Warning: This is a LONG post…stay hydrated.

We knew we were going to like Chiang Mai (especially after our elephant walkabout), but we had no idea just how much fun we were going to have here. As it turn out there’s a lot to do and see in and around the city…and when you’re not actually doing something you’re probably enjoying some of the most amazing food on the planet.

We started out with an insane 6 course prix fixe dinner a B Samcook Home 16…yes, lots of restaurants around here seem to have pretty odd names but the food is exceptional. Here are a few pics from ONE dinner…

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With our food coma now in full effect, it was time to call it a night.

In the middle of the week we split up to tackle two adventures that Chiang Mai had to offer. Caden & I took to the hills for some jungle zip lining while Tara & Keira spent the day at Thai Farm Cooking School.

We zip’d with Eagle Track Adventures, which I would 100% recommend if you’re ever in the area. The crew that took us through the course were funny & fast, but always safe…so safe that we even wore hairnets. 😜

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Here are a few clips of Caden zipping & abseiling…he loved it!

34 stations later we arrived at the end of our zip line journey with one obstacle left, a final abseil back down to the forest floor. A long way down.

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Back on an organic farm in the Chiang Mai countryside, Tara & Keira were kicking off a full day of Thai Cooking School starting with a visit to the local market.

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Our two Thai chefs…loving it!

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Luckily for Caden & I they made more food than either one of them could eat so we were treated to all of the incredible left-overs when they got home.

We’ve had so many amazing meals while here in Chiang Mai that there are probably too many to list. From the restaurants to the street vendors and everything in between, we’ve eaten REALLY well here. A few of my personal favorites…everything at B’s (above), the Massaman Curry at Baan Buri and the Khao Soi at Nun’s Restaurant. Do not skip the Khao Soi!

Keira & I thought it would be a good idea to work off a spring roll or two, so we decided to venture out for a little temple hopping. We jumped on one of the local songthaews (basically a red pick-up truck with bench seating in the back) and headed up the nearest hill to find Chiang Mai’s most famous temple, Doi Suthep.

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Our final adventure in Chiang Mai was a trip back into the hills to visit Bua Tong waterfall, or as it’s more commonly known, Sticky waterfall!

First things first, the pictures don’t do this place any justice. The landscape is both beautiful and bizarre, and looks pretty much like Jabba the Hutt ooze running down a mountainside. The multi-tiered waterfall and bulbous limestone rock was formed over time due to the high concentration of mineral deposits from Bua Tong’s natural mountain spring.

The “sticky waterfall” nickname comes from the fact that the limestone creates enough friction to stop slipping, making it incredibly easy to climb up (and down) the waterfall…even without shoes!

Ok, Tara & Keira weren’t thrilled about the potential for snakes…but other than that it was awesome!

Caden “missing” cross country so he decided to go for a run UP the waterfall…

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Hard to see in the pic, but that’s a CRAB, on a mountain waterfall, in Thailand! (the one on the right…no, the picture on the right)

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Our hike to the mountain spring source…

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Ok, definitely a few too many pics in this post…my apologies. That’s it from Chiang Mai, we’re off to the beach!