Mr and Mrs Globe Trot: Scooter Adventures in Chiang Mai

Friday, September 23, 2011

After a wonderful morning snuggling with giant cats at Tiger Kingdom, we continued on our rented scooter to discover the real Chiang Mai. Some locals drew a small map for us with some spots to visit.

We started by visiting Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, where we took a walk through the jungle to see the waterfalls and the biggest, tallest bamboo I've ever seen. Locals were having a picnic on the rocks at the base of the falls and I wished we had packed something to eat. We continued on our scooter and drove past rice paddies where men and women were watering the crops and scattering seeds. We ran into a few elephants on the side of the road and occasionally stopped to photograph huts nestled deep in the foliage. We came across children swimming in a nearby creek with magical light streaming through the massive trees overhead. All of it looked like scenes from a storybook to me.

Some of our best adventures have been those that were unplanned. It's always rewarding to venture a ways out of the center of town to see where the locals live, work, and play. Many of the photos below were taken by me from the back of the scooter while Yuriy drove. Enjoy!

- Julia

P.S.

In honor of our one year anniversary(!), I will be sharing our wedding images on my personal blog. Feel free to join in!

16 comments :

Linh + TinaSeptember 23, 2011 at 9:13 AM
wow, looks like a beautiful place. :) i love all the elephants!
-Tina
Natasha ContrerasSeptember 23, 2011 at 9:48 AM
Gorgeous photos as always!! I can practically smell the elephant poo ;)
Anna ZimmermanSeptember 23, 2011 at 10:07 AM
Wow. These pictures are gorgeous.
Nicole SoltisSeptember 23, 2011 at 11:03 AM
I love all the elephants wandering around.
CelesteSeptember 23, 2011 at 11:15 AM
so gorgeous! travel via scooter is on my to-do list!
AnonymousSeptember 23, 2011 at 12:06 PM
lovely photos! love the sunlight shining through the trees!
kylieSeptember 23, 2011 at 2:03 PM
you guys are SUCH EXCELLENT PHOTOGRAPHERS, it is constantly impressive. love this. thailand is so great - riding elephants in thailand and scootering around islands was by far my favorite. so glad you got to enjoy similar things!

www.spencerandkylie.blogspot.com
www.travelingtriplets.com
LuSeptember 23, 2011 at 7:21 PM
Amazing photos!
natenialeSeptember 23, 2011 at 10:45 PM
Didn't manage to go there when I was in Chiang Mai! Looks great!
gemma [line x shape x colour]September 23, 2011 at 11:46 PM
Ahh I wanna go back to SE Asia so badly! So fun! x
Andi of My Beautiful AdventuresSeptember 24, 2011 at 12:10 PM
God your photos are ridiculously amazing. Such artwork!
Chiang Mai WeatherSeptember 29, 2011 at 1:47 AM
These are some really incredible pictures. I've been here three months and I haven't got a single shot that compares to any of these :(
SARAHSeptember 30, 2011 at 12:05 PM
That last photo makes me happy. I would like an elephant in my backyard, please.
InessaOctober 4, 2011 at 6:17 PM
it really does look like a magical place from a fairytale. You both look very rested and relaxed in these photos.
Julia and YuriyOctober 13, 2011 at 11:10 AM
Natasha- Yum. That's exactly what we were hoping to pass onto our readers.

Sarah- I thought the same thing. Totally unfair, right?

Inessa- I'm pretty sure we were. You have to take it easy in Thailand.. I think that's why people love it so much.
AnnaDecember 16, 2013 at 1:55 PM
Looks like a magical adventure! Is there any way you can share where you went so that others might be able to trace some of your paths and find hidden pools and towns?