Thailand - Chiang Mai with the Tigers and Elephants

February 25th and 26th - Chiang Mai 

We started the day with a visit to Tiger Kingdom.  The smallest tigers are 2 to 3 months, the middle size tigers are 9 to 12 months, and the bigger ones are 13 to 36 months.  A trainer is nearby in the large cage with you and assures you that the tigers are nocturnal and are resting during the day.  The trainer would reposition them occasionally or interact with them to help with picture taking.  The tigers available for interacting with tourists are less than 3 years old.  Older tigers are sold to zoos as part of a breeding program.

Who would have thought!

Another tiger enjoyed getting scratched.

This tiger weighed 550 lbs.

   The white tiger is a pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger, 
which is reported in the wild from time to time.
This white tiger was not one interacting with tourists.


* * * * * * * * * * * *
 

We saw these water buffalo on the road on our way to
see the snakes and elephants.

Cobras

I had thought we were going in to see the elephant show 
that had been announced to us.
Sam sat down on the front row, and I sat down beside him.
That is, until I realized this was going to be with snakes.
At which point, I moved to the second row behind Sam, my protector.

There were two snake handlers, and they seemed fearless.
At times they would act like the snake was getting away,
 as they let it start to move up and over the foot-high barrier.
Then they would grab it by the tail and pull it back into the ring.

These cobras had not been defanged,
as he milked this one into a glass jar.



Crazy handler.

A few members of our group had their picture taken with
a python wrapped around their necks.
Sam suggested we have our picture taken,
but I offered to take his picture if he wanted.
Notice there isn't a picture here of us with a snake. 

At one point in the exhibition, the handler brought
out a wooden box with 3 or 4 snakes in it and
 tried several times to bring up a snake with his stick;
but each time, the snake dropped off back into the box.
On another try, he flipped the snake off the stick and it
flew through the air and landed on a member of our group
who was sitting by her husband on the front row.
  She let out a shriek, jumped off the bench, and then
realized this one was a rubber snake.
She told us later that she had passed her stress test.
Sam commented it was a good thing they had not
chosen me as the victim, as I may not have passed!

Getting a kiss.  

Just a friendly hug.

Time for a bath.


 
Brushing teeth.

Playing soccer at the elephant show.

Painting with a brush held in their trunks.

A self-portrait?

About a half-hour ride up a narrow trail 
riding on a huge elephant.
You can see another elephant a distance behind ours.
(Narene and Sam)

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Visiting at a village of the Long Neck Tribe.

They don't seem to mind the weight on their neck
and are used to having their picture taken.

* * * * * * * * * * * *


Photos taken at the Golden Temples on a hill overlooking Chiang Mai.
(This is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep or often referred to as Doi Suthep, although this is actually the name of the mountain where it is located.):

Built as a Buddhist monastery in 1383;

 it is still a working monastery today. 

(Sam and Narene)

The lower terrace is surrounded by large bells that

are rung by pilgrims to bring good luck.

On the northwest corner of the terrace is a statue of the legendary elephant 

who is supposed to have chosen the site of the temple.

It looks as though he is receiving a blessing.



The golden stupa.
Once inside the temple grounds, 
you must remove your shoes.
(Sam and Narene)

A model of the emerald Buddah.
The original is in Bankok in the Royal Palace.

The upper terrace is home to a tightly-packed complex of small shrines,
bells, golden umbrellas, and Buddha statues.  Shoes must be removed
and shoulders must be covered before entering this sacred area.

Cute little girl on the monastery steps.
We went up in the tram or cable car and later came down the 306 steps.
The green scales behind the girl are part of the large railing
on each side of the stairs and are made to resemble the tail of a snake.


* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our local guide in Chiang Mai.

She gave us a mango and pineapple treat.

The night before, we had treated her to mango and sticky rice

after she had shown us where to buy it on the street.

It was very good.

Novice Buddhist monks in the open air market in Chiang Mai.

Orchid and Jade Factory

One of the beautiful orchids
on the grounds at the Orchid and Jade Factory.

Artisan painting on my purse at the Umbrella Factory.



A visit to a furniture factory.


 
The tuk-tuk we took from the Night Market to our hotel.
We bought another mango and sticky rice treat there.


 
Night Market in Chiang Mai.

Bus headed for the Chiang Mai airport and then home
via Singapore, Hong Kong, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City.


We enjoyed seeing the interesting cultural sights,
learning about Buddah's teachings from Michael Wilcox, 
experiencing new things, and being with nice people.

But it is always good to get home!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Thailand - Bangkok

February 23 - Arrived in Bangkok that evening and checked in at the Conrad Bangkok Hotel.

February 24 - Visited the Royal Grand Palace, the former royal residence of the Chakri Kings.  The King makes use of this Grand Palace for ceremonial functions such as the Coronation Day, but the King’s present residence is to the north of the Grand Palace and is known as the Chitlada Palace. 

 

 Photo taken before entering the Royal Grand Palace Compound.

 Rather than being a single structure, 
the Grand Palace is made up of numerous buildings, 
halls, and pavilions set around open lawns, gardens, and courtyards.

 Royal Guard of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Wat Pra Keaw, Grand Palace of the Emerald Buddha.

 It is regarded as the most sacred temple in Thailand.

The Emerald Buddha sits inside upon a series of raised platforms.

The Emerald Buddha was carved from one piece of emerald green jade. 

The Buddha figure sits high up on an altar of gold designed to represent 

 the traditional aerial chariot attributed to Hindu gods 

on the murals of Thailand. 

No one is allowed near the Emerald Buddha except the king;

however, visitors properly dressed (sleeves, knees covered, no shoes)

can enter and view the Buddha.  Photos are not allowed inside.

A season cloak on the Buddha is changed three times a year 

to correspond to the summer, winter, and rainy season.

The changing of the robes is a very important ritual

and is performed only by the king 

to bring good fortune to the country during each season.

Our guide in Bangkok 

explained the history and meaning of the Emerald Buddha

prior to our entering the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Her illustration shows the seasonal cloaks placed on the Buddha.

Our guide wore these partial sleeves with the tattoo design

apparently to protect her arms from the sun, 

and she rolled them down to the wrist when she was in the bus.

I thought it would be fun to buy these for my granddaughters

when they play dress-up, but I didn't find any.

 

 Phra Siratana Chedi 

"Chedi" is an alternative term for stupa in Thailand.

(Sam in the corner at the left.)

 Three-headed Green Demon Guard at the Grand Palace. 

This is an example of a Yaksha (a guardian spirit).

It is hard to see in this photo, but there are two smaller heads 

sitting above the main head on this image.

Sam's added comment:  "The lower image

isn't usually a demon even though she is color coordinated."

 

 The Green Demon Guard at the left

and spires of other buildings at the Royal Grand Palace.

 

A decorated Buddhist Temple within the palace grounds.

Athawijarn Sala, an exit from the Grand Palace.

Another view from a different direction.

Chakri Maha Prasat in the Grand Palace, completed in 1882. 

It is located on what used to be a garden, 

and was later the house of King Rama V's mother 

in which the future king was born and raised. 

The base of the building houses the royal guards,

and a collection of ancient weapons is displayed 

in the arcades along the building's front. 

A statue of 3 three-headed elephants 

holding a large lotus flower ornamented with the king's crest. 

This statue is located at Sanam Luang Park junction 

near the Royal Palace in Bangkok. 

The statue was built to celebrate the 84th birthday 

of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Dec 05, 2011.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our flight on Air Asia left Bangkok in the late afternoon for Chiang Mai.

 

 * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chiang Mai is where we spend time with the tigers and elephants!

Cambodia - Floating Fishing Villages on Tonle Sap Lake

February 23rd was an interesting day.  We began by visiting a small village called Kampong Kleang, which is located about 30 miles from Siem Reap and is situated on the northeast shore of Tonle Sap Lake.  The last section of the road to the site is dirt and narrow. 

 

The lotus flower produces edible seeds which can be eaten cooked or raw.

Our guide picked this pod and gave it to me, 
and I picked out the seeds and ate them.

 

These children seemed happy to receive

the little packages we gave them

with toothbrushes and toothpaste inside,

which were "gifts" suggested by our tour guide.

By boat, we explored the  fishing villages that are along the river leading to the lake:

 

 This is the type of boat we were in.

Michael Wilcox's grandson is on top of the roof

and is waving to us in our boat.

Here are samples of pictures we took from our boat as we moved down the river toward
Tonle Sap Lake:

                                 

Looks like the engine could use some tuning up.

 The prop is quite a ways behind the boat.

They were raising soybeans on both sides of the river.
This looks to be a typical tractor.

 Kind of an interesting irrigation system.
 

The barrels will be put under the building 
when the water begins to rise.

 "Houseboat" in the lake.

Fifty-five gallon barrels are used to raise this store 

when the water level rises.

I wondered how much wind they get in this area 
(must not be Wyoming), as it looks like the
houses couldn't take much. 

  I was curious what this was along the river bank
and was told it was a worship "temple,"
but I didn't find verification for this.

  Fish traps.

 Gathering in the fish.

The river isn't too pristine.  It is their drinking water,
their bathing water, their source of food, 
and their sewage system all in one.

 This guy either gets a lot of exercise or eats less
than most of us - or both.

Most of the lower buildings appeared to be able to
float when the water rises.

 





 





 

 Shortly before returning to the village,

the propeller on our boat got a plastic sack wrapped around it;

and our young driver crawled back along the side

to the back of the boat to get it fixed.

 * * * * * * * * * * * *

We were on our way back to our hotel after our boat ride when we learned that one of our three buses was not running well.  While they were making arrangements for the passengers to get transferred and put the luggage on the replacement bus, we were told we could remain on our bus or walk down the narrow village road that ran between the row of dwellings and a few stores.  We enjoyed mingling with the friendly, but shy villagers and especially enjoyed the children; but it was a little uncomfortable peering at their extremely humble homes, which were poorly built and had very little inside. 

 
The following photos were taken on our walk through the village:

The lake level raises a lot during the rainy season.  
We were there during the dry time of the year.


 
 I don't know how they keep their toddlers from
some really bad falls.

This picture needed cropping.  :-)

Bath time.

This was typical dress for boys under about five.

 

Inside a village store. 



 
 

The fish we saw were all small and it looked like the 
preparation didn't involve cleaning - just chopping them up.

 Sam trying out the hammock at a store.

 * * * * * * * * * * * *

After our adventure in Cambodia, we flew from the Heho airport on Air Asia, arriving in Bangkok and checking in at the Conrad Bangkok Hotel.


Our Southeast Asian blog entries will conclude with Thailand.