wanderw6, Author at Wanderwiles

Diving the Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

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Top on my list of things to do while in Krabi–other than lounge on a gorgeous beach with David and drink mai tais–was to dive the Phi Phi Islands (amusingly pronounced “pee pee”). The Phi Phi Islands consistently get top marks as a world class dive site. All dive shops I’d found going to the islands were in Ao Nang, and that was a 20 to 30-minute ride from our hotel, Tup Kaek Sunset Beach Resort. I’d made some inquiries prior to leaving the U.S., but was frustrated by their requirement that we come into Ao Nang at least a day before to “show our dive cards, sign forms and try on equipment.” This sounded ridiculous to me and I had no desire to take time away from a coveted beach day traipsing into a town I’d deliberately avoided and back…Not to mention the pointless expense added insult to injury.

I tried emailing the resort to see if they worked with any dive shops that would pick up at the resort, but got no response to either my emails or my attempts to message them on their Facebook page until they miraculously responded to the FB message nearly 6 weeks later. Oh well, better late than never. They informed me they could book a 2-tank dive trip to the Phi Phi Islands, including pick-up at the hotel and we wouldn’t need to go in ahead of time.

Sure enough, when we got to the resort and asked, they could book us the dive trip we wanted with Local Diving and they’d pick us up. The price was exactly the same as with the dive shops I’d found previously which did not include pick-up, i.e., 3500 baht ($100) per person, including equipment, lunch and the 2-hour boat ride from Ao Nang.

We had time for a quick breakfast before our ride arrived at 7am on our second morning at Tup Kaek. Our Local Diving “limo” was quite a sight: a battered red “SUV”/station wagon sort of vehicle with a red leather interior and red leather facing seats in the far back. The driver’s seat was broken so that it leaned a good 6″ back from the level of the front passenger seat (and into my knees). Hand cranks rolled down the windows…except on David’s side where the crank had broken off. Hmm. A questionable start, but the vehicle seemed to drive OK.

20161109_165332 — The “limo” in front of Local Diving

20161109_165356 — Driver’s seat “reclining” into me

In twenty minutes, we were in Ao Nang. We made a quick stop to pick up a Norwegian sheep farmer, Per, who would be the only other diver to join our group. A few minutes later, we arrived at the Local Diving shop. Small and not impressive, they quickly produced qood-quality wetsuits and fins for us to try on. No one cared about seeing our dive cards; they just had us sign statements that we had them. So much for that other dive company wanting us to come a day early to present cards and try on gear!

20161109_073046 — Local Diving in Ao Nang

Our guide then led us on foot across the parking lot and through a park to where a fleet of long tail boats were docked. We waded out to one, full of other divers, that tendered us to a larger, two-story dive boat anchored just off shore.

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It turns out that Local Diving and several other dive shops share large boats so that there were 3 or 4 groups of divers on our boat. Everyone did basically the same dive, shared the same fruit snacks, the same lunch, same everything. There were several of these larger boats operating in the area and this is apparently the same system for dives at the Local Islands as well as at the Phi Phi Islands. I seriously doubt whether it makes much difference which operation you pick so long as the equipment is good and the dive master attentive and knowledgable. (Big items, I understand; I just mean that the basic set-up will probably be identical so–once you verify reviews re safety and quality of equipment–it makes sense to choose by price.)

The trip to the Phi Phi Islands from Ao Nang takes 2 hours, but that’s only because the boats go incredibly slowly. We kept waiting for our boat to kick it into gear, but it never happened. Our dive mate, Per, said he loved the boat ride, but we were a little impatient going out and bored going back. It’s beautiful, but I could have enjoyed the beauty in an hour rather than two…and been back on our gorgeous Tup Kaek beach.

A dive master on board was pushing seasick pills claiming some “magical” properties to Andaman waters that induce seasickness. The water was very calm and we ignored his advice with absolutely no ill effects. If we could survive 3 hours crossing the Sea of Japan just above a typhoon without feeling sick, the Andaman held no threat at all for us.

20161109_143436 — Relaxing on the upper deck of our dive boat

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We reached Hin Klai, just east of the Phi Phis, for our first dive right at 2 hours out of Ao Nang. A preliminary check of my gear revealed a damaged octopus so our guide quickly changed out the whole first stage and attachments. The new first stage set-up was in good condition, but surprisingly we had no depth gauge. We made our first descent into a curving school of silver and yellow fish that numbered in the thousands if not tens of thousands. Breathtaking! The sheer numbers of tropical fish were the most remarkable thing about this reef. We saw squid, lionfish (which we’re very familiar with as an invasive pest in the Caribbean), mantis shrimp (like small lobster with “wings” instead of claws…and very, very powerful front “legs”) and more, but it was the huge schools that really blew me away. They let me swim into their midst, so thick I could barely see out of the cloud of shimmering bodies. I felt like a kid playing among them, reaching with my hands to have the nearest dart just out of reach. We ventured off the reef into some pretty barren terrain where our guide later explained he was looking for black fin sharks. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any although Per told us he’d seen a lot of them on an earlier dive to a nearby reef. Next time!

After our first dive, we had a 50-minute break during which we moved to our next dive location, Koh Bida Nok, just south of Phi Phi Ley. We anchored near one of the under-cut rock islands that give the Andaman Sea its exotic and unique appearance. Upon descent, we found ourselves on another beautiful reef. More large schools of fish swirled around us and we also came upon cuttlefish, a large barracuda, a turtle and more lionfish. As at Hin Klai, we saw lots of clownfish tucked in among sea anemone as if they’d been pulled straight from “Finding Nemo.” I half-expected to see the large schools of fish form themselves into shapes and talk to us!

The only real negative to the actual diving part of this trip is that there are just too many other divers around. The Phi Phis draw multiple dive boats to each of their reefs and we frequently ran into other groups of divers below, both from our boat and from others. Newbies are particularly bad about stirring up the bottom and visibility suffered in places.

Lunch was set out in the galley of our boat after the second dive and people served themselves then sat wherever to enjoy the Massaman curry and vegetarian noodle main dish with plenty of steamed rice. More fruit supplied dessert. Then, we settled in for the puttering 2-hour ride back…except it was closer to 2.5 hours on the return trip. It’s hard to believe that’s all the engine power the boat could muster, but apparently so. Again, it was beautiful, but too long for David and me.

20161109_143425 — Our dive master–and pretty much everyone else–crashed out on the long ride back to Ao Nang

Then, it was back on a loud, exhaust-spewing long tail boat for the tender back to shore and the walk to the Local Diving shop and our red leather chariot.

20161109_074150 — On the long tail tender

Local Diving did a professional job (even though they didn’t check dive cards) and I’d dive with them again. I’m super glad we dove the beautiful Phi Phi reefs, but I’d have loved a faster boat. You can find out more about Local Diving at: http://www.localdivingkrabi.com.

Tup Kaek Sunset Beach Resort near Krabi, Thailand

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I don’t usually do straight-up lodging reviews on Wanderwiles unless something really stands out. Tup Kaek Sunset Beach Resort is one of those:

I’d always wanted to visit the beaches of Thailand, but I originally didn’t think it would be possible on this trip because we’d be there during rainy season. I’d originally thought to go directly from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok, then travel through Thailand, ending up in Cambodia, from where we’d fly home. When Luang Prabang, Laos, found its way onto my radar screen, I discovered flights that allowed me to reverse my original circuit. Flying home from Bangkok rather than little Siem Reap had the added benefit of bigger and better Korean Air airplanes for our much-anticipated First Class flight home. (We would have had to forego First Class entirely and settle for Business Class on the Siem Reap to Seoul leg of our journey home.) So, after Kuala Lumpur, we flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia, and from there to Luang Prabang where we caught the Mekong boat to northern Thailand. This allowed us to push the south of Thailand to the end of our trip, and that meant we could add a detour to the far south beaches in November when the area would just be moving from the rainy to the dry season. Cheap direct flights were available from Chiang Mai. We had a shot a good weather and we decided to take it.

I considered Phuket or one of the islands, but opted for Krabi instead because I wanted somewhere less touristy, less nightlife-geared, and quieter. I also didn’t want the hassle and extra travel steps of getting to and from an island. Krabi (pronounced “kra BEE” rather than “crabby”) is the name of both the city and the region. The city itself is inland with gorgeous beaches not far away on the coast. The nearest beach town is Ao Nang where I found some pretty resorts, but descriptions of street noise, young crowds and bars led me to look farther afield. I researched lots of options up and down the coast before settling on Tup Kaek Sunset Beach Resort 45 minutes from the Krabi Airport. (Tup Kaek rhymes with “cupcake.”) It turned out to be the perfect choice for us.

Once we got past the AirAsia chaos at the Chiang Mai airport, the flight went smoothly. We arranged a transfer via the resort and our driver was waiting with a sign, as promised, when we exited the baggage claim area. The sky was overcast and there was a slight drizzle that ended during the drive. David and I were the only passengers in the brand new silver van and we marveled at the dramatic landscape of steep rocky cliffs that jutted straight up from the jungle as we left Krabi proper and sped through Ao Nang. The shops and restaurants gave way to a rural landscape as we neared our destination. I worried when we spotted a tanker at a long pier, but our van turned inland, skipping that small commercial stretch to arrive on the far side and our hotel.

A smiling Thai lady greeted us in the open-air lobby, offering pottery cups of chilled tropical fruit juice to enjoy while she made quick work of check-in. A waiting golf cart then whisked us to our thatch-roofed beachfront bungalow. I relished the pleasure of expectations fulfilled when we stepped inside: The room was spacious with sliding glass doors facing the incredibly gorgeous beach, gleaming teak floors and furniture, a vaulted ceiling made of woven bamboo.

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The bathroom was sleek and modern in a back-to-nature sort of way with a big tub and a pebble-floored rain shower open to the sky above and a cut-out window facing the beach.

20161107_165818 — Looking out our shower window

Beyond the sliding glass doors, two cushioned lounge chairs on a large roofed teak porch faced the beach where the still waters of the Andaman Sea lapped against white sand only 20 meters away. Rocky little islands and outcroppings dotted the blue water, improbably beautiful. There was no mistaking this beach for more-familiar beaches back home or in the Caribbean or Mediterranean. My parents had given us a generous 5th anniversary gift in July and we’d decided to use their present on this portion of our Asia odyssey, so we were considering this a late anniversary celebration. It was perfect!

20161110_173641 — Beachfront bungalows at Tup Kaek Sunset Beach Resort: all facing west, perfect for watching the sunset over the water

We were on the beach in no time, marveling at the bathtub warm water. Only a few small resorts shared this gorgeous beach and there were not many other guests in sight. At our resort, lots of cushioned lounge chairs and hammocks were free for the taking. Choosing lounge chairs near our bungalow, we ordered two mai tais to sip while we watched the sunset. The mai tais turned out to be the best of the trip: made with real juice, good rum, a little nutmeg and topped with a slice of fresh pineapple.

20161107_175508 — First mai tais at Tup Kaek…but not the last!

We spent four nights at Tup Kaek Sunset Beach Resort, enjoying mai tais every day save a day we dove the Phi Phi Islands, a world-class dive site a 2-hour boat ride from Ao Nang. Breakfast was included with our room and was a generous spread of Thai and western food served in the open-air tented waterfront dining area. After trying a neighboring hotel, Tup Kaek Boutique Hotel, for lunch, we ended up eating the rest of our meals at Tup Kaek Sunset Beach. The food was good and the service excellent.

20161110_144459 — Lunch at Tup Kaek Sunset Beach Resort

20161110_173701 — The tented open-air dining area; the only dining space while the main dining room is being renovated

The prices were much higher at Sunset (and at the other hotels on the beach) than we’d found elsewhere in Thailand as we were a captive audience and this was a higher-end hotel. There’s no walking distance town with food stalls and the usual little dive-y restaurants. Still, by American standards, the prices were very reasonable and much better than you’d find at a comparable resort back home. We could have hired a taxi or tuk tuk to try a little place in the closest town–or one of the six restaurants in the nearby Ritz-Carlton, but we simply weren’t motivated to leave.

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The weather turned out to be great. It was raining the first morning, but stopped by the time we got out of bed. There were a couple of other intermittent, brief showers and one impressive but not overly long deluge. We’d duck under our porch roof during those periods, then be back out enjoying partly cloudy skies and delightful temperatures for most of the day. Occasionally we heard a little thunder and saw sheet lightning on the horizon, but it only made for a pretty show. The water was warm with barely any waves. The bottom is soft sand, sloping very gradually so that you can wade far out before the water is chest-high.

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20161107_171721 — Cool water flowing into the sea from the mountains behind the resorts

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Tup Kaek Sunset Beach Resort has other non-beachfront rooms, including some very neat ones whose porches open directly onto a new blue-tiled swimming pool of Olympic proportions. There’s a pretty older pool as well and rooms that open onto small man-made “canals.”

Construction/remodeling is ongoing on a large, enclosed restaurant that is not currently open. It sits to one side of the resort complex, so did not really effect our stay. Construction noise wasn’t an issue, and the open-air beachfront dining suited us perfectly. Housekeeping kept the room spotless and were quick to respond to requests for things like extra towels. Two bottles of water were provided each day. We had a small minibar fridge with a few other food and drink items for purchase which we didn’t use. The hotel also provided a large safe, big umbrella, flashlight, robes and sandals. Local “long tail” boats pull up just down the beach and can be hired to visit the islands visible from the beach.

20161107_173043 — View from our porch. Oh, the tough decisions: lounger on the porch or hammock?!

David and I have struggled to find negatives to this stay. The internet was sometimes–but not always–very weak in the room, but was always very strong and fast on our porch and in the dining area and other parts of the hotel. We did get some maybe-mosquito bites, mostly on our sandaled feet, although we only saw one while we were there. It’s a quiet, low-key location, especially during this shoulder-season, which we consider to be a huge plus, but it wouldn’t be for those looking for a party scene. (i.e., There were no backpackers and loud music.) We spotted a lizard or two in the room a couple of times, but they didn’t bother us and we just ignored them. There are several cats on the resort grounds and they’re happy to beg if you feed them, which we got a kick out of, but I guess if you don’t like or are allergic to cats, it might be an issue. That’s pretty much all we can come up with in the way of negatives. We loved the Tup Kaek Sunset Beach Resort!

We paid 28,420 baht ($812) total for our beachfront bungalow for 4 nights, including breakfast and taxes. Meals, mai tais and private transfer from and to the Krabi Airport cost another 8,270 baht ($236.29) total, including taxes and gratuities. (The airport transfer cost 800 baht/$22.86 each way for a 45-minute ride.) I consider the cost to be good value for what we got. Value is my goal whenever I purchase anything, often more important to me than the bottom line. You can find out more about the resort at: http://www.tupkaeksunset.com/en I had some trouble contacting them, pre-trip (re questions about diving companies that would pick up at the hotel), but was finally able to get a response by messaging them on their Facebook page. Also, I booked via booking.com this time, probably because they were offering the best final price and a rebate via Topcashback, one of my favorite sites. If you haven’t joined and are interested, please use my referral link: https://www.topcashback.com/ref/tcut It’s free to join and easy money for things you buy anyway. I always check it when I’m booking travel (or buying almost anything) to get rebates on hotels, rent cars, products and more.

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AirAsia to Krabi, Thailand

20161107_112121 — Domestic departure terminal, Chiang Mai

This will be a quick post, but I thought I’d throw it in. We left Chiang Mai via an AirAsia flight to Krabi, on the southwest coast of Thailand. This was our 3rd AirAsia flight and we felt pretty complacent since the previous two experiences were great.

AirAsia is a budget airline serving much of southeast Asia and has some strict money saving guidelines/rules about pre-printing boarding passes and luggage tags, luggage weight, etc. Since my suitcase was on the edge of the 20 kg checked bag weight limit, I’d taken to buying an extra 5 kg, which really is a lot of extra weight and, happily, can be pooled with tickets on the same booking, i.e., David and I had 45 kg between the two of us. We never came close to going over this, but for an online charge of about $4, it was well worth it not to worry about weight. Also, carry-on is ostensibly limited to 7 kg/bag–not much, but we’ve found they never weigh carry-on luggage, so it’s really a non-issue. The flights are cramped for leg-room, but on our longer (2 hour) flight to Krabi, I “splurged” for exit row and we had plenty of space. Even the pre-booked seats I got for our 2 previous flights (Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, and Siem Reap, Cambodia, to Luang Prabang, Laos) counted as upgraded seats and got us a “meal” (a “hot pocket” on the shorter flights and “assorted sandwiches” on the Krabi flight) and early boarding. Anyway, the airline had been cheap, clean, efficient and punctual.

We knew right away that something was different when we arrived at the Chiang Mai airport. At first, we thought the problem was the security scan of luggage and people at the entry doors, but once inside it was obvious something else was up. A huge crowd of people milled in a poorly formed “line” that seemed to circle around a central escalator. Unfortunately, all this seemed related to AirAsia as other airlines’ check-in counters were virtually empty.

20161107_114003 — Chaos at the AirAsia domestic departures counters in the Chiang Mai Airport

Thankfully, we’d printed our boarding passes at our hotel in Chiang Rai and carried them all this way. (AirAsia opens online check-in 14 days prior to the flight.) So, when I spotted a short “baggage drop-off” line, we fought our way through the crowd and got in that line.

20161107_115529 — On the other side: looking back

It turned out that AirAsia was experiencing what seemed to be rolling computer failures, but they were able to check in some people some of the time via scanner and some by hand. I was worried we might be turned back because we didn’t have pre-printed baggage tags this time; they simply hadn’t been offered when we checked in online. We got through the baggage drop-off line relatively quickly (despite multiple failures on the part of people ahead of us, particularly a pair of Chinese tourists who hadn’t printed out their boarding passes like we had). Thankfully, our boarding passes were enough, they were able to print out our luggage tags, and we moved on. Our flight was delayed nearly 30 minutes and we waited on the plane while they boarded the last of the people stuck in the check-in fiasco. The flight to Phuket seemed even more full than ours, though, so those people may have waited longer.

Anyway, just a heads-up that arriving early is never a bad idea…and print and bring those AirAsia boarding passes!

20161107_120353 — In the boarding area things were more calm

Thai massage: So what’s the difference?

20161106_135807 — Front room of a Thai massage parlor, Bai Tong

Massages are a big deal in Thailand. We’d seen signs and brochures everywhere, often multiple storefronts per block. Prices varied wildly, with fancy places near expensive tourist hotels many multiples of the crazy-cheap prices quoted in small, local massage parlors. Some of these little places were “mass production” affairs where we could watch through windows or open walls as customers, side-by-side with each other in un-air-conditioned rooms, were manipulated and prodded… an experience which didn’t appeal in the least. Still, we wanted to try a real Thai massage and see just what that entailed. How was it different from a Swedish massage or an “massage with oil” which often cost twice the price of a “Thai massage”? We decided to dedicate some free time in Chiang Mai to finding out.

20161102_201911 — The kind of Thai massage we didn’t want: no air conditioning and no privacy

After doing a quick scan of Tripadvisor reviews, we chose “Green Bamboo,” a small place not too far from our hotel which offered 1 hour Thai massages for 200 baht/hour ($5.71). How could we go wrong? Our hotel called and booked us a reservation for 2pm, giving us time to wander the streets a little and have lunch beforehand.

Following Google Maps through the winding streets of Old Chiang Mai, we arrived at Green Bamboo ten minutes early, but were greeted warmly and showed a list of available massages. They didn’t ask about our reservation, but that didn’t seem to be an issue. Scanning our options, I decided on the 1.5 hour foot and Thai massage for 350 baht ($10) while David really went hog-wild with a 450 baht ($12.86) 1.5 hour foot and Neck, Shoulder & Head massage.

To start things off, two ladies brought tubs of warm water in which lime slices floated to the “waiting room” chairs in the little main room.

20161106_135558 — Our Thai massage starts off with a foot scrub

They gave us a delightful foot scrubs before leading us upstairs to a darkened, sweet-smelling room with two pallets on the floor.

20161106_152956 — Side-by-side pallets ready for our massages

Crisply pressed cotton shirts and pants were laid out for us to change into. The pants were similar to the mahout clothes we’d worn with the elephants: a tie in the back being wrapped around the huge waist and tied, bag-style to hold them up. My pants were big enough for two or more of me!

20161106_152744 — Baggy pants for my Thai massage

The stairwell had been worryingly warm, but an air-conditioner ran in the upstairs room, quickly bringing things to a comfortable temperature. Several other similar pallets lay behind a curtain drawn to make our area private. (I peeked!)

Dressed for our massages, David and I lay down on our side-by-side pallets and the ladies returned, draping cloths over our eyes as they began our foot massages. For 40 minutes, the sturdy lady who worked on my feet pressed and kneaded (with oil) and flexed my feet in all directions. It was heavenly and just what my overworked feet needed.

With the foot massage over, the ladies began our two different types of massage. David had the more familiar massage using oil on neck and shoulder muscles. My Thai massage was a new experience: The masseuse began by raising and bending one of my knees and extending that leg slightly. She then began a firm pressure-point technique along the adductor muscles and the tendon of my inner thigh, manually stretching the muscles and tendon for me. It was painful in places, but I deliberately relaxed and the result was good and not uncomfortable. She proceeded to cross the bent knee leg over my other leg and press the knee inward and outward to further stretch things. Eventually, she raised the leg straight up and leaned her body into it, pressing the knee in the direction of my chest. She applied firm pressure, but there was no pain after the initial inner-thigh pressure points. The masseuse repeated the entire procedure on my other leg before directing me to roll over onto my stomach.

She pressed firmly on the various pressure points along my calves and back, kneading from time to time. When she got to my shoulders and neck, she quickly honed in on a knot near my left shoulder blade and worked long and very hard on the spot, forcing the muscle to relax. It hurt so good! She didn’t skip the glutes, something I appreciate.

Finally, she had me roll back over and sit up. She sat behind me with her legs on either side of me, then had me lean back against her where she’d placed a pillow while she worked my neck from that angle and then my scalp. As is often the case with a massage, it’s oddly personal contact with a stranger, but this lady really knew her stuff and I was happy to place myself in her capable hands. Beside me, the end of David’s massage was proceeding in the same fashion. My masseuse wrapped things up with sweeping motions across my face and brow, releasing any lingering tension.

An hour and a half flew by and it was time to get dressed again. Downstairs, the ladies had laid out warm sweet tea and crackers. Different than the plain or citrus water usually offered at home, but we tried both in the spirit of doing the full experience. Just in front of us, two men were in the chairs by the front window to the tiny establishment, just beginning foot massages. I could get used to this!

20161106_153044 — Post-massage refreshment (with the common toilet paper “napkins”)

It wasn’t until I started to blog our Thai massage experience and look at photos to upload that I realized we’d made a mistake: We’d accidentally entered Bai Tong, the establishment next door to Green Bamboo! (I did mention how Thai massage parlors are everywhere, right? :)) Oh well. I’m sorry we blew off our reservation at Green Bamboo, but I can’t regret our great experience at Bai Tong!

20161106_153519 — David in front of Bai Tong…with Green Bamboo just to the left in the photo

Thai Orchid: Cooking school in Chiang Mai

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One thing we knew we wanted to do while in Thailand was attend a cooking school. After doing a little research, I’d decided Chiang Mai was the ideal place for this and had booked a day at Thai Orchid Cookery School before we left the States. Like so much on this trip that we planned in advance, there’s a sense of unreality when the day finally arrives…but here it was!

As promised, a brand new van arrived shortly after 9am to pick us up at our hotel. Another couple was already in the van and we picked up a third couple before continuing on the short distance to Thai Orchid which is located in the center-east of Old Chiang Mai. Cooking schools have boomed in Chiang Mai and there are a bewildering amount to choose from. I’d narrowed it down to two before picking Thai Orchid over a school far out of town located in a farm where you can pick fresh herbs. After all the driving we’d done the day before on our Doi Suthep-Blue Elephant day, I was happy with my choice. Moreover, Thai Orchid offered air-conditioned space for dining and classroom portions of the school, something the farm didn’t have.

We were greeted by our cooking instructor and owner, “A” (“My Thai name is too long!”) and dove right in by choosing the 5 dishes we’d prepare, marking our selections on a paper checklist before moving to the “classroom” for our first demonstration: spring rolls and fresh rolls.

David and I both chose fresh rolls as we’re fresh roll junkies. I make my own at home anyway, but was curious as to what A could offer in the way of variations. Fresh rolls are more Vietnamese than Thai, but the Thais have adopted them, giving their own twist by briefly sauteeing the main vegetables in a light sauce before adding lettuce, shrimp and herbs and rolling in softened rice paper. I’d always made mine fresh (save for when I add boiled shrimp)–and actually prefer them that way. Still, I liked the extra seasoning provided by the sauce.

20161105_102007 — A with other students, frying spring rolls

For our next course we made soup; me choosing Tom Yum (in a clear broth) and David opting for Tom Yum Gai (chicken soup with coconut milk). Both were delicious and easy-to-make. The school ran super-efficiently, with our cooking stations prepped and ready to go when we came back from classroom or eating. We did much of the chopping and all of the cooking, but herbs and veggies were washed, meat chopped and apportioned, etc.

After our first two courses, A and her assistant Kong, drove us to a local market where she guided us around the stalls explaining unfamiliar items and showing us practical things like what sort of coconut milk at home would be equivalent to Thai “coconut cream.” (i.e., So long as it says “100%”, it’s the same as “coconut cream” even if it’s labeled as “milk.”) We had ten minutes to explore on our own, then it was back to the school for more cooking.

20161105_115227 — A demonstrating “century eggs” that are buried for 100 days then boiled. Gooey and black–No, thank you!

20161105_120950 — Market ingredients including white flowers for curry and 3 types of basil: Thai sweet, lemon & “holy”

20161105_122149 — Fish sellers at the market

Fresh fried banana slices welcomed us back to the school as we prepared for the last courses. A demonstrated each option, showing us what ingredients our different choices shared and where they differed. She would prepare a dish with a “mild” level of heat (usually 2 small red peppers), then let us taste it to gauge whether we wanted to prepare ours with more or less heat. David and I usually opted for more heat, all the while being highly respectful of those blazing Thai peppers.

20161105_104837 — David at his cooking station

David made chicken with cashew nuts while I opted for classic Pad Thai with shrimp. Both turned out really well, and I was surprised how easy and past the Pad Thai was. David made a really fantastic panang curry with shrimp while I went with my fave, green curry chicken. Unfortunately, my green curry was probably my least favorite creation, turning out saltier than I wanted. I think I added too much soy and fish sauce given that I went for a thicker sauce than the usual Thai soup-style green curry. Next time!

20161105_133451 — Panang shrimp curry and green curry chicken…We made these! 😀

20161105_135346 — Pad Thai shrimp and green curry chicken

A laid out fruit snack from the market, showing us how to eat mangosteen (press the “button” end to open the small black fruit, then pull out the yummy white sections from inside). She even provided Thai durian which are much more mild than the revolting Singaporean variety we’d tried in Singapore: Edible, but still foul-smelling and never going to be a favorite of ours. Besides, durian “sticks with you” and the recurring taste in your mouth is something to be avoided!

20161105_144823 — Mangosteens (on the tray) and durian (in the bowls)

For dessert, our options were steamed banana or pumpkin cake or mango sticky rice. David and I both opted for the mango sticky rice, but the steamed cakes were really pretty.

20161105_145631 — Mango sticky rice topped with crispy fried mung beans

20161105_143736 — Steamed banana cakes in banana leaves

We feasted until we were stuffed and happy. A handed out small, bound cookbooks with recipes for the day’s creations and a few more. Her email is on the front and she encouraged us to email with any questions that might arise while recreating her dishes back home.

We highly recommend Thai Orchid Cookery School for cooks of all skill levels. If you’re experienced cooks, as we are, you’ll still enjoy the local ingredients, information and insight. If you’re new to cooking, A and Kong are patient and happy to explain. You can learn more at: http://www.thaiorchidcooking.com/ Cost was 1200 baht ($34.29) per person, including pick-up in the old city.

Elephants (& tigers) & butterflies, oh my!

20161104_155550 — Riding elephants while they feed in the jungle

Today was the day we ride elephants in the jungle! We’d booked this outing months ago, deciding on Blue Elephant tour on the recommendation of my niece-by-marriage, Christie. This was something we really wanted to do, but there are a lot of elephant tours in the area–some of questionable repute–so it was good to have real data we could trust. We wanted a private tour, caring treatment of the elephants and extended, quality time with them. Christie didn’t steer us wrong!

Our day started at 8:30am with a pick-up by private car at our hotel. Our driver and guide for the day, Zen, turned out to speak good English and we enjoyed visiting with him about Thailand, America and children. (He has a teenaged daughter and son so we spent some time discussing university and job opportunities and costs in our countries.) We had a full day scheduled with the elephants to come at the end.

Our first destination was the temple at Doi Suthep on a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai. We could see the golden rooftops of the temple complex sparkling in the distance from our hotel balcony. The drive took thirty minutes or so after leaving the city, winding our way upward through lush jungle. Zen let us off at steps leading to a cluster of souvenir stalls at the base of the long stairway leading to the temple complex.

20161104_093101 — 400+ steps to Doi Suthep, flanked by the customary dragons

20161104_093453 — At the top of the stairs

20161104_093938 — View of Chiang Mai from the terrace of Doi Suthep

20161104_095845 — With our flower and candle offerings before beginning our ritual 3 circuits of the golden stupa

Zen gave us all the time we wanted to explore the temple complex. We did the ritual 3 circuits of the golden stupa with our flower and candle offerings which we laid before the Buddha afterwards. The weather was delightfully cooler up in the mountains and the crowds relatively light although more and more people arrived during our well-timed visit. At the rate the complex was filling, it looked to be crowded by midday.

Our next stop was an orchid and butterfly farm. I wondered if this might be a bit of a tourist trap, but it turned out to be a beautiful place, filled with orchids of many colors, and with no sales pressure whatsoever. The butterfly portion of the visit made me laugh out loud with delight. Butterflies were everywhere! I was some yards in before I registered the truly huge butterflies on the net roof above–mottled tan and at least 8″ across! I couldn’t resist pointing them out to 2 Chinese girls ahead of me who were equally amazed.

20161104_112755 — Orchids grown suspended with roots trailing

We next made a quick stop at a local market where Zen purchased fruit and sticky rice snacks for later.

20161104_125536 — Fruit and other snacks at the market

Lunch was scheduled for “Tiger Kingdom,” a stop I had some misgivings about. When we booked, I was told we could take advantage of this stop to take photos with tigers. In looking into this, I was put off by posed photos of people draped across tigers, pretending to bite their tails, etc. The only way this seemed possible was to seriously drug the tigers, something I wanted no part of. Sure enough, when we got to Tiger Kingdom, that was exactly what seemed to be the set-up. Dining areas were set up around large open-air pens where tigers lay sleeping until visitors were led in to pose with them. Sometimes, a handler would raise the tiger’s head and it would hold its head up, eyes open, but not moving. When the photo was taken, the tiger would plop its head back down, out again. A buffet lunch at Tiger Kingdom was actually very good, but we wanted no part of the tiger pics.

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Our next destination was Mok Fa Waterfall in a nearby national park. We changed into bathing suits, expecting to swim in pools like we’d found at Kuang Si in Laos. Instead, there was really only one swimming hole at the base of the falls. The falls were beautiful, no doubt, and I loved the idea of being able to get in and under a high fall like that…but not when I had elephant riding to do next. I just didn’t think I wanted a head of wet hair. David–whose hair is a lot shorter and quicker-drying than mine–did get in, enjoying the water with a group of tatooed French backpackers.

Finally, it was time for elephants! Zen gave us our traditional mahout (elephant handler) clothes to change into at the waterfall dressing rooms. We looked kind of ridiculous in the cropped blue tunics and huge, baggy knee-length pants. Oh well, we were all-in for the experience. Zen briefed us on elephant commands as we rode:

“sigh” (shake your right leg) = left
“kwa” (shake your left leg) = right
“bye” (push with both feet on the elephant’s ears) = go
“houww” (push down with feet) = stop
“toy” = back up (hop back with your body)
“dee dee” = “good elephant” (a praising phrase)
“bone” = lift trunk

The car rolled through rural areas, past several elephant camps, before pulling into the driveway of a building where we swapped the car for a pick-up truck for the final, bumpy stretch to the Blue Elephant camp.

We arrived at a dirt parking area around which a number of buildings clustered. Three elephants were in a clearing just beyond a long, open structure with picnic tables where we left our things. In no time, we were introduced to our elephants and led to a stand where we mounted and were on our way. We sat far forward near their heads to reduce the side-to-side motion of their walking. Our palms rested on the twin bumps atop their skulls, soft flesh under rough skin sparsely covered with thick, prickly hairs. We liked petting and stroking them, leaning over to rub their trunks or cheeks. On steep downward slopes, we could grab onto the loop of a rope around their middles.

The true elephant handlers walked with us as we rode, more in control (usually by grabbing an ear as they spoke) than we were with our newly-learned commands. It didn’t really matter much, though; the idea was to let the elephants graze where they wanted, within reason, in the jungle. I say “within reason” because there were a few times where David’s elephant drifted off up steep hillsides and where both of ours seemed alarmingly close to very steep drop-offs as they stretched and reached for the choicest flowers, banana trees or bamboo. At 2-3 tons each, the thought of tumbling downhill with one was sobering. I couldn’t even imagine the physics behind their natural counter-balancing, though, so had to assume they knew how far they could reach without falling. Their power was impressive as they ripped up huge chunks of bamboo, munching 1.5″ diameter poles like we would shredded wheat. At one point after David’s elephant was pulled back onto the trail with a big banana leaf and stalk trailing from her mouth, mine grabbed the other end, stripping the tasty leaves in a funny, lumbering tug-of-war.

20161104_162750 — I loved watching my elephant drag her trunk through the cool water as she walked; it obviously felt good.

We made our final way back to camp, wading through a creek. [There’s a video with the handler singing on the way back on Wanderwiles’ FB page. Beautiful!] We were handed baskets of cut sugar cane, a routine clearly familiar to the elephants as questing trunks reached up for the treats. We dished the sweet sticks out quickly as the demanding trunk made rapid trips from our hands to their mouths. As a final end to the experience, we waded into the water of a dammed spot in a stream to bathe a lucky elephant. She kneeled down to let us scoop water over her and scrub her thick skin with brushes. A perfect end to our elephant time!

20161104_163110 — Back at camp: Feeding the girls sugar cane treats after their dinner buffet

20161104_212211 — A bath after dinner is always nice!

After changing back into our own dry clothes, we found a feast of fruit and sweetened sticky rice treats laid out for us on one of the picnic tables. It was enough for 4 people and I couldn’t eat again until the next day. We had about a 1.5-hour drive back to Chiang Mai, putting us back at the hotel around 6:30pm.

The entire day with Zen and Blue Elephant cost 12,000 baht ($342.86) for the both of us (6,000 baht per person). We tipped another 1000 baht ($28.57), most of which went to Zen and 100 baht (Zen’s suggested amount) to each of the 3 elephant handlers. Blue Elephant offers 1-3 day tours. We chose the 1-day Elephant-Doi Suthep tour. You can learn more at: http://www.blueelephantthailandtours.com/index.php

Temples of Old Chiang Mai (& a prison lunch)

20161102_181156 — Wat Phra Singh on our first evening in Chiang Mai. A royal temple established in 1345.

Since our hotel, Rendezvous Classic House, is in the old city of Chiang Mai, we decided to spend our first full day here exploring some of the many Buddhist temples (wats) the city is famous for. A moat surrounds the brick walls of Old Chiang Mai, enclosing a maze of streets and narrow alleys. First impressions of this part of Chiang Mai were mixed as we discovered a serious shortage of sidewalks or safe places to walk, even on the main roads. Walking requires weaving around stalls, parked cars and scooters meaning you’re frequently walking among the swarming traffic. It’s hot, too. Still, we made our way to the first wat on our list, Wat Chedi Luang, without any real difficulty.

Wat Chedi Luang is renowned for two things in particular: the Vihara, a building that houses the “City Pillar” or Inthakhin Pillar, and the semi-ruins of a huge ancient chedi. The main temple is also impressive with its elaborate golden facade and soaring interior.

20161103_104134 — Inthakhin Pillar Vihara at Wat Chedi Luang temple complex

20161103_104127 — No women allowed. This kind of sexism gets a little old. Funny to read the semi-apologetic “rationales” on some of these sorts of signs, though.

20161103_104433 — Facade of the main temple at Wat Chedi Luang

20161103_104818 — Buddha in main shrine at Wat Chedi Luang

Behind the main temple stands the crumbling ancient chedi or stupa, the largest in Chiang Mai and the largest Lanna structure at the time it was built. An earthquake in 1545 destroyed the top 30m. The Emerald Buddha, which was housed there at the time, was afterward moved to Luang Prabang, Laos, before eventually finding its way to Bangkok.

20161103_105655 — Ancient chedi–the largest in Chiang Mai–at Wat Chedi Luang.

20161103_110556 — Monks at Wat Chedi Luang

The all-wood Wat Phan Tao lies just next door to Wat Chedi Luang. It is much smaller than Wat Chedi Luang, but is a beautiful example of classic Lanna architecture.

After leaving Wat Phan Tao, we continued our walk north. The day was gorgeous, but hot and we couldn’t resist ducking into an air-conditioned little cafe for delicious iced coffees. Coffee arabica is grown in northern Thailand and we’ve found the coffee here to be really good. Refreshed and recharged, we continued our walk on to Wat Chiang Man, a beautiful temple famous for the elephant statues surrounding its gold-topped stupa.

20161103_124032 — At Wat Chiang Man with the elephant stupa in the rear right

20161103_124656 — Elephant stupa at Wat Chaing Man

Our stomachs were indicating lunch was in order. On impulse, we ducked into a truly unusual lunch venue: the Chiang Mai Women’s Correctional Institute Restaurant. This nice little café, shop and Thai massage parlor is run by women from the local prison as an effort to train and rehabilitate them for employment after incarceration. We enjoyed our traditional Thai lunch and the friendly service. My khao soi was the best of the trip. Khao soi is a northern Thai specialty made with a mix of deep-fried noodles and boiled egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots, lime ground chillies fried in oil, and meat in a curry coconut milk sauce served with yellow crisp-fried curry noodles. Uniformed guards checked up on us along with waitresses in simple beige pant-and-tunic outfits.

20161103_134259 — Servers at the Chiang Mai Women’s Correctional Institute Restaurant

Last on our list of must-see temples for the day was Wat Pra Singh. We’d actually seen a bit of this temple the evening before on our first stroll through Old Chiang Mai. (See lead photo above.) A large group of military-looking people in white uniforms with black arm bands were gathered there for some event. We’d peeked in, but decided not to risk intruding on what may have been yet another in the many mourning events going on around the country for the recently deceased and much-loved King Bhumibol Adulyadej (pronounced “poom ee poon ah doon yah day”).

20161103_125417 — David in front of Wat Pra Singh, draped in black and white mourning for the king

20161103_143608 — Golden stupas of Wat Pra Singh

After Wat Pra Singh, we called an end to temples for the day. We’d really enjoyed the temples of Old Chiang Mai, but we were hot and ready for a dip in the hotel pool. It is a vacation after all!

“VIP” bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai

20161102_123949 — Onboard the VIP bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai

All good things must come to an end, and our time at Chiang Rai was one of those good things. We’d loved the Maryo Resort Hotel, we’d had fun at the night market, we’d had some really good and inexpensive meals, but it was time to move on. Maryo quickly booked us seats on a VIP bus leaving the next day. The nice lady at the front desk said they’d had trouble using credit cards online so she gave us a printout of our booking, loaned us a couple of bikes and sent us to a 7-11 a couple of blocks away. (It seems nearly everything can be done at a 7-11 in Asia!) We pedaled to the 7-11, showed our printout and paid our 516 baht ($14.74) for two tickets on an air conditioned motor coach. (The “tickets” were actually a cash register receipt stapled to our original printout.)

20161102_131723 — Bus “tickets” (with green luggage claim stubs for bags stored below the bus)

Note: There is a much cheaper bus with no air conditioning, no assigned seats and no designated space for luggage. We saw a few of those, crammed full of passengers, and never even considered taking them. At only $7+ apiece, the VIP bus was a no-brainer.

The next day, Maryo provided a free shuttle to the Chiang Rai bus station, which it turns out is new and still under construction, so we asked around until we were pointed to a sign under a small white umbrella. An Australian waiting for the bus with his Thai girlfriend confirmed we were in the right place and soon the bus arrived.

20161102_124000 — Temporary waiting area in Chiang Rai for the VIP bus to Chiang Mai

We stashed luggage below and settled into our assigned seats, reclining in comfort as we pulled away. The 3-hour trip went by quickly as we sped through gorgeous countryside of rice fields giving way to jungle-covered mountains. Streams wound their way along the roadside, rushing over and around scattered boulders.

20161102_145948 — From the bus window: Between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai

A lady provided cold bottled water, a large snack pack of faux “Oreos” and a cool towelette. Very civilized and comfortable. Our only complaint was the frigid a/c that could not be turned off or down. Wouldn’t you know it, for the first time in weeks, I’d stashed the scarf/shawl I usually had in my carry-on in my big suitcase.

Arriving in Chiang Mai, we dodged the inevitable private driver wanting sky-high prices as we got off the bus and headed to a taxi booth where we bought our 200 baht ($5.71) taxi coupon for the ride to our hotel in the old city.

20161102_131029 — Chiang Mai bus station with a VIP bus parked

Mae Fah Luang Art & Cultural Park in Chiang Rai

20161101_111254 — The Golden Pavilion as seen from the bridge

We debated renting a car or hiring a driver to do a day trip out of Chiang Rai to the Myanmar border to see the Princess Mother’s swiss-style villa and garden and the “Yunnanese” village of Mae Salong. But, the more we read about these destinations, the more they sounded like a long drive for not much that appealed to us. We were loving our hotel (Maryo Resort), enjoying the leisurely pace, and decided to stick closer to home. As I mentioned before, there’s not tons of must-see sights in Chiang Rai. It’s in the far north of Thailand and tourists tend to come for the White Temple and to explore the region’s parks and villages. We’d seen the White Temple and our share of villages, so what about Chiang Rai itself? I came across mention of the Mae Fah Luang Art & Cultural Park. “Mae Fah Luang” refers to the recently-deceased king’s deceased mother, known as the “Princess Mother.” The park contained a Lanna-style wooden “pagoda” or temple made of wood from 32 traditional homes and gifted to the Princess Mother on her 82nd birthday. The park also contained other structures and exhibits relating to Lanna culture. This sounded like the perfect, easy destination.

[Note: The Mae Fah Luang Art & Cultural Park should not be confused with the Mae Fah Luang Villa and Garden near the Myanmar border.]

The hotel happily informed us that they could book the same tuk tuk driver for 300 baht ($8.57) to take us to the park and wait a couple of hours, then take us to somewhere for lunch. Somehow David missed the identity of the driver and his face fell when he saw the speed demon in the ear-splitting tuk tuk from the day before. Oh well, in we climbed…only to discover that, while the tuk tuk was just as loud, our driver seemed much more mellow than on the previous day. We speculated whether he might have skipped his morning coffee…or taken his meds, but the ride out to the cultural park through bright green rice fields turned out to be more relaxing than we initially feared.

We pulled to a stop at the ticket booth where we paid a steep-for-these-parts 200 baht ($5.71) apiece before motoring past an empty parking lot to be dropped off at a pretty covered bridge over a lake. The setting was gorgeous, but the place was entirely empty of visitors save for us. Across the zigzag bridge, we came to another booth where a young woman came out to escort us into the huge wooden “Golden Pavilion” that lay just ahead. Although we could see that the building was large, the beauty and lofty size of the softly-lit interior still took my breath away. Beautiful!

20161101_112024 — Stairs to the Golden Pavilion

20161101_113522 — David at the doorway into the Golden Pavilion. The carving over the door is new; the one to the left is antique.

davidsgoldenpavilionpic — Central Buddha inside the Golden Pavilion

20161101_113741 — I loved this sign under the Golden Pavilion. There is a real reverence for trees shown here, particularly teak.

The young woman walked us around a wide raised walkway that circled the open center of the soaring building. She explained the origin and meaning of the various carved religious items that lined the walls in a soft accent that substituted “th” for “de” so that “wood” became “wooth.” Photos weren’t allowed, although David snapped one that hardly does the place justice. After we finished our little tour, the young woman turned off the interior lights then directed us on to wander the other buildings and plant-filled large grounds on our own. Most of the wooden, Lanna-style buildings seemed to be potential meeting and social sites, now empty.

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The only “museum” housed a tribute to the Princess Mother, all in Thai, and a bilingual exhibit of teak items, their place in Lanna culture, and related information about teak in general. The deceased Princess Mother is a revered figure in northern Thailand where she worked extensively to help the local people and steer them away from the opium trade.

20161101_121926 — In the museum: a spectacular carved “coffin” made by a husband for his wife’s ashes

In the museum, we finally came across two other visitors. The Mae Fah Luang Art & Cultural Park merits more interest, and I hope it gets it as the city moves from this shoulder season into high season.

20161101_121747 — Part of the teak exhibit

Colorful Chiang Rai: A black house, an emerald Buddha & a white temple

20161031_122409 — The White Temple of Chiang Mai

On our first full day in Chiang Rai, we opted to hit some of the city’s “biggies.” (By some accounts, we hit all of them; Chiang Rai is not a huge city and much of its tourist allure lies in the area around it.) The White Temple is the iconic Chiang Rai site, so that was definitely on our list, even though it’s really more a work of art that an active wat. I also wanted to see Wat Pra Kaew, the “Emerald Buddha Temple,” since it is a true wat and one of the most revered places in Northern Thailand. Despite warnings of temple fatigue on a trip as long as ours, it seems I don’t really tire of visiting temples. I am fascinated by the variations of religion from country to country, even within a faith, as older local customs become adapted to and incorporated within new ideas and belief systems. At the suggestion of a hotel staff member, we added the Black House to our list, a quirky art site I’d read about but wasn’t so sure was my type of thing. Still, some describe the artist who created the Black House as the national artist of Thailand, so how could I not take a peek?

The sites we’d chosen were in opposite directions from our hotel with the White Temple being a good 20 minutes away. Our hotel arranged a tuk tuk for us for 700 baht ($20) for the day. Our driver, a pleasant-faced middle-aged man, arrived promptly in a vehicle similar to Sawat’s small, puttering tuk tuk in Siem Reap. That’s where the similarity ended. We roared away from the hotel in a cloud of noise so loud David said it reminded him of high school when guys would drill holes in the mufflers of their cars for maximum machismo. This guy was a lot faster than Sawat, too. And impatient. We snaked through traffic, squeezed our way to the front of lines, drove on shoulders and thundered ahead of the “competition” at least until we got onto more open roads and the pick-up trucks could “take us.” Even then, though, our driver floored it, doing his ear-splitting best to keep up with the big boys. And, there we were in the open-air rear of the tuk tuk, no seat belts, no helmets, laughing and shaking our heads. I couldn’t help but imagine making this ride with my boys when they were younger on one of our many travels. I’d have been worried I was going to get them killed!

20161031_100214 — Getting a moment to catch our breath

We bumped our way to a stop in the parking lot of the Black House (officially the Baandaam Museum), chosen as our first destination by the driver for logistical reasons. As billed, this is a really strange place. The “main” building is in the form of a wooden lanna (the traditional local ethnic group) temple, but done all in black. Animal skulls and horns, furs and crocodile hides mingle with statues and art, that drift from “normal” to bizarre.

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Behind the main “temple” a number of other buildings are scattered around the surprisingly large grounds. Several dark wooden are on stilts, the space beneath them crammed full of various creations, often nearly identical pieces: horn chairs and the like, repeated over and over. There are glass-sided buildings with “furnishings” inside, often fur-covered horn beds with horn chairs or couches surrounding them. Some odd white half-domed buildings stand in a row, allowing similar glimpses through glass doors or windows.

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20161031_102145 — Peering into one of the buildings on the grounds of the Black House

At a far end of the grounds, I came across a modernistic black building, vaguely reminiscent of a squid or maybe Verne’s “Nautilus.” Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice would say. In thirty minutes, David and I had seen enough and headed back to the tuk tuk. [The Black House is free of charge although there is a gift shop selling all sorts of weird momentos.]

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After the strange artsy-ness of the Black House, I was ready for a real temple. Thankfully, our next stop was Wat Pra Kaew, the Emerald Buddha Temple. The wat gets its nickname from its famous history: In 1434, lightning struck its stupa, cracking it to reveal an emerald Buddha inside. This Buddha has been revered ever since and has made its way from Thailand to Laos and back. The original is now in Bangkok, but a replica was carved from jade and is ensconced in Wat Pra Kaew.

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A lovely little temple sits at the front of the wat complex and David and I couldn’t resist slipping off our shoes to look inside. Afterwards, as I was slipping my sandals back on, an older monk thanked me (for showing respect–I was also appropriately dressed to hide my scandalous knees) and asked me where I was from. He told me to be sure not to miss the Lanna Museum just around the corner within the complex. He made a point of telling me the replica Buddha was carved of Canadian jade, so he may not have understood when I told him I was American. Still, I was impressed with his friendliness and English, and David and I headed off in that direction. The two-story museum turned out to house an impressive collection in a beautiful wooden lanna-style building. Along with the Emerald Buddha replica, there are white-jade Buddhas from Myanmar, reliquaries, altars, offering containers, and other statues of sacred figures.

20161031_111155 — The Lanna Museum at Wat Pra Kaew

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We strolled along a flower-lined path, past shrines and the white stupa that replaces the one struck by lightning, but not venturing into the monk school that lies in the rear of the grounds. The main temple stands before the school at the top of a steep flight of stairs. Lit green tiles line the walls surrounding the Emerald Buddha, framing murals depicting scenes of the Emerald Buddha’s history.

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20161031_113930 — The new Emerald Buddha, dressed in golden “clothes”

Back in the tuk tuk, we made our high-volume way southwest towards our final destination. The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) is really more an art project than a temple. It replaces a temple that once sat there and we still had to take off our shoes before entering (and I wasn’t supposed to take the photo inside that I did), but still, it’s art. There’s a definite Gaudí-esque feel to the place, although the lines are sharper. It’s a fantasy brought to life in stucco and mirrored tiles, a truth reinforced by the pop-culture characters portrayed at its periphery. A bronze version of the alien from “Predator” sprouts from the ground near masks of the “Terminator,” Spiderman, etc. hanging from a tree…which sits just in front of a beautiful covered walkway from the ceiling of which thousands of thin metal prayer offerings hang. Finally, a golden “temple” constitutes possibly the fanciest most improbable public restroom building ever.

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20161031_122816 — Inside the White Temple. I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to take a photo, but since I did, here it is.

20161031_124058 — The pubic toilets at the White Temple

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The White Temple recently started charging foreigners an entry fee, but at a mere 50 baht ($1.43), it’s hardly exorbitant and well worth it.

We stopped at one of several open-air restaurants on the way to the tuk tuk for a quick, tasty and very late lunch. I’d provide the name of the place but there was only Thai on the outside, so a photo will have to do. At 40 baht a plate ($1.14), we doubled the price of our lunch by ordering a couple of beers bringing the total to a whopping $4.57. I could get used to these prices!

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