Trip to Chiang Mai

We were blessed to visit Chiang Mai with another senior couple a few weeks ago.  It's about an hour's flight to the northwest of Bangkok.  Of course, everything's about an hour's flight from Bangkok!  We had to go up for some PA business, and they had to be there for some mission business so we decided to meet up and have some R&R together.  This rarely happens, so we were excited to have some time together.  The Joneses are the mission couple, and we've really enjoyed getting to know them.  They will be leaving Nov. 18 to head back to Idaho, and they will be sorely missed.  We hope to be able to stay in touch with them - they've become very dear friends.

We visited a place called the Tiger Kingdom and were informed the tigers are NOT drugged - but I have my doubts.  How can they not be when people are laying all over them and hugging them, etc.?  We didn't pay to go in.  We just took photos from the balcony looking in.  Their paws were HUGE.  Can't imagine making one of them angry at you!  At one point, they had this stick with some tree limbs tied to it and would toss it back and forth in front of the tiger, like you would play with a kitten.  And the tiger acted like a kitten!  He would swipe at the stick and chase it.  Very cute!  Guess they're just overgrown kitties!!  VERY overgrown kitties!!  Beautiful creatures.

We also visited the Maesa Elephant Preserve.  We shared a previous blog about this trip.
Here are a few more photos about it.

Your typical tourist shot!  We don't know what the young man in the back was doing :)

We just missed the washing of the elephants!  These ladies' jobs were to scoop up the elephant poop after their baths.  Don't laugh - it's a job!  They're earning a living instead of receiving welfare.

 

 

 

Visiting the hill tribe group was very interesting.  Since most are refugees from Myanmar, they are not allowed to work in the country so they have to find ways to earn an income.  They set up their little homefront stores and sell their wares.  Plus, you have to pay an entrance fee to go in, which is a source of income for the village (about $16).  As we were walking down the "street" between the houses, which were built up off the ground, you could hear little children under the houses just laughing and giggling.  They were oblivious to what was going on - they were focusing on their games and having a good time!  So cute. 

At one home, we talked with the mother who was sitting there working on weaving a scarf, with her little son playing in a "playpen" beside her.  The scarves were so beautiful so we bought 3 - for a total of $15!  She explained that they wear the brass rings on their necks because they feel it makes them more beautiful to have long necks.  (Her English was amazing!)  They start wearing them when they turn 5.  They wear them for 2 years, night and day, and then at the end of 2 years, they add more rings and start another 2 years.  We saw some ladies with VERY long necks.  Kinda creepy.  When they have stretched their necks, they can't go without the rings because their necks are too weak to hold up their heads.  

 She demonstrated weaving the scarves.  Fascinating! (Amy would have loved it!)

 



Notice his little wooden playpen.  Look at those eyes!

 

 

Another Mother with her precious children!  Their father wasn't in the photo - too bad! 

They were a cute family.

 

Dad participated in shooting arrows - and was pretty darned good!

He even got a "thumbs up" from his instructor!

 



We saw one house that had some type of melons growing on the roof.  Very creative people!

Here's the "street" down the center of the village.

Here we are in front of a rice field in front of the village.  It's a very beautiful area.  We consider it a blessing to have visited this area and to learn a little about their culture. 

To wrap up our visit to Chiang Mai that day, we were blessed to see a "white buffalo".  Our driver was so excited to see this animal that he slammed on the brakes after we passed it and backed up so that we could take photos of it.  He kept saying "good luck, good luck", "it's good luck to see this animal."  He was SO excited!  So, we were very blessed to see the white buffalo.  And it did bring us good luck - we arrived home safely from our trip!

 

That is one healthy-looking animal!!

We must remember that ALL people we come in contact with are our brothers and sisters, no matter where they live or what they look like.  Maybe we even knew them in the spirit world and promised that we'd see each other on the earth one day.  These were very sweet people.  Hopefully, some of these people we communicated with will one day receive the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ from someone, and they will remember seeing our nametags and will think "I met some nice people once wearing nametags like that.  Let me hear your message!"  Since we're not on a proselyting mission, our prayer is that our interactions with others will set the stage for them to receive those Elders and Sisters who will one day enter their lives to teach them the restored gospel.