Water Fights and Elephants - Chiang Mai, Thailand

I took the 12-hour overnight sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. It was a great way to travel. I left Bangkok around 8:30 pm and got into my top bunk, which was pretty nice. However, a bit tiny (I recommend a bottom bunk to anyone that ever decides to travel this way, as they have more room). It was also weird on the top because I could feel the train's movement, but I couldn't see out of the window - thank god I don't get motion sick. I read, hung out for a bit, and then went to sleep. I wore a sleeping mask because it was bright, and I had my AirPods in with some background rain music to block out any noise and had a decent sleep. We arrived in Chiang Mai around 8:30 in the morning. I grabbed my favourite 7-11 toastie and dropped my stuff off at the hostel. 

After dropping off my stuff, I met up with a random girl through the Hostelworld chat. We got a taxi for the hour and a half drive to the Phu Chetsi National Park to see the Bua Tong Waterfalls, also known as the Sticky Waterfalls. The falls are covered in a mineral deposit that gives you an excellent grip to climb up and down through the cascading water. We spent some time climbing up and down them and found a stunning waterfall at the bottom. It was so lovely to be in nature. The views were spectacular; however, the air quality could have been better. Our driver waited for us and drove us home when we were done.

Back at the hostel, I sorted some stuff out and got ready for a cooking class. I stayed at the hostel Big&O's House 2 in a 6-person mixed dorm. The hostel was really neat; we were basically staying in the middle of a family's home. The nephew, Max, was super helpful and hilarious and made staying there so much fun! I also met a really lovely Australian couple in my room who were super friendly. I discovered Thai Iced Tea on this day, and oh my word... it is DELICIOUS! 

I got picked up from my hostel at 3:30 pm for an evening cooking class through Zabb E Lee Thai Cooking School, and it was one of the best things I've done! After being picked up, we were taken to a local market to learn about the fresh ingredients and choose our menu for the 5-course meal; it was so well organized! We each picked an appetizer, main, soup, curry, and dessert. After learning about the ingredients, we rode out to the farm where the cooking school was located; it was stunning, especially at dusk. We wandered around the gorgeous property and then began our cooking. The instructor was fantastic, super knowledgeable, funny, entertaining, and sassy! I made spring rolls, pad Thai, coconut milk soup, green curry, and mango sticky rice. Everything was so delicious, and it was such a fun evening of cooking, eating, and visiting. The best part was that it only cost £23 in total and we got a recipe book to take home with us!

I spent a day at Elephant Nature Park. I was picked up from my hostel, and the tour group ended up being an American family of four and me. I spent the day with two ladies, their dad, and one boyfriend. They were slightly odd people, and I felt like I was 5th wheeling their family vacation, but oh well. We drove to the sanctuary, one of the area's only truly ethical ones. I did so much research; some claim to be ethical because they don't use hooks or allow riding. Still, I learned that swimming/bathing and being in the water with them can be considered unethical, as the elephants are nervous about stepping on people. Elephant Nature Park has a mostly hands-off policy, so you can touch and feed the elephants if they came to you, but you aren't meant to approach them. Their goal is to rescue and create the most natural environment possible. We got to meet a bunch of different elephants and learn why they were rescued. We fed some of them, which was incredible, and we saw them swim. It was so cute to see the 1.5-year-old baby rolling around, having the time of her life in the water. I also love how they flap their ears! They do it when they're happy and to cool themselves down. We had a lovely lunch buffet and saw rescued cats, dogs, and water buffalo. I never realized how cool an elephant's trunk is! I was stunned to see the way it acts as a hand, with parts of it being so similar to a hand with a thumb.

I was lucky enough to be in Thailand for Songkran, the Thai New Year celebrated from the 13-15th of April. Songkran in Thai means to 'move' or 'change place' and has come to be associated with a large water festival that symbolizes washing away misfortunes from the past year and cleansing. This year was huge, as it was the first year they have celebrated in three years due to Covid. People began celebrating on the 12th; we got sprayed on our way to our cooking class. It was incredible to experience a city-wide water fight. People would drive trucks with big barrels of water in the back down the street; others had water guns or hoses. People filled the streets, spraying anyone around. They filled buckets in the canal and dumped water on people in tuk-tuks or motorbikes. Everyone was walking around with waterproof bags/phone cases prepared to get soaked. There was a little blow-up pool at my hostel, and we had a bbq party. The family that owned the hostel ate their dinner while we played beer pong beside them; it was so funny. I spent a lot of time on the street in front of the hostel with other travellers and a couple of Thai children. We sprayed each other and strangers coming down the street; it was so much fun! One of the Thai girls dumped a bucket of ice-cold water on me, and she was so proud. It was cool how we communicated and bonded despite speaking different languages. It was super nice and local. In the evening, the whole hostel headed out together. We sang karaoke at The Gasoline bar, danced at a rave/club place called Zoe in Yellow, and vibed at Roots Rock Reggae! Later, the Australian couple and I got a 7-11 toasties and returned to the hostel. It was such a good night. Chiang Mai has great community vibes. It was so special to participate in the festivities and was hands down a highlight of the trip.

I woke up early my last morning and packed my bags. I went for a walk to see the temples, which were beautiful and busy for Songkran. On the way back, I stopped at some shops and tried not to get sprayed as the water fights began. I ended up on a main road and had to quickly buy a cheap waterproof pouch as I was already checked out of my room and had my passport on me. I got drenched on my walk back to pick up my things from the hostel. I changed, grabbed my bags, and stopped for lunch at ราชประสงค์. I tried Khao soi, a popular dish in Northern Thailand that is so spicy and delicious! I learned that Thai is a difficult language because the meaning changes with the tone of voice. I made my way to the airport and headed to Phuket to meet Judy!

I loved Chiang Mai so much; it was one of my favourite places. I loved that it was smaller, more local and less touristy. I also loved that there was more nature and everyone was so friendly. I'd really love to go back and see Chiang Rai and Pai one day!