I headed yet again back to Thailand after spending two weeks in Cambodia. This time in Thailand I was meeting up with my mom who was flying out for a two-and-a-half-week trip. It was a lot of fun meeting up with my mom again and being able to visit Thailand with her. We spent the first half of her trip in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
After a short stop in Phnom Penh, I took a bus back to Siem Reap and had two rest days there before getting another bus back to Bangkok, Thailand. The border crossing out of Cambodia was super quick and easy, but getting into Thailand took forever. There was an insanely long line at the border crossing that got even longer right after the group of people on my bus and I got in line. It ended up taking over two hours to get through customs and back into Thailand. Once back in Thailand the rest of the ride back to Bangkok went by quickly. That evening, after arriving in Bangkok, I met up for dinner with Sophia, whom I had met back in Koh Samui and again right before I left for Cambodia. The same day I was arriving from Cambodia, she was leaving for there. It was a lot of fun to catch up for dinner and give her Cambodia recommendations. After dinner we walked back to my hostel and while saying our goodbyes I got a call from Cynthia, whom I originally met in Turkey and then again the first time I was in Thailand. It turns out Cynthia was staying at a hostel down the street from mine and she saw me from where she was sitting outside. After finding this out, Sophia and I walked over to say hi and the three of us talked for a while before we parted ways. The next morning Cynthia and I met up to get Thai massages and then had lunch. I decided to get a full body Thai massage and while I felt good after, the massage was not a soft one. Thai massages are very firm and they can sometimes hurt during the massage but afterwards you feel great. After lunch we parted ways as she had to switch hostels and I was switching accommodations as well.
Since my mom was arriving late that night, we had a hotel room booked so I checked in once the room was available and then enjoyed having a room to myself for the afternoon and evening before my mom arrived. Her plane landed late and by the time she arrived at the hotel it was after 2:00 am. On my mom’s first day in Thailand we did a boat tour through the Bangkok canals. During the tour we were able to see a lot of monitor lizards, some of which were massive, and we were able to see how locals live and the different houses on the water. It was a fun boat tour and it was nice being on the water. After the boat tour we walked around looking for a place to have lunch and after lunch we went to the Grand Palace. In one section of the Grand Palace there were a bunch of different temples, each with different designs and colors. It was cool walking around and seeing the different designs, however it was full of other tourists and was very busy in some areas. By the time we were done with the Grand Palace it was late afternoon so we headed back to our hotel to rest for a while before going out for a street food dinner on Khaosan Road and then calling it a night.
The next day we hired a taxi to take us to a floating market outside of Bangkok. The ride out there was long. Once there we hired a boat that took us through the water canals leading to the market. Along the way there were different souvenir shops that the boat stopped at and we were able to see what they sold. On the way to the market we also made a stop to see how coconut sugar is made and we were also able to taste the coconut sugar. After a little while we finally arrived at the floating market. Once there, the canals got super busy and full of boats and other tourists. It was a lot of fun seeing the different items being sold from boats. Both my mom and I got lunch from one of the boat vendors and we were able to eat and watch as we went through the market. Once we finished with the floating market, our next stop was supposed to be the train market, however we arrived earlier than planned and there was still a bunch of time until the next train would pass. Instead of spending a long time at the train market our driver took us to get massages. Before this my mom had always said she hates massages, but after getting an hour-long foot massage that was super relaxing, she seemed to have changed her mind. After thoroughly relaxing for an hour we headed to the train street where we didn’t have long before the next train was scheduled to arrive. We ended up having to pay ten baht each to a store vendor to stand there as the train passed, but it was totally worth it. The street with a bunch of food vendors is just slightly wider than the train that comes through it so when the train comes it goes right over the food that is set out on the ground. The train is so close that you have to be pushed as far back as possible so that it can pass and when it does it is so close that we could have easily reached out and touched the train if we had wanted to. Seeing the train pass through the market was one of my favorite parts of the day. After it passed we wandered down the rest of the way through the market.
That evening, after arriving back from both markets, we had our driver drop us off in Chinatown since we were told it’s best to visit in the evening since that’s when it is busiest. It was true and as the evening progressed it got busier. We walked around Chinatown and got a street food dinner there before heading back to our hotel and packing up since the next day we were flying up to Chiang Mai. I was excited to be heading to Chiang Mai again because it is one of my favorite places in Thailand and also because I was going to be able to meet up with friends there and my mom was going to be able to meet some of the friends I’ve met while traveling.
We spent the next morning in Bangkok visiting temples and wandering around before catching an afternoon flight to Chiang Mai. That evening, after checking into our hotel, we headed out to my favorite Pad Thai restaurant in Chiang Mai for dinner and Chelsea, whom I first met in Turkey, joined us. After a fun and delicious dinner, my mom, Chelsea, and I headed out to wander and soon met up with Marta and Ainhoa, whom I had met in Koh Samui. While the five of us talked and walked around Chiang Mai, we ended up running into a couple that Marta, Ainhoa, and I had met in our hostel in Koh Samui. It was so fun and crazy randomly running into even more people I had met before. Backpacking really is a small world. After walking around for a while, Chelsea headed back to her hostel and my mom, Marta, Ainhoa, and I walked a little more and found a small night market and got a snack there before calling it a night.
On our first full day in Chiang Mai, my mom and I walked around and visited a bunch of different temples and a market. We were able to see a lot of different sights in Chiang Mai. The temples were cool and varied from more simply designed temples to elaborate, big, bright, colorful temples with beautiful garden spaces. It was cool being able to see the differences in temples and I was able to see ones that I hadn’t seen before in Chiang Mai. That evening we headed out to a night market for dinner and then wandered around the different shops set up along the street.
Our second day in Chiang Mai we had an early morning pick up scheduled to take us to an elephant sanctuary for a day trip which Chelsea was also going to with us. The elephant sanctuary was a favorite experience; it was so cool being so close to the elephants. When we arrived at the sanctuary located in the middle of the mountains, the views were breathtaking. The first part of the day was spent learning more about what they do at the sanctuary and learning about the elephants. After this, we were able to go and feed them and it was the first time we got up close to the elephants. It was amazing seeing them grab the bananas from our hands and suck up the seeds that we gave them. Each of the elephants were so different and it was cool seeing how one had a bunch of hair and the size difference. Next we went for a hike with the elephants. The elephants were free to roam where they wanted and led the way; we simply followed them through the jungle. The hike was a lot harder walking than I thought it would be and we ended up going through a bunch of different burr bushes. Unfortunately, at one point during the hike my phone fell and the screen landed flat on a rock. The screen did not survive and had a huge deep crack in it. That put a bit of a damper on the day, but since there was nothing I could do right then to fix my screen, I put it out of my mind and continued on and still had fun seeing the elephants in their natural habitat. Our third activity of the day, after the hike, was to give the elephants a mud bath and swim with them, so we all got changed into our swimsuits and ready to go. My favorite part of the mud bath was when both my mom and Chelsea were next to an elephant getting a photo and it started peeing and pooping. It was so funny seeing their reactions and seeing them running away through the water as fast as possible. I was very glad to not be near that. We then went into the river with the elephants and splashed water on them and swam with them. It was so cool. I also learned that their poop floats since one of them pooped and we watched it float down river so we knew to make sure to avoid it. It was a great day spent in the jungle with the elephants.
After getting back from the elephant sanctuary that afternoon, I headed to the Chiang Mai mall where there was an authorized Apple iCare store to fix my phone. While I was at the store my mom was able to rest and visit some temples. After spending what seemed like forever at the store, I found my way back to our hotel without my phone, which was an interesting experience since I have become so reliant on my phone while traveling. Once back at the hotel I was able to rest for a little while before heading back to the mall to pick up my fixed phone, which I was so relieved and happy to have back. After getting my phone back, my mom and I headed back to the night market we were at the night before and got dinner there and met up with Chelsea again.
On our final day in Chiang Mai I had booked a cooking class for my mom and I. It was the same cooking class I had done the first time I was in Chiang Mai. We were also joined by Chelsea, Marta, and Ainhoa. Our first stop of the day was to a local market where we were given a small tour and told about some of the foods there and how they are used in Thai cooking. We then headed outside of town for the class. Once there we started on our first two dishes, soup and an appetizer. I decided to make Thai Noodle Soup and Spring Rolls and my mom made Tom Yum and Papaya Salad. They were all delicious. After making and eating our foods we went on a tour of the cooking class’s garden. We were able to see all the different plants they have and were told how the plants, from mushrooms to Thai basil to Thai peppers, are used in Thai cooking. It was interesting to see the wide variety of plants they were growing. After the garden tour we went back to the cooking space and made the rest of our dishes. This included making our curry pastes, the curries, stir fried dishes, and dessert. For my dishes I decided on Massaman Curry, Pad Thai, and Banana Spring Rolls. My mom made Khao Soi, Pad Thai, and Mango Sticky Rice. All the food was delicious. I really enjoyed doing the cooking class again, but this time with my mom and friends.
Once back in the city after the cooking class, my mom, Chelsea, Marta, Ainhoa, and I all headed to a fruit market in town and got a bunch of different local fruits and then walked to a restaurant on the river for smoothies and Thai tea. While there we had a taste test of the different fruits and were able to hang out and talk for a while. After parting ways with everyone, my mom and I headed back to our hotel to rest and get ready for the evening and then we met up again with Chelsea and Sabrina, whom I had met in Koh Samui. That evening we were going to the Sunday night market. The Sunday night market was absolutely massive! It went down the main road for 1.1 kilometers (0.68 miles) and then snaked out down different streets and through temple squares. In total with the main road and all the offshoots of the market, it must have easily been at least two kilometers (1.25 miles) long. It was way bigger than I thought and it was by far the largest night market I have ever been to. I had a great evening walking around the night market with my mom and two friends. At one area we got food and while going to sit down on a tiny stool, I managed to sit on the edge, and the stool shot out from under me and I fully fell on the ground. While I made a scene and ended up flat on my back, I did at least manage to not spill the food I was holding, so that was a success in my book. We ended up spending a few hours walking around the night market and we weren’t even able to see it all before my mom and I had to say goodbye to Chelsea and Sabrina since we had a super early flight the next morning.
The first week of my time spent with my mom in Bangkok and Chiang Mai was so much fun and went by fast. While I enjoyed exploring Bangkok, my favorite was the time spent in Chiang Mai, as it's one of my favorite places in Thailand. Also, because we were able to go to the elephant sanctuary. Spending time with the elephants was an amazing experience. I also really enjoyed being able to meet up with friends I have made during my travels and getting to have my mom experience some of the ways I’ve been traveling through meeting other travelers. It was a great week spent with great company.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.”
- Mark Twain
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