Kruba Srivichai Monument

More than a sunrise tour, this half day was truly meaningful, and our guide James was the highlight! We started by buying food to give dana (alms) at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, passing the statue of the monk who raised funds to build the mountain road. James used to be a monk, so he explained the Buddha's story, the temple murals and the meaning of the pillar decorations. The sunrise was stunning, with the whole city below as James shared each temple's story. Wat Pha Lat is a peaceful hidden gem. Through his connections with the monks, James gave us real insight into monastic life and the meaning behind the nagas, tigers and deities. Our favourite was Wat Umong. We tried local instruments and drinks at a small event and explored the meditation tunnels a king built for a revered monk (with cute bats inside!). It felt like visiting historic Lanna temples with an actual monk by your side. Highly recommended, and James is the best guide!

I made good use of the free time in the evening for sightseeing. The duration was just right, not too long and not too short. It was very convenient that after the tour, I could be dropped off at a dinner location instead of being taken back to the hotel. The guide was also very kind and provided clear explanations, which was excellent.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly recommend the Doi Suthep half-day tour! The itinerary is well-paced and never feels rushed. Our tour guide, Mike, speaks Chinese, so communication was completely seamless. His service was exceptional; he patiently explained things along the way and even kindly offered to take photos for us, knowing all the best angles. We stopped at a Hmong village for coffee halfway through, which had a wonderful mountain atmosphere and offered an immersive experience of Northern Thailand's hill tribe culture. The entire experience was relaxed and comfortable, making it stress-free even with children. A wonderful mountain excursion in Chiang Mai and extremely satisfying!

If you're visiting Chiang Mai, you should definitely try a Muay Thai class! It's a truly unique and exhilarating experience! I booked a group class on Klook a day in advance, thinking it would be less awkward with more people, but I still ended up making a fool of myself. The class started at 9 AM and finished at 10:30 AM, lasting a total of one and a half hours. For the first ten minutes or so, the head coach, Mark, led us through stretching, warm-ups, and jogging around the ring. The Thai coach spoke English, and everyone understood him. Since I was the only Chinese person there, my reactions were a bit slower than others, but I managed to get through the class despite some fumbling. After the warm-up, the head coach started wrapping our hands. After he wrapped one hand, he asked me how it felt. I said it was too tight, so he loosened it for me. But after he wrapped the other hand, I still felt it was too tight. He smiled helplessly and had to loosen that one too. I thought maybe the hand wraps for Muay Thai needed to be tight to protect the hands! But after the class, my hands were covered in marks, haha. Luckily, I didn't get injured. After wrapping our hands, the head coach had us put on gloves and started teaching us basic moves. After each move, he'd have us practice in pairs, repeating until we mastered the basics. My training partner was the assistant coach, "Ice." I often made mistakes because I was too nervous, like punching with my left hand and forgetting to guard with my right. He would tell me that if I didn't guard, someone would "bang" and hit me. Although the assistant coach also told me not to be nervous and just enjoy it, I always had that "good student" mindset, wanting to do my best, which just made me more flustered. In the end, I made the assistant coach laugh. He even started guarding when he should have been punching and punching when he should have been guarding. Seeing how nervous I was, he even jokingly threatened to hit me hard. I quickly waved my hands, "Nonono! You will hurt me! No!" He saw me frowning in fear and burst out laughing. Then we couldn't continue training; we were both bent over laughing. I guess that's my secret weapon in a fight! Making my opponent laugh until they're exhausted, and then winning without a fight. After a 90-minute trial class, I was completely exhausted. My hands hurt from the wraps, and my feet hurt from kicking. Even though I was hitting people, punching sandbags, and kicking tires, I was sore as if I had been beaten up. But it was so much fun and exhilarating! Life experience +1

We were picked up in an air-conditioned van, stopped at the market to learn about the ingredients, and then watched the instructor explain and demonstrate the cooking process before preparing our own dishes with the provided ingredients and tasting them. The pacing and depth of the explanation were just right, making it a fun cooking experience. At the end, everyone gets to cook with a spectacular flame show. It was a delicious and incredibly fun time. My daughter, a middle school student, loved it as well. I highly recommend the cooking class at Rice Barn with Teacher Lollipop! I was hesitant at first because there were few reviews, but I am extremely satisfied.

Napakasaya nito. Halatang-halata na ang mga tour guide ay may sapat na kaalaman tungkol sa mga hayop at ang kaligtasan ay binigyan din ng pinakamataas na priyoridad. Hindi masyadong malaki ang grupo at tama lang ang bilang. Lahat ay ipinaliwanag nang napakalinaw sa amin at ang mga tanong ay sinagot din. Ang halaga para sa ibinayad ay napakaganda rin. Isang tunay na natatanging karanasan na dapat subukan ng bawat isa.

The environment is wonderful! The female store manager speaks Chinese, and the rest of the staff also know some basic Chinese, so there are no communication issues. They are very patient in helping you choose the right outfit. During the hair and makeup process, you can share your ideas at any time. However, when we went, applying false eyelashes required an extra 100 baht fee. Everyone was very friendly and great at providing emotional support. If you want to experience traditional clothing, you should definitely come to this shop.

Nag-isip ako kung anong karanasan ang magandang subukan sa Chiang Mai nang matagpuan ko ang lugar na ito. Aktibidad daw kasi ito kung saan maaari kang gumawa ng sarili mong Yadom at herbal ball na mga sikat sa Thailand, kaya pinuntahan ko ito! Napakainteresante dahil natutunan ko ang mga katangian at bisa ng bawat halaman at nakagawa pa ako nito nang mag-isa. Higit sa lahat, mabait ang nagtuturo kaya naging masaya ang karanasan. Dahil ako ang gumawa ng Yadom at herbal ball, mas naging makahulugan ito at siguradong magagamit ko nang may kabuluhan. Nagbebenta rin sila sa loob ng tindahan ng herbal tea, oil, at balm na napakabisa! Inirerekomenda ko ito sa mga naghahanap ng masaya at kapaki-pakinabang na aktibidad!

Ang aking unang pagbisita sa Chiang Mai noong 05/08/2026 ay nag-iwan sa akin ng hindi malilimutang alaala. Mula pa lamang sa panimulang pagpapakilala at pagpapaliwanag ni JJ, naramdaman na namin ang dedikasyon ng parke sa proyektong ito—hindi ito isang komersyal na palabas, kundi tunay na inuuna ang buhay at pangangalaga ng mga elepante. May nakalaang karanasan sa pagpapakain ng prutas sa itineraryo, ngunit ang mas malaking bahagi ng oras ay ginugol sa tahimik na pag-obserba sa kanila habang malaya silang namumuhay, naglalakad, naglalaro sa tubig, at nakikipag-ugnayan sa isa't isa. Walang sapilitang palabas, walang pagsakay; sa halip, sinamahan at nakilala namin sila sa pinakanatural na paraan. Nais ko ring ibahagi sa lahat na kung kayo ay pupunta sa Chiang Mai, talagang sulit na maglaan ng ganitong uri ng karanasan. Bagamat medyo malayo ang biyahe, sana ay maunawaan ninyo na dahil malayo ito sa lungsod, nagkakaroon sila ng mas malawak na lupain para malayang makatakbo. Habang pinapanood ko silang namumuhay nang malaya, tila naramdaman ko rin ang kanilang tunay na kaligayahan at ang pakiramdam na sila ay inaalagaan nang may kabutihan.