For spring break we checked off one of our Asian bucket list items...see the elephants in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai has more than elephants though, we also enjoyed the amazing food and temples. We spent the week bouncing between amazing restaurants, temples, and pool time at the hotel. It was the perfect balance of tourism and relaxation.
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| Local vans take you around the city for about $1 per adult. |
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| Me and my man |
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| Pork belly and yummy sauces |
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| Temple buddah |
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| The white temple and a cute girl |
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| Tuk tuk was the favorite way to go |
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| These elephants were all around the town and our hotel. |
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| All the details. |
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| Street crepes with nutella and bananas |
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| Our hotel hooked the kiddos up with some cookie decorating |
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| Tae and sweet Marlee. As luck would have it some friends of ours were also in Chiang Mai, so we met up and ate some delicious vegan food. |
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| Picking out some fruit for the walk back |
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| Our little fish |
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| A family that snuggles together...is just happy. |
I feel that this trip was a bit of a full circle journey for me personally, as I rode my first elephant in Thailand 10 years ago. This time, I was a bit less touristy and a whole lot more knowledgable. Last time I was naive and didn't know how the elephants were treated to get them to behave and carry hundreds of tourists a week, I just valued the experience for me. This time around I saw the bigger picture, it wasn't about me anymore it was about modeling responsible tourism for my kids and feeling empowered by the choices we make. I did lots of research and found the
Elephant Nature Park, which was started by a woman with a heart for elephants and a desire to see them free and treated humanely. It was an incredible experience and I and beyond thankful for the opportunity to hang out with these magnificent creatures for a whole day.
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| A good day of fun finished off by a van nap |
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| Suckers, the secret traveling weapon for parents worldwide |
