Eat, pray, love in Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai

Chiangmai is one of the destinations in our vacation list. Since hubby and I never been to northern Thailand and it was a long time we never been to Thailand, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai had been pinned down. 

Though we could find good thai restaurant easily in Malaysia, but we really missed the authentic street thai food, you know it if you ever been to Bangkok, one of the best street food city in the world.  It is surprisingly to find that northern thai food is not quite similar to what we have expected, it is more creamy, sweeter, less spicy, less sour, more meat and less vegetable.

Mango with sticky rice, coconut milk makes the taste richer, love it! 

The famous northern thai food, khao soi with some pickles. To a penangite like me, it is more like a thai version curry mee. 

Thai version kueh chap, soup taste sweeter and more stuff like fish balls, deep fried pork slices, tau kuah (dry bean curd), hard boiled egg and some pig offal.

Chicken fried with thai basil, do not miss dishes fried with thai basil when u come to thailand, you will definitely want another bowl of rice.

Like most tourist, we spent the night at weekend night market in Chiangmai, which selling everything from clothes, wood craft, handmade stuffs, food to street music. But do not miss the morning market too, it can be a little crowded, but it provide opportunity to mingle with local people.

Exotic insects serve as snack,  commonly eaten in Thailand. Tried this once on my first trip to Bangkok in year 2000, but not this time. I am not young and dangerous anymore to put everything in my mouth. LOL!

Aromatic pandan leaves folded into flower.

Fresh white lotus spotted! Holy and sacred!

Jasmine on ice, a good way to preserve flowers in such a hot weather.

Instead of elephant riding, we went to tiger kingdom, less energy exhausted and more relax. We just bought the lunch buffet, watching the tigers while having our lunch. I was too coward to be up close and personal with tigers after watching the movie 'Life of Pi".

Lunch area was close enough to capture this picture of tiger. Oh my Richard Parker!

Another relaxing tour, village of the famous long neck tribe, not far away from the tiger kingdom.

Lovely cottage at the entrance.

Hubby playing with the handmade bow and arrow in the village.

Cottage by the paddy field, sometimes the simplest life is the life that closest to heaven.

A long neck woman was playing a guitar while a baby sitting on her laps.

 A man riding on an elephant down from hill. Here, elephants being used as transportation.

Like other places in Thailand, Chiangmai and Chiangrai have huge range of buddhist temples. One temple that could not be missed - Wat Rong Kun, the white colour contemporary unconventional Buddhist temple.

Wat Rong Kun