Playing with and Eating Exotic Animals in Chiang Mai

HOLA AMIGOS!  QUE PASA!?  Ok, so we got to Chiang Mai, and Sarah was very excited to play with animals.  She had heard all sorts of things and was ready for a shenanigan party!  Sillyness ensued.  We are in Bangkok now, just about 24 hours from departure so I will spare little time writing this blog.

We got to play with baby tigers, only 3 months old!  They told us to be careful, sometimes they bite. 

My little buddy

Our Family!!!! 

Then we went to a snake show...scawwieeessss!!! 

Then the guy in the snake show put a snake on Sarah

That night we went out to enjoy the nightlife of Chiang Mai, and were invited into Thuan's birthday party.  No we did not know her or any of the old scallywags that hung out at this joint. But, nevertheless, as usual in SEA, it turned into a very entertaining night. 

At the party I was offered some quality steamed insect (I am not sure if this is a cockroach, if someone can clarify that would be helpful).  It was crunchy and salty, and gave me a semi allergic reaction.

The next day we went trekking in the mountains.  It included a butterfly farm, bamboo rafting, elephant riding, lunch, zip lining and rappelling, a visit to a local village, waterfall swimming and white water rafting.  All for $30.

I decided I would get on the elephant bare back and try to ride it.  It was absolutely terrifying, these animals are huge.

Safety First!!!!!!!

That night we decided to go out and try to find some actual tourists to hang out with, and we succeeded.  We ended up with some Canadian and English folk that took us out into the wee hours of the morning.  We ended up meeting up with our friend from Laos, and this chap is quite the character, it was a great night! 

The following day we went to a cooking class, and this is the local market that we shopped at to get our goods.

Watch out Gordon Ramsey...this is NO Hells Kitchen!

Dragon fruit...tastes similar to Kiwi

Second time making spring rolls, we are getting pretty good at this

I know it sounds impressive, and it took a lot of work, but we made our own curry paste.


My green curry, made with 21 chilis.

Finally on our last day in Chiang Mai, we decided to do Mahout training.  Mahout training is a class where you learn how to command an elehphant and ride it bareback.  It was a wonderful day filled with trekking through the jungle on top of an elephant.  Yes, I know I look like a terrorist in these photos. 

Sarah's elephant is happy!

The elephant would "kiss us" and this is Sarah's reaction to the kiss. 

Bathing our elephants after a long day.  They would squirt you with water from their trunks.  

Trekking through the jungle on our little buddy.  Sarah switched with me and was the commander after this.

On our last night in Chiang Mai, we treated ourselves to a nice sit down dinner, consisting of Sangsom Whiskey and a 6 course meal.  It was a splurge at $15, but we fit it into our budget.  It was a suggestion by a Thai we had met.  They specifically served Northern Thai cuisine, and it was honestly the best Thai food I have ever eaten in my life.

Sampler Appetizer which included fried pork, chinese sausage, pork rinds, pork based curry soup, a tomato beef dipping sauce, and a green chile dipping sauce. 

Minced pork salad was out of this world good. 

This was a curry based noodle dish that I can say was the best Thai Curry I have ever had. 

And for dessert you ask? Pig Brain! Yes, it was tasty in flavor, but a little chewy