January 20, 2018

January 20, 2018

Last night we returned to the next-door “Asiatique” outdoor night market for dinner. This time we decided to go a little upscale for our last meal in Thailand. It was a good decision. We started with Chicken wrapped in Pandanus leaf thinking it was the Paan leaf appetizer of two nights ago. Totally different but tasty nonetheless. Our main course was Massaman Curry which we rarely find in the US.

After rising late, we check out and catch a 10am limo to the Bangkok airport to begin our long 3-flight journey home. It was uneventful. We had clear skies as we approached LAX and the iconic Hollywood sign.

We enjoyed our time in Thailand. Aimee especially loved that Thailand was more civilized and upscale than our last trips to India and Vietnam. It made for safer transportation. We didn’t fear getting run over by motorcycles crossing the street. The people were all very friendly and respectful. Thailand is known as the “Land of Smiles” for good reason.

Aimee loved the shopping. Clothing was surprisingly inexpensive. The Asian art of haggling is a lot less burdensome when the price difference is merely a few pennies.

My desire for the exotic was fulfilled by the animals of the country. Our playful interactions with the Asian Elephant was a highlight of the trip. And who doesn’t like feeding monkeys. Seeing the huge Monitor lizards was an unexpected bonus.

I learned a little Thai ancient history with our visit to Siam’s World Heritage former capitals. Aimee got her fill of the personal side learning about the family history of the Siamese kings.

We probably saw way more Temples than we needed to. Thailand is deeply Buddhist and has tens of thousands of temples. They are everywhere. Most are richly decorated with gold and dozens of Buddha images. Thailand apparently likes the monumental or maybe they are wealthy enough to build big. We visited several colossal Buddhas but saw many more jutting out of the landscape as we drove the countryside.

Our only partial disappointment was the food. Aimee and I both love Thai cuisine and we hoped the “real” stuff was even better. I think our expectations were too high. The Thai curries we get at home are authentic, tasty, and with vegetables we prefer. Our opinions were partly lowered by several unimaginative and COLD buffets that the tour company provided.

January 19, 2018

January 19, 2018

Our tour of Thailand is essentially over. This morning we bus to the Chiang Mai airport for a short flight to Bangkok. There we bus to the same hotel on the Chao Phraya River. This time our room faces south down the river towards the Ferris Wheel of the Asiatique Night Market.

We have a couple hours free to potentially explore parts of Bangkok we missed.

Instead we take it as a rest and recharge day. Or mini-vacation from our vacation. I first sign up for an hour massage. Most of our travel mates have been getting them regularly. Thai Massage is a little different in that it tends to be rougher. I choose the mildest one possible, an herbal oil version. After paying, I am escorted upstairs where I change into a loose fitting shirt and shorts. After lying on a floor mattress an older woman begins my massage. Despite being as old as me, the masseuse is strong and pushes and pulls every part of my body. She often times gains mechanical advantage using her elbows, knees, and feet. Several times she used her whole body to stretch me. It felt like a workout as much as a massage. I told

Aimee she wouldn’t like it.

Afterwards we spent the next several hours reading by the pool enjoying cocktails. Very relaxing.

January 18, 2018

January 18, 2018

The mountainous north of Thailand was its own independent kingdom for centuries. It became a prize in the long war between Burma and Siam. In 1920 it formally merged with Thailand. Called the Lanna Empire, its first capital was Chiang Rai. The capital was soon moved to Chiang Mai (aka New City). Modern Chiang Mai is an escape for southern Thais because of its higher altitude, drier climate and abundance of outdoor activities in the surrounding mountains.

This morning we drove to the top of a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai. It is a slow drive for a big heavy bus navigating steep switch-backs. At the summit is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of the most sacred temples in Thailand because of its legendary origin and significant Buddha relic. All of our travel mates took a funicular lift the last few hundred yards to the temple. Instead Aimee and I climbed the 309-step Naga Serpent stairs.

At the summit we should have a nice view of Chiang Mai, but it is cloaked in smog. We first circle the exterior of the Temple and its many decorations. There are several small chapels, lots of bells and several Buddhas.

Inside the Temple, we find a gleaming gold Stupa almost completely filling the central courtyard. A unique feature is a large gold umbrella, a sign of royalty in Burma. The surrounding portico contains Buddhas and wall paintings relating the story of his life.

Before departing the mountain, we visit a Jade factory. Aimee gravitates toward the jewelry section. She gets me worried when she keeps trying on a very expensive Thai Sapphire ring.

Descending back to Chiang Mai we make a short stop at Wat Suan Dok. This is a temple with a large columned hall containing a standing and sitting Buddha. To the side of the property is the cemetery of Northern Thai royals.

The old section of Chiang Mai is an almost perfect one-mile square city protected by a moat. A few sections of the city wall are still standing. The moat has been turned into a ribbon of decorative ponds. Our bus circles the old city and then enters it. At the Three Kings Monument that commemorates the founding of the city, we leave our tour group and spend the afternoon exploring. For lunch, I have a Northern Thai specialty of Khao Soi, a tasty yellow curry noodle dish.

As we walk west, we window shop in between three temple visits. The first Wat Phantao is a wooden temple honoring the Teak industry.

The second is the old royal temple of Wat Chedi Luang. This temple complex has several interesting features. There are three very tall Asian trees with huge trunks, that remind me of Sequoias. Aimee is kind of miffed when she finds no women are allowed into the tiny but very colorful City Pillar sanctuary. She wants a refund of her admission. Another building has an attractive Reclining Buddha. The main draw of this site is the ruins of a huge medieval Stupa. It collapsed in a 16th century earthquake. Even damaged it is very tall and still has a few of the elephants that used to encircle it.

To recharge, we sit and share a fresh coconut. The juice is watery with a hint of sweetness. We scraped the coconut sides and followed it with a coconut ice cream bar. Our last stop is at the uninteresting Lion Temple of Wat Phra Singh

After leaving the old city via the west gate we intended to take a Tuk-Tuk back to the hotel. Seeing the rush hour traffic at a standstill, we instead walk back passing through a lengthy hospital complex.

January 17, 2018 Evening

January 17, 2018 Evening

After our elephant adventure we returned to the hotel, showered, and rested up for an hour. We then loaded back on the bus for a trip cross town in rush hour traffic for a home-hosted dinner. But this is no peasant dinner. We dine at a large home on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. The homeowner is an entrepreneur and tour operator. The size of the dining area, tells us they often cater large groups.

Our meal starts with beer and an interesting appetizer called Miang Kham. We each take a “paan” leaf, fold it into a pocket and then add one of many different small items. The ones we could identify were lime, ginger, nut, shallot, coconut, fried tofu, chili and, a jelly. This bite size treat was an instant rush of flavors. Delicious.

The host introduced himself and then gave us a short Thai cooking lesson, something Aimee was hoping for on this trip. The hard part of Thai cuisine is making the various curry pastes. This involved grinding up several items in a large mortar and pestle. This paste is then stir fried with coconut milk, meat and vegetables. We are each given a gift packet of curry paste to take home and try. I can’t wait.

Our buffet meal of six different entrees, plus noodle soup and papaya salad was our best meal of the trip. It ended with mango and a chunk of tapioca.

After dinner the host gave us a tour of the house. The most interesting room was the “Buddha” room. It is common for East Asian homes to have a small shrine. The host showed us small Stupa-shaped urns containing the ashes of relatives, Buddha images, and other mementos and photos meaningful to the family. An interesting story was how Thais got their last names. Yul Brynner’s King Rama IV essentially issued one for everybody typically based on their occupation.

On the bus ride home, Aimee got the shopping bug, and we had the bus drop us off at the Night Bazaar. It is huge and very popular. Aimee shopped for a couple hours. Finally, I dragged Aimee away and four of us took a pickup truck taxi back to the hotel. While Aimee browsed, I did sneak away and get a very inexpensive Thai foot massage. It was a little rough. The masseuse didn’t know I have a sensitive soul, I mean sole.

January 17, 2018

January 17, 2018

Today our touring finally had a late start. It is nice to have a leisurely morning once in awhile. Our first stop is at an Orchid Farm. These flowers are epiphytes with dangling aerial roots. They have two plots with a dozen rows of beautiful orchids of all colors of the rainbow.

The facility also has a butterfly house. We visited one before in Tucson, but it is always fun to watch and photograph these delicate creatures. In particular these butterflies were kind enough to stop and pose frequently for photographs. Once we got our fill of flowers and insects, we sat down for our buffet lunch.

After lunch we drove up into the mountains and then loaded onto a truck for the last leg to an Elephant Sanctuary. We signed up for “Mahout” training. A mahout is an elephant caretaker. Historically elephants were work animals used in battles and for moving heavy loads. Most recently they were used in the Teak logging industry. The Animal Rights movement has now limited what can be done with elephants.

Our first activity was bathing four elephants in the river. Surprisingly only five of our group was willing to get wet and involved. My first impression is the size of these animals. They are big and massive. I am a gnat to them. I am careful not to get accidentally crushed between two or under one when they roll over in the river. I am given a wicker water bucket and told to get busy. The elephant skin is surprisingly thick, rough, and full of bristles. I guess you need armor if you are crashing through the jungle. I don’t think the elephant can feel me rubbing her. Near the end, the male tusked elephant gets in a shoving match with a large tree dangling in the river.

Next is feeding. Each elephant has some special diet supplements. Aimee gets active mixing and kneading them with some rice and tamarind beans into tennis ball-size pellets . I get a basket of bananas and short sugarcane stalks. Elephants are voracious eaters consuming hundreds of pounds per day. They must like the sweets we are giving them as they hungrily take them with their trunk and immediately shove them in the mouth. At one point an elephant reaches in and takes a bunch of bananas and swallows it whole. The sugar cane sticks are eaten with great crushing sounds.

Next we learn to mount the elephant. There are no stairs like in India. The real mahout commands the elephant to lift a leg and then grabbing the top of the ear, you can step like a stairs from shin to thigh and then crawl onto the back. We then shinny forward and straddle the neck behind the ears. We ride our elephant around the yard for a few minutes. Dismounting is the reverse but a little harder trying to locate the leg ”steps” by feel.

Our last activity is some parting photos. Unexpectedly it comes with hugs and kisses. With an elephant, it is a big, slobbery kiss with a monster vacuum-cleaner trunk.

January 16, 2018

January 16, 2018

This morning we boarded trucks and drove northwest of Chiang Rai into the jungle mountains. We stopped in a rural village where several Thai Hill Tribes have been relocated. Most of them are migrants from surrounding countries (as far away as Tibet) who have come to Thailand in hopes of a better life. Some have been here a long time, but most have not been granted citizenship and live on the fringe of the Thai economy. These tourist encounters provide a way to earn income. Learning about the migrant experience just reinforces for me how most of the problems of the US are universal issues around the world.

Some half dozen ethnic groups are represented in this village. All are women peddling their handicrafts while the men are out fishing and farming. The draw of the Hill Tribes are their distinctive features, dress, and cultural practices. One group traditionally wears brightly colored head-wear with elaborate stitching and bead-work. Another has enlarged earlobes.

But the most distinctive ethnic group are the Kayans. They are migrants from Myanmar. The women of this tribe wear brass rings to elongate the neck as a sign of beauty. Apparently the neck only looks longer; actually the shoulders are being depressed. These rings are shockingly heavy.

Before leaving we stopped to see Pineapple, Tobacco, Tapioca, and Rubber Tree groves. From the mountains we returned to Chiang Rai, boarded our bus and then drove southwest towards the city of Chiang Mai. Our journey through the scenic mountain countryside takes us past three national parks (Doi Luang, Khun Chae, and Mae Takhrai). At one point we are passed by a dozen Porsches who must be rallying or in some auto club. Later we make a brief stop at Mae Khachan Hot Springs. It reminds us of a mini-Yellowstone with belching fumaroles. I took my shoes off and relaxed in the steaming stream. You can also buy chicken and quail eggs cooked in a hot spring.

On the outskirts of Chiang Mai, we finally made our required Craft Factory Tours. We got three out of the way in one afternoon: Silk, Gem Cutting (Jewelry) and Silver. In developing countries, this is a way for tour guides to earn additional income.

The last few days, my allergies have flared and I can barely breathe. I am guessing it is from mold growing everywhere, especially the bus’ A/C.  I finally break down and buy some medicine outside our hotel. I tell Aimee this might be our last trip to a humid jungle location. Aimee is ecstatic.

January 15, 2018

January 15, 2018

At breakfast this morning Aimee and I both decided to try Thai coffee. It comes with a layer of sweetened condensed milk on the bottom that sweetens the concoction considerably.

On the bus early, we drove to the northernmost point of Thailand and the border crossing with Myanmar. A few of our group paid the visa fee for a short excursion across to Myanmar. Instead another group of us climb 200 steps up Serpent Stairs to reach Wat Phra That Doi Wao, We made the climb mostly for the great view of Myanmar and the surrounding hills. As a bonus the temple at the peak is known as the Scorpion Temple possibly because an old local king was fond of these Arachnids. About a hundred yards away we discover a Giant Scorpion statue.

When our group rejoins, we drive east to the Golden Triangle and then load up into several noisy two-cylinder engine trucks and slowly make our way into the backcountry passing farms with banana, pineapple, teak, and rubber groves. In the middle of nowhere we have our most delicious tour-provided meal. Aimee and I both have Tilapia.

This area is called the Golden Triangle because Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet at this point separated by the Mekong River and a tributary. After lunch, we board a narrow boat for a short tour of the area and then passage across the Mekong River to Laos. Not real Laos, but a large island called Don Sao that was declared  a Special Economic Zone. The Chinese are financing the construction of casinos to lure in Thai money. We did some shopping but only bought some Lao Beer as a souvenir.

Back in Thailand, we went to the House of Opium, a museum on this drug and its long history. Not too many years ago the Golden Triangle region was the notorious capital of the Heroin industry. It has mostly been pushed out to Myanmar. We found the museum to be light on information and heavy on artifacts like opium pipes. So we sped through it and finished with a little shopping.

Back in our hotel in Chiang Rai, I tried the Lao Beer. It won’t make my top 10 list, but I did enjoy a nice sunset during the taste test.

January 14, 2018

January 14, 2018

Last night our hotel put on a show of Thai dancing while we dined al fresco. The performance was a little lame but at least it was free.

In the morning as we are leaving the hotel, we watch and participate in giving a food offering to two monks. In Buddhist countries, the community supports the monks physically and in return they receive spiritual support. In Thailand, it is common for young men to become monks for a period of time before marriage and raising a family.

Today we continued our drive north. Shortly after leaving Sukhothai we begin climbing uphill along heavily forested roads.

We make one stop at Wat Phra That Suthoh Mongkhon Khiri, a modern temple with brightly colored figures including a giant reclining Buddha and a huge gold rooster with an elephant head. Aimee remarked that it looked more like a putt-putt golf course than a religious compound.


The forests of Thailand are Teak country. We ate lunch at a hotel that was decorated with teak furniture and teak wall carvings.

Just outside Chiang Rai we stopped at Wat Rong Khun, aka the White temple, This modern compound is less temple and more art exhibit. Built by a wealthy (and eccentric) artist, the many temple-like buildings are filled with symbolism. The white temple represents purity while the adjoining gold building (housing the restrooms) represent greed and materialism. This weird and strange exhibit was a good change of pace from our normal tour itinerary. We had to pay a few bucks to pass through the small temple. It would not have been worth it except for a seated monk in Buddha pose. Aimee thought he was real and remaining still while I was convinced he must be a wax figure. We left not knowing for sure.

Minutes afterwards we enter Chiang Rai and find the resort that will be our home for two days.

January 13, 2018

January 13, 2018

Today we spent the day driving north up the broad Chao Phraya River valley, past endless rice paddies. Thailand used to be the largest rice exporter until India recently surpassed them. About halfway on our journey we see some isolated peaks jutting out prominently from the flat terrain. Monkeys live in them and descend down when food is scarce. A tourist business has developed at the temple selling snacks to feed then. Our guide buys some nuts and the monkeys swarm her. There are hundreds. Our group buys some puff balls instead. Apparently they aren’t as tasty and it takes some coaxing to get them to take the puffballs from our hands.

We have a lunch break at the food court of a shopping mall, and then continue driving, reaching Sukhothai in the late afternoon.

Sukhothai was the first capital of the Thai people. It used to be a military outpost of the Khmer (Angkor) Empire. In 1238, a local prince achieved independence. Sukhothai means “dawn of happiness”. This regime was short-lived, slowly losing authority to Ayutthaya to the south, Sukhothai was abandoned awaiting rediscovery. Despite being older it is in better condition than Ayutthaya. Sukhothai Historical Park became a World Heritage site in 1991.

Our first stop is Wat Si Chum on the outskirts of the city. This small temple has a building with an enormous seated Buddha. Some of the gold leaf still remains on the hand near the ground.

Sukhothai is surrounded by a moat and an earthen berm. To save time we hired Tuk Tuk motorcycle taxis to whisk us around the small city. We next stop at Wat Si Sawai, one of the oldest temples. This one has three corncob-shaped prangs with some very nice bas-relief sculpture gracing the largest tower.

We made a quick photo stop at Wat Sa Si. This small temple has a bell shaped stupa, a seated Buddha, and a small colonnade. Unfortunately the sun is in the wrong direction for good photography.

Our last stop is the main royal temple of Wat Mahathat. This one is a big sprawling compound chocked full of stone structures and several big Buddhas. Unfortunately they are all facing east making photos poor at sunset. We needed to come here in the morning.

Finished with touring we head to our nearby hotel. I wish we were staying longer as it looks like an old rustic resort. Our room, with a creaking wooden floor, could have been the bedroom of some long forgotten Thai royal.

January 12, 2018

January 12, 2018

On the way to Hellfire Pass yesterday, we passed Nine Army Battle Historical Park. When I looked it up I found it to be one battle site in a centuries-long war between Burma and Siam (now Myanmar and Thailand). The railway follows the historical invasion route used by Burma.

Bangkok has been the capital of Thailand for just over two centuries. It was moved here after Burma sacked and burned Ayutthaya, the previous capital, on its sixth attempt. The ruins of Ayutthaya are now a World Heritage Historical Park.

It takes us several hours to make the drive. Along the way we make two stops at roadside stands to check out local specialties. The first was Khao Lam, a Sticky Rice pudding prepared by mixing rice,
coconut milk, sugar and black beans. The concoction is cooked in foot-long bamboo cylinders. We cracked several flavors open and shared. All were a delicious treat.

In rice country, farmers trap rats to keep them from eating the harvest. Instead of tossing them, they BBQ them up. I assume they taste like chicken. For the squeamish, the rat stand also offered Quail.

Ayutthaya survived five Burmese sieges because it sits on an easily defended island in the Chao Phraya River. Before it was burnt in 1767, European accounts describe the capital as magnificent containing hundreds of temples. By tradition only temples were made of stone. Homes, including the Royal Palace, were wooden. So only the temples survived total destruction. Today the modern city of Ayutthaya has grown up around the old temple ruins.

Our first stop is Wat Chai Watthanaram.
Built in 1630, it resembles the Khmer temples of Angkor, with a tall central Prang (Mt. Meru) surrounded by eight conical chapels connected by passageways. Time has not been kind though. Most of the limestone and plaster facing is gone leaving just the brick under-structure. Grave robbers plundered most Stupas of their relics.

We took a break from Ayutthaya and drove to the nearby Summer Palace at Bang Pa-In. Most of the

construction dates from the late 1800s under King Rama IV and V. They were enamored with European styling so it dominates the architecture. Only a couple buildings look Oriental. The grounds are well-manicured and park-like. I was bored until I saw a large Monitor lizard hanging out on the edge of one pond.

After a buffet lunch, we drove back to Ayutthaya. It is interesting to drive around this large island city and see temple ruins interspersed everywhere.

Our last stop was Wat Mahathat. This is a much older 14th century royal monastery. The ground must be very poor as many of the Prang towers and Stupas are leaning. The central Prang is missing its top because it collapsed multiple times.

In the temples we have seen hundreds of Buddha statues but most are missing their heads. This temple has one head that was laying around so long tree roots have grown around it.

January 11, 2018

January 11, 2018

We stayed last night at a Thai resort north of Kanchanaburi, nestled in the jungle. Across the river are steep cliffs shrouded in mist. Aimee and I walked down to the Kwai River. I feel like I am in the movie!

From our hotel, we drove northwest up the Kwai River. Very quickly, the valley narrows and enters steep-sided heavily-forested mountains. No wonder the Burma Railway was not built until the 20th century. Our drive ends at Hellfire Pass Memorial tucked inside a grove of Teak trees. While the movie emphasizes the bridge construction, most of the labor and deaths occurred building the rail lines' mountainous stretches. Only nine died building the Kwai River bridge.

We start our exploration hiking along a section of the old rail bed that hugs a cliff-side cut. We end at Hellfire Pass, the deepest cut made in the mountain. It was dug through solid rock without power equipment. Excavation ran 24/7. The oil lamps and emaciated laborers gave this section its Hellfire Pass moniker.

Afterwards we returned to the entrance and toured the museum. The railway was constructed in just 20 months using 250,000 POW’s and conscripted Asians. It is believed 90,000 men may have died from starvation, beatings, and disease. This memorial is funded by the Australian government. It is also the only museum where we ever had to remove our shoes at the door.

Part of the Burma rail line is still in-use. From the Pass, we drove downstream to the terminus at Nam Tok. Along the way we made a brief stop at Saiyok Noi waterfall. Because of the travertine deposits, it reminds me of Havasu Falls which we visited last Spring. We also tried and bought some local snacks made from tamarind, plantains and tapioca.

Afterwards we have a Thai lunch and then board the train. The rail cars are very vintage. We ride the train through the most scenic mountainous section and then get off at Thamkasae where we watch the train pass along a cliff-side trestle. After a little shopping where Aimee and I both buy shirts we make the drive back to our hotel.

January 10, 2018

January 10, 2018

We woke to thunderstorms in Bangkok. Better today than yesterday, as we have several hours of bus time ahead. We drove west for two hours, albeit very slowly, because of an accident. Eventually we stopped along a waterway and divided up into several Long-Tail canal boats. These are long canoes powered by a large open automobile engine with a propeller mounted directly on the drive-shaft. They are steered by moving the engine side to side. I remember them from the James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun.

Unfortunately it is still raining and we are riding low in the water, so I have to keep the camera tucked

away in a plastic bag. The canals are very narrow with many straightaways, so we zoomed speedily along most of the route. I thought it was a blast. The canals are lined with stilt houses. Apparently most are farmers, growing bananas, coconuts, and mangoes. Instead of a car, they all have Long-Tails on a boat-lift. Our ride ended at the Damnoen Saduak floating market where in olden days locals would gather on boats to barter their wares. Today it is a tourist attraction with vendors selling anything a tourist might buy.

It finally stopped raining when we got back on the bus. Ninety minutes later, we arrived at our next destination, Kanchanaburi, home of a notorious Kwai River Bridge.

The movie Bridge on the River Kwai was released sixty years ago. Apparently I liked to whistle its

theme song much to the dismay of my little sisters. So it seemed appropriate to come to Thailand and see the real McCoy. We stopped first at the Death Railway Museum to get the history. The movie took considerable artistic license. At the onset of WWII, the British were using Burma to supply China with arms in their battle with Japan. To cut this off, the Japanese Army needed a way to get to Burma. So they quickly built a rail line from Thailand through the jungle mountains. For manpower, they used most of the British and Australian POW’s they recently captured at Singapore along with tens of thousands of Malaysian and Burmese conscripts. Conditions were so brutal, that some 20% of the enslaved labor died during the construction, earning it the moniker, Death Railway. A British Commonwealth cemetery lies next-door to the museum.

We then drove down to the river to see the bridge and walk across it. Unlike the movie, the bridge is iron, not wooden. It is narrow with a solitary rail line down the center. To my dismay, the rain restarts in a fine mist.