1st DAY (1/10/2008) – woke up in early morning around 4.40am…actually I didn’t sleep at all…too excited about this journey…packed up final things and change shirts…and say bye to my sister’s pet…a very cute dog called as Glamour… this is the look of the cute little dog…
Went to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), at the back of KLIA….this terminal looks like cargo terminal…everything built here are at low- cost….first time met with our local tour guide called as Kally…then queue up to approve all these and that…then faster eat breakfast at McDonald…then speed towards the entrance…wah…a lot of people..need to get front place…if not, later cannot find a good place to sit in the plane…what is bad about Air Asia plane is that they have no ticket numbers!!!
In the plane, wah…so small…everything so small..from the lane to the size of the seats…and we have to pay in cash to buy the food and drinks in there…spend around 2 hours plus in the plane…tired…so sleep a while while on flight…
Reaching Chiang Mai International Airport..so small also…I wonder how this airport gets the international status..take photos and then met with the Chiang Mai tour guide who is from Forever Travel Company…she is called as Siao Ling…go on Super Highway to reach the Mae Tang Elephant Safari…quite far from center of Chiang Mai…
Reached there in the jungle and hills, have buffet as lunch…honestly, food served here all not nice….doesn’t even look like a buffet…later, go on elephant ride…really shock….
The elephant me and my dad ride on is so brilliant..it goes on sloppy lanes while others do not go as it is quite dangerous…my dad called it as F1 also because it walked quite fast while we are on top of it…quite scary actually…after a long period on elephant…then we go back by cow ride….so many rides here…cow ride is nice too…me, dad, my second eldest sister and my sister’s friend are on a ride by two white cows…
Then we go watch elephants taking bath on the river…and they sprayed water to us…haha…then go watch performances by the elephants,…dancing…playing football and basketball, moving trunks..the most exciting part is the elephant called as Suda drawing….wah…thumbs up for this little elephant…actually quite big also… this is what the elephant drawn with it’s signature on it…believe it or not…
Then..our rides haven’t finished…we moved on to bamboo rafting…..taking a deeper look into jungles and hills…as well as the muddy river….i wonder if there is a crocodile in there,.,.scary…haha…
Then we go to the Orchid Butterfly Farm…I didn’t see any butterflies in here…but a lot of orchids of different species and colours…beautiful…
Then go back hotel called as Chiang Mai Holiday (CH) Hotel..quite near to the city centre and very near to the popular night bazaar…this three star hotel also not bad…room is quite spacious… the hotel main entrance….
Rest a while then go out for dinner at Suriwongse Hotel…buffet again…but this time is better..in a nice hotel, more variety of food, air-conditioned and got people singing while you are eating…how comfortable it is…
Then go walk around night bazaar..quite hot here…a lot of Western people come here for tourism…very good place for tourists indeed…
The night bazaar…here a lot of hawkers like to put up a very high price to cheat the tourists…we aware of this..and we bargain and cut cut cut until…over half price of the original price proposed by the hawkers…how greedy are them…haiz…what to do…they just want to earn more and we want to save more…to buy more…haha
2nd day (2/10/2008) – the originally proposed trip to the Doi SuThep Temple is actually on the first day..but then postponed to second day…this temple is the most famous in Chiang Mai and in whole Northern Thailand…it is on the hill and can be called as Twin Dragons Temple (Suang Long Se Miao, in Pinyin Mandarin).
When we reached there..uui..why so many security guards and policemens there one???very curious..so our tour guide asked them…Oh my God…the Thailand Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat will be visiting this temple later…so coincident and surprising….then we go take a look in the temple while waiting for the prime minister of Thailand to come…the temple looks marvelous and splendid…
Walking around this pagoda for three times is believed to bring you luck for a year..so I tried…don’t know whether it is real or not…
Deng…deng….the prime minister is accompanied by so many people and I tried to get near to take better and clearer pictures of him…so many people now..all wanted to take a look at him…such a ‘big’ and important person I have ever seen….when I am about to take photo of him, he looked at us and waved his hand…press the button..hurry….and yes…that’s it….
Then we go take a short sightseeing…from the temple…we can see the whole city of Chiang Mai, the second largest city of Thailand….Chiang Mai has very less tall buildings…only like around four….spectacular view from this temple…
Then we go all the industry and factories…these factories and industry are selling and making leather, gems, jewelleries, paper umbrellas,bird nests, shark fins, etc…..got one section in the paper umbrella industry place…is a place where talented people draw something on a a shirt requested by the people (drawings,names) and charge very cheaply….here it is…I requested one of them to make one for me also…
Then at night, we ate at Kantoke Palace, a cultural restaurant..a very high-class restaurant where we have to take off our shoes, eat gently while watching people performing traditional cultural Thai dances….nice…
3rd day (3/10/2008) – today have to wake up very early…because we need to go Chiang Rai…the northern most part of Thailand..border with Myanmar and Laos….We spent four hours in the bus to reach Chiang Rai…in the middle of the ride…we stopped a while for around an hour to visit the Hot Spring…
The water here is like boiling…can boil eggs here…no wonder can smell some egg’s smell around this place…
Reaching Chiang Rai, can’t even see a tall building here….
Went to the Village of Tribes…here we can see a lot of different tribes people with their culture…first of all, the most special one in the Long Neck Village…the women here have to wear that kind of heavy thing around their necks beginning from five years old… these tribes cannot get out of this village..because they do not have identification card of Thailand…if they go out, they will be caught…pity them…
Going through different types of tribes…we saw performances like traditional dances….
Then we go to extra places not offered in the schedule..so we have to pay more…RM150 more..to go to the King’s GrandMa Garden and House, boat ride on Mekong River and short visit to Laos border.
We need to ride on a special vehicle made to travel along sloppy hill to go up to the King’s GrandMa Garden and House…we need to be very silent in the house…and take a look at this traditional styled house..actually the King’s GrandMa passed away already long time ago, so they opened this place for visitors….
From this house , the view of Chiang Rai can be seen clearly from here too….
Then we go visit the garden..so big and beautiful…a lot of different species of flowers can be found here..really nice…
Then, we went down the hill…Next destination, Mae Sai…the borderline between Thailand and Myanmar…here got a lot of shopping streets…. The borderline …can u see the flags…half part of the bridge belongs to Thailand and another half belongs to Myanmar…
The shopping street nearby…looks like Petaling Street…
Next, we moved on to the Golden Triangle…the Mekong River is the one that separates Thailand, Myanmar and Laos…in the middle of it is called as Golden Triangle…quite near from this place is China…
In the boat ride to the Laos border ..now I scared whether got giant sharks or monsters under this historical river or not…haha….we go to Laos without needing the passport…great?…the Laos border…
Then we go to take a look at one Myanmar casino building on the Myanmar border…we didn’t go there..just take a look…then go back to Thailand…have dinner besides the Mekong River which is very dark at night….then go out a while to take photos of the monument built to commemorate Thailand’s King rule of Thailand for over 60 years….actually there is one more Statue of Buddha at the side of this…so sparkling at night…
Then go back to Chiang Rai…reached the Inn Come Hotel…quite a nice hotel also…with its services, facilities but not its breakfast.,..nothing to eat one…only few breads…the entrance of the hotel looks good…
4th day (4/10/2008) – We went to the White Temple…this is a very big private temple..wholly owned and developed by a famous artist from Chiang Rai (local artist)…he spent so much on building this temple..and it is getting bigger and bigger through its new construction…the architecture of this temple is very fantastic…sparkling too…..then we go see the art gallery of the artist (I forgot the name) too…
The we go shopping a while besides this temple where got stalls selling items also…the weather is very hot…all sweating…then we returned back to Chiang Mai..four hours bus ride again…haiz…
Then we go to Thai Silk Factory, Thai Honey Industry and Silverware Industry. After that, we proceed back to the previous hotel in Chiang Mai, the CH Hotel again..but this time different room in the same floor…
Go to Central Airport Plaza with my sister and her friend…go there of course go shopping lah…but the items sold here is quite expensive also..but this plaza looks grand too….we go to this plaza and back to hotel with the Taxi (a very cute little vehicle specially in Thailand)…in the vehicle..quite cool…not the driver…the feeling of sitting in here is nice…
Then we go eat steamboat as our dinner at a nearby hotel called as Star Hotel..then we proceed to night bazaar again…this time we (I and my family) brought a lot of things especially T-shirts…very special, nice and cheap..then we saw some talented people selling their drawings drawn based on the photographs given…their drawings looks so real and looks almost exactly like in the photographs…cool…
But the weather is super hot…after some bargaining and purchasing, finally we went back to our hotel….take a rest…
The Le Merdian Hotel (5 star)…why aren’t we stay in here…so nice…the lighting of the building is cool….near the night bazaar too..
This hotel also not bad..right in front of Le Meridien Hotel..taller than Le Meridien…it is called as Royal Lanna Hotel..i think this one is four or five star hotel also…
Another one tall building besides the Le Meridien Hotel too…the DuangTawan Hotel…five star hotel too…none of it I stayed before…haiz..very expensive worr…not affordable..
5th day (5/10/2008) – took breakfast (buffet) at the same hotel ….packed up all the things..have to go back Kuala Lumpur today already…haiz…need to leave already…sayonara…Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai…and Thailand…and to the tour guide…
We went to the Chiang Mai International Airport…queue again…same procedures again….this airport really small…
Then fly back to Kuala Lumpur…by Air Asia again….reached KL at LCC Terminal at around 2 to 3 pm…the LCC Terminal is so poor in looking…should upgrade futher…and now they are upgrading…KLIA is far more better than this LCC Terminal…
In the flight, have to take this photo faster before they start to fly….have to turn off handphone during the flight….in the plane, start to turn sad already…holiday ends..so fast….and schooling days come again…with all my final assignments, projects, blah…blah…blah….later only cares about that….
LCC Terminal got so many people..more than the KLIA..got shopping a while..here items are duty-free…then say bye to the local tour guide and other people who are in the same travel agent with us…yeah…forget to mention the name of the travel agent ….Mar Sin Thai Travel Agent…this agent quite good also…A very exciting and memorable trip to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand!!!
End of My Story………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Written by: Loy Tuck Man. (6th October 2008).
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