Goodbyes

Sadly, our time in Chiang Mai came to an end.

Verdict on the trip? We all had a good time. But then again, we usually do as a family. Was it the most exciting or memorable trip we’ve ever taken? No. But that wasn’t really the point.

It was a short break that did exactly what it needed to do. Time together. A change of scenery. Space to slow down and step away from the everyday rhythm of life. And as an added bonus… it was cheap. Which never hurt! There were many more chapters to go in the "Festival of Fifty"...

We flew back to Singapore on the same Scoot flight, then parted ways at Changi airport. Mal and the boys stayed overnight at an airport hotel, opting for an early morning flight back to Sydney rather than the age-inducing overnight option.

Lara, my parents, and I headed back to the family apartment. Which of course meant one thing.

More eating.

My parents know how to play this game

The tiny Chiang Mai airport

Lounge was not bad

Came with free 15 min massage

Elliot lounging in the tiny Yotel

The view out of the family apartment

My parents knew what I liked. Sar ho fun

Can you guess what major annual event is coming up

My parents bought this for me as must try. Have never seen this in Australia

You eat it as is. SOOO sweet

Chocolates we had to have

I mean who doesn't need Chinese New Year kitkats

Chiang Rai & The Golden Triangle

The White Temple

Today was a long travel day.

We drove for around three and a half hours north to Chiang Rai, with the main aim of visiting the White Temple.

Wat Rong Khun is impossible to miss. Blindingly white. So white it actually hurt our eyes. Designed by contemporary Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, it’s a modern temple rather than an ancient one, heavy on symbolism and visual impact. I’m still not quite sure what I think of it. Parts were striking. Parts felt more like an elaborate art installation than a spiritual space. It’s undeniably impressive, but it also felt very much designed to attract tourists. Which, to be fair, it does extremely well.

Our pit stop. An odd place with hot springs where vendors sell eggs boiled in the water!

Eggs in basket

We made it! Although I think it is more bedazzling in real life

We actually felt hot for the first time we've been in Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai

What is this strange place?!

Uh...is that a TNMT?!? Why yes it is!

I feel like this guy was in a movie too

Thanos

And because a silver one wasn't enough, they built a gold one too

From there, we continued on to the Golden Triangle.

This is the point where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet along the Mekong River, once infamous as the heart of the opium trade. Today, it’s calmer, more reflective, and very aware of its own history. We took a short boat ride on the river, drifting past borders that felt both significant and strangely abstract from the water.

And then… we got back in the car.

Another four-hour drive home.

Was it worth it? I’m not entirely sure. It was a very long day for what amounted to a handful of stops. But the kids can now say they’ve seen Laos and Myanmar, even if only from a boat, and sometimes that’s enough.

Not every travel day needs to be transformative. Some are just long.

I think the geography is best seen with the eyes rather than described..

Terrible photo but you get the idea

Time to get into the water

So we could marvel at the Chinese built apartment buildings and casinos in Laos across the water

Fresh coconut break. So cheap at under AUD2 each. It was icy cold too with handy spoon to eat the meat after, AND a tap to wash your hands

Traditional lanna meal to end our time in northern Thailand

Elephants & Waterfall

Today took us north of Chiang Mai into the Mae Rim Elephant Sanctuary. I’ll be honest. This was not an experience I over-researched. While I’m not exactly a rainbow warrior, I do try to avoid attractions that exploit animals purely for tourism. In this case, I had to take the tour agency at their word that the elephants here were either rescued or retired working animals, not bred for the purpose of entertaining visitors.

There was no riding, which felt like a meaningful baseline. The elephants weren’t asked to perform tricks, paint pictures, or do anything overtly unnatural. That said, some parts of the experience still felt… a little orchestrated, including a short sit down educational session.

We scrubbed their feet. We walked together through the forest. We bathed them in the river.

It was enjoyable as a family experience. The elephants were calm, the setting was beautiful, and the 6 month old baby elephant, equal parts adorable and feral, stole the show. He bulldozed his way through the group with zero regard for personal space or human plans, which honestly felt like the most authentic moment of the entire visit.

Whether this is an experience I’d actively seek out again is debatable. But in the moment, it felt respectful enough, and it sparked some good conversations with the kids about wildlife, tourism, and where the line sits.

The Village People. Clothes provided so our own didn't get dirty

Filling our bags with elephant treats. Sugar cane and wintermelon

When you have sugar cane in your hand, you are super popular

Putting Oma to work, smashing the African Dream Herb a natural anti-parasitic

Ready to use on the elephants

We all took turns doing this for photo ops...so is this tourism-based? I guess so...

Meeting mama and baby elephant

Walking in the forest together to get to the river

Where baby proceeded to empty bladder

The kids still went in

The elephants did look content

He was VERY naughty

We finished with lunch which was included in the cost

Vegetarian pad thai

And then we went somewhere completely unexpected, Bua Tong Waterfall, nicknamed “Sticky” Waterfall by foreigners. We had assumed this would be a standard waterfall situation - something scenic, crowded at the bottom, photographed from a safe distance. We were wrong.

Sticky Waterfall, is made from limestone deposits that create an unusual, grippy surface. The constant flow of mineral-rich water prevents algae from forming, which means the rocks aren’t slippery at all.

Instead, they’re… climbable. You can walk up the waterfall. Barefoot. Without sliding.

So that was what we did. We descended to the base and then made our way back up, climbing directly against the flow of water. It was fun, a little ridiculous, and completely unlike anything we’d done before. No crowds bottlenecked at the bottom. Instead they were at the top waiting for people to climb up the last bits! 

It turned out to be one of those accidental highlights, the kind you didn’t know to expect and therefore enjoy even more.

Another very good day!

The area was well set up. Lots of western tourists and backpackers here

So Asian...we wondered why this was here

Because shoes not needed!

Even Oma joined in the fun

Lots of mini falls with streams in between

Then longer, steeper stretches with ropes. This was where the bottlenecks were

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!