Leaving Northern Thailand after 30 days

 Chiang Rai and the temples, we visited the White, Blue and Red temples, we are temped out.  It has been a fun experience visiting Northern Thailand, but we are ready to move to Vietnam. Our last apartment was really nice with a rooftop pool and next to the Night Market.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jungle Elephant Sanctuary for two days!

 After recovering from food poison, we went to the Jungle Elephant Sanctuary about two hours north of Chiang Mai.  One day one we met and walked with the elephants; each elephant had a caregiver which stayed next to them all the time.  We were able to interact with the elephants all day, not behind a fence!  We took a 5K walk with them through the jungle sometimes they were on their own trail beside us, sometimes they walked with us.  Then it was bath time with clean river water, then mud bath time. We stayed on-site in a room without AC, but it had a fan which helped.

The next day we had our own private tour guide that took us to more elephant camps, jungle villages, and we eat and interacted with the villagers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chiang Mai, Food poison for Tim!

 We had planned one week in Chiang Mai then the last week in Chiang Rai, however when Tim got food poison our plans changed!  Food poison is not uncommon for Americans in Thailand and Tim got his share.  So we changed our plans to stay in Chiang Mai for two weeks with Tim's recovery taking the first week.

River Kwai Jungle Rafts, we were on a floating raft for 4 days.

 

"River Kwai Jungle Rafts" a floating hotel was wonderful but very primitive!! Our traveling friend Stacy recommended this hotel to us, man was it fun! You can't get by road; you must meet a boat and then ride 20 minutes to the floating hotel. Many rafts were connected together with rope and then tied to a tree on the bank, so we moved in and out from the bank with the current. No electricity we used lanterns, no air conditioner. The shower was just a hose on the back deck!!! We had mosquito netting over the bed. There was a village up a hill (of course there is a hill). That was very cool, their temple and gathering place had power but not their homes, there was a well in the center of the village. They had outhouses and they cooked outside. The elephants were cool when they came out to visit. We go to Chiang Mai next and then elephants Sanctuary.