Thailand 2005-2006 Home Base and Eldertreks Tour

Started cycling at 10 a.m. on nice bikes we rented in the Saraphee district. We were led along flat and well paved country roads and private lanes. First stop was a small Wat where an outside crematory was being constructed for a revered abbot who had been lying in state in Chiang Mai for months. The beir was constructed like a huge bird with an elephant head. Very impressive. Riding on along the Ping River we entered the grounds of McKlean Hospital, where lepers received training to produce inexpensive handicrafts items which were popular among us shoppers. Our crew treated us to a khao laam break, a delicacy made of coconut and glutinous rice in bamboo sticks, before we rode on past the ruins of the ancient city of Vieng Kum Kham. After stopping at beautiful Wat Chedi Liam, we returned our bikes and vanned to lunch.

Linda Sorrento, our tour mate from Vietnam, met our group at the renowned Aroon Rai for delicious chicken curry. The three of us then walked the canals of Chiang Mai, stopped by Linda’s Sri Pat Guest House where she’s staying very comfortably for the month of January, and managed to find a camera shop selling good cameras before we met our group at the market to shop for dinner.

We had quite an experience at the Chiang Mai Thai Cooking School where two fine chef/teachers coached us to each prepare 6 Thai dishes which was our dinner. Boom and Big Mama were funny and inspirational, sending us off with some excellent recipes and utterly exhausted. Bob is happy to have a new Pentax digital camera for the remainder of our trip.

No slideshow today. Broken camera