Chiang Mai, Thailand

Hello Thailand! I am just forewarning you that this is going to be almost an 10 part series on Thailand. No joke. I took thousands of photos and have so much to say. So What I have decided to do is to share the photos from each city with little snippets of thoughts. Then I will do a wrap up post at the end with links to each photo heavy post to create a travel itinerary for you. I hope that will be the most helpful thing as these posts will be long and probably confusing, so if you are looking for Thailand tips, take notes here but wait until the main posts at the end. Which is perfect, so if you have any questions ask here and I'll include it all in the wrap up post! We started in Chiang Mai and landed on Christmas eve. So we spent Christmas eve and day facetiming with family, sleeping in and eating pizza in bed. Glorious. We spent most of our time wandering around the Old City, which was beautiful and so intriguing. There is so much to see there and lots of fun shopping and street food. And temples on temples on temples. So many temples, these are my favorite photos from them.    We actually stopped and bought a beautiful painting from this lady for about 5$ USD. I only regret not buying more...  And then the adventuring started! Chiang Mai is a more mountainous region, so this is where you can do more adventure type events. We wished we had come here later in the trip so we weren't so tired and could have taken advantage of more. We also wished we had more time as they have some of the most beautiful hiking and gardens, etc but they are all pretty spread out so you have to choose only one or two things to do in a day. We went ziplining/ropes coursing with a friend from school (plus her sister and brother-in-law). It's always so fun to meet up with friends on long trips like this. We went to Eagle Track and would highly recommend it. It was fun and there was lots to do. They pick you up from your lodging, drive you about an hour into the mountains, feed you a delicious lunch, give you a t-shirt and a certificate, drive you home and of course you get to wear these lunch lady hair nets to prevent the spread of lice! It's a win all the way around! We did the Gold package so we could do the entire course, worth it!   One night, for a really lazy romantic date night we went on a river boat cruise. You sit, you eat, you cruise. Its dark so you can't see anything, but you get the most delicious all you can eat Thai meal you've ever eaten and just sit back enjoy your time together.  And then...lodging. This place was literally straight out of a travel magazine. We stayed at the Juniper Tree. It is a respite resort for missionaries. It is very family friendly and very accommodating and helpful.  Oh, the streets of Thailand. I love you. Street food. Stray animals. Fish that eat your feet. 3$ massages. Chiang mai you're a gem.