Chiang Mai is an artsy city located in Northern Thailand. Upon arrival we made our way to the Tamarind hotel, nestled in the historical section of the city this hotel truly feels like an oasis characterized by its small size and welcoming pool. Leave behind Bangkok's towering skyline as you walk down the quiet streets of Chiang Mai stopping in local artist's shops and drinking a Thai iced tea. Chiang Mai boasts a wide array of live music played nightly on the river streets and reminds me of a small cultural town that features a large demographic of foreigners and students.
Let me take a moment here to praise our guide in Chiang Mai! At this point of the journey, I was "templed out", a common affliction for those suffering from too many temple tours in a short span of time. As we wandered about Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, I was reaching my limit when our guide turned and started to explain the different artistic renderings of Buddha and what they signified. She told us about the key facial features of the Buddha and their significance as well as the positioning of the Buddha's hands and meaning behind that. I won't give away any spoilers, but I'll just say that she added a whole new layer to my understanding of the temples which sparked my interest once again.
While Chiang Mai has so much to offer, it all came down to two lifetime experiences for me: Muay Thai and Elephants.
Muay Thai
Even if you have no earthly interest in seeing two people go head-to-head in a ring, do yourself a favor and just check out Muay Thai in Thailand. You can at least say you did it, kinda like eating Pad Thai. It's iconic. It's a part of Thai culture. It's awesome. I was skeptical that we were about to enter a staged arena where the fighting was gimmicky and Muay Thai was merely for tourists. What we got, was the exact opposite. Now, I will say those places do exist but since you'll be in our capable trip-planning hands, you'll never have to worry about authenticity. Of course, we stayed for all nine matches! Ringside seats are ideal, they give you a free beer with our ticket and the knockouts look so much better up close.
Elephants
The Elephant Nature park opened its doors in the mid 1990's and has since become a refuge for dogs, cattle, cats and one lucky pig. Elephants come from all over Thailand and have most commonly been injured from landmines or from logging accidents. You spend the day feeding the elephants, learning about the sanctuary, bathing them in the river and more often than not, standing in absolute awe. Pure heaven on Earth. I'll let the photos speak for themselves on this one....
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.