After Bangkok, we headed off to Chiang Mai.

The original plan was to take the 12-hour overnight train on Christmas day which we were really excited about. We booked the tickets far in advance prior to our leave, and for quite some money too. But then looking at reviews the day before we left, we read stories like this and this, and decided to fly instead. Cockroaches while sleeping? No, thank you!

For our quick one hour flight from DMK, we booked through Vayama for $180 total.

Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary

Veronica did a ton of research on socially responsible and humane organizations we could support in order to get close to the beautiful elephants of Thailand. Many tourists unfortunately fall into the trap of going on a ‘humane’ tour, but end up bathing ‘rescued’ elephants who at the end of the day don’t want to be bathed by humans. After much searching, we’re proud to support Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary.

After reaching out to their team and coordinating a time when we’d stay with them, we ventured off on a 4 hour drive west of Chiang Mai. Our driver taking us into the mountainside, past Doi Inthanon National Park, and dropping us at a Karen hill tribe village. There, a family hosted us in their homestay hut.

When we arrived and were introduced to the team, we watched a video on the plight of Thailand’s Asian elephants.

We learned there are only 40,000 Asian elephants left in Thailand, and a 1/3 of them are in captivity. At their height, there used to be 200,000. The focus of Kindred Spirit is to help reintroduce these majestic animals back into their natural habitat. They have 5 elephants under their care, rented out by local families who own them but are unable to fully provide for them, which gives a sustainable source of income to the families as well. Kindred Spirit works with the elephant mahouts, staff and volunteers to study their behavior in the natural environment and to monitor their daily activity.



















After watching the video, we were introduced to our hut and had time to shower and walk around the village. It was filled with activity, with lots of animals roaming free – chickens, dogs, buffalos, and pigs. The people went about their daily business, with kids running around and women caring for the animals while the men repaired their motorbikes or watched over the buffalo trying to run away. We took photos and went on a short hike with a few of the local dogs who followed us. The organization has a home base across the river, which houses a few of the dogs which were really cute and friendly.

Jade and the village elder

In the evening, we were invited into our host’s house and helped prepare dinner, cutting vegetables and talking with the Kindred Spirit staff, Alex and Jade, about our lives and work. The homestay mother cooked a delicious vegetarian meal for us, but before we started the village elder performed a special ceremony for us. He came in with white string and scrapped it across the top of our wrists before tying it around, while speaking a prayer wishing us no suffering and having plenty of food to eat.

When dinner was over, we were invited to the KSES HQ where the village ‘uncle’ showed us how to make a bamboo basket.

The hut was comfortable with mosquito netting and some shelfs, but the bed was quite hard. It was a rough sleep with the roosters crowing all around us like a symphony throughout the night too, but when the sun broke in the early morning we woke fairly fresh from the excitement of seeing the elephants. It was an adventure!

Morning hike through the forest

We hiked across the river to HQ and had breakfast/coffee with the team. We warmed up as it got quite cold overnight, and prepared for our hike to see the elephants. They’re free to roam as they like in the day, but during the night they are kept in an enclosed forest area so they don’t trample crops. With bananas in bags, we headed off to the area where they were hanging out and eating.

After feeding the hungry elephants, which we wish could have been longer, we observed them on top of the hill overlooking the dried up field. We saw two of the siblings being scolded for flirting, to avoid incest, and one of them rubbing their belly on the fallen log we rested on. They were at peace eating the leaves of the surrounding forest wall while we snapped photos and noted what they did every few minutes. This research is used to monitor their behavior and learn from their natural patterns. Reintroducing captive elephants to their original habitats is a learning opportunity for all. We watched them for 90 minutes before eating lunch at the nearby mahout hut alongside a creek. We were observed by one of the curious ones.

A curious elephant watches us from above while we eat lunch.

Heading back to the village, we showered and packed our bags. We drove 4 hours back to Chiang Mai through the dirt path out of the village then over winding mountain roads. The nature was spectacular, and we got to spend it with our driver’s young son too. The family connections of Thailand are strong, and we were lucky to have felt part of the village family. Our time with the Kindred Spirit team and their elephants was the highlight of our trip across Southeast Asia.

Chiang Mai Old City

We didn’t really think much about things to do in Chiang Mai, as our primary goal was to spend a night with Kindred Spirit. Fortunately though our Airbnb, Sherloft Hostel, was smack down in the center of old town so we were able to explore different parts of the city. Most of our time exploring was eating at various restaurants and on our last day, checking out the night market.

Overall, there’s a lot more going on in the east side of the old city than west. If you’re looking for action, try to stay in the west near the Tha Pae Gate. Nearby there is a main street with bars and restaurants.

Cooking Love is by far the best Thai restaurant at affordable prices, but be prepared for a short wait. The service we found wasn’t the best either, but good food.

Night Market

The night market starts around 6pm. We got there right on time, and noticed that many of the stalls were still being set up. Walking around, many vendors will look to get your attention. Be sure to bargain prices down and shop around stands so you get a feel for acceptable prices. Many sellers will offer you a low first buyer price too. If you turn it down – be prepared to feel like crap as they desperately lower the price further.







By the time we left an hour later, it became really crowded. If you don’t like crowds, we recommend going right when it starts.

Overall, we wish we spent more time in Chiang Mai. There are a lot of waterfalls and opportunities for natural exploration.