Elephants in CHIANG MAI

The flight from Hong Kong goes smoothly and we land in a slightly warmer environment.

Since Kimena feels tired and unwell, Justin goes alone on the rented scooter to the nearby mountain. It is located in the national park area. He visits two temples there with beautiful staircases. There are also children here who sell souvenirs and crowd the entrance. From the top, there is a great view over the entire plain.

On the second day, we ride around the area on the scooter and discover a great cafe. We also eat at a vegetarian restaurant. We researched this on the internet and can really recommend it. Next to the restaurant is a beautiful white temple. Of course, we also inspect it. In the evening, we visit a night market. It's so great because it has different and new stands than the usual ones. We both shop for some things and eat Thai snacks.

On the next day, we take a scooter tour. First, we pass a waterfall with 10 steps. Here, not only tourists bathe, but also many locals.

On the way, we visit a cafe with a view of the green valley. We also drive to a remote village. There are many strawberry plantations here. We stop at one and buy strawberries. Mmm.. they are so sweet and good! We have never had such good strawberries before. On the way back, we spontaneously come across a great restaurant (hop.pi.po.la). It turns out to be a famous one. It's been a long time since we've eaten something more expensive and it's worth it. We get a juicy piece of meat with a side salad and potato gratin. Of course, we also treat ourselves to a dessert. We ride the last stretch home on the scooter in the dark. Suddenly, we see many lights and discover a night market. We browse through it, but we don't find much new: stand after stand with all kinds of things.

The next day, we experience an adventure that becomes the highlight. A minivan picks us up in the morning. When we get in, there are already two other young tourists inside. After a brief eye contact, Justin and the guy look familiar to each other. It turns out that he was an exchange student of architecture at HSLU. It's really funny how small the world can be sometimes. It's just the four of us all day and we enjoy the great experience together. The minivan takes us to a remote area in the north. There we visit a family with their 3 elephants. After a short walk with elephant feeding, we arrive at their home. There we prepare rice balls and fruits for the elephants. After feeding them, we can bathe with them in the river, an experience like no other. Then it's time to say goodbye and we drive along the river in a canoe. The turbulent and great ride ends after about 20 minutes. We won't forget this day quickly.

On the last day in Chiang Mai, we ride the scooter south and visit two waterfalls there. The first one is not very promising. Fortunately, we don't have to pay an entrance fee because there is really very little water. But it's great to see the locals bathing here too. We set off to the next one. On the way, we come across a beautiful rice field. Of course, we immediately take some great photos. Before the sun sets, we reach the second waterfall. This one is more impressive. The water flows over the cliffs in narrow streams along different paths. We like it and we sit on a rock and enjoy the view. Just before it gets completely dark, we drive back to the city and visit the famous large weekend night market. It is very long and offers many stalls with food, clothes, and much more. We walk happily through the street and enjoy the atmosphere. Of course, some shopping is also part of it.

After many days in cities with temples and other tourist attractions, we are going to the beach for the next few weeks. First, we go to Koh Phangan.