CHIANG MAI WOKS & WONDERS FOR PARENTS & FAMILIES - High School Summer Programs (800) 321-4353

Bring the Family!
This program is open to mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, grandmothers… well, you get the picture. Chiang Mai Woks & Wonders is the first program of its kind to be offered by Rustic Pathways, and we’re happy to finally offer such a great opportunity to the families of our students. The adult session of this program features a hotel upgrade, a little extra free time, and a few other surprises.

Chiang Mai - The Rose of the North
Everyone who visits Chiang Mai finds it to be one of Thailand’s most livable cities. Decorated with ancient temples, pagodas, and city walls, the immense history of the city is apparent at almost every turn. Chiang Mai’s citizens are known in the region as being very welcoming and sincere, and the large number of foreign expatriates who call this city home are a testament to this. Delicious cuisine, a vibrant art and music scene, its international feel, and the plethora of nearby attractions make it a truly embraceable destination. Woks & Wonders will give you a real sense of what this city has to offer.

Welcome to a Healtheir World!
A major focus of this program will be on learning new ways to live healthier – and this all begins with food. Thai food has become immensely popular across the globe, and there truly are many options for every taste. Master of the wok, pestle, and mortar, Thais have created a modern culinary legacy of delicious and flavorful dishes using wholesome and healthy ingredients. Also, vegetarians will be amazed at the variety of meat-free dishes known in the world of Thai food. Participants in this program will receive and extensive introduction to the many realms of Thai cuisine, and you’ll be taught how to prepare all of the delicious dishes you encounter on the journey. Your experienced instructors will show you how to navigate a traditional Thai market in search of ingredients and prepare dishes with an authentic touch. They’ll also teach how to add just the right amount
of spice, and give you ideas about how you can use local produce to substitute for hard to find items. With three formal cooking lessons, you’ll have the chance to make a great variety of exotic favorites and refine your techniques so that you’ll have real skills to return home with. For the fourth lesson, you’ll shop for the groceries yourself and cook for the awesome staff who have helped you along the way – a great way to prove how far you’ve come!

Quiet the Mind with Yoga & Meditation
There is no question that the stresses and pressures of today’s world can really take their toll. Regardless of whether you’ve ever been introduced to these practices or have practiced for years, you’ll quickly feel the amazing benefits in your body and mind. Combining these morning activities with healthy meals that you’ve prepared by yourself is a jump-start towards feeling better about yourself. We’ll set aside time to chat with revered monks at ancient temples who will share their experiences and gladly answer any questions you may have for them.

Fantastic Shopping, Revered Elephants and Holy Monks
The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar and Sunday Walking Street Market offer some of the best shopping in Thailand. You’ll also have the chance to visit one of the city’s best tailors, and some nearby villages known for their creative and funky handicrafts, furniture, and art. If you happen to find some things you’d like to buy but won’t fit in your suitcase, we’ll gladly help you arrange getting them home safely. No visit to Chiang Mai would be complete without a visit to Doi Suthep. Build your merit by giving morning alms at the base of the mountain before heading to the mountaintop temple for a great view from the city’s most holy places. Take a trip to one of the region’s finest elephant parks, where you’ll have the chance to feed, bathe, and learn all about these amazing creatures and their vital history in the region. Visit a fascinating orchid farm, go bamboo rafting, and spend a night at a quaint bungalow in the shadows of Chiang Dao mountain - perhaps the most impressive peak in the country. See monks going for morning alms, check out a holy cave, and scout for exotic bird species that call this place home. On your last night, enjoy a traditional
northern Thai Khantoke performance while you feast on local delicacies – don’t forget your camera!

This is an experience to be shared by all – and we encourage you to invite your close friends and family along for the ride! For more information, contact Bryan Haggerty at bryan@rysticpathways.com.

Day 1, Tuesday
The group flight departs from LAX on Singapore Airlines, one of the world’s top rated airlines.

Day 2, Wednesday
Today will be ‘lost’ as you cross the International Date Line – not to worry, however, because you’ll get it back on your way home.

Day 3, Thursday
Enjoy the smooth service over the Pacific, and upon arrival in Singapore just after midnight you’ll be greeted by Rustic Pathways staff and escorted to Hotel 81. We’ll get you checked in, and you’ll be free to relax and sleep until your wake-up call in the morning. After a refreshing sleep and a shower, its time for a lovely breakfast buffet down at the pool, before we grab our bags and head back to the airport. The group will connect to Chiang Mai via Bangkok, arriving at the Novotel Chiang Mai by evening. Take some time to get comfortable in your room before we head out to a sumptuous dinner overlooking the Ping River. Take in the wonderful ambiance – welcome to Chiang Mai!

Day 4, Friday
Rising early, our day will begin with a meditation and yoga session. Regardless of whether you’ve ever been introduced to these practices or have practiced for years, you’ll quickly feel the amazing benefits in your body and mind, and there is nothing better to shake off jetlag. Once finished, we’ll transfer directly to a local produce market for an introduction to the world of Thai food. Your guide will explain the basics of Thai cooking and its staple ingredients, and show you how to choose the freshest ingredients. Once we have all of our supplies, you’ll head off to the cooking school for your first formal cooking lesson. The great thing about these lessons is how you can customize your recipes to suit your taste. This is especially good for vegetarians, as nearly all of the dishes you will learn how to cook can be prepared without any meat products. Likewise, if you can’t handle spicy food, your instructor will show you how to achieve an authentic taste without overwhelming your taste buds.

Bon appetite! Time to enjoy the splendid feast you’ve prepared for yourself. Eat to your heart’s content, and savor the creations you’ve made. Later in the afternoon, we’ll return to the hotel and relax for a while to let the food digest. Toward dusk, we’ll head out to a couple of Chiang Mai’s most historic temples to soak in the history of the city and take some great pictures. The city has several hundred temples and pagodas, the oldest of which date back about 800 years and you’ll certainly see the best of them. We’ll have a light dinner at the world-famous Night Bazaar, where you’ll have your first (but certainly not last!) chance to browse the eclectic assortment of handicrafts, souvenirs, and artwork on display.

Day 5, Saturday
Today, we’ll rise early again and head to Wat Srisoda, home to many of the city’s most revered monks and a school for ‘novices’ from poor hilltribe villages across the north of Thailand. Witnessing morning alms is an enchanting experience, and this is certainly one of the most unique places to see it. Most Thai people participate in morning alms nearly every day, and it is a very important part of the daily routine for Theravada Buddhists (95% of Thais belong to this sect of Buddhism). After morning alms, we’ll head up to the top of Doi Suthep – the mountain which overlooks the city – to the most famous attraction in Chiang Mai, Wat Phrathet Doi Suthep. Legend holds that a white elephant carrying a relic of the Buddha trekking from India came to rest at this very spot, now home to this temple. The complex has a serene feel, and offers a fantastic view of the city below and the valley beyond. After exploring the temple grounds, you’ll head further up the mountain past one of the King’s Royal residences, the Phuphing Palace. Heading down the back side of the mountain, we’ll stop at Doi Pui, a Hmong hilltribe village where you’ll have a chance to buy some fine handicrafts directly from the people who made them.

After exploring the mountain, we’ll head down the mountain and straight to the market to shop for lunch. Your guide will once again carefully go through and explain all of the ingredients you’ll need to prepare lunch for the day. You’ll be amazed at how much they’ll vary from those of the previous day, and at the amazing array of food you’ll be able to create with these ingredients. While it’s true that you may never have seen many of these ingredients and that some of them may be tough to find back home, your instructors know many easy to find substitution ingredients they’ll be happy to share with you.
After lunch, you’ll head back to the hotel for some well-deserved down time. Once rested, you’ll have the chance to get your first Thai massage – a great way to loosen up and relax. Later on, head out to one of Chiang Mai’s hippest spots on a Saturday night to unwind and listen to some great live music in a great atmosphere.

Day 6, Sunday
After a few early mornings, we’ll take things a bit slower this morning. After a nice breakfast buffet, we’ll head out for a tour to San Kamphang and Bo Sang, nearby villages renown for their unique crafts, furniture, and exports. You’ll have plenty of time to browse these shops, and if you happen to take a liking to some goods that are a bit too big for your suitcase, we’ll be happy to help you get everything home safely. You’ll also have a chance to head to the San Kamphang Hot Springs for a relaxing soak in these natural pools. Take some time to relax at the hotel in the early evening before you’ll be heading out to the Sunday Night Walking Street Market. This is easily the best way to get acquainted with the Chiang Mai community – local musicians and artists come down to showcase their skills, hilltribe merchants line the streets selling their colorful crafts, and tasty food stalls offer a wide array of tasty treats. Even if you’re not up for shopping, this is a fantastic place to people watch, get a foot massage, and enjoy the awesome atmosphere of Chiang Mai on a Sunday evening. Once you’ve had your fill of the Walking Street, we’ll head home and get some well-deserved rest.

Day 7, Monday
Today, we’ll head out of town to one of the region’s most renown elephant camps. You’ll learn a great deal about the life of the Thai elephant in today’s world and what can be done to make their future as bright as possible. After the camp, you’ll continue on for a day of exciting touring, mixing in some bamboo rafting, a visit to an orchid farm, and a trip to a cool waterfall before heading out to our final destination of the day, Chiang Dao. “The Mountain of the Stars”, Chiang Dao is the third highest point in the Kingdom and probably the most distinctive peak in Thailand. It is known internationally in the bird-watching community as one of the best places in Asia to see several rare species, many of which migrate here from the Himalaya. You’ll spend the night in a quaint little guest house in the shadow of the impressive mountain, walk the nature trail, explore the Chiang Dao cave, or just relax in your bungalow with a book and a fruit shake and enjoy the natural surroundings.

In the evening, showcase some of your newly learned skills and help our gracious hosts prepare dinner for the group. You’ll also have the chance to enjoy another traditional Thai massage before retiring to your bungalow and dozing off to the chorus of sounds coming from the jungle at night.

Day 8, Tuesday
After a nice morning walk to a nearby temple and a healthy breakfast, we’ll start heading back to Chiang Mai. This afternoon, you’ll have a half-day lesson on how to give traditional Thai massage. Your instructors will teach you all of the fundamentals of this ancient art, and you’ll have a chance to practice your skills and get some useful feedback. Checking back in to the hotel, take some time to relax and chill out while reviewing your great pictures from our journey to Chiang Dao. In the evening, we’ll head out for dinner at another of Chiang Mai’s countless exquisite restaurants before checking out a couple of the city’s fine art galleries. You’ll also have another chance to swing by the Night Bazaar and pick up any souvenirs or items you’ve yet to buy before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Day 9, Wednesday
This morning, you’ll begin the day with a final morning meditation and yoga session. After a week of practice and Thai massage, you’ll notice some definite progress already, which should be incentive enough to continue with what you’ve learned long after you return home. By late morning, we’ll head to the market to shop for our lunch. By this point, you’ll have surely found some favorite Thai foods, and this will be your last chance to perfect your recipe. Your cooking instructors will be there to answer any questions you might have about what you’ll need and how to prepare it, but you’ll be pretty much on your own! Sitting down to eat your final product, you’ll be confident about your abilities to cook healthy and delicious Thai food just the way you like it.

After some nice relaxing time at the hotel to regroup, we’ll head out for a sunset walk at another of Chiang Mai’s most famous temples and the site of a renown Buddhist university, where you’ll have a ‘monk chat’ session. This will be your chance to ask any questions that may have arisen in your mind after this in-depth introduction into the heart of Thai culture. Whether you are devoutly religious or not at all, you’re bound to be struck by some part of Buddhist culture, philosophically one of the world’s most welcoming and accepting disciplines.
After our visit, for our last night we’ll head out to a traditional Lanna style Khantoke dinner. Enjoy the beautiful performance and take some memorable while savoring a sumptuous northern Thai feast – a perfect way to cap off an amazing week.

Day 10, Thursday
After another satisfying breakfast at the Novotel, it’s time to pack up and say goodbye. Those heading home or connecting to other programs will head off to the airport and on to the next adventure. For adults and families, Rustic Pathways can also arrange private custom trips across all of Southeast Asia and China to suit any interest.

An Important Note about Schedule Changes :
Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur.