My Thailand Series: Phuket

For the final portion of our trip, we flew from Chiang Mai over to Phuket.  We stayed at the beautiful Cape Panwa Resort, on the southernmost point of the island (http://www.capepanwa.com/).  It was a great spot to get away from the hustle and bustle of the island.  Our hotel had a shuttle to take us to the local town, where we had a great dinner on the beach.

The view from our room at the Cape Panwa.
The view from our room at the Cape Panwa.
Sunset on the beach at the Cape Panwa
Sunset on the beach at the Cape Panwa

From our hotel, we booked 2 day trips – first to Koh Phi Phi Don, to Maya Bay, also known as the famous beach from the Leonardo DiCaprio film “The Beach, and then on the 2nd day we went to James Bond Island on a kayaking tour.   I had been really excited to go to James Bond Island from the minute I booked the trip to Thailand 🙂

On the first trip, we stopped at Viking Cave.   This cave is full of thousands of birds called swifts.  They make nests out of their saliva, which is harvested to make bird’s nest soup, a delicacy.

Viking Cave
Viking Cave

After the cave, we made a quick stop off in a lagoon for some snorkeling.

Snorkeling

And then headed over to Maya Bay!

Welcome to Maya Bay, Krabi, Thailand!
Welcome to Maya Bay, Krabi, Thailand!
"The Beach"
“The Beach”

On the island, you could walk through the jungle, through a shallow lagoon, up and over some steps to a lookout point on the other side. Here is that photo!

Krabi

On the second day, we went off on our kayaking James Bond Island trip.  Unfortunately, it was the only grey and rainy day on our entire trip, but at least it wasn’t unbearably hot!  We stopped at some caves and hopped into our inflatable kayaks.  It was two people per kayak plus our guide, who did all the paddling 🙂

Kayak

This was great fun because we were able to go close to the cliffs.  We also went through a cave where we had to lie completely flat to fit through, and then went into a hidden lagoon.  The cave was also full of bats and you could hear them chirping, plus it was super stinky.

Kayak

After a buffet lunch on board, we headed to the main attraction, James Bond Island, where they filmed The Man With The Golden Gun!

James Bond Island!
James Bond Island!

Sadly, it is a bit of a tourist trap – but spectacular nonetheless.  Glad I was able to make this the final stop on my amazing trip to Thailand!!

*All photos are the property of Charlotte Moore, unless stated otherwise, and may not be used without written consent.

My Thailand Series: Chiang Mai

The last place we visited on the mainland was Chiang Mai.  Chiang Mai is the largest and most culturally significant city in Northern Thailand.  It was also my favourite city to visit on the trip.

On our first morning, we got up really early to present food and other offerings to the monks.  Afterwards, we were giving a blessing.

Offerings for the monks, Chiang Mai

 

Monks, Chiang Mai

Then we went around the old part of Chiang Mai via trishaw.

Trishaw, Chiang Mia

We stopped in a market and at a couple of different temples, including this beautiful one: Wat Ket.

Wat Ket, Chiang Mai

In the evening, we visited a nightclub called Warm Up Cafe.  We ended up going here a few times during our stay.  This was an awesome local band that were playing the first night we went there.

Warm up Cafe

And some local beer, Chang!

Chang

The next day, we visited the Mae Sa Elephant Camp, where we rode an elephant through the jungle, watched the elephants bathing in the river, and watched a show they put on (playing soccer etc.).  Some of the elephants there are trained to do paintings, and those are available for purchase.  While riding through the jungle, we were able to feed the elephants sugarcane and bananas.

Elephant Bath, Mae Sa Elephant Camp

After the elephant camp, we stopped at an orchid farm.  I purchased a necklace made from a dried orchid.

Orchid farm

And now onto one of the best parts of the trip: the cooking school!  The school is called Baan Hongnual Cookery School which is just outside Chiang Mai.  First, we stopped at a local market to learn about the different produce and spices, plus we picked up all the ingredients needed to make our 4 dishes: tom yum soup, papaya salad, chicken green curry and pad thai.

Baan Hongnual Cookery School

Baan Hongnual Cookery School

 

And the finished products!

Baan Hongnual Cookery School

Baan Hongnual Cookery School

The last Thailand post will be about Phuket!

*All photos are the property of Charlotte Moore, unless stated otherwise, and may not be used without written consent.