Chiang Mai has two I's

There is no I in mother. Not just in the literal sense, but once you become a mom, your little people come first. Very rarely do you get the opportunity to put your wants and needs first. Unless you have a sweet hubby that is. Last weekend, thanks to hubby and my lovely in laws, I got to do my very first girls weekend trip to Thailand with my two close friends E and C. I was very nervous leaving the clan, especially since it was a busy weekend for L with a netball match and a swimming gala. Turns out, life can run very smoothly without mummy as evidenced by hubby sending me a pic of Lekha arriving first at 7 am for her bus to her netball match - I think it had to be the excel sheet schedule of the kids activities I posted on the fridge before leaving 🤣 I promise I'm not a control freak!

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I sat on a plane without needing to buckle or feed anyone but myself and it was glorious! Although E, C and I had grand plans to relax by the pool of our lovely boutique hotel, we never actually got around to doing this. As soon as we landed we made our way to the hotel in a taxi van large enough to fit an army (we joked that actually it probably could have accomodated our clan of 9 kids easily). After a nice yummy pad thai lunch at the hotel, we decided to make the most of the day and visit one of the most famous temples in Chiang Mai, Wat Phra Doi Sutep.

Although I had read that there are red trucks all over the city that would take you there, we decided to play it safe (this is what having kids does to you!) and got another giant taxi (not sure why all the taxi's were fit for an army). A 45 minute ride up a steep road took us to the top of the mountain where this stunning temple sits. Even though the road is very steep after being in India a few months back where there are no lanes and oncoming traffic literally come at you, I did not bat an eyelid. A short climb up the 'naga' snake steps and we were greeted by a magnificient gold shrine. The origins of the temple are interesting - our taxi driver told us that a monk took a relic that was believed to be the bone of Buddha and one piece was attached to an elephant that climbed the temple and died there! They then decided to build a temple on the site. Not only was the temple beautiful, but it also offered sweeping views of the whole city. We were fortunate to be there in the evening and watch the start of sunset.

After a winding drive back we decided to go check out the famous night market. I love market shopping (ok lets be real any shopping) and theres nothing quite like shopping with likeminded women. No children begging for every toy they see, no hubby asking if I was done yet. The market was huge - literally hundreds of stalls and really cheap compared to HK. I was so glad that I had packed a half empty suitcase (which I had to sit on to close by the time we headed back home). There were souveniers, bags, dresses, home things and all kinds of things hubby would label 'junk'. I was fascinated by the handmade items. There was an older lady who was painting some bowls - floored by her talent!

For a city whose markets stay open till midnight, finding an option to eat at 9 was hard! We wandered down the market road and when google maps couldn't find us a place, I stopped some young tourists who looked like they spoke English. Dash they said was delicious, and that's literally what we did as google told us it closed at 9:30. Unfortunately, by the time our tuk tuk (little auro rickshaws) got there, it was 9:25 and the apologetic waiter told us the kitchen was closed. We must have looked so pathetic (that or the waiter couldn't understand us when we asked for other dining suggestions), that he brought the manager out - a half Asian guy with a VERY British accent. Ofcourse C busted out the Mandarin and we found ourselves in a very eclectic restaurant down the road owned by a long haired Spanish guy serving the most delicious Khaa Soi - the iconic dish of Chiang Mai. A delicious bowl of coconut rich curry with noodles, tofu, shallots onions and the most aromatic spices. (As you can tell I consumed this several times in our short stay!).

The next day we were up bright and early for our tour to the white temples of Chiang Rai. A long 2-3 hour drive brought us to the famous white temples (which sounds like a historic temple, but in reality is only 40 years old, a fact we did not learn till we were there.) Nevertheless, despite its youth, the temple was a stunning sight. I think we took a 1000 photos between us!

I must be getting old because being in a tour group was actually really convenient. The 20 something me would have scoffed at the thought of joining a tour to see sights, but I have to admit the 30 something me found it quite relaxing not to have to plan or think about what was next or how to get there. Next on the agenda (that I didn't make up!) was a boat ride on the Mekong River. Now the coolest part of this boat ride was the fact that we had Thailand on one side (where we got on), Laos on the other side and Myanmar on the far side - the 'Golden Triangle'. Sadly, its fame comes not from the fact that its the meeting point of 3 countries, but rather because its one of the largest opium producers in the world.

After a long busy day we decided to try to get to Dash again and this time we made it and it was definitely worth it! After a delicicious dinner we hit the markets again and literally shopped till we dropped!

One of the coolest thing about Thailand is tgat there is literally an amazing temple everywhere you turn, so on our last day it seemed fitting to spend some time walking around the old city exploring the temples. Every temple was so beautiful - I'm going to let the pictures speak!

Thailand is definitely a place I will return to - this time with the fam!