22 November 2025 Steps: 6,030 This morning we headed to the Coconut Market which only runs on Fridays Saturdays and Sundays. Later in the afternoon we gave the girls a treat and took them to watch Wicked For Good at the cinema . The Chiang Mai Coconut Market The Chiang Mai Coconut Market is a lovely artisan market set amongst tall coconut trees, and it’s a great place to find higher quality crafts and clothing . It’s also a good spot to eat, with stalls serving skewers, s

21 November 2025 Steps: 7,862 The girls at the Siamaya Chocolate making Workshop in Chiang Mai Today we visited Siamaya Chocolate in Chiang Mai and it ended up being one of the best experiences that we have had on this trip - educational, hands on, and we even got to eat the final product! Learning About the Chocolate Making Process The workshop starts with a look at how their chocolate is made , beginning with the cacao pods that grow in the forests of northern Thailand . Th

20 November 2025 Steps: 5,312 This morning we left the city and made our way to Bua Tong, better known as the Sticky Falls . It is such a fun waterfall to explore with kids as you can climb straight up the limestone rocks without slipping. Getting to the Sticky falls The sticky falls It took us a while to finally get on the road, as we spent almost an hour trying to find ourselves a ride to the falls . We had tried booking the ‘hire by the hour’ feature through Grab, but we

19 November 2025 Steps: 11,273 We started our morning with breakfast at the hotel, and honestly, it might be the best hotel breakfast that we’ve had on this trip . The selection was incredible - everything from classic English breakfast items to Thai dishes like stir-fried chicken and even massaman curry. There were cold cuts, cheeses, yogurt and muesli, roast pork, pancakes, waffles, all kinds of juices, breads, and pastries… and even ice cream! I don’t think that we will be

18 November 2025 Steps: 4,927 Today was mostly a travel day as we caught the Green Bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai , where we’ll be staying for five nights. It feels good to settle in one place for a little while after moving around so much lately. Green Bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai We looked into a few different options for getting to Chiang Mai , including hiring a private taxi, since that can sometimes work out cheaper for our family of four. A taxi would have come

17 November 2025 Steps: 6,448 We started our day with a lovely breakfast at our hotel, the Le Méridien Resort . One thing I really appreciate in Asia is that many hotels have a kids eat free policy , which makes the breakfast buffets great value for families. After we’d eaten we headed out to explore some of Chiang Rai’s famous temples. Chiang Rai's Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten) Our first stop was Wat Rong Suea Ten, or the Blue Temple , as it is more commonly known. After v

16 November 2025 Steps: 5,714 The second day of our Shompoo Cruise was an even earlier start than the first day – we had to be at the hotel reception at 6.30 am! At least there are lots of places to relax on the boat , and Jessica fell asleep again, and didn’t stir until we arrived at our first stop at 9.30am. Ban Paksith Village We stopped to stretch our legs at a local village called Ban Paksith , where we were shown around their village. I always feel a little awkward wh

15 November 2025 Steps: 3,098 Today was a very early start , as we were being collected from our hotel at 6.30 so we could catch the slow boat at 7am from town. The Shompoo Cruise Slow Boat Today we boarded the Shompoo Cruise slow boat , and the boat itself is very comfortable, with plenty of space to sit, lie down and relax . The cruise is definitely on the higher end of the price range , but we’d read some pretty rough reviews of the cheaper public slow boat and decided tha

14 November 2025 Steps: 2,431 Today was a relax and recharge day , and we decided that we would stay at the resort, rather than travel into town, so we spent time relaxing by the pool, going to the gym, homeschooling and packing our bags, as we leave early tomorrow morning. As I don’t have too much to write about today, I wanted to share my thoughts on our wonderful stay at the Namkhan hotel , as well as our time in Laos in general. The Namkhan Hotel Our time at the Namkhan

13 November 2025 Steps: 8,705 This morning we made an early start (or at least early for us) and drove about an hour to Kuang Si Waterfall hoping to beat the crowds. Spoiler alert: we didn’t quite manage it, but we still loved our visit. On the way back we stopped at the Laos Buffalo Dairy Farm for a tour and some buffalo ice cream , which was delicious, and the kids absolutely loved meeting the animals. Kuang Si Falls Kuang Si Falls was on our 'must visit' list from the mom