Chiang Mai

Hello, you sweeties.

This post is a little late because I forgot to write it and I haven't felt like writing for the last few days and to make matters worse, my phone is doing weird things again. Well, better late than never.

We left Vang Vieng by train and went back to Luang Prabang, where we spent a day before flying back to Thailand the next day. I somehow found it very nice to arrive back in Luang Prabang, as it was already a familiar city for us.

The next day we drove to the tiny airport and met the lovely Anjana, who flew with us to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. The flight only took an hour, during which we flew over the smoke of the burning season and the fluffy clouds. Our accommodation in Chiang Mai was pleasant even though our room was on the fourth floor. Our hostel also had a pool, which we were very happy to use, as the temperatures here were not much different to those in Laos.

During our week in Chiang Mai, we visited the largest night market we had ever seen, saw elephants up close and walked up a waterfall. The night market went almost straight through the middle of the city center, which is really quite a distance. There was everything from clothes to food to all kinds of stuff. But we were particularly impressed by the endless selection of food that was on offer here. Between sushi, dumplings, grilled corn, grilled meat, rice in all shapes and sizes and baked potatoes, it was really hard to decide. So we tried a little of as many things as possible. An absolute land of milk and honey. In an elephant sanctuary, we had the opportunity to experience elephants up close for the first time in our lives. Personally, I was very critical of this, as I am not particularly in favor of keeping wild animals in captivity. Especially these gentle giants, who are often exploited and mistreated in Asia...

These animals are often kept on short chains for the entertainment of tourists and used for riding, which causes them enormous stress and pain. Some of these organizations still call themselves "sencuary", which they are very far from. The fair protection of such animals only occurs when the elephants are rescued from such conditions, their subsequent care and rehabilitation and their subsequent release into protected areas. However, this rarely happens. Around Chiang Mai there are a few rescue centers for elephants that have been "rescued" from poor conditions. There you can feed elephants and bathe with them. They are not kept on chains or mistreated here, but this "hands-on" method always leaves a slight aftertaste when you actually want to see such animals released into the wild and protected. Well... I'm lost in thought. The experience was still breathtaking and experiencing the power and size of these wonders of nature so closely was amazing and worth the experience.

The Sticky Waterfalls are super interesting. Because the water that flows down the rocks there is very mineral-rich, a layer formed on the rock that feels like limestone and has so much grip that you can easily walk up the waterfall. We had a lot of fun climbing up the steep sections in our swimwear and letting the cold water wash over us. We also visited the source of the waterfall, but I had to wrap myself in towels because the source is considered a holy place just like a temple and you are not allowed to go there with your shoulders or knees bare. The water in the source was crystal clear and on the surface you could see the water bubbling up from the ground. There were even a few small fish swimming around in it. God knows how they got there.

We spent the rest of the days in Chiang Mai in the pool at our hostel or in the city, which I will remember most for its endless number of temples. On every corner you can find a different temple, decorated with lanterns and gold paint. It is really beautiful to look at and gives the city its very own character. Although we liked Chiang Mai, we wanted to move on to the next city. More about that next time.

Until then

Thank you🐑

PS: Unfortunately not all pictures are uploading at the moment but I'm working on it.