(Backdated 7 Dec 2015)
For the past few days, the girls were really excited and can’t wait till 7th Dec, the date we will have our vacation after 2 years. This is the first time we are travelling with the 2 girls and the destination is Chiang Mai. This will be our first journey as a family for 6 days.
For the past few days, the girls were really excited and can’t wait till 7th Dec, the date we will have our vacation after 2 years. This is the first time we are travelling with the 2 girls and the destination is Chiang Mai. This will be our first journey as a family for 6 days.
DAY 1:
| The girls at the airport |
| Jie Jie with Hubby waiting for her in-flight meal |
| Mei Mei with her companion -Ducky |
As we are travelling with kids, we have to check in via counter. After getting the girls’ breakfast, we checked in the boarding gate. The girls were still good and active until flight was delayed for ½ hour and we have to wait in the plane. Mei Mei becomes frustrated and cranky. Luckily we have enough milk supply and snacks for Mei Mei . Phew! We got through the first test surviving the flight.
We’ve got a cab and reached our accommodation in time for dinner. As it’s the first day, we decided to venture nearby to find local delicacy for the family. After a quick dinner, we went back to SK House 2 our accommodation for the next 5 days, though we’re travelling to Chiang Rai on the 2nd day.
| Details of S.K. House 2 S.K. House 2 |
| 9, Phrapookklao Rd, SOI 13 Sripoom |
| Muang, Chiangmai 50200 Thailand |
| Tel: +66(0)5341 8838 |
| Tel: +66(0)5341 8839 |
| Email: [email protected] |
| The girls relaxing in the room after the flight |
| Mom feeding Mei Mei with Kao Sai, the local curry with fried mee. |
| The family waiting for dinner patiently |
Hot Spring
Chiang Rai here we come! We decided to join a full day tour to Chiang Rai and stayed for a night so to ease the girls’ exhaustion. The transport picked us up at 7am and reached our 1st destination Hot Spring at 9am. The girls enjoyed their first leg deep inside hot spring and loved to see people steaming eggs.
| Hot Spring on the way to Chiang Rai |
| The locals selling raw eggs to be steamed |
| Hubby and the girls steaming their legs at the Hot Spring |
While the girls were enjoying their leg deep, mom and I went to get some snacks and coffee since we have not have any breakfast. There’re stalls and 7-eleven surrounding the Hot Spring therefore don’t worry about getting food and necessities. The lady boss at the coffee place was so kind to fill my thermos with hot water though we did not buy anything from her in the beginning.
| Snacks at Hot Spring |
| Scenery along the way |
Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)
| White Temple taken at the side of the venue |
Wat Rong Khun is also known as White Temple is visible at the roadside to Chiang Rai. It façade is sparkling white due to the effect of the ‘little mirror that was embedded on the white stones. While you’re there, do look for the facade of the washroom. It’s built in gold at the side of the temple. You’ll never miss it.
| Details of White Temple |
| Girls playing with pebbles. |
Jie Jie was attracted by White Temple and anxious to check it out when out tour guide explained that the inside the temple represent the heaven. However, Mei Mei was more interested in the white pebbles at the side of the temple.
As it was the peak season for tourists, it was quite crowded so we have to take pictures from the side. Surprisingly, the pictures turned out quite nice as well.
Long Neck Tribe Village
In the beginning, the girls were quite skeptical with the long neck tribe. Jie Jie was worried for the kid’s neck bearing the heavy metal. After reassuring that the little girl has started to wear the metal since 3 years old and has got used to it, only then Jie Jie is more comfortable to take picture with the little girl.
| New found friend |
| The village |
We are all starving by now and give no objection when tour guide brought us to our restaurant of the day. Thumbs up for the restaurant who has prepared a mini playground. While Mom is taking care of the girls, hubby and I have a quick bite and try to get the girls to have some food.
The food – quite a good spread of western and oriental food. My picky eater Jie Jie, also have a god portion of rice and stewed chicken with vegetables. Not bad!
Golden Triangle
Next destination – Golden Triangle! We have 1 ½ hours to spend at this place. By the time we reached Golden Traingle, we were thirsty and low in energy level, so Hubby started to look for snacks to go with our coffee. Since the girls were at their best behaviour, they got to have orange juice and ice lemon tea. However, the girls are more interested in the statues and ferry.
Golden Traingle is our last destination from the full day tour. We left the place at 5.30pm. The girls was hungry but luckily we have prepare extra milk powder for Mei Mei and bought some bread for Jie Jie.
| Attraction at jetty |
We reached The Rama Residence Chiang Rai at 8pm. Daddy and I went on a bicycle ride to grab some dinner for the family. In less than an hour, the girls are fast asleep. We survived the day trip with 2 good little girls!
| Room in Rama Residence |
| The Rama Residence |
| 217/1M, 19, T. Rob Wieng, Chiang Rai |
| *RM180 per night (room for 5 pax) |
Tips for parents travelling with kids: Full day tour to Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai may be tedious for young kids. Therefore it’s advisable to spend a night or two in Chiang Rai. Also, prepare sufficient snacks and do give the kids lots of fluid.
DAY 3:
Chiang Rai – Back to Basic
The two girls are really full of energy the next day. They woke up early in the morning and ensure we’re all awake to start the day. Besides the complimentary bicycle, The Rama Residence has a small garden styled breakfast area where the girls have their breakfast on the swing! Back to the basic is the word for the day activities. Hubby gave the girls each a good ride on the bicycle and then off we go on our foot to explore the small town.
Though the town consist of one main road but there’s a Catholic church which we visited and to our surprise, it has a primary and secondary school in the same compound. The girls have some good experience in watching the kids having their break.
| Mei Mei hitch a ride from Daddy |
Back to Chiang Mai
Since we planned only a night at Chiang Rai, we make our journey back to Chiang Mai. The weather is hot therefore our journey back in the cab was quite uncomfortable. Fortunately, the girls got back their energy after refreshing when we arrived at SK House 2, Chiang Mai. Meanwhile, Hubby was getting the car rental so that the girls will have more comfortable journeys in the coming days. So touched~. We rented a Toyota Vios at 1300 Baht per day for 2 days. Mei Mei was quite curious why we are using ‘uncle’s car and why not use our own car. So cute! But can see the girls were relieved to travel in the car. Hubby drove us to old city to see if we can get some food for the girls. Fortunately, we found a Chinese Restaurant that served pork cooked the way Jie Jie loves it. Glad to see Jie Jie is taking her usual portion of food.
Since we planned only a night at Chiang Rai, we make our journey back to Chiang Mai. The weather is hot therefore our journey back in the cab was quite uncomfortable. Fortunately, the girls got back their energy after refreshing when we arrived at SK House 2, Chiang Mai. Meanwhile, Hubby was getting the car rental so that the girls will have more comfortable journeys in the coming days. So touched~. We rented a Toyota Vios at 1300 Baht per day for 2 days. Mei Mei was quite curious why we are using ‘uncle’s car and why not use our own car. So cute! But can see the girls were relieved to travel in the car. Hubby drove us to old city to see if we can get some food for the girls. Fortunately, we found a Chinese Restaurant that served pork cooked the way Jie Jie loves it. Glad to see Jie Jie is taking her usual portion of food.
| Chinese Food for the girls! |
Finally, Hubby and I had our own time together while Mom stayed with the girls. The WIFI signal in the hotel is strong so Mom was hooked up with her Facebook while we explore for food. It was breezy at night, Hubby and I decided to walk out to search for food. Hubby was very excited to see various food so we grabbed some food to share together with our Chang beer! Superb!
| Grilled seafood, chicken wings and herb sausages |
| Pork Burger in the making! |
| Our final supper with Chang Beer. Heavens! |
DAY 4:
Chiang Mai Zoo
Today the girls were thrilled with the plan; Chiang Mai Zoo and Night Safari. Hubby and I woke up early in the morning and ventured to the nearest local market to get breakfast. Daddy is a fan of local delicacy. Wherever he goes, for sure he will look for local food.
| Local Delicacy (cloakwise: fried pork, spicy fish, 7-Eleven coffee, fried glass noodles, rice and chicken congee) |
After the heavy breakfast we headed off to Chiang Mai Zoo which is situated 30 mins from Old City of Chiang Mai.
This is the first time we encountered traffic jam as we used the highway to our destination. Weather is somehow hot, therefore we loaded in bottles of mineral water in the car. On the way to zoo, there’s Chiang Mai University and Maya shopping centre, so if there’s time, can shop around in Maya Shopping Centre.
We reached Chiang Mai Zoo at 10am. The best part – we can drive in our car and travelled from one zone to another. Fee for the car – Baht50. The Chiang Mai Zoo has good preservation of the natural environment and can be quite educational on both the flora and fauna. They have the trees and plants labelled with names all the way. There are good amount of walkways and tramps for hikers. If you are an active person, do try hiking in the zoo.
| It's really convenient driving in Chiang Mai Zoo |
Chiang Mai Zoo is home to animals all around the world, from giraffes and zebras from Africa, kangarros from Australia, penguin from North Pole and the Pandas too. The animals in the zoo look happy and healthy so the girls really enjoyed their trip. The zoo is a vast area so we did skip some of the zone so that we could head back to hotel for the girls to rest before bringing them to Night Safari later on.
Though we have skipped some zone, we visited a fair amount of animals in the zoo. First, the girls were thrilled by the rhinoceros and tapir. Then, they crossed the road to check out the turtles in the Rose Garden.
| Welcome to the Zoo! |
The girls were happy when Hubby shooed them in the car to drive to another zone. This time the girls got to see their favourite elephants, tigers and lion. It was almost 12 noon, so we brought the girls to the nearest food court to have lunch and ice cream.
The girls have longed to see pandas; therefore Hubby purchased entrance ticket at 80 Baht for adults and 40 Baht for children. There are only 2 pandas in the chilled room but great to see the chubby pandas actively chewing their bamboos.
Next stop – penguin center (no extra fee required). We drove a good 5 minutes to arrive in the penguin center. Due to the hot weather, we’re choosing some cooler place to cool down. The penguins were place in a 2 storey big glass. From the glass, you can the penguins swimming around.
We spent ½ the day at the zoo so that we have time for the girls to rest before heading to Night Safari.
| Address: 100 Huay Kaew Road |
| Tel: +66 53 210 374 |
Night Safari
Since Jie Jie longed for Night Safari, we drove an hour drive for a supposed 20 minutes distance to Night Safari straight after dinner. We reached Night Safari at 8pm. The place is still quite happening especially the patting zoo. There are ponies and horses for visitors to pat and parrots at the next area. Don’t be surprise tourist coming in busses started to pour in at this time. So, we quickly get tickets for Mom and Jie Jie since Mei Mei was sleepy , so we decided to let her roam around at the patting zoo.
We spent a good 2 hours at Night Safari and Jie Jie enjoyed not only the animals but the performance. At about 9pm, the crowds diminished as the parrot retired and the patting zoo closes.
It’s time for us to head back to hotel as well. The satisfied faces of the girls compensate the long drive and the expensive tickets.
Note: Night Safari Savannah Trail + Show + Tramp = 800 Baht for adult and 400 Baht for children.
Day 5:
Wororot Market
Wororot Market
From the hotel, hubby got to know about Wororot Market, so today is a free and easy day for mom and hubby to grab as much as snacks to bring back to Malaysia. Wororot Market sells various foods, souvenirs and even has wholesale around. Price is also the cheapest compare to the stalls we went on the street.
| My mom favourite spot for the past 6 days |
Old City Wall
Before we returned the rented car, we brought the girls to the old city wall and Arts and Cultural Centre since Jie Jie has been pestering me on visiting the cultural centre. Jie Jie was so attentive in learning the history of Chiang Mai and how it was developed into today’s Chiang Mai.
That night, we had a simple dinner at nearby restaurant so that the girls can sleep early since we have to be at the airport by 6.30am.
| Old City Wall |
| Art and Cultural Centre |
Day 6:
Woke the girls early to travel to airport. The morning breeze blowing to our face in the tuk-tuk excites the girls. The drive to airport is about 30 minutes and since we have ample time before our flight at 9.10am, we have our breakfast in Burger King.
| ~The girls way to bid goodbye~ |
After 6 days in Chiang Mai, the girls leave the place with heavy heart and have requested to come again. Altogether we have a great trip but most of all, we’re spending time as a family.
Bye for now, till we meet again!
