After our full day at the Umbrella and Silk Factory, we left
the city and headed up to Mae Rim. Mae
Rim has quite a few attractions, but we headed there for the peace, quiet,
mountains, and waterfalls. We stayed at
Away Suansawan Chiang Mai, Centara Boutique Collection. We hired a Songthaew to take us there and the
driver knew where Mae Rim was, just not our hotel. It should only take 45 minutes at the most to
get to Mae Rim, but after at least 10 stops to ask for directions and over 1
1/2 hours being in the back of a pick-up we ran in to a wonderful expat that
was able to point us in the right direction.
So thankful we crossed paths with that man because I was beginning to
think I may have booked an imaginary hotel.
The hotel was beautiful.
We were welcomed with drinks, but that was about it. I was disappointed at how unfriendly the
staff was. No one really smiled or were
even willing to help us. That was
surprising after the amazing service we usually get at every other hotel in
Thailand. Our room was pretty amazing though.
It was a villa that had two connecting rooms and two bathrooms. Probably one of the nicest hotels we have
stayed in. We are used to cramming 5 people in 2 beds! My only other major complaint was that one of
the sinks was broken and the other bathroom's toilet stunk, but we were not
going to let any of those minor issues ruin our time away from the
"Concrete Jungle". I was just so happy to see some green space.
Our Villa
Relaxing in the back of the Songthaew (pick-up truck)
Mae Sa Waterfall
The first full day up in Mae Rim, we hired a Taxi and went to Mae Sa waterfall. We got there in the morning and it wasn't busy at all. If you get there mid-morning, vendors will be making food and will pack a lunch for you in a basket and give you a mat to lay out on the ground. This waterfall is a ten tier waterfall. We went during rainy season so the waterfalls were coming down pretty hard. This waterfall isn't beautiful blue water either, it's a muddy color. There are a few of the tiers that you can swim at, but me being the crazy worrier, would not let the boys do anymore than put their feet in the water. Who knows what could be hiding out in there?! But, this was complete paradise for the boys. Climbing up rocks, digging in mud, and crossing bridges...what more could three little boys ask for? They were having so much fun. We decided to climb to the 6th tier. The boys tried to talk us into going up either further, but I just kept thinking we have to walk all the way back down. I think it might have been a little too much walking for a 3 year old.
Being at the at the waterfall really made me miss being able to take the boys to the metro parks back home and have them bike on the trails. I never realized how lucky we were to have a beautiful park system in our city until we moved to Bangkok. There is not a lot of green space. Being at Mae Sa Waterfall was so refreshing. Where ever we end up next will need to have a little more space for the boys to run and play.
After our trip to the waterfalls, we had our taxi driver take us to a place to eat. He dropped us off at a type of food court. I am pretty sure we were the only foreigners that have ever stopped by because we were getting quite a few looks. We are used to be watched, but it felt like we had a spotlight on us. I loved that most people were surprised that Ben could speak Thai and seemed to be even more excepting once they knew we lived in Thailand. We had a delicious lunch and then headed back to the hotel to swim and the boys finally were able to check out the silly playground that was on the hotel grounds.
After dinner, our neighbors from Bangkok, who were also up in Chiang Mai, picked us up and we headed back to the Night Bazaar. The boys were giddy with excitement to see their friends and we all had a great time. We were able to find a few more goodies. I hate shopping but love markets. The Night Bazaar is so much fun. I look forward to heading back there again someday.
Being at the at the waterfall really made me miss being able to take the boys to the metro parks back home and have them bike on the trails. I never realized how lucky we were to have a beautiful park system in our city until we moved to Bangkok. There is not a lot of green space. Being at Mae Sa Waterfall was so refreshing. Where ever we end up next will need to have a little more space for the boys to run and play.
After our trip to the waterfalls, we had our taxi driver take us to a place to eat. He dropped us off at a type of food court. I am pretty sure we were the only foreigners that have ever stopped by because we were getting quite a few looks. We are used to be watched, but it felt like we had a spotlight on us. I loved that most people were surprised that Ben could speak Thai and seemed to be even more excepting once they knew we lived in Thailand. We had a delicious lunch and then headed back to the hotel to swim and the boys finally were able to check out the silly playground that was on the hotel grounds.
After dinner, our neighbors from Bangkok, who were also up in Chiang Mai, picked us up and we headed back to the Night Bazaar. The boys were giddy with excitement to see their friends and we all had a great time. We were able to find a few more goodies. I hate shopping but love markets. The Night Bazaar is so much fun. I look forward to heading back there again someday.
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