Tag Archives: Thailand

Travel

The Temple of the Fighting Cocks

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Amphawa, Thailand –

“Ride ‘em, cowboy!”

The phrase entered my head as the child hopped on the statue of a fighting cock like it was a horse.

Hands on the neck, he was ready to ride.

Child on Rooster

The fact that it was a bird didn’t seem to phase him.

It was an animal, and it was just his size.

He could care less about what else there was to see here.

Eventually, his parents enticed him off the cock, and on to the temple.

After all, that was what they had come here to see.

It’s not every day you see a temple inside a tree.

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Travel

Living in a National Park

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Chaing Mai, Thailand –

Up the dirt and gravel road the van went.

Up and further up the mountainside.

We were in a national park, so it wasn’t surprising to me that the road was narrow and made of dirt.

Just shy of complete wilderness.

Wander five feet off the road and it might have been complete wilderness.

Suddenly, we came upon a few shacks as we arrived at the village.

From being in thick jungle to being in the middle of a small village, all within a few feet.

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Travel

River-Front Yards

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Bangkok, Thailand –

What was that?

There, just on top of the water.

It looks like a giant lizard head, or kind of like a crocodile head.

Wait, there it goes, up the stairs into someone’s back yard.

Water Monitor In Yard

Definitely not moving like a crocodile.

Is that? Is it?

It’s a Water Monitor!

A very large Monitor Lizard.

Boy, I’m glad it’s not my back yard it just went into…

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Travel

A Large Crowd and an Empty Stage – King’s Birthday Celebration

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Chaing Mai, Thailand –

It was quite the crowd, all gathered in front of the stage.

And the costumed performers were waiting in the wings, ready to go on stage.

But they never did…

How odd.

It seems all the action is elsewhere.

Bangkok maybe?

You’d think that being in Thailand during the week of the King’s Birthday would be an interesting time to go.

Well, it did have its interesting aspects.

But more than anything, it had its boring aspects.

It seems the normally bad weekday traffic in Bangkok was even worse.

Especially near the royal palace and places where public celebrations would be taking place.

But then we came to Chaing Mai.

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Travel

The Train Market of Mae Klong

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Mae Klong, Thailand –

“When you hear the horn, get away from the tracks.”

Not exactly the words you expect to hear when visiting a market.

I mean, what you expect to hear about is what you might find at this market that you might not at a different one.

You know, regional specialties, or other things that set one apart from another.

And that is exactly what we are hearing about.

What sets this market apart from the others around the country.

Maybe the world.

The tracks.

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Travel

A Visit To The Mountaintop – Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep

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Chaing Mai, Thailand –

Yes, I know what they say.

“To find enlightenment, you must climb to the top of the mountain.”

How about I just ride the cable car instead?

It’s faster, and easier on the knees.

Yes, you lose the time spent in contemplation, as you are laboring your way up.

One step in front of the next.

But on the cable car, when you get to the top, you’re not nearly as out of breath.

At least for those of us not in great shape.

Plus, you avoid all of the people tempting you with trinkets or treats, trying to part you from your money, on the way up.

It’s much easier to say no when you’re going down the stairs and not huffing and puffing.

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Food, Travel

A Full Day, a Full Stomach

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Chaing Mai, Thailand –

Looks can be deceptive.

At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

Our instructor makes it all look so easy.

The ingredients are already portioned out for us, so all we have to do is this, that, and this other thing and Bam! You’ve got a perfectly prepared dish of Pad Thai.

It only takes about two minutes.

And that’s where the deception lies.

I’m sure for a practiced cook, going through the required steps in the short amount of time that the ingredients are allowed to be in the wok may not be difficult to do.

But for a clumsy, uncoordinated oaf like me, it’s another story altogether…

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Travel

There’s Gold in That Buddha!

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Bangkok, Thailand –

I can almost hear the conversation…

“Oh no! You dropped it!”

“I dropped it? No, you dropped it.”

“Like it matters? It’s broken. We’re both dead.”

“Wait, what’s this inside? It looks like…”

“Gold! That’s gold inside!”

“Wow, get the boss! We’re saved!”

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Travel

Elephant Talk!

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Chaing Dao, Thailand –

“Just give me the bananas and no one will get hurt…”

The trunk stretches through the fence towards me, grabbing the bunch of bananas from my hand. Any thought of not giving them to this particular elephant is gone. All along the fence, elephants are being fed bunches of bananas and bundles of sugar cane. There are signs posted asking that you give the whole bunch at once to the elephants, not to parcel them out one at a time, otherwise the elephants are likely to get frustrated and angry. You don’t want to get an elephant angry…

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