Marco Whyte|2024-04-23 (8 months ago)76 views
Go BackArriving in Chiang Mai was a nice change of pace from busy Bangkok. I especially liked it because I treated myself to an end of trip accommodation. I knew I picked right when I saw the pool. Welcome to Astro Sky River!
While more expensive than my other housing, this place was still only around $43 a night. It's a lot easier to treat yourself in Southeast Asia 😆.
The first activity here was to go watch some Muay Thai. The night I went there were six fights, with two international fights. Right before the fight started, a couple locals would run around taking small cash bets to see who wins. It was quite rigged because you could only bet on the person they didn't want, and they would be talking to the fighter. Still, I went 1-1 with them (I lost because the second bet was slightly bigger, but we'll call it a draw haha).
The next day, I went to an elephant sanctuary, which was such an amazing experience. I made sure to find an elephant sanctuary that was the most ethical, and it did seem like the elephants had a happy, healthy life at the one I chose. We learned how to give them enough water and quality food to keep them healthy, as well as feeding them bananas!
Standing next to them really put things into perspective, they are so big and powerful! 🐘
The food in Chiang Mai was also one of my favorite places in Southeast Asia. I'd put the dish called Khao Soi at the top right next to the central Vietnamese dish Mi Quang.
The last activity I did was going to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a temple in the mountains near Chiang Mai. To get there, I took a Songthaew, which is often used by local residents as a cheap and available open air jeep. A windy road up the mountain and we were finally there! The view was nonexistent because I went in smokey season, but the Buddhist temple was beautiful.
Other than this, I mainly spent my time either playing pool 🎱 or chilling at the pool 🏊, very relaxing.