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...and the return to Chiang Mai
Presently I am slightly frustrated...I thought I found the ultimate deal 20 baht (the Thai currency) for an hour of internet access. Sounds splendid, yet I cannot access my primary email account, thus I am unable to retrieve my password for my blog. So very tragic, but alas, if this is the worst of my problems...I could only hope that is the case.
At the moment I am making use of the computer access to write my entry, and I will find another computer and add the entry later (at my swank hotel in Chiang Mai
they charge 50 baht for 10 minutes which equates to a dollar twenty-five). More than you probably need or want to know....
Today was filled with splendid adventures...but perhaps I should begin where I left off. Yesterday we traveled to the border of Thailand and Myanmar (Burma). Originally the plans only involved travel to the border of Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar, but the option to cross into Myanmar was suggested and I seized the opportunity. Reaw and I crossed over, after paying the obligatory $5 in baht at the border (five dollars seems quite reasonable considering
my Vietnam visa was $65, Cambodia was $40, and India was $60). We hired a local tuk-tuk taxi and sped around to the local sites. We visited an amazing temple (I wrote the name of the city and the temple on my currency conversion chart which I left behind.), which apparently has an equivalent in Rangoon (the capital of Myanmar)...but it is three times the size! My very brief travels in Myanmar involved more staring than I have encountered thus far on this trip, and Myanmar is definitely much poorer than Thailand. The Thai people appear to have quite a high standard of living, quite comparable to the U.S. (however everything in Thailand is
remarkably inexpensive by U.S. standards--and Troy, it is a "happy place", I think you'd like it!)). Enough of my tangental ramblings (oh, that's basically what all these entries are)....
After Reaw and I navigated our way back through the border, we proceeded on to the
border of Thailand, Laos, and Myammar. The intersection of these three countries is commonly referred to as the Golden Triangle and opium production is associated with this area.
After several hours of driving and a few stops (at yet
another temple along the route back to Chiang Mai and an area known for its hot springs) I was reunited with my hotel in Chiang Mai. I had a lovely evening of exploration, and just happened upon a bar called "Chicago" no wonder I like this place so much! (I think I should recruit Elizabeth to go to the Chicago bar with me, as I went with her to the Memphis Pub.) Chiang Mai is a lovely place, and I think I would like to visit here again, for some reason it reminds me of Minneapolis. Perhaps the size (there are approximately 2 million people here), the accessiblity, and the plethora of exploration options remind me of Minneapolis, I am not entirely certain about the source of the association.
In Chiang Mai there are several cooking schools, and so today I enrolled in a half day cooking class (yes, Dad, I took a cooking class). The class was fabulous!
There were only three of us in the class: two women from Australia (Maria and Jennifer) and myself. Typically I guess there can be as many as twenty people, so we were fortunate to have such a small class size.
First our teacher, Perry, took us to the
local market to pick out the various ingredients we would need for our culinary experience. I was able to ask many, many questions (my forte it would seem)
about the vegetables and other nutrients available at the market. Next we drove to the cooking school and began our lesson. In total we made four dishes: pad
thai, tom yum soup, spring rolls, and green curry. I felt quite accomplished, but I'll have to see if I can actually replicate the results once I return home.
This afternoon I took the red cab, the local transport, to the Chiang Mai Zoo. I was quite excited about this adventure as the zoo has two pandas on loan from China:
Lin Hui and Xuang Xuang. I read a snipet about them in a local magazine:
"Wedding Bells for Two Pandas"
"A traditional Lanna-style wedding is planned for
Xuang Xuang and Lin Hui, a pair of pandas at the
Chiang Mai Zoo. Zoo officials say that their wedding
could take place next year when they become more
mature and ready to mate.
Xuang Xuang, the male panda, was reported to be
ready
to mate as it had been observed patting his genitals
on rocks and the ground, whining loudly. But Lin Hui,
the female partner only ignores him and is irritated
every time he touches her.
News reports quoted zoo officials as saying many
have suggested that x-rated movies be played for the
two pandas to see, but that was only an opinion.
The two panadas are on loan from China. Under the
loan agreement, if the pair bears their cubs, the cubs
will stay in Thailand for two years and then go to
China."
Prior to my first panda sighting I saw the ostriches and the giraffes, much to my amazement they are kept together at this zoo. I laughed heartily as I recalled the "What animal would you be?" question that was posed to me by Elizabeth in Cambodia. Too funny. The pandas were adorable!! They were quite active, mostly eating bamboo and we were able to get remarkably close. Despite the fact that flash photos were not permissible, I think I got a few good photos.
Thus concludes this installment. Tomorrow I am off to Dehli, India (via Bangkok, yet again). I hope
I am able to contend with the chaos and lack of order. Send good karma (And, no Mr. Stuckens, you cannot buy karma at Walmart 😊) Again, I look forward to your comments and emails (sorry I am not able to respond to any messages you might have sent to my primary address at the moment).
*****
Post script...there appears to be some sort of hidden conspiracy with exchanging baht into dollars...stay tuned for the next installment on that subject....
Also, one Wendy out of one Wendy who taste tested Singha Beer vs. Chang Beer preferred Singha Beer. The Wendy wanted to prefer the Chang, due to the elephant connotation, however the taste test proved that Singha was better.
Congratulations Maureen & Mike!!! Indeed, I did see the site and wanted to write you a personal message, but for now this will have to suffice. CONGRATS!!!
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Lawrence
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Off to Ganesh Country, I see
I can't wait for the next installment in Ganesh country. Remember, many pictures of Ganesh! And you must find out the word for elephant in Hindi, etc.