One of my earliest trips out of Malaysia was to Hat Yai. The following year, we paid a visit to Bangkok for our annual family holiday.
The attraction was instant and I fell in love with Thailand; deeply, madly, totally. The rich culture, the mouthwatering food, the friendly people and the picturesque landscape are seared eternally onto my wanderlust soul.
Since then, I have been fortunate enough to visit various regions in the Land of Smiles. I’ve explored the Southern parts of Thailand, namely Phuket, Songkhla, Krabi and Hat Yai. I’ve been to Bangkok, the pulsing heartbeat of the country, for business and pleasure, more times than I can remember; each trip more riveting than the one before.
The Northern region of the charming country has always been on my bucket list and with this vacation-cum-semi-working trip, I decided to check it off and traversed Chiang Mai as well as Chiang Rai.
Previously known as ‘Lanna', the Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields, the city gloriously holds her own in Thailand’s tapestry of culture. More temperate and blissfully calmer than her Southern siblings, her ancient monasteries, fabulous food and bucolic countryside have besotted me.
Let me take you on a journey and let you live vicariously through some of my snapshots.
• My journey began at the Dhara Dhevi, which is unlike any resort I’ve seen before in my life. The entire resort took four years to build and is modelled after the ancient city of Siam, with discernible Burmese and Laotian influences in its palatial architecture.
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| DHARA DHEVI An overview of the immense grounds from one of the villas. |
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| Organic farm within the property. |
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| Sticky rice paddy fields within the resort. |
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| Lucky, the resident water buffalo. He's adorable! So fuzzy and tame. |
Within its 60 acres of lush beauty and luxury are 123 individual suites and villas, complete with its own organic garden and sticky rice paddy fields (the harvest is then donated to the local orphanages). I was fortunate enough to be invited for a press tour in this opulent establishment, and it turned out to be an experience I don’t intend to forget any time soon.
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| A generous parting gift from Dhara Dhevi. |
• Visiting the elephant sanctuary was, for me, the highlight of this trip. It is where rescue efforts are nobly conducted to rehabilitate the gentle pachyderms.
Young and old, mini and mammoth sized; I touched their rough skin, wrapped my arms around their faces and felt their whiskers tickle my cheeks. I never knew elephants had whiskers on their face, but I do now. I'm glad I can say I know this from first-hand experience.
After giving the cutest baby elephant one last cuddle, I unwittingly got into a mud fight, a river bath and elephant-pooped on.
• Being an ardent fan of Thai cuisine, I signed up for a cooking class which took place at an organic farm.
The driver picked me up from my hotel and the class was then shuttled for approximately an hour outside the city, into the beautiful farmlands of Northern Thailand. Once we arrived at the farm, our guide showed us around the property and explained the organic practices they used (composting).
I grounded my own green curry paste with a pestle and mortar, cooked five dishes from scratch and if the picture below is anything to go by, it is that I am now certifiably ready to be a Thai housewife.
• I walked in the air for 400 metres.
One of the latest and most exciting attractions in Chiang Mai, the Canopy Walkway is located at the sprawling grounds of the Queen Sirikit Botanic Gardens in the Mae Rim district.
The longest suspended walkway in Thailand offered a phenomenal panorama of the mountains at the end of the trek, with a view of the shrubs and greenery at my feet through the glass floors.
• The luscious grounds of the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden will charm the socks off any nature lover.
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| Indoor rainforest. |
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| Cactus conservatory. |
• Food, the marvellous local food.
Northern Thai food is a world away from the dishes I've encountered at local Thai restaurants. Indicative of the region’s relatively cool climate, the food here is probably the least spicy, compared to other provinces. Coconut milk hardly makes an appearance in Northern Thai cooking (only in Khao Soi and sticky rice dishes).
P/S: Pork meat lovers, this is one place you should visit. The love for all things pork is endearingly evident and utterly delicious in Chiang Mai.
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| Left (bottom) - KHAO SOI Nothing says “I’m in Chiang Mai” better than a bowl of Khao Soi. This hearty dish is made up of a piece of slow cooked chicken drumstick and yellow egg noodles, bathed in a thick coconut curry broth, garnished with crunchy noodle sticks. |
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| Left - NAM PRIK ORNG Chilli dip with tomatoes and minced pork. Often served with condiments such as parboiled seasonal vegetables and pork crackling. SAI OUA Grilled spicy pork-based sausage. What makes it special is the significant combination of ingredients used in Northern Thai dishes such as lemongrass, chilli, ginger and kaffir lime leaves, resulting in a chewy, well-seasoned burst of flavours. Center (top) - LAAP KHUA MU Spicy pork salad. Believed to originate from Southwest China, the dish consists of minced pork tossed in a rich blend of spices, giving it a mildly spicy yet aromatic taste. |
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| FRIED OYSTERS Raw bean sprouts are assembled atop a sizzling hot plate, then topped with stir-fried oysters, cocooned in crispy egg batter. |
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| BLUE PEA NOODLES Roasted pork, served on a bed of blue noodles, naturally dyed with petals from the blue pea flower. More than aesthetics, the noodles were delightfully springy and tasty on their own. |
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| MAMA INSTANT NOODLES On almost every food cart anywhere in Thailand, there will be packets of Mama Instant Noodles displayed. This supper place took it up a few notches by adding their homemade chilli jam, cracking an egg and tossing in a few slices of meat into the soup. Perfect on a chilly night. |
• Breathtaking sunset at Doi Pui.
A mishap with Google Maps almost costed us this stunning scenery. We made it just in the nick of time, slammed the car doors shut and hurriedly grabbed front row seats to Mother Nature’s ravishing unveiling.
A few minutes after the setting of the sun, I turned my head to the right - ever so slightly - and watched the amber glow tenderly descend over the mountains. It was incredibly magical.
• Taking in the gilded glory of Doi Suthep at nightfall was a sight to behold.
Although, hiking up the strenuous 306 steps staircase flanked by mosaic naga-s was a grief reminder of my physical inaptitude.
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To say I was mesmerised would be a gross understatement. Six days ended up being not nearly enough to savour all the amazing things Chiang Mai had to offer, which really just means a return trip to the beautiful province is most definitely in my future.
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