Author Archives: Ems

Cody, Wyoming

this year’s family trip with my family was set in the beautiful town of cody, wyoming.
never heard of it? neither had i before traveling there over 10 years ago to visit my grandpa’s ranch. this is now the third time we have visited the town and it keeps getting better and better. i especially loved that i could now share this special place with b.

Processed with VSCOcam with s2 preset

cody, wyoming is east of yellowstone national park. there are about 10,000 residents of cody. the city of cody was named after william frederick cody (buffalo bill).
i don’t know if it gets any more small town feel than this. and that is maybe why i like it. it is such a change of pace.
my grandpa’s ranch is about 30 min away from the town so it felt like even more of a retreat from the hustle and bustle. not to mention there is no cell reception on the property and spotty wifi. but can i just say it was a little thrilling to be so disconnected from social media? it was a great way to be “technology free” and enjoy one another with no distractions. this was just the trip i needed.

let me preface this post by saying this will no way be a guide to cody because frankly we stayed up at the ranch 90% of the time. cody is not known for its’ food scene or elaborate city. it is known for its’ stunning mountains, sweeping valleys and long rivers. it is a place to forget yourself and be immersed in god’s beautiful earth. so think of this more like a travel diary.

we started off the trip by celebrating my brother in law and step grandma’s birthday. my sisters made their day extra special by bringing up a photo booth and making a cake. of course, we had to have zombie props for my brother in law.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

these family trips only get more fun as there become more nieces and nephews and as those nieces and nephews get older. i absolutely love bonding with them.

something not to be missed while out west is shooting guns! this was b’s favorite activity on the trip! it was my first time shooting a shotgun. i will be honest and say i was not great at it but it was something i was glad i did at least once. my oldest sister was a modern day annie oakley and this was her first time shooting a gun so you never know until you try!

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

this trip was filled with many firsts as it was also my first time fishing (that i can remember). i am sorry to say i didn’t catch any fish but it was still fun. b caught one and my brother in law caught a few. we chose the catch and release method.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

fun fact! when i was young, i used to be obsessed with horses. i once won a trophy vaulting on a horse and took horseback riding lessons before entering high school. i still love it. i was so happy to be horseback riding again.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

we rode all the way to the very top of a mountain and looked down on this view. i seriously wanted to take a picture with every step we took but pictures don’t even do it justice. cody, you are completely stunning.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

one day we did head into town for the buffalo bill museum (must see!) , a tour of old trail town cody, dinner at wyoming’s rib and chop house, and the famous cody rodeo. all of which i highly recommend!
i will say my least favorite of all the activities was the cody rodeo because of how horribly the animals are treated but it is such a big event in cody so we felt like when in cody, right?

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

dusk in cody made my heart swoon. and those clouds? wow cody!

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s2 preset

but mostly we just explored the mountains, ate a lot, played card games and snuggled on my newest nephew who is only 2 months old.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

IMG_4525

Processed with VSCOcam with s2 preset

these are my people. i am so happy i got to be with them for 3.5 days.
until we meet again, cody!

 

SHARE THIS POST

Best Activities To Do With Kids in the Bay Area

not being a parent myself, it took me a little while to research the best activities to do with my nieces when they came to visit. it was a whole different world to me. but after doing a few google searches and talking with my friends who do have kids, i found some pretty great options and wanted to share my finds with you!

Best Activities to do with Kids in the Bay Area

1. children’s creativity museum in san jose – this option is geared more towards older kids but your littlest ones will love it just the same. so much to see, experience and learn!

2. slide ranch (just past san francisco) – great outdoor ranch for picnicking, hiking, exploring and interacting with animals. “slide ranch connects children with nature.” and what kid doesn’t love nature? i think my nieces would live outside if we let them.

3. berry / apple picking at gizdich ranch in watsonville – this is a great activity for any age. b and i went apple picking just the two of us and thoroughly enjoyed it but going with a little one can make it extra special. our little niece was so excited by every strawberry she picked. she  would cheer and talk about how yummy they are. see those jazz hands below? she did that every time. she kills me.
this could technically count for two activities because eating the berries is a heavenly experience in and of itself. never have i ever tasted such amazing strawberries in my life (and for very reasonable prices — $1.75/pound).
oh and don’t forget to let your kids enjoy the play area behind the cafe while you enjoy a piece of the best pie on earth. heck, buy a whole pie and bring the experience home. that is what i did. $11 for a whole pie? yes please. i can vouch for two berry and olalliberry.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

4. san francisco or oakland zoo – i think i go to the zoo every time i visit my nieces and nephews. kids dig the zoo. so why not add these two to your list?

5.  vasona park in los gatos – definitely one of my new favorite parks! this park has it all. steam engine train to tour the property? check. boating in the lake? check. fishing in said lake? check. bbq grills? check. large open meadows to frolick? check. walking path to get your cardio on? check.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

6. san jose municipal rose garden – the roses are in bloom now so walking the garden is simply breathtaking. i am not sure how long their blooming season lasts but it is def worth a trip to see it. i loved all the different colors of roses as well as the fountain and rose archway. beautiful beautiful garden in wonderful neighborhood of san jose (the homes surrounding the garden are eye candy as well). great big lawn behind the rose garden is good for frisbee, croquet, picnicking or letting your little ones run free. another bonus — no entrance fee!

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

7. shoreline park in mountain view - another great and active park to check out. shoreline offers boat rentals to take out on the lake as well as bike rentals to explore the land. don’t forget your kite — this place always seems to be a little windy and they have a designated kite flying area. who knew such a thing existed?

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

8. happy hollow park & zoo – zoo + park in one! are you sensing a theme here?  i have learned kids really like being outside and animals.

9. deer hollow farm – hike + petting zoo. this is a quick one mile hike to a historic 10 acre farm. sounds pretty cool, right? farm tours are only open the third saturday of each month so plan ahead!

what are your favorite kid friendly activities in the bay area? do tell!

weekend recap

life has been busy with visitors around here!
two weekends ago b’s sister and her sweet family visited us and this past weekend my sister and her darling daughter came for a visit.
we have been feeling the love this month and will treasure these special memories for many years to come.

b’s sister and my sister both have daughters around the same age so i knew we would want a low key weekend with lots of kid friendly activities — not to mention b’s sister and my sister are pregnant and due within a few months of each other. can you believe that? can’t wait to smother some more nieces and nephews in the coming months!

so after much planning, here is what a weekend with a couple pregnant ladies and toddlers looks like. basically lots of playing outside.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s1 preset

my little niece has me wrapped around her finger.
i have this connection with her that i have never felt with a child before. she calls my name at all hours to know that i am close and we giggle until we can’t giggle anymore. her little hugs and “thank you auntie emi” melt my heart completely.
children are such a blessing. they make you remember how amazing this world really is and that ice cream can cure anything.

check back tomorrow for a full list of kid friendly activities in the bay area!

ps hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend.
memorial weekend, why did you have to end?

How To Throw A French Garden Party

okay let’s talk details.

going into this, i knew i wanted to keep the budget low and make as much decor as i could over buying things. i also knew i had to incorporate over sized paper flowers somehow because they had been on my mind for months. i started with the paper flowers and took off with decor from there.

can i just say that paper flowers are a lot harder to make than they look. well maybe not incredibly hard but they are time intensive. the hardest part is definitely figuring out what to use for the stem (b and i discussed possible options many nights before falling asleep). i searched for hours trying to find the best over sized paper flower tutorial. i went back and forth but decided i liked designsponge’s tutorial best. the shape of her flowers were very peony-esque and anything peony is a winner in my book.
the only downfall with her tutorial was the stem. the money to buy cement and wire didn’t seem worth it (not to mention the extra tissue paper and time). i didn’t know what i would do with the flowers after and having so many large flowers didn’t seem practical. i also couldn’t fit the recommended wire in my car (due to length) so there was that, which probably pushed me over the edge to find another way.
i studied the house that lars built‘s flowers for a while and couldn’t figure out for the life of me what her stems are made out of! if anyone knows, please enlighten me! i even brought a picture to home depot but the employees had never seen anything like it. i think it may be some type of pipe.

i threw in the towel. there had to be an easier way!
and there is. it may not be as dramatic looking but picking up bamboo sticks from home depot did the job. i wanted to add some leaves to the bamboo as shown in designsponge’s tutorial but the flowers themselves took me more time than i thought.
overall, i was super happy with the outcome. just wish the wind would have cooperated a bit more.

Processed with VSCOcam with s1 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s1 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s1 preset

i bought the tissue paper via papermart . this vendor was recommended by oh happy day and ended up being a lot cheaper than buying in any party store.

now with the superstar out of the way, i moved on to the centerpieces. i knew i wanted simple greenery to make the flowers stay the stand out. i found this tutorial of how to make a lemon leaf garland on pinterest and knew it was the perfect addition considering i have a lemon and orange tree in my backyard.
i was thinking of adding some flowers to the garland but did not like the options i found at trader joe’s that weekend. next time!

IMG_5135

IMG_5131

IMG_4145

next up, food!
the food is why i call it a french garden party. we feasted on chicken salad croissants (great chicken salad pre made at costco), berry salad, baguettes and short bread cookies that resembled pastries. the food came together easy and can be made in advance so you are not stressing the day of.
and the short bread cookies? you can thank tj’s for those. i picked up a variety of fruit and chocolate fillings. they were a hit.

IMG_5214

IMG_5117

don’t skimp on the drinks. although we did offer water with grapefruit garnish, i wanted there to be a bit more variety so i picked up 4 different flavors of french lemonade from tj’s (trader joe’s).
tj’s sparkling lemonade with muddled raspberries was the perfect thirst quencher in the heat. oh and please don’t forget drink stirrers!

IMG_5116

the cake was critical. i had been dreaming up a naked cake for this event for months. it just screams garden party — the light filling with fresh flowers. am i right?

however, i must confess.
the cake scared me and so i asked a friend if she wouldn’t mind taking charge.
i provided her this recipe and she just went to town. i am so so grateful for her because it really livened up the buffet table. not to mention it tasted even better than it looked. can you believe that?

IMG_5184

but you know what was the biggest factor to making this event a success? those party rentals.i can’t praise williams party rentals enough for their top notch products and incredibly helpful staff. williams party rentals even makes the clean up a breeze by providing a dry cleaning bag for the linens and encouraging you to just wipe the food off the plates. no need to wash every dish your self! oh williams party rentals, you are the bees knees.

 

 

all rentals were donated by william’s party rentals.
all thoughts, all opinions are my own.
i actually sought them out for a collaboration since they are my favorite party rental store in the bay area!

French Garden Party

okay so now that you have read my dreams for the event, let me take you to the reality…

IMG_5070

IMG_5072

IMG_5131

IMG_5107

IMG_5141

IMG_5091

IMG_5080

IMG_5210

Processed with VSCOcam with s1 preset

IMG_5214

IMG_5195

IMG_5117

IMG_5116

IMG_5246

my french garden party to celebrate a dear friend turned out heavenly (of course there are always a few hiccups but once you get past those it is all forgotten).  and one of the key factors that tied it all together was using william’s party rentals. william’s party rentals has top notch service as well as a great variety of products to choose from. i was drooling over those gold chairs and wouldn’t mind having a set of those in my garage!  also those plates and gold utensils? seriously, i was in heaven.

william’s party rentals takes any event to the next level seamlessly.

can you believe how lucky i am to have such a wonderful garden to throw soirees? b and i really lucked out in renting this house. i will definitely need to take advantage of it this summer because there is no other place i would rather be.

i promise to get into the nitty gritty details of the food, decor and bar cart tomorrow.
today, is all about the eye candy.

 

 

all rentals were donated by william’s party rentals.
all thoughts, all opinions are my own.
i actually sought them out for a collaboration since they are my favorite party rental store in the bay area!

one of my biggest joys in life is creating events that bring people together and make lasting memories. i love the preparation details just as much as the day of festivities. i love letting my imagination run wild as i decide on a theme. i love the feeling i get after the end of an event. it is a high for me. is that weird? i do not understand a runner’s high but a party planning high? oh i get it!

with the seasons changing and the warm weather happening more frequently, i thought it was the perfect time to put together an event in my backyard. as i thought about what kind of backyard event i wanted, all that kept coming back to me is flowers. lots of flowers and greenery. thus the french garden party was born.

i may get a little crazy when it comes to events. i want everything perfect and a little over the top but in the best possible way. in order to centralize my thinking and keep my mind from wandering, i always put together a mood board of how i want the event to look / feel. i think it is the best first step when throwing any type of gathering.

Blogger-Event-Collaboration (1)

 

i wanted bright colors, flowers, naked cakes, gold accents and a white base. i wanted the works.

be sure to check back tomorrow for a peak at the end result!

you know those weekends you never want to see end?
okay, let’s be honest that is probably every weekend
but this weekend was even harder to see come to a close.
it was b’s birthday weekend.

april 26 will forever be my favorite day of the year because i get to celebrate my love.
i get giddy just thinking about how much i love b and how grateful i am he was born.
so in order to do his big day justice, we of course had to celebrate all weekend long.

friday evening we checked out a local mexican restaurant – tia juana. neither of us was floored by tia juana but it had fairly good mexican food and free chips and salsa. i have had my eye on this place for a while so at least i can now check it off my food bucket list!
we then spent the night in watching survivor. any one else a survivor fan? b and i usually get really into it but this season i am so disgusted with a lot of the contestants. frankly i am not rooting for anyone (was rooting for joe but now he is off).

saturday morning i snuck out of bed to get b his favorite breakfast – sausage mcmuffin, hashbrown and chocolate chocolate donuts.
confession. i ate three donuts for breakfast that morning. maple leaf’s donuts are too good to pass up.
side note… i have been on this diet where i cut out carbs, dairy and processed sugar throughout the week and then eat whatever i want on the weekends. i just felt like all i was eating at work was dairy and carbs and this seemed like a great way to get back on track.
all i could think of when i saw these heavenly donuts was “it’s the freakin weekend. baby i am about to have me some carbs.”
r. kelly anyone? HA

Processed with VSCOcam with s1 preset

following our lazy morning with breakfast in bed, i headed to the city since it was one of my dear friend’s birthday as well. we ended up celebrating with lunch at rotunda. rotunda is stunning and the ambiance is so classy. i would love to return for tea time!

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

picstitch

and i don’t think b missed me too much while i was gone considering he treated himself to a massage.

b’s celebration continued with dinner at los altos grill.
this place was happening! i strongly recommend making reservations as there were many people waiting and hovering over the bar seats. we had a reservation and still waited about 10 minutes! it is a lovely bbq esque style restaurant with juicy rotisserie chickens, delectable bbq salmon, potato salad inspired deviled eggs and sweet banana creme pie.
the only thing that turned me off was they charged us for a dessert even though we mentioned it was b’s birthday. not a huge deal though.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

waiting time = selfie time ;)

b prefers very mellow weekends so that is what i was hoping to give him. i promised him i would not throw a party for him this year even though it took me all my will power not to.
the mellowness continued with german pancakes on sunday morning, church and a hike at gray whale cove (located between pacifica and half moon bay).
i strongly recommend this hike! it is about 2 miles round trip (quick) but every step of the way gets prettier and prettier. we were lucky to go on a clear day so the views were unreal.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

 

20150426_141436

the weekend ended with a sunday feast and homemade chocolate cake. smitten kitchen recipes are always winners.

Processed with VSCOcam with s1 preset

b was making fun of me the other day for never really wheeling / using our bar car to serve him so i decided to bring the cake to him and make him eat his words.

how was your weekend?

Guide to Phi Phi (Part Two)

now that we have the activity portion of phi phi covered, let’s move on to food and lodging!

Guide to Phi Phi, Thailand (2)

TO STAY

there are many hotels and hostels available on phi phi but i really think we lucked out with the hotel we chose — pp palm tree. it is in the hub bub of the island “city” but we never heard any noise and it made it convenient to explore. we were provided with complimentary beach towels for the pool / beach, in room air conditioning (thank the heavens. not sure how people survive with just a fan), breakfast served daily and a hot shower (it’s the little things when you are away from home you know). pricing was fairly reasonable for the island but i will say phi phi was the most expensive place to stay of the three cities.

below is a view from our patio. it was the perfect island escape.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

TO EAT

A lot of the restaurants are fairly similar — meaning a mix of thai and western food. i swear three of the restaurants we ate at were probably indistinguishable from each other so let’s just keep to the best of the best.

le grand bleu – we ate here on our last night on the island and i am so glad we saved the best for last. b’s scuba instructor actually recommended it to us. after living there for many months, he had decided it was the best food on the island and i would have to agree. it is a mix of thai and french food. we ordered a couple appetizers along with our entrees and each dish was delicious so i am sure you can’t go wrong. i especially loved the duck dish (on the french portion of the menu) and yellow curry (thai portion of the menu). le grand bleu is a complete step above the other restaurants available.
it is located fairly close to the dock where the ferries arrive / depart.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

anna’s restaurant - tucked away from the main road, this place is also a gem. again, it is another mix of thai and western food. i heard or read somewhere that the owner of the restaurant (a european man) married a thai woman and so that is why the mix of western and thai is so authentic. i did ask our waitress if anna was around so i could meet her but sadly, she was killed in the hurricane.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

b claims anna’s serves some of the best wiener schnitzel of his life! the food was all around tasty but i especially love the mocktails. i couldn’t get enough of the refresher, which was made up of orange juice mixed with another juice and topped with crushed cucumber. how refreshing right?

ps are you dying over b’s pants above? they are his “thai pants”. they were sold everywhere and b insisted he had to get a pair to fit in with the locals. b said they were the comfiest pants he owns. we bought them in chiang mai and tried to get another pair in phi phi but they were way more expensive. one will have to do.
and no i did not see any locals wearing them. insert crying emoji here.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

blue lagune - ready for some pure thai food? blue lagune is the place for you! it is a little bit aways from the hotel meaning you will have to take a water taxi to the other side of phi phi to get there but why not have a little adventure? the owners of the restaurant are so welcoming and help you find the best entree for your tastebuds!

amp cafe & restaurant – another great thai option but this time located a little closer to home base (for us pp palm tree). it is rustic and has a view of the ocean. what is not to love?

oh and i can’t vouch for the food but there is an amazing fire show attached to a restaurant right on the water. you will see signs for it as you walk around. you must attend! the performers are so skilled. it was definitely a highlight on our trip.

so long phi phi, you are one in a million.

 

Guide to Phi Phi Island (Part One)

last stop, phi phi island!

so we knew we wanted to see thailand from all facets of life hence why we started in the big city, worked our way north to the jungle and finally flew south for the island life.

there are many islands/peninsulas to choose from including koh samui, koh phi phi, railay, krabi, phuket… this list literally goes on and on. it made it quite difficult to choose where to have our home base. i had heard that it was easy to visit surrounding islands by water taxi but home base to me was crucial. i finally settled on koh phi phi (pronounced pee pee) but it really was on a whim after much frustration with weighing the pros and cons for all the islands.
i don’t regret my whim one bit.

koh phi phi is stunning although time consuming to travel to so be warned. we took a taxi from our chiang mai hotel to chiang mai airport then caught a flight to phuket (via air asia because one of the only direct flights — great airline). from phuket, we took a taxi to the ferry station (40 min+ taxi ride) then a ferry to koh phi phi (about 2 hour ferry ride — it is air conditioned!).

stepping off the ferry into the heat of koh phi phi was thrilling and overwhelming. there are so many people getting off with you and trying to find their hotel rep.
we were told by our hotel that there would be someone to greet us and take us to the hotel. little did we know that all the hotels provide the same service and so the long list of hotel reps can be daunting. we finally found our rep after countless questions to the other reps. i expected him to show us the way to the shuttle. wrong! there are no cars on the island. he took our bags and led us through a sea of people and dirt roads. ten minutes later, we had arrived (my whole body completely sweating ha — the heat and humidity are real).

but please don’t let all the traveling time get you down, it really is worth it. i just wanted to add a little background because i felt a little clueless when arriving.

now to the fun part.  i have put together a city guide of all the best things to do , eat and see on this picturesque island they call phi phi.

Guide to Phi Phi, Thailand (2)

TO DO / SEE:
snorkeling tour of surrounding islands – there are many companies on the island that provide similar snorkeling excursions. we chose to do the afternoon excursion with ibex climbing and tours. it was a great way to see the surrounding islands including monkey beach, maya bay (no sign of leo sadly) and pileh lagoon. i do recommend ibex because our tour guide, richard, was so fun to be around and knowledgeable. we actually booked the tour online before traveling to thailand but it was not necessary.

below is a picture of maya bay. it is a little overcrowded during the day because of all the different boating companies but it really took my breath away. some of our friends that we met in thailand actually camped on maya bay for a night and i think that would be a great option to beat the crowds.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with b1 preset

scuba diving - don’t have your scuba license ? no problem. most scuba companies on the island will allow you to dive down to 12 meters without a license. i was a little apprehensive so decided to sit this one out but b went and loved it. he claimed it was 1000x better than snorkeling. b was able to swim with eels, small sharks, schools of fish, etc. his two dives in phi phi are going towards his scuba certification! he is hooked.

hike to the viewpoint – completely exhausting yet completely worth it. please do this hike in the early morning or early evening and not as we did in the heat of the day because it is intense with the sun beating down on you and lots of humidity. and yes i am not the most physically fit person so you may say pish posh to my advice but it appeared everyone around us was winded by the end of the hike (besides the locals who climbed it speedily and with ease).

the hike to the viewpoint is about this steep the whole way up.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

then you see this view and it all seems worth it.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with s3 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with s3 preset

how darling is the seating up at the viewpoint? makes me wish i would have brought a deck of cards or tea set.

hire a private long tail and escape to bamboo island – one of my favorite activities! there are many boats available for hire on the island that will take you anywhere you want to go. we were deciding between mosquito and bamboo island and in the end settled on bamboo island. bamboo island is a 40 min boat ride from phi phi. it is a small island with nothing on it but a small snack bar and gorgeous beaches–just the way i like it! the sand is white and soft. the water is crystal clear. i kept on pointing out how pretty the water color was to b on the boat ride. it was like nothing i had ever seen before.  be sure to lather up on sunscreen because the sun is strong and the white sand reflects back on you (or so we think because of our sunburns ha).
note! you may try to haggle with them about pricing to the nearby islands but it doesn’t do much good. it appears they are all in an alliance to have the same pricing. oh and you will have to pay a national park fee in addition to the taxi fee for bamboo island, maya bay and mosquito island.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

hike to long beach – we originally thought it would be a short walk to long beach from our hotel. news flash–it is a hike through the jungle. you may feel lost at times since there appears to be no clear path but never worry, the thais have you covered with their storybook style road signs. long beach is the best beach for swimming and lounging on the island. there are two restaurants close to the beach that provide decent food so i would recommend eating before or after. there are a few hotels on this side of the island and part of me thinks it would be dreamy to wake up with a view of long beach but it is fairly secluded from the city portion of the island.

Processed with VSCOcam with s3 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 presetProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

and now I am looking at what a long post this is turning out to be so what do you say we keep the best place to eat and stay for next time?

have i got you buying a ticket to thailand yet?

 

 

linked to: treat yo’ self

City Guide: Chiang Mai

it is safe to say that chiang mai was our favorite city that we visited during our trip.
heck, b even brought up the idea of living in this jungle city at some point in our life.

we enjoyed the less humid climate, easy navigation through the city (compared to bangkok) and the slower pace.
it is referred to as ” the rose of the north” for good reason.

so without further or do here is a list of our favorite things to do, eat and see!

unnamed (5)

 

TO DO:

elephant nature park – are you tired of me talking about my love for elephants and this incredible experience that elephant nature park offers? hope not!
elephant nature park provides people the opportunity to walk, feed, bathe and love on asian elephants. it is a great humane option but on the pricier side!
check my previous post for more details.

rent a scooter – the best way to tour the city in my opinion! it is also very cost effective. we rented a scooter for a few dollars a day. do note they don’t drive on the same side of the road as we do in the states so that can get a little confusing.

shop at night bazaar – a bustling outdoor market with souvenirs, clothes and food galore. it has by far the best prices i have seen for merchandise in thailand!

exfoliate your feet – have you ever seen those tanks with the fish in them that supposedly eat your dead skin? well those tanks are available at the night bazaar. b loved it and kept putting his hand in the tank for the fish to eat the skin off. i, on the other hand, am way too ticklish. i am not even a fan of pedicures because they touch my feet too much.
i didn’t think i would be able to feel the fish as much as i did. i could literally feel every single fish sucking and i was not having it. you have to have a lot of self control to participate!

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

get a massage at zabai thai massage – massages in thailand are cheeeap. like ben got a massage almost every night cheap. this place was on the pricier side when it came to massages but both b and i agreed it was well worth it with ambience of the spa and the professionalism / experience of the employees. b said it may have been the best massage he ever had.
i paid around $18 for a one hour aromatherapy message (thai massages are a little too rough for me but b prefers it).

take a tuk tuk – tuk tuks are more readily available than taxis in chiang mai so this was another way we would get around to dinner/massages. i love tuk tuks. i love the wind in my hair. i love bartering with the drivers before hand (you must decide on a price before entering or they will swindle you!). i love all the different smells you encounter on your drive through the city. it really is so thai.

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

a lot of thai – another highlight of the trip for me was taking a half day cooking class with chef yui. the half day class includes three dishes and a tour of the local market (full day is 5 dishes + local market tour — wish we had that kind of time!). this is the perfect way to bring a piece of thailand home with you.
yui is an amazing teacher with a low key approach that makes you enjoy the dish you are creating. not to mention she is hilarious!

Processed with VSCOcam with s1 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

TO EAT:

the house restaurant – lovely atmosphere with vibrant thai dishes ; gingers restaurant located next door is also a great dinning option but a little pricier!

the riverside – a great mix of western and thai food ; moderate pricing ; live music ; eat on the patio by the water!

la fourchette –  confession. we did not eat thai food the whole time we were there. sometimes my body just wanted to mix it up and la fourchette is the place to do it. it is a french restaurant with exquisite dishes like duck and lamb.

la petite chiangmai - wonderful authentic northern thai cuisine with exceptional service!

mamory delicious for good memories – we actually did not eat here but it was recommended to us so i thought i would pass down the recommendation to you. please let me know what you think of it!

angel’s secrets – this is the kind of bakery / coffee shop that you could spend your whole day in and be content. the food is delicious. the restaurant is located in the center of the city and they have a garden. what more could you ask for?

TO SEE:

wat chedi luang – to be honest, this was the only temple we were able to visit while in chiang mai. a lot of our time was eaten up by excursions and so we didn’t have as much time to explore as we would have liked.
this temple is 600 years old and used to house the emerald buddah, which is now at the grand palace in bangkok. i love the elephant statues and the steep staircases. i can only imagine what it would have looked like in its’ prime!

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

do explore the other exquisite temples in chiang mai for me! here is a great guide.

we simply adored the city of chiang mai. our only wish was that we could have spent at the very least a couple more days. we were only there for 2 full days and one day was with the elephants. but we will take what we can get it!

oh chiang mai, you have a special piece of my heart.

 

 

linked to: treat yo’ self