Participated in Klook's Chiang Mai CASA DE MANGO cooking class (Mango House) (in English) and the Elephant Sanctuary experience (available in both Chinese and English).
Experience Recommendation 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I booked a cooking class + elephant sanctuary day trip through the travel platform. In the morning, the driver will pick you up from the hotel. A nine-seater van shuttles between the various hotels in the old city. After getting on the bus, the tour guide will ask you what dishes you want to make today (spring rolls, Thai curry, Pad Thai, stir-fried vegetables, and dessert). Mango sticky rice was originally available for dessert, but we were told that mangoes are not currently in season, so we could only make banana coconut milk.
We stopped at a market midway (about a 30-minute drive) to introduce the ingredients to be used that day and some local delicacies and sauces (stop for about 20 minutes), then headed to Mango House (about a 40-minute drive). If you need to use the restroom, you can tell the tour guide and they will arrange it for us.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by Chef MR. Song, the owner of Mango House and the tour guide's brother. He is very cheerful and humorous, and his laughter can be heard throughout the farm!
What catches the eye is a mango tree area covering about half a "jia" (a unit of area) plus a piece of organic spice farmland. The main building is located in the center and is an open-air Southeast Asian wooden building with a large table and a personal, small cooking table.
First, the chef presented pandan tea in the mango garden and introduced the origin of Mango House. He also wrote our Thai names on our hands, which made it easier for the staff to remember everyone's names.
Afterwards, we went to the organic farmland, and the chef introduced us to various spices one by one, and kept telling us to try them. Don't be silly and try them all, because their spices have special flavors!
Then we started cooking. The cooking process is very simple. Don’t worry if you can’t cook. The chef will patiently guide us. However, the finished product has the unique sweet and salty taste of the locals. I tried to reduce the seasoning in the middle, but I failed 😂.
After the cooking is over, the staff will help with plating and arrange fresh flowers. We enjoyed the fresh air while eating the dishes we cooked ourselves, and the mood was wonderful. After enjoying lunch, we laid on the hammocks specially prepared by the owner and enjoyed the sunbathing. It was very pleasant!
During our time at Mango House, the owner and tour guide thoughtfully took photos for us. As long as you add his WhatsApp, the photos will be sent to you~
After the lunch break, we got on the bus and spent about 40 minutes heading to the Elephant Sanctuary. There are dedicated Chinese-speaking guides here who can communicate without pressure. In addition to learning about the history of these elephants, you can also learn about their habits and how to interact with them in a friendly way.
The only shortcoming is that the cooking class requires some basic English skills, otherwise you will miss the chef's humorous explanations. If you don't understand, don't worry too much. They will do their best to make you understand, and body language also works~
If you want to buy a tour, I highly recommend CASA DE MANGO's cooking class.
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