Travelogue

Camping in Red Rock CanyonAlthough 2 ½ hours longer, we decided to take the southern route to Bishop to avoid encountering snow along the mountain passes. I5 south to Bakersfield is a bit monotonous to say the least, but a lot less stressful than the alternatives.

Rather than go the whole way, we decided to stop for the evening at Red Rock Canyon State Park, a desert park we have not been too, known for its reddish desert cliffs, buttes, and spectacular rock formations.

The campground is first-come-first-served, and we were far ahead of the Memorial Day crowd - if there ever is one at this remote park - so we had no trouble getting a nice campsite, set against a backdrop of colorful cliffs. The sites are quite large with a lot of space between them, making for a very pleasant experience.

The Red Cliffs of Red Rock CanyonBefore dinner, we took a stroll around the campground loop, enjoying the colorful rock formations along the way.

The next morning, before continuing on to Bishop, we decided to do a few hikes in the park. We drove the short distance down Highway 14 to the Red Cliffs Natural Preserve, a hikers-only section of the state park.

From the parking lot we set off on the Red Cliffs trail, which was really more of an old jeep road than a trail, with great views of the 300-foot high columnar red cliffs the park is known for and the El Paso Mountains in the distance - oh, and some Joshua Trees along the way. There was a lot of scenery packed into our 2.5 mile out and back hike.

Herb peeking through window along Hagan Canyon TrailSince we had our Subaru Forester, which we now always tow behind the Lazy Daze, we thought it would be fun to do a bit of off-roading in the park. We headed out from the Red Cliffs parking lot on a dirt road through Iron Canyon, but were unable to get too far before being stopped by a gate. Much of the Scenic Cliffs area is closed each year from February 1 to July 1 to protect nesting birds of prey.

So we got back on Highway 14, drove north a bit, and took another dirt road with the hopes of getting to an overlook, marked on the map we had gotten at the Visitor Center. However, trails weren’t marked very well, so after driving for what seemed like far too long, we realized we had overshot our goal. Eventually we found our way back to Highway 14 and headed back to the campground to squeeze in one more hike before the noon-time checkout.

Along the Hagan Canyon TrailWe parked at the Hagan Canyon trailhead right outside the entrance to the campground. It was even shorter than the Red Cliffs hike - only 1 mile - but it too packed a lot of awesome scenery into that distance.

Many cowboy westerns were filmed amongst these beautiful sandstone cliffs and interesting rock formations, such as “Zorro Rides Again", "Law and Order" starring Ronald Reagan, "The Ten Commandments", "Jurassic Park", and "Beneath the Planet of the Apes".

Noon was quickly approaching - time to move our motorhome out of the camping site and move on towards Bishop.

Description

Hagan Canyon TrailRed Rock Canyon is a California state park located 120 miles north of Los Angeles, via I5 and Highway 14, where the southernmost tip of the Sierra Nevada converges with the El Paso mountain range.

The park features reddish desert cliffs and spectacular rock formations with dramatic shapes and vivid colors. Miles of hiking trails meandering through the dramatic landscape of the park. There is also a vast network of dirt primitive roads for 4WDing.

There is a first-come, first-served campground in the park with 50 primitive sites. The sites are spacious and tucked up against the base of the dramatic desert cliffs.

Travelogue

Suvarnabhumi Night MarketToday we began the first leg of our long journey home. We flew from Phuket back to Bangkok and took a taxi to the Golden Jade, a hotel in Suvarnabhumi, close to the airport, and I guess you could call it a “suburb” of Bangkok.

The hotel wasn’t great, and the neighborhood around it wasn’t very appealing either, so we had no great expectations for our last day in Thailand. However, we did have to eat, so we looked on Tripadvisor and found that there were several choices just a little over a half mile west on Lat Kabrang Road.

While we couldn’t find the restaurant we were originally searching for (I think it had closed), we did find a very pleasant outdoor night market with upscale stores and restaurants, as well as numerous food vendors selling very affordable and delicious looking food.

Last item on Lolo's bucket listBy this point, I had an extreme craving for two things: non-Thai food (not that it isn’t wonderful, but I did miss home) and wine (no more Chang beer please). That made our choice for dinner quite obvious - Scoozi Pizza, a pretty fancy looking (white tablecloths Italian restaurant that served wine. I was pretty excited. It was relatively empty, because we were really between meals, as it was only 4:00 pm, but the pizza was quite good and the wine (which could probably have been any form of grape by this time) was exquisite.

While eating, we happened to glance out the window at the wine store next door, to which we were close enough to see the prices of bottles on their shelves. I looked for something familiar and spotted a bottle of Kendall Jackson chardonnay with a price tag of 2500 bahts, which is the equivalent to about $80. Now, I am far from a wine snob, despite living in Sonoma Valley, but our house wine is Kendall Jackson chardonnay, and I buy it at Safeway (after discount) for $8.99. No wonder we hadn’t been drinking wine in Thailand. It is exorbitantly expensive!

Herb enjoyinga beer at the Suvarnabhumi Night MarketAfter our early dinner, we strolled around the market and observed it getting more and more crowded as the dinner hour approached - not with tourists, but with people from local neighborhoods, stopping by to eat or pick up dinner to bring home. This was the closest I had gotten to feeling a similarity to home - a suburban community going, coming home from work, and going out for some socialization and a bite to eat. I could picture this being somewhere in a U.S. city.

Making that feeling of home even stronger, the music being played was classic rock from the 80s. Herb and I sat out an outdoor bar, had a drink, and people watched. I left briefly to try something that was still left on my Thailand bucket list - drinking straight from a coconut. I was so excited, but soon found out that warm coconut milk is overrated - at least for me. I should have chosen one of the cold coconut smoothies.

It was a much better airport hotel experience than we had anticipated. Every experience in Thailand up to this point had felt so unique and exotic, but there was a certain familiarity in this market that gave us a jump start on our transition back home.

Travelogue

Lolo really enjoying Patong BeachWe were now on the do-it-yourself part of our Thailand trip - no more Udom and his Gate1 flag guiding us through space, no more air conditioned bus delivering us everywhere we needed to go, no more giant buffet meals and luxurious hotels. It was kind of scary but liberating at the same time.

Being on a group tour had far exceeded our expectations, and if we had to do a guided tour, Thailand was definitely the place to do so -- we could never have seen and learned so much doing a trip like this on our own. Still, we are very used to planning our own trips and being on our own, so we were quite excited about spending three additional days in Thailand, just the two of us.

The Gate1 tour was centered around cities, temples, and culture, which was great. However, we wanted to end it with some natural beauty, relaxation, and fun. After some research, we chose to add three days onto our trip and spend them on the beautiful island of Phuket.

After spending a good half day finding flights, a hotel, transportation from the airport, and things to do, we had a new-found appreciation for all the planning that Gate1 had done for us on our 11-day tour. It probably would have taken us 11 days of planning to have pulled that off on our own.

Day 1 - Travel to Phuket

Patong BeachAfter checking out of Le Meridien Chiang Mai, Udom accompanied us on the bus to the Chiang Mai airport to make sure we had no glitches boarding our flight back to Bangkok. Rather than fly back to Bangkok with us, he was continuing on with the part of our group that had signed up for additional days in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. As much as we loved our Gate1 tour in Thailand, we were glad that we hadn’t signed up for more. 11 days was just about right.

Rather than staying in Bangkok for the night, as the rest of the group was, and then coming back to the Bangkok airport the next morning, we had arranged to fly directly to Phuket that same afternoon.

It was a long day, but we arrived at the Charm Resort Phuket, our home for 3 nights, in time to take a sunset walk along the beach, which was only a block away.

After so many days rushing around crowded, smoggy cities, it was nice to just relax and take in some fresher air and ocean breezes.

Day 2 - Relaxing on Patong Beach, sipping cocktails in the hotel pool, and checking out the action on Bangla Road

Infinity pool at the Charm Resort in PhuketWow! A day totally to ourselves where we could lie guiltlessly in a lounge chair without a single planned activity in sight.

Armed with kindles and towels, we walked the short distance to Patong Beach, where for about the equivalent of $20, we rented lounge chairs and umbrellas for the day. It was extremely hot, but the water was refreshingly delightful.

Bangla RoadLater that afternoon, we switched venues to the hotel’s rooftop pool, where we sipped tropical drinks while watching the sun set over the Andaman Sea. It was really quite lovely - very different from our usual travels in a motorhome.

That evening, after dinner and at a restaurant called No. 9, Herb suggested we take a walk along Bangla Road, which is Patong’s infamous nightlife district. Despite its notoriety, I had never heard of it, so it was quite an eye-opening experience. At least it was more pedestrian-friendly than anything we had encountered in Thailand so far, as the road is closed to vehicle traffic at night.

It was quite a scene - neon lights, loud music, go go bars, pole dancers, street performers, and vendors touting ping pong shows (which I don’t want to go into). It certainly was an interesting place to people watch.

Day 3 - Tour of James Bond Island and cave kayaking tour

Phuket has a large Muslim population compared to the rest of Thailand, which is predominantly Buddhist. Our hotel was located near a mosque, so every morning before sunrise, we were awoken to the beautiful and haunting sounds of the morning call to prayer. No need for an alarm clock, as long as this was the time we wanted to get up.

Our James Bond Island TourFortunately, today we did want to get up early because we were expecting to be picked up at our hotel for our big excursion to James Bond Island and kayaking through sea caves. At least, we hoped we were going to be picked up. Things had gotten a little confusing yesterday when we called to confirm our reservation, which we had made through Viator.com a few weeks back.

First of all, they were supposed to call us to confirm, but they didn’t. When we called them, they kind of gave us the impression that they had no intention of calling us to tell us that the boat we were supposed to go on didn’t have enough people signed up to go out. They then tried to change us to another day, which wouldn’t work for us, before finally saying that they would switch our reservation to another outfitter. It didn’t exactly give us a warm and fuzzy.

Enjoying being kayaked around beautiful Phang Nga BayHowever, at 7:30 sharp, a van did pick us up at our hotel and bring us to the Kong Khien Pier on the other side of the island, where we would start our adventure. The scene at the pier was utter chaos, with hundreds of people being lined up and somewhat randomly loaded onto about half a dozen boats. We sincerely hoped we were on the right tour.

It was, and soon we were cruising out to beautiful Phang Nga Bay, which is home to over 100 islands, each more beautiful than the next. Our goal later in the day would be the James Bond Island (Khao Ping Kan), a major tourist attraction ever since it was featured in the 1974 Bond movie, “The Man with the Golden Gun.” Fortunately, the island is now under the protection of Ao Phang Nga National Park, or it would be completely overrun.

But first, we had some sea caves to explore. I had thought when we signed up for this trip, that we would be doing the paddling, but instead we were loaded up in pairs onto inflatable kayaks with someone to paddle for us. I guess exercising while in Thailand just wasn’t meant to be.

Sea cavesIt was still fun though weaving in and out of the stalactite and stalagmite formations and limestone caves. Fortunately, the tide was low enough for us to squeeze through without too much contorting. I can imagine that you can get in a bit of trouble on your own if you get caught on the wrong side of the caves when the tide comes in.

Our paddler was lots of fun and always smiling. He even took a corny picture of us through a leaf he pulled out of his pocket that had a heart frame cut out of it.

After kayaking, we were treated to a delicious buffet lunch on the boat, which was actually freshly cooked on board. Once lunch was complete, we pulled up anchor and headed towards the main event - James Bond Island.

Since the island is under national park protection, no big boats are allowed to go too close to the island. Instead, we were transferred to one of the many long-tail boats anchored nearby that were authorized to deliver tourists to the island.

James Bond IslandIf I thought this morning’s loading of the cruise boats was chaotic, this was insane. Boarding and unboarding the long tails required climbing up on and balancing oneself along the gunnels of the boat, with barely anything to hold on to. There were small children, grandmas, Muslim women in full-length black garments and veils, and people of all shapes and sizes tightroping their way to the front of the boat. It was amazing no one fell in the water.

Herb and I are not big on tourist traps, and that is exactly what this was. It was beautiful enough - a really cool rock formation that rises out of the water, slim at the bottom and big on top, but we had seen many other small islands on the cruise over, just as interesting. However, what those were missing was the aura of James Bond. Needless to say the island was full of souvenir shops and hordes of people.

Long-tail boats to get on James Bond IslandOnto the next event with safety precautions thrown to the wind - anchoring and swimming off Koh Hong Island. Jellyfish, some of which can be quite nasty, are often found in these waters, but our faithful crew peeked over the gunnels and said they didn’t see anyway. Oh, ok. Then it must be fine.

While most of us just jumped in and hung around near the back of the boat, Herb and a young couple from Germany decided to swim to shore, about ½ mile away. I think Herb swam a lot longer than that because the was doing backstroke and veering off too far to the right. Rather than do the hypotenuse of a triangle, he was doing its two sides.

Herb meets ladyboys aboard James Bond boatOn his way back, unbeknownst to us at the time, Herb was stung by a jellyfish, which left a series of red lines across his arm. I was quite concerned and asked the crew what he should do. “Don’t worry,” they said. “If it was the bad kind he would be crying in pain by now.” Well, that was comforting. With my persistence for them to do something, they rubbed some some stuff on his arm that looked entirely too much like soy sauce. Herb was a real trooper though. I would have been much more dramatic.

As we were returning to port, the crew had one last surprise for us - ladyboys - not exactly the attractive, flamboyant kind we had seen in the Chiang Mai night bazaar, but rather two crew members with flowery dresses and balloons for breasts. They put on quite a show though, shaking it up for the men on board. It was hysterical.

I’d have to say, it was really a fun day and well worth the cost, which I believe was about $90 each.

Travelogue

Day 1 - Arrival and Night Bazaar

Ladyboys in the Chiang Mai night bazaar After our visit with the Karen Long Neck people, we continued on to Chiang Mai where we would be spending the next three nights at another luxurious hotel - Le Meridien Chiang Mai. I could really get used to this.

We were totally on our own for the rest of the day, a welcome respite from the sensory overload of so many new experiences and a way to recharge ourselves for more. Some time in the hotel fitness center running on a treadmill and a dip in the pool did just that.

Herb followed this with his traditional late afternoon two-pack of Chang beer from a nearby 7-Eleven. I neglected to mention the ubiquitousness of 7-Elevens in Thailand. There are over 8,000 of them. You literally can’t walk a tenth of a mile in a Thailand city without passing one.

We were on our own for dinner that night, so we consulted the Gate1 packet we had been given for a restaurant recommendation in Chiang Mai and then looked how they were rated on Trip Advisor. Everyone seemed to love Lemongrass.

The recommendation was spot on. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. The only negative was that neither the wine or the IPA on the menu (both of which I was craving at this point) were unavailable, and I was getting pretty sick of Chang beer.

After dinner, we decided to walk through the nearby night bazaar, a very popular concept in Thailand’s cities. Every evening around 6:00, hundreds of vendors set up their stalls along the sidewalks near the intersection of Chang Khlan Road and Loi Khro Road. For the next five hours, hordes of locals and tourists flood the market searching for bargains on everything from hand-tailored Thai silk to designer purses to jewelry to CDs and DVDs to tacky souvenirs. Herb bought a really cute pair of silk boxer shorts with elephants all over them. I tried to keep a straight face when he was haggling over their price.

Fish spa anyone?The night bazaar was quite a scene, not your typical night at the mall in New Jersey.

First difference - ladyboys. As we wandered through the bazaar we noticed a couple of very beautiful flamboyantly dressed ladies - complete with low cut gowns, feathers, super high heels, the works. At first we thought they were prostitutes, but then realized they were ladyboys, or katoeys (meaning third gender) as they are called in Thailand. Ladyboys are well integrated into Thailand society and widely accepted amongst the people. They were gorgeous. We took a picture of one as she approached us, but she stopped us from taking any more without paying for the privilege first.

The second difference from NJ malls - fish spas. That’s right. People actually pay 300 Baht (about $10) to place their feet in a giant fish tank so that toothless garra rufa fish can nibble the dead skin tissue off their feet. Yuck! Udom actually warned us against doing this because one of his previous clients wound up in the hospital with an infection from an unhygienic tank.

From long neck women to ladyboys - another interesting day had come to a close. Tomorrow, elephants!!

Day 2 - Elephant Kingdom and more free time

Lolo bathing the elephantsAnother day, another ethical challenge as a tourist, and rationalizing that the elephants truly are better off because of tourism.

As commercial logging is slowing being outlawed in Southeast Asia, many elephants are being forced into early retirement. Without the income from logging, their owners can’t afford to keep or support them, so they have to go somewhere else or they will die. There just isn’t enough acreage in the wild to support the Thailand elephant population.

There are really only two options for them: an elephant sanctuary or an elephant camp. The difference is that a sanctuary is a true “retirement community” for the elephants, while in a camp, elephants are still well cared for, but they continue to be trained to entertain tourists.

Today, we would be visiting the Elephant Kingdom, where we would get to bathe, feed, and ride an elephant - in other words, an elephant camp. Udom assured us that these elephants were treated very well here and would die without places like this to feed and care for them. It reminded me a bit of the dilemma the long neck people were in. What about creatures that weren’t exotic or entertaining enough to earn a living through tourism. I guess their fate was much worse.

Washer or washee?Gate1 is such a big force in Thailand, that the Elephant Kingdom has a separate area devoted just to Gate1 tours, with 3 mahouts (trainers) and 4 elephants (one of them a rambunctious toddler).

Our first interaction with the elephants was giving them a bath in the river. It was kind of like a car wash, but one where the cars squirted back. It was a bit scary at first, as they are very large animals, but their trainers were in the water with us, making sure no mishaps or tourist stomping occurred, which would be very bad for business.

As with all the Thai people we have met so far, the mahouts were always smiling, possibly because they were getting a chance to use the elephants’ trunks to squirt water on squealing tourists.

Now, that we had cleaned them, it was time to make them lunch. At this point, I was starting to feel a lot less guilty about the elephants’ life in the camp.

Herb atop his pachydermThe mahouts gave us tamarind, salt, and cooked rice and, which we mixed, pounded, and rolled into balls. When the balls were complete, we set off to feed them. You had to be quick, because once the elephant got sight of that ball, if you didn’t offer it up, he was coming for it anyway. That certainly didn’t take long.

It was now time to ride them - the moment I had been anticipating with excitement as well as a healthy dose of fear - these animals were huge!

We got a quick lesson as to how to mount them. Hold onto their ear with one hand, step up on the leg which they have bent for you, grab their skin with the other hand (trying not to pull their hair - yes, they have little hairs covering their skin), and pull yourself up - easier said than done. Then, you’re supposed to place your hands on the knobby bumps on their skull.

I waited and let others try first, including Herb. He did a really good job, forfeiting just a little bit of dignity along the way, before finally majestically (haha) mounting his pachyderm. I tried not to laugh, because I had no idea how my process would go. My attempt wasn’t too bad, but I did receive a little boost from behind by one of the helpers.

The ride was a bit rockier and more precarious than I expected, and I felt quite insecure holding onto nothing but its bumpy knobs as it rocked and swayed along. I kept trying to avoid the temptation of grabbing on to its hair, as I didn’t want to make him angry. We tried to look dignified and in control as our photos were taken.

Lolo mounting her pachydermDismounting was a bit easier than getting on. All we really had to do was clutch an ear and slide down its side.

I do have to admit that we had a lot of laughs watching each others attempts at mounting and dismounting these really large animals. Everyone was such a good sport. I especially give credit to Henri, who was 81 years old. He gave up on the first attempt, but went back for a second and with a little extra help, made it. It was really quite inspirational.

After everyone had gotten a chance to ride, the mahouts brought the elephants forward so that we could pose with them. As we each took a turn standing between two of the larger ones, they poked us with their trunks and even gave wet kisses on our cheeks. It was pretty disgusting. I couldn't wait to wash my face.

The last event of the day, and the one that I found the tackiest, was the mahouts lining up the elephants so that we could offer them tips (dollar bills or bahts) as they reached out and grabbed them with their trunks. They just wouldn’t stop and I felt bad for one woman on our tour that kept being harassed by one until she practically handed over her entire pocketbook.

Herb getting a smoochAs we were leaving, there was a table with the photographs of each of us riding our elephant, set in a frame made from elephant dung - I am serious. Elephant dung is used to make paper products in Thailand. Kind of ironic that toilet paper is also made from dung. Of course, we just had to purchase it. I think it cost something like the equivalent of $10.

Herb and I are not big shoppers, so we skipped the afternoon excursion to Sankampang Street to see demonstrations on how silk, lacquer, silver, wood and bronze handicrafts are made. It was 95 degrees and humid, so instead we got a 2-pack of Chang beer at the 7-Eleven and hung out at the pool.

That evening we were on our own again for dinner, and not feeling terribly creative or adventurous, we went back to Lemongrass, had the same dinner as the night before, and then walked through the night bazaar. I think with all the new and changing stimuli, we needed some sense of routine.

Day 3 - Wat Suan Dok, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, visit to a local jade factory, authentic Thai dinner in a local Chiang Mai family’s home

Wat Suan DokThis was it: the Gate1 finale - our last day of the tour. It was hard to believe it was almost over. It was even harder to believe how much we had seen and experienced in 11 days. It felt like we had been away from home for a month.

Our first stop of the day was the Wat Suan Dok, a 14th century temple of great significance, because it houses a very sacred Buddha relic - a bone believed to be from the shoulder of the Buddha. This sacred relic is enshrined in a large golden chedi (pagoda), surrounded by numerous white chedis that contain the ashes of several generations of the Chiang Mai royal family.

As legend has it, a monk named Sumana Thera from Sukhothai found the shoulder bone and brought it to King Kuene who ruled the Lanna Kingdom in the north (what is today Chiang Mai). When the monk arrived, the bone magically split in two. The smaller piece was enshrined in the Wat Suan Dok, but the king had the larger piece put on the back of a white elephant which was set free to wander wherever it wanted. The elephant chose to take the high road and wandered to the top of Doi Suthep mountain, where it was said to have trumpeted three times and then died.

Ordination of young monks at Wat Suan DokTaking that a divine sign, the King had a Wat built on top of the mountain to house the relic, on the very spot where the elephant had collapsed. Later today we would be following in the footsteps of that elephant to visit the famous Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

Before leaving the Wat Suan Dok thought, we did have the opportunity to watch an ordination ceremony for young monks in the ordination hall. Just like a graduation ceremony in the states, the hall was filled with proud parents and grandparents celebrating this important milestone in a young Thai boy’s life.

Then it was on to our very last temple on our Gate1 tour, the The Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of northern Thailand’s most sacred temples and a beautiful example of northern Thai architecture.

Wat Phrathat Doi SuthepFortunately, unlike the poor elephant that had to trudge up Doi Suthep with the Buddha’s shoulder bone strapped to his back, we got to ride up the steep hill in an air conditioned bus.

When reading about this temple beforehand, I was excited to see that there was a long 306-step staircase to reach the temple complex. Finally, some physical activity I thought - something greatly lacking on a guided tour. However, to my dismay, Udom herded us onto an elevator instead, which scooted us effortlessly to the temple complex on top.

From the outer terrace which was dotted with shrines and monuments, including one of the white elephant that carried the Buddha relic, we passed a lizard-like guardian dragon and entered an inner terrace and followed a walkway that circumnavigated a 79-foot tall golden chedi, within which was the Buddha’s shoulder bone.

Inner Terrace of Wat Phrathat Doi SuthepIt was quite crowded with people stopping to leave lotus blossoms and other offerings at various shrines along the way. Each of the shrines had a Buddha statue with a particular pose and hand gesture. Each pose represents a day of the week, and you are supposed to pay respect to the statue representing the day you were born - something I learned on our brief visit into Myanmar, except that I later found out I making offerings to the Saturday Buddha when I should have been giving my lotus blossoms to the Thursday Buddha.

Based on what we had learned about the Buddha, I’m not sure how much he really cared about my offerings. Herb and I couldn’t help questioning whether this is what he really wanted from his followers. He clearly stated that he did not want to be worshiped and that one should shun the accumulation of material things as a way of seeking happiness. Yet here we were surrounded with glittery gold statues and buildings and people leaving offerings and bowing down before his image, as if he were a god. We would have to ask Udom how the Thai people reconcile this seeming paradox.

Monks about to earn Buddhist merits by climbing stairs to templeWe had some extra time, so I suggested to Herb that we go down the 306-step staircase, so that we could walk back up it like we should have in the first place. Ascending these steps is a way of gaining Buddhist merit. Herb thought it was kind of silly, but he knew better than to try to dissuade me on this.

The balustrade of the staircase was a beautiful tiled mosaic water serpent (“naga”) that ran along its entire length. Besides representing a bridge between the earth and the sky, a naga is a sacred being believed to bring good luck.

So down we went, passing many monks on their way up, earning their merit points. Once at the bottom, we turned around and started back up again. I don’t think you get merit for just descending.

Along the way, there were little girls dressed in traditional Thai costumes. I stopped to take a photo of one really adorable one, who immediately held out her hand and said “money,” an English word that the children of Thailand have seemed to master.

Another favorite little Thai girlOnce we had completed the folly of going down stairs, just so we could go up them, and then down them again, we met up with the rest of our tour group who had more sensibly taken the elevator down. They might have thought we were crazy, but we had earned Buddhist merit points and naga good luck.

Once that Udom had us all gathered together again, we walked a short distance down the road to Orchid Jade, a jade factory where he had arranged for us to have a tour. From the moment we were offered fancy cookies and coffee, I knew this was not going to be a tacky gift shop. The jewelry and figurines were absolutely beautiful. My particular favorites were the carved elephants, but even the tiny ones were over $100. I looked at this stop as more of a museum visit than a shopping trip.

That evening, for our closing event, we gathered together at a local Chiang Mai family’s home to have an authentic Thai dinner. Herb and I wondered how they were going to accommodate such a large group, but when the bus pulled up in front of their beautiful teak home, we knew it would not be a problem.

Our fellow travelers at our final dinner togetherOur hosts were lovely. They spoke English perfectly. The son, who was now in his late 20s had gone to high school in Los Angeles, so he very much knew all the idioms and expressions that a typical American teenager would. Many children of wealthy Thai families go to high school in the United States. They were quite affluent and well connected it seemed, as there were photos of them with the royal family.

The food was delicious and the tour of their home afterwards was quite interesting. They even gave us some home-made curry paste to take home.

It was a lovely way to conclude our time together.

Travelogue

Day 1 - Wat Rong Khun (The White Temple)

Roadside Reclining BuddhaToday would be an even longer driving day than yesterday, over 6 hours, and with more mountainous twists and turns.

Udom was constantly making sure that we were happy and comfortable along the way. Part of that task involved finding suitable restrooms, which apparently got more and more challenging as we ventured into the rural northern part of the country. Rather than Western style toilets with toilet paper, most of Thailand uses a toilet hose, or as it is affectionately referred to, a “bum gun.” I won’t get into the sordid details, as I’m sure “bum gun” creates a vivid enough visual image. I followed Udom’s sage advice and tucked some tissues in my pocket.

About two hours north of Sukhothai, we made our first Buddha stop of the day. I am convinced that you could devote a lifetime to visiting each Buddha in Thailand and never finish the task. After all, there are over 33,000 Buddhist temples in Thailand.The only thing equally ubiquitous are portraits of the king.

White Temple of Chiang RaiThis particular Buddha was a huge reclining Buddha, in the same pose as the famous golden one we had seen in Bangkok’s Wat Pho.

Udom explained that each Buddha pose and accompanying hand gestures has a significance related to an important event in his life. A reclining Buddha depicts the last moments of his final life on earth, before entering Nirvana. In this pose, the Buddha is always depicted lying on the right hand side on top of a resting table. As with many depictions of the Buddha, this one’s features were quite delicate and feminine.

Back on the bus, Udom announced that we would be stopping for lunch in a few hours at a restaurant on the shores of Kwan Phayao, Thailand’s largest freshwater lake. As I’ve mentioned before, Udom just oozes with love and pride for his country, so he was quite excited to show off a bit of Thailand’s natural beauty at this popular resort.

Lolo crossing the bridge of the "cycle of rebirth";After being in cities for the previous week, we too were anxious for some non man-made attractions. Unfortunately, March is the time of the year when farmers burn their rice fields to prepare for the next planting, so the air was so thick with smoke and haze that the lake and surrounding mountains were hardly visible. Plus, it wasn’t all that great for breathing either.

Lunch was good though, and afterwards we took a brief stroll along the waterfront. Unlike the lakes we are used to in the states, there was little to no activity out on the water - just a few men fishing along its shores.

Only one more hour on the bus, and we were finally at our main destination for the day - Wat Rong Khun, better known as the “White Temple,” which out of the dozen or so Wats we would visit on our tour, was in my opinion, the most spectacular.

The beseeching hands of the suffering at the White TempleIt was unlike any temple we had seen so far. Everything was a brilliant white, and the pieces of glass embedded in the plaster made the buildings shimmer and sparkle even more in the sunlight. Besides creating a stunningly beautiful effect, the choice of colors and materials had a symbolic meaning as well. White signifies the purity of the Buddha, and glass symbolizes wisdom and self-reflection.

"Kinaree"; on the bridge of the "cycle of rebirth";As far as Buddhist wats go, this temple is a baby compared to those we had previously visited in Bangkok, Ayutthaya, and Sukhothai, and quite contemporary and unconventional in style.

The original Wat Rong Khun that was on these grounds was in a bad state by the 1990s, and despite efforts to restore it, the project was canceled due to lack of funds. That’s when a famous Thai visual artist from Chiang Rai, named Chalermchai Kositpipat, stepped in and offered to completely rebuild the temple with his own money. He wanted it to be a center of learning and meditation for the people of Chiang Rai - a very generous gesture on his part.

Today, Wat Rhon Khun is very much a work in progress and is not expected to be completed until the end of the century. Eventually there will be nine buildings, including a meditation hall, an ubosot (ordination hall), a hall to enshrine Buddhist relics, living quarters for monks, and an art gallery.

A major setback occurred in 2014, when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Chiang Rai, badly damaging the White Temple. At first, Kositpipat declared that the damage was so great that the temple would have to be demolished. However, on further inspection, it was determined that the cracked pillars, damaged murals, and broken spires could be repaired, so he forged on. The process took about two years and the damaged buildings have reopened.

Besides being beautiful to look at, every detail of the temple carries meaning and is meant to encourage visitors to reflect on the Buddhist teachings and show the way to escape from worldly temptations, desires, and greed and to focus on the mind instead.

Creepy heads hanging from trees at the White TempleWe started our tour of the temple (and our journey to Nirvana) by crossing the bridge of the “cycle of rebirth,” towards the ubosot, the main building of the temple complex. It was a little unnerving to pass over a pool of upturned, beseeching hands representing the suffering souls destined to hell by their greed and desire. As we proceeded across the bridge, we were symbolically leaving worldly temptations behind and heading towards a state free of desire and suffering.

While crossing the bridge, we ran into two old “kinnaree” (half woman, half bird) friends, like the ones we had seen at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, except these were brilliant white rather than gold and much more ornate and flamboyant. Their role is to watch over the well-being of humans in times of trouble or danger, which I guess we were in until we made it to the other side of the bridge.

We still had a few more demons to pass by before reaching the safety of the ubisot. After crossing the bridge we arrived at the “Gate of Heaven,” guarded by two huge, scary creatures, that represented Death and Rahu, who decides man’s fate. They were wielding some very threatening weapons.

Lolo making friends at the White TempleFinally we stood before the ubisot, which like the other structures in the temple complex was a brilliant white with fragments of reflective glass set into the plaster, sparkling in the afternoon light. Although much more ornate than most Thai temples, it did have the traditional three-tiered roof with lots of serpents and blade-like projections sticking out of it - except this one was a lot more glitzy and gaudy.

Upon entering the temple, we immediately saw why it was so controversial. Rather than covering the walls with scenes from the life of the Buddha, as most temples in Thailand do, Kositpipat chose to use contemporary characters and events from the popular culture of the West to depict good and evil.

The murals of the White Temple are covered with modern cultural icons, such as Batman, Elvis, Superman, Neo from the Matrix, Harry Potter, Angry Bird, and even Hello Kitty. The message was somewhat confusing to me - is Angry Bird evil or just having a bad day? What about Hello Kitty? There are images of 9/11, nuclear warfare, terrorist attacks, and oil pumps all driving home the fact that human beings are evil and destructive.

My biggest regret is that we were not allowed to take photographs inside the temple, because you could literally study the murals for hours and still discover something new.

Fancy urinals at the White TempleOn the back wall there is a golden mural of the Buddha and a few images of the Buddha in front of it. It is this juxtaposition of traditional Buddhist imagery and pop culture that has drawn criticism from the Thai government.

On the temple grounds there was more to perplex our minds - severed heads hanging from trees, a larger-than-life silver and gold robotic type figure that I sat down next to on a bench, and more.

Amongst all the white buildings, there was one golden one that stood out. To our surprise, this ornately decorated building was a restroom. The symbolism of the color is that gold represents the body and is for lay people, while white represents the mind and the enlightened. My unenlightened Herb took a photo in the men’s room of the elaborate golden carvings above four urinals. It was beautiful.

The White Temple had been a truly amazing stop, so exquisite and thought provoking!!

Pool at Le Meridien Chiang RaiRight on time, the Gate1 bus picked us up at the exit and took us to our hotel, Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort, where we would be spending two nights. It probably is the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. It was nice to be in a rural setting for a change, where we didn’t have to experience the sounds and smells of a city - just crickets and the smells of food from the outside BBQ.

The pool was absolutely lovely. It was Happy Hour so I ordered a glass of Chardonnay from the poolside bar - finally, a glass of wine. For awhile there I thought Thailand only had Chang and Singha beer. We live in Sonoma Valley now, so I was starting to have withdrawal.

At dinner, I ordered a second glass, forgetting it was no longer Happy Hour. When I did the math afterwards, I realized that my 500 baht glass of wine was $18 - oops! It was surprising, because everything up to that point had been so inexpensive. In Bangkok $18 got both Herb and I dinner and a Chang beer. Still, the wine was worth it.

Day 2 - Myanmar, lunch at a farm in Thailand, longtail boat to Laos

Border crossing into MyanmarOur Gate1 itinerary had been pretty aggressive already, but today we were going to take it up a notch and throw in a quick dip into Myanmar and Laos. I should have read the itinerary a little closer - I had no idea we would be leaving Thailand.

We departed early for the town of Mae Sai, at the northern-most tip of Thailand, right across the river from Tachileik, Myanmar.

Going into Myanmar was an optional add-on to our tour, but only four in our group decided stay behind in Mae Sai. The rest of us handed over our passports and $40 to Udom, who made the necessary arrangements for us to cross the border. He also gave us strict instructions as to what to do and not do during our brief visit.

Myanmar tuk tuk rideI have to admit that I was a bit nervous as we passed through an entrance gate with the sign “The Republic of the Union of Myanmar” and walked across the bridge over the River Sai past some very stern looking Myanmar Immigration officials into the village of Tachileik. We were immediately struck by the difference in development between Mai Sai and Tachileik. We felt like we were in another world - a “third world.”

As with all Gate1 activities, this one was meticulously orchestrated. A lineup of 10 red and black tuk tuks, which apparently were expecting us, scooted us through the narrow chaotics streets up to a Buddhist nunnery, where we would be treated to a performance of the nuns chanting their morning prayers.

We were escorted to a hall where we Westerners struggled to settle ourselves comfortably on a hard wooden floor, always making sure that our feet did not point towards the nuns and the statue of the Buddha behind them.

Lolo looking devout at a Buddhlist nunneryAbout 15 or so nuns sat facing us on a raised platform. Like Buddhist monks, their heads were shaven, but they wore pink robes rather than the traditional orange we had seen on the monks in Thailand. I am sure they were as fascinated by us as we were with them.

Once everyone was in place, they proceeded to chant their morning prayers. It was quite mesmerizing. I couldn’t help wondering what these girls lives were like. Based on the conditions of the village we had passed through on our tuk tuk ride here, I felt that maybe that had made a good choice.

After they were done chanting, we each had a chance, if we wanted, to sit cross-legged in front of them in the prayer pose to have our photos taken. Fully knowing it was a very touristy thing to do, we did it anyway.

My favorite Myanmar grandmaBack outside the nunnery, our tuk tuk train was faithfully waiting for us to deliver us to our next destination - the street markets, where the people of the village would come each morning to get their food for the day.

It was crowded and we once again found ourselves dodging motorbikes weaving their way through the market, carrying entire families and the contents of their households on them.

We bypassed the meats, fruits, and vegetables and stopped at a stall selling betel quids - meant to be chewed like we Westerners chew gum, except that they are a stimulant and can give you a bit of a buzz. They use it the way we use tobacco or caffeine to get a bit of a pick me up, except this is much more potent.

Herb enjoying his betel juiceWe watched as a merchant laid out a betel leaf, coated it with slaked lime, sprinkled some tobacco and areca nuts on top and then rolled the leaf. They are extremely popular in Southeast Asia and the reason you see many people with teeth stained red from the juice.

Udom said he was buying, but there were only a few takers in our group, Herb and a reluctant me included. As we strolled the market, we began chewing. I thought it was pretty disgusting and after just a minute or two spit it out into a tissue I fortunately had in my pack. There are no public garbage bins in Tachileik - we were on our own. Herb, however, forged on and did admit to getting a bit of a buzz before finally spitting it out.

Back on our tuk tuks we head up a steep hill to the Scwe Dagon Pagoda, a golden stupa used for meditation and rituals as well as a reliquary for the remains of Buddhist monks.

Scwe Dagon Pagoda (Myanmar)Before entering, however, we were exposed to another Burmese tradition, having our faces painted with Thanakha, a yellowish-white cosmetic paste made from ground bark. All the women and girls, and even some men and boys, were wearing it, both for its aesthetics as well as protection from the sun.

I sat still while a woman applied a circular patch on each of my cheeks as well as a stripe down my nose. She even suckered me into buying a bottle to bring home.

As we entered the Pagoda grounds, the woman I bought the Thanakha from pointed me out to a little boy, probably about 6 or 7 years old, who was apparently assigned to escort me through the Pagoda. He was adorable and as little as he was, he struggled somewhat successfully to keep me shaded from the sun by holding an umbrella over my head.

Lolo's little friend helping her through her Buddhist ritualsNot knowing what to do with him, I began, to his dismay, wandering somewhat aimlessly around the pagoda. This was obviously disturbing him, but we had no way of communicating, as he knew no English and my Burmese was even worse.

Finally, sensing our (or more correctly, my) confusion, his mother intervened and asked me what day of the week I was born on. Not knowing the answer, and appearing even more foolish than the two of them probably already thought I was, she consulted a book and told me “Saturday.” I later found out that I was actually born on a Thursday - oh well..

Apparently, it is very important for Burmese Buddhists to know on which day of the week they are born, because this determines at which of the 8 stations (for some reason Wednesday has two) I should perform my spiritual ritual.

Happy now that we had some structure to our wandering, my little friend brought me to the Saturday shrine, where I followed his lead pouring water, laying flowers, etc. Then, for the grand finale, he brought me over to a gong which I got to ring. I think he was anxious to get rid of me.

Herb's farm fresh lunchOur last stop in Myanmar was at their equivalent of a shopping mall, a crowded street lined with vendors selling all sorts of counterfeit goods. We managed to resist the temptation of buying anything, but some of our fellow Gate1 companions did not. I think the most ironic purchase by one of the women on our tour was a Hello Kitty suitcase to hold all the other stuff she was buying along the way.

Walking back across the bridge into Thailand, we felt a collective sense of relief to be back in Thailand, whose modernization and progress we now appreciated even more.

It felt like we had already gotten in a full day of touring, but it was only a little past noon when we crossed back into Thailand. We gathered our Gate1 companions who had remained in Mae Sai during our jaunt into Myanmar and headed off to our next event of the day, which was lunch at a farm, with all locally grown and raised food.

The road into the farm was not meant for giant tour buses, so we were loaded onto three farm trucks and brought to our hosts’ home. Lunch was great. Herb had the tilapia, which was served head and all, and I had the chicken wings, which looked much more like the actual wing than anything I have ever had in the states. It was delicious.

Laos cocktail hour - complete with tiger penisAfter lunch, we drove to the Golden Triangle where the Mekong River forms the border between Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. From there we boarded a longtail boat which took us on a short tour up and down the river before dropping us off on the small island of Don Sao in Laos. It’s the only part of Laos that can be visited without a visa.

Basically, it’s a tourist trap with a large market filled with local handicrafts, opium paraphernalia, faux designer bags, and the ubiquitous elephant pants -- which I did buy more of as gifts for my sons and their girlfriends. I unsuccessfully tried to haggle down the usual 100 baht (about $3) price since I was buying four, but even my walking away didn’t work. I later learned that they have a no haggling rule on the island, so I was glad to learn that it wasn’t just my poor haggling skills.

Lolo's first taste of whiskey soaked tiger penis - she likes it!However, our best experience on the island, besides standing next to the sign showing that we we were in Laos, was having a shot of tiger penis whiskey - that’s right, whiskey from a bottle with a tiger penis sitting in it. Herb was intrigued at its possible side effects. There were also some with pickled cobras and scorpions to choose from. I’m not a big hard liquor fan, especially when soaked with strange body parts, but it seemed like the appropriate thing to do.

This day just wouldn’t quit. After getting back to the Thailand side of the Mekong River on our longtail boat, Udom gave us free time to explore Golden Triangle Park where there was a very interesting Hall of Opium Museum, a big part of this area’s economy for literally thousands of years.

Exhausted and overwhelmed, we returned to our beautiful accommodations at Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort, where we logged some well-earned relaxation time at its beautiful pool.

Day 3 - Karen Long Neck Tribe of Mae Salong

Karen Long Neck womanBefore continuing on to Chiang Mai, we had one more stop to make in the Chiang Rai Province this morning - Mae Salong, a village inhabited by the Karen Long Neck tribe. This too was an optional add-on to our tour, but this time the entire group had signed on.

So, just who are these exotic people? They were originally from the hills on the Myanmar side of the Thai border, but fled to Thailand in the late 1980s because of civil war and political unrest. While life is much better for the Karen that fled to Thailand, they are still considered refugees and do not have options for gaining Thai citizenship. As a result, they are confined to small villages in the north and kept separate from most of modern Thailand. On a positive note, this has allowed them to keep their culture and traditions alive.

Long Neck woman weavingChoosing to visit this village did not come with a totally clean conscience. While some say tourism gives the Long Neck people an opportunity to make a living while still retaining their culture, others consider it exploitation and a type of human zoo where tourists come to gawk and take photos. I think it is a bit of both. In any case, we were here and the best we could do was show our respect and admiration for their traditions, and even more importantly, buy something that was actually made in the village.

The reason over 40,000 people a year visit these hill tribe villages is to see the exotic women (and little girls) whose necks appear so long that their heads seem to be magically disembodied, hovering above a coil of golden rings. Like magic tricks, this too is an illusion. Contrary to popular belief, the coils don’t lengthen the neck itself, but rather they push the shoulders and rib cages down, just making their necks seem long.

Lolo trying to haggle this little girl out of a few bahtsThe Karen long neck women begin wearing rings when they are about four or five years old. Every year afterwards until their 21st birthday, a ring is added, eventually reaching as much as 25 pounds. The origin of this tradition is a mystery even to the tribe itself. An ancient legend claims that the rings protected villagers from tiger attacks. Another theory is that the rings were purely aesthetic - worn as an accessory to make women more beautiful.

Whatever the reason, the tradition has made them a real tourist attraction and, as a result, has given them a means to feed and support their families. Exploitation? Perhaps, but their lives seemed peaceful and comfortable compared to what conditions could have been like for them back in Myanmar.

As we walked through their village, I tried hard not to gawk, but to view them as people just like us, trying to do the best they can with the opportunities presented to them. At each stall, there was a colorfully dressed woman or girl with shiny rings around their neck, busily knitting and weaving and selling their handicrafts. It seemed a bit staged, as if it was showtime, and they were performing for us.

Long Neck VillageUdom had warned us that if we really wanted to help them, we should buy crafts made in the village rather than things produced in China, which you could pretty much find anywhere in Thailand.

At one stall, there was an adorable little girl, probably about 8 years old, with about 4 inches of rings around her neck and lovely circles of Thanaka painted on her face, standing in front of a table of handicrafts. As I slowly walked by, I heard her implore me to “Buy someting.” I started admiring the rather crude wood carvings of little longneck people on the table behind her. I tried asking her which one she liked best, which she eventually understood, and thrust one towards me while saying “40 baht” (about $1.25).

I looked around for Herb and his wallet, but he was nowhere to be found. I searched my pockets, but came up with only 20 baht (63 cents). I tried to just give the money to her without taking the figurine, but that was not the way it worked. She wanted to sell me something, not take charity. Finally, she said, “20 baht” and we made the exchange. Oh, great. My first successful haggle was cheating this little girl out of 63 cents.

Between the little boy that led me through my spiritual rituals at the Scwe Dagon Pagoda in Tachileik yesterday and this little girl today, I had fallen in love with the beautiful, soft spoken children of Myanmar - so unspoiled and mature in their ability and willingness to participate in the life of their village.

Travelogue

Golden monkWe would have lots of time on the bus today, as the drive from Ayutthaya north to Sukhothai is 225 miles. No worries about being bored though. There was no downtime with Udom. For the entire drive he stood at the front of the bus with his microphone and spoke to us about what we had seen and what we would see at the next stop, as well answering any questions we had about pretty much anything - ranging from his personal relationship to Buddhism, his feelings about the monarchy and the current and previous king, how the Thai people are adjusting to the transition into a developed and modernized nation, and whatever else we could think of. He was extremely open and honest with his answers. This is the kind of insight into the culture of Thailand that we could never have gotten if we had done this trip on our own.

Mama macaque monkey and her young We weren’t even on the road a half hour, before we took a brief stop just a short distance off the highway to see a giant golden monk, larger than a 4-story building, sitting in the meditative lotus position on the other side of the pond from an outdoor market. Udom joked that he pulled in here, because if he didn’t one of us would be sure to say, “Why aren’t we seeing that?” You couldn’t exactly sneak past it.

Udom was extremely accommodating in meeting any of our requests or needs. His motto was, “You’re the boss. I work for you.” So, when someone in our group merely mentioned their interest in monkeys, he added a spontaneous stop along the way at Khao No-Khao Kaeo, a Wat at the foot of a limestone mountain where monkeys like to hang out.

When getting our travel shots at Kaiser before the trip, the travel nurse warned us to stay away from the monkeys in Thailand, as they are very aggressive and carry diseases. Now here we were intentionally seeking them out. Udom was not about to lose one of his charges, so he gave us strict instructions to not go near them and to allow he or one of the workers do any feeding.

Gate1 approaches Sukhothai Historical ParkIt was hard to believe that something so adorable could be so dangerous. These were macaque monkeys, and they were about two feet tall and weighed less than 15 pounds. Many of them had suckling babies hanging onto their bellies while others were carrying babies on their backs. What a spontaneous and fun stop!

Then it was on to the main event of the day, the Sukhothai Historical Park, which like Ayutthaya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Again, I think some general background information about the significance of this site to Thailand’s history would be helpful. Let’s just say that Sukhothai is the “Once upon a time…” part of Thailand’s history.

Before its rise, Siam was made up of small fiefdoms, subject to the ancient Khmer Empire’s rule. In 1238, two Thai rulers, Pho Khun Pha Muang and Pho Khun Bang Lang Hao, were able to consolidate power and succeed the Khmer as the rulers of the newfound kingdom of Siam. Sukhothai, which means “Dawn of Happiness,” became its first capital.

Sukhothai Historical Park - Wat MahathatDespite it short lifespan (1238 to 1438), the Sukhothai Kingdom marked a golden period for religion, art, and architecture in Thailand. King Ramkhamhaeng the Great, the second ruling monarch of the newly established kingdom, established Theravada Buddhism as the state religion and he is also credited with the creation of the Thai alphabet.

From about 1378 onwards, Sukhothai slowly entered a period of decline. By 1438 it was fully annexed by the Ayutthaya Kingdom, whose ruins we had visited yesterday. Gate1 was taking us on a trip back in time.

Sukhothai Historical Park - Wat MahathatOur visit to the Sukhothai Historical Park began in Wat Mahathat, which confused me a bit, because that was also the name of the Wat we visited in Ayutthaya. However, the architectural styles between the two capitals differed a bit.

In addition to building Khmer-style, corn-shaped prangs, as in Ayutthaya, Sukhothai temple craftsmen also developed their own style, known as the “Sukhothai style,” the most notable feature being one central lotus-bud chedi, surrounded by smaller bell-shaped chedis. If you recall from our first Wat visit in Bangkok, a chedi (or stupa) is a structure used to house relics, such as the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns.

Another notable feature of the “Sukhothai style” are its graceful depictions of the Buddha, several of which had feminine characteristics.

Wat Chang Lom behind hotelThe Buddhas in this complex seemed particularly peaceful and serene. I’m not sure what materials they were made from, but their current white with black coloring made them stand out in contrast to the darker reddish browns of the structures.

The most famous and photographed image in Sukhothai is that of a giant Buddha, seated in the lotus position behind rows of half-collapsed columns. Although no longer serving a functional purpose, these columns have assumed an aesthetic role. I liked the way the verticality of the columns mimicked the sharp pointy top on the Buddha’s head.

Right on schedule, Udom herded us back onto the bus, which brought us to our home for the night, the Legendha Sukhothai.

Wat Chang Lom behind hotelThis was my favorite hotel so far. While definitely less luxurious than the ones in Bangkok and Ayutthaya, where it felt like you could be anywhere, the ambience of this one was much more authentic Thai. We really felt like we were sleeping in Thailand for the first time - even if the toilet leaked a bit and the bed was hard. Our towels were even folded into the shape of an elephant. I almost didn’t want to shower and ruin them.

When checking in, Udom happened to mention that there was another temple ruin, a short walk behind our hotel. He wasn’t kidding! What a treasure in our own backyard, and one we had totally to ourselves to enjoy during the magical sunset hour.

The small temple complex was called Wat Chang Lom, the “Elephant Circled Monastery,” and it consisted of a main bell-shaped chedi (to hold relics), in the Sukhothai style, with 36 elephants sculpted into its base. It was amazing that a majority of those elephants, including their delicate trunks, were still intact. It was our very favorite ruin of all! So peaceful to just wander through.

We concluded our busy day with a dip in the hotel pool. I had made it my personal goal to do so at every hotel we stayed at, an easy and pleasant task considering how hot and humid it was.

Travelogue

Bang Pa In - the Royal Summer ResidenceWe said our farewells to Bangkok and began our journey north to the historic city of Ayutthaya, the 14th-century capital of the kingdom of Siam, the remains of which are so culturally significant that it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

However, we knew enough about the pace of a Gate1 tour by now to expect more than just one amazing highlight per day. Today, there would be three.

Our first stop was Bang Pa In, the summer palace of the kings of Thailand, about 40 miles north of Bangkok along the banks of the Chaopraya River.

Since this is a royal site, the dress code is even stricter than that for entering a temple. Both men and women have to wear long pants and shirts with sleeves - no knees or shoulders, please. No bare feet are allowed either, so if you’re wearing sandals, you must wear sox.Two in our group were pulled aside for inappropriate attire - one woman with lycra tights with mesh and the other with a long sleeve shirt with holes cut out on the shoulder. Fortunately, there was a booth near the entrance that sold or lent clothes to properly cover up. The woman with the tights bought a pair of “elephant pants” for 100 baht, about $3.50 in U.S. dollars. They were so cute that I went in to buy Herb and me a pair. He looked at them a little skeptically, but he eventually came around to calling them his favorite loungewear.

Lolo playing with the elephants at Bang Pa InThe palace grounds are lovely. One of my favorite spots was a large lawn, with a small herd of topiary elephants - even a baby one. I even went up and pet one’s trunk.

The buildings are laid out alongside a lovely pond, lined with formal plantings. The original palace was built by King Prasat Thong in 1632 when Thonburi was still the capital of Thailand. The buildings fell into disuse for a long period, but were revived by Rama IV in the 19th century. Most of the buildings as they stand today were created by his successor, Rama V, who also expanded the area into the magnificent sprawling Versaillesque gardens in the late19th century.

The palace is very European in design. During the mid-1800s, there was a conscious effort on the part of King Rama IV to modernize and adopt western customs and styles in order to fend off attempts to colonize them. As a result, from that point forward, you often see a mix of western and Thailand architectural styles. To learn more about this period of Siam’s history, I would recommend watching the movie, The King of Siam.

King Rama V's Lookout TowerI think one of the loveliest views in the palace complex is from the gardens looking out at the Thai-style pavilion in the middle of the pond. This is actually the only example of classical Thai architecture within the palace grounds, and has the rather daunting name, “The divine seat of personal freedom.”

King Rama V also built a colorful lookout tower for viewing the surrounding countryside. It is called Ho Withun Thasana (or sages lookout). We were allowed to climb the spiral stairs to the top, but only after respectfully removing our shoes. From the balcony that encircled the top, there were wonderful views of the palace grounds.

If I were King, I certainly would want to spend my summer vacations here. However, the palace is no longer used as a royal summer residence, but rather just for special state occasions.

Before continuing on to the historic city of Ayutthaya, the main event of the day, we checked into the Kantary Hotel where Udom granted us 2 hours of free time. The rooms were huge - actually they were suites complete with living room and kitchen. This building was obviously originally planned to be rented as condominiums, but for whatever reason, was now a really nice hotel.

Avoiding the temptation to use our free time napping, we headed to the hotel pool. I forget if I mentioned what the weather in Thailand is like even in March - humid and in the 90s, so an afternoon dip was extremely refreshing.

Before we knew it, we were back on the bus headed to the Ayutthaya Historic Park to see the ruins of Siam’s second capital.

Khmer-style prangs in AyutthayaFirst, some general background. The historic city of Ayutthaya, founded in 1350, flourished from the 14th to the 18th century. Strategically located on an island surrounded by three rivers, Ayutthaya grew to be one of the world’s largest urban areas and a center of global diplomacy and commerce. The power and glory of this once flourishing city came to an end in 1767 when it was attacked by the Burmese army, burning it to the ground and forcing its inhabitants to flee. The city was never rebuilt and is now an extensive archaeological ruin.

The site we were visiting is called Wat Mahathat and it was one of the most important temples in the Ayutthaya Kingdom. In one short bus ride, we had left Thailand’s present push to modernity and been thrust into its past. It was unlike anything we had seen so far.

Mat Mahathat in AyutthayaThe temple was constructed in 1374 by King Boromma Rachathirat I. The design of the Wat Mahathat followed the concepts of the ancient Khmer mountain temples of Angkor in Cambodia, which featured a large central tower, called a prang, standing on an elevated platform, surrounded by four subordinate corner prangs, forming a quincunx, kind of like the number 5 on a dice.

A tower can mean many things, so I guess I can best describe these rather unique ones as multi-tiered, with each layer receding in size as it went up. Constructed of laterite (a reddish clayey material) and brick, they were reddish in color and richly carved with arches and columns. Their purpose was to enshrine Buddha relics. The upper part of the central prang collapsed in the early 20th century, so only the base remains.

There are several larger than life-sized seated buddha statues throughout the temple. However, by far the coolest and most photographed representation of the Buddha is the head of a stone Buddha entwined in the roots of a tree. No one knows how it got there, but there are several theories. One is that the tree simply grew around the Buddha head during the time when the temple lay abandoned and overgrown. Another theory is that a thief moved the head away from the main temple to hide it, but never returned to retrieve it.

Chai Watthanaram TempleWhile we were wandering the grounds, we met two lovely young ladies dressed in ceremonial Thai clothing. When they saw us admiring their costumes, they offered to pose for a photo with the temple ruins in the background. Of course, I volunteered Herb to pose with them, which makes two days in a row that I have him grinning like a loon between girls one third his age.

Udom wasn’t done with us yet, so we were loaded back on the bus and transported a short distance to the Chai Watthanaram Temple, set along the banks of the Chao Phraya River - the same river we had dined beside on our first night in Bangkok. He promised us that the lighting on this temple near sunset would be phenomenal.

There was some sort of festival or event going on so we almost weren’t able to park the bus. However, Udom is not easily daunted, and found a way to make it happen.

Traditional Thai dress at Chai Watthanaram TempleThe temple complex looked a lot like the one we had just left, but bigger and better preserved, perhaps because it was three centuries younger than Wat Mahathat. It was built in 1630 by King Prasat Thong, the same ruler that build the original summer palace that we visited yesterday morning, Bang Pa In. Like Wat Mahathat, it was built in the Khmer style, with a larger central prang surrounded by smaller prangs on each of its corners. Built of the same materials (laterite and brick), it too was reddish in color, even more pronounced in the evening light.

It’s not a word I use often, but I would have to say that Chai Watthanaram in the evening light was magical, made all the more so by the friendly and beautiful Thai people, many of whom were dressed in colorful traditional Thai clothing.

Udom explained to us that the new king, Rama X, is encouraging his people to take pride in their heritage by dressing, on special occasions, in the country’s traditional attire. However, an even greater impetus comes from an unlikely source - a TV soap opera called “Love Destiny,” set during the 17th century reign of King Narai the Great (Rama III). Many of the scenes from the show take place in Ayutthaya, so many Thais, both men and women, come to this Wat dressed in traditional garb to take selfies against the backdrop of the ruins.

I think King Prasat Thong would have approved.

Travelogue

Day 1 (or possibly Day 3, depending on how you think about it)

Dusit PalaceWe left our house for the airport on a Tuesday night and arrived in Bangkok on Thursday morning. Where did Wednesday go? Perhaps we would find it on the way back home.

Thankfully, a smiling Gate1-arranged driver was there to greet us at the airport and deliver us to the Century Park Hotel where we would be spending the first 3 nights of our trip. Once deposited inside the lobby, we were relieved of our luggage, handed a refreshing drink, and approached by another smiling man, which turned out to be Mr. Udom, our Gate1 tour guide for the next 12 days.

What we were quickly learning about the culture of Thailand is that everyone smiles, and it is truly genuine. They have to be one of the friendliest and most hospitable people in the world.

The hotel was lovely and far more luxurious than what I am used to - after all, our primary means of travel is a motorhome. I could definitely get used to this.

Temple on the Dusit Palace groundsThe actual guided part of our tour didn’t start until the next morning, so we had the rest of the day to ourselves. After a quick nap, we decided to set out on foot to do a bit of an exploratory. With the humidity and action-packed days on the tour ahead of us, we knew our only form of exercise would be walking, so we planned to do as much of it as possible.

The second thing we learned about Thailand is that it is not particularly pedestrian-friendly and that you take your life in your hands every time you step off a curb. Speeding, aggressive lane changing, crazy tuk tuk drivers, motorbikes with entire helmet-less families on them is the norm. Also, they drive on the other side of the street, so we found ourselves looking the wrong direction for oncoming vehicles. The incredible thing is that there is no horn honking. I’m not sure if it’s because nothing could possibly surprise anyone in this chaos or that the Thai people are too polite to honk.

Portraits of the royal familyNot exactly knowing what we were doing, we looked on the map for an interesting destination within walking distance from our hotel and came up with the Dusit Royal District, a park-like setting with royal palaces, temples, and administrative buildings, about 3 ½ miles away.

The Dusit district is Bangkok's "new" royal city. It was established by King Rama V in the early 20th century upon his return from a European tour, where he was exposed to the great capitals of the west. Inspired by what he saw and wanting to appear modern, Rama V established a new palace compound which he named Dusit, which means "Heavenly Garden."

Unfortunately for us, the grounds were closed by the time we arrived, so we had to peer through the iron fences to take photos, always under the watchful eyes of the palace guards, standing at attention at each entrance to the grounds. I got the feeling they were not going to make an exception and let us take a closer peek.

View of Chao Phraya River from In Love outdoor patioWithin the fenced and highly guarded compound was a huge ornate Italianate building called the Ananta Samakorn Throne Hall. Closed to the public, except for one day a year, this building housed the Thai parliament before the 1932 coup which ended the absolute monarchy. The history of Thailand’s kings and government gets pretty confusing, so I am not going to even attempt to get into it in any depth, except to give places we visited some context. Today, this beautiful building is used for state occasions.

The plaza in front of the throne hall, which we could walk through, had a beautiful garden and fountain and a large equestrian statue of King Rama V. Surrounding the plaza are large, ornately framed portraits of the royal family. That’s another thing we would quickly learn about Thailand - the importance of the royal family to them. There are photos of the king (present one and the one that recently passed away) everywhere in Thailand. King Rama IX, who passed away in 2016 after ruling the Thai people for 70 years, is particularly beloved and looked upon as a father to the people. I think they are still feeling out the new king, Rama X. He has some pretty big shoes to fill.

Lolo enjoying her first Mai Tai in ThailandFrom the royal district, we walked another mile to a restaurant called In Love, overlooking the Chao Phraya River, with great views of the Rama VIII Bridge. We sat out on the patio, which I have to say was pretty magical, made even more so by a refreshing Mai Tai.

I did panic a bit half way through the drink when I remembered that we were warned not to drink tap water or ice cubes made from tap water. This was a pretty upscale restaurant frequented by tourists unarmed with bad-water fighting bacteria, so I tried to reassure myself that the ice cube that I was swirling around in my mouth was just fine. I forged on.

Dinner was delightful. The food was fine, but the view was what really made it. What a nice way to end our first day in Bangkok.

Actually, it wasn’t quite over yet. We had walked five miles from our hotel to get here, and we had no intention of walking back. There weren’t a whole lot of cabs near the restaurant, so we continued walking another mile and a half to Khao San Road, where there is a lot of night action and hopefully a means of transport home.

View out of our tuk tukOnce a major rice market, today Khao San Road has become a world-famous “backpacker ghetto”, with cheap accommodations, internet cafes, massage parlors, tattoo shops, and countless bars and restaurants. It was quite the happening scene, with loud music emanating from bars and tons of food stalls hawking such delicacies as barbecued insects and other exotic snacks.

As suspected there were plenty of cabs and tuk tuks. While Herb was haggling with a cab driver, I pointed to a tuk tuk and asked how much. “Same price as taxi,” he said. For those that don’t know what a tuk tuk is - which was me about a week ago - it’s a three-wheeled motor vehicle driven by a crazy person (just kidding).

There was still one more adventure before calling it a day - a wild, extremely exhilarating tuk tuk ride back to our hotel. Our neighbor, who has traveled the world and been to Thailand on numerous occasions, told us that we just had to experience a tuk tuk ride, even if just once. Well, she was right. It was probably the wildest and most exhilarating experience I have had in a long time. We made it back to our hotel in record time, but I do think “just once” is sound advice.

Day 2 - The Official Tour Begins: Wat Pho and the famous Reclining Buddha

Udom leading the wayThis was the first day of our guided tour. For the next 10 days, we would entrust ourselves to Mr. Udom to learn about and absorb the fascinating culture of Thailand, and hopefully experience some great Thai food along the way.

The bright red Gate1 tour bus (easy to find) was quite impressive - clean, comfortable reclining seats, and surprisingly only half full, as our fellow travelers only numbered 23, while the bus could easily hold twice that number. We didn’t know anybody yet, so it felt a little like the first day of school, where we nervously looked around hoping to make new friends.

Everyone seemed nice and friendly, and there was a wider range in ages than I expected - most in their late 40s to early 60s, but also 3 in their 20s and one very robust octogenarian.

Spirit HouseMr. Udom (who we later just called Udom) had a microphone and he knew how to use it - in a really good way. For the entire 10 day tour, he never just sat back and enjoyed the ride, but continually, and quite enthusiastically, shared his vast knowledge about the country he obviously loved so dearly.

As we drove through the streets of Bangkok towards Chinatown and the Indian Market, Udom gave us some basic information about the culture - the Buddhist religion (to which he very devoutly belonged), the political structure and the Thai people’s relationship to their king, the progress Thailand was making to become a modern day country, etc.

Before we knew it, we were getting off the bus at a market along the river, following Udom and his Gate1 flag. Rather than a totally structured tour and spiel, Udom would just stop and talk about interesting things we passed along the way. He stopped at a food vendor to buy us fresh mangos and then again in front of a beautiful dollhouse-sized home atop a pedestal - which I had been curious about because they seemed to be all over - even in front of our high-rise hotel.

Wat Pho chedis (or stupas) used to house the remains of Buddhist monks or nunsAs Udom explained, these were “spirit houses” often placed in the corner of a property to provide shelter for spirits that might otherwise cause trouble - usually those that once owned and lived on this property. Offerings, such as votive candles, flowers, and fruit are often left at the house to propitiate the spirits. Although 95% of the Thai population is Buddhist, spirit house rituals are based on ancient animistic practices inherited from their ancestors thousands of years ago.

Next, Udom let us loose in a huge warehouse building which held the Pak Klong Talad Flower Market, the largest flower market in Bangkok, with instructions to meet him at the other end in 20 minutes. I have never seen so many flowers for sale in one place. The varieties sold ranged from local species (jasmine, chrysanthemum, orchids, lilies, roses, etc.) to imported species such as tulips, snapdragons, iris, delphinium, and more - and very inexpensive.

I think I mentioned in yesterday’s write-up that the streets of Bangkok are not particularly pedestrian friendly, but we were still taken aback when we had to move out of the way of motorcycles riding up the aisles of the flower market. We were going to have to keep our wits about us.

Then it was back on the bus and on to our major attraction for the day - Wat Pho, the largest of Bangkok’s Buddhist temples and home to the famous 150-foot Reclining Buddha. Although many use the word temple and wat interchangeably, Udom explained to us that a temple is not officially a wat unless it has an ordination hall.

Lolo doing some bad yogaUpon entering the courtyard, we were greeted by a group of beautiful Chinese conical structures, decorated in ceramic pottery flowers and colorful tiles. They are called chedis (or stupas), and they house relics, generally the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns.

Behind the chedis are a series of multi-peaked, steeply roofed buildings - also glittery with lots of shimmering gold plate. Each of the roof peaks was adorned with a blade-like projection, called a chofah, that resembled a tall thin bird, and is believed to represent Garuda, a legendary bird in Buddhist and Hindu mythology.

Please forgive my rather awkward attempt at describing Thailand architecture and refer to our photos instead to truly appreciate the beauty of this place.

Continuing on to the main temple, we passed through a lovely garden populated by whimsical bronze statues (with elf-like ears) in various yoga poses. Needless to say, we couldn’t resist imitating them for a photo or two.

Our next stop, and the Wat Pho’s main attraction was the temple of the Reclining Buddha. As with any Buddhist temple, we had to leave our shoes outside and make sure that our clothing covered our shoulders and knees. We entered at the temple at the head of the Buddha and strolled along its 150 foot gold-plated body to its giant 16-foot feet. The bottom of the toes are decorated in mother-of-pearl swirling spires - 3 on each toe. This particular Buddha sculpture is not detailed in its rendering of the human body, but it more than makes up for it in its enormity.

Reclining Buddha's tootsiesAfter rounding the Buddha’s feet, we strolled back along the other side of his body. The wall on this side contained a long table with 108 bronze bowls, used to collect donations to help preserve Wat Pho. 108 is a sacred number in Buddhism. It refers to the 108 positive actions and symbols that helped lead Buddha to perfection, and it is also the number of beads on a Buddhist prayer bead. Conveniently located at the start of the table was a woman selling a handful of coins (108 of them in fact). Striving for perfection and not looking like cheap tourists, we purchased our coins and dropped them one by one in the series of bowls. It actually was quite a mindful exercise, as we tried to focus on the dropping of each coin into the bowl. Actually Herb did. I was too busy trying to pass the slower people in front of me.

Out final stop in Wat Pho was the ordination hall, which if you recall, made this complex of temples and chedis an official “Wat.” An ordination hall is used for performance of the ordination of Buddhist monks and other ritual ceremonies.

Herb giving alms at Wat PhoThe hallway we first entered contained a series of about a dozen gold-plated buddhas sitting in the lotus position. From there we entered the ubosot where the actual ordinations of new monks take place. Inside the ubosot there was a magnificent alter with a large Buddha, finished in gold and crystal with a large gold cone hanging above its head. Visitors are welcome to respectfully kneel in devotion or prayer before the altar. You don’t have to be a Buddhist to benefit from a moment of contemplation in this serene and spiritual setting.

It seemed like we had seen far too much of Bangkok already for it to only be 1:30 in the afternoon, but that is what it was when the Gate1 bus brought us back to the Century Park Hotel. We were on our own for lunch, so we consulted our Gate1 packet for recommendations on restaurants near the hotel. We selected Baan Ajarn, a cozy restaurant and pub, just a short walk from our hotel. Herb is allergic to shellfish so he was warned to be very careful ordering as even curries sometimes have oyster sauce. We decided to play it safe and order the chicken with cashews. It was delicious, and as we would continue to find out, very reasonable.

Herb in Wat Pho templeThe only other thing on the agenda for the day was a Gate1 welcome reception, hosted by Mr. Udom, in the hotel bar at 6:00 (one free drink included). Plenty of time for a quick nap before. Although we were ready in plenty of time, Herb suggested we arrive about 10 minutes fashionably late. I argued that since we did not know the custom in Thailand regarding punctuality, we should be there by 6:00. I really tried hard not to say “I told you so,” when Mr. Udom called our room phone at 6:03 asking us if we were coming down.

So, we apologetically slinked into the bar where everyone was seated on couches and chairs waiting for us. I don’t think we made a particularly good first impression.

We spent a pleasant hour introducing ourselves to each other and listening Udom explain what we could expect over the next 10 days. Herb and I were the only Group Tour virgins in the room. Literally everyone else had been on at least a few Gate1 tours before. Everyone seemed really friendly and interesting, and raved about their previous Gate1 experiences. Okay, maybe this group thing wasn’t going to be too bad.

From the bar, we transitioned to the hotel dining room, where there was a buffet with enough food to feed an army. This was the first of many hotel buffets we would dine at this trip, and it was wonderful. Not being a connoisseur of Thai cuisine, it gave me a wonderful opportunity to sample a wide variety of Thai food options.

Satiated, Happy, and Exhausted, we headed up to our room with instructions to meet in the lobby 8:30 the next morning.

Day 3 - Grand Palace / Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and Siam Niramit Show & Dinner

Swimming upstream into the Grand PalaceWe started our day with a wonderfully delicious and copious breakfast at the hotel buffet. If this kept up, we would be returning home with about 10 extra pounds.

Then it was onto Bangkok’s most visited attraction - the Grand Palace, which served as the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand), as well as the administrative and religious center of the kingdom from 1782, when King Rama I moved the capital city from Thonburi to Bangkok, until the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932. Today, besides being a major tourist attraction, the Grand Palace still remains a working palace, with several royal offices still situated inside.

Upon disembarking from the bus, Udom herded us like cattle through the gates of the Grand Palace, while we desperately tried to keep our eye on the Gate1 flag faithfully waving above the endless sea of humanity. Fortunately, we all were wearing earphones through which we could hear Udom speaking into a microphone. To this day, I can still here, “Gate1, Gate1, this way Gate1.”

Wat Phra KaewRather than being a single structure, the Grand Palace is made up of numerous buildings, halls, temples, and gardens. There is not one unified architectural style in the complex, because each successive king made additions based on their preference. For example, in the 1860s when Anna Leonowens worked as governess during the reign of Rama IV (made famous in the movie the King of Siam), a bit of western influence begins to be seen.

We began our tour of the palace complex in the temple compound generally referred to as Wat Phra Kaew. A covered walkway surrounded the area, the inner walls of which were covered with murals (178 panels in all), depicting the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, which describes Rama’s struggles to retrieve his kidnapped wife.

Young Buddhist monks playing with their material possessionsOn the steps of the courtyard were about half a dozen teen-age monks (or monks in training) clad in traditional orange robes totally absorbed, not with contemplating their path to Nirvana, but rather with their cell phones. We found this an interesting juxtaposition to the ancient mythological portrayals behind them and asked Udom how cell phones fit in with the disposal of all earthly possessions.

In their defense, he explained that it is all about the motive for owning a possession and how it is used rather than the object itself. If used as a way of connecting with loved ones, then it is a good thing; playing video games, not so much so. He further explained that these boys were most likely short-term monks (novices) rather than those that dedicate their entire life to celibacy and a monastic life. In Thailand, most young men will enter the monkhood before marriage for about a three month period, generally from July to October - kind of like summer camp. Udom didn’t say that. That was my own interpretation.

Yakshas guarding the temple gates at Wat Phra KaewFrom the courtyard, we passed through a gateway, guarded by some scary creatures called Yaksha, into the inner compound where the famous Temple of the Emerald Buddha resides. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos of the Emerald Buddha, which is really a shame, because at our age if we don’t have a photo, it never happened.

The most surprising thing to us was how small he is - just 26 inches tall. Despite his diminutive size, however, this Buddha is considered to be the most important icon for the Thai people, who feel that the safety of the nation is dependent upon it. Despite being referred to as the “Emerald” Buddha, it is not made from emerald, but rather jade.

5-headed nagas of Wat Phra KaewRaised high on a series of ornately, jeweled platforms, no one but the king is allowed near the Buddha. The Buddha wears a golden seasonal cloak, changed three times a year to correspond to the summer, winter, and rainy season. A very important ritual called the changing of the robes is performed by the King to bring good fortune to the country during each season, typically in March, August, and November. On March 2nd of this year, the new Thai king, Rama X, changed the Emerald Buddha’s seasonal attire from winter to summer.

I’d like to digress a minute to talk a little more about the fascinating mythical creatures scattered throughout the complex, because they are what I will remember most from the Grand Palace, and even if I do forget, unlike the Emerald Buddha, I will have photos of them to jog my memory.

First, there are the yakshas, which we first encountered standing guard at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Yakshas are spiritual beings from Hindu literature that live in the subterranean earth and are the protectors of treasures. In Thailand, they have evolved to be guardians of gates, temples, and royal possessions. Their fierce, demon-likecreaturekii appearance certainly qualifies them for the task. These highly ornate, porcelain statues typically have bulging eyes, fangs, and multi-colored, monkey-liked faces and stand at attention, clutching a sword.

Kinaree at Wat Phra KaewThen there are the five-headed golden serpents called nagas. Their primary role is to protect the Buddha, so they are often positioned on stairs leading into a temple.

There are also several mixed creature statues, such as the golden statue with the legs and tail of a lion, the upper body of a woman, and the face of a monkey that is having a bad day. Very often these “kinaree” (mixed creature) statues have the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a bird. Their role is to watch over the well-being of humans in times of trouble or danger. I’m not so sure that the monkey-faced one had my best interests at heart.

My personal favorites, however, were the monkey statues (monkey faces with human bodies) that supported the Golden Chedi, in a traditional yoga pose. Their faces are similar to that of the yaksha and I suppose their appearance is ferocious enough to also make them effective guards, or perhaps fierce yoga instructors. Of course, we had to do the tourist thing and imitate them for a photo - silly, but necessary.

Changing of the Royal Guard at the Grand PalaceOne other note, mostly just to show off my new-found knowledge of Thai architecture, is the difference between the chedi here and at Wat Pho, which we visited yesterday. As you may or may not recall, chedi are structures used to hold relics, such as the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. While Wat Pho’s chedis were conical and pointy and covered in colorful ceramic flowers and tiles, the chedis in the Grand Palace were golden and bell-shaped.

Like most royal complexes, the religious part (Wat Phra Kaew) is separated from the administrative offices and royal residences. Although most of the buildings in the Grand Palace section are not open to the public, we were still able to enjoy a brief tour of the exterior or the buildings, many of which were an interesting mix of Thai and western architectural styles.

Having completed our Grand Palace tour, our bus took us back to the hotel where we had a few hours of free time before the next event - the Siam Niramit Show & Dinner, which was an one of the optional activities that we added to our tour.

Century Park Hotel poolWe spent our precious free time in the Century Hotel Pool, where we ran into several of our fellow Gate1 travelers. The pool had a shallow section, obviously designed to provide a safe place to stay cool while sipping on one of the fancy drinks served a poolside waiter. I had my second Mai Tai of the trip (feeling confident that this hotel had good ice cubes), but Herb stuck with his go to while we were in Thailand, Chang Beer.

Refreshed, we were ready for the Siam Niramit Show. Our evening started with a buffet dinner, followed by a performance in the courtyard of dancers in traditional Thai clothing. There was also an elephant to ride, as well as two lovely, costumed Thai young ladies who you could pose with for 2 bhat. I encouraged a reluctant Herb to do it, because I thought the grin on his face, which I fully expected, would be worth it. I was right.

Just before 8:00, we were summoned to assume our seats in the theater, which were phenomenal. I’ve come to expect nothing less from Gate1. The stage is huge; in fact, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the largest stage in the world. It was built to accommodate the show’s monumental set pieces, a legion of performers, including real elephants, and amazing special effects, including boats floating along a realistic river.

Peek inside Herb's fantasy worldThe show had the rather ambitious goal of portraying 700 years of Siam’s (now Thailand’s) history. The show is structured into three acts.

Act 1 portrays the cultural history and traditions of the Lanna Kingdom in the north, the role sea trade played in the south, as well as the formation of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 14th century.

Act 2 provides an understanding of the Law of Karma, in which Earthly deeds dictate what happens in our next lives. Remember, ninety percent of the population of Thailand are Theravada Buddhists and almost all of them believe in reincarnation, so this was not just fantasy for much of the audience, but rather a warning - kind of like the Last Judgment sculptural depictions over the portals of most Medieval cathedrals. The act begins with a Fiery Hell, where sinners are punished with tortures appropriate to their sins (a lot like Dante’s Inferno), followed by the Mystical Himmapan, a mystical forest which serves as the gateway between heaven and earth, and concluded with Blissful Heaven where angels dart across the stage casting pieces of twinkling tinsel. Happy Ending!

The final act portrays the joy and peace that Buddhism brings to its people as the stage explodes in a colorful celebration.

Wow! It was quite a show. Although it would have been a lot easier to follow along if we knew more about Thailand’s history, even without that the beautiful stage setting and costumes and the creative special effects kept us riveted every moment.

Travelogue

Day 1 - Arrival on Maui, Stocking Up at Safeway, and checking into our Maui Banyan Condo in Kihei

Flight to MauiI’m not a particularly big fan of flying in small planes, so I have to admit to being somewhat terrified on our Mokulele flight between the Big Island and Maui. The winds were gusty at 35 mph, the plane was a small 9-passenger Cessna, and our pilot was wearing skinny jeans and looked about 17.

We had already cheated death once this vacation during the incoming ballistic missile alert, so I was none too thrilled to be thinking about my mortality once again. Herb, of course, thought I was being ridiculous. I guess he was right, because I obviously have lived to talk and write about this.

Although quite bumpy, the pilot did a great job and we landed safely in Kahului on beautiful Maui island.

This time we stocked up at a Safeway rather than a Costco, because we had to throw out so much food on the Big Island because we just couldn’t get through the Costco-sized groceries, especially with Herb’s stomach virus.

Maui sunsetAs we drove toward Kihei where we would be staying the next 5 days, we immediately noticed how different Maui was from the big island. Rather than endless fields of dark lava, Maui was mountainous and green, reflecting its older age. It was absolutely stunning. Also, everything seemed much more manicured and swanky. You could definitely drop a few bucks here.

After a few wrong turns, we finally found our condo in a large condo complex called Maui Banyan. The location was great - right across the street from a beach and in walking distance to lots of restaurants. I was a bit disappointed in our condo, however. When I think condo, I think kitchen, but all this one had was a tiny microwave and frig. Also, all the available closets were locked and used by the owner. I guess we were spoiled by our accommodations on the Big Island.

Day 2 - Makena Beach and strolling around Kihei

Makena BeachHerb and I were playing a bit of virus tag team. Just as he was starting to recover from his stomach virus, I came down with a god-awful sore throat and hacking cough. However, we were determined that the show must go on.

Our absolute #1 thing to do on Maui was the hike down into Haleakala Crater, but we decided to put that rather strenuous activity off for a day, in the hope of feeling better tomorrow, and just relax on the beach for the day.

How to choose. So many beautiful beaches, so little time. Fortunately we had our Maui Revealed guidebook to give us some options, complete with rating really spectacular beaches as “Real Gems.” Just to give you an idea as to how stunningly beautiful the beaches on Maui are, there are 9 Real Gems in South Maui alone.

We chose Makena Beach, considered by many to be “the” beach on Maui. With its beautiful crescent of golden sand almost ⅔ of a mile long, it is the type of beach most people think of when they think Hawaii.

There are actually two beaches at Makena - Big Beach and Little Beach. Big Beach is the one closest to the parking lot, and Little Beach is reached by climbing over a rocky promontory at the northern side of Big Beach.

We spent a lovely afternoon reading, relaxing, swimming, and coughing (in my case) on Little Beach.

That evening we strolled across the street from our condo to Kamaole Beach Park, where we sipped a glass of wine and watched the sunset over the Pacific. Afterwards had wonderful Ahi Ahi fish tacos at the nearby Coconut’s Fish cafe. It was so fresh and delicious - and surprisingly inexpensive. I thought dining in Maui was going to be much more expensive.

Day 3 - Haleakala National Park

Lolo descending into Haleakala CraterI had gotten very little sleep last night, having spent most of it coughing and sipping tea to ease my burning throat, so I wasn’t exactly feeling my usual energetic self. Still we were determined to go to Haleakala with the intention of hiking the Sliding Sands Trail to the crater floor.

The drive up to the summit of Haleakala summit was an endless series of steep, nausea- inducing switchbacks. If you’ve ever seen Hawaii travel footage of cyclists careening down a steep, windy road requiring no pedaling for miles, this is the place. However, it's not like the old days where cyclists started their descent from the 10,000-foot Haleakala summit. The Park banned commercial cycling back in 2007, so now biking tour companies have to drop bikers off at 6,500 feet, outside the boundaries of the National Park.

As we drove the windy road towards the summit, we became enveloped in clouds. No worries we thought. The guide book warned us that we would hit clouds on the way up, but would rise above them at the summit where the skies would be clear.

Clouds in Haleakala CraterWhen we stopped at the first Visitor Center at 7,000 feet, it had already begun to rain. When I asked the ranger about weather conditions at the summit, she told me that it was cloudy and rainy there too, and would probably be that way for the whole day. Oh no! We were so looking forward to our hike.

Not knowing what else to do, we continued on to the upper Visitor Center at the 10,000-foot summit, where it was, as predicted, rainy and windy. We were so disappointed.

After killing some time in the Visitor Center, we decided to just walk over to the Sliding Sands Trailhead to get a feel for what it was like. As we stood at the top of the trail, the rain slowed down to a drizzle, and a tiny bit of sun peeked out between the clouds, dramatically lighting up a portion of the colorful hills of the crater. When a rainbow appeared, we took it as a sign.

Awesome colors of HaleakalaWe ran back to the car for our lunch and backpacks and began our descent, hoping the weather kept moving in the right direction, so we could make it the 4 miles to the crater floor, 2,400 feet below.

The colors inside the crater are amazing - cinder cones tinted by red, orange, yellow, green, and blue volcanic ash and rock and shimmering silverswords dotting the landscape like blotches of paint.

The weather just kept getting better and better. We had started out with 4 layers of clothing - including a down jacket covered by a rain jacket, and were down to short sleeves by the time we reached the crater floor. So glad we didn’t listen to the forecast.

While having lunch at the bottom, I started getting a headache. Herb suggested that I might have a bit of altitude sickness. After all, we had driven up from sea level to 10,000 feet in about an hour and a half, giving ourselves absolutely no time to acclimate. I took an Ibuprofen and tried to drink lots of water. I don’t think it particular helped that I was already pretty sick, and later found out that I had a low-grade fever.

Haleakala SilverswordThe climb back out of the crater, which would normally just have been a hearty hike for me, became quite an ordeal as my headache worsened to the point where it felt like there was an ice pick sticking in my brain. Herb knew I was hurting when I suggested that we stop every few minutes to rest. After what felt like forever, we made it to the top and I immediately got in the car and assumed the fetal position. The long twisty ride down from the summit didn’t exactly help, and I was quite car sick by the bottom.

The hike was, as my adventurous sons would describe many of their weekends, Type II fun - miserable while happening, but fun in retrospect. I would definitely do it again.

Day 4 - Makena Beach and strolling along the Wailea Coastal Path

HiloI definitely needed a recovery day after yesterday’s battle with altitude and my worsening cold. Fortunately, if you have to be sick on vacation, Hawaii is probably the best place to do it. Lying on a gorgeous beach with a good book can hardly be considered a hardship.

So, we spent the day at Makena Beach, the gorgeous beach we had discovered the other day. This time Herb got a chance to snorkel, but I just wasn’t up for it.I’m glad he did, because on the Big Island it had been the reverse - I snorkeled while he was sick. Not exactly how we envisioned our vacation, but still, we were trying to make the best of a challenging situation.

After leaving the beach, we went for a stroll on the Wailea Coastal Walk, a lovely paved path with some of the most exclusive Maui hotels on one side and sandy beaches on the other. During our 3 ½ mile walk, we saw everything from luaus to breaching humpback whales.

That evening had dinner at Fred’s Mexican Cafe, another dining establishment near our condo. At first I hesitated going to a Mexican restaurant on Maui, but where better to have tacos - and of course since we were on Maui, fish tacos. It was quite good, and like Coconut Fish Cafe (where we also had fish tacos), very reasonable.

Despite the way I was feeling, it really was a lovely day. It’s hard not to be happy on Maui.

Day 5 - Lahaina and the Nakalele Blowhole

Front Street in LehainaToday we would explore West Maui, the bulge extending into the Pacific on Maui’s northwest side - specifically the lovely town of Lahaina, which is pretty much the only town on Maui that has an actual downtown to stroll around.

During the 19th century, Lahaina was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, as well as a bustling seaport and whaling village. Even Herman Melville spent time in Lahaina during a whaling voyage.

Although today Lehaina is a bustling Maui hotspot with dozens of restaurants, art galleries, and unique shops, we still got a feel for its past while strolling along the waterfront on Front Street.

Banyan Tree ParkWhat first attracted me to Lahaina was a picture of its famous banyan tree, one of the largest in the United States. Imported from India in 1873, this sprawling tree now stands over 60 feet high and sprawls outward the length of an entire city block. Although this seems like a clump of trees, it is actually only one tree, which spreads by producing aerial roots that hang down and take root wherever they touch the ground. It was probably one of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen.

We concluded our stop in Lehaina with lunch at the Paia Fish Market, where for a change from fish tacos, we had fish and chips, or in my case, shrimp and chips. It was delicious.

After lunch, we continued north along coastal highway 30, which after Kapalua became extremely twisty. The topography of this island definitely must boost Dramamine sales.

Nakalele BlowholeAt mile marker 38.5, we pulled into a small parking lot to hike the Acid War Zone Trail down to the Nakalele Blowhole. The trail is named for the erosion in this area caused by salt spray and wind. There’s really no marked path down from the parking lot, so we kind of just weaved our way down over the rocky terrain. There is another parking lot at mile marker 38 with an easier route down to the blowhole.

The blowhole was pretty impressive, with jets of water shooting as high as 50 feet in the air. It reminded me a bit of Old Faithful. This phenomenon is caused by the ocean undercutting the shore and forcing seawater up through a large lava shelf. It is especially exciting during high tide and surf.

It was challenging to time the perfect photo, as the blasts were rather unpredictable and short-lived. So, we took a lot, hoping to capture one at its height. One embarrassing aside. On our flight home, while reviewing photos on my phone, I asked Herb a bit too loudly if I could see his blowhole pictures. I probably could have phrased that a bit better.

Day 6 - Time to go home

Despite some challenges, we had covered a lot of ground, seen some amazingly beautiful places, hiked some awesome trails, eaten our share of fish tacos, and not been wiped out by a ballistic missile All in all, I would have to call it a success.

Aloha.

Description

Haleakala CraterI am not even going to begin to attempt a description of the island of Maui, as there are people that have already done that much better. Instead, I highly recommend purchasing the book "Maui Revealed" before planning your trip. It has an incredibly detailed wealth of information about everything you need to know.