On Friday,  we visited the Hmong mountain village tribe overlooking Chiang Mai.  The gardens were great, many crafts were for sale and there were some interesting sights.  We bought some beautiful silver and jade bracelets along with several very elaborate  Hmong traditional hats.

We then toured Chiang Mai’s most auspicious gold temple called Wat Pratat Doi Suthep (aka the White Elephant Temple) high on a mountain overlooking the city.  Legend has it that Chiang Mai was not prospering after a king had designated it as a special place.  As a result, he sent his white elephant to roam the area alone for 7 days to designate the location of a temple so that the residents might be blessed.  On the 7th day after climbing the mountain, the elephant turned around 7 times and died.  The resulting temple is sheathed in gold.  Chiang Mai residents, after visiting the temple, were then blessed and subsequently became very prosperous.

We enjoyed a truly local Thai dinner with low tables on this second floor restaurant.  The restaurant signage was only in Thai and we were clearly the only foreigners dining there.  There was no floor underneath the tables so you dangled your feet.  Our young waitress (with no English skills) handed us the menus, immediately sat on the floor & didn’t get up until we ordered everything we needed (She upsold us to 4 dishes). The meal was spicy and great ($15 including beers!)

 

 

On our second day in Thailand,  we visited the Wat at Rong Khun, commonly known as the “White Temple”, in Chiang Rai, about 3+ hours from our hotel.  Anyone who has seen the Gaudi-designed cathedral being built in Barcelona would correlate the White Temple to the “Gaudi of Buddhism”.  One of Thailand’s most famous artists, Ajarn Chalermchai Kositpipat, decided to build a 16 building temple complex with his own funds about 20 years ago.  The primary temple and crematorium are completed; however, there continues to be ongoing building.  Most temples in Thailand are gold but the only gold building in this complex is the “Happy Building” (restroom facilities).

The drive back, after visiting the Miramar, Laos & Thailand border(the “Golden Triangle”), was very long with a rest stop at an interesting small chain of restaurants called Cabbage & Condoms.  A portion of the restaurants’ profits goes to HIV/Aids victims.

 

We flew through Bangkok to our first destination in Thailand, Chiang Mai.  Our first full day was Lesley’s birthday.  The hotel arranged for her to attend a monastery and have the monk provide a special blessing for her along with a  sprinkling of holy water.  The monk also gave Lesley a simple hand woven bracelet.  What a way to start her Bday!

We toured some more Buddhist temples, the largest of which had been severely damaged in an earthquake.  It was reduced in height by 1/3 and lost most of its 67 elephants that were around the 2nd tier.  One temple on that site only permitted men to enter it!

Thailand is quite different from Vietnam & Cambodia.  There are primarily cars on the streets, the overall area is more “westernized”, there appears to be less poverty (Thai GDP per capita is 40% more than Vietnam) and the tuk-tuks are 3 wheel cycles vs. Cambodia’s trailor attached to a motorcycle.  The “mass” transportation system is pickup trucks with benches (scheduled routes, specific destinations or rent the driver/vehicle, whatever suits you).

There are schools for all and many start at the ripe old age of ONE.  Whether it is public or private schools, the children all wear uniforms and look adorable.

We finished our first month of traveling with over 2500 pictures!  We are having an incredible time and learning so much about other cultures.  It has been absolutely fascinating.

 

 

 

 

Another temple which drew large crowds was the women’s temple.  It was small but some of the carvings were interesting.  The large crowds were unexplainable for such a “typical” temple.

Our tour guide came up with the “bright” idea that we should experience an ox cart ride.  With temperatures of 100+, uncomfortable seating – it wasn’t such a great idea.  I now know how the Mormons felt as they headed to Utah.

The subsequent boat ride on Cambodia’s largest reservoir was quite a relief from the steamy ox cart ride.  We motored to the floating villages where the people are very dependent on fishing but they also raise pigs & chickens on floating pens.  The village also had a floating school with a school boat to transport the village kids.

At the end of the day, we visited Siem Reap’s hectic but charming old town filled with lots of restaurants and markets.