Chang Mai

After three plane rides we got to Chang Mai, a smaller town in northern Thailand.  Traveling there went perfect - everything was on time...what was interesting was our very first meal, in the air going between Naha and Taipei.  We were served chicken burgers. What was interesting was the buns were not made out of bread, they were made out of rice.  Literally.  It was the funniest food I've ever seen!  Unfortunately I didn't have my camera, but Reina loved it!

In Chang Mai, we didn't do much the first night. After traveling all day, little Reina was ready for bed. Our room was very nice, with a big king bed and a pink crib for Reina.  The next day we woke up early (Thailand is 2 hours behind Okinawa) and we had the best "free" breakfast I've ever had at a hotel.  And the fruit was amazing.  They had leeche (?) and dragonfruit, and then of course some more of the usuals, like pineapple, bananas, watermelon....this was in addition to bacon, eggs, toast, cereal, and even some noodle dishes.  Then we went for a short walk outside to see a little of Chang Mai before we got in a van to go to the elephant camp.  The city was definitely bigger than I thought, and while the surrounding jungles are beautiful, the city was a little dirty.  Chris and I kept saying how so far Thailand reminds us of an Asian Costa Rica.  We were also surprised to notice that they drive on the left side of the road!  And here someone had told us only island countries do this!  Anyhow, we left for the elephant camp around 8:15.

After picking up several other people, and driving for about an hour, we arrived at the camp.  There were elephants everywhere.  We were told that as part of the tour, we would start our bamboo raft portion first, so our group was quickly herded towards the river.  On our way down, there were several people, both workers and tourists, amongst several elephants. Reina, who we've been prepping for this, was terrified of them.  I think at this particular moment, there was just too much going on. After we got on the raft, she calmed down. The raft ride was peaceful, just slowing going down a river and enjoying the natural beauty of the jungle.

After the raft we were brought back to the main area, where we bought some elephant food (bananas and sugercane) and fed the baby elephants. THis was definitely a highlight for Reina. The baby elephants were smaller, and while I couldn't get her to feed any of them, she did finally touch the smallest one.  They were pretty cute.  Then there was the elephant show, which was a nice break in the shade for Reina and us and Reina had a snack, while Chris enjoyed his first Thai beer.  After the show, we got on the elephants.  Reina thought this was pretty cool too, as did I!  We trekked up through the river and then into the jungle.  There were stands throughout (like treehouses) where we could buy food for our elephant and at one point our driver got off and took several pictures of us (only to then tell us how much it had cost us!). He did get some good ones though.  There was a VERY bumpy, uncomfortable ox ride back to the main camp, followed by a pretty good lunch. Then we headed to a small orchid and butterfly farm before heading back to the hotel.  Needless to say, we were all exhausted.

We relaxed and cooled off in the room a bit before heading out to find some dinner.  I feel like every time Chris and I travel, this is our biggest challenge...and this particular night was no exception.  We walked to the Night Bazaar, thinking they're be food there, but nope! Our hotel, which was really nice, was on a street that had mostly bars, so we had a very hard time finding a restaurant.  We finally did, and although we could't find Thai, the Italian/Mexican food we ended up with was pretty good.






The next morning we walked around and found some pretty cool temples (for Buddha) and a really nice juice bar where we had CHEAP shakes.  Mmmm.  I had Mango and Chris had dragonfruit, and Reina was completely absorbed in a connect four game - which she insisted we "buy."  After having the best Phad Thai at our very own hotel for lunch, we headed to the airport for Phu Ket.  The flight was about an hour and a half and then the taxi drive to our amazing hotel was about an hour.  We got upgraded (yay) and when we got to our room, were surprised to see that it is the nicest room we've ever had.  The bathroom alone is amazing!  And did I mention that we walk out onto a balcony that has our very own private entrance to the pool. Very cool.  We head out today to explore Phuket, and then I will have to post more on it later.