pai day 1

 

The mountainous road from Chiang Mai to Pai is infamous for its seemingly never-ending supply of nausea-inducing switchbacks. With the help of some Dramamine, we successfully floated through the 762 consecutive turns in a packed out 12-seater bus, and surprisingly got some sleep along the way.

After arriving in Pai, we endured lingering drowsiness and a bum scooter rental mishap to finally make it to our accommodation; a lovely place outside of the main downtown area called Ban Nam Hoo Bungalows. There was just enough time in the day to take in Pai's beautiful surroundings from our new-and-improved pink Honda motorbike, then catch a magnificent sunset from Pai Canyon. Not pictured here: vertigo-inducing ridgeline pathways threading throughout the entire canyon area.

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chiang mai day 3

 

We had a few unchecked items on our to-do list as we set out on our last day in Chiang Mai. Trying the famous local noodle soup dish, Khao Soi, was one of them. We decided to try it out at one of the well-known establishments devoted entirely to this dish, Khao Soi Khun Yai, and were not disappointed. The contrast in texture of the soft and crispy egg noodles, the creamy coconut milk mingling with the curry flavor and the perfect level of spiciness made us think that we may have been given taste buds for the sole purpose of finally finding and trying this dish. It's a can't-miss.

 

The second half of our day was well spent wandering around the trendy Nimman Neighborhood surrounding Nimmanhemin (Nimman Road). It was a great location to escape the tiring atmosphere of the touristy ancient city area. We watched street artists in action, enjoyed Thai tea in picturesque artsy cafe's, ate some quintessential Northern Thai food, and finally enjoyed a true Thai couples-massage at a spa in the area.

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chiang mai day 2

 

Nobody travels in Southeast Asia without at least considering an experience which involves some kind of interaction with the native Asian Elephants. Recently, travelers have become wary of the droves of different kinds of elephant experience tours offered in Thailand and elsewhere; rightfully concerning themselves more with the well-being of the animals. We didn't want to miss a rare opportunity to hang out with these incredible creatures, so after a great deal of research we settled on well-reviewed and seemingly responsible no-riding outfitter called Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. Our day with them was incredible. We got to feed the elephants, give them a mud bath and then a rinse in the river, and finally walk alongside them and play all afternoon as they wandered in the nearby jungle looking for roots to snack on... Really a once-in-a-lifetime kind of feeling. The whole time the elephants were free to walk around, sip on water, munch snacks and stray away from the group if they wanted to. Obviously the best possible situation would be for the elephants to live completely in the wild again, but having already been domesticated and having lived alongside the local minority groups in this region for so long, it seems that option is no longer realistic.  While we had some hesitancy about the experience for this reason as well as our feeling that the sanctuary sometimes felt as if it were "built for tourism", it was overwhelmingly a positive encounter with this endangered species and one that we would have been sad to miss.

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chiang mai day 1

 

Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand's mountainous region, is an ancient religious center founded in 1296 as the capital of the then-independent Lanna Kingdom. Vestiges of its colored history remain in the numerous temples and ancient city walls that still stand to this day. We spent our first day in the city admiring the impressive Wats and bustling ancient town center. As it happened, we were there on a Sunday, which meant we had the pleasure of stumbling upon the baffling Chiang Mai Sunday Night Market. The festivities and vendor stalls of this weekly tradition seemed to unfold endlessly as we made our way along Rachadamnoen Rd and the many side streets adjoining it. Pad Thai omelette, pomelo salad, sweet thai crepe, mango sticky rice, and Chang beers helped energize us to navigate the excited crowd. Pictured is one of the many (adorable) street performers lining the walks of the market. 

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siem reap to chiang mai

A lesser-shown part of RTW trips: long travel days. On this day we flew from Siem Reap to Chiang Mia via Bangkok Airways, using our travel day lull to catch up on reading and sketching. Reaching our accommodation after nightfall, we were greeted with the idyllic urban riverside environs of the historical Ban Narai River Guesthouse. 

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siem reap day 5

 

We wanted to pack in the most sight-seeing we possibly could on our last day in Siem Reap, so we created a custom, full-day itinerary and hired a driver to help us make it happen. We began at the Angkor Center for the Conservation of Biodiveristy, a conservation area dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, breeding and release of vulnerable and endangered local species back into to the wild. Pictured above is a female pileated gibbon, now identified as endangered in the region due to habitat destruction and wildlife smuggling. After learning about the various animals at ACCB we hiked to an ancient site called Kbal Spean, visited Banteay Srei (the 'Pink Lady' temple), learned a ton about the rise of the Khmer Rouge at the Landmine Museum (an absolute must-see), and finally ended our tour at a sunset visit to Beng Mealea. 

 

Beng Mealea was our favorite temple that we visited during our entire time in Cambodia. An hour drive from the main tourist areas, the temple crumbles gradually as tree roots wrap around its massive stones for stability. An air of tranquility surrounded Beng Mealea as the crowds we had become used to faded from our minds and our full attention turned to the majesty of the structure in front of us. Anyone looking for what an ancient temple visit should really feel like definitely should not miss Beng Mealea. 

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siem reap day 4

 

During another foray in the downtown area of Siem Reap, we enjoyed our best meal in Cambodia at the Socheata Restaurant. Banana leaf salad, fish amok, pineapple curry and more cheap beer set the mood right as night descended on the bustling city-center which was in the midst of celebrating the Chinese New Year.

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siem reap day 3

 

An NGO-ran tour was suggested to us by Addie's aunt Wyler, who had just come from Siem Reap when we met up for our time in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay a few days before. KKO (Khmer for Khmer Organization) provides free english and vocational education to Khmer children in need. They fund their educational programs through a variety of projects, including the donation-based Off Track Tours, through which we booked a half-day motorcycle adventure around the Siem Reap countryside. Our guide took us to markets, farms, a monastery and other awesome sights via gorgeous country roads. He also shared information on the history of the area and its people, illuminating our experience in Cambodia substantially. We definitely recommend taking advantage of this organization's offerings to anyone traveling in the area.

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siem reap day 2

 

After the previous day of fervent sight-seeing, we decided to give our legs and our budgets a break with a day of casual exploration in the downtown wedge of Siem Reap. There we found affordable street food, and an abundance of fifty cent draft Angkor beer. One of our favorite cheap treats in Siem Reap was the chive cake. Chives are stuffed into a small patty of glutinous rice-flour and fried in shallow pans. They're then cut up and drowned in a delicious sweet-spicy fish sauce. A must-try if you're in Siem Reap.

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siem reap day 1

 

Sieam Reap and Angkor Wat are nearly synonymous. The city was built around a cluster of magnificent ancient temples; some dating back over 1000 years. We awoke at 4am on our first day in Cambodia to embark on a sunrise tour of Angkor Wat and its surrounding temples. Fighting our way through a dense crowd of like-minded tourists we were able to witness the sky come to life over the distinctly shaped towers of this 8th Wonder of the World. Massive scale and intricate detail collided to create an awe-inspiring, bucket-list sight. Throughout the course of the day our friendly guide shared some of the ancient history of the area and the specific temples, detailing the lives of Khmer kings and the fusion of Hinduism and Buddhism that gives this place a unique appearance and important spiritual significance.

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