November 5, 2008 

 

United States has elected a new President…Barack Obama!!!  Five of us were
 extremely happy (including Rudy and I) and five were not. We found out
 the same time US did because Anya was notified on her cell phone at
 11.a.m!!


Today was my favorite day of the trip even though I vomited in the
 Elephant Camp!!!  But let me start at the beginning.

 

After breakfast we rode the bus to the Elephant Camp.  As I got off the
 bus, an elephant greeted me and presented me with a flower.  Then he took
 a hat and placed in on my head.  Since he didn’t want me to lose it, he
 gently hit my head with his trunk.  Then we saw the trainers bring the
 elephants into the river to bath and cool off.  They all seemed to really
 care for the elephants. Then the elephants gave us a show.  They played
 soccer, basketball, stood, laid down, rolled over, played the drums, the
 harmonica and one even painted a picture with flowers and then wrote the
 word LOVE!!!  I was truly impressed.  The last thing they did was to
 present a basket filled with flowers to us.  I started to move back and
 tripped over a large rock.  I got up so quickly that I started to faint.
 I sat down very quickly and then I got sick.  The others were starting to
 get on the elephants for an hour ride through the forest and across the
 river.  I was determined to go on our elephant!!  I got up slowly and
 made to the elephant in time.  The trainer was very concerned and looked
 back at me several times to make sure I was alright and that I was not
 going to get sick on his elephant.  We passed several stands constructed
 in the trees to buy snacks of bananas and bamboo stems for the elephants.
  They would slow down to make sure we didn’t have any trouble purchasing
 their snacks!!!

 

The Asian elephant’s ears are smaller than the African elephant’s. It also
 has only one tip on his back where the African elephant has two and the
 African elephant is taller.  The Asian elephant has a bigger head and
 more memory than the African elephant.

 

After we returned to camp by elephant we boarded a small bamboo raft and
 floated downstream.  The oarsman asked me if I wanted to take over the
 oar and I agreed.  It was fun navigating the raft down the fast running
 river.  We stopped along the river to meet up with the bus and then we
 were off to lunch at a local restaurant.

 

After lunch we went to visit a local school which was still in session.
  This school is sponsored by our tour company Grand Circle. As we stepped
 out of the bus, one of the students grabbed our hand and led us to a
 hall.  Here they sang us songs, danced and played instruments.  They even
 made Rudy and I dance with them.  Next we visited their classrooms and
 explained a little about what they were learning.  Last, but not least,
 they taught us how to make a beautiful origami kite. We all enjoyed this
 unique experience tremendously!!  

 

We went back to Chiang Mai and some of us decided to go to the Night
 Market to have dinner and do a little more shopping.  We departed the
 Market by Tuk-Tuk and put our treasures away for another day.

 

 

November 6, 2008

 

This morning after breakfast, we visited the Wat Chedi Luang temple and
 had a presentation and a discussion with a Buddhist monk.  It was a very
 enlightening and interesting experience.  There are two main divisions of
 the Monks…from the North (Tibet, Japan and China) and from the South
 (Thailand, Laos and Burma).  The Monks wake up at 4 a.m. to mediate and
 pray for the first of many times during the day. Then they go out to
 receive alms from the locals.  Their last meal is at 11:30 a.m. and they
 are in bed by 10 p.m.  They believe in Karma and rebirth and living in
 the NOW.  They feel the first time a person is on earth is very difficult
 and if you learn what you are supposed to learn, the second time on earth
 is easier!!!

 

Next we visited the most magnificent of the city’s temples. Wat Phrathat
 Doi Suthep.  To go up to the top to see the temple you can climb 306
 steps or take the elevator…..guess what Rudy and I choose???  There were
 flowers everywhere as well as snakes and other mythical monsters to keep
 the evil out!!  We then went down to the town below to visit a Jade
 Factory where I bought a beautiful Jade necklace.

 

After relaxing for a couple of hours, we were divided into two groups of 5
 and were driven to a local person’s home for dinner.  They showed us
 their lovely home.  Rudy did surprise the host’s mother and sister when
 he walked into the kitchen.  He towered over them and they were not
 accustomed to seeing someone so tall.  They had cooked so much delicious
 food, enough for three times as many people.  After we leave the rest of
 their family joins them to help consume the leftovers.

 

 

November 7, 2008

 

After breakfast, Rudy and I got another massage before we checked out of
 our hotel.  Then we boarded a plane to go back to Bangkok to the Tawana
 Bangkok Hotel.  Here Rudy bought a custom made suit and three shirts.
 They will be delivered to us when we return to Bangkok from Vietnam. 

 
 

November 8, 2008

 

After breakfast, we toured Bangkok as we made our way to the Old Kingdom
 of Siam and the Grand Palace of Thailand.  This is a huge sprawling
 compound where anyone could get lost!!  Oh, that’s right the group did…
 not me!!! (That will be explained later!!)  There were ceremonial halls,
 gilded spires, ornate buildings, beautiful sculptured flowers on building
 and a model of the compound. Since 1782, the palace is the ancient city’s
 landmark and became the centerpiece of a new Thai capital called Krung
 Thep (city of angles), known outside of Thailand as Bangkok.  It was King
 Mongkut (or Rama IV) who ruled from this palace, expanded trade with the
 West and was romanticized in the musical The King and I.

 

The focal point of the palace is the Emerald Buddha which was carved out
 of jade and adorned with gold.  The Emerald Buddha has resided in the
 Royal Chapel of the Grand Palace.??????????

 

Now, Joan and I were taking pictures and keeping an eye on the group which
 was ahead of us.  When we turned around, we did not see the rest of the
 group, so we hurried around the corner.  They were no where in sight.  So
 we started to move to the exit and still didn’t see them.  Joan wanted to
 go outside the compound to the exit but I knew that the tour guide and
 Rudy would not leave the compound without us.  However, Joan was very
 concerned that the group was ahead of us waiting by the exit.  After
 several minutes, I gave in and went by the exit.  After about 5 minutes,
 Anya walked up to us.  She tried to get us back into the compound with
 not luck.  She went back to the group and after Joan and I got some water
 to drink, the group caught up with us.  Rudy was hot and sweaty because
 he was going in circles looking for us the whole time.  What a FABULOUS
 GUY!!!  The only thing we could figure out was that Joan and I passed the
 group somehow when we hurried around the corner of one of the buildings.

 

For our farewell dinner, we went on a cruise on a river barge.  There was
 a festival in progress and we saw several barges alive with lights and
 figures of all shapes and sizes.  The decorations were really unique. We
 think the festival was to honor the King’s sister who is being cremated 
on the 15th.  The people of Thailand have celebrations for two weeks for
 this event.  After dinner we placed our flower and candle in the river
 and watched them all float away.