Chiang Mai is the biggest city in the north of the country and is a stop that almost nobody misses because it is one of the best areas to feel the "real Thailand". Although you can read a whole article about what places to visit in Chiang Mai, I decided to write a special one for three other activities that were, in my opinion, incredible and unforgettable.
1. Visiting an Elephant Rescue Center
Although Thailand is the habitat of countless animal species, the elephant is, of course, the national animal and symbol of the country (until 1917 it appeared in the flag).
When booking this activity you need to be very careful because some Elephant Parks just abuse of the animals to take profit of tourism. Something you can consider before choosing it is if the elephants were rescued from circus and abusers or they were just put in the center to exhibit in front of tourists. Another thing that you can do is checking pictures online about the Elephant sanctuaries to see if they are chained in any moment, and reading the reviews of people who have gone there.
After reading other travelers' experiences, here is a list of recommended places in where, allegedly, elephants are treated well:
Burm and Emily's Elephant Sanctuary
Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary
Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary
Elephant Valley
Ran-Tong Save & Rescue Elephant Centre
There are three centres that were recommended some years ago (Elephant Nature Park, Wildlife Friends Foundataion Thailand and Surin Project) but FAADA (an animal protection NGO) withdraw its support for various reasons, so it's doubtful now if it is good to go there or not.
In my case, I chose to go to Ran-Tong Save & Rescue Elephant Centre because, despite the fact that it is not very popular, I read very good aspects about it and I liked what I saw in the website. My programme was the full day one, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and cost 2500 THB per person.
First of all, I was picked up from my hotel at 8 a.m.. I arrived two hours later and an extremely nice elephant caregiver introduced himself and the centre. My group was reduced, only 8 people, so it was perfect to enjoy the experience at its best. He gave us special clothes (and very authentic and colorful ones) to dress up and not dirty ours. He explained to us their rescue programme, talked about the elephants they had and finally presented them to us. We chopped sugarcane to feed two of them and then cleaned another very big and injured elephant. Finally, before lunch, we were able to have a bath in the river with two of the elephants.
To eat, the food was basic but delicious: rice, soup, chicken and watermelon. After feeding ourselves and changing to new clothes again, we were ready to cook a snack for our lovely new animal friends: tamarind vitamin balls. After that, we served them to the elephants and to end the experience, we gave the elephants a mud bath. What I really liked was the fact that you could shower before going back to your hotel in Chiang Mai, and also the cookies and juice that they gave us before leaving (such a nice detail!).
In my opinion, everything was outstanding and I would repeat it one hundred times. However, you need to be open-minded and participate in all the activities, no matter how strange or creepy they are.
And remember, never ride an elephant or attend to shows that use them, because in these cases the animals are being manipulated to satisfy tourists and not being helped.
2. Joining a Thai cooking class
This is an unusual activity to do when you are abroad, but at the same time it is one of the most interesting ones. It will help you understand better the local cuisine and also to have a good time and impress your family and friends when you go back home. Even though you can find classes all around Thailand, especially in Bangkok, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, I chose to do it in this last city because I had read positive experiences about it and had some spare time in there.
You can look for more schools on the Internet, but I will tell you my experience in Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School, which was perfect. I had previously booked it online: an afternoon class to prepare dinner that included transportation to and from the hotel too, and was only 800 THB. The school is located in the old city centre, close to the local market.
First of all, a van from the school picked me up from the hotel and some people in nearby accommodation places as well. To start, the teacher introduced herself (she was really pleasant and helpful), gave us an apron and then taught us how to prepare a very simple snack called Meang Kum that consisted in a betel-leaf filled with roasted peanuts, ginger, shallots, roasted coconut and a sweet sauce. While we were sitting in the table and trying it, we chose the meals that we wanted to cook (the fact that you don't have to cook the same as the other participants is one of the advantages of this school). After this, she showed us the garden of the school, from where they take some of the products, and allowed us to touch and smell some unknown vegetables such as lemongrass, galangal, turmeric or three types of basil.
Then, we all went to the local market and saw more Thai food, some of which we had to buy to cook our own dishes (we didn't have to pay extra). Once we went back to the school, all the ingredients and equipment were ready for us to use. I want to mention that, as you can see in the pictures, there was a stove for each of us, the teacher was all the time giving us intructions and every time that we finished a dish, we went to the table and tasted it.
Firstly, we made Thai style spring rolls with glass noodles, tofu, chicken and a mixture of vegetables, spices and sauces. Next, we could either cook Pad Thai or Chicken with cashewnuts, both done very similar. The third range of dishes were soups, like Tom Yum or the coconut one. Later, we prepared a curry paste to later cook a dish with it (for instance chicken curry). Don't worry if you don't like hot food because you can choose the level of spiciness of your curry.
As you can see, after all this food there was no need to have dinner, although there is an even more complete option that includes cooking all these dishes plus a salad and a dessert.
Like I have said before, I really enjoyed the experience (bear in mind that I love cooking but maybe another person wouldn't like it as much) and both the school and the staff were brilliant. Moreover, they give you a recipe booklet of all the food you have done (also some dishes that you haven't cooked) and their website is fantastic because you can read about all the products they have told you about during the class. In addition, they have an online shop so that you can buy them.
3. Having a Thai massage
If Thailand is recognised by something it is, apart from elephants and muay thai, for their massages. Going back around 2.500 years, Thai massage came from India during the time of Buddha. As this religion arrived to Thailand, this therapy came with it and became a solution to many illnesses. Nowadays, they are said to be incredibly beneficial for your body, although there is no scientific evidence about it. At least you get a good stretch that will give you enough energy to continue your trip.
The Thai massage is done to all your body, and the masseur pulls, stretches and pounds you with every part of their body including thumbs, elbows and knees. As you can see, it is a different type of massage which we are not used to, but don't worry if it hurts a little during and after the massage, it is completely normal. The massages are usually done in a futon (Japanese type of bed) so that the masseur can move easily, and in some establishments there is background music so that you can relax more. However, don't expect it to be a calming therapy because it is not.
There are massage centres all around Thailand as well, but I think that Chiang Mai is a good place because it is less crowded than Bangkok and the islands. I chose to try it in a centre called Lila Thai Massage, which is a chain and can be found throughout all the city. In my opinion, the general experience was very nice, but I can't state that it is the best one because I haven't tried any other. Anyway, this is what I did:
To start, I asked for the appointment that I had already booked by telephone: a one hour body Thai massage for 200 THB. Then, I removed my shoes, the masseur washed my feet and gave me a pair of flip flops to go around the centre.
After that, she told me to remove my clothes in a changing room and to wear a special kind of dress, not very beautiful though. Finally, I got into the massage room and the masseur did it to me. I expected something different, but it was interesting to try it and, in my case, I just got some stiffness the day after.
One positive point about Lila Thai Massage is the fact that when you finish, they give you a cup of tea, three small typical pastries and a little soup with the shape of a flower. Besides, I liked the environment of the place as it made you feel as you were in the midst of nature even though the city was next to you.
I highly recommend trying the Thai massage (be careful if you have back problems or others that could exacerbate with this technique) and this centre as well, but as I said before, I didn’t try any other in Thailand so comment if you know about any different and good ones!
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