Did you know there are over 500 temples in and around Chiang Mai, Thailand?  Wat’s up with that??  You can’t drive a few blocks in any direction without seeing an ornate Temple/Wat. 

With so many families in this region living in poverty, it is not uncommon for a family to send their young males to become a novice monk.  In doing so, they know their child will be fed, schooled and clothed whereas they may not be able to provide that themselves.  A day in the life of a monk/novice monk consists of approximately three hours of meditation and prayer, an hour of chanting, several hours of school and homework, walking barefoot around the neighborhood and accepting alms (offerings of food).  In fact, in this land of temples, Chiang Mai is one of the greatest locations in the world for meditators.  You can live a day as a novice monk would, although I would not recommend it for you night owls as the typical day starts at 4:00am.  (That right there would count me out.)  There are even sessions where you can learn more about offering alms and participate in this event.  These sessions start before 6:00am.  Even though I was interested in this, I couldn’t drag my butt out of our fabulous, boutique, accommodations that early. 

So, I did the next best thing.  I did want to visit unique temples and observe monks in their day-to-day lives, just not before dawn.., or more honestly, before lunch.  (This was the “relaxing” part of our trip after all.  Ha!)  After much in-depth research, I identified what I believed to be the “13 Coolest Temples in Chiang Mai” and set out to explore each of those.  I hired a private guide who used to be a monk himself to make the most of our time and learn as much as we could.        

You can view these temples on the You Tube video below or by checking out our Flickr set here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/myfavoritetravelagent/sets/72157647885997225/

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Right now, smart travelers are wrapping up their winter travel plans.  Why is that so smart you may ask?  The following five reasons are something smart travelers already know and you should too: 

1.       Right now, there are still a decent amount of good flight schedules available for winter travel.  You want to secure those before the prime schedules disappear, leaving you with options that contain extra and longer layover(s).  Trust us when we say that one less flight with the dozing sumo wrestler seated beside you or squatting on airport floors, huddled with other travelers around that one power socket to recharge is NOT a bad thing!

2.       By putting a deposit on your vacation now, you can essentially put your vacation on lay-a-way!  In most cases, travel agents have the ability and flexibility to derive weekly, bi-weekly or monthly payment plans for you.  In conjunction with or alternatively, you can start saving up for that “something special” on your vacation.  Perhaps an excursion on land or water you have always fantasized about or a special dinner?  While the get-a-way itself creates an amazing experience, it’s the “something specials” that solidify incredible memories you will chat about for a lifetime.

3.       Early booking bonuses!  My eyes light up like a child on Christmas morning when I see these!  Many moons ago, you may have been better off to wait until the last moment to secure your vacation plans.  Not today.  In addition to our #1 example above, resorts/hotels want to ensure their properties are well booked in advance.  Hence, offerings of early booking bonuses.  In addition to savings for booking early, we may now find “Kids Stay Free”, “Extra Free Nights”, “Free Room Upgrades”, “Special Coupon Booklets” or “Special Free Amenities” to name some of the more common privileges of booking in advance.  You will be hard pressed to find these deals when not booking in advance.

4.        If you have school aged kids, you should now have their school calendars for the upcoming year or can retrieve it online.  You can identify any days off and build your vacation around those days so the kiddos won’t miss as many days off school (or avoid days missed during critical, State mandated testing periods).

5.       If you want to escape the winter conditions of home & head to a tropical paradise, this is the perfect time to snag up school clothing sales.  Summer and swim wear will be hitting the clearance racks soon and it is a great time to stock up on your vacation wear.  (Have you ever tried to purchase a vacation bathing suit during winter?  Ugh!  You’re forced to purchase online & pray that it looks as good on you as it did on the model.  Know how many times that has worked for me?  Humph!)

So, if you have been flirting with the idea of a winter get-a-way, act now!  Also, if you want to escape or retreat to a cabin for a family/friend get-together during spring or summer holidays, you also want to take care of those reservations now as these prime accommodations book up nearly a year in advance.  As a little nugget of advice, store this information for next year; try to have your winter vacation or upcoming spring/summer holiday booked before Labor Day next year. 

Want to escape but you don’t know to where?  Give us a call; we love to chat travel!  In discovering your tastes and desires, we can pull from our own extensive travel backgrounds and industry knowledge to point out some destinations that may suit you perfectly!  If you would rather we contact you, simply fill out & submit the form below.