Thailand Sojourn

A little background info...

2007-01-11T20:47:00.001-08:00

Our messy new home, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Sometime in the spring of 2003 my wife and I decided to sell our little farm in Sebastopol, California. We’d owned the place for six years or so and had poured our life energy into renovating the decrepit buildings and various attempts to grow food. I had never thought we’d leave it. I had fully expected to die there.
But after six years of hard work, an intensely frugal lifestyle and the never ending list of essential projects screaming for my time and energy, it seemed that I would indeed die there—much sooner than I’d imagined. I wanted out. So we pushed ourselves hard to get it spruced up and by the end of year we sold it.

We decided not to buy again right away. We’d made quite a lot of money selling the place and I wanted to kick back for a while. So we moved into town and rented a (too small) house. Krista is an artist and we’d decided I would tend to the kids while she spent the year painting away.
We fixed up her folks’ old detached garage for her studio. We put in skylights and windows and French doors and a wood stove. We painted the floor a pretty green color. It was pretty nice. She got a lot of work done there, had a few shows.

But we got restless. Our house felt too crowded. And the political situation in the US was making us very unhappy and scared—it seemed like we were quickly sliding towards fascism. Our daughter India, though only 15, was approaching draft age. Fear was in the air. Like many folks at that time we began considering emigration.

We had met some nice people who had explored New Zealand. They told us stories and showed us photos. After all those years tied down to the farm I now had the travel bug. I had it bad! We decided to go and check it out.
Also, we’d been hearing wonderful stories about Bali, and since it’s so close to NZ we considered a side trip to that magical island.

The best deal I could find on airfare was a “Circle The Pacific” ticket from Air Brokers. This ticket included a stop over in Thailand. Thailand was not on our agenda. All we knew about Thailand were some vague scary stories about Bangkok and sex shows.

But hey, we had a free stop over! I began thinking maybe, just maybe, we should stay for a few days and have a look around. It seemed absurd to skip it entirely. So I got some guidebooks and invited my friend Susan over to dinner. She’d been to Thailand twice for extended stays and she painted a pretty encouraging picture. Skip Bangkok, she said. Just go straight up to Chiang Mai. My plan for a few days gradually became our plan for a full two weeks.

Around this time Krista’s mom asked if we’d mind if she tagged along! She’d apparently been following our discussions with great interest. We were delighted. Joyce is such a gracious and fun person to have around. Also, she’s a more seasoned traveler (she’d once gone solo to Egypt and she and Krista had been to Paris the year before), having her along boosted our confidence.
And she has such a great relationship with our daughters, we were certain she’d be a tremendous help with them. She was—all through Thailand and for the first five days of Bali.

And so we got our tickets. We packed up most of our stuff and rented a storage locker. Our beds, dressers, computer, TV, houseplants and cats we moved into Krista’s art studio. We were there for about a week before our departure, mainly to give the cats time to adjust. The photo above is right after we moved in.
The money we saved on rent and utilities over these three months helped offset the cost of the tickets, at least a bit. It also added a level of craziness, stress and excitement to our preparations. It was a time I’ll never forget.

I’d read some travel article which said to have a bon voyage party. So we did. And then Krista’s brother drove us all to the airport and off we went.

Off We Go

2007-01-11T20:44:00.001-08:00

thai blog (2), originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We left San Francisco just after midnight, the morning of March 8th. We had a layover in Taipei and then Bangkok, where we caught a flight up to Chiang Mai, arriving about 20 hours or so after we'd left.

My friend Susan had recommended Chiang Mai as a good starting point. The plan was to spend a few nights there, then head about and hour further north to Chiang Dao, where we would be in the countryside and treating Joyce to some gourmet food at the Chiang Dao Nest. Then back to Chiang Mai for a few more days, and travel by train down to the ruins at Old Sukhothai.
After a day or two there we planned a stop at the Ayuthaya ruins then on to Bangkok by river boat.

As it turned out we pretty much stuck to this plan, except that we stayed an extra day in Chiang Mai and Old Sukhothai and skipping Ayuthaya (and an extra train ride) we flew into Bangkok. We never considered heading south of Bangkok to the beach resorts. The Tsunami had hit Thailand hard only a few months prior and the area was still deep in recovery along the West Coast. We met travellers going to Koh Samui on the Eastern side, and they made it sound so inviting, but to us it seemed a bit risky still. And our time was just too short. We also expected to get our beach fix in Bali, and maybe even New Zealand.

Pretty much everywhere we went we deeply wished we could have stayed longer. Especially Bangkok, where we had only one full day! An extra week or two would have been much appreciated!

Our First Hint

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Thai Air Meal, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Our first hint that true weirdness awaited. Shrimp flavored crackers and what looked to be a potato salad sandwich with the crusts cut off.
We had been pretty much impressed with China Air on the way over. But for cleanliness and wonderful attendants Thai Airways put them to shame.

Tha Pae Gate

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Tha Pae Gate, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Chiang Mai is a very old city, at least by our standards. It was founded in 1296 and still has the moat that once encircled the original city, along with some of the walls and gates.
Chiang Mai is home to more than 300 wats (temples).
It was nothing like I expected! Somehow I thought it would be green and bucolic (sort of like our Petaluma). A sleepy village of a city one could bicycle around. Ha!
It turned out to be gritty and urban and butt ugly for the most part. The traffic seemed insane and just crossing the street was a challenge.
I was in shock for the first day or so, until we discovered the back alleyways and little havens off the main drag.
Over time we came to really love being here and I would gladly return.

The Lai Thai

2007-01-11T20:24:00.001-08:00

Our First Guesthouse, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I knew we'd be exhausted on arrival, especially the kids. It was to be an almost 24 hour journey. And we knew it would be hot. Really hot.
So we booked a place that would pick us up at the airport and had a pool. The Lai Thai seemed to fit the bill.

Here's my posting from our first day:

We finally got to our hotel about 6pm local time last night. Ugh. All in all, though it was a horribly long time to be in cramped airliner seats and almost impossible to sleep and it was a little confusing and stressful filling out the visa forms in Bangkok, the trip went without a hitch. The kids did great! What troopers.

Our driver from the Lai Thai hotel was right there with a sign waiting for us. He took us on a harrowing ride through crazy third world traffic to our hotel. That ride was just a blur of weird sights and frightening near misses with scooters.
The motel is a mixed bag. The rooms are much funkier than I imagined, but the big garden area is incredibly lush and pleasant to hang out in. There are fountains and spirit houses and the pool was pretty good this morning.
Last night we went out for a walk to find some bottled water. It was very much like an acid trip, and maybe a bad acid trip. I led us the wrong way it seems and we were in a funky dark smelly part of town with lots of scary traffic and most places closed up (at 7pm?). My guts were all messed up too, probably from the bizarre food on the Asian airlines. We were all wanting that water pretty bad.

We were feeling quite lost and a little scared when we ran into this super friendly gal from Canada. She escorted us into a strange little shop (which looked more like someone's grungy living room) and showed us a cooler with bottled water. 5 bottles for 27 bhat--about 50 cents. She also gave me a little map I've been using today. The first of many Angels we are to meet, I suspect.

The weather has been pretty good today. It was balmy all morning and only a bit hot this afternoon. Not too muggy either. So far Chiang Mai is much much more congested and dirty than I imagined. But we've barely begun to look about. I'm just glad we made it alive.

Note: as of this posting, the room rates at the Lai Thai are about $20 US double occupancy, but they will pick you up at the airport for free. I still think this is a pretty good place to land.

Off to a good start!

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Off to a good start!, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The pool! What a damn good idea.

Fellow Farang

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Fellow Farang, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The Thai have a word for all foreigners: farang.
We met these nice folks from Colorado by the pool. They gave us wonderful travel advice and encouragement on our first day.
This was the little cafe attatched to the Lai Thai guesthouse.

Eden's New Shoes

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Eden's New Shoes, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I don't think Eden was really embracing the whole travel thing until we went to the exotic Worrorot market and found these shoes for her. They had clear heels filled with little colored balls. And silvery flowers on the toes. That was all it took.

Songthaew

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Songthaew, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The songthaews cruise endlessly looking for passengers. They make getting around incredibly cheap and easy.

Here was my enthusiastic posting from Chiang Mai:

All we have to do to get around is walk out front of our hotel and wait 30 seconds and a songthaew will stop to pick us up. I still have that little map the Canadian gal gave us and just point to our destination, then we climb in the back and away we go. It costs 40 baht for the 5 of us (Eden rides free I guess) and they drop us off, all smiles.
On the way here we met a delightful young man from the Philippines who is here teaching ping pong (?) and a very pretty very shy school girl who bid us farewell as if we were old friends when we clambered off, even though we'd only exchanged a few awkward sentences.
By the way, a songtheaw is a little pick up truck with a tall covering and seats along both sides of the bed. It's well padded inside and has openings rather than windows and plenty of places to hold on. I have to say it's the most fun public transportation I've ever experienced! Very practical too. I do wonder what it's like in the rain, with those open sides and all.

Samlor

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Rickshaw., originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The bicycle rickshaw, or samlor, seems to be a dying breed in Thailand. The roads are just too crazy with cars, trucks, tuk tuks and scooters. This one was especially lovely and I wish we'd had time for a ride.

Tuk Tuks

2007-01-11T19:26:00.001-08:00

Tuk Tuks, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We'd read about tuk tuks in one of the guide books. They got a bad rap for being loud and unsafe and having all the poluted air blowing in your face. I took this to heart and avoided them at first.
Finally the girls and I took a ride back to our hotel by the time we arrived I was completely won over. I have a video clip here of that ride. What a blast!
One night, coming back solo from the night market, I got a ride in one that had a bum starter. At one point the driver, who was borrowing the tuk tuk from his cousin, foolishly turned off the engine. I ended up pushing it to get it jump started! He also got us lost trying to find my guesthouse in the dark back alleys. I guess he was from the countryside.
I just wish I could import one for my very own! I'd drive it around all summer.

Tuk Tuk

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Tuk Tuk, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Lunch Time

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Hill Tribe Entrepreneurs, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We stopped by this little hole in the wall cafe and were delighted to find that it went way way back off the hot chaotic dirty street to a pretty little courtyard with a fan and flowers. Jackie, a Karen hill tribesman, was our host and so nice that I had to take his photo.

Visiting the hill tribes is a big tourist draw for Chaing Mai and somewhat controversial. Here's a pretty good overview of the situation.

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Just Like The Ones Back Home

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Just Like The Ones Back Home, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

When my fish lunch arrived about 5 cats showed up to politely express interest in any tidbits I might let drop. They really were polite!
The girls were enchanted and it took some of the edge off of watching me eat fish--the first time they'd seen me do it. I was merely eating cat food.

Thai Toilet

2007-01-11T13:18:00.001-08:00

Thai Toilet, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I very much admire the Thai toilet. It has no mechanical parts to wear out. It's easy to keep clean. It uses only as much water as necessary. And squatting is just healthier in general.
Even in modern facilities with flush toilets, there would usually be a pail under a spigot, with some sort of dipper to use.

Eden Escapes Adoption

2007-01-11T13:15:00.001-08:00

Eden Escapes Adoption, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

So many Thai people were smitten with Eden. They would actually grab her! This women wanted to keep her and pretended to shoo the rest of us away. All this attention was surely good for my shy retiring daughter.

Bamboo Scaffolding

2007-01-11T13:14:00.001-08:00

Bamboo Scaffolding, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

On our first walk about we noticed this use of bamboo. As someone interested in natural building I was really stoked.

Spirit House

2007-01-11T13:13:00.001-08:00

Spirit House, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

This was our first encounter with a spirit house, at the Lai Thai guest house.
Every business and every home in Thailand has one. I wish we could've bought one to bring home with us. Then again, we were told that setting up a spirit house is a matter left to the priests. It requires certain special blessings and it has to be aligned just so.
Still....

Spirit House

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Spirit House, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Spirit House

2007-01-11T13:10:00.001-08:00

Spirit House, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The Worrorot Market

2007-01-11T13:09:00.001-08:00

The Worrorot Market, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Our guide Poon directed us to this place and we were enthralled. It was not a tourist place at all. We ended up returning several times.
Here's my post from our first visit:

There were clothes and shoes and luggage and cosmetics and semi-familiar stuff, then there were food stands with the most bizarre assortment you can imagine, including French fried meal worms all neatly packaged. There were big bowls of green glop in numerous stalls that seemed to be selling well. A vendor warned Joyce away "very spicy!!!". Not that Joyce was really tempted I think. There were stalls selling crazy toys and supplies for spirit houses (I bought some Hell Bank Notes in 50,000 denomination). Most everything was really cheap and we were encouraged to barter if the price was too high. We were some of the only farang in the place and really felt like we were in a foreign land!

I bought several tie dye shirts here which I ended up wearing to shreds on the trip, and a little canvas camera bag with a shoulder strap, for the video camera. It became practically attatched to my hip! But best of all, Eden got her special Thai shoes here. They had clear heels with little colored balls inside, and silvery metal flowers on the toes. I think that finally won her over to the idea of travel.

Glop For Sale

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Glop For Sale, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Joyce was intrigued by this stuff. She asked the vendor is it was to eat and the woman smiled and said "Yes yes, but not for you. Too spicy!" And yes, that is a big bag of fried meal worms behind on the floor.

Dragon Fruit

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Dragon Fruit, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We HAD to buy one. But we didn't end up eating it till we got to Old Sukhothai. One problem with exotic fruit is knowing when it's ripe.

Fried Meal Worms

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Fried Meal Worms, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Mmmmmmm.

So Many Choices

2007-01-11T12:58:00.001-08:00

So Many Choices, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The market was just packed with tiny little stalls and most of the stalls were totally packed with weird stuff for sale.

Street Market

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Street Market, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

For a meat eater this place is just heaven.

If Only We'd Been Braver

2007-01-11T12:56:00.001-08:00

If Only We'd Been Braver, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Poon

2007-01-11T12:55:00.001-08:00

Poon, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We hired an English speaking guide to take us about in her air con mercedes. Her name is Poon and she was very nice. I wish she'd been a bit more fluent in English, but she was still worth her weight in gold to us.

Here's a post from Chiang Mai:

Today we hired a guide named Poon, who took us around to three beautiful wats (temples). The wats are really walled compounds with at least one amazing temple, maybe a school for monks, lots of dogs laying around in the road. We (meaning the adults) were enthralled by the gorgeous architecture and statuary and ancientness of these places--one of them was 1000 years old apparently. The kids were less enthusiastic after a while. It was pretty hot.
We went to a hill tribe cultural center/museum which was even less interesting for them, although we saw three men swimming in a big lake with their horses. Just the horse’s heads above water.
Poon also took us to a real supermarket where we could get big jugs of drinking water. That was really fascinating! I bought the kids weird popsicles and they were content.

Temple Hopping

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Temple Hopping, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We saw many many temples and they all sort of run together in my memory, though each one was magnificent.
It struck me right away that these temples are part of a living working religion. Not like the tourist cathedrals in Europe.
There were at least as many Thai people there to worship as tourist there to marvel. I dimly remember that something like 90% of Thai are Buddhist. Which is one reason this is such a safe and enjoyable country to visit.
I can't help contrasting these temples to the butt ugly little cinder block fundamentalist christian churches that seem to sprout up in weedy parking lots across the US.
Compared to folks in the US most Thai are extremely poor. At least in money terms. But not in their religious sense obviously.

Using a small plastic doll to relate to foreign cultures.

2007-01-11T12:33:00.003-08:00

Using a small plastic doll to relate to foreign cultures., originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Lion

2007-01-11T12:33:00.001-08:00

Lion, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

It would be so worth it to find an excellant English speaking guide, knowledgeable in all of the temple symbolism. We had no such guide and were often scratching our heads in mystery.
For example, who is the little fellow under this lion (or is it a dog?) and what is he doing there?

Temple

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Temple, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I think the clock adds a nice touch.

Temple Art

2007-01-11T12:30:00.001-08:00

Temple Art, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I love this image. It was up along the walls of one of the many temples we visited.

Mystery Food

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Mystery Food, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We were decidedly timid about our food intake. A more daring soul would certainly have true adventures here.
I will say that before we came I never realized there were varieties of bananas. In the US we mainly just get one sort. And the sort we get are obviously bred for shelf life or some such, not for taste. The little Thai bananas rocked my world!

The Ubiquitous Table and Chairs

2007-01-11T12:24:00.001-08:00

The Ubiquitous Table and Chairs, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We saw these things all over. They aren't made of wood. I think they're cast or something. But they're painted like wood. All part of the weirdness.

Dinning Out

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Dinning Out, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

One night we decided to go to a fancy place for dinner. It was very pretty, right overlooking the river. Lots of lanterns and candles (and mosquitoes hiding under the table--Eden's legs got all bit up). Hillary Clinton had once eaten here--a sign had announced that big news in the lobby. This place had the atmosphere for sure.

Songthaew

2007-01-11T12:19:00.001-08:00

Songthaew, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Krista took this photo to remember the contrast between sacred and profane and the general butt ugliness of much of Chiang Mai. Lots of concrete and wires.
Somehow that doesn't come through in my memories. It was gritty for sure, but mostly I remember the beautiful people and the sheer exoticness of the place.

Night Market

2007-01-11T12:15:00.001-08:00

Night Market, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The night market is a big deal in Chiang Mai. It isn't hard to get to. Jump in any tuk tuk and say night market and off you go. We had no idea what to expect and were properly blown away.
I think we went three or four times. The first night there was a major hatching out of flying bugs. Moths and something that looked like our black termites. We stopped under a light to get our bearings and I suddenly had about eight of them under my shirt! Krista was aftraid Eden would see that and freak out, but she didn't.
We went back the very next night and were bracing ourselves for the onslaught of bugs, but they weren't there! It was only that first night.
I've included quite a few photos of goods on offer there, but these really only scratch the surface.

Here's a post from Chiang Mai:

We were all blown away by the craftwork at the night market last night. The Thai make really beautiful and diverse fabrics, especially silks. Trippy shoes, handbags in great organic shapes, wood carvings (we bought Eden a little wooden tuk tuk--the ubiquitous three wheel taxis ), I met a guy who made gorgeous hanging lanterns, metal bas relief images. Lots of hemp things, I bought a new wallet for 40 baht. Then there are the hill tribe women peddling real and fake handicrafts. There are gaggles of Akha women, all about 4.5 foot tall. They come on pretty strong! India got pressured into buying a belt from them, studded with beads and shells, which actually looks good on her. Several stalls were selling these astonishing soap carvings of flowers. They look absolutely real, glowing in vibrant colors in these polished lacquer round boxes. Not something we'd want, but stunning work. I can't possibly relate it all. And you have to haggle. At the night market I usually offer half of the asking price, but it's really subtle, which things are way overpriced or not. I bought these little brass phallus totems, which have a lizard perched on them (about an inch long) from tribeswomen. They had a bunch of them, some with tigers, one with a buffalo! I bought an extra one for my friend Danny.
This was the first thing I bought and I haggled hard. But when the price was finally agreed upon I felt guilty and paid the old women more than we'd agreed. I think they were baffled.
The best thing I got there was a little pocket knife in the shape of a silver leaf. The blade itself was leaf shaped. I loved it and carried it all through Bali and most of NZ. I finally lost it somewhere in NZ and felt very sad!
It feels really wierd to write this, but I wish we'd bought more stuff there, in Thailand and at this market. But we had just started out and we were both watching our money and being cautious about becoming encumbered with stuff.

The Night Market

2007-01-11T12:03:00.001-08:00

The Night Market, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The market was both inside and outside. We discovered a huge food court where you bought little tickets from a central kiosk and could go around choosing whatever delicacies you fancied. There was a large area of tables absolutely packed with folks. The noise level was incredible, but if you could withstand it what an awesome people watching venue. And the food was insanely cheap and good.

Faces of Thailand

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Art for sale, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

At the night market

Awesome Carvings

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Awesome Carvings, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I like the interacton between the elephant and its baby.

Shoes for sale

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Shoes for sale, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

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test post

Lights for sale

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Lights for sale, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

On the street were endless stalls selling everything from t-shirts and shoes to carvings, silks, knives, jewelry. You name it.
It was all lit up and some of the booths were very enticing and pretty.

Puppets

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Puppets, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

So much to see there.

Soap Carving

2007-01-10T20:37:00.001-08:00

Soap Carving, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I was astonished to see these little flowers carved out of soap. This fellow was carving some right there on the street. I told him I thought he was a very great artist. But I didn't buy any. This was the start of our three months and I didn't want to carry anything extra.
A few blocks down the street I came across an almost identical stall, and then another, and felt a little silly. But honestly, all three of the guys are great.

Lamps for sale

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Lamps for sale, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Our Server

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Our Server, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We were stumbling all over the Night Market looking for food. I had been picturing little pad thai stands and such. Somehow we couldn't find any. We came across this one resturaunt that looked super fancy and by then we were so hungry we just went for it. A man with white gloves opened the door for us!
We were ushered to a beautifully laid table. It was a posh place. But they had live music going. A woman was singing, in Thai I suppose. And it was so awful that despite our hunger, despite feeling embarrassed to leave, we just had to get the hell out of there.
I really can't do justice to describing the music, so I'll just say it was loud, screechy, high pitched, cloying and nerve wracking.
We bolted for the door.

Soon we were headed down a side street where any number of little open air resturaunts and little stands were crowded with happy patrons. While we were trying to make sense of it this cute little girl (she seemed to be about 12 years old) came right up to us and asked "are you hungry? This place over here is very good". What a sweetheart!
She sort of led us over to one of the larger open air places and pointed out an empty table. Of course, it turned out that she was a server at that resturaunt and was soon taking our order. We felt just a little bamboozled, but mostly charmed. The food was quite good and very cheap too. This is her photo.
I think India was startled to realize this girl was working. She seemed so young. Younger than India anyway.

Very Spicy

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Very Spicy Soup, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Krista was sweating. Tears were running down her face. I didn't think she would finish it but she did. She said it was just so good. Good thing she'd requested 'not too spicy'.

So Much Stuff For Sale

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So Much Stuff For Sale, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Chiang Dao Nest

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Chiang Dao Nest, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We were whisked up to our Chiang Dao Nest resort in a fancy air-conditioned mini van, but the scenery left us exchanging increasingly worried glances. It just got uglier and uglier. It really is dry season here. Not enough greenery to go around and lots of burned places, whether controlled burn or wildfire we couldn't tell. And it all seemed torn up with lots and lots of rubble. I guess a huge highway project is going on or something. The air was thick with smoky haze. You could see there were mountains up there but just barely.

Then all of a sudden we passed elephants. About 15 of them walking about this big property. I think they were working elephants, but there didn't seem to be any people about. The kids sat up for that! By the time we got to the tiny town of Chiang Dao things were looking a little better, then woosh we drove past the Cave Temple complex and were turning down a driveway and viola, we'd arrived. It was our Enchanted April moment.

What can I say? It was stunning. There was a beautiful outdoor cafe area with handmade wooden tables, orchids and beautiful plants everywhere. A truly beautiful Thai woman came to greet us, Pom, and we all of us instantly fell in love with her sweetness and her smile. We had a delightful lunch whilst waiting for out rooms to be made ready. One of the reasons we came to this place is Wiccha, one of the owners. She is an astounding gourmet chef who studied in Europe (where I suppose she met Stuart, her husband, the other owner). The food was perfect. And absurdly cheap!

Anyhow, our bungalows were made of bamboo; with big French windows and cool smooth concrete floors. Simple, but elegant and beautiful, with little lotus ponds out front. I think there were only 6 of them. All down little gravel paths bounded by exotic flower bushes.
It was hot, but noticeably cooler than in Chiang Mai, and indeed for most of our stay the weather was perfect, and actually quite cool a few evenings.

The price for staying is between $14 and $19 US, depending on the season, for double occupancy. There was no charge for Eden, who was 6 years old.

Pom

2007-01-10T17:14:00.001-08:00

Pom, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Such a delightful person. She's married to a hill tribe man, but we found out that she's from Bangkok. She told us "maybe someday I write a book".

Out in the Country

2007-01-10T17:13:00.001-08:00

Out in the Country, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

After the gritty hurly burly of Chiang Mai it was so good to be out in the peaceful countryside. Despite the drought there were flowers blooming and birds singing. Ahhhhhhh.

The Chiang Dao Nest

2007-01-10T17:12:00.001-08:00

Our Bungalow, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Joyce

2007-01-10T17:06:00.001-08:00

Joyce, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The reason we came to the Chiang Dao Nest was really for Joyce and the allure of gourmet food. Our first few days in Thailand had been so rough and gritty. When we got to the Nest we all smiled and relaxed. I done good.

Shower

2007-01-10T16:31:00.001-08:00

Shower, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Hopefully this is the most mundane photo I'm posting. Notice the tiny little on demand water heater. Since the Thai use 220v wiring standard, they can use these super efficient heaters.
You'd think people that smart would figure out a way to put in a shower pan so the whole floor didn't get wet with every shower. At least here we had a shower curtain, to keep the toilet (and toilet paper) dry. In most Thai bathrooms it's a free for all, with water everywhere.
Notice too the silver bucket for flushing the toilet. What a good idea. Use only as much as you need.

Dangerous Hike

2007-01-10T16:27:00.001-08:00

Dangerous Hike, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

This is obviously at the start of our hike. Long before I ever dreamed of heat cramps.

Wild Bananas

2007-01-10T16:26:00.001-08:00

Wild Bananas, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I've seen a zillion banana trees since, but this was my first.

Waiting To Be Fed

2007-01-10T16:25:00.001-08:00

Waiting To Be Fed, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We often hung out on the dining room patio. We had that lovely feeling that we were in just the right place.

Smoky Sunset

2007-01-10T16:23:00.001-08:00

Smoky Sunset, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

It was quite an atmosphere.
Just as the sun would go down the cicadas would start up and it sounded like a space ship taking off, very loud and very otherworldly. We loved it.

The Day's Menu

2007-01-10T16:20:00.001-08:00

The Day's Menu, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The prices are in Thai bhat of course, at that time about 40 to a dollar. So the most expensive meals were maybe $7.50. Not really that cheap. Except that they were elaborate gourmet meals. The kind you would expect to pay $35 to $50 a plate for in a California resturaunt.

Breakfast

2007-01-10T16:16:00.001-08:00

Breakfast, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I chose the Nest in large part for Joyce. She really enjoys fine food and the Nest delievered! After the first or second day however, the vegetarian items disappeared off the menu board and Wiccha sent me and the girls down the hill to her sister's more traditional Thai resturaunt for vege fare.
This is where I had a bowl of Tom Yum fish soup that was so good I felt transported out of this world. It was probably the best thing I've ever eaten.
Here's what I wrote about that trip down the hill:
One dark night I walked with the girls down to the resort's Thai restaurant, down near the cave temple. We had a truly excellent meal, maybe the best Thai food I've had (made by Wiccha's sister). But Eden was very tired and did not like walking in the dark. In fact I had carried her about halfway down the hill. Suddenly Wiccha's sister appeared and told us that one of the staff (a very handsome fellow) had offered to drive us back up on a motorcycle! What could we say? Eden and I went first (no helmets!). I was terrified. It was very dark, very windy and there were dogs in the road we had to weave around. But we made it back in just a few rushing minutes and were greeted enthusiastically by Krista and Joyce who had just finished eating, and by Wiccha and a few other guests. Then up comes India, vrroooom. I was worried she'd be freaked out, holding onto some stranger, first time on a bike. She was elated! "We should get one of these things!!". Fun.

Barbed Wire Pom

2007-01-10T16:10:00.001-08:00

Fond Farewells, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

When we met Pom she was wearing what looked to be a barbed wire necklace. It really looked real! She had made it out of leather and offered to make some for us. We bought five of them.
She was the loveliest person.

Chiang Dao Cave Temple

2007-01-10T09:45:00.001-08:00

Cave Temple, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

When I booked our stay at the Chiang Dao Nest I'm not sure I knew about the cave temple. Or if I'd seen it mentioned as a local attraction it didn't really register.
Our first attempt to visit was nearly a disaster. We'd been told that we could hike on a nature trail along the mountain side and arrive at the temple in about an hour. That sounded good.
But it was very hot. And the trail was very poorly marked and much steeper and rougher than we could have imagined. We quickly came to realize we hadn't brought enough water.
Still it was beautiful and exotic in a very dry and smoky sort of way and we pressed on. But after about 45 minutes it dawned on us that we were in the middle of nowhere. Not even close to the caves. That was when the path we were on began zig zagging UP the mountain side.

We had passed a little hand drawn sign quite a ways back, written in Thai. We decided that that was probably the trail we needed and we'd simply taken a wrong turn.
So we trudged back to the sign and bravely clambered down the absurdly steep path, hoping that this was indeed the right way.
Hoping but also doubting and then actively worrying. By now our water was gone and we were very hot. I ran ahead and began passing smoking piles of ashes. Workers had been burning slash here. The trail completely vanished. We had to go back!

The decision to give up and just return the way we'd come was just plain hard to make. It meant somehow going back up that steep slope and that was going to be tough. It also meant a solid hour of hiking to get back to our starting point. We had come so far on hope and bad information. In the end there was no choice at all. We had to go back.

It was actually frightening. India came unglued at one point--I think when we were about to do the climb back up. She was basically hysterical and began wailing that she had malaria! And it was clear that Joyce was close to heat exhaustion, if not already there.
I myself began having heat cramps in my legs! Something I'd read about but never experienced. And I was carrying a very limp Eden, who we found out later, had picked up a tick to bring back with her.

We obviously did make it back out. But we had been very foolish. I found it rather hard to be civil to Stuart, our host at the Nest, who had sent us out on this jaunt.

The very next day we decided to walk down the road to the cave temple. A downhill walk of about a mile. But just as we were leaving, the local police, who had been collecting the hotel tax from the Nest, very kindly offered us a lift in the back of their pickup truck.
It was an amusing way to enter the complex. Police escort.

What greeted us there was a surprise and delight to all of us.
This photo was taken at the entrance to the cave, where in ages past part of the roof had caved in, allowing light but not rain to illuminate rocky shelves. As you can see, the Thai took full advantage of this magnificent gift of nature.

Reclining Buddha

2007-01-10T09:17:00.001-08:00

Reclining Buddha, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

This was on the side of the path deep underground. A little spooky until we realized what it was supposed to represent. After walking about on our own, we paid a few bhat and followed a Thai guide, carrying a stinky gas lantern, who spoke almost no English. We climbed up a slippery stairway and suddenly we were expected to crawl on our hands and knees through a rather small hole (one of several it turned out). A rather wet and slippery hole too. It was all too harrowing for Eden, who bumped her head, twice. Clearly Krista and Joyce were glad for an excuse to take quick exit. The gas lantern seemed to be sucking all the oxygen out of the air and we were all suffering claustrophobia. Our guide led them away down a crazy steep staircase.

India and I continued on to the bitter end, joining up with a different guide. The bitter end turned out to be a very deep chasm! At least according to our guide. And this is after slipping any number of times along the way. I'm glad we didn't fall in. Then we turned about and ended up going down the same way Eden was ushered out--an incredibly steep slippery 'staircase'. Ack. I loved it. And yes, there were bats, though not so many. One flew by India's face once, inches away. What an experience.

Cave Temple

2007-01-10T09:16:00.003-08:00

Cave Temple, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Cave Temple

2007-01-10T09:16:00.001-08:00

Cave Temple, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Chiang Dao Buddha

2007-01-10T09:12:00.001-08:00

Chiang Dao, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Unlike so many tourist stops, this temple complex offered us many seemingly random or chance encounters and sights. It was a rambling affair with endless unmarked nooks and crannies. It was all so unstructured and tested our comfort limits around trespassing and nosing about.
There was one cliff wall that was encrusted with burial niches. Each one with a little statue. At first we didn't notice them, but as we walked along the base of the cliff it became apparant that we were visiting a most unusual cemetary.
I could've spent the whole day there.

Hill Tribe Women

2007-01-10T09:05:00.001-08:00

Hill Tribe Women, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Krista's mom is actually taller than these women! And Joyce is not tall. Somehow or other they actually got us to buy handcrafts from them, including the Akha crown that India is wearing on the far left.
At this early stage of our three month journey I was very reluctant to add anything to our burden of luggage (which I was in charge of lugging). Especially anything as silly as a headress. How wrong I was!
When we got home these trinkets had somehow become transformed into treasure. Especially the headress, which has been proudly worn any number of times.
The absurdly small amount of money we left in exchange was probably a god send to these beautiful women, especially with so few farang tourists about.

Fast Food

2007-01-10T08:55:00.001-08:00

Fast Food, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Business looks a bit slow. I'm guessing we were there 'off season'. I don't know when the on season is. I was glad though. We were the only farang around though there were any number of Thai tourists.
I like Joyce's smile in this photo. We were all feeling pretty lucky to be there.

Chiang Dao Temple

2007-01-10T08:52:00.001-08:00

Chiang Dao Temple, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

In the Cave Temple complex. I thought this one especially beautiful. It has a rooster (or chicken) on the front with a Buddha behind it. I wondered what the symbolism of that might be. Someday I'll look it up.
You can see the mountain rising up behind. The air was so smoky our whole time in Chiang Dao.

Lotus Faerie

2007-01-09T22:12:00.001-08:00

In Chiang Dao, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Once again we were flummoxed by a bit of Thai weirdness. Who is person and what is she doing with her hair? Or is that a stem? At any rate she was beautiful and fit in well with this pool and fountain.

India

2007-01-09T22:10:00.003-08:00

India, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Entrance to the Cave Temple

2007-01-09T22:10:00.001-08:00

Entrance to the Cave Temple, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Herbalist Shop

2007-01-09T22:09:00.001-08:00

Herbalist Shop, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We were wishing our herbalist friends could be there. All so exotic!

Shopping for Cures

2007-01-09T22:08:00.001-08:00

Shopping for Cures, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I bought a little packet of pills (or peppercorns) from this woman. They have a funny English/Thai label and are said to cure all kinds of things--from beri beri to baldness. I haven't tried them yet.
I have no idea if this woman is a master herbalist or a total fake. But given the nature of her little shop, I'd lay odds on her being a master herbalist.

Hand of Nagas

2007-01-09T22:05:00.001-08:00

Hand of Nagas, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The five fingers of Dr. Doom? There was no one around to ask about this striking temple. Pretty amazing.

Elephant Ride

2007-01-09T22:04:00.001-08:00

Elephant Ride, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Through the Nest we signed up for a tour, which included an elephant ride, visiting a hill tribe village and ending with a rafting trip.
We stood waiting for the elephants and when they emerged from the bush and began walking across a field toward us, I think we were all a bit startled by their size.
It's one thing to see an elephant in the zoo. Another to watch it approach, knowing you're expected to climb up on it's back. Luckily they had a big scaffold set up for us and though it was scarier than I expected, even Eden made it onto her elephant.
There was one baby and somehow Joyce ended up on that one.
I have to admit I expected the seating to be a bit more comfortable. Basically it was a metal enclosure resting on layers of burlap. One held onto the metal for dear life as the elephant's back pitched like a small boat on a rough sea.
It was terrible for taking photos or video! I was terrified I would drop the camera.
While I'm complaining I might as well tell you that the whole thing was rather sad. I had fostered hopes of really interacting with the creatures. Perhaps feeding them, petting them or some such thing. Not a bit of it. We couldn't see much of our own beast and as they mainly walked in single file it was hard to make eye contact with the other two.
Adding to the sad atmoshpere was the dessicated landscape of chopped down trees and burned patches. It was too damn dry and too damned smoky.
Still, I'm very glad we did it. If I'm ever in Thailand in the lush rainy season, I'll for sure take another elephant trek. But I'll make sure I get to feed my elephant some bananas.

Port of Call

2007-01-09T21:53:00.001-08:00

Transport, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

When we finally got to our destination I gave the mahouts each a tip. I wasn't clear what a reasonable tip should be but when I gave them the money they all started smiling! Big beautiful smiles.
They'd been so dour the whole trip. I wish I had given them the tip to start with. We all would have had a much better time. Live and learn.

Palong Village

2007-01-09T21:50:00.001-08:00

Palong Village, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Our elephant ride ended right here, in the Palong village. The Palong are Thailand's newest hill tribe and according to our host they have the worst go of it.
We wondered what would happen to the village in the heavy rains. Seems like a mud slick waiting to happen.

The Palong

2007-01-09T21:47:00.001-08:00

Palong Shop, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Quite a few of the women had little 'shops' like this one and there was a clear expectation that we would buy something.
I'm not sure how much of this stuff they actually made. Probably most of it. I wasn't enthusiastic about shopping but when we got home everything we'd gotten here turned out to be a treasure. The silly hat, the water bottle carrier, the elephant figurine.
It was a lesson to me, though I find it hard to put into words.

Beautiful people with beautiful children and amazing handcrafts.

Weaving Demo

2007-01-09T21:43:00.001-08:00

Weaving Demo, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

This woman called me over to demonstrate her weaving. I also got a tour of her little 'house' and was fully prepared to buy something from her when I got called away. I still feel bad about not going back to do business with her.
Notice the little boombox on the floor by her right hand?

Little Piggies

2007-01-09T21:40:00.001-08:00

Little Piggies, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I don't know anything about pigs. But these little guys looked pretty weird to me. They must have been babies as they were very small.
The houses are all up on stilts and the pigs and chickens live beneath.

High Tech

2007-01-09T21:39:00.001-08:00

High Tech, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I was amazed to see this solar panel through the crude window of the shack I was visiting. Amazed and delighted.

Rafting

2007-01-09T21:37:00.001-08:00

Rafting, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Our package tour included a river trip. I had never seen rafts like this. They take them apart at the end of the line and load 'em onto a pickup truck for the trip up river. Good recycling.
It was enjoyable watching our sure footed raftmen. They had clearly been doing this for many years and made it look easy. I guess they know every inch of the river too.
I kept wanting to take a turn with the pole, but the one time I stood up I quickly found it wasn't as easy as all that! I sat back down in a hurry.

On the River

2007-01-09T21:33:00.003-08:00

On the River, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Rafting on the River Ping

2007-01-09T21:33:00.001-08:00

Rafting on the River Ping, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Our trip down the river didn't exactly match the brouchures we'd seen. Dry season during a drought. I think the river was way low and in places it had more the feel of a drainage canal.
The current was slow and it seemed to take forever. Our butts were sore by the end and our feet were quite wet. Still, I'm glad we did it.

Fisherman

2007-01-09T21:31:00.001-08:00

Fisherman, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We saw many Thai on our river trek. There was a group of boys sharing a scuba mask and spear fishing with a simple hand made rig. They had a little fire going on a sand bar and were cooking the fish they'd caught.

Magical Temple

2007-01-09T21:28:00.001-08:00

Magical Temple, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

While the kids and Joyce were settling in to our rooms, Krista and I stole away to explore. We ended up walking down the driveway and up the road, sort of in a dreamy haze. We passed a ripe banana tree and huge bamboo, trunks as big as thigh, in sky high clusters. There was some exotic tree with a smooth straight trunk that soared way way up, no branches until the top canopy, which was raining down lovely pink and white flowers, spiral stars with the feel of orchids.
Definitely not in Kansas anymore!

Then we got to the end of the road and it was a big open gate. We'd seen another Nest guest go through so we hesitantly followed and came upon the most amazing white and gold temple glowing in the dusk. Our sense of being in a dream became delightfully intense. It was something straight out of Journey to the Wild Divine, if you know what that is.

There was no one at all about. Just us. It was very quiet except for the sweet calling of birds. Unfamiliar bird songs which greatly added to the exotic and surreal atmosphere.
We followed the path and came to stairs, guarded by the now familiar, but very impressive, Thai Nagas--serpents or dragons. The stairs went up and up and up, winding out of sight.

The next day we went up them with Joyce and Eden. My god what a climb! We didn't follow them to their end, but could see it: A small golden temple high up on the mountainside. It truly took our breath away (even more than the hundreds of stairs). By this time Thai and Burmese monks were passing up, in their saffron robes. One or two actually greeted us! Mostly they aren't supposed to acknowledge women, (and seem indifferent to ridiculous farang men).

We found out later that this temple is called Wat Tham Pha Plong.

Naga

2007-01-09T21:18:00.001-08:00

Naga, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Guardian of the way.

The Very Long Staircase

2007-01-09T21:17:00.001-08:00

The Very Long Staircase, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We had no idea where the stairs would lead us. When Krista and I first came upon this temple there wasn't another soul about. I think this may be because the monks all get up at 3am for sutras.
We climbed them the next morning with Joyce and Eden and quite a few Thai monks in their saffron robes.

Mountain Temple

2007-01-09T21:15:00.001-08:00

Mountain Temple, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

This magnificent sight rewards the climber of some 600 stairs. I don't know how many more it takes to reach the temple. This is as far as we got!
Apparently one can rent this temple for an overnight and I believe it may be connected to a cave complex. It certainly is beautiful to behold.

Fully Loaded

2007-01-09T21:13:00.001-08:00

Fully Loaded, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Waiting for our bus back to Chiang Mai we saw this songthaew being loaded up. It ended up with several scooters and a bicycle on the top and about 30 people inside and hanging off the back!
We had decided to take the bus back instead of the more expensive air con mini van. Aside from the expense we were after a more authentic Thai experience.
That started right here at the bus stop! Where no one spoke any English and we weren't sure how to tell which bus was which. Chiang Dao seems to be a bit off the tourist trail. There were few signs in English anywhere.

Bus Ride Back

2007-01-08T22:51:00.001-08:00

Bus Ride Back, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Oh man, that bus was packed. I didn't really have a seat, only half a seat. So half my butt was in the air. I ended up pretty much crouching on the balls of my feet in the aisle and trying hard not to accidentally offend the very polite Thai people all around me.

We were the only farang on the bus.

Physically taxing, it was at least a very interesting ride. We saw elephants working a logging operation and roaming about a preserve and all sort of weird vehicles and trucks piled high with outlandish loads.

A much different experience than the air con mini van that had whisked us up to the Nest.

The young ticket taker/porter spent the whole time standing in the open door, mostly leaning out. At one point my sunglasses fell on the floor and began sliding right out of the bus. He swooped down and snatched them up and handed them back to me so gracefully I was amazed.

The Rendezvous Guest House

2007-01-07T22:35:00.001-08:00

The Rendezvous Guest House, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Our lucky find.

2007-01-07T22:02:00.000-08:00

Once we got back to Chiang Mai we had to hunt for a guesthouse. With kids in tow and all our luggage! It was the first time we had to do so and it proved a daunting task. A task we grew to hate over the course of our trip.
We all had our various requirements and we ended up turning down many places. In fact I had actually booked a couple rooms in one guest house, but after we dragged our luggage up the three flights of steps the rooms turned out to be very dirty! Yuk. I had to go back down and ask for my money back. Very awkward.
And so we ended up walking miles, or so it felt. That first night we finally settled for a very clean, but uninspiring homestay on a back street, with a rather nosey and overbearing owner. It was a relief to find it, but we really didn't want to stay there more than that one night. So the next day we were back on the trail.
The following are several blog entries I made from a little cyber cafe. I think they convey some of my feelings at the time.

This morning Krista and I set out to find a decent guesthouse. It was actually cool and breezy! Beautiful weather. We must have seen 20 places! All we require is a clean room, a nice green place to hang out, relatively cheap, quiet and in a good location. We finally gave up and all went out for breakfast at a cute little cooking school restaurant. While we were waiting for our food, I ventured next door and found our place! The Rendezvous. We booked two nights. We have a lovely balcony overlooking the roi and plenty of space. Best of all, it's clean and in a nice alley street (roi) with cooking and massage schools, plus a few little laundries. We took naps and are now out and about.

We really like our guesthouse. The balcony overlooks the quiet roi with a two-story bougainvillea across the way and an old temple. As the sun was setting I sat there with Eden, who was drawing temples and humming 'la cucaracha' while I addressed postcards. The birds were singing and it was hot. Krista is resting, hopefully sleeping as night descends, to be fresh for the night market. I went out to the train station to get our southbound tickets today. The air, especially on the main drags, is pretty bad. If only the Thai could switch to biodiesel! It would cut their air pollution drastically in no time. And I'm sure they could produce a lot of it just with waste cooking oil. I think I'll write a polite letter to their king.
The Thai people love their king and queen. They may even worship him. He has done a lot, apparently, to better the lot of the poor, or so we hear. It's 180 degrees from home!
No one seems to care that we are Americans. It's interesting to try to guess which country the farang we see come from. I'd say Americans are in the minority, although I've met some really nice folks from Oregon, Nantucket, Detroit and Atlanta. The rudest tourists are German!

I wanted to add...I feel really really safe here. There are certainly many Thai who are maybe grumpy or not interested in farang. We've even seen a few drunks and crazy folk. But no one wants to hurt us! No one seems resentful of us even, which is amazing considering we are SO wealthy by their standards, and are no doubt trampling on their lovely etiquette. This absence of fear is one of the things I really wanted to experience travelling. I love it.

It's funny. The Rendezvous was very humble. It had no pool or beautiful lobby or anything like that. But somehow it had a very nice energy. I met someone this summer who had stayed there for several weeks while having dental work done. She loved it too.

Popsicle Cart

2007-01-07T21:56:00.001-08:00

Popsicle Cart, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Lassi

2007-01-07T21:55:00.001-08:00

Lassi, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Travel isn't all bad, eh Eden? Notice the orchid blossum stuck in the top.

Original Hilltribes Handicrafts

2007-01-07T21:54:00.001-08:00

Store, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We liked the hippy sensibility of this place. I think Krista actually bought something here.