Thailand Travel Blog @ Day 2: Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, Bo Sang Umbrella Village (Travelling with Elderly)

Woke up early to have breakfast at Moxie in the hotel lobby. 

We left with day 2 for sight seeing since we need to check out early the next day.

The driver who dropped us at the hotel from airport gave us his name card if we need a tour guide. We were delighted that he was able to make the necessary arrangement for us even though we called him at the very last minute the night before.  

Unlike other sight seeing tour where most tourist will go such as elephants safari or white temple tour, we requested the driver to take us to the temple which is known to the locals (or tourist alike). The first stop he took us to Wat Chedi Luang Temple

The temple and the surrounding shrines were amazing to look at.

Wat Chedi Luang is a must visit even if you don't have the time to visit any temples. We didn't get to fully explore the place but do see it for yourself. I'm sure it's a worthwhile visit.

The next temple we visit is the Wat Phra Singh. It's worth a quick visit as well. Only spend a short while but managed to take few photographs while I'm here. 

We wanted to see handicrafts and the driver took us to one place which sells wood carvings and furnitures. It wasn't what we have in mind but we spent some time looking around. Didn't take any photo since photos were not allowed. 

Next stop we head over to Bo Sang Umbrella Village. Here we can see the process from constructing the saa paper umbrellas by hand to painting them in intricate designs.

If you want a personalised momento, do bring something that you would like the people to paint things on.

Other than seeing the making process of the paper umbrella, you can buy souvenirs at the handicraft centre. 

We head back to the city for massage (recommended by the driver). Pricing is reasonable and we spent approximately 1.5 hours massage here.  

After the massage we crossed the road to the restaurant in front of the massage centre for lunch....Chinese food to be exact since mum was craving for Chinese food...although it was our second day here in Chiang Mai. 

We went back to the hotel to rest after lunch. Although it's a short tour we were quite happy with the service. The driver is really friendly and he tried his best to recommend places for us to visit. If you would like to hire a personal tour guide/ driver, you can drop an email or give Manop a call when you're in  Chiang Mai for your holidays.

At night we walked over to the night market for our last minute shopping. For dinner we went back to the same restaurant. The food is good so no complaint there, although I would prefer to try the locals cuisine. For your info, there's quite a number of eateries nearby but considering that my aunt have difficulty walking we ended eating at the same restaurant (Moxie) 2 nights in a row.

And that's the end of our trip in Chiang Mai. 

We left the hotel early next morning to take our flight back to Malaysia.

Overall we find the trip quite memorable despite some shortcoming in this trip. Relatively the cost for goods and services are still relatively cheap, the weather’s cooler, and more importantly the people are really friendly. 

Thailand Travel Blog @ Day 1: Travel Day To Chiang Mai & Night Market (Travelling with Elderly)

It's been years since I last went to Chiang Mai and I was only a student back then. Move forward to this year in 2014 I get to take a trip down with my family. This trip was a last minute planning for my aunt and I have to take into consideration of my aunt condition. It was difficult to plan out any itinerary as my aunt was not able to walk far due to her age (she's 85) and have to refrained from doing any activities/sight-seeing that may be too arduous for my aunt. 

When travelling with elderly, it requires a lot of extra time when travelling as my aunt can not move quickly. Eventually, we all agreed that Chiang Mai will be suitable for her which do not require her to travel far.  

The day finally came and we were off for a 3 days 2 nights holiday. Booked our flight through Airasia and arrived at KLIA2 a bit earlier to have breakfast at Warung before boarding the plane. 

The journey was less than 3 hours flight from Kuala Lumpur to Chiang Mai Airport. 

So far everything was fine with my aunt through out the journey. 

I didn't make any prior arrangement for the transportation to the hotel so the first thing we did when we landed was to look for a taxi counter to get a cab to our hotel. 

The journey from the airport to the our hotel were pleasant and comfortable. 

The town looks incredibility laid back and have a small town atmosphere. 

In no time we arrived at Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Hotel where we stayed for 2 nights. Our rooms were super spacious and we were pleased staying in this hotel. You can read my review on this hotel here. 

Have our lunch at Moxie which is located on the ground floor. 

We decided to take a rest in the room after a hearty lunch. 

We didn't go out until it was in evening when the sun had set.

Our hotel is only walking distance to the night market and we can go back to the hotel if my aunt gets tired. 

In no time, we call it a day as my aunt needs her rest and we headed back to the hotel for dinner. On the way back we stopped by at 7-eleven to get some drinks.

Highly recommend to try this drink when you're in Thailand. Taste wise is quite similar to Yakult drink....but in a much bigger bottle. 

We went back to the same restaurant for our dinner since the food at Moxie was good. 

And that wraps up my first day in Chiang Mai. 

It was a pretty relax and laid back trip on our first day. 

Continue reading my trip on day 2. 

Thailand Travel Blog @ Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Hotel

There were few factors I have to take into consideration when booking a hotel in Chiang Mai. My aunt who's joining us is not able to walk far since she's 85 years old. After doing my homework I finally decided on Dusit D2 Chiang Mai due to the good reviews, walking distance to the night market, walk-in shower (my aunt can't use the bathtub) and breakfast. In a way, I'm glad that I was able find this little gem.

On the day we stepped into the hotel premise, we were treated with 5 stars service from then on. We were greeted by the staff and were guided to the sofa to be seated and then served with a refreshing cold drink. 

After a while, the staff guided us to club lodge on the 7th floor to check-in.

The check-in process was breeze and in no time we were guided to our rooms on the 9th floor. When I booked the room, I requested to have a connecting room. As the rooms were fully booked, one of the room was upgraded to a 'studio suite'. 

The room I booked is a 'club deluxe room' with twin bed. We were quite impressed with the interior designs and the colour theme. It was bright and striking.  

There's a separate working desk for those who needs to finish their work while on their holiday. 

They offer laundry and dry cleaning service. 

The content in the orange box is a souvenir for guest to take back home, which it's quite thoughtful of them. 

The room is quite spacious and there is space to walk about. There's a tea and coffee maker facilities, with  complimentary bottled water which is replenish daily. 

Valuables can be kept in the safety deposit box in one of the closet, which includes extra pillows and fridge. You'll be happy to know that there is a complimentary wifi for guest during your stay. :)

Big and bright toilet is what I love although the toilet is small but it's well designed. Toiletries were given and replenished daily. 

Moving on to the 'studio suite' via the connecting door. 

Studio suits comes with a big double bed. 

Love the studio suite which not only comes with a spacious living area....

...even the bathroom is 3 to 4 times bigger than the club deluxe bathroom!

For those who is not a fan of bathtub, there's a walk-in shower in the bathroom.

Big spacious closet and wardrobe. Great for guest who have big luggage and plans to do a lot of shopping while in Chiang Mai. 

We were given a 200 baht vouchers which can be used in the restaurant.

Guest who stays in a club deluxe room (with breakfast) are entitled to use the club lounge on the 7th floor. Apart from that, it comes with other benefits too. 

The club lodge is the same floor where we check-in earlier.  

The lodge is pretty big and it can easily accommodates quite a number of guest. 

Complimentary pre-dinner drinks and snacks from 5pm to 7pm. 

Simply delicious. Went back for few more cause the serving size was quite small. 

Magazine and newspaper for guest who wants to catch up some reading. 

Right in front of the hotel is the night market. 

You can enjoy shopping every night while staying here.  

The bed was made after our dinner/shopping and the hotel slipper was put out for us, which I think is a nice gesture. 

Our rooms comes with a buffet breakfast. Breakfast is served in Moxie, which is located on the ground floor.  

The choice of foods is plentiful with a choice of American and Asian dishes. 

Sadly during my stay at Dusit D2 I never get the chance to use the facility such as the gym and the swimming pool. 

The hotel turned out to be a great choice for all of us, including my aunt. Our room was nice and the breakfast were plentiful. The staff were friendly and helpful, especially towards my aunt who needs some assistance when walking. Although the hotel is located near the night market, the room was quiet. I would defiantly come back again to stay in Dusit D2 if I ever return back to Chiang Mai for a holiday.