It is late Sunday evening when I finally arrived in Chiang Mai after a 6-hour train journey. For the first few days, I had booked a quiet hostel in the city center, and then I will move to a party hostel for the Songkran festival. ๐๐ป.
Whatever this was.. it was awesome ๐๐๐ผ
Just around the corner was the Sunday night market, the perfect place for dinner. I think I had Thai food, Chinese food, Japanese food, and Italian food that evening... good thing 'fusion food' is trendy ๐
Whatever this was.. it was awesome ๐๐๐ผCan never get enough of it...๐
After a bit of shopping (my old flip-flops gave up), I joined a guy in front of my hostel with a beer and finally enjoyed some familiar sounds... well, almost, Hamburg sounds, but you have to take what you can get ๐๐๐ฝ
The next day was used for shopping, because I still had to get myself a water gun, a waterproof phone cover, and more for Songkran ๐๐๐ฝ
... including at the Pink Pvssi store...๐Afterwards, I treated myself...๐And since we're talking about treats, I also had a 1.5-hour massage that day... ๐ In the evening, I went for a couple of beers with Mia, my bunkmate ๐ค And then it was time to go to bed ๐ด The next day something special was on the agenda, a visit to an elephant rescue center followed by a quad tour ๐I was picked up by a minivan at 8:30 in the morning, and shortly after, a Chinese couple joined. The first stop was an orchid and butterfly farm just half an hour away from Chiang Mai.A beautiful place to relax ๐Papillon ๐ After about 20 minutes, we continued on to the main attraction, the elephant rescue center. Many of these elephants have been saved from poachers, and great emphasis is placed on their well-being. So no elephant riding and no violence!๐At the beginning of the tour, we made soap from wood. I forgot the name of the tree, but its wood actually foamed! We could also use the soap right away because we immediately went into the water to bathe with the elephants. Afterwards, I left the group and got a private tour, I don't know why, I also booked a group tour but why not๐คทโโ๏ธI got a crash course in making elephant treats and then it was time for the mud bath ๐๐ฆ
A really amazing experience that I will probably never forget ๐
As a final stop, I got to visit the baby of the farm ๐
Before heading back home, there was still a quad tour on the agenda. ๐
The Chinese couple had booked the rafting tour instead of the quad tour, so to avoid waiting, I got the rafting tour and they got the quad tour for free ๐๐๐ผ
In the evening, I went to a night market, together with my tour guide from the elephant camp ๐ ๐๐ผ
The next day, sightseeing was on the agenda again, together with El and Mia ๐คWe visited Wat Chedi Luang, one of the older temples in the city.Yes, I know... temples temples temples... that's why we only stopped at one that day ๐ Still always beautiful to see ๐After that, we went to have lunch, and thanks to Mia's Polaroid camera, this beautiful picture was taken. ๐Such sweet girls... and new amazing people are constantly joining us ๐ค In the evening, I finally got the chance to watch some Muay Thai fights. ๐Even the women had to participate ๐ : Truly an amazing experience, and it definitely won't be my last fight night! ๐๐๐ฝ Those were the first quiet days in Chiang Mai... the next ones probably won't be as relaxed... but definitely wet ๐๐๐ฆ๐ซ #Songkran ๐
