SOUTHEAST ASIA: CHIANG MAI, THAILAND

After departing from Koh Lipe, we took a full day journey, involving a speed boat, a 3.5-hour bus ride, a few hours wait at the airport, followed by a two-hour flight to Chiang Mai. We had a driver bring us to our Airbnb in the old town of Chiang Mai, which is surrounded by a moat.

AIRBNB- FUNDEE STORY

Our wonderful Airbnb while we visit Chiang Mai! #airbnb #teamjustron #withyou #harnerhoneymoon #mkr #justintymharner #seasia #southeastasia #mkrthailand #thailand #chiangmai #mkrchiangmai @the_hobbyists_project2017

A post shared by MKR 🇨🇦 (@emkayare) on Mar 14, 2018 at 2:15am PDT

FROM THE LENS- PHOTO BATTLE

MELISSA'S PIC(K)S

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JUSTIN'S PIC(K)S

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JUSTINS- BEER LIST THAILAND

A post shared by Justin (@justintymharner) on Mar 17, 2018 at 1:48am PDT

A post shared by Justin (@justintymharner) on Mar 14, 2018 at 1:47am PDT

FREQUENTED PLACES- BARS & RESTAURANTS

HOI KAR RESTAURANT

 

The owner of our Airbnb recommended this restaurant down the street where you can sit two storeys up and have your legs dangle underneath the table. The food was pretty good too! Very good food, great atmosphere and a wonderful server who shrieked “ta-daaaaaa” when she dropped each dish off 😂 it was the best. #hoikarrestaurant #whatareyoudoingpaul #pauldistinguisheshervegetables #frogslegs #teamjustron #withyou #harnerhoneymoon #mkr #justintymharner #seasia #southeastasia #ftkth #mkrthailand #thailand #chiangmai #mkrchiangmai

A post shared by MKR 🇨🇦 (@emkayare) on Mar 16, 2018 at 6:16am PDT

NIGHT MARKET FOODS

 

We arrived in Chiang Mai, dropped our bags off at our Airbnb, and headed out to catch the tail end of the Saturday night market. We kept our eyes peeled for food as it had been about 8 hours since our last real meal. After our two hour speed boat ride, a three hour bus ride with rowdy and macho Spanish speakers (who called me a name, not knowing I am fluent in Spanish. I had a few choice words for them in their language just as we went our separate ways 🤭😂), followed by 3+ hours waiting at the Krabi airport, two hour flight to Chiang Mai, etc...let’s just say, we found the street mojitos!!! #nightmarketfood #teamjustron #withyou #harnerhoneymoon #mkr #justintymharner #seasia #southeastasia #ftkth #mkrthailand #thailand #mkrchiangmai #chiangmai

A post shared by MKR 🇨🇦 (@emkayare) on Mar 14, 2018 at 1:57am PDT

ELEPHANTS- CHIANG MAI MOUNTAIN ELEPHANT SANCTUARY

A walk through the jungle with one of six elephants.

We spent a full day with the elephants at Chiang Mai Mountain Sanctuary. It was so hard choosing which company to go with because they all claim to be ethical, but then you hear terrible stories of how they turned out to be inhumane. We feel that we made the right choice and had the most incredible experience here. Many of us questioned why a few of the elephants were tied up with rope when we arrived (not all of them were). These elephants are pregnant and if let loose they will terrorize local farmers’ crops. They are only tied up for a short amount of time until their trek through the jungle where they are free all night until they are collected the next morning. There were no marks on the elephants where the ropes are and no signs of distress or mistreatment. We must remind ourselves too that these are not wild elephants. They have been rescued from other camps where they were mistreated and so they will never be wild. It’s like keeping a cat or dog as a pet, in a sense, you provide protection, learning, food and companionship to them. When out in the jungle, their caretakers (called mahouts) often sleep out there with them to protect them from hunters. This was such a special day for me personally and it will forever be dear to my heart.

We made some vitamin-packed food for the elephants and wrapped it up in banana leaves. The food actually tasted pretty good! Consisting of salt, turmeric, bananas, tamarind, and sugar cane. #teamjustron #elephants #elephantsanctuary #withyou #harnerhoneymoon #mkr #justintymharner #seasia #southeastasia #beautifulseasia #worldnomads #mkrthailand #thailand #chiangmai #mkrchiangmai

A post shared by MKR 🇨🇦 (@emkayare) on Mar 14, 2018 at 9:08pm PDT

We spent a full day with the elephants at Chiang Mai Mountain Sanctuary. It was so hard choosing which company to go with because they all claim to be ethical, but then you hear terrible stories of how they turned out to be inhumane. We feel that we made the right choice and had the most incredible experience here. Many of us questioned why a few of the elephants were tied up with rope when we arrived (not all of them were). These elephants are pregnant and if let loose they will terrorize local farmers’ crops. They are only tied up for a short amount of time until their trek through the jungle where they are free all night until they are collected the next morning. There were no marks on the elephants where the ropes are and no signs of distress or mistreatment. We must remind ourselves too that these are not wild elephants. They have been rescued from other camps where they were mistreated and so they will never be wild. It’s like keeping a cat or dog as a pet, in a sense, you provide protection, learning, food and companionship to them. When out in the jungle, their caretakers (called mahouts) often sleep out there with them to protect them from hunters. This was such a special day for me personally and it will forever be dear to my heart. 🐘 ❤️ 🐘 ❤️🐘❤️🐘❤️ #teamjustron #elephants #elephantsanctuary #withyou #harnerhoneymoon #mkr #justintymharner #seasia #southeastasia #beautifulseasia #worldnomads #mkrthailand #thailand #chiangmai #mkrchiangmai

A post shared by MKR 🇨🇦 (@emkayare) on Mar 14, 2018 at 8:54pm PDT

GO PRO- ACTION SHOTS

MUAY THAI- A TRADITIONAL THAI MARTIAL ART

A brief highlight of our night at a local Muay Thai fight within the walls of the old city.

COOKING LESSONS- SMILE ORGANIC FARM COOKING SCHOOL

We did an evening cooking class together and made some masterpieces! Haha #padthai #homemadespringrolls #teamjustron #withyou #harnerhoneymoon #mkr #justintymharner #seasia #southeastasia #beautifulseasia #worldnomads #mkrthailand #thailand #chiangmai #mkrchiangmai

A post shared by MKR 🇨🇦 (@emkayare) on Mar 14, 2018 at 11:19pm PDT

We did an evening cooking class together and made some masterpieces! Haha #padthai #myguy #homemadespringrolls #teamjustron #withyou #harnerhoneymoon #mkr #justintymharner #seasia #southeastasia #beautifulseasia #worldnomads #mkrthailand #thailand #chiangmai #mkrchiangmai

A post shared by MKR 🇨🇦 (@emkayare) on Mar 14, 2018 at 11:22pm PDT

We had an amazing cooking instructor Gob and made some friends. We spent the afternoon and evening there cooking and learning about the farm. After the class was over we headed back to the city for our last night in Chiang Mai.

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