into a foreign land

Holiday was great as ever, but tiring... i went to Chaing Mai. and it was great...

Chiang Mai, here i come...

Welcome lunch: pork and beef noodle with fry pork skin and traditional Thailand kuih.

First destination was the Doi Suthep Temple on a mountain. It is the highest temple in Thailand.

on the way back to our hotel, all the way, we could see fallen walls of what once was a great wall surrounding and protecting Chiang Mai when they were in war with Myanmar.

Orchid farm * beautiful*

Maesa Elephant Camp
*Elephants are trained to do all kinds of tricks such as to paint, to play football, to massage and to play instruments.*

hey look, they even have a name list of all the students.

Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden
*this is a research center for plants. there are tropical plants, carnivore plants, cactus and so on. you will be amazed by the variety of flowers God has created...*

Home industry - Paper umbrella
*the papers are made from Saa Tree. then 4 layers of paper are pasted on tied bamboo sticks that form the shape of an umbrella. when the paper dries, artists draws all kinds of design on it.*

silk factory

Jade mountain
*jades are carved to form all kinds of pattern. prices varies according to the color of the jade and amount of work done. dark green jades are found to be the most precious ones.*

Kantoke Palace
*this is an emperor's dinner where we get to sit and feast like royalties and are entertained by cultural shows*

on the third day, we went to Chiang Rai Hot Spring
the water shots out from underground. so cool....

The Karen tribe (long neck)
they are very poor and they make souvenirs as a living. they used to plant opiums as a living but now opium has been banned. so the government are slowly trying to help them by introducing them to new industries.

this is their school, under construction.

in ancient times, there was a war between the spirits and the humans. so the natives believe that this gateway to life can save them from the spirits. it has to be changed and reconstructed every year when a new tribe leader is selected.

The Golden Triangle: Opium ground
this is where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meets.

we took a boat ride and went to Loas. there was a small market and i saw this. it is Laos version of Tongkat Ali. *and yes, its a phyton*

*gasp* phyton AND SCORPION?

we went to Thailand and Myanmar border too. here, we saw little girls climbing over the fence into Myanmar to ask for money.

and after a few days exploring the mysterious Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, it was time to go back home. all thanks to our tour guide, Ah Lan and Mr. driver.

of course, not forgetting.. thank God for a safe and wonderful trip!