1 Well located but otherwise meh hotel in the old part of Chiang Mai. The pigeon was my one and only visitor.
2 First walk around the city - a bustling night market which I wish I could go back to NOW, clean air despite some traffic, and JAZZ CLUBS!!
3 and of course many, many temples.
4 Entrance to the Night Market (Cars not allowed)
5 In the morning, a very solumn ceremony where students line up to decorate a monument before the King's visit.
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7 First stop on the drive: a Hill Tribe village, all Myanmar refugees - I think (though some looked Mongolian), beautiful, young mostly, many with toddlers afoot, sitting behind stalls selling similar articles (I did find one bag handmade (she said) by the seller which I really love). We learned about the neck pieces, why and how they work and how heavy they are to wear.
8 A scenic climb up the hill
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14 She said she made the bags - and her hat.
15 Happy to make a sale!
16 On the way out we glimpsed the living arrangements. they don't go well with those smiles.
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18 A sculpture on the road down
19 Then onto the nearby Eco Elephant Sanctuary. No painting. No riding. Just caring for and learning about these wonderful creatures.
20 Part of the education center at the Eco Elephant Sactuary
21 All together they have six females (one pregnant) and one male (not the dad). They seem like very happy elephants to me.
22 Ta Ta's Mahout, a Bermese named Boy.
23 Elephant pharmacy
24 Prepping the vitamins
25 Ready to feed the vitamins to the elephants
26 Part of the lecture - this one about poo paper: Elephant poop
27 Once the fiber is removed (lots of it since that's all they eat), it is washed and ready to have the paper trays dipped into it.
28 Then they are pressed into sheets. Sometimes they add leaves or flower petals for decorations before it is pressed into sheets.
29 And here is me, first in line, to wash the gentle giant...
30 Me with TaTa (Boy is a very good photographer!)
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32 All followed by a delicicious lunch!
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34 After being well fed and watereed we moved along to more temple visits. This one is very old, colorful and active.
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39 I hadn't ever pictured monks running a vacuum cleaner.
40 the golden Gerudas guard the entrance
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43 The various Buddhas (one - or sometimes two - for each day of the week are decorated by their birth people. This is Tuesday's pose, my daughters.
44 This is mine, Monday (The day is the day one was born).
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46 And up the street, another temple
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48 The Happy Buddha
49 Saturday's Buddha is protected by the 5-headed snake who also serves as his seat.
50 They lined up to get a blessing in the form of a string bracelet. Offerings are made.
51 While this form of Buddhism, culled from the Chinese, Hindu, Lao sects and old Thai (Tai) anamism, is sometimes quirky and even fun, it is also taken very seriously by a large proportion of the population.
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54 What? Another Wat?
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58 Thursday s for my dauther-in-Law
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61 Haven't seen any elephants for a few minutes...
62 A lovely reclining Buddha (reclining in order to contemplate on his enlightenment, not to nap)
63 Wat Singha
64 The great monk - Krueba sri vichai
65 And then we happened upon a wedding - and followed the photographer of course...
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67 Kinda like a TV set
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70 More working monks - setting up for an important event
71 So sumptuous
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73 Oh my - lunch time!! A stunning setting and good food too.
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79 After lunch a walk through the central market. I glimpsed a dress I liked and was determined (and successful) in wending my way back to the stall - with help of the group members who also wanted a replay as well as my GPS.
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89 Anyway, we did our shopping and made it back to the hotel.
90 I always stop to shoot street workers... But we did get back in time for ...
91 J A Z Z !!!
92 A wonderful very local jazz co-op that I had heard about from a non-local. Top Nitch local (young) players throwing out familiar standards with their own style. I was standing (no seats) next to a young American woman who said she lived there and was in her third year of the Peace Corps. She does not plan to return to the US.
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96 If I remember correctly, this is the owner of the Co-op. Good going! (But maybe it was the sax player... Only there for two hours so didn't get to check facts...
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98 Some nice night scenes during the 15 minute walk back to the hotel.
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101 And now it's tomorrow morning. A special event awaits here
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103 Yep, that's it!
104 An interesting hour, learned a lot from simplified concepts. And then we hit the road again. Next and last section: The White Temple and Chiang Rai...
