Category Archives: Thailand

All of Our Travels, Thailand

Zipline Adventure in Chiang Mai, Thailand

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When in Chiang Mai, one can’t help but notice numerous advertisements for zipline jungle adventures. At last count, we noticed posters for at least 4 different zipline companies – all vying for the tourist dollar. Wanting a little adventure and a good activity to entertain our 8 year old and a visiting friend, we decided to go with Flying Squirrels Zipline Adventure.

FlyingSquirrelsGroupSignFor convenience and the discounted price, we opted for the online booking option. Our fee was 1,999TB (~$61) per person. Not cheap, by any means, but competitive with the current going rate and worth it for a full day’s activity with transportation included. We tend to be early risers, and we wanted to take advantage of the cooler morning weather and lighter crowds, so we booked the 7:30am pickup time. Continue reading Zipline Adventure in Chiang Mai, Thailand →

All of Our Travels, Thailand

Thailand’s Elephants and Mahouts

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When we were planning our trip to Thailand, spending time with elephants was at the top of our list of things to do. And, here in Northern Thailand, there are abundant opportunities to engage with elephants. After lots of investigation, we settled on Baan Chang Elephant Park and had an amazing experience there.

Our one day Elephant Mahout training experience inspired me to find out a little more about mahouts and the role of elephants in Thailand’s tourist industry. It’s an interesting, complex topic – and an increasingly controversial topic, as well. During our initial investigations, we learned that, when choosing an elephant encounter, there is a lot more to consider than you might have previously considered. Continue reading Thailand’s Elephants and Mahouts →

All of Our Travels, Thailand

Thailand’s Songkran Festival

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We arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand two weeks before the Songkran festival began. As traveling Farang (foreigners), we had heard about the soaking we were soon to receive. Songkran has become known in the contemporary world, especially to travelers and tourists, as a giant water fight or celebration where everyone is drenching everyone else with water guns, water cannons, hoses and buckets. We were certainly excited and curious to see what it would be in reality.

Being the curious travelers that we are, we wanted to learn more about what the tradition was behind Songkran. We wanted to know things like why it was celebrated? Where did it originally come from? Was it still celebrated in a traditional way? How did the traditional fit in with the contemporary images of a giant water-pocalypse? Continue reading Thailand’s Songkran Festival →

All of Our Travels, Thailand

At Home in Chiang Mai, Thailand

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Slightly more than 2 months ago, our little family decided to sell our home in Portland, Oregon and begin a year-long adventure in Southeast Asia. We arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand almost a month ago and have settled in nicely. After researching and viewing several condos in various parts of town, we rented a very comfortable and conveniently located condo in the Nimmanhaemin neighborhood, northwest of Chiang Mai’s central Old Town. Continue reading At Home in Chiang Mai, Thailand →