CHIANG MAI - RATCHAPHRUEK GARDEN, FOOD AND NIGHT SAFARI

We spend an afternoon at Ratchaphruek Garden, Chiang Mai. It was a worthwhile visit as we could explore this 80 hectares park with awesome landscaping, exotic flowers and many beautiful sculptures. The park also featured some International gardens. 

 The impressive front entrance of the park. 

 Beautiful gate decoration - the replica elephant in white.

  Beautiful landscaping just outside the park !

 Flowers and plants inside the fallen tree - a Belgium story 

Spotted this beautiful duck in the pond.

 Chinese Garden

 A shaped flowers Paradise.

 

  The magnificent Royal Pavilion.

 The front view of the Royal Pavilion.

 Leaving the Pavilion through this grand walkway.

 Looking back at the Pavilion.

From Ratchaphruek garden, we drove back to the city.   

Motorcycles could be seen everywhere in Chiang Mai. They were not only used by the locals but also visitors. I was told that a small motorcycle could be rented from 300 baht per day.

Feeling a bit hungry, we visited the food court of a popular shopping mall in the city.

In one stall, there were 2 huge bowls of food on display and ready to serve.

The amount of food in the bowls could easily feed a few hundred hungry customers!

I personally preferred the street noodles.

A stop at the mango stall.

These mangoes were very sweet and juicy.  

Perhaps, these were the best Thai dessert - mango with sticky rice (glutinous rice). It's  delicious !

In the evening, our Thai friends suggested that we should visit Chiang Mai "night safari". 

Colourful lightings at the entrance.

The night safari featured a musical fountain, water screen laser light show, dances performed by the "lady boys" in their best costumes and two rides on the "safari tram" to the savanna zone and predator prowl zone. One of the main attraction at the gate was the white tigers.    

 

 This one was seen in the open.

Another one was in the cage.

  On the savanna zone ride.

 It's a great day, a tired but enjoyable day!