Bangkok

Quick Takeaways

• Hire a tuk tuk driver for the day and have them take you to the different temples and wait while you explore. We managed to do this ourselves but I’m sure your hotel/airbnb can help with that

• Don’t shy away from using the SkyTrain as it is really easy to figure out

Chiang Mai

Quick Takeaways:

• Do not miss hiking the Monk’s Trial to Wat Pha Lat

• If you arrive on Sunday don’t miss the Sunday night market (Tha Pae Walking Market) which is the largest one of the week. It starts at 4pm and goes until 10:30pm. There is a smaller one on Saturday nights and the Night Bazarre takes place every night.

Elephant Nature Park

Elephant Nature Park is truly a magical place and a must see! It is located about an hour north of Chiang Mai and is home to not only elephants but hundreds of other animals in need of rescue. It was established by Saengduean Chailert (Lek) a famous elephant rights advocate. (We even got to meet and talk with her while there!) The park has rescued and cared for elephants who were once subjected to cruel practices such as street begging, elephant riding, and circus shows. It felt like we were in Jurassic Park as the elephants and many other animals are wandering free!

There are a number of ways to experience the park but we did the overnight and I highly recommend it. The rooms were clean (only fans no A/C), food was good and the second day was the best as we got to hike into the mountains, just the three of us and our guide, and see the many elephants that spend the day there.