Thailand Day 6 - Phuket

Today was mostly a travel day from Chiang Mai up in the north to the island of Phuket on the west side of Thailand.  It's a tropical paradise in the middle of winter time!  We got into our hotel, the Laguna Beach Resort about 4pm and headed to dinner right away.  After dinner, the kids headed to the beach!
 

Playing in the warm water at sunset...


Grandma was such a good sport - body surfing, playing soccer and swimming with the grandkids!


The 3 children loved playing in the sand again.  It has been a long time since we've been to the beach!

We have had weather advisories from the U.S.consulate in China so we are looking into the possibility of staying here longer to avoid some of the hassles in China; lack of trains, electricity, food, etc. due to huge snowfalls.  We'll see!

Thailand Day 5 - Chiangmai Part II

After lunch at the elephant camp, we climbed aboard a bamboo raft for a float down the river.

They gave us hats for protection from the sun.  Don't we all look dashing in them?




Of course Sophie loved her hat for about 5 minutes, then it was just something to carry.


They made us wear life jackets as we boarded the raft, but after we were out of sight of the dock they said we could take them off.


Peter got a chance to pilot the boat down the river which he really enjoyed!

While Peter was the man on front, Jack got to be the man on back.


As we were floating by, we got a good look at another set of elephants being washed down.

We saw some very inviting houses on the side of the river, including this one with a waterfall next door.


Here was the 'Girl's Boat'.  Sue, Sophie and Linda on their float.

After an hour or so on the river, we got back into the van and headed for a local monkey training farm.  They train macaques to climb up coconut trees and knock down the coconuts.  It's much easier and safer for monkeys to do it, than humans.  A fully trained monkey costs about 100,000 baht, or about $3,000 US.


During the  monkey demonstration, Peter and Jack were both chosen to have a monkey sit on their laps.  Which one is the monkey?  I can't tell.


This monkey did an underwater swimming demonstration.  I thought he looked particularly pitiful as he was trying to warm up in the sun.


This beautiful bright orange tree is called "Frame of the Forest", and only blooms like this once a year, during January and February.


There was also an orchid and butterfly garden in the same compound.  By this time it was getting near dinner time and we were ready to eat!








OK, so this guy isn't a butterfly, but he held still long enough for me to take his picture.



We were all starting to get tired but we had one stop left to make, a
Next we stopped at village of hill tribes, where rice was being planted, and crafts and other wares were being made and sold.

This hemp skirt takes about 8 months to dye and weave!


A sample of the local embroidery.


... and workers in the field planting rice.


One of the interesting tribes here is the Patong tribe, who practice the custom of inserting rings around their necks to push down their collarbones and elongate their necks.  In the past, their women would be stolen by other tribes, so they did this to make their woman unattractive to other tribes.  Once they are put on, they are never taken off, not to bathe or sleep!




Even the young girls start to wear them, starting at around age 5.


Their outdoor schoolhouse for the primary grades.
  

More of the Patong village women...


It sure looks inconvenient and uncomfortable, but they don't seem to mind!






Sue, trying her hand at being a Patong woman.


Here's a nice garden - crops for 1 family.


Jack and I, harvesting some bananas.
 

This little boy looks pretty good with the slingshot, and he's barely 2 years old!


The boys each bought wooden crossbows which they LOVE, including wooden darts.  The rest of the family has voted that they should go in my suitcase.   Hmm...




Sophie thought the slingshots looked interesting, so she was figuring out how to use one.


"Hey these are fun!  Do you have any windows around here?"


"Can I shoot one of your chickens?"
 

Peter and Jack bought their crossbows from this couple.  The woman has solid silver earrings inserted in her ears.  In old times, they would store opium there.
 



At last, it was time to say farewell to this village and head back to our hotel.


We were definitely some hungry, tired adventurers after this long day!

Thailand Day 5 - Chiangmai Part I

We started our day in Chiangmai, where we had a restful night at the Puripunn Boutique Hotel (www.puripunn.com) 


The breakfast buffet was fairly small given the number of people there were to eat it, but we made do, and waited for our guide to pick us up...

Grandpa and Peter listening to some tunes together while they wait...


Our first stop was the Maeteman Elephant Camp, where we got to get up close and personal with the elephants.  There are many opportunities to buy bananas and sugar cane to feed to the elephants. This one was also available for pictures!
 





The elephants, with those big trunks were very aggressive about taking the food that we had for them. 


This one gave Jack a little ride on his snout. 


And the trainer let Peter get on an elephant's back.

Success!

The elephants put on a small show for us, but before the show, they all had a bath in the river which was so fun to watch!  You could tell it was something they really enjoyed!
 

Some scenes from the show...


This elephant painted a picture of... an elephant! 


Wow!  This is a better elephant than I could draw!


Peter got to feed one of the stars of the show some sugar cane.  Watch out Peter!


Next, it was off to do an elephant trek through the jungle.  Here's Jack and Grandpa crossing the river on elephant-back.




After the river was a steep incline.  Hang on!


Off go Linda and Peter into the jungle...


Here's a view of the valley and the elephant camp, framed by banana leaves...


Some of the thick vegetation!


The trainer let Jack get out of the harness and sit on the elephant bare-back. Jack was thrilled!


Sue, Sophie and I were on another elephant, and we tossed a bundle of sugarcane down to a searching snout.  He sure knew we had some food!


Now we're back down into the valley again, where we jumped off of the elephants and did some shopping...


This local villager saw Sue coming a mile away!


Sophie also found a friend!  She manhandled this little kitten for awhile...


Don't worry, I'm sure it's had all its shots!


Peter, getting a bracelet tied on by this beautiful village woman.


Next, we left the village by oxcart to meet up with our guide.


Fabulous scenery on this day of perfect weather.


Here come Linda, Randy and Jack in their oxcart, back into the elephant camp.


Yes, this was all BEFORE LUNCH!  Since this entry is getting so long, I'll continue on the next blog!

Thailand Day 4 - Chiangmai

After a 1 hour flight from Bangkok to Chiangai we checked into a wonderful hotel called the Puripunn, a boutique hotel with 30 rooms and a gorgeous garden setting, in a very quiet neighborhood.  They even brought in a crib for Sophie complete with its own mosquito netting, which she's very excited about sleeping under!  Well appointed rooms...


... and teak hardwood floors.

A view out of the hallway window.
 

The pool area was nice, and it was a warm day, so it looked very inviting.


The pool house area where drinks, etc. could be ordered.


There was a pond out in front of the lobby where the kids caught boatloads of tadpoles, and even one full-sized frog!


The overgrown jungle like path to our room.
 

Some of the local flora...






While Sue and Randy went for a massage, Linda and I stayed by the pool and watched the kids splash around.  The pool was COLD but of course the kids didn't mind!  They got me to go in for a SHORT dip, which was very... refreshing.
 

In the evening, we went out to one of the local night markets, where all kinds of trinkets and knock-offs can be had after a round of hard bargaining.

Bikini, anyone?


... or perhaps a lantern to light the way?


Here's how I generally feel about this kind of food...


Or, how about a hat made out of aluminum cans?  Very pro-environment!


Rows upons rows of candy, also available!

Tomorrow, we're off to elephant rides, rafting, butterflies, and who knows what else!  We're so lucky to be here rather than home in Hangzhou where it is snowing heavily right now, and traffic, airports and electricity are all affected!

Thailand Day 3 - Bangkok

Today we had the chance to go to the Bang-Pa In Palace, a palace grounds built by the 5th king of Thailand (they are currently on their 9th king).  The grounds were manicured and everything clean and sparkling.

The scent of plumeria was in the air, as well as many other types of flowers.




We weren't allowed to take photographs inside the palace itself so I had to sneak this one of the reds and golds from outside.


Outside of the palace building.


Some of the artwork, depicting Chinese influence.


... and a watch tower on the grounds, that Sue, Sophie and I climbed.
 

... a view from the Watch tower window.


... again from the watchtower window, looking back at the palace of King Rama 5.


Sophie likes to entertain herself by munching on Grandma's gold necklace.  Maybe she's not getting enough vitamins!

 

Afterwards, Sue bought us some bananas to tide us over until lunch, and our tour guide, Pat, bought us some fried bananas and tarot.

Next it was off to a temple grounds that was built more than 300 years ago, and then burned and marauded by other countries.  Here's some artwork we saw on the way in...

The temple grounds were all built out of brick.  Work is underway now to restore these grounds but there's a long way to go.


In old times, people would come steal the heads off of the Buddha statues, but this one was to big to carry off, so it was left here, where the roots of a Banyan tree grew around it!


Another Buddha acting as a sentry to the temple behind.


There were many of these structures on the temple grounds, together with the nice weather and flowering trees made it very pleasant!


Here are the 3 boys, starting to slow down after a lot of walking and sight-seeing.

Linda, enjoying the sights!


As we were traveling along the street, we saw an elephant walk by with (presumably) a tourist on board.


These temples were once covered in gold, however marauders came and burned them which melted off all the gold.  It must have been something when they were in their prime!


Everyone is starting to melt, so it's time for a little coconut milk refresher.


More delicious smelling Plumeria...


Sue climbed the STEEP steps of one of the structures...


From the top of the stairs, we could see this building which houses the biggest Buddha statue in Thailand.


As we made our way there, Sue posed in front of this Plumeria tree.


We found a vendor selling these small finches.  The custom is to let the finches go as an offering to Buddha and a promise to behave well towards others.


Sophie was excited to open the door of the cage to let the birds out.


The tallest statue of Buddha stands about 50 feet high.  Quite an impressive sight!
 

There were other smaller Buddha images around the temple.  You can buy sheets of gold leaf and pound them onto the Buddha statues yourself.


Some of the Buddha statues... 

Here's Jack, taking a break on one of the bridges over a canal.

Next, we climbed aboard a boat on the Chao Phraya river, the main river through Bangkok that serves as transportation of goods and people and is a very busy place.  Many people live along the Chao Phraya, and we started a ways outside of Bangkok where there were some little houses.

Sue and Sophie enjoying the breeze on the top deck of the boat.


A colorful speedboat with a small residence in the background...
 

Here's goofy Peter, sniffing Sue's Plumeria flower just a little too hard...


... and mischievous little Sophie!



A couple more temples along the river.  There are 400 temples in Bangkok alone, and more than 35,000 in Thailand!


A colorful little ferry passing us by...


Some housing along the river, as we get closer to the city.


Here's the shot of a hotel in the distance.  I liked the uniformity of all of the rooms - such a contrast to the picture above! 
 

Another speedboat passing us by in the late afternoon.
 

... and looking back down the river.  The white building in the center in the distance is the Sheraton Royal Orchid, our splendid hotel on the river!

Thailand Day 2 - Bangkok

The Salt Flats

We started off leaving the hotel today for a day of touring.  Of course no day can start without giving Grandpa a big smooch first!


We saw some roadside stands selling salt, about $1 us per bag.


Here's a big pile, before it's bagged.


The seawater is pumped about 10km, then it dries in the sun for about 30 days in winter, 20 days in summer.


Raking the salt, preparing it for harvesting.


Walking across the salt ponds, balanced precariously on some boards laying across the canals.
 

Hot, dirty work!  The men work out in the hot sun all day.  It's about 85 degrees - I can't imagine what it might be like in the summertime!

 

Coconut Demonstrations

Next, we were off to a coconut demonstration.  The boys were shown how to get to the top of a coconut tree using a simple pole ladder, so they both had to have a go.


The fires were stoked to boil down parts of the coconut palm to make butter and coconut sugar.  Yum!


Boiling down the coconut sugar mixture...


Peter and Jack had a try at scraping meat out of a coconut.  Peter did more eating than scraping!


Jack ate some too.  Hey Jack - you missed your mouth!


Linda and Peter doing some shopping for finished products!


Got to keep Grandpa well fed on our journey!

Bangkok Floating Market

Next, it was off to the Bangkok Floating market by speedboat.  We worked our way through a network of floating canals to the market.



The boats use truck engines, and a prop sticks out far from the boat to avoid hitting the shallow bottom.


A view down one of the canal waterways...


This young girl was swimming in the canal.  After we saw some of the wildlife in Thailand, we now think she was crazy! (see below!)


One of the speedboats such as we were riding roared by...


People live all along the canals; here's a sample of the housing available.


You can conveniently shop right from your boat if you wish!


And here's the giant floating market, with wares on land and boat both!  Plenty of shopping to do here!
 

Peter and Jack at the floating market, enjoying the warmth and the sun!


Randy had bought some post cards from the local kids, and he tried to sell the cards back to this kid as a joke.  The kid was definitely not interested in buying back souvenirs!

The Snake Show

For those of you squeamish about snakes, this section will cure you!  We saw a snake show that would make your heart stop!  It almost did mine!  First, Peter and Jack had a nice hug from a boa constrictor.


Next, we saw this man dodge the bite of a cobra - scary!  Cobras are native to Thailand, along with many other types of snakes.  So the girl that was swimming in the canal (above) was extra brave!


A demonstration of milking the venom from the cobra...
 

The cobra was brought around to the audience for us to touch.  Touching a cobra is supposed to bring good luck.


I didn't hear what type of snake this was, but it was very aggressive.  The performer had to dodge very quickly to avoid being bitten.  The snake below is in mid-strike as he dodges out of the way.


Here's the business end of a python.


They held a net around his mouth so you can see his fangs. 

The Rose and Orchid Garden

Now, on to something tamer - we ate lunch at a gorgeous rose and orchid garden; the kids played in one of the sprinklers and had a great time getting wet in the heat of the day.
 

Then Jack used Grandpa as his own personal towel to dry himself off.

Some of the beautiful flowers in the garden...




Peter with Grandma and Grandpa.

The Elephant Farm

We also visited the elephant farm at the gardens where we were able to get up-close and personal with them!  Here's Sophie putting banana in one of their trunks.
 

Peter and Jack fed this female some bananas as they were waiting in line to ride one.


... and here they are up on the elephant!

Linda, Sophie and Sue also got a chance to ride.

The elephants performed some stunts such as walking over their keepers...

... and letting loose with a torrent of pee.


Here's a closeup of the elephant pee in case the last one wasn't close enough for you.  It appears this elephant is well hydrated:

Peter and Jack were duly impressed with the volume of pee produced, and also the size of the elephant penis!

Sophie found a baby water buffalo to make friends with.


We also saw a variety show that included, among other things, Thai dancing.  Here are two women demonstrating...
 

Finally, Sophie playing with her toy after going all day.  What a ball of energy!  She did sleep briefly in the car, however.

Yes, we did all of these things above in ONE DAY.  We will all sleep well tonight!

Thailand Day 1 - Bangkok

After a 5 hour flight from Shanghai to Bangkok we pulled into the Sheraton Royal Orchid Hotel about 2pm.  It's a gorgeous hotel right on the edge of the river. 

The weather here is tropical, about 85 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lots of flowers and greenery. What a nice change it was from the freezing temperatures of Hangzhou and Shanghai!


After dropping our bags, we took to the streets to get our first taste of Bangkok!  I love the interesting Thai script!
 

Peter, Jack and Randy - it is sure nice to see Randy and Linda again!  The kids were in 7th heaven to see their grandparents again!


Sophie in front of some flowers next to the hotel, and Peter stuffing his mouth with watermelon in January!
 

Sue also enjoyed some tropical fruit!


Linda and Peter exploring the streets - Linda protected Peter from the traffic so he could keep his attention focused on that watermelon!


A woman bargaining for a ride in a tuk-tuk taxi.


We wandered into a neighborhood that was all about recycled auto parts, and auto parts stores.  I don't think this truck is going anywhere soon!



Peter, marvelling at all of the sights...


We stopped at a little Buddhist shrine and this man was dancing and jumping all over to entertain Sophie.  She loved it!
Amazing how high he could jump - he was something of an acrobat!


More of that interesting Thai script on a street sign.

We jumped into a little tuk-tuk taxi ourselves and asked the driver to take us for a little spin.  Here are some shots from the street.  If you want to get the full effect, breathe in some diesel fumes as you look at this picture!


At this little Buddhist shrine, Sue stopped to pay her respects.  Sophie is kneeling in front of her.
 

We sat by the river and watched the sunset, having a drink in the 80+ degree weather.  Wonderful!






Randy took Jack to a foot massage that they both really enjoyed. 
 

We see them here completely relaxed after their massages and ready to take on Bangkok!

Leaving Winter Behind

We took the train to Shanghai today and the boys were playing Gameboy together during the ride.  This 7 year old Chinese boy came over and looked longingly over their shoulders so we brought out Sue's and let him play some games against Peter and Jack.  In the interests of international harmony they even let him win a couple of times!

Sue gave Sophie a taste of the coffee that was served on board.  Why would she ever give Sophie coffee?  I don't KNOW!  Sophie has got caffeine in her veins as a part of her personality!

There were no taxis when our train unloaded, so we hung out at the train station and had a meal while we waited for crowds to disperse.  Finally we got a cab and 150 quai later we were at our hotel.  It is nice but the only thing nearby is the airport.  Not very interesting since it's so far from the city but very comfortable and western.