Classic sights & hidden treasures

Check in. Snack. Obligatory bed flop. Tuk Tuk time. Some thought us crazy for booking an evening tour on the first day, but the best way to start is just getting stuck in. At dusk, we took to the back of tuk tuks for a quick zip around the main attractions illuminated against the night sky - Phra Sumen Fort, Wat Benchamabophit and City Pillar at the Grand Palace to name a few.

Yesterday we continued with our sightseeing; everywhere looks so different in the daytime. I can see why these places are so popular too, I’ve already taken a week’s worth of photos. Now we’re off to uncover a different side to the ‘Big Mango’ on a tour of the smaller riverside communities.

We landed in Chiang Rai earlier this morning and decided to take the scenic (rather colourful) route to our hotel. We’ve not even been here half the day and we’ve already seen the White Temple, Black House and the baby of the bunch, the Blue Temple. And just when my stomach was starting to protest, we stopped off at a local restaurant for lunch.

With all the villages dotted over it, it’s no surprise why they call Doi Tung ‘the Switzerland of Thailand’. We’re having a little break from our tour at the moment, sitting in the elevated Mae Fah Luang Gardens to take in the views. When we get up, we’re going for a treetop walk and to the Development Project for a bit more insight into the history of the area.

The rest of our time in the Golden Triangle consisted of exploring Doi Mae Salong, stopping for a much anticipated tea tasting. Now we’re in Chiang Mai after taking the scenic route (again), snaking over the roads straddling the border with Myanmar to get to Lahu where a traditional lunch with the hilltribe awaited us.

Ironically, you have to leave Chiang Mai to get a sense of its original charm, so Lamphun is our destination. Largely untouched by tourists, we’re being spared no authenticity, starting out by taking a train journey to the town itself. Once there, our guide is taking us to discover the relics of the Hariphunchai Kingdom and the development of Lanna culture.

Well that topped off what has been the best day of the trip for us so far, and that’s a bold statement. This afternoon we visited a local family, who have lived in Hang Dong village for more than 150 years, for a culinary masterclass. The recipes they use have been in the family for generations. In the open-air pavilion (sans electric stoves may I add) we cooked up a storm, including Auo Kai, Nam Prik Oong and Phat Makauyay Moo.

After exploring the Phi Phi Islands yesterday we’ve got a taste for the water, so we’ve enlisted the services of a private traditional longtail boat to help us cruise around Phang Nga Bay. Our destination: the mangrove caves. An old burial site over 3,000 years old, apparently they’re covered in cave paintings that date back just as far.