Category: Thailand

I had booked a mekong river cruise in Laos and decided to just use a driver from the tour operator to get there. A private car and we toured a few places along the way.

First stop was a bathroom break in the way to Chiang Rai. There is a hot spring there and I toil time to do my tires in the warm water while munching on gooseberries. They have the bite like a tomato but slightly sweet and does not taste like a tomato at all.

Yummy!

Here is the location of the springs. Wat Suwannarum Patong.

From there we traveled to the white temple. It is beautiful. According to the internet: “Wat Rong Kun, perhaps better known to foreigners as the White Temple, is a contemporary, unconventional, privately-owned art exhibit in the style of a Buddhist temple in Chiang Rai Province.”

The gate of heaven are the two pillars in front of the temple.

This stands for the worldly temptations Buddha’s teachings encourages us to resist.

A wishing fountain.

Even the bathrooms are a work of art.

Other images. This area is for reflection and prayer.

Across the road are rice paddies.

I grabbed some lunch to eat on the way. Then it was off to Dpi Tung and the Mae Fah Luang garden.

From there we traveled to the Hall of Opium. A project of the royal family to educate and change the opium trade and addiction in the north.

Finally we went to the Golden triangle. Here is where Myanmar (the triangle piece) , Thailand (where I am standing) , and Laos (on the right) meet.

I ate a mekong river fish dish. Spicy! Also, I find with an Irish family. They are traveling the world for a year with their young kids. They were such fun.

This morning I woke to sunrise on the mekong. Off to the cruise!

I love that quote and had to use it somewhere!

After the hike I had a brief rest – I also needed to charge my phone.

I had an awful headache all morning and it was not getting any better. A local market had 4 pack of 500 MG Tylenol for 3.5 baht which is equivalent to 11 cents. I also found a street vendor selling Ice cream pops. That should help the headache! This one was sweet taro (it is a starchy root). It was delicious.

I had read online about this cat Cafe called catmosphere.

You remove your shoes, which you do just about everywhere here in Thailand. They ask you to wash your hands and use antibacterial cleanser.

They had all kinds of great drinks, deserts, and food items. Yes, this is the foam on the green tea latte. Someone is talented.

And of course there are lots of cats, toys, and pillows to sit on the floor.

This is on the wall and there are steps at the end for the cats to get up there.

I actually walked around 4 miles to get there. I didn’t think it was that far. I did walk back too as there were other things I wanted to see.

And yes there is was a dog Cafe. A quick search on maps showed it was permanently closed. More can go wrong with a pack of dogs.

I had noticed a Chinese new year celebration in front of a mall with street food. I stopped to have Pad Thai. (I know, twice in one day… You can’t have enough Pad Thai).

At the Chinese new year celebration.

On the way to the cat Cafe and back I passed through those remnants of walls that used to be around the old city. At Tha Pha gate on the right side of the square (inside of the square is the Old City), I noticed large wood doors.

That side is also the most intact wall.

This city is decorating for the flower festival which starts at the beginning of February. Unfortunately I will be in Laos then. Here are many of the decorations found on the perimeter of the Old City.

And this would not be complete without more temple pictures. They seem the same but are not.

Tomorrow I will leave to go on a private tour to Chiang Rai and then to stay overnight in Chiang Koung on the Laos border.

This morning I was picked up by the tour operator at my hotel. I had pre-booked the tour before I left China. It turns out I was the only one on the tour. Since I am fairly fit and we were traveling faster than my guide usually goes, he offered to take me to the waterfall also.

It was much like many trails I have dinner in the forest but there were some vertical climbs. It was interesting to see how the jungle changed as we climbed higher.

We first came to an old temple that is not used anymore. The monks used to walk the path we took but since the road was built, go by car instead.

There we saw a Peacock and hens. The make Peacock seemed to be aggressive to everything including the chickens that wanted nothing to do with him.

https://youtu.be/xt6FgPE8Lts

Paenaezo, my tour guide, helped capture some great video.

On the way to the main temple we were quiet and on the lookout for monkeys. And we found them! He said that we were very lucky. This is only the second time he has seen them in all the tours that he has done.

https://youtu.be/J50CcJDVWSg

From there we went to the main temple. At these stairs are places where ashes are placed when a monk or benefactor dies. After 100 days it is sealed. I asked Paenaezo what happens when he dies. His ashes are scattered in the jungle as he is from the Hill tribe on the mountain.

Pictures of the temple.

The view of the city from the top of the mountain. It was a heavy pollution day.

More temple pictures.

The murals behind each statue tell the story of the Buddha. The statues are erected for benefactors to keep repairs of the temple.

Inside here men and women are blessed with health. Men have water put on their shoulders and women are given a cotton bracelet to wear for 3 days.

There is also candle flames for each day of the week you are born. You take oil from the trough and add it to the correct candle for luck.

From there we headed down the other stairs to where the hill tribe sells items and food.

Heading to the waterfall.

The waterfall. The source is at the top of the mountain and this water feeds into the canals that go around the old city.

From there we went back a slightly different path. We passed an old fig tree that is huge.

On the right side of the previous picture is a what looks like an elephant head. They call it the elephant tree.

I also saw a banana tree. I have not been near one before.

The bananas are small and very sweet. They are like the ones the park uses to feed the elephants.

There were bikes waiting for us to ride down the mountain on the road. On the way, we stopped to eat lunch near the base of the temple. I had Pad Thai. The total climb was 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to the top.

At the bottom we stopped at an arboretum and had coffee made from local beans.

Riding back to the bike and kayak shop, we rode the whole perimeter of the old city. I miss the padded seat of my bike! Paezaeno took me back to the hotel in his motorbike. He has an apartment in the temple near my hotel.

What a great day!

After returning from the elephant park, I wanted to find the warorot day Market though I was sure it would be closing soon. It was but at least I found more of the city along the way.

I stopped at the night Market though.

I also stopped at an expat night Market. You can find foods from all over the world.

I

I wanted mango sticky rice. Yummy! Coconut milk with sticky rice, sliced mango, and crunchy rice.

There are quite a few of these vans at the markets. They are a watering hole for expats.

The next day, I left for the warorot day Market early. Lots of fresh and dried fruits and veggies, teas, and just about anything you can imagine.

The cylinders are bamboo sticky rice. Rice that is steamed in a bamboo stem.

I bought assume of these to eat later. It is a coconut dough that is steamed in leaves.

Yes, these are meal worms!

I also bought bamboo sticky rice for lunch. It is put into a bamboo section and then steamed (much like how we use corn husks). I have had it before and it is delicious. I walked around looking at temples for hours, but here is what lunch looked like.

Here is part of the bamboo peeled away.

This is the steamed coconut dough. In the left wrapped in a banana leaf. The stakes dough on the right. It was pretty tasty.

I went to visit the temples in the old city. It is a square in the center of Chiang Mai. There was literally a square wall around the city surrounded by canals.

At the 3 kings statue, there is a metal “city plan” that shows this. There are entrance on each side. At the bottom of the picture is the gate I entered.

The three kings statue. It is the sculpture of Kings Mengrai, Ramkamhaeng and Ngam Muang, who are founding fathers of Chiang Mai.

From there I visited the Buddhist temples in the city center.

I also stopped at the Chiang Mai Historical Museum to learn a little about their history including occupation with Burma and Siam. The museum is built on top of the original temple and part of the archeological dig is in the basement. Bricks back then did not have mortar between them.

I did want to walk more but I used up all my phone battery (I’m charging it now as I’m writing this post.)

I have been on the lookout for funny signs (though china has some of the worst signs.) here are things that caught my eye :

Not a funny sign. This is an actual place. They are supposed to be good. The women’s prison also offers massages. I think they have finished their time and is now their job.

This garlic is only 80 baht which is 2.50us.

After not even being in Chiang Mai for 12 hours, I woke up at the Thana hotel and had a great breakfast before packing to leave on a tour.

I met 3 great ladies and we talked about trip plans and what they have already seen. It turns out I had planned to go to the same park that two of them had been to.

Not all elephant parks are the same. Many let you ride the elephant and are not interested in rescuing. If you choose to go to one, choose one that is responsible. Elephant nature park is amazing. They have parks in more than one country. They also try to change current park practices helping them change to a better place for elephants through partnerships.

We started out the tour in the van watching a video of what to do /not do when we arrive. This was followed with how elephants have been used in the past and is a very sad history. From circus to logging to peddling on the streets and for riding… All elephants start out the same way. Babies are taken and the adults harmed. They are tied up between trees without being able to move and denied food and water. After they are submissive they walk in circles around trees while being tied tightly to only allow one type of movement. They are considered broken when they follow a simple command. They suffer physical and psychological abuse.

The park has about 80 elephants. Only a few were born here… The rest were rescued. The oldest is 90!

We started out feeding the elephants. For the first day we stand on a platform and with the exception of feeding the baby we stay behind a line and let the elephants take food from our hands in their trunk. The snack is bananas, watermelon, and squash.

Afterwards there is a little time to look at the many cats and dogs that are also found here. They are rescues as well. All are neutered which is good. There is a cat area:

There are also dogs who are in very large kennels to run while many must roam free (trouble makers or those with severe emotional scars are keto separated).

Lunch was completely vegetarian. Amazing food.

After lunch we visited all of the elephant families. There are a few where they have a normal structure. Bulls are kept separate. There are many groups of elephants that have serious handicaps. Many are blind from cataracts or being shot in the eye with a slingshot (it is a common way to keep them in line in captivity but often time they miss and hit the eye.) There are a few that stepped on land mines and have serious injuries. Others have broken legs that never healed properly when in captivity. Many have found another elephant they bonded with and are kept together to be sure they get adequate food. Being all together would be difficult to ensure safety and adequate food.

Every group of elephant has two people that they have learned to trust. This people are in charge of them, making sure they get what they need and picking up cues from them. Such large animals can easily do harm unintentionally when spooked.

https://youtu.be/xQKU0FdGRLk

They have quite the set up here. They also rescue water buffalo, cows, and horses… I even saw an alpine goat!

The amount of food they go through is impressive. Must are locally sourced but the demand is too much for just the locals. Some elephants cannot suggest a well or have lost teeth. They get did that is chopped up or peeled.

There are large pens where they stay at night. Not only are they safe but they get fed through the night. Elephants feed constantly and don’t need much sleep. My bungalow is right near the pens and I am writing this post listening to their noises and trumpeting!

The sand mounds are to help older elephants get up and is better for their skin.

There is a pool for the elephants to use as well as many ponds.

https://youtu.be/M9aA8ewySEs

We were able to touch an elephant. Usually we are only to do so when we are feeding.

We were able to see them in a natural a habitat as possible and are guide was invaluable in telling us how they truly live. These were taking a dust and mud bath.

https://youtu.be/tintQz2Dd5A

https://youtu.be/z5x_DSsupuY

Finally, we met the elephant family we will walk with and feed tomorrow. This first one was so traumatized psychologically that she cannot be in the company of others. The park purchased adjacent land for her to live. She walk separately from the others.

Then came the family. Whatever the baby decides the rest follows. That includes walking in the water or the path they take. As much as we would like to walk with the baby tomorrow, we won’t. Families are protective of the young ones. This baby is 8!

It is now the end of the day. After a massage and good dinner, time to wrap this up. The bed has mosquito netting so we can hear the elephants at night!

Breakfast is at 7 and a walk with the elephant family is at 7:30! Our house dig is outside and will be happy to see our group tomorrow!