Chaing Mai

We LOVED Chaing Mai. It is located in northern Thailand and our resort was hidden in a valley right among rice fields. It was absolutely stunning. The first night we arrived to a private dinner pool-side. The pool is an infinity pool looking right into the middle of a field. Each room was huge and had an outdoor private living area. We felt like we were in the middle of the jungle except it was cool. The days were warm, however the evenings dipped into the high sixties which was lovely. Chris and I have yet to experience fall weather for more than a few days (although I think it has hit Houston since we've been gone) so we were loving it! I wore sweaters and even a little fleece one night.

The first full day we were there we did an elephant trek. It was the neatest thing either of us has ever done. Each elephant has one caretaker called a Mahout that takes care of him for life. Before our trek up the mountains, we were able to ride on the elephant's necks just like the Mahout does. Apparently this was a special treat and not something they let most people do. We have experienced a lot of things like that on this trip. We are luckily living "lifestyles of the rich and famous" and treated like royalty every where we go. It's so amazing! After riding like the Mahouts (which I must admit, I did not do- it was WAY up there) the elephants painted pictures for us. It was so amazing! Some were realistic (flowers and trees) and some were abstract. The last painting the elephant did was "PSS" (Chris' company's name) and we all cheered! They said the elephant had been practicing for a MONTH! She did great! We then rode up the mountain on a seat on the elephant's back. We had the funniest Mahout and he was passing everyone and yelling commands at them in Thai. He would then look at us and giggle a high pitched funny giggle. It was hysterical!

After we reached the top of the mountain we had a private picnic lunch and walked around. The area we stopped in was a hidden village with four tribes. One of the tribes was the Long Necks. You may have seen them in National Geographic or on TV. The women wear rings around their necks to stretch them and make them longer. They feel that the longer the neck the more beautiful. It was so interesting. They were truly beautiful women. They sold scarves, pashminas, and various other crafty things to make money. Another tribe were the Long Ears and had rings to stretch the holes in their ears. It was truly the most amazing experience to see this culture. The whole day was one of the best we've ever had.

In the afternoon we had facials in another private couple's suite. It was of course stunning. The Spa at the Four Seasons Chaing Mai has been ranked the Top in the World and is also on a Brittish report of the Top 5 spas in the world. I'm not as much of an expert as I would like to be, but from the experience I have had, I must say I would agree!

That evening we were able to have dinner at an American man's home named Howard Feldman. It was more of a mansion that was for the most part open-air. Each room had its own building. It was magnificent. Howard was a very interesting person and we still aren't sure exactly where he made his fortune... something about oven mitts? His home was featured recently in Architectural Digest.

I will attach pictures of everything soon. We are having a weak connection, but just wanted to share the experiences.

We feel completely blessed!