Bahtless in Bangkok

After three days of pounding the pavement around Chiang Mai, it was time to relax and rest before the grueling odyssey back home.  There are too many time changes, a rewind day and three long layovers to figure out how long this is going to take. We'll know soon enough.

A 2 hour Thai massage should help us get through it though.

We are desperate for cold beverages when we get home.  Everything warms up very quickly, even if it starts cold, which really means sort of cool. Very little ice to be found here, and we're warned against consuming it anyway.

Vegetarian fried noodles and vegetables in gravy.

Khao Soi soup. Heaven. We're amazed that we haven't tired of Thai food this whole trip. Can't get enough of the freshness and unique flavors.

Only our second pool day of the trip, but we are feeling the need to be sweat free before boarding the plane.  Not a bad place to kill time either. Four airports between us and home. Game on.

Sunrise, Sunset and Everything in Between.

We left the hotel at 6:00 am to ride up the mountain (the local road bike route) to 3500 ft.  

The novices (young monks under 20) were there collecting food in their alms bowls.  We had collected a few things at the market yesterday to take to them.  Jenn found seaweed peanuts, while Jeff found a chocolate brownie. We added these treats to a traditional meal donation.  After our gift, we kneeled, hands in prayer to our forehead and were blessed.  The blessing concludes by wishing us long life, beautiful skin, good health, happiness, and strength.

Serenity.

At many of the temples there is an area like this.  A Buddha statue dedicated to each day of the week, superstitiously associated with the day of the week you were born.  Sunday begins on the far left, Wednesday has two (morning & night) and an extra statue for those not knowing their day of birth.

Shaking a decorated container full of 28 sticks, we coax out our fortune. The first stick to fall out onto the floor is your fortune.  Jeff got 27 (his birthday) and received a very good fortune.

Eerily Jenn got 11, her birthday as well.  Odds of that happening 1.27%. Jenns was a good fortune too. Wow.

Next beautiful temple please.

Entirely adorned in silver.  The closeup pictures are amazing.  We're still not sure how you make them 3D, that would be a cool process to learn. 

The rats.

For our dragon.

For our tiger.

Craftsmanship is unbelievable.

The peacock is prominent in the northern burmese style temples, not sure why.

I'm sure glad Jenn got her PHD so we could do this.  

Ganesh represents knowledge.

Meditation break in the scorching sun.

We had three hours until our next organized event.  A 3D interactive art museum sounded fun.

We have so many photos, but these were our favorites.

She's sitting on real floor alright.

Help!!!

We could have spent all day.  This was one adventure that would be even better with lots of people.  

She dressed the part.

Looking for the next adventure?

Our evening cooking class began at the market to learn about the local Thai ingredients.  We learned a lot.

Lets do this.

Tom yum soup and a Chang beer.

Pad Thai.

Chicken Cashew & Panang Curry.  We had mango with sticky rice too, but gobbled it up before the photo.  We each cooked our own food.  It was great, bravo to the chefs.

The cooking school and organic farm was out in the country aways.  Lovely grounds to view.

Our last sunset in Thailand.  The next one will be from an airport.  😢

Elephants, Orchids and Tigers, Oh My!!!

This picture pretty much sums up our Thailand elephant experience. Loved every minute. These majestic creatures are powerful, sensitive, smart, and silly. If Jenn ever disappears, check the elephant camp. That's probably where she will be.

The orchid farm was next on the agenda for today. Beautiful! We had no idea there are so many varieties. The Thai people explained how easy orchids are to care for. Do you think they've ever tried to keep them alive in the desert?

Interestingly, they also have a classic car collection.  Wonder who might like that combination?

While the elephant sanctuary was awesome, Tiger Kingdom not so much. This was an overpriced tourist attraction that felt like a zoo. Beautiful animals, but not much room for them to live and play.

The baby tiger was adorable.

Jeff managed to jump the fence for a photo op with this sweet white tiger. 

This giant tiger is kind of a big deal.

Chiang Mai is rocking the food. This is Jeff's pineapple cashew fried rice. Jenn had pad see ew. No ew about it. Delicious!

We can't stop taking pictures of the farmers market stalls.

After putting a few more miles on our feet exploring Chiang Mai's old town, we sat down for a fantastic vegetarian dinner. Some fresh spring rolls with a sweet and spicy vinegar sauce. 

And the piece de resistance? Banana flower curry with brown rice. Please tell us where to find this dish at home.