos and the young tiger even had a play break.

Being born in the year of the tiger, I was always fascinated with tigers since I was a child. And so, I wanted to be near one once in my lifetime.

After seeing Tigers, I planned to meet and hangout with Cassie, who was in Thailand for a work remote year. One of the activities I thought would be fun with her would be an illusion art museum. It was a random fun to take silly photos and be reunited with Cass.

It was quirky and cheesy. The museum even had this 3D video app where it made things look more “realistic”. It was just pure laughter with Cassie and it was nostalgic of our university years and trip to Korea.

We walked to Ploen Ruedee Night Market afterwards which was a fantastic hip food night market with so much to try.

Day 6 – November 22, 2018

One of the top attractions was to visit Doi Inthanon National Park, the highest mountain in Thailand. Our original plan was to watch the sunset on our 8th day but we adjusted our itinerary to ensure there would be clear blue skies. This also meant we had to wake up early for the sunrise since we had lantern release plans for the evening.

We hired a driver to pick us up at 4:00am and drove for 2 hours. It was a spectacular sunrise where the clouds hung low and slowly the sun peek through the clouds.

We also hiked Kew Mae Pan Nature trail, which was breathtaking. While it was a busy hike, the low hanging clouds among layers of mountains was a rare site. We also visited the king and queen pagoda on the mountain and the nearby waterfalls.

After our outdoor adventure, we headed to the Yee Peng Lantern Release festival. While this event is purely created for tourists and commercialized, I still wanted to experience a moment where floating lanterns lit up the sky. The oldest lantern release at Mae Jo University was sold out instantly so the next best option was a new festival at the Cowboy Army Riding Club. 

While the Yee Peng Lantern Release is purely created for tourists and commercialized, I still wanted to experience a moment where floating lanterns lit up the sky. The oldest lantern release at Mae Jo University was sold out instantly so the next best option was a new festival at the Cowboy Army Riding Club. 

This festival was unexpectedly fun with included food and drinks, live music and cultural performances. There were logistics issues like slow shuttle process and long wait for food but I didn’t care as long as the lantern release was going to be beautiful. 

After food and activities, we proceeded to our lantern release designated ‘seats’. There was a short opening ceremony and then we were handed two lanterns each. People were eager and lit off their lanterns… The MC had to continually yell at people in all languages to stop lighting them so we can have a mass release. The live music starts and the lanterns began releasing in the sky. 

My friend Jenny, whose been before gave me the best tip to take photos or videos first while everyone releases their lanterns… This ensures the best photos before the lanterns started to stagger in release timing. And so, Chi and I watch these lanterns go into the sky and recorded this magical moment. 

A few minutes into it, Chi and I joined in the fun and lit our lanterns. I totally forgot to make any wishes because I was concentrating on getting enough air for a safe release. They were quite dangerous and a couple caught on fire in the sky. Two girls next to us also lit their lantern on fire.  

It was truly magical and beautiful despite how wasteful it is and its negative impact on the environment. The music and song composed by the festival was perfect and unforgettable. The hair on my arms stood up and my skin was tingling. Once in a lifetime… but I am so tempted to see it again in Taiwan. 

Day 7 – November 23, 2018

We attempted to have Khao Soi for lunch but the famous spot, Khao Soy Maesai was sold out by the time we got there. So instead we went to nearby a famous grill chicken place, Cherng Doi Roast Chicken for lunch. It was pretty good but not that memorable.

We had a casual early afternoon roaming Nimmanhaemin area and temples around town.

Around 4pm, we went to Wat Phan Tao to wait for a picturesque monk ceremony at 7 pm. It was already crowded and the front row was already taken by photographers. But the wait was worth it. It was serene to see this tree decorated with lanterns and monks in meditation despite the crowds. 

We then roam the city for Loy Krathong, a Thai festival celebrated annually. The city was nicely decorated with lanterns and there are festivities around town. Many Thai people would set sky lanterns for Yi Peng, and set a floating “krathong” into the river for a blessing. Fireworks would lit the skies too and many Thai teens would light firecrackers off the bridge. 

We also made it to the Loy Krathong parade where we got to see some floats and traditional costumes. Everyone seems to be in a great mood.

Day 8 – November 24, 2018

We woke up pretty early to attempt eating at that Khao Soi spot agian. This time, we were too early and had to wait for the curry to finish. It was good but nothing too special to note.

I wanted to take a Thai cooking class to master a curry since that is one of my go-to dishes. And so, we did with Siam Garden Cooking School. We also got to visited a small local market and see the school’s fresh garden to learn about ingredients.

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Chi wasn’t particularly interested but he really enjoyed it in the end. The class only focuses on the best aspect of cooking… minimal prep and zero-clean up. It was also nice to meet other travelers and share stories over a self-cooked Thai feast.

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That evening we met up with Gautam and Aarthee, who was also visiting Chiang Mai for dinner and mango smoothies. Chi and I also decided to check out the “party” area which a very diverse music scene. Clubs were lined up next two each other with all different types of music and party-goers were flooding into the streets.

Day 9 – November 25, 2018

No trip to Thailand is complete without meeting and playing with Elephants. While you can do this all over Thailand, the most popular area to do it would be near Chiang Mai. I wasn’t as eager to do this compared to Chi (He loves animal encounters more than I do) but this was undoubtedly one highlight of my entire trip.

The elephants were so gentle, playful and silly to watch. We smashed snacks for them (bananas, sticky rice and nuts) and also fed them bamboo and fruit. I usually get nervous when I feed animals (reference: Deers in Nara, Japan or anytime I fed farm animals). But I quickly got comfortable with the elephants and they were so quirky to grab treats with their trunk.

We walked alongside the elephant family through the forest and watch them sorta stumble uphill. The silly teenager kept wanting to pull and destroy things.

Bathing them in the river was also part of the program. The river was undoubtedly gross. We saw the elephants poop in the river… and our guide told us to get in and wash them. We reluctantly did but it was fun to see the elephants splash and roll in the water. Yes, I was scared the big male elephant would crush me if he rolled over.

It warmed my heart to see them happy and playful. Oh, my heart was melting for the baby elephant, Valentine. He was lovable and adorable.

We visited Doi Suthep, one of the most famous temples in Chiang Mai perched on a hill. The sunset was just starting and the view was of the city was nice.

That evening we met up with Cassie again and shopped the famous Sunday market. The shop stalls endlessly lined the streets. There was much to see and I did buy some things.

We also ended up going to a ladyboy cabaret. It was a very entertaining show for the price of a drink and they were very beautiful. It was funny because this was the third night in a week Cassie had went (with other friends). She was a regular at this point.

Day 10 – November 26, 2018

And we were off with a morning bus to Chiang Rai where I wanted to visit a few interesting sights, the white temple, black house and blue temple. We also decided to stop by the Long Neck Karen village despite mixed reviews. 

When I was young, I remember seeing this photo in the Guinness book of records for the world’s longest neck. And so, I was intrigued to see the Karen tribe people for myself and how they lived. 

It’s an odd sight as the women spend their days making crafts and welcoming tourists to buying those souvenirs. They also have a couple of tip boxes which I donated when I took a photo with them. The village’s income solely relies on tourism so I can see how people identified it as a ‘Human Zoo’ 

Next, we went to the Baandam Museum, the black house. This was a home, studio and museum featuring works by a national artist, Thawan Duchanee. It was dark, masculine and kinda just weird. Regardless, it was one-of-a-kind. 

Wat Rong Khun, the white temple was our next stop and this was the main sight of Chiang Rai. The fascinating fact of this temple was that it isn’t a true temple but an art exhibit styled like a temple by Chalermchai Kositpipat.

I recall the rationale for walking one way through the temple. The metaphor was walking from hell onto the bridge into heaven. A tourist was yelled at by the security guard for trying to go backwards. “You don’t go back to hell from heaven” he said. 

Inside the ubosot (main building), there were all these odd western pop culture characters painted on the walls. —Doremon, Minions, Micheal Jackson, Freddy Kruger… I wasn’t sure what it symbolized… but occuring to Wikipedia it meant “people are wicked”

On these grounds, there was also his art gallery where you could see his painting and drawings. His style was very colorful, detailed and surreal. I actually loved seeing it as much as the temple! Too bad no photos allowed.

The last stop was Wat Rong Seur Ten, the blue temple. Despite the sun setting, we could see that it was very blue, ornate and detailed with Thai shapes and motifs. This was the coolest temple I saw in Thailand… if you don’t count the White temple.