Friends and Family! Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand

We are all pretty excited to be back in Thailand and for many reasons. The food in Sri Lanka was not at all inspiring and Thailand has some of the best food in the world but the real reason we are so excited is because we are going to meet up with some family and a friend while we are here! Uncle Gord ( UG) and Aunt Janice ( Janice) are already here and Hollis' friend, Connor, will be here in a few days. We are all looking forward to seeing a familiar face and sharing our travel experiences with each other.  Hollis has researched and planned to get a traditional Sak Yant, bamboo stick tattoo as well so that will be an interesting adventure.

After playing with a pro frisbee in Sri Lanka our boys decided they needed a pro frisbee too. The problem is they are not available in Thailand unless you belong to a team. Bowen connected with this fellow (who plays on one of those teams) on the internet and arranged to meet him in Bangkok to buy one from him. We met up with him at Chatuchak market, one of the biggest and busiest in the world with over 15,000 stalls- no problem. Just look for the short Asian guy with the dark hair, right? right.

Bowen is VERY happy with his new score.

A mini sized egg cooker perfectly suited to those cute little quail eggs- Chatuchak Market

Just outside the Chatuchak Market and on our way home  we spot these beautiful piles of delicious looking veggies used to embellish something scrumptious. We can't do it, we are too full.

Yeah!!!! UG and Janice are here and we have gone out for some Pad Thai. Janice hasn't quite developed the taste for street food yet but she'll come around. Note the frisbee still attached to Bowen.

See, she's faking it.

We made big plans to visit the Grand Palace and the Golden Buddha this time as we missed it on our last visit to Bangkok and UG was raving about "how amazing it is" and "you simply must go". Unfortunately we didn't read the fine print in our trusty Lonely Planet so we arrived 1/2 hr before closing AND discovered the sarongs we brought to cover the boys knees were not acceptable. They HAD to have pants! Imagine that! I would have made it through in my Little House on the Prairie Dress- exposed kneecaps and all, but the boys had to wear pants.

This is as close as we are going to get to the Grand Palace

This is the bike lane chockablock full of street food stalls. Seriously.

UG and Janice have a swanky pool we were invited to swim in but believe it or not it was a little too chilly for that. 

Nice frisbee catch, Bowen!

Bbq'd eggs!

Saying goodbye after a few really nice visits in one of the worlds greatest cities! They are off to Bali, we are off to Chiang Mai.

Connor is here!

Hollis' friend, Connor, arrived at our guesthouse in a Mercedes limo! He was a little nervous at the airport travelling alone and so when the driver approached him for a lift he jumped at it. He should have paid about $15 for a regular taxi and instead paid about $80 for the ride (plus tip.) I think he will learn many lessons in his travels with us. 

Connor arrived safely and in style!    Lesson #1- always do the currency exchange in your head before saying YES to anything.

Hollis decided he wanted to get a Sak Yant tattoo by the traditional method of bamboo stick while we were in Thailand. He had many weeks to research who to have it done by and in the end chose this ex- monk who was very skilled. It was a supremely surreal experience for all of us as we  sat watching Hollis go through the pre-tattoo ritual of praying, incense burning, offering and cleansing all while seated on the floor of this fellows garage/shrine. His two super scruffy and crazy dogs slept under the car while his 2 chihuahua's flitted about entertaining  customers like us. Hey, aren't animals supposed to be forbidden in tattoo shops for hygienic reasons? It was obvious that I was being far too conservative in my thinking because a few minutes into the tattoo the artist's wife brought out a Slow Loris. You know, those endangered primates that move slowly like a sloth and have a toxic bite? They are cute as hell and are the most cuddly things ever but it's just not at all the kind of thing you expect to come across while your son gets a tattoo!.weird.

Two guys pull his skin taut and the "master" goes to work

Yes, it's as painful as it looks. Hollis was very stoic.

Bowen, Connor, Remy and I all sat on the floor and watched

And then the Slow Loris came out!

He's a cute little fella

The finished product. We think its quite beautiful and because it carries a lot of meaning for Hollis. We are quite proud.

The Chinese market- very busy!

Street life near Pantip Plaza- we became regulars at this electronics mall.

Lesson #2 for Connor- Don't go drinking the night before you have agreed to get up early to see a floating market.

Both boys decided to head out and take in some of Bangkok's nightlife. They had a great time but kinda forgot they had to get up at 6:30 am to catch a cramped mini van to the floating market. Poor Connor was in way worse shape than Hollis. Thank goodness one of the ladies on the bus had a few extra bags in her purse because Connor needed them! I don't think he made a good impression on the young girl seated next to him when he tossed his cookies right there beside her.

This is what NOT having a good time in S.E. Asia looks like

The floating market was pretty cool

Snakes and hangovers don't mix so we have a shot of a stranger with the snakes.

Connor spent most of his time throwing up behind the stalls but we did manage a shot of him. Poor guy.

Chiang Mai

A beautiful old town surrounded by brick walls and a moat! It was built to keep the Burmese out about 700 years ago. Now its a great place to try the best Thai food in the country.

The moat is beautiful all lit up at night

Muay Thai fun

some street art

Thai temples are incredibly beautiful. The detail is outstanding

The Muay Thai fight was a cultural and smoky experience that ended with one champ knocking out the other.

Walking around the walls of the old city 

An offering of lilies at the Doi Suthep temple

Hmong hill tribe children at the steps of the temple.

A spontaneous gesture of help from a local to tie my sarong before entering the temple

It's pretty bright out there Bowen, where are your sunglasses?

We quickly settled into a nice routine here in Chiang Mai. It's an easy place to get around in and there's lots to see and do. Our boys got invited to play a little soccer with these British guys while I just admired the scenery from the sidelines! Hey, someone's gotta keep score. I gave the fourth from the left a nine out of ten.

Converting old vans and cool cars into street side cocktail bars is a "thing" here

I had a little City Palate work to do in Chiang Mai. We hooked up with Annie from Paradise Mountain Organic Coffee for a beautiful dinner in an actual restaurant! In a few days we will tour the coffee plantation and see how the Calgary company operates. Thanks for a great meal, Annie!

These tiny pineapples were so sweet and delicious I just couldn't get enough of them

Khao Soi- one of the best things we ate in all of Thailand but only available in Chiang Mai. Hand cut noodles cooked el dante and a coconut curry broth with chicken and crunchy noodles on top. Add pickled green veggie and lime juice to your taste.

Some of the cool cycle-rickshaws in Chiang Mai.

These poor little frogs will be someones dinner tonight.

We are up at 6 am to witness the monks go out to collect alms. Locals will give food in exchange for a blessing. This is how the monks survive and connect with the people. It's a beautiful thing to see and we didn't want to interrupt so we were careful to stay out of sight. Call us the Monk Papparazzi! 

One of my favourite shots ever!

This woman is selling birds and turtles for release which will bring good luck. We think she is gathering a lot of bad karma for herself.

Paradise Mountain Organic Coffee

We spent the day hiking around the plantation with Annie and learning about the process of growing and hand picking coffee. We have a new appreciation for that $4 cup of java back home. ALL of the coffee grown here gets shipped to Calgary where it is roasted and sold to appreciative coffee drinkers. Look for it next time you are at Sunterra Market!

Most of the beans have already been harvested but we found a few stragglers.

What a beautiful place for a walk.

One of the bean collectors. He lives in his own hand built shack right on the property and lives for free plus a small wage in exchange for his work. 

This is where the beans dry in the sun before being hulled then sent to Calgary.

Food!

Pad Ga-prao  - Stir Fried Pork with Holy Basil and a Fried Egg- about $3

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We know when we see the gigantic mortar and pestle that papaya salad is on the menu- "no spicy" please.

Connor gets adventurous and tries the bugs! Ewwwwwww

Papaya salad- about $1

 Tuk Tuks come in many shapes and sizes. We like them all!

Temples! Each one seems to be more beautiful than the last

Wat Bupperam- one of our favourites especially at sunset.

Three boys all in a row! Enjoying some down time on their devices.

 This massage is more relaxing than it looks!

A bike ride around the old town- Chiang Mai

 Believe it or not, these pants are VERY fashionable in this part of the world.

 Bowen's 14th birthday party- Pizza, of course.

 And an Angry Birds cake!! Happy 14th birthday, Bowen

 Have you ever seen so many people getting a foot massage at the same time? Both sides of the road were lined with filled chairs. Now that's my kind of Night Market!

 Connor likes to dance! He even got Remy into the groove at the Night Market.

Here we are with all of our belongings for the 5 of us. It doesn't take much to keep us happy!

We had an amazing time in Chiang Mai- what a great place to eat, explore and relax!!

 Thanks so much to our friend, Jackie Hamilton, for her nearly daily emails from Calgary of foods to try and things to do. We did it all and then some.

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