Thailand Adventures - Day Five: Relaxation, Markets and Questionable Transport!

Today was all about slowing down, relaxing and embracing a little bit of holiday bliss… well, at least for the first half of the day!

We started the morning hanging out by the pool, enjoying iced coffees and passionfruit smoothies. It was a wonderfully slow and relaxed start to the day, with absolutely no rush to be anywhere.

I had a chat with Frankie about how it's okay to have a slow day every now and then. You don't always have to be doing something, seeing something or ticking things off a holiday bucket list. Sometimes relaxing, enjoying where you are and simply doing nothing is just as important as all the adventures. It's not missing out if you're enjoying the moment. 

After our lazy morning, we took a stroll to a little cafe called 9 Siblings for lunch. The food was delicious, and we all opted for pork belly accompanied by some wonderfully refreshing cold drinks. Definitely a lunch worth walking for!

On the way back, I stopped for a foot massage, which was absolutely heavenly. I came away feeling incredibly relaxed and was even treated to a little gift of sweet tea and a biscuit afterwards. It's the little things!

Back at the hotel, feeling like a completely new woman, Frankie, Aaron and Kailey decided it was their turn for some pampering. For Kailey, this was particularly exciting because it was her VERY FIRST MASSAGE!
They each opted for an arm, leg, foot, back and scalp massage. Kailey was clearly a fan because she announced to the lovely lady, "I will be back tomorrow!" 😂

When they returned to the hotel, Kailey decided it was time to demonstrate her newly acquired massage skills on Aaron and I. She proceeded to give me a scalp massage, although Frankie was quick to point out that it wasn't quite the same as the professional version.


And I have to agree. It probably wasn't quite as relaxing, and I'm fairly certain the professional massage didn't include quite so much facial scratching with Kailey's little fingers. Still, the enthusiasm was there!

We then had some cocktails delivered to the room and FaceTimed Mum and Dad for a catch-up before heading out for the evening.

We jumped into a Tuk Tuk, although the seating arrangements were a little questionable. Rory and Frankie ended up perched on the makeshift front seats, providing yet another example of Thailand's rather relaxed interpretation of vehicle safety standards. 😂

We wandered around the market, although the drizzly weather meant quite a few stalls had closed for the evening. That certainly didn't stop us from finding a few little nick-nacks to bring home, and of course, no market visit would be complete without some coconut ice cream!

Afterwards, we jumped into another Tuk Tuk, this one featuring a horn that sounded suspiciously like a small duck. Honestly, the variety of Tuk Tuk experiences we're collecting is becoming a holiday highlight in itself!

We headed towards Tha Phae Gate, where we grabbed Burger King for dinner for the kids.

 Aaron was particularly delighted to discover that he could even purchase a beer at Burger King alongside a kids' meal. Apparently, this was a very exciting development! 🍺

For the journey back to the hotel, we caught a Songthaew. And I can honestly say I was just happy that we made it back in one piece, particularly without Kailey managing to fall out of the back!

Kailey, meanwhile, was living her absolute best Thai tourist life. She spent the entire journey waving and enthusiastically yelling "Sawasdee kha!" at absolutely everyone, including people riding past on motorbikes. She was basically the unofficial Songthaew ambassador for Chiang Mai. 

We arrived back at the hotel just in time, because shortly afterwards the heavens opened and a rather impressive downpour began.

All in all, a lovely day of slowing down, good food, massages, a little shopping, questionable transport arrangements and plenty of laughs.

Sometimes the best holiday days aren't the ones packed with big adventures. Sometimes they're the ones where you have a massage, eat good food, enjoy a cocktail and watch your six-year-old enthusiastically greet the entire population of Chiang Mai.

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