Doi Suthep (A Wat Outside of Chaing Mai)

My favorite part of going to Doi Suthep was renting a scooter for the day.  It was a lot of fun to get out of the city a bit and take the scooter up the mountain.  Traffic wasn't too bad but a little bit more hectic than anything I was used to.  However, we made it, alive.  The worst part was getting caught in a flash flood where the water was above the bottom of the scooter...  and again, we made it.  Chaing Mai and Pai were two of my favorite cities during the whole trip.  If you get the chance, head to Northern Thailand and explore... 

 (From what I remember the emperor or prince of the time rode on a white elephant and wherever the elephant stopped, he would build his new empire.  It just so happened to be at this place.)

(Going into the temple)

 (These snake dragons are protectors)

(Some fun miniature statues)

 (A different structure within the temple complex)

 (A sweet view of the city of Chiang Mai)

(Some lotus flower candle holders.  Depending on where you put your incense would either give you love or luck or happiness, etc.)

(High five for the Buddha)

 (Again, the part of the complex that holds the Buddha relic.  I could be terribly wrong about that, though...)

 (This was a fun little area where there was wax and you would dip a coin in wax and stick it on this piece)

(Another Emerald Buddha)

(This was peace flag of some sorts where people all over the world would write messages of peace and hope - a fantastic idea!)

(A close up)

 (Some more Buddha action)

(Yep, it's one of those...)

Exploring in Bangkok and the Royal Palace

We skipped a few cities from Northern Thailand as we made our way south due to flooding and spent 3 days in Bangkok.  It was different, but not one of my favorite places.  I've come to the realization that I really enjoy 'walking' cities and that is not Bangkok.  There was mass transportation, but it was limited and the tuk tuk drivers here were worse than anywhere in SE Asia, as far as price gouging, at least in my opinion.  Anyway, here a few photos - hope you enjoy.  

 (Statue outside the 'Central Park' of Bangkok)

(View of the city from the park)

 (This temple holds the largest solid gold Buddha statue in the world)

(Just a few statues for sale)

(Entrance to China Town)

(Tuk Tuk)

(This shrine was in one of the temples we went in to)

(A few guys hanging out in China town, having their morning tea)

 (Junk for sale)

(Royal Palace with shady Tuk Tuk drivers.  They will try to tell you the palace is closed or they will offer you a free ride and take you to certain shops so they can get gas coupons.  Or, they will double the price, just because you are a foreigner.  However, I am sure there are some honest ones out there...)

(Entrance to the Royal Palace)

(They had quite a few temples/shrines/buildings jammed in one area.  However, I enjoyed the different architecture of each one.)

(Protector)

(More protectors - just to give you an idea of the size)

(A fun end post on the railing)

(Full scale model of Angkor Wat)

(Another view of the same temple)

 (These guys were holding up the shrine which housed the remains of Buddha)

(This temple housed the Emerald Buddha.  Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed to be taken in side.  You go in, sit down, people watch/meditate for as long as you like, which I think was about 10 minutes, and then move on.)

(It is extremely difficult to see, but that is the Emerald Buddha.  It actually has its outfit changed depending on the season - how cool is that?)

 (Katrina with a guard)

(The actual Royal Palace, home to the King and Queen.  Surprisingly, most of the countries we visited still had a ruling royal family.  However, I'm not sure what political power any had, but I believe some still wield significant influence.)

The Life of Pai

One of my favorite stops in Thailand, next to Chaing Mai was a little tiny town to the north called Pai.  I guess it is considered the Hippie BackPacker town of Thailand.  It was laid back and relaxing.  I even went on a tubing trip which was an adventure.  Unfortunately, there aren't any pictures of that.  Here are a few of the photos from Pai.  

(Candles)

 (Some interesting art work - Pai is falling in LOVE)

(A quirky little toy shop with some interesting gizmos)

(A piece of art I liked - there were street vendors every night and it was a quaint, cozy, non invasive market where you could look at works and enjoy your time outside.)

(Breeze of Pai Guest House - a nice little hostel for around $10 a night)

(The traveling pink van)

(This was the good luck charm outside of our hostel)

 ('Traditional' Chinese village outside of Pai.  They were still doing a bit of work.)

 (Entrance to the Chinese Village)

(A few from the scooter we rented for a day)

(A natural water slide which looked more dangerous than fun.  Needless to say, I didn't make the trip down.)

(Some of the handicrafts for sale)

 (The 'Grand Canyon' of Thailand)

(Another shot at the Canyon)

 (Yep, saw quite a few of these guys around Pai.  Didn't ride any but I did get a chance to feed one for $2 or $3.)

(Peace Bridge from the Japanese invasion I believe - it's been a while)

 (Yep, here were some people riding an elephant.  I'm not really upset I didn't do it.)

 (Temple)

 (A view of the countryside)

(A lying Buddha)

(Traditional wagon outside one of the temples)

 (They love the Buddha)

(Someone's house...)

 (I am not sure if I would call this a temple or a place of worship.  I believe it is supposed to hold a relic of the Buddha.)

 (Guardian outside one of the temples)

(In this tiny town there were lots of great places to eat and the food was great.  Also, there were a lot of vegetarian options.)

(This was outside city hall or the police station.  I guess it's ok to mix beliefs and government in Thailand...)