Let’s take a trip down memory lane, so I can escape the boredom of waiting at an airport for check-in to open and you can escape the boredom of work, Yay! This trip will take us back to what you’d call last Tuesday and Wednesday and I’d like to call the-day-we-ate-continuously and the-day-we-saw-animals-the-size-we-were-after-eating-continuously, respectively.

First up, Tuesday! We thought we’d get back to our domestic goddess selves and attend a Thai cooking class. A great decision even if it was straight after breakfast…
The owner of Baan Hongnual Cooking School picked us up in her personal car to transport us to the markets where we could learn more about food and take Instagram worthy vibrant vege photos. The only other couple with us had hired a driver for the day and met us there.

This post will be like a recipe book you could follow at home, like cook by pictures brought to you by Me (Laura and the cookery school), I’m too kind and no we won’t be your personal cooks when we get home, we’re above that now.

First up the chef extraordinaire’s made coconut chicken soup and Tom yum, yum!

From pot,

To plate, magnifique!

Laura’s Tom Yum, fantastique!

After devouring round one ‘the morning tea round’ we strolled the grounds then returned to the kitchen for the heavy weight 3 course lunch round.
Course 1: spring rolls

Round 2: Panang Curry

Those tiny green tomato like things are baby eggplant, I will probably omit them from future dishes… No hard feelings.

Ding ding, final course: The Best Phad Thai of the trip (open to debate).

bon appetit!

I’m unsure when this cooking class post turned into a competition and a French one at that, who knows? Not I! But let’s just say for arguments sake Laura and I won, got class like the French an became the Thai Julie Le Clerc’s, oui oui!
The complementary cookbook with our fave deep fried banana was the prize (everyone gets one, it’s neat).

Once again, all this by 1pm, we truly are efficient tourists sometimes. The afternoon was spent wandering the wall with fruit shakes and exploring the botanic gardens.

Laura’s man, he was really hot.

Second up, Wednesday! This was probably an absolute highlight of the trip so far, an amazing experience where we got up close and personal with elephants at BaanChang a cruelty free rescue elephant park. I’ll let the photos do most of the talking as they’re self explanatory and the experience was a little too good for words at times. We also took like 400 photos between us, it’s ridonkulous!

First up feeding, every elephant had a different personality but all were equally demanding and would try steal a banana or stick of sugar cane every chance they got!

After feeding it was time to learn to ride!
If you’re ever in need of a quick get away on an elephant then you’ve come to the right place, here are a few Northern Thailand elephant commands, I’ll accept your thanks later.
Nalong: sit down
Look look: stand up
How: stop and squeeze legs
Phi phi: forwards
Toi toi: backwards
Quick quick: left or right opposite

After lunch we rode the elephants around the park for an hour, Laura and I shared a large old girl, didn’t lean her name but she was a gem. Nothing could prepare me for the butt bruise inducing (it’s black I kid you not) ride on her shoulders though. Not even all the additional padding I’ve added to my backside from this holiday so far! Was an awesome experience once you got used to the motion.

We ended the day bathing the elephants, my favourite part! I didn’t get many photos of this due to the obvious phone-water hazard but Laura’s waterproof camera captured the lot! Even after it’s tumble and tussle with elephant feet in the murky water.

One of the trainers had an amazing relationship with a you get elephant and was able to shower people on command, Laura and him ganged up on me more than once! (Photo of photo sorry)

The park did a really amazing job, all the elephants appeared to be very well looked after and I’m so glad that we had the opportunity to ride bareback, the elephants apparently don’t notice the extra weight and those harnesses look uncomfortable, painful and hard to balance for all involved. We had an incredible day and made friends with some awesome Americans and Canadians!

We had an elephant reunion later that evening which involved some delicious street food, spot of jazz, spot of footy, disco disco and Laura and I both receiving our first roses… They didn’t last the night!

These two days were up there with the best days of the trip so far, incredible and memorable experiences and I can’t wait for what Asahikawa, Japan will bring. Y’all have to wait as I’m a post or so behind in activities, I however am about to board a plane that will take me to this snow covered heaven!
Au revoir
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