Culture and Adventure in Chiang Mai, Thailand!

Beautiful Hilltribe dancer

Ready set GO! Zipping thru the rain forest!

Little Hilltribe girl and her kitten on the 306 steps up to the Doi Suthep temple

Junior Monks at the Doi Sethup temple.

Laying Buddha in Wat Po temple.

Left Bangkok a few days ago so now it's safe to tell all of you that even though I said I would stay away from demonstrations and government buildings, little did I know our Hotel the tour group booked was right beside them!! Very peaceful though except for one leader who shouted almost all day until midnight about whatever he was very passionate about! Our dinner on the first night was at the same restaurant with all the political leaders in the next room! I understand that the Thai people generally are very peaceful and don't like violence and it sounds like they are trying to work things out, I hope they do you can see the damage it had done to the tourist industry.

Some other observations I've made is that Cellophane is very popular here, recycling not so much! They even put drinks into cello and just stick a straw in! Very smoggy here drivers/workers wear surgical masks while out. Drugstores sell very toxic creams for 'whitening' skin here, the Asians want to have whiter skin and we want to be darker! You can buy anything in Bangkok on the streets including a University Degree, passport, ID even dentures (even though they looked used and were still missing teeth! ewhhh very creepy!)

Took the overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai, what an experience that was! Lucky me got the top bunk too that is half the size with the aircon on my feet and the light in my eyes...I 'found' an extra blanket and wore my eye mask but with two tiny little straps holding me in place I didn't sleep too well as the train jostled around up thru the mountains! Arrived in Chiang Mai on very little sleep with a full day of plans. Headed to the famous Doi Suthep temple complex, had to climb 306 steps (they call it the Stairway to Heaven) to get there and watched the young monks and was blessed by another in the temple and recieved a white bracelet for good luck. Here a woman cannot touch or be touched by a monk so his helper had to put on my bracelet and found out later the men get the nice woven ones and the women get the basic plain ones! No such thing as equality here and of course that doesn't bother me at all! Yes! Oh well hopefully the luck will just keep coming!

In the afternoon we toured some factories and watched them make jewelry, umbrellas, weaving etc and then off to the famous Chiang Mai Night Market for shopping where you can find anything imaginable. Had to do something to please the guys so we headed to the Muay Thai boxing fights. What a rough sport, they use their elbows and knees too! Even two women competed and there was to be a Championship fight with a Canadian but after about 8 fights we really had seen enough.....and I forget to bring my Canadian bandana to wave any how!

Thursday, December 19th I said enough culture I need some adventure so off to go ziplining thru the rain forest! 2 kms about 18 different ziplines and soaring thru the beautiful forest! It was so fun, something I've always wanted to try, what a feeling and what views!

We also visited beautiful Mae Kompong Village had lunch and toured up to the waterfalls.

Back to town then for a little more culture, went to a dinner show with the traditional Northern Thailand Dancers (I even got asked to dance and they said I was good!) and then saw the Hilltribe dancers which I enjoyed even more!

That's it for now, I am off to Chiang Rai today and tomorrow we spend 3 days trekking and living with the Hilltribe people!

Love to all, stay warm and stay safe!