Return to Bangkok, Wednesday June 8

After a night in Kamphaeng Phet at the Phet Hotel, we repack the car for the 4 hour drive to Bangkok.

A sweet stop along the highway for sai mai

And back at Keith and Pan's home, Angela is taking a nap.

Sweet dreams

We'll miss our Bangkok friends who made our trip so memorable.  Khawp khun maak--thank you so much.

 
 

Chiang Mai, Tuesday June 7, Elephants

At 8 a.m. we leave our comfy hotel, The River View Lodge,

for the Elephant Nature Park about 1 hour north of Chiang Mai. 

http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/



This is a rescue center, where elephants who are injured or in need are cared for in a natural environment--no forced work, not ridden, and they receive appropriate vet care if needed.  There are a few babies, too!

Volunteers come here for week or a year.  Sorting elephant snacks in the elephant kitchen.

Bananas fill the kitchen like a well stocked library.  Ripening.  A favorite for the elephants.

Most food is locally grown.  Watermelon, corn, squash.  And bananas.

This could be my toes.  We both need a pedicure.

After a half day feeding and washing elephants and having lunch with the many visitors and volunteers, we start the drive back to Bangkok.  We stop for the night in Kamphaeng Phet, same hotel as the other night when we were going to Chiang Mai.

Dinner at the night kitchen, on the street near the hotel.

She's cooking Jim's stir fry chicken with veggie.

Everywhere, napkins are dispensed like this, and are actually toilet paper.  Everything is economical.

At the elephant rescue center we had a great lunch.  Now it's a great dinner, on the street.  The cook's in the background.  Busy area for take-out and eat-in.

Tomorrow, we complete the drive back to Bangkok.

Chiang Mai, Thailand, Sunday June 5, 2011

Sunday in Chiang Mai

Beautiful morning, still wet from rain all night.  

Breakfast included at River House Lodge.  Croissants are warm.

 Then we drive up the mountain to a hilltop Buddhist temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (don't pronounce the 'h' except as a soft breath out).  There's a lot of commerce before the climb to the temple.

 Back in Chiang Mai, it's the Sunday afternoon walking-street market.  It's a huge gathering--crowds of people everywhere, and lots of Westerners here.  We shopped till we dropped.  Many of the goods for sale are repeats--lots of clothing, wood carving, cotton and some silk items of all sorts; here are some food shots to enjoy.

This is the VW guy, making coffee.

We ride back to our hotel in a tuk tuk. Sporatic rain doesn't impede us today, but we each carry an umbrella in case.