Thailand

When I think back on our visit to Thailand I remember golden snakes, Buddhas, dragons, monkeys all adorned with ornate designs.  Each was surrounded by magnificent Buddhist temples. 

Wat Pho Temple

Monkey King

Five headed snake

Orchid

Cart ride pulled by water buffalo

a temple

temple adorned with gold

temple

Buddha

Buddha

colorful detail on temple walls

Our group, Peter, Vickie, Bill, Nannette, Romney, & Mary Sue standing in front of a temple

Golden Phoenix

The area is tropical with beautiful flowers even in the winter.  We enjoyed night shows where the dancers danced with their long double jointed fingers and long, long, fingernails.  The men danced as well, and it was hard to tell which was male and which was female.  
 
 

Nice gardens

 

An hour elephant ride through rivers and rough mountain terrain was a highlight.  It was a bumpy ride but the views were great.  Luckily, the seat was equipped with a bar across, just like Disneyland rides, so that I could hold on tight. We were transported to the elephant ride via a water buffalo ride on a cart.  The driver was hilarious and mimicked everything we said.  Pete picked up on that and had him repeating some funny things.  We even got him singing “Choom by Awe My Lord, Choom by Awe.” It was all quite a fun adventure. 

Another highlight in Thailand was an hour ride down the river on a bamboo raft.  My feet got wet as the water splashed. We sat on a small wooden stool.  It was cramped seating but the views made it all worthwhile.  The small, Thai raft guide was quiet and concentrated on the task of rowing us down the river.  We were given cute Thai hats to wear.  The sun was bright that day.

 
 

The rafts were strong even though they didn't look that way.  Little wooden stools were placed on top for us to sit. 

Waiting for the raft in my Thai hat

An umbrella factory gave us insight to the manual labor involved in the handmade umbrellas.  Ladies were swift in using sharp knives to carve and shape the bamboo.  It was obvious that they had been doing the craft for many years.  The hand painting on the finished top umbrella was really nice.  I was tempted to have a large one shipped home for our yard.

A tribe called the Long Neck Karens lived in a small village outside of Mai Chai.  Anciently, they put gold rings around their necks so that they look less desirable.  The men thought the practice would protect their women.  The practice is still done today. Young female children begin putting the gold rings around their necks at the age of two.  It really gives them a distorted look.  The homes were humble. The handmade craft was available to sell and it was all beautiful.  The ladies talked little and they all seemed to have a nervous giggle as we talked with them about the handmade items.

On our last day in Thailand, we asked our guide to take us to the Mormon Church.  It was hard to find but we got there and took pictures with the missionaries.  The Elders invited our tour guides inside for a look and then they talked to them for a while.