Tag: culture

Spend A Day With Me In Luang Prabang!

2 Comments

Kuang Si Falls, Luang Prabang, Laos

Hey guys!

I’m back with my first travel blog post from Luang Prabang, Laos! From the moment I first arrived here I fell so in love that I honestly feel like I could move here. The scenery is sooooo beautiful and the food is to die for. Keep reading to hear all about my first day adventure in Laos!

Exploring Kuang Si Falls!

Kuang Si Falls, Luang Prabang

After a quick breakfast at our hostel me and Nylah headed off to Kuang Si Falls. The National Park has all kinds of attractions, including the falls, which you can swim in, as well as a hike and a bear sanctuary. Not only were the falls one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in my life, they were the perfect swimming temperature to beat the Laos heat. You can splash around in the pools, or sit in the falls, both of which were super beautiful and relaxing. The hike is pretty challenging, so if you’re planning on it it’s probably a good idea to wear waterproof shoes and bring lots of water. I completed about half the hike before I felt it was getting too challenging for what I had prepared for, but Nylah completed it and said the view from the top was amazing, as well there are more swimming pools and a swing to enjoy when you reach the top! Even without completing the hike, these falls were so stunning and laying around in them was one of the most relaxing things I’ve done this whole trip.

Lunch at Chang Kham!

Sizzling Cashew Chicken Plate, Chang Kham

After our excursion to the falls, we stopped in at Chang Kham for a quick lunch! We’d stopped in here the first night after we arrived, but were more than happy to go again as the food was SO GOOD. The first time the chicken satay I had was to die for, and the sizzling fried chicken plate I had after visiting Kuang Si really hit the spot and got us ready to gear up for the rest of our day.

Drinks At A Local Bar!

Mojitos at a Local Bar

After a quick trip back to our hostel and a break, we headed out to grab drinks at a local bar. They had a buy two get one special on mojitos, which we very much took advantage of. They had all kinds of unique flavours, like raspberry, watermelon, and passion fruit (which you can see me drinking above). It was a great refresher after a long day.

Dinner At Coconut Garden!

Coconut Garden Outdoor Restaurant

After drinks we headed off to a little outdoor restaurant called Coconut Gardens. The food was simple but amazing, and it was a nice small meal after the crazy day we had. The soups in South East Asia are so delicious — and worth it even with the crazy heat, so we’ve been taking full advantage lately.

Visiting the Night Market!

Art Sale at the Local Night Market

After dinner, we walked back to our hostel through the night market. It super cool to be able to see and compare night markets between different cities and countries. While the Chiang Mai night market was only on weekends and was more food based, Luang Prabang has night markets daily that focus a lot more on clothing and art. These little markets really are a great way to take in the culture on each stop of our journey.

And that’s it for today! Stay tuned for an upcoming post on things to do in Luang Prabang! Hopefully you’re all enjoying my travel blogs so far, I’d love to hear if any of you get inspired or find places to visit on your next trip from these. If you have anything specific you want to hear about in the next segment, drop a comment below! I’d love to hear any suggestions you have.

Love y’all,

Meredith

Places To Eat: Chiang Mai Edition!

1 Comment

Hey everyone!

I’m back again with another Chiang Mai instalment: Places To Eat! Finding good places to eat in a foreign country can be daunting to say the least, especially if you don’t speak the local language. So I figured I’d compile a little list of the best places I’ve found in Chiang Mai! If you ever decide to visit (which I highly recommend), be sure to check a couple of these out!

It’s Good Kitchen

This place boasts being the top-rated Chiang Mai eatery of 2018, and for good reason. It’s a simple, outdoor eatery and perfect for a quick, causal lunch. But seriously, the food here was out of this world. Hands down one of the best meals I have EVER eaten in my life. If you’re ever in Chiang Mai and looking for real, authentic Thai food, make sure to give this place a try.

Baan Landi

Okay, this place was seriously amazing. To be fair, by Thailand standards, it was a little expensive — but by Vancouver standards it compared to a regular somewhat fancy meal. The pineapple and minced pork starters were to DIE for, and the shrimp and fried noodles I had for dinner were exceptional. On top of all that, they served cocktails composed of wine, candle smoke and lychee juice, which were incredible. If you’re looking for a somewhat upscale dinner during your stay in Chiang Mai, be sure to check this place out!

Mind Over Matter Restaurant

This little cafe was super close to our hostel, so we ate here a whole lot over our time in Chiang Mai. Not only was it super cheap, the food was outstanding, and very fast. If you’re ever in the area and want a quick, delicious meal, this place offers a mix of Thai and Western food — so there’s guaranteed something for everyone.

See You Soon Cafe

We stopped in at this place on a whim but honestly me and Nylah were both super into this place. Not only was the decor super cute (as you can see), but the food was amazing. I got shrimp wonton soup, which was hands down the best wonton soup I’d ever had. I tried to take a picture of it for you all, but the lighting wasn’t fantastic and really didn’t do it justice. Regardless, this place was amazing and I’d absolutely recommend it!

And there you have it! The food in Chiang Mai was so amazing, I’m sad to leave but excited to see what our trip holds next. Stay tuned for my next post to follow me on my travels!

Lots of Love,

Meredith

Things To Do: Chiang Mai Edition!

2 Comments

Hey friends!

I’m back with my second instalment of my travel blog series: Things to see and do in Chiang Mai! We have a pretty jam packed few days here, but here’s a low down of my favourite things I’ve experienced in this beautiful city!

Visit the Old Town

All of Chiang Mai is lovely, but the Old Town in particular is beautiful! Not only is it full of adorable restaurants and plenty of tourist-friendly things, but it also has loads of culture and temples you can visit.

Visit The Temples!

This city is literally packed with more beautiful temples than you could count. When I came here a few years ago, I saw the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temples, which were absolutely stunning but also completely overrun with tourists. This time, I stuck to temples in the Old Town and saw the Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh Waramahavihan temples, which were both so incredibly beautiful but even more importantly, not at all crowded. This made the overall experience like 200% better as me and Nylah actually got a chance to walk around and really take everything in peacefully, without having to mill through massive crowds. 10/10 would absolutely recommend checking out some of the smaller temples if you visit.

Visit An Elephant Sanctuary!

This was honestly one of the days best spent in my time in Chiang Mai. The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is in the business of rescuing elephants from tourist elephant ride attractions, circuses, and other areas that abuse these creatures. When you spend a day here, you get to feed, play with, and wash the animals in a space that keeps them safe and happy. It is so clear that they love these animals and put their needs first, and all the elephants were so friendly and gentle. When I came here a few years ago, sanctuaries like this did not exist and instead there were parks where you could ride the animals, such as the one this sanctuary rescues their elephants from. The difference in the happiness of the elephants is clear as day. I’m not even sure if you can ride elephants in Thailand anymore, however, if you’re considering it, please think about this instead. You still get to spend a whole day with the animals and it was honestly such a highlight of the trip for me.

Hit up the Night Market!

Chiang Mai offers two night markets, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Me and Nylah went to the Sunday market, which was in the centre of the Old City and absolutely packed with hundreds of adorable little stalls. They offer art, clothes, food, desserts, fresh fruit, and more! Not only was it super fun to just walk and look around, they had all kinds of cool stuff to try. I had some durian for the first time, which was super interesting, and some sticky rice with mango which is hands down one of my favourite foods. Overall, it was a 10/10 experience.

Take A Tour Of Doi Inthanon National Park!

Oh my GOD was this place ever magical. If you’re going to go, I would highly suggest taking a tour as it’s both likely cheaper and easier than making your way there yourself. We stopped at two waterfalls, a textile village, and a lunch break on our way to the peak of Thailand’s tallest mountain, where we did a nature walk through the rare habitat of the cloud forests. On our way back down, we visited the two Chedis pictured above, which were honestly two of the most beautiful temples I have ever seen in my life. This was honestly one of my favourite places on our trip so far, and if you’re ever in Chiang Mai it’s 100% a must see.

Check Out The Street Markets!

The street markets, or anywhere in Chiang Mai really, have the most AMAZING fruits you will ever eat in your life. Seriously. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried some. If you’re ever in Thailand, be sure to stop by your local market and pick some up. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

So that’s all for now! I hope you’re all having a lovely week and enjoying my little travel series. Be sure to keep checking in for adventures, recommendations, updates and more!

Xoxo,

Meredith

Spend A Day With Me In Bangkok!

1 Comment

Hey everyone and welcome to my first travel blog!

Soooooo to kick off our South East Asia trip, me and my best friend Nylah arrived in Bangkok, Thailand for a quick first stop before we get going. We’ve mostly just been getting our bearings and acclimating to the time difference, especially since we’re going to come back to Bangkok later on for the bulk of exploring this city. Also, this is my first time blogging from my phone so please bear with me through whatever technological struggles I encounter!

B Story Cafe

This cafe was honestly one of the best little places I’ve ever discovered travelling. Not only was it ADORABLE, but the food was amazing (and not just because it was my first meal in like twelve hours). The fried rice I got was honestly out of this world, plus the Thai Tea I ordered with it was quite possibly the most refreshing drink I’ve had in my life. If you’re ever in Bangkok and need a quick, easy, casual place to stop in for food check this place out, seriously. 10/10 would recommend. They have so many food options as well, both Thai and Western, so there’s something for everyone here.

Hungry Nerd Restaurant

For dinner we followed a recommendation and tried out the Hungry Nerd restaurant. It was kind of nice as all the food was pretty Western influenced so it wasn’t too hard on our stomachs as we get used to the sudden dietary changes, however it was all almost 100% meat and therefore not vegetarian friendly. However, it was still great and exactly what we needed after a long day.

Sights

We didn’t have much planned for today as we’re heading back to Bangkok later on in our trip; we figured it would be good to take some time to relax and get ready for our next stop, so we kept it simple and just did a little on-foot exploring. Walking the streets of a new city is one of the easiest ways to take in a new culture, as a lot of culture is made up in the little things. Some of my favourite little differences were the fruit stalls, the tuck tucks, the motorbikes and most of all, the street cats! Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a sucker for cats and the area around our hostel in Bangkok literally had unlimited cats. It was amazing.

Anyway, that’s more a less it! We’ve already left for Chaing Mai and have a jam-packed few days so the next post will certainly be more exciting. Be sure to check back for more travels and reviews over the next month!

Love y’all endlessly,

Meredith