Long tail boat to Ko Phi Phi Lay

We hired a long tail boat to take us across the sea to Ko Phi Phi Lay which is an uninhabited small island about 15 minutes away.  It’s claim to fame is the film “The Beach” was filmed there.  Our resort had told us we had to go early as it gets very busy by about 10:30am.  So we left at 8:30 and arrived at “The Beach” within about 15 minutes.  We were in a wonderful little bay with only a few boats.  Our Captain anchored and we went for a snorkel around the bay.  The fish were amazing, very colorful and we saw different ones than we had at Khao Lak, but again the coral was bleached and not very colorful.  As we were heading out of the bay after snorkeling about 5 speed boats full of people arrived.  We continued around the island looking at the most amazing rock formations.  It was like nothing we have ever seen.  Huge cliffs of colorful rock formations coming out of the middle of the sea going straight up for hundreds of feet.   They were very rugged, it was as if lava had flowed upward out of the sea and froze as it entered the air.  As we rounded the southwest corner of the island we sailed into an inlet.  The Captain anchored again and pointed to a set of rickety looking steps.  He said “swim” and we said ok.  So we loaded some things into the dry bag and jumped in.  As we reached the steps grasping onto the ropes we were both bitten by fish (I think).  Anyway we made it up the stairs and into a cavern that lead to a path that went across the small island to the beach we had just come from.  By this time the tourists had definitely landed and there were hundreds of them.  By the time we walked 10 min to the beached there were about 50 speed boats, long tails, and privates boats all anchored and the beach was completely full and it was only 10:00am in the morning.  That was enough for us so we headed back to our boat.  The swim back was much more difficult as we were swimming against the current.  An ocean swimmer I am not, but we made it back safe and sound.  We continued along the island again in awe of everything we saw.  Along the east side of the island we again entered another inlet.  The water color was the brightest colors of blue and green I have ever seen.  The water wasn’t very deep and the bottom was all sand with crystal clear water..  We had the option to swim again but we choose to suntan on the boat.  As we left the Island there were all kinds of caves that looked like you could climb in if you were so inclined.  By this time there were a lot of boats all around the island.  Apparently they run tours from Phuket and Krabi.  So we headed back to our wonderful beach for an afternoon in the sun.  The weather has been perfect.  No rain, sun shine and a nice sea breeze to keep you cooled off enough to stand the heat. The landscape we are seeing is almost impossible to describe so I will attempt to include some pictures.  We should also have some pretty cool video that I will post on Facebook.  Our Internet is limited on the island.  We were purchasing it but they ran out of codes to sell so we are out of luck until we get to Railay Beach.   We have decided to leave first thing in the morning as there are a number of cool things to do in Railay Beach.  So we are schedule for another long tail boat at 8:30 and then the ferry to Krabi, another long tail to Railay Beach.  This will be our final destination prior to going back to Bangkok.

Chow for now

Day 3 Ko Phi Phi- Jungle treck

Well we decided that we had had enough sitting on the beach and found out that there was a view point we could hike to.  It was supposed to be about 1 hour.  So after breakfast we headed up the mountain to the top of the island.  We were basically hiking up a very tiny rutted dirt road.  The only signs were in Thai but after one wrong turn and a couple of queries we were on track.  We were basically in the jungle.  There were a few huts where people were living, roosters, one ugly bug (that I saw) a very interesting fresh water reservoir and what appeared to be a Thai version of condos.  As we reached the top we ran into two wild monkeys.  The male was on the road eating something.  We walked right past him but as we approached he started to growl.  I had read that you never stare down a monkey as they get aggressive so I told Bill not to look at him and we simply walked by.  Hopefully my photo turns out.  As we left the main road (ha ha) and onto a small dirt path we ran into another couple who told us we just had to follow the path for about 20 min.  Off we went and as we neared the top we came to “Cowboy Hill”  a small stand offering water, beer and snacks.  We opted for water.  By this point there were a few English signs pointing us to the top.  Once we got there we had a spectacular view of both Ko Phi Phi’s main beaches.  There was also a small guest house (not that I would stay there) and water.  We purchased water and spoke with another couple who were on there way to find Rotay beach.  So we thought what the hell a beach sounded good.  So off we went following the signs and the directions the fellow at the top had given us.  It started out not bad but next time I eves drop I should pay more attention to the people.  They were serious hikers in way better shape than we were.  I lost them within about 50ft and the path started to descend 50 ft per second as Bill put it.  It was about as wide as my body, full of roots, rocks and other debris.  I wasn’t about to go tumbling downward and I was hesitant about what to grab onto not knowing what I would be touching.  At one point I went to grab a tree trunk and it was like a cactus.  We eventually made it down to a beautiful beach.  Had a swim and sat down for a nice cold beer.  I was very thankful my husband had remembered to put some cash into his pocket before we headed out.  Moral of the day never leave without a bunch of cash.  You never know where you will end up.  This allowed us to catch a longboat back to our beach and not have to climb back up the descent we had come down.  I love you Honey!  The couple we were following hiked back up later in the afternoon.  We spent a lazy couple of hours on a backpackers beach, which made me realize, my backpack works great but I still like some luxury.  I was happy to get back to my villa later that day.  We tried to stay up and watch the fire throwers but by about 10:30 we were done.  We had booked a longboat for a 3 hour tour of Phi Phi Lay and had to be ready to go by 8:30 am.

Patong Beach - Phuket

We decided to check out of Poseidon at Khao Lak a day early and head to Phuket to see if we could find a new camera.  We picked a hotel off the Internet which we thought was in Phuket Town, turned out it was in Patong Beach.  We thought this was just a beach, however it turned out to be the biggest party area on the island of Phuket.  We arrived mid afternoon and a huge mall was within walking distance.  Bill was on a mission to find a new camera and we succeeded the first stop we made.  No screaming deals, but about the same price as we would have paid at home, but we have a huge memory card and the camera has way more functions than the old one.  He now could relax again, now we were off looking for a bag to put our suits in for the trip back.  We decided the street vendors would be our best option so we were off bartering again.  Our shopping was complete so we decided to check out the fresh food market.  Man if I could buy my fruit and veggies this fresh at home I would be in heaven.  We purchased some mangosteens and lemons and headed back to the hotel.

When we emerged again to go for dinner the street had filled with more people and motor bikes than you could have imagined.  We asked the hotel where a good Thai place was to eat and she gave us the name of a place on the map.  Bill thought it was a tourist trap, but we decided to try it anyway.  We walked the streets in an attempt to find it but eventually hired a taxi to take us there.  The crowds were incredible.  More people here than in Bangkok.  The restaurant was huge and full of tourists.  Go figure, but it looked interesting.  You choose you seafood and then they weighed it, charged you per 100g and then they cooked it for you.  They did not have any muscles so we changed our order to squid.  The prawns were OK, the squid was overcooked and like rubber but the pad Thai noodles were great.  We decided we could find our way back to the hotel on foot so off we went. 

What an experience, we ended up on a pedestrian street only, full of night clubs, sex shows, girly boys and people trying to sell you every sex act you could imagine.  The girly boys and show girls were on the street as well, all dressed up in their show garb wanting people to take pictures.  In hind sight we should have stopped and taken a few pictures but I was afraid we wouldn’t get out of there if we did.  There were so many people you couldn’t walk in a straight line you had to weave in and out of the crowds to make you way through.  We eventually made it out and back onto a normal street and back to our hotel safe and sound.

It is quite amazing to have that type of activity in a Buddhist society, however we have come to the conclusion that it is a foreign based activity strictly for the enjoyment of the foreign tourist which the Thai government allows to happen.  There did not appear to be too many locals taking part.

The next day Bill found a massage parlor across the street.  He decided we had an hour to kill so he had a neck and back massage and I had a pedicure and manicure. We travelled by ferry from Phuket to Ko Phi Phi.  The ferry ticket included a taxi transfer to the pier.  We were picked up at 12:05 and made our way around town until we had a full van.  We arrived at the pier about 5 minutes before the scheduled departure.  We queued up in the line up and we assured that in Thailand there never left people on the pier.  The boat would wait.  Sure enough we all boarded.  Piled our luggage in a great big pile on the floor and went inside to see if we could find a seat.  There were two levels inside but no seats to be had so we went back outside and up the ladder to see what was on the upper deck.  By this time you couldn’t move so we were committed to the upper deck.  As I reached the top all I could see were people sitting on the deck floor and there was only a few floor spaces left.  So up we went, sat down and started to laugh. I don’t think you could have fit another person on the boat.  We were packed in like sardines. 

Good thing it was cloudy because neither of us had our hats, we had no water and we were going to be sitting on the deck for 1.5 hours.  Another lesson learned.  Anyway you could purchase water and beer on board and the cloud cover remained throughout our journey.  The wind blew in your face and kept you cool and we just sat back and read our books.  Travel in Thailand is quite an experience.  We arrived safely and once we were off the boat we were met by a long boat taxi to take us to our resort.

Our resort is fantastic.  It consists of little villas on stilts constructed on the mountain side.  We have A/C, a comfy king bed, hot shower, mini bar with fridge and a beautiful view of the sea off our private deck.  Heaven at last.  The beach is amazing and the staff very helpful.  We are here for 5 nights of rest and relaxation.

mojittos, full of all kinds of herbs.  They were BBQing for dinner so we chose a tumtim fish to try.  It was very tasty, full of chilies, limes and other unidentified spices.  During our diner the boys at the dive shop/bar next door put on a fire throwing show for us.  Twirling and throw sticks with fire on each end, doing the limbo under a fire stick getting as low as about 1 foot off the sand and then ending the show with a fire lit skipping rope.  It was very entertaining with the beautiful back drop of the see behind them.

Day two on Ko Phi Phi was a relaxing one.  We basically spent the day on the beach then headed up to cool off and have a beer before we went by long boat to the main beach for dinner.

The main beach a Ko Phi Phi is very busy with the pier traffic, dive shops and travel agents.  We wondered around for a few hours, purchased some supplies (beer, water, Thai whiskey, limes you know the basics), had some dinner and then headed back to our resort.  This is our 5 days of relaxing on the beach so not much to tell.  Other than it's smokin hot, the beach is gorgeous and thank god for A/C.

Next stop Khao Lak and the snorkel boat

Today we flew from Chiang Mai to Phuket and then jumped in a cab that was waiting for us and travelled north up the coast for approximately 1.5 hours to our next destination Poseidon  Bungalows.  Good thing the driver knew where he was going because we were off the main road about 2km and then down a dirt road to the Bungalows.  The resort was very simple, there were about 15 bungalows along the bay with the main restaurant near the entrance.  Our bungalow was a larger one and was rather quaint, but we were only going to be there two nights.  There were two beaches; one on the lagoon and the other out on the main sea.  We decided to check out the main beach so walked down the little path through the jungle and out onto this amazing beach.  I think if we really tried we might have found 10 people on the entire beach.  There was no problem finding a beach chair.  There were a number of small places along the beach offering massages, cold beer and some food.

The next morning we were having breakfast and two elephants with their trainers wondered down to the lagoon in front of the restaurant to have a dip.  Guess what - no camera.  Later in the day Bill went for a walk and happened to find them walking down the road.

Our first day was spent lazing on the beach, reading books, and attempting to body surf in the waves.  I managed to get slammed into the beach and get a suit full of sand.  Later in the day we decided to try a beach massage.  It was very cool listening to the waves crash in while getting your massage.  Bill thinks this is wonderful a full body massage every other day.

As we were trekking back and forth to the beach we noticed this awful screeching noise that sounded like radio interference, but only in certain spots.  We asked about it and found out that is was actually bugs that live in the trees that make this awful sound.  We never did actually see them, but they screech all day long.  Luckily they were not in the trees around our bungalow.  We had to be ready to leave by 6:45 am the next morning so we were packed and in bed early that night.

The next morning all 17 of us loaded into the back of a truck (kind of like the red cab) and headed out to the marina.  We boarded our boat and found a bunk located on the lower deck.  19 people sleeping in one compartment!  Thank God it was air conditioned (sort of).  Once we had our packs put away we went back up top where a long table and benches, a sun deck and coffee were located.  Our guide Daniel went through some safety procedures and explained that it would take 4 hours to get out to the Similan Islands.  He showed us where the sea sick meds were kept, but the sea was fairly calm so no one decided to take any.  About 30 min. out we were served the first of many wonderful meals.  At this point some of us were reaching for the pills.  I am proud to say I made it 3 days aboard a small vessel without chucking my cookies.  My Dad would be proud.  We were on board with 15 Swedes, most of them under the age of 25, but they all spoke some English so things were pretty good.  Our guide Daniel was awesome, he was full of stories and spoke English the entire time.
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The Similan islands consists of 9 different islands.  Similan is the Thai word for nine.  Island number 1-3 were closed to the public for rehabilitation.  So we started our tour up at island # 9.  They usually start the tour on a different island located north of the Similan but our captain had been on the radio and apparently there were no mantarays there today due to the currents so it wasn't worth going.
 
The first afternoon we did 3 different snorkels.  Each of them quite different.  Our first time in the water was in a small bay with no current just so see how comfortable every one was in the water.  All the youngins were like fish go figure, but Bill and I did just fine.  The water was crystal clear, fairly warm and our gear was working great.  According to Daniel the coral had been bleached in the last year due to the higher than normal temperature of the water.  This meant that for the most part all the spectacular colors were gone. But the fish were still amazing to watch.  There were so many different kinds.  After we got out of the water I realized our camera was not working.  Good thing we had backed up all of our photos so far.  My name was mud as Bill had suggested that we purchase another camera before we left, just in case.  I didn't think this was necessary so we didn't.  Ya did I regret that decision.  Never again will I go away with only one camera.  Luckily our guide was taking loads of pictures and told us that he was making a DVD that could be purchased at the end of the tour.  Phew, at least we would have some pictures.  Even better ones that we could have taken ourselves as he was diving way down deep taking shots of things we didn't see.

Our Captain and boat boy Tip took wonderful care of all of us.  The Captain would assess the conditions of each location determining how strong the currents were and then decide if he though it was safe for us.  Tip operated the dingy boat that was in the water when ever we were snorkeling.  At anytime if we got tired we only had to give a signal and he would come pick us up.  Every time we were in the water all 4 crew members watched us and a head count was done after each time we were in the water.  Every time we went into the water we were swimming with the current, which makes it was more enjoyable, you just basically float (which is really easy in salt water) and the current takes you along.the route.  Each time we went into the water we saw something new.  Daniel spotted a blue spotted sting ray on the bottom of the sand,  He dove down and we floated above.  The sting ray just kind of hung out, swimming away and then stopping.  It was incredible to watch.  Another highlight was on day 3 when one of the young boys spotted a sea turtle.  Bill and I had just gotten into the boat so we watched from above and most of our group actually swam the the turtle.  At one point they were right in front of the boat and the turtle poked his head up.  It was pretty cool to watch, but they were exhausted when they got back as they were swimming against the current and were in the water for a long time.  Tip was out with the dingy the whole time making sure everyone was OK.  Daniel got a great video, so we now have a copy.  The scenery on these islands was like nothing we have ever seen before.  The rock formations gave each island it's name.  Old man island, Donald duck bay, monkey island.  On the west side of each island the trees were completely bent over and it look like someone had cut the tops off at about a 45 degree angle.  This is due to the high winds they get during the raining season.  It's amazing what mother nature can due.

On day two we were dropped off on a beach on island #8.  The sand on this beach was like nothing we have ever seen before.  It was like a mixture of salt and flour.  Kind of like the texture of home made play dough.  As you stepped into it it felt almost like pudding.  It was extremely hot that day so I was thinking it would be smoking hot when I stepped onto it but is wasn't.  It was very cool.   We walked around for a bit and then decided to go and play in the waves.  They were perfect for body surfing and if you got slammed into the beach it was so soft it wouldn't hurt.  So off we went.  It was great fun.  I actually got Bill to body surf.  We caught the wave together and road it into the beach.  He had such a big smile on his face and was laughing so hard he couldn't get up so got slammed with the next wave.  It was so cool.  As the waves were cresting you could see a whole wack of fish being brought into shore.  It was like riding the wave with the fish.   I would have loved to bring some sand home, but the Similan islands are a national park and you can't take anything off them except photos.  Just before sun set we hiked up to a view point had a beer and waited for the sun to set.  The view and the sunset were beautiful. 

Sleeping on a boat is quite an experience.  The first night the sea was quite rough, so we climbed into our bunk ( I actually think is was like a coffin) and attempted to get some sleep.  At first I was on the outside but each time a wave came my body would rock and I started to feel sea sick.  We switched places and if I put my back up against the wall of the boat I felt better.  It was kind of like having the bed spins after a long night of drinking and you put your foot on the floor to stop the bed from spinning.  Lets just say it's been a long time since I had to do that and it wasn't fun.  Needless to say no one got much sleep that night.  The second night was much calmer and not so hot to we did manage to get some sleep.  That part of the experience I could have done without.

Again the food was incredible.  These two woman (mama Sue and her helper, Daniel called her mama because she took such good care of him and all of us) prepared the most delicious dishes in this small little galley.  No two dishes were served twice.  We were talking with Daniel about deep fried bananas and poof there appeared as our afternoon snack.  We had fresh fruit with every meal and they even managed to keep the beer cold for all three days.


Over all it was a great adventure, however this prairie girl was awfully glad to put her feet on dry land.  After being on a boat for three days and needing a camera we decided to head to Phuket instead of staying in Khoa Lak for another day.

Our last day in Chiang Mai

After a fun filled day yesterday we decided to just take it easy today.  We used the local laundry service across from the Hotel, way better than a Laundromat, you drop it off, they clean it, fold it and you pick it up 24 hours later for about $5.  Amazing service.

I met a fellow in the lobby of the hotel this morning who was an acupuncturist from Austria.  He was in Chiang Mai taking a month long course on Thai massage.  I asked him where the best place to get a massage from and he recommended a spa just around the corner from the ITM school.  Bill and I decided to splurge and book a spa massage.

I must say there is quite a variance in massage techniques depending on which area of Thailand you are in and what type of facility you are using.  So far we have had 4 different massages.  The first one was in Bangkok and it was very painful (however we had just travelled 30 hours so we might have been a little stiff).  This massage concentrated on our back and shoulder area and was in a small massage parlor next to our hotel.  The cost of 300 baht for an hour.  The next one was at our hotel in Chiang Mai.  It was much gentler and worked mainly on our calves and thighs.  Both of these were Thai massages, this one was a whole 250 baht [$6].  Next we decided on a small spa in Chiang Mai, but opted for an oil massage this time.  It was very relaxing and the oil felt wonderful all over your body.  This one was 400 baht.  The last one was at the spa the Austrian recommended.  The front of the spa was deceiving and did not look like much, but when we entered we were pleasantly surprised.  It was wonderful.  They gave us a herbal tea to drink and soaked our feet in basins of cool water cleaning our feet with herbs and spices, such as turmeric, galangan, lime, as well as a salt scrub.  She then sprayed our feet with a galangan spray which was suppose to relax your feet.  The Thai massage was quite gentle but firm and they did a number of stretching techniques involving upper body twists and leg stretches.  I don't think Bill's calf's will be the same.  But you do feel wonderful afterwards.  At the end of this treatment we were seated downstairs and given a snack of passion fruit and another herbal drink.  It was a wonderful experience and well worth the 660 baht for the hour and half.

Since this day we have also had a Thai massage on the beach at Poseidon in Khao Lak.  I must say Bill and I both preferred being pampered in the spa the best.  However each massage has left us feeling very relaxed and rejuvenated.  The Thai people certainly know how to take care of themselves.

Later that night we went for a walk and tried spring rolls from one of the vendors.  They were very tasty.  We then  had a wonderful meal in the restaurant around the corner trying new dishes and each time loving all of them.  Bill was on the hunt for deep fried bananas for desert, but the street vendors were not cooking them.  He would have to wait.

Chiang Mia was a wonderful city, however the pollution was terrible due to the number of motor bikes and red cabs.  All in all we had a great time making our way around seeing the sights, shopping and talking to people.

Next stop is Khao Lak and our snorkel boat.

Chiang Mai - Day 7 Ziplining at Flight of the Gibbon

OMG, what an incredible day!  It was so much fun.  I am still having a hard time believing all the things we did.  Our guide Cashe was fantastic.  He had a great sense of humor and went above and beyond to make our three hour trip through the jungle tree tops a great adventure.  We were lucky enough to see one Gibbon high in a tree top but my camera zoom was not strong enough to capture a photo.

We were picked up at our hotel by an air conditioned van and were joined by a couple from Dubai, a family from Sydney and a young fellow from Shanghai.  We then travelled approximately 1 hour out of Chiang Mai up into the mountains.  We stopped at a beautiful waterfall and hiked in about 1km to the top,  Most of the trail was steps made out of stone, so we were climbing in elevation quite quickly.  I can't remember the last time I have climbed so many stairs.  But the stream and waterfall were very peaceful and we were the only ones on the trail.  The air quality greatly improved since we had left the city so that was a nice change.

After our hike we jumped back into the van and went back to the Gibbon office to sign our lives away and get fitted into our zip line gear.  Not a flattering outfit but very safe, helmet and all.  We were then taken by van to the starting point where our guide Chashe gave us three safety points:
1.  don't hang onto to the zip line
2,  keep your feet up when arriving at a platform
3.  only the guides unclip your safety strap
Then we were off to our first of 18 rides.  Kat, the gal from Dubai was pretty frightened, I think her boyfriend Rob had convinced her to come and when she saw what was going to happen, she was not impressed, he was cut off for the rest of their vacation.  Anyway she was a good sport and the guides had fun teasing her through out our trip.  We had two guides with us one at each end of the zip line platform.  Cashe always went first and they caught each of us as we landed.  The first one was just a short one to get everyone used to riding.  The scenery was spectacular, we were almost at the tree tops riding through.  Each ride was a little bit different, some were short, some were long.  They have the longest ride in the world at 800 M in length, it was so long you couldn't see the landing.  They put a different cartridge and extra safety straps on us for the 800 m ride and transferred the equipment back by a motorized pulley system.  By this time they had figured out that I loved the thrill and was not afraid so the guide gave me an extra push off and I went flying down this line rotating around getting a 360 degree view.  However they miss judged my speed and I came flying into the landing knocking over Cashe sending both of us flying into the safety net behind.  It was a good thing I was coming in backwards and didn't see it coming or I may have shit my pants.  I think my travel mates were a little shocked to say the least and Bill missed it all because I went first.  But I wasn't hurt and all was good.  I just thought it was a blast to free fall at that speed.  (samples of our videos are on face book).  Bill was a trooper, he didn't even scream like a girl as he flew through the jungle.  As long as you didn't look down you didn't realize exactly how high up you were.  At one point the guide missed me on the landing (on purpose) and I went sailing back down the line.  The only way for me to get back was for Cashe to come and get me and pull me back by hand.  He was working hard, I told him he should have chosen a lighter person to do this to, he just laughed.

About half way through we had to walk up the mountain about 1km straight up through switchbacks past a spirit house( this is where the Thai make their offerings to the good spirits to keep them safe) and up to the next series of zip lines.  Cashe kept up the excitement, energy and fun throughout each ride making it thrilling every time. At one point they lowered me off the platform and swung me side to side before letting me go.  This caused me to swing along the zip line narrowly missing trees and barely making the landing platform. But at no time did we feel unsafe.  They were very professional and knew what they were doing.  Near the end we had to repel down two different platforms to get to the bottom.  The first one was 15ft and they hooked up some sort of a pulley system and lowered us down. We chose the speed.  Fast is the only way to go.  On the final repel, Bill and I were going to go done side by side as there were 2 ropes, they lowered Bill about 10 feet and he hung there waiting while they hooked me up. We had chose to free fall [fast as possible], but as they hooked me up, Cashe asked me if I wanted to go down head first.  I said sure, thinking he was joking.  Well the joke was on me. They let me go as Bill was hanging there with the camera running. 

Once down we were given a well deserved drink (beer or water), guess what we chose, too bad they didn't offer something stronger.  We took some last pictures and then headed back to the office.  We were then fed a wonderful Thai lunch and then transported back to Chiange Mai.  It was an awesome adventure, one that we will never forget and have some incredible video to share with everyone.

We arrived back at the hotel a little tired and sore so decided to have a rest and then look for a place to eat.  It was raining slightly so we decided to just walk around our guesthouse to see what we could find.  We ended up at this wonderful little place that had great food.  Needless to say we were in bed early, dreaming of zip lines.

Chiang Mai - Day 6

Today started out leisurely with a coffee in bed and no specific plans for the day.  I must say our little lap top has come in very handy.  I spent a few hours on the net looking for interesting things to do in the area.  We decided that we would do a short trip up to Doi Suthep.  Doi is Mountain in Thai.  So we flagged down a red taxi and bartered a trip with him, jumped in the back and we were off.  It was fairly early in the morning so traffic was somewhat lighter.  However this allowed our taxi driver to drive like a mad man.  Bill had both feet braced and we were hanging onto the handrail for dear life.  The road up the mountain was narrow, windy and steep.  It did have lines marking the lanes but Thai drivers don't pay much attention to them.  At one point we were going around a curve passing another taxi and there was one in the oncoming lane.  There's no stopping them, they simply all move over and all three go by.  I quit looking after that and trusted the good spirits were on our side and we would be safe.
 

Phew we made it to the Wat (Temple) Phrathat.  In order to reach the temple we had to climb 300 steps.  It was Sunday afternoon so there were 1000's of people coming to pray.  The view would have been amazing but it was hazy.  Thai temples are very beautiful.  Down we went - 300 stairs and back out to our driver.  Between him and his English speaking friend we negotiated the next 8 km up the mountain to see the Tribal Village and the Palace.

The Tribal Village was incredible.  There was a museum which explained the history of the "long necked woman"  These are the Thai woman that were gold rings around their necks which makes there necks appear  3 times as long as normal.  This is achieved by putting pressure on the ribs by the rings which compresses the collar bone and rib cage.  This slopes the shoulders downward creating what appears to be a longer neck.  They actually don't stretch their necks.  There was a beautiful waterfall and garden in the middle of the village.  Tribal vendors lined the pathway selling their wares of silk scarfs, silver and many other trinkets.  We spent some time wondering around the gardens and enjoying some fresh air (so to speak).  All of their houses were built in tears up the mountain side.

Our next stop was the Palace.  Once we arrived we had to rent sarongs as we were both wearing shorts, which is not allowed.  The Palace had a very beautiful rose garden surrounding it as well as many other types of flowers.  We were not actually allowed inside the buildings we could just view them and wonder through the gardens.

On the way down we stopped at a waterfall.  Due to it being Sunday afternoon it was very busy with the locals enjoying family time along the creek.  We didn't stay long as we were headed to the Sunday Market.

The Sunday night market was suppose to be the mother of all markets so we arrived early in an attempt to avoid the crowds.  We had a Thai fruit shake and watched the vendors set up their stalls.  There are so many vendors and people they shut down at least 4-5 square blocks in the old city.  The crowds weren't too bad at first but within 45 minutes you could barely move.  The products being sold were not what we were looking for and the crowds were starting to get to us so we hired a tuk tuk and headed to the Night Bizarre instead.  Because it was still early and the Sunday Market was in full swing there were very few people at the Night  Bizarre which made shopping quite enjoyable and the merchants quite willing to barter.  Our shopping trip was a successful one and Bill has decided it will be a long time until he goes to another market.

We discovered Thai Whiskey at our cooking class so stopped for a nice refreshing drink.  Thai whiskey is nothing like ours, it is quite sweet and you drink it with lime juice and sprite.  So much for my red wine, it's very expensive here and not very good.  So you learn to drink with the locals;  Thai beer in the daytime and whiskey at night.  Then you crash after a long day of sightseeing and crawl into bed.