We visited:

Wat Chedi Luang – Built around 1400 the grounds encompass Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Ho Tham and Wat Sukmin. There used to be an Emerald Buddha inside but due to earthquakes in the region, it was moved to Luang Prabang.

Wat Phra Sing – ‘Temple of the Lion Buddha’ for which the temple is named for the Buddha image it housed in 1367, the Phra Singh (Lion Buddha). It has a big monastery, housing 700 monks, who can be approached by tourists to have a conversation.

Wat Chiang Man – This was the first temple in Chiang Mai built by King Mengrai in 1296. The temple is most famous for the Crystal and Marble Buddha. At the rear of the temple is the Sacred Elephant Encircled Stupa.

There are lots of temples in Chiang Mai but the heat was just too overwhelming!!

Museum of World Insects and Natural Wonders – This is actually someone’s house. Dr. Rampa Rattanarithikul and her husband Mr. Manop Rattanarithikul have spent their entire life collecting insect specimens to study. They started out as normal people with no degrees working as technicians for the United States Operations Mission (USOM) malaria control program collecting mosquitos for research purposes. However they were passionate about their research. I would say they know more about mosquitos than anyone else on this planet. They have written lots of academic papers and travelled all over the world in search of these blood suckers to understand them more. Along their travels they have collected precious gems and other insects and souvenirs that are all housed within this museum. It’s interesting reading about mosquitos, ticks etc and how much disease they can actually inflict on humans…..worrying as we are constantly getting bitten by mosquitos – you cannot get away from them! They will eventually find you!

Bua Tong Waterfalls – this is such a great day out and a must do when it is blistering hot outside. It’s really unique because you can climb the waterfall!! ‘What do you mean?’ Well there is fast flowing water gushing down the rocks but you see the locals just walking up the rocks unaided. They aren’t falling and just walking upright laughing, smiling and having a lot of fun getting wet. It was really good fun. They have 3 different levels and you can start from the bottom which is number 3 and climb you’re way to the top, rest for a bit and then climb number 2 and then number 1. The waterfalls are housed within a national park and there are strict rules – no food or drinks are allowed into the park. This is great because I didn’t see any rubbish floating around. The porous limestone secretes a chemical that makes it feel sticky – more like pumice stone. It give your feet grip and once you have a go at the smaller rocks you begin to realise how cool it is. The water is really fast so there isn’t much algae on the rocks. Rocks that do have algae are really slippery and there are some part of the waterfall that would ropes to lug yourself up. We managed to walk our way up and down 3 times. We also sat in the crevices and enjoyed the gushing water flowing down over our bodies. It’s very refreshing. We had to rent a car to do this because the no one would take us there and the tuk tuk driver that did were charging us 1000Baht each way….the car was only 800Baht for the day and we returned it at the airport the next day. We tried to bargain but started to realise that they don’t really care – the price is the price…..welcome to Thailand.

Elephant Camp – We also spent a couple of days in an isolated retreat high up in the mountains, where we slept in a hut in the middle of the elephant camp. You can read our Chai Lai Resort escape here.  We did bamboo rafting down the river, went walking amongst the river paddies and up the mountain visiting the local people and their way of life and riding big ass elephants. It was so much fun.

Shopping – We stayed just outside of the square however there was a cool, artsy trendy area that we passed by with some unique places to eat,  independent boutiques and cafes.

Nimmenhemin road:

Chiang Mai was definitely a good choice for us to escape from the big city. People are a lot nicer and the chilled atmosphere really suited us both. There are lots of outdoor activities to do here. A must visit. I think one day we were return again.

This was a bit of a treat for us in Chiang Mai but we thought it was worth it because:

a) we were in the middle of an elephant camp (yes elephants walking past our windows every morning)

b) the location is high up in the mountains and you’re surrounded by fruit trees, forests and nature!

c) the profits go to provide educational and paid vocational training opportunities to at-risk girls, young mothers and the local people

Most of all this is an unique experience for the both of us, living in a hut all built entirely out of bamboo right by the elephants.

The location is about an 1 hours ride from the centre of Chiang Mai backpackers central and the cost for the two of us was 700 Baht.

You have to cross a bridge to get over to Chai Lai and it’s a bit scary when it is completely dark when we arrived there and not knowing we were so high up.

The place is fab and the girls are really friendly. The atmosphere is great there’s so much adventure to do here – ride, feed, play with the elephants, go bamboo rafting, hiking in the mountains, visit a waterfall or local hilltribe, partake in a homestay, or do some kayaking.  They have an endless list that includes some of the Chiang Mai attractions such as temple hopping and Tiger Kingdom.

The bungalow is super cute and cosy. It’s really good fun staying in one of these. They are quite cool at night (they have a duvet for you) and we had both windows open. There is one fan that accommodates the whole room, one fridge and a bathroom. Towels, shampoo, conditioner and bodywash are provided. Everything is pristine clean and a mosquito net protects you from the mosquitos. The bed is super comfy and we had a great sleep before embarking on some crazy activities. You can read what we got upto here.

Breakfast is included in the price, which was fab. There was a huge selection to choose from: fried rice, soup, cereal, a selection of fruits, yoghurt, bread, jam, tea and coffee.

The chill out zone is really cool as you are overlooking the bridge and river below. Meals were a bit out of our budget but nonetheless if you are not a backpacker this is the perfect resort to be in.

Their website: http://chailaiorchid.com/

Price per night – £24

Can be booked on Airbnb and/or Tripadvisor or reserve directly with them.

If you like elephants, fruit and supporting human rights (and to be honest, who doesn’t?) then there’s no better way to spend a couple of days than Chai Lai Orchid Resort.

Nestled in the Mae Wang mountains, an hour outside the Thai northern city of Chiang Mai, the Chai Lai Orchid lodge is within an elephant park that offers amazing scenery and activities while you’re there.

The prices are high for a backpacker and the place is certainly aimed at tourists, but as you delve into the history of Chai Lai and the work that is being carried out you will honestly forget about the high prices and just relax and enjoy yourself.

History of Chai Lai Orchid Resort

Created by Alexa, one of the founders of the excellent Daughters Rising charity, who visited Chiang Mai in Thailand and discovered the appalling trade in women and young girls around the area.  These unlucky souls are sold into sex slavery, sometimes by their own parents.

In order to provide a source of income and a future for these women, Alexa founded The Chai Lai Orchid.  Many of the girls working there are from the Daughters Rising charity, given an opportunity for training and a real fulfilled life working in the successful Thai tourism industry.

It’s these noble actions and goals that allow you the justify the high price you pay for visiting this incredible jewel in the mountain.

Accommodation

We stayed in the least expensive option at The Chai Lai Orchid, an Eco-Hut.  A simple wood shack without air-conditioning but, thankfully, a fan and mosquito net.

The king size bed was very comfy and there was a small balcony overlooking the river.  We spent very little time in the room but it was comfy enough that, even though it was small, it never felt crowded.

We payed 1200 THB per night (about £23/$40), although there are other options with more beds and with air-conditioning.

Each room includes a complimentary breakfast, which has good food and plenty of coffee and tea.

Most rooms overlook the path which the elephants are moved along so you can quite often see them just walking in front of your hut, trust me this never gets old no matter how long you stay at Chai Lai.

There’s also a cafe in which you can sit and watch the river below.  The mahouts are always bringing the elephants down to the river to wash them and play with them. We were jut happy to sit here all day looking at the elephants getting bathed or fed.  It’s a magical sight as these elephants are not the ones you see chained up in other parts of Thailand – they are respected and looked fed which every elephant deserves but the reality is so far from this.

The Amazing Mountain Adventure

We took the full day tour, the “Amazing Mountain Adventure.”  It is a very full day, it started at 06:30, finished at 17:30 and in the end we were totally exhausted.

Our day started by trekking in the jungle to find the elephants where they had been left to eat and sleep during the night.  We had two older female elephants and a young baby elephant.

Once the mahout had woken the elephants up they walked over to us and laid down in front of us, at which point we climbed onto their necks, bareback, and they stood up…

I thought the site of an elephant walking straight towards me was scary, but being on their necks without any sort of harness, legs dangling behind their ears was a different level of scary… especially when they move their heads from side to side to rip bamboo from the floor for their breakfast.

Don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely amazing experience in retrospect but it was intense, Serena’s and my hands were shaking after we got off the elephants.

We rode the elephants through the forest and to the river, on the way we met an American couple and their son who would stay with us for the rest of the day.  My favourite part was the little baby elephant who ran around making mischief and having fun.

At the river the elephants get washed and cooled down before you dismount.  Yes, you’re in the river getting squirted by an elephant and their handlers, but at least all your fear sweat gets washed away.

Then it’s time to recover.  We went back to our room, shower, get changed and enjoy the breakfast at the riverside cafe.  Eat well because you’ll need the energy for the next part of the day, the mountain hike.

In total the hike took us about 6 hours, but we had three rest points throughout.

We walked through a local hill tribe, learning about the history of how they were expelled from Burma (Mynamar) and found a home in Thailand, how they made their living by making cloth, and how they grow most of their own food locally.

This food is currently a concern as there has been an unseasonable dry spell in Thailand right now.  We are visiting Thailand during their wet season but it hasn’t rained once.  Our guide said that it hasn’t rained in over two months, not a drop.

We saw the problems with this as we walked through the rice paddies.  Dried up and unused terraces down the hill-side surround this area.  Places where locals would normally grow the food they need to live are totally barren.  We asked our guide, Sing, what the people eat instead of rice… “They don’t.”

Our first rest point was after we had trekked up the side of the highest hill in the area. Amazing views over the surrounding countryside and a little shade.  If we had attempted this trek in England I don’t think it would have been that challenging, but under the full heat of the Thai sun at around 40˚ Celsius it was hard – we drank about a litre of water each before that first rest point.

The going was a little easier then, downhill and towards our lunch rest point.  Epic scenery all around and the occasional wildlife spot broke up the trek with lots of little moments of excitement.  Sing made us all hats from local leaves to take the heat off our heads, stylish!

Lunch was at a small water fall with a number of small pools you could move between in the water, defiantly refreshing.

Sing cooked us lunch, a quick noodle and vegetable dish that was delicious and well needed after a long walk.

There was also a local woman selling goods she and her family had made, Serena bought a blanket but there was lots of small items you could buy.

Another hike through the forest, thankfully all under cover this time, took us to a refreshing waterfall.  Again we took some time to relax and enjoy the water.  I think this is the most impressive waterfall I have swum near, the force of the water was so impressive that it’s hard to swim up to the waterfall itself.

Yet another hike after the waterfall, the theme of the day, and a short car ride and we found ourselves at the Wang river, the same river that crosses the front of The Chai Lai Orchid resort.  We hop on a bamboo raft with our driver (pilot? punt-er?) and head off down the river.

The low rain makes this an interesting trip, with the raft risking getting caught on rocks but our cheerful and playful expert driver avoids most of these… until he offers me the chance to control the raft.  Not being an expert I got the raft caught more than a handful of times on the 2 hour drift down the river.   It’s also more tiring than you would expect to constantly punt a raft trying to avoid rocks and direct the raft down the river, especially when your expert driver is behind you rocking the boat (literally) trying to make you fall off, all the time laughing as you stumble to regain your balance.

Once we had drifted down the river to the lodge I was totally exhausted while Serena had quite enjoyed her relaxing ride on the raft.

We finished off the day by washing baby elephant in the river and feeding it, it even gave us each a kiss on the cheek to say thank you!

We won’t easily forget our time at The Chai Lai Orchid, being introduced to these amazing creatures and learning more about the challenges that many people face to just survive in the world.

Where Next?

We are heading to Chiang Mai city itself to explore the temples and a local festival that’s happening there.  We’ve also heard about a waterfall that’s made from a mineral deposit that’s actually so sticky you can actually walk up it.

Thailand isn’t just about the beaches and the parties. There are a few islands around Krabi, in the south of Thailand, that are renowned for its adventurous sports. It’s a good way to try something different and see something from another perspective.

The next day we headed to Railay beach from Ao Nang where we were staying. We met a fellow friend on the way, Andreas from Germany and off we went to the other side of the island, where you can rock climb to the top to see a stunning viewpoint over both bays.

Next thing you know all three of us just stood there gaping at a steep cliff, jagged rocks and a few ropes tied around the trunks of some tree. We are looking at each other then back at the rocks then at the sign. This is some crazy rock climbing, there isn’t a guide to help you and this isn’t a tour. You’re on your own from the start to finish.

The warning sign told us not to basejump at the top and not to climb the cliff after it had been raining. I’m 99% sure it wasn’t safe even in normal conditions.

Anyways, off we went…. holding on for our life onto slippery rope.

‘Oh my buddha!’ as the Thai’s would say. I’m glad I was wearing my trainers to get some firm footing and Andrew for having rock climbed in the past and helping us with where to put our feet. The first part isn’t so bad as you just have to climb up. It’s steep and scary but there’s no going back once you’ve started.

After pushing past a few personal barriers you eventually make it to the top. The view is amazing – you can see west Railay beach and east Railay beach. It looks like a picture out of a brochure – the crystal clear waters separated by the lush coconut trees and clear sand.

The sweat and pain was definitely worth it!

After the viewpoint there is a lagoon you can trek to. Again no one tells you how hazardous it is until you get there and the sign says ’10 meters’ but it’s steer drop. So next thing I know is I’m abseiling down this cliff. You can smell the sweat on the rope as you are dangling down from mid air (one of the disadvantages of being short). Then there is another 2 drops before you reach the lagoon and go for a swim to cool off.

I’ve never sweat so much in my life and at one point my legs were shaking and turning into jelly. It’s totally worth it though! Some adventure we had that day.

If you are planning on going I would recommend:

• bringing plenty of water and some rehydration sachets. It’s going to be hot and sweaty guaranteed – if it’s not from the heat it’s from the adrenaline.
• bring some food. It might take a while to climb to the top and then after some time chilling and resting you will have to climb back down. There are no facilities at the top.
• bring a first aid kit. Saline, cotton pads, tape, guaze and plasters just in case anything happens to you or to someone else.
• wear sensible shoes! I saw someone who came down in their bare feet. You don’t have eyes on the back of your head when you abseil down and there are sharp rocks everywhere so wear something sensible with good grip.
• don’t wear white clothing!! It will just get ruined or maybe we wanted an excuse to do some shopping?

Once in a lifetime adventure! Go out there and join a tour or do it yourself and just follow the path. Beginners, novice and the experienced all come to the islands to climb the beautiful limestone cliffs in the picturesque scenery.