Mae Kampong Village & Cooking Class

View of Mae Kampong Village below

Today took us out of the city and into the hills.

Our first stop was a small coffee plantation in Doi Saket, at Thepsadej. None of us realised Thailand even had a coffee industry, but it does -  modest, niche, and largely focused on Arabica grown in the cooler northern highlands. It’s small-scale and increasingly challenging.

The owner walked us through his farm in gentle, broken English, explaining the realities of the business. Rising costs, limited domestic production, and beans often imported from Laos and Cambodia to meet demand. And, in his words, a new generation of coffee drinkers who “know everything already.” We understood exactly what he meant. That was my brother Michael and the whole of Melbourne.

It was a simple experience, short and unpolished, but quietly lovely. A budget version of our coffee experience in Colombia, perhaps, but sincere. He pulled two espressos for us using different beans. Our daily caffeine booster which was complimentary. Yes. 

A little makeshift coffee education/cafe in the mountain

Getting our caffeine fix

1 shot each

Exploring the farm

These are the fermented coffee beans

Parts of the process are still old school labour, others highly modernised like the uber expensive roaster

A quick visit to the nearby Mae kampong waterfall before lunch

Lunch followed at a local restaurant overlooking Mae Kampong village, which we’d visit shortly after. Once again, lunch and drinks were included in the tour cost, and once again, the food was genuinely good.

We tried kai grata, a northern Thai breakfast-style dish where eggs are cooked directly in a small pan with sausage and minced pork, and a tom yum made with minced meat instead of seafood. Simple, warming, and exactly what you want in the hills. You can predict areas with high volume of tourist based on the number of people trying to take shots for their socials...

From there, we continued on to Mae Kampong. Mae Kampong is a small mountain village known for its cooler climate, traditional wooden houses, and community-based tourism. Historically, the village relied on tea and fermented leaf production, before tourism gradually became its mainstay. These days, it’s popular, especially with Thai weekenders, and Western investment is increasingly visible.

Yes, it’s touristy. But it’s still pretty. Still walkable. Still interesting enough. We skipped the small chapel set in the stream and instead wandered gently downhill through the village, taking it in without overcommitting. You don’t need long here. A stroll is enough.

This was where the instagrammers sat with their fancy drinks

The view

We chose to sit somewhere sensible where we could eat our food on a proper table

kai grata

Khao soi

Tom yum with mince pork

Our fancy drinks. Butterfly pea flower with lime, Thai milk tea

Mae Kampong Village

This seemed to be the shot that everyone was lining up for...so we did it as well. Don't ask why we stood like that

Another crowd favourite photo op

Looks almost like Nakasendo Thai style

Coconut ice-cream

Lara had hers with shaved ice

I went for Hong Kong waffle

Kai pam. Grilled egg in banana leaf, a Northern Thailand dish

Miang kham

Our guide delivered us back to Chiang Mai with just enough time for a short rest before our evening cooking class. And this is where things went slightly sideways. 

Pickup was scheduled for 4:30pm. By 5:00pm, nobody had arrived. We contacted the agency, who responded immediately and apologised profusely on behalf of the cooking school. Traffic, they said. Then we saw our steed: our a/c minivan had become… an open-air truck. Not what we had been promised, but at that point we preferred forward motion over principle, so we climbed aboard.

On arrival, we discovered the real issue. An earlier cooking class at another location had run late, and our instructor was still en route. To the agency’s credit, they reacted quickly, arranging a proper van and driver for our return and lodging a formal complaint with the cooking school.

Here’s the twist...What was meant to be a shared class for twelve people ended up being completely private. And it was excellent.

We each chose three dishes to cook, with mango sticky rice as the universally agreed dessert. Everything was made from scratch using fresh ingredients, and somewhere between chopping, pounding, and stirring, we surprised ourselves. The food was actually… good. Very good.

True to their word, our usual driver was waiting at the end of the class and whisked us back to the hotel efficiently and drama-free. All’s well that ends well. Especially when it ends with dessert.

Day 7 – Coffee in the Hills and a Cooking Class Plot Twist

Time to make dinner!

From scratch

This was all my parents needed to see

Tom yum soup 

Basil chicken. There were 4 stir fry options to choose from

4 soup options. Jonah chose coconut milk chicken and pad thai

Eating our first 2 creations

Next task required muscle...

One mortar and pestle for each type of "curry" paste we made

I'm addicted to Khao soi so that was what Jonah and I chose. Elliot chose massaman, My dad red curry and the were team green curry

Making the coconut syrup for our sticky rice

The final product. Delicious!

Chiang Mai

Wat Doi Suthep

The plan was to be at breakfast by 7am. The reality was a lift lobby so packed it looked like the starting pen of a marathon. After letting two completely full lifts sail past, we decided to take the stairs. Twelve floors going down. How bad could it be?

Everyone survived. No hips broken. No knees twisted. A win.

Breakfast itself was served in a vast open room with strong cafeteria energy. Functional. Echoey. Slightly overwhelming. The food, however, was more than decent. Presented in a prettier space, it would have earned the label of “great”. Context, as always, is everything.

Like eating at school camp but food was good!

Bingo for me!

Poor Elliot had to watch his head everywhere he went

We met our guide, Philip, and set off to explore Chiang Mai the way we like best — by van, efficiently, air-conditioned, and with just enough walking to feel virtuous. For those interested in a Chiang Mai itinerary, I've listed each sight we visited as its own paragraph to make it easier to follow.

Thapae Gate

Our first stop was Thapae Gate, the eastern entrance to the old city and a remnant of the original 13th-century wall built to protect Chiang Mai from invasion. These days, it’s better known for pigeons. So many pigeons. People were enthusiastically filming slow-motion videos of birds launching themselves into the air. We declined. Be gone! Ye winged vessels of disease...

The Old City Walls

We traced parts of the old city wall and moat, which still loosely define the historic heart of Chiang Mai. Once a defensive necessity, today they serve as a gentle reminder that this city was once the capital of the Lanna Kingdom, long before it became a backpacker and café favourite.

Philip did offer to take a video of us with the pigeons...

We chose boring but safe. No respiratory disease for us.

Wat Chedi Luang

We visited Wat Chedi Luang, home to the massive, partially ruined chedi that once housed the Emerald Buddha, Thailand’s most sacred religious artefact. An earthquake in the 16th century damaged the structure, leaving it in its current, imposing state. Even broken, it commands attention. Myth has it that 

From there, we drove up the mountain to one of Chiang Mai’s most iconic landmarks.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Perched on Doi Suthep mountain, this temple is said to house a relic of the Buddha and is one of northern Thailand’s most sacred sites. Legend has it the location was chosen by a white elephant that carried the relic up the mountain, trumpeted three times, and then died. Dramatic, but effective. The views were meant to be spectacular but unluckily for us, it was obscured by smoke.

City pillar shrine. Only men allowed inside

Had to send in my spy to take this photo

The Viharn

Those banners on top are for wishes. You have to take the colour of the day of the week that you were born on!

You stick your piece of gold leaf on specific parts depending on what you wish for in your next incarnation...

The 14th century chedi

Our guide said the view at the top would be obscure and he was right. This was the best we got

Oma always on the lookout for things to buy! Pomelo

The grounds were pretty and pleasant

Mom - actually a mythical creature of paradise...not mother

The inside of the actual temple

Thankfully we didn't have to climb all the way up on foot

Lunch

Lunch was… unexpectedly excellent.

A buffet, which initially triggered deep scepticism, turned out to be a quiet triumph. The room was filled with Thai diners, whether local or domestic tourists, we weren’t sure, but it’s always a good sign when you’re vastly outnumbered by locals. Standouts were the khao soi, Chiang Mai’s signature curry noodle dish, and the deep-fried bananas. We ate so many of the latter that Oma couldn’t even bring herself to steal some for takeaway. That’s how you know it was serious.

No reservations. A short wait outside for a table. 

Another cafeteria style meal! But this one was a fancy cafeteria

Som tham (green papaya salad)

My khao soi. SO good

No western options in mains or desserts

The good stuff

Drinks were included in the price. There was also tea and coffee. Soft drinks, bottled drinks and ice-cream were extra

Pongyang Jungle Coaster & Zipline Park

The afternoon delivered one of the biggest surprises of the trip.

Pongyang Jungle Coaster and Zipline Park sits in the forested hills outside Chiang Mai and blends adventure tourism with just enough organisation to feel safe. We opted for the Gold package, which came with snacks, drinks, lunch (later repurposed as dinner), and a complimentary bright orange T-shirt that nobody asked for but everyone accepted.

The zipline course featured 34 stations and was easily one of the most fun ziplining experiences we’ve done. Our two guides were loud, energetic, and fully committed to hyping every launch. It worked.

The jungle coaster was faster than expected. Much faster. The video footage consists entirely of me screaming, so it will not be shared.

The kids unanimously rated these two experiences as the highlight of the day, with Elliot describing the ziplining as "intense".

We also tackled the Quick Jump and jungle bike while still harnessed. The bike was pure silliness. The Quick Jump, however, was psychological warfare. You step off a platform into what feels like free fall. Only later do you learn that after the initial drop, it’s a controlled descent. Much scarier in theory than in reality.

The final trio - the giant swing, dry slide (two very large slides), and “buterfly” (yes, spelt with one T) - were gentler, slower, and a pleasant wind-down after the adrenaline.

Back at the hotel, exhaustion hit hard. One final note: the Wi-Fi at the hotel is terrible. Truly terrible. Possibly powered by vibes alone.

Sleep came quickly.

Day 6 – Temples, Thrills & Too Many Fried Bananas

So confident walking in

Until we saw how fast other people were going

The start of the track. I was hanging on for dear life after this as well as clutching desperately onto my dear phone 

One of 2 dry slides

Buterfly with one t

Giant Swing. I don't remember whose butt that was

This was the cafe. Quite nice with good range of offerings

Some of the selection of drinks and cake

Fantastic afternoon of fun

Quick jump. Yup had to jump off that platform!

Yup Elliot and I embraced the orange