Thailand

Saturday saw us together again after Glenn's biking trip through Switzerland and Bec's gourmet trip through India. We met at the (not so)New World Hotel which, with its blue tiled bathroom and single-channel TV, was strangely comfortable.

We set off to walk through Wat Pho to try and get a massage but couldn't find the place we were looking for and ended up visiting the enormous reclining Buddha. The Buddha is huge and it's impossible to get it all in a photo given the closeness of the walls around it.

The reclining Buddha

Sunday saw us in a tuk-tuk heading to Chatachuk markets for some hard core shopping. We drew plenty of giggles from the locals when, due to lack of change-rooms, Glenn had to try on the fake Levi's in the middle of the market stall. His boxer shorts were a hit. Not to be outdone in the embarrassment stakes, the following conversation relates to Bec trying to buy a skirt in the same market:
Bec: Can I try this skirt on please?
Shop lady: What size you?
Bec: Uh, small, I think.
Shop lady: (giggles and looks pointedly at Bec's hips)You try on extra large.
Bec: (cough, splutter) What about medium?
Shop lady: No, you extra large.
Bec tries on the medium and the extra large and scurries off with her tail between her legs after purchasing the XL size. Thai women are very tiny.

We took another tuk-tuk back to the hotel but were forced to throw some money at the driver and get out when we realised we were on our way to visit another gem shop. Got back to the hotel just in time to get a taxi to the train station for the overnight train to Chiang Mai.

Monks in a tuk-tuk

Monday morning we awoke on the train just outside of Chiang Mai. The night was fairly comfortable and we then transferred via song thaew to our hotel and then set out on foot to see some of the temples of Chiang Mai. Most of the temples were fairly modern and we bought a painting from one of the market stalls there. We had intended being on time to have a chat with the novice monks about their life and religion but it didn't work out time wise. Every day the monks make themselves available to talk to tourists as a way of helping them to learn English and helping the tourists to understand Buddhism.

Temples of Chiang Mai

We then took another song thaew out to the more rural area of Chiang Mai to an orphanage for disadvantaged kids. The fellow who owns the orphanage is a chap called Stanley and he built the orphanage and it surrounding gardens from scratch and tells how some of his kids have gone on to do really great things. One little girl even won a competition for best hand-writing in Chiang Mai!!

Chiang Mai has the most unreal market shopping and after dinner we were into it with much enthusiasm and bargaining relentlessly!! Lesson: if you can't get it at a 'special price', then you need to try harder.