Steve and I started with a tuk tuk to the bus station, bought our super cheap tickets to the city of Chiang Rai which was three hours away for 4.00 Cdn each. We settled in our bus and because it was only half full I sat a couple rows behind Steve so we could both stretch out. Our bus was to leave at 11:30 and 10 minutes later after the diesel engines were warmed up and the aircon cooled down we suddenly could smell smoke and people were grabbing their bags and leisurely walking off. Well not me, I was freaking out. I thought that the bus might catch fire and explode. I was softly saying (not), GO, GO, GO. If and when I die I hope it to be like maybe on the ocean or better yet in my sleep. Not at a smelly over crowded bus platform. After evacuation we stood by a woman from Bangkok who said she was nervous, not very comforting. Now it's wait while another bus arrives. Maybe we should just fly? Within no time another bus showed up and we were herded aboard and on the road again. Chiang Rai or bust! The scenery was beautiful with passing fields of greenery, rice patties and corn surrounded by mountains. Our bus was stopped at a security check where the officers checked ID's for illegal immigrants such as the Burmese. Much like we see in Mexico and U.S., same same but different. Steve slept through it all! It reminded me of a story that Anne our batik teacher told us (local humour). The officials ask the Burmese to sing the national anthem. They may speak perfect Thai but cannot sing the anthem. Upon arrival we checked into our quiet boutique hotel, had dinner, and rented scooter # 5. Early next morning I went for my usual walk and coffee. Two gentlemen from our hotel joined me and we talked of Asian travels. I told them we were eventually heading to Cambodia to check out Angkor Wat and the small village where our friend Anne has set up a free school for the village children. This being done through a group of friends supporting their education and also drilling 11 wells for their community. Then one of the gentlemen shared what they've been doing. They were setting up sting operations to stop the trafficking of children. Wow, a little humbling but as he said it's planting a tree and as it grows we are on our own branch trying to create shade. Steve and I later toured around and went to Khun Korn, one of their national parks. There we hiked up to a huge waterfall and had to move fast as there were so many mosquitoes. Along the trail were large vines and huge bamboo trees. I had a black snake slither in front of me, yikes, I don't like any kind of snake, home or away they all are nasty to me. Once we arrived to the base of the waterfalls we realized how huge it was! The mist spraying off soaked us from a distance. Steve hiked down to the pools while I took pictures. Check out the naked man in the photo, it gives you a good idea how big the waterfalls was (Steve swaying in the mist). After leaving the park we drove by a little village with many people on the street collecting food, clothing, and toiletries for the unfortunate people that have been terribly effected by the floods. Pictures taken from a newspaper show how bad the floods are! It's inspiring to see that where so many have so little they band together to help those in need. Because we rather self tour we sometimes get lost and that day we did a few times while trying to find The White Temple or as the Thais call it "ไฟธ พนืทเ ษ็". Go figure. Usually within minutes of pulling over to map read a local would come to our rescue. The Thai people are so very friendly and helpful! After finally finding the White Temple we are overwhelmed by these huge white structures with glass tiles gleaming in the sun. It was incredible and well worth the journey. Quite spiritual! An artist turned architect, along with many helpers have been working on this for years. Everything's white, even the koi fish in the ponds. Inside the temple there's a mural of 9/11 with one of the twin towers on fire and the second about to get hit. The rest of the mural had New York scenes with taxi cabs, superman, and even spiderman. Makes you wonder? What will our legacy be? Later we stumbled upon (yes after getting turned around again) this suburb outside of town that had many Victorian style homes on large estates. Wonder what the history is? Later after dropping off the bike and stretching out our road asses, we wandered around their night market and ate delicious food off the cart along with a big Chang beer to wash it down, all for under $3.00. The next morning we were up early to catch the bus back to Chiang Mai. This time 1st class, aircon , and toilet for a few pennies more. Aaaaaahhhhhhhh, no stopping. This bus has two drivers and an attendant. They had their own enclosed section in the front just like on a plane. The passengers were even served cookies and water by our bus stewardess. We sat across from a woman in her fifties with her 30 something son. The road was a little windy and this lady was throwing up quite a bit. She made it the bathroom with her son following to make sure she was ok. I was able to donate a few plastic bags as it was difficult for her to make the mad scramble. Later I gave her some rice crackers for her tummy. When we arrived back to the city, she nodded and rubbed my leg. Her way of thanking me. I selfishly was glad that it was not me getting sick and hoped it was indeed was just motion sickness. After arriving in Chiang Mai it was back to the same guesthouse, just like coming home. We were welcomed with big hellos and upgraded to the bigger better brighter rooms at no extra cost. Gotta love it, lucky us, good karma I say!
That Temple is amazing!!
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