Chiang Mai...simply put, a stunning city full of a plethora of Thailand's most exciting aspects. There are Wat's (temples) everywhere you turn covered in intricate mosaic's and adorned in gold finishings where monks young and old gather and practice their faith.
Day 1: Jungle Trekk, rode on elephants, fed them loads of bananas, met a man Tomer from Israel and paired up for the ride. Went on a lovely hike through the trees and learned about some local plants, swam in a water fall, and ended the day white water rafting down a river...the water was actually tan, still very fun!
Day 2: Rented motor bikes and drove up the mountain to check out Doi Suthep, a temple at the top of the mountain here. We were all weary to drive around the city with the crazy traffic and very few motor laws, but we did a great job and had a really cool experience. Made it back to Julie Guesthouse, relaxed, met some new friends at the hotel that ended up becoming a very fun crew to enjoy the day/evening with. Marco (Italy/Germany), a seasoned traveler became our unofficial tour guide of the Chiang Mai night life hitting up some great local spots with Frank (Canada), Hannah (Scotland), Sarah & Giovanni (France), Helen (England), Darragh (Luxemburg), Glen (Ireland) and Kate, Charlie & I. I especially liked THUNDER BAR, Chaing Mai's "biker bar" complete with Harley Davidson souvenirs everywhere! We made our way to Warm Up, a club here and ended up with the whole crew on stage dancing and partying and the crowd going wild. COncluded the night at Chiang Mai's famous tourist spot Reggae Bar.
Day 3: Ran around the center of town, got a Thai massage, went to a gorgeous dinner at a restaurant on the river, hit up THUNDER BAR for a last hurrah!
Day 4: Zip lining through the trees of the jungle with Helen (England) and Liz (St. Louis)...insane. Dove off some platforms in the trees, felt like I was flying! Ate at an elegant restaurant in the middle of the jungle and caught a water fall on the way back to the city.
Catching a bus to Laos tonight!
