Chiang Mai

We got to Chiang Mai around 7:15 after taking the night train from Ayutthaya. We had our own bunks and slept decently well. 

We checked into the New Mitrapap Hotel outside of old Chiang Mai city. We headed to a cute guesthouse and cafe for breakfast.

From there, we headed to Wat Phra Singh. This temple complex is fairly big and we wandered around for a little over an hour.

There was a nice meditation garden that had a bunch of signs similar to the one above and below.

This was our fist tuk tuk ride!!!! We took it to a mall called Maya so we could see the new Star Wars movie! Jenna was a great sport and the movie theater was quite fancy.

Taking a selfie in a tuk tuk was not one of our greatest ideas but we should master it by the end of our trip.

After spending two nights in Chiang Mai, we moved to the guesthouse Eagle House I. So far this has been my favorite guesthouse. The staff is incredibly friendly, especially Miss Tom. Annette, the owner, is friendly and helpful. Anyway, we took a cooking class at Eagle House. I learned how to make Pad Thai, sticky rice with mango and coconut milk soup. Jenna learned how to make Chiang Mai noodles, spring rolls and sweet corn bites. Soooo yummy! 

First we went to buy our ingredients at a market nearby. These markets are open daily during the morning and evening. We described to Wisoot, our teacher, how farmer's markets work in the US. It is very different.

We had so much food leftover that I ate all of it for breakfast the next day. It was just as tasty!

This is a small ruin from the old city that is about 50 meters from Eagle House.

One afternoon, I wandered around Chiang Mai and got to see the Pae Gate. There are five old gates that used to be the way a person would enter Chiang Mai city.

This is the base of Doi Suthep. It is in the mountains overlooking Chiang Mai and about a 17 km drive from the University of Chiang Mai. It is considered the holiest shrine in the north because of a magic relic of the Buddha, which resides within the chedi of Doi Suthep.

There are depictions of the King and Queen of Thailand all over. Within temples, along the highway, in rural areas, everywhere. This just happens to be one of the hundreds that we have seen while being in Thailand. The King is much beloved here and before we saw The Force Awakens we stood, to show respect, during a song dedicated to the King of Thailand.

The city of Chiang Mai is off in the distance from Doi Suthep.

The Doi Suthep was undergoing some renovations while we were there. They had replacement roof tiles that you could donate money to the temple and then write on the back of the tile. Jenna and I both both did :) 

I am sure you guys have noticed, but in case you have not yet, this is one of my favorite photos to take.

We headed zip lining on the day of Christmas Eve. The company that we went with is called Flight of the Gibbon and it is about an hour outside of Chiang Mai.

There are actually gibbons that live within the jungle where this zip lines are. There are only four that live in this particular area. Two parents and their sons. The decrease in habitat for the gibbons is having many negative effects on them. They live in trees and though they can walk, they are only seen on the ground if they are sick. If they cannot move around the tree canopy of the jungle, not only is their habitat reduced but a further issue compounding the small population sizes is they much less likely to find a mate.

There were some really cool structures that we got to walk along like this tree platform/house. When I was zip lining to this I could not help but think of the ewok village on Endor that David, Ben and I would have loved to explore when we were kids. Well honestly, I am sure we would still love to ;)

We absailed down from this platform, which was about 40 meters off of the jungle floor.

We stopped at a temple near to the office of the Flight of the Gibbon. The orange cloth that is hanging is the garment that Buddhist monks wear. It was neat to see one such garment drying. I have been periodically washing my clothes and hanging them up to dry too. Even though this is a small thing, it is a tiny example of the shared human experience. 

Once I took a yoga class in Chula Vista, California and I saw a quote that said 'we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.' These words could not be more true.

I posted this before Jenna and I went to the Sunday Walking Street, so I had to add these! The Sunday before, we attempted to make it to the special Sunday market but we got to an everyday evening market mistaking it for the former. We got to the proper Sunday Walking Street around 4:30 and it was quite obvious we made it this time ;)

I got some mochi ice cream, which was absolutely delicious on a hot Sunday afternoon :)

I snapped this as we were leaving the market. You can already see that more people have set up to sell their wares and the street is starting to fill with people. It was really nice walking around and looking at all of the different things that were being sold.

This is one of my favorites!!!! The best part is, we did not even plan this! At The Pae Gate we found these cute little monkey heads. There was live music and a bunch of food! Overall we had a spectacular time in Chiang Mai! I am looking forward to going back :)