Chiangmai has its usual fare of temples and animals like any other Thai city. But due to the hilly nature of the area, it has a variety of Xtreme sports you could try out. Things like Bungy Jump, Off Road Buggy Tours, Off Road Motorcycles, Xorb Ball, Drifter Go Karts, Paintball, etc. I found 2 activities that I truly enjoyed in this area.
1. Zipline
Zipline involves swinging from one tree to another whilst harnessed to a rope joining the 2 trees. In Chiangmai, this is taken to a whole different level, where you will be zipping around for 2 hours, some as far as 300m even. There are 2 main companies to choose from, which are Flight Of The Gibbon and Jungle Flight. Both of these companies have excellent reviews and is up to you to decide which to follow. I originally booked with Flight Of The Gibbon through the tour desk in my hotel. But due to a huge mess-up by the tour desk regarding prices, I ended up with Jungle Flight instead.
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| Getting to the platform in the middle of a village in the jungle |
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| Zipline to the top platform, then abseil down to the lower platform |
After driving approximately 1 hour from my hotel to a jungle in the middle of nowhere, we were harnessed up and given a brief lesson on safety. Then off we were to the first tree. I was shivering with fear on the first one. My face turned white and not a sound came out from me as I looked on nervously, wishing I could go home. After overcoming my initial fear, call me Monkey Angie. Due to my weight, guess who zipped faster than anyone else? *grin*. 32 platforms of great fun and adventure, well worth the money paid. However, once in a lifetime is enough for me.
2. Cycling with Paul Frank
As Chiangmai city is relatively small, most tourist sites are reachable on a bicycle. In fact, this is where you can truly appreciate the beauty of this city. Navigating a Paul Frank bicycle wasn't easy. I have never been on a bike where the brakes are on the pedal itself - pedal forward to move, pedal backwards to brake. But I'm sure the both of us looked really cool going around the city on these Stand-Out bikes. THB150 for a day's rental from Wild Orchid Guesthouse (70 Loi Khro Rd, Tel: +66-844-845080).
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| Our Paul Frank bicycle for THB150/day |
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| Cycle your bikes right up to the Wat Chedi Luang, built in the 1300s |
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| Is your bike better than mine?! |
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| Zooming past another temple |
Also check out:
Chiangmai 2011 Part 1 - Focus on Pampering
Chiangmai 2011 Part 2 - Focus on Eating
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