Chaing Mai to Chaing Rai

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Today was a long travel day with several stops along the way. We left our resort hotel at 7 AM after a 5:30 wake up call. If this is vacation I must be missing something.



Anyway, our fist stop was the White Temple. Unlike all the other temples we have and will visit this one is not old. In fact it is only 65% complete and the designer is still alive and working on it. It is not like any temple we have seen, it is more abstract and is a depiction of the soul F the dead leaving hell and rising up to heaven. It is a little bizzare arre to say the least.



You first enter over a bridge where the souls are clamoring to rise up. You only see their hands and what hands. Some are in prayer, some are clutching and grabbing and some are giving you the bird. Like I said bizzare. Everything is white, hence the name. In the main building is the white Buddah, at least he looked normal for a Buddah. All around was weird art works depicting heads of super heros hung from trees. I saw, Batman, Iron Man, Superman, and on and on. It was dumb to me as I did not this it appropriate to include superheros with the Buddah. But that is my opinion. people were taking pictures with transformers.



We only stayed there a short time, and back on the bus. Now, I was tired, and getting more so. I learned a need trick from my sons when we traveled as a family. The trick is to claim the entire back seat of the bus. No one wants to sit there anyway, but if you plan properly, you can make a very comfortable bed and sleep between stops. Well it worked, and I felt much better by the end of the long day.



Next stop was a village school. Why we stopped there I had no idea. It was just a school with a bunch of village kids playing. It was weird, but some folks toured the school, I did not. They were looking for donations because they were poor. I assume some folks made a contribution.



Next we walked a few hundred yards down the main road where there was, you guessed it, stuff to buy. Everything was made right there, we watched them do it. I bought Cathy a nice hand made scarf.

After our shopping Spree back on the bus and off to a local restaurant for a nice buffet lunch. By now I was actually getting tired of food, let alone Thai food, but since this was a buffet, I chose to eat a very small amount of just a few things. I had a salad, first in several days, some Pad Thai, a little Pasta with Carbonell sauce and a bunch of watermelon and a very small piece of chocolate cake with coffee. Filling and delicious. Back on the bus....

One of our party was getting swollen ankles so I suggested she raise them above her heart and sit that way for an hours. She did and the condition improved. Score one for Dr. Phil

Our next stop, after lunch, was a visit to a most unique temple. I almost sat this one out but was soon glad I did not. The temple was carved out of the living rock and was the permanent home to 4 monks. They lived in the cave all year round and worshiped and tended the Buddah. It was really cool, with bats flying overhead and a wooden pallet for a bed. A monk is supposed to suffer and these guys, well maybe. I left them a donation to help them with food and back to the bus.

Another long drive we eventually stopped for the Happy Room, since my bladder was just fine I slept in the bus. Soon it was time for the final assault up the mountain to our mountain top resort hotel for the next two nights.

Now this place is COOL. There are many suites in separate buildings through out the complex. It reminded me of some of the Florida resorts. Pools everywhere, golf carts to take you around and a much needed hot tub right outside our room.

Soon as my suitcase arrived, I was in the hot tub. OK, it was a Luke warm tub, but it felt great. The pool however was freezing, so I did not partake. Dinner was on your own at the hotel restaurant, I was not hungry in the least, so I chose to write instead of dine. I couldn't get a good internet connection in my suite, so I sit here in the main lobby, right near the bar publishing this missive. I forgot my camera so no photos tonight.



Tomorrow the crew is heading off to the conflict zone of Laos, Burma and Thailand. I am not going, the resort here is too perfect. I sit here listening to the songs of tree frogs croaking their mating calls. It is cool, quiet and the fist hours of a vacation. I check with Tan our guide and he said it was OK. I hear some folks are joining me, I didn't not want to start a revolution

PHOTOS

WHITE TEMPLE

WHITE BUDDAH

HANDS FROM HELL

White temple building

Cave temple Buddha

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