It’s getting to that time in the trip, when I realize my time to write thoughtful, well-considered blog posts is dwindling far faster than the time I need to write thoughtful, well-considered blog posts… So hopefully you can bear with me through a fast, helter-skelter post.

The morning after the lantern festival we got up early to go to a Thai cooking class. It started with a tour through a market to talk about all the typical ingredients of Thai cuisine. Then on to an organic farm where we picked up freshly laid eggs from the cleanest chicken coop I’ve ever seen. Then a tour of the gardens with kefir limes, galangal ginger, garlic basil, Thai basil, and lemon basil, and of course, lemongrass.

The grounds were absolutely beautiful and immaculately kept. Our instructor led us through preparing three dishes, including making our own curry paste from scratch in a mortar and pestle. The vegetables were so incredibly fresh – I think it was singularly the most spectacular food we had during the whole trip.

The next day we went to the Patara elephant sanctuary. We were lucky enough to be the first customers there, so we had about fifteen minutes alone with a mama elephant and her three day old baby. The cuteness was off the charts. He would occasionally lose his balance and go barreling forward in some random direction. Which was absolutely terrifying if you happened to be standing in his path. His mom alternated between being super protective of him and absolutely exasperated with him. Once the official tour started the owner taught us about the elephants and how to care for them and then we were off to feed them and bathe them. Duke and I took care of Nati, an ornery adult elephant, who was not particularly interested in our ministrations. By the end of the day, both Amelia and Duke got a chance to ride an elephant.

That night were able to meet up with friends we’d made on our last trip to Tokyo. It turns out they went straight from Japan to Chiang Mai, so they’ve been exploring all the wonders of the area for about three weeks already. It was wonderful to catch up and hear about all their adventures. The kids were thrilled to have other kids to play with.

Yesterday we visited the Wat Umong temple in the foothills. It’s got a stupa from the 1200’s, art gardens, Buddhist sculpture gardens, and underground tunnels where monks come to dedicate themselves to meditation. Afterward we visited a nearby artisan village where artists live, work and sell their craft. It has painters, potters, weavers and jewelry makers. It’s tucked into a teeny site with wandering paths and verdant container gardens. A lovely setting… which we followed with a trip across town to a go-kart race track. I chose to enjoy some Thai iced coffee while Tim and the kids raced around the track. I had a few heart-stopping moments, but mostly I enjoyed the chance to relax and while they had a blast.

Today was our last day. A few different friends had recommended that we check out the elephant poopoo paper experience. We were honestly thinking of skipping it. I mean, elephant poop? But it had come so highly recommended that we had to give it a go and we’re so thankful we did. It was so much fun. We had a guide walk us through the various steps to transform elephant poop into beautiful craft paper, and even participate in a few steps. At the end, we got a chance to make a souvenir out of the paper. It was (again) a beautiful setting on a beautiful day.

I’m sorry to see the end of our trip. It was the perfect mix of busy and relaxing. It felt good for the soul. Chiang Mai is an amazing city – that doesn’t feel entirely like a city. The food has been so fresh and so good, the locals have been friendly and kind and the lantern festival was absolutely magical.

The kids and I be turning around and heading right back to the airport in a few days to visit family in Denver. We should have just enough time to snuggle with Roxy and hopefully get caught back up with all the laundry.