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. 

Shanghai

A fishing village near our timeshare in Shanghai.  We caught a bus every day in this little town.

Our timeshare cabin in Shanghai.  We stayed here for 5 days.

 The grounds of our time-share resort

The village where our time-share was located

This is how the trash is collected in the farming village outside of Shanghai.

Trash collector on wheels

 I fell in love with the people in the local farming area as we rode the bus everyday. 

I took advantage of the shoe shiners.  One on each foot shining my shoes.

A famous bridge, Fangsheng, in the water town

This was a water town named, Zhujiajiao.  Here you can see the many shops. 

 

 

water park inside the timeshare

Jade Buddha inside the Jade Buddha Temple

Window washers in the Museum of Science and Technology

Downtown Shainhai

Champs Elysees or Chinese Nanjing Street

 More pictures of Shanghai at night - very beautiful

 A view of Shanghai from the Science and Technology Museum

 Modern art is all over Shanghai

Pete having fun wit one f the statues

Another courtyard inside a Buddhist Temple

 Many different types of Buddahs

 

Jelly Fish inside the famous Aquarium of Shainghai

Feeding the fish at the aquarium

Park in Shanghai all decked for Chinese New Year 

Another display at the park

The Bund at night

The Bund in the day.  The tall spiral is the famous Pearl of Shanghai

water town was like a Chinese Venice

Shanghai at night as we walked down the street - very beautiful and modern

This is the Murdoch's home.  We stayed in the guest house building next to them.  It was a great hotel and it was fun to be with some BYU teachers.

 View from the top of the famous Pearl in Shanghai

 The glass floor looking to the ground below

The famous Pearl of Shanghai located on the Bund

Shanghai is a beautiful modern city with some great museums.  The bund is beautiful at night because all the buildings are lit with vibrant colors.  Some change designs.  We traveled across the river at night on the ferry. We enjoyed walking along the boardwalk while enjoying the views of the beautiful city across the river.  Our friends, the Murdochs, entertained us well.  They fed us at their home and toured with us.  We learned how to use the Shanghai subway system while we were with them. 

The subway was always crowded