Off days are what we call our free days on The World Race. It is basically a day where we have no ministry activities planned and are free for us to use as fit. Racers generally use off days to run errands, explore the local area, do adventure-type activities or just catch up on sleep. While in Chiang Mai, I decided to use my off days to hike a waterfall, take Thai cooking lessons and jump off a cliff.
BUATONG WATERFALL (STICKY FALLS)
On our first off day, our squad went to a place called Buatong Waterfall (or Sticky Falls), and it was one of the coolest experiences ever! The best way to describe it is a cascading waterfall where you hike down with the water until it reaches the bottom. If that sounds confusing, then hopefully these next pictures will help!
[View from the Top] The waterfall starts off with water flowing over some slippery rocks. You need to use the rope on the left to get your footing initially and find your balance. But once you do, the hike down isn’t too hard!
[View from the Middle] A little more than halfway down, there is a slope with a steeper decline where the water gushes a bit stronger. Our squad took the trek down slowly and marked our accomplishment by taking a goofy group photo!
[View from the Bottom] Once you get to the end, a beautiful single waterfall awaits at the bottom. I loved this so much and just wanted to stand there forever, soaking in the cool waters. I think we literally spent 20 minutes there, as everyone wanted to strike their own pose under the waterfall! But eventually we were able to calm down and come together for one last group photo!
THAI COOKING CLASS
On our second off day, I decided to join a few people and take a Thai cooking class. It was a last minute decision, but I’m so glad I went! The full experience was pretty immersive and also educational on basic Thai cuisine, as I learned how to make pad Thai, spring rolls, Thai noodle soup and panang curry. Here are some pictures (sorry, none of the food)!
[Grocery Shopping] Our lesson started first with a run to the local market, where our guide and cooking instructor educated us on basic Thai ingredients. We were able to try some exotic local fruits (jack fruit, anyone?) while we were there!
[Home Cooking] The class was held at the instructor’s own home. He would have all of the ingredients laid out for each course and then proceeded to explain how to prepare each dish. If only cooking were always this simple and easy!
[Family Dining] Once each course was done, we sat at the dining table and tasted our creations. Not everyone made the same dish for each course so it truly felt like family style eating as we passed around each other’s plates. It was such a great experience to learn Thai cooking in a real Thai home and share it with my new World Race family!
CHIANG MAI GRAND CANYON
And on our third and final off day in Thailand, I decided to check out Chiang Mai Grand Canyon. We actually found out about it thru our Thai cooking instructor, who showed it to us on YouTube and said it was a very popular destination for foreigners. So what’s it known for exactly, you ask? Cliff jumping!
[The View] Chiang Mai Grand Canyon is actually an old quarry that was filled with water and turned into a tourist/adventure-enthusiast destination. The cliffs can go as high as 60 feet from the water. And it might not look like it from this picture, but I’m telling you…those drops are super high and intimidating!
[The Jump] Yep, that’s me on the right (and our squad mentor Daniel on the left). This was actually my second jump and from a lower height (about 40 feet) than my first jump…but it still ended badly. I did not fall gracefully. Got a humongous bruise on my left hamstring afterward…but hey, totally worth it!
[The Cooldown] After a long day of many cliff jumps (well, only two actually), we spent the rest of the day relaxing in tubes and enjoying the cool water. It had been over 90 degrees for a few days in a row so this outing turned into a much needed day at the pool. Forget the fact that it rained 4 hours later after this and dropped temperatures to 50 degrees for two days straight…still a great memory all around!
And because I know my pictures didn’t do it justice, here’s the YouTube video we saw that prompted us to go to Chiang Mai Grand Canyon and try something so crazy!
