Today, I went to visit two of the most popular attractions in Chiang Rai: the White Temple and the Black House. I started off by taking the public bus to the White Temple for 20 baht, which was a 30 minute-long trip. Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)The Chiang Rai-born artist Chalermchai Kositpipat designed this temple, …
First thing this morning, I was on a bus to Chiang Rai. This time it was actually a bus as opposed to a minivan, and the ride from Chiang Mai was about 3.5 hours long. On this ride, my neighbor shared her custard cream rice crackers with me. (Thais are so nice!) By 11am I …
Today was my last day in Pai, and I had another very peaceful day there. In the morning I went for a walk around the outskirts of town, taking in the sights and crossing as many bamboo bridges as I could find. I walked through fields that were filled with butterflies of all colors and …
Continue reading Leaving Pai: animal encounters & a jazz fest
After breakfast this morning, I walked to the town's main road and signed up at one of the many tour company stalls set up there for a full-day tour that would take me to all of the major destinations around Pai that I really wanted to see during my time here. Half an hour later, …
Pretty much everything that I've done during my trip so far has been extremely touristy. I figured that today, my last full day spent in Chiang Mai, was the day to change that. Though I hadn't heard of it before coming to Chiang Mai, a couple of people have raved to me about the Monk's …
A person can absolutely not come to Chiang Mai without seeing elephants. That's a given. The hard part is figuring out how to go about seeing them without being left with ethical questions about how those elephants are being treated. Elephant Nature ParkAfter some online research and listening to recommendations, I went with Elephant Nature …
Doi Suthep is a mountain just west of Chiang Mai. This mountain is also a national park and contains waterfalls, villages, a royal palace, and a beautiful temple, all of which make it a perfect half-day trip. Wat Phra That Doi SuthepMy primary destination for the day was Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (generally just …
ArrivalToday mainly involved the continuation of the train ride I that mentioned in my last post, which brought me from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai. The train arrived at the Ayutthaya station last night at about 2:20am, and as soon as I found my assigned bed (a lower bunk in the second car), I put down …
Today, I joined my two new London-based friends Sabrina and Justin for a day-trip to Ayutthaya, a city not too far north of Bangkok. This city was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam from 1350 until 1767, and the ruins of that old city form the Ayutthaya Historical Park, a UNESCO Heritage archaeological site …
The planMy plan for today was to take a train ride to Kanchanaburi: a town in west Thailand known for the Death Railway, built during World War II. This town features the Death Railway Bridge (the subject of the film "The Bridge on the River Kwai"), the JEATH War Museum which honors the prisoners of …
Journeying Jasmine 