Kon’nichiwa! (Hello in Japanese)
This post is all about our third day in Chiang Mai. If you haven’t read my previous posts in the series yet, you can read Day 1 and Day 2 here. To recap, we saw some beautiful and interesting temples, went to the highest spot in Thailand at Doi Inthanon and finally, was awestruck by the scenery at Khun Chang Kian Highland Research Centre where for the first time in my life, came across and touched real cherry blossoms.
Firstly, I was feeling happy and content before the third-day tour even began. I thought I’ve already seen and experienced the best in Chiang Mai. So, what else could there be? Yet I was mistaken because Chiang Mai has a lot more to offer. In the contrary, we were only getting started uncovering the real surprises.
So, here goes our itinerary for Day 3 in Chiang Mai.
Orchid Bai & Butterfly Farm
Orchids of different colors are found in Orchid Bai which will make you take pictures after pictures of these elegant flowers. They have a small dome with butterflies inside.
They were all easy on the eye and incredible. I mean, maybe I’ve seen a few like one colored orchid before but never in this quantity.
Do you know someone who loves orchids? Mine will definitely be my aunts & lolas. I was thinking of them while strolling inside and imagined how they would react if they were there too. I think they will be on cloud nine the entire time.
Entrance is free which is amazing. There is a shop inside where you can buy pieces of jewelry (butterfly wings and flower themed) and some souvenirs.
Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden
The botanic garden was the highlight of my day. However, a turn of event tainted our enjoyment when a vendor scammed us while buying lunch. I’ll write about it in a different post to share all the awful details and to show that sometimes, these deceptive tactics can definitely happen while traveling.
Canopy Walkway
Before reaching the garden, there is a canopy walkway that you should see. It’s like the walkway we visited at Ulu Temburong Park in Brunei but not as high,therefore, less frightening.
It is the newest exciting site in Chiang Mai since it opened in 2015, made from fibreglass, glass and steel that suspends over the forest. Construction of the canopy cost fifty million baht.
Known as the longest canopy walkway in the country, it rises at 20 meters above the gardens and has a length of almost 400 meters. Some parts are made from a transparent glass floor which is a little terrifying when you look down.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsjjyNWhXxh/
Since it is part of the botanic garden in which we already paid an entrance fee of 100 THB/person, exploring the walkway is free of charge. 100 THB is charged for vehicles (car).
Botanic Gardens (Main Attraction)
After the amazing yet terrifying walk through the canopy walkway, we headed to the main attraction which is the Botanic Garden.
The Queen Sirikit Botanic Gardens was set up by the Thai government to strengthen botanic research and preserve the country’s plant resources. It was established in 1993 and it covers an area of 6,500 acres.
At first, I thought of writing a separate post for this place because it is enormous and I have hundreds of pictures taken from the garden but decided against it so I won’t give away too much. You should see it for yourself when you travel to Chiang Mai.=)
There are huge greenhouses that hold different kinds of plants grouped according to the type of species it belongs to. A few samples in the gardens are the tropical rainforest, water plants, and arid plants.
Arid Plants
Tropical Rainforests
Water Plants
Also for the first time, I’ve seen interesting plants I’ve only learned from books.
Nepenthes bicalcarata or also known as the fanged pitcher-plant- it traps ants and other insects, such as stink bugs, wasps inside and drowns them
Venus flytrap- a carnivorous plant which catches its prey by trapping them
And..this tree too.
It’s strange. I haven’t seen anything like this before. Does anyone know what it’s called?
Pongyang Zipline and Jungle Coaster
It is hailed as the first jungle coaster in Thailand. Activities such as ziplining and quick jump are also available in the park. In addition, these are perfect bonding activities for families with children as most activities can be done by active kids. Considerably, I would think of it as a more children-oriented park than for adults.
One coaster ride costs 300 THB. When we arrived in the afternoon, there were a lot of people already so queues were quite long. Therefore, if you want to avoid that, you can come in the morning and be the early customers. It was fun for me but it lasted only for a very short while.
Elephant POOPOOPAPER Park
The park is an eco-friendly park that introduces and explains the unique steps involved in making paper products from elephant poop.
Unfortunately, when we arrived at the park at around 3 pm, there were no tours available because of a local holiday being celebrated that day. But, we were told to explore their store where they sell affordable, fascinating and interesting poop products such as notebooks, paper, photo frame and many more.
Ooopps! Sorry! =)
We couldn’t just leave the place without proof that we truly came, could we? Hehe!
Wat Pa Daraphirom Temple
Because the elephant poop was not a very successful trip, our kind Manong driver drove us for a side trip to another temple close to the elephant park.
There were only a few people on site which was refreshing to see compared to the other temples we’ve visited. Colorful paper lanterns makes it extra special. Believers hang these lanterns, praying for bright future and wealth.
Thanks for reading.
