While we had contemplated driving the scooter back from Pai (and sending our luggage ahead), in the end, sensibility won. We were really lucky too as the skies opened up as soon as our bus pulled away from the station. That would have been a shocking ride and our little 110 cc scooter. Probably not the smartest idea for a 3 1/2 hour trip.
Back in Chiang Mai, which seemed absolutely massive compared to the peace and quiet of Pai, we were greeted by Wiwat at the bus station. And he had a surprise in store for dinner - all-you-can-eat Vietnamese restaurant. Kyle's idea of heaven.
While it was a Vietnamese restaurant, they did a traditional Thai dessert. Wiwat has already scolded me for saying it, but it is pretty weird. Corn and beans in a sweet milky dessert? I don't know, but Kyle was up for it!
After dinner, Wiwat dropped us by the night market for a bit of shopping. The only thing that we were in the market for was a nice host gift for Wiwat. It would have better if we could have gotten one somewhere other than his own town, but options were limited. We thought that a Tibetan singing bowl like the one he had admired in one of the villages would be nice, and we found a nice one. Shopping trip successful.
We were only back in Chiang Mai for one night, before we were off on another road trip. Wiwat had planned a trip out to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle before taking us to the Laos border for our next adventure.
After our lovely time scooting around in Pai, we decided that we must buy a scooter. We found one in particular that we liked, a Yamaha Fino. Apparently, this model is not available in Oz, so we began the scheming to work out how to import one. (Flash forward: it didn't work out. Oz really doesn't want you importing much at all. Ah well...)
The Fino
The next morning, Wiwat picked us up very early and took us on a whirlwind tour of his top picks for "Best Of the Temples in Chiang Mai." Considering Chiang Mai's long history and over 300 temples, Wiwat did well to fit 6 temples into 3 hours. Unfortunately, I've forgotten most of their names (and sadly, that journal has gone missing), I will just give the pictorial highlights.
Temple # 1
A close up of the intricate carvings covering the facade
Just a peak inside as some of the nuns were setting up for a memorial service for a beloved monk who had passed away
Temple # 2
Temple # 3 - Wat Suandok (luckily I took a picture of the gate of this one)
One of my favorite carvings
Not an unusual sign to see around the monasteries
The most interesting thing we saw all morning was the induction of a western man into monkhood. His family welcomed us to kneel outside the doors and watch with them. Very moving experience to be asked to participate in.
Temple # 4
I loved the elephant carvings that were everywhere
A gorgeous little pond surrounded by lovely flowering trees. How devine.
Temple # 5 - This one was one of my favorites. I don't know it was just that it was small, so I could focus on what to take pictures of or that was one such a sharp angle. It was built in a sharp ascent right near the roadside but it was compact and spectacular. Maybe it was just that the sky was a beautiful blue with lots of fluffy clouds that made for a nice backdrop. Either way, I really liked it.
Crossing one of the moats - a remnant of the barriers built to defend again the Burmese centuries ago
Temple # 6
I'm tempted to try to photoshop out the powerlines, but that was the reality. The gates to the temple are right next to the street.
(Temple # 7 - I don't think we actually stopped here, but as usual, it was beautiful.)
And just as we were about to head out of town, we got a little flashback to our Turkish experience...
Yeah, apparently they don't hurt when they exfoliate, but they scare the be-jesus out of you when you aren't expecting to be nibbled on. (See more about my scary fish experience in our posting from Olympos, Turkey.)
Anyway, after doing the temple blitz, we were headed out of the town.
Destination?
The Golden Triangle.
A tasty lunch with Wiwat and Milton en route to Chiang Rai
