My favourite so far: Bua Tong Falls!

Of all the tourist activities I’ve done, the sticky waterfall (Bua Tong Falls) in Chiang Mai is easily one of my favourites. If you are ever in the area I can’t recommend it enough!

But you may be wondering, “Sticky? Like when I spill soda on the ground and it dries and then my foot sticks to it?” Not at all! I would argue that a better adjective would be “grippy.”

Over the years, minerals int he water have built up layers of porous limestone that cover the rocks and wrap around trees and fence posts. The result? A natural climbing wall/waterfall combo: fun, beautiful, and surprisingly safe.

We took a couple of songthaews (Thai style taxies) to the national park, changed into our swimming gear and descended a long staircase to the foot of the waterfall. On our left, we heard the splashes of the waterfall and the cheers and laughter of other tourists all the way down. The jungle rose up all around us, lush and green. Once we finally made it to the bottom, we entered a pool of water, got nibbled by a few friendly fish, then spent an hour climbing back up the rock face, stopping often to take photos or explore new climbing areas.

Even though there are some hand rails and ropes provided, it didn’t feel overly touristy. The main impression of the falls is that you are immersed in nature - It feels like being dropped into a nature playground, surrounded by happy tourists laughing, splashing, and snapping photos of each other. After an hour, we reached the top, only to head right back down the stairs for another round.

This trip was with the staff and students of the CBU live training course. I loved seeing my students in this new environment: not studiously bent over their writing and illustration assignments, but lit up with laughter and child-like wonder.

After this weekend I will only have one weekend left in Thailand! I’ll be flying out on Sunday next week to go to India, where I will be sure to take lots of photos there, too. I feel that I’ve gotten the most out of my Chiang Mai experience, and I hope you enjoyed coming along with me on this photo journey!