Doi Inthanon 1 Day Tour

For our third day in Chiang Mai, we booked ourselves a day tour to check out Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest peak. Booking and paying for this excursion was again well instructed and facilitated by Travel Hub Chiang Mai. The tour was 1,150 THB and it started at 8:30 am when we were picked up at our hotel.

Our first stop was a village where we saw how the locals were making weaved scarves of different colors. It was interesting to look at how they moved their tools while making sure that each strand is in place.

The finished products in different shades and colors.

Before hopping back to our minivan, we stopped by this small hut to rest. The tribe had set up a mini cafe here showcasing their homegrown coffee. 

Our next stop was the Wachirathan Waterfall. It is the second major waterfall on the way up to Doi Inthanon National Park. It is said that the height of this falls is somewhere between 60m to 80m.

There was a stairs leading to a closer view of the falls. It was also very slippery. On top was a platform to take more pictures and enjoy the falls. 

Because we were finished going up, we also explored where the water flows. Afterwhich, we had lunch in one of the eateries found in the area.

Our next stop was the peak of Doi Inthanon. It was the coldest place I've been into! I loved the cold temperature up there. :) As part of the Himalayan mountain range, Doi Inthanon is Thailand's tallest peak at 2,565 meters above sea level. 

We then went to the Angkha nature walk. It was where we were able to walk amongst the unique flora and fauna living in the high altitude. Here's a photo of our new found friend Jackie and our tour guide.

Amazing greens everywhere. Jackie as my model for this nature shot.

Our next stop is the Chedi of the King and Queen. The view from here is breathtaking. It was tiring to climb but it was worth it.

I love how the clouds seem very near and the stretch of mountains in front of me. The sun was shining but it was very cold. I have not been to any cold country before and I'm already happy to have experienced what it is like to be in a cold but sunny weather. 

Our second to the last stop was at the Inthanon Royal Project Research Station. The facilities here are for research and development of pilot projects for cash crops which include coffee, cold climate fruits and flowers. The project was initiated in 1979 to help the hill tribes and train them on modern agricultural practices. Here we were with our new found friends.

We had fun looking around, snapping photos and checking out the gift shop with lots of beverage and food grown from their own garden.

Our last stop was to see Sirithan Waterfall. We trailed about 100 meters towards the jungle from the main road. At the end of the trail was a wooden platform where we stood in awe of the falls in front of us.

Truly another busy day for us in Chaing Mai. There were lots of things to see but we were there for only a short time. I'm so happy I have achieved this from my bucket list. Thank you for reading and 'til my next blog :)

Trying out Khantoke Dinner

One of the things I wanted to try out during our trip in Chiang Mai was having their famed Khantoke Dinner. This is a tradition in the Northern part of Thailand. The term comes from the work Khan Tok which is a pedestal tray used as a small dining table by the Lanna people in the North. It's a short round table with several legs made of wood. It can hold cups of rice, other food, flowers, candles and fruit. 

For this activity, I again sought out the help of Travel Hub Chiang Mai to arrange for us. It was fast and easy to book with them. After paying 650THB per adult via card, we were emailed our voucher for the Khantoke Dinner and Thai Dance Show at Old Chiang Mai Cultural Center.

We were picked up at our hotel at 7pm sharp and taken to the place. We had to line up before we can fully enter the place as we had to show our confirmed voucher.

While walking towards the dining hall, we found a lot of stores selling food and souvenirs to the guests. It was nice to stop for a minute but we had to hurry off because dinner was waiting.

Before going into the dining area, we had to leave our shoes on this counter. This was done because most of the guests were asked to sit on the floor.

Some guests were already ahead of us and were starting to enjoy their meal. Found rows of padded seats while going to our assigned ones. 

This was how our seats looked like. I took a photo of the empty slot on our side. 

Table 41 with our plates being readied and fried bananas to munch on while waiting for the meal. 

Our seats were quite far from the middle part where the dance was to be held, but it was fine. 

In just a few minutes, our table was set and food such as Thai Pork Curry, Thai Fried Chicken, Fried Cabbage, Thai Sticky Rice and Fried Bananas were served. By the way, drinks are not included in the meal and was to be paid separately on site. 

Halfway from eating, the Thai Cultural Dance Show started. 

The dancers also asked guests to participate in one of the dance. Some were more than happy to do so but some refused. I would have been happy to dance and participate but I was shy with all the people around.

After dinner and paying for our drinks, we were asked to come outside of the dining hall. I thought that the show was over but then there were also dances prepared for us outside. 

I took a short video of the solo Fire Dance.

It was a great evening for us as we experienced traditional Lanna Dining as well as seeing hill tribes showcasing their Traditional Dance. I'm happy I tried this out on my visit to Chiang Mai. I hope you do take time for this if you'd decide to visit. Thank you for reading and 'til next blog! :)