Wat Phrabath Sii Roi (Buddha's Foot Print Temple)

I was fortunate to be able to take another motorbike ride into the mountains with someone who knew the way there, and back.  This time we traveled north and west of Chiang Mai. 
Once you get out of the city and into the Thai countryside everything becomes very green and bucolic.   

 As always, you will pass at least one large image of the Buddha.  We stopped here for a short break.  That's my ride in front, which is dwarfed by my friends Kawasake Versys, which has a 650cc engine, compared to mine which has only 110cc.  There are time when I think it won't go any farther up the mountain.  So far that hasn't happended.  Praise Buddha?

 This river has been blocked and diverted to create a fish pond.  When you buy fresh fish in Chiang Mai it has come from a place like this.

 Imagine taking a ride into the foothills of California, and continuing into the mountains.  Evetually the roads would get narrow, then more narrow, turn to dirt, and this just disappear.  This mountain road ended at a huge and magnificient wat, or temple.  Following is a glimpse of the temple.  I think this might also be one of the places where westerners go for meditation retreats.    

The above pictures are of me, cruising through the forest at mach 1, or, maybe 25 mph.

The countryside is vast and green.  I thought I'd try my "Panorama Stitch" softare.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not. 

A trip into the forest

In Thailand you could say that every trip anywhere begins and ends within the sight of the Buddha.  Monuments and temples abound, and most are striking in both size and appearance.  This one was located along the forest road. 

 Sometimes paved roads turn to dirt,  then back to pavement.  It's fun to try to guess where you are.  Maps here are generally useless, and I don't have a gps device.

 Eventually you'll pop out on to a highway again.  This road takes you to Samoeng, a quiet mountain town to the west of Chiang Mai.

 The country side is somewhat similar to the California foothills in Spring.  No rattlesnakes, though.  Just cobras. 

 You have to keep an eye open for wild animals.  If they think your shirt looks tasty, they'll take a little bite.   

 There are many tourist attractions along this route.  We stopped at this little restaurant.  Both the food and service were excellent.  Couldn't complain about the surroundings, either. 

 Our servers...Wee and Noi.  Thai people, and especially Thai children, are the most polite I've ever met.

OK - So I couldn't eat everything on my plate.  I neglected to take of photo of the full serving, but here's what I took home.  Crab, shrimp, squid, and papaya salad.

We stopped at this overlook, facing north west.  That's Myanmar (Burma) in the distance. 

My traveling companions for the day.  Names withheld to protect the guilty. 

Doi Khan Temple

Sometimes I need to get out of the city to find a quiet place.  It's easier than you think if you know where to go.  Knowing where to go is the result of untold hours of riding my bicycle.  The following pictures were taken at Doi Khan Temple, an out-of-the-way place in the forest skirting Chiang Mai, where you will see very few Thai and no westerners (except me). 

Typically - In Chiang Mai

OK - We'll start with a typical drive to Doi Sutep.  First note that driving in Thailand is opposite that in the US.  You are suppossed to keep left.  Now note the brown van.  It is neither in this lane nor that lane...

...or the other lane. 

Sometimes there are compelling reasons to follow the rules. 

I have rented this motorbike for a month.  It costs $2.75 a day if I rent it  for 30 days.  The front tire requires air twice daily.  I only have to put air in the rear tire once a day. 

One of the neighbors had a small gathering for dinner.  It was a hot day, so the remedy is to run a sprinkler so you  can wet down and cool off as needed.  The watering bucket is for dousing your head. 

Sooner or later it will rain, which cools things off but adds to the humidity. 

The neighbor hosting this dinner is British, and his wife if Burmese.  She is an excellant cook.  All of the food on the table except the veggies and dip are spicy beyond belief.  In Thailand you learn to adjust to spicy food - or wait for dessert.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

I had a visitor last night.  I wasn't able to get his (her?) picture so I borrowed this one off the internet.  It had a body as big as my thumb, and a leg span larger than the palm of my hand.  They are extremely fast.  I confess that I did not hesitate to kill it, and immediately afterward I collapsed in a chair, and so then I decided that it would not be wise to hesitate to sedate myself with alcohol.  Later I had trouble sleeping (wouldn't you?).  So I went online only to learn that this spider is totally harmless to humans.  It's called a Huntsman Spider, or a Cane Spider, and it eats those big cockroaches that come around all the time.  Next time one of these comes around I should invite it in.  That's what I should do, but, would you be able to sleep with one of these roaming around your room?  Ha!  There isn't enough alcohol in the world....     

Sukhothai

The Sukhothai Kingdom was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438. The old capital, now 12 km outside of New Sukhothai in Tambon Mueang Kao, is in ruins and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage historical park.
I visited the area recently with my friend Ken, who lives in a village to the west about an hour's drive.  Sukhothai should be on your list of must-see historic sites when you come to Thailand.  Here's a few pictures of the area.  I think there would be opportunity for some stunning photos if you were here in the very early morning hours with a good camera.