After a quick stop in Bangkok, we arrived in beautiful Chang Mai. We had three nights to explore this incredible city and had some of the best experiences (and food) from our time in Thailand here! Some of our favorites were:

Cooking Class

We took a cooking class with Asia Scenic Cooking School. We arrived in the morning and met our teacher, Marin, and our 6 other classmates from Denmark, South Korea, New Zealand, and Germany. As a group, we agreed upon our menu for the day and went to the market to learn about the ingredients we’d be using. We each made a stir fry, a curry, a Thai soup, and a spring roll. We left feeling inspired to try some Thai cooking when we return home so get excited for our attempted curries in the spring! The course took half a day and was absolutely a highlight from our time in Thailand.

Dos Suthep

Dos Suthep is a temple on a hill overlooking the Old City of Chang Mai. The best way to get to Dos Suthep is in a songthaew (covered pickup truck with benches) from outside the Old City wall. We piled into the back with 7 other folks headed to the temple for a winding 45 minute ride to the top of the mountain. It was fun to talk to the fellow travelers about their time in Thailand. The winding ride was a little nauseating but we all powered through and made it to the top without incident! Next time: dramamine.

The views from the temple were awesome and you got a sense of how big Chang Mai is despite having a relatively compact Old City. The temple itself was beautiful and we enjoyed wandering around.

Night Markets

We went to two night markets in Chang Mai for tasty food and souvenirs. The first, Anusarn Market, was outside of the old city wall and was recommended by a couple we met in the songthaew ride up to Dos Sutohep. We also went to the huge Sunday market that seemed to take over the entire Old City. It was PACKED with people and a  bit overwhelming to navigate, but we got some tasty street food and souvenirs.

Massages

The Chang Mai Women’s Correctional Institute offers a vocational training program to teach inmates massage skills. Visitors can get massages from the women in the training program or from graduates who who work at a few of the salons around Chang Mai that employ prisoners upon their release. Prices are comparable to massages not associated with the prison, but we loved supporting the mission and the novelty of getting “prison massages.”

Massages at the prison itself are very popular. On our first two days, we tried and failed to get in. On our third day, we went right as it opened and all three of us were able to get a traditional Thai massage which is a lot more active than other massages. There is lots of moving and cracking and elbowing, which feels nice but there is no risk of falling asleep or anything like that.

Terri and I also went to get massages twice at Lila Massage, one of the shops employing graduates from the prison vocational program. The first day we got foot massages which were both relaxing and hilarious. A big part of the massage is poking the pressure points in your feet with a wooden stick, which felt bizarre and had us laughing hysterically. We also got a head neck and shoulder massage which included some intense back cracking.

Massages in Thailand are cheap. We spent 200 Bhat (or about $7 USD) per massage, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get regular massages in Chang Mai since they’re such a luxury at home.

Next stop: Chai Lai Orchid, a B&B offering elephant experiences, about an hour from Chang Mai!