Week Holiday in Thailand - Oct. 6 - 14

************************************************************************



Our first big holiday week of the school year found us in Thailand. We flew to Bangkok on Friday night after school. We were cautioned about taking the hour long taxi ride from the airport to downtown, but we made sure we used a metered taxi and we arrived quickly, safely, and economically.









On Saturday, we visited the big weekend market.















Sunday we toured the Royal Palace.





























We also saw several magnificent temples.





























We then took an overnight river cruise on a refurbished rice barge up to Ayutthaya, the ancient capitol. This was a highlight of our trip.











It was so relaxing just sitting on the barge watching the Thai countryside slip by. A refreshing break from the long working days at school! Can we make this last forever?








The river was unusually high due to flooding, and all along our route we saw many flooded homes.













Even the temples were flooded.












Inspite of everything, some people still seemed to be having fun.
















We enjoyed the evening candlelight dinner with the Swiss family on board. We were amazed that the crew could provide so much, and such delicious Thai food in the tiny galley kitchen.











We were up by 6:00am and watched the Buddist monks collecting their alms for the day.








We then moved to a larger barge to continue our journey to Ayutthaya.









Our new barge had been too high to get under some of the bridges on the flooded river closer to Bangkok at the beginning of our trip. But further out, we were able to manage just fine with this big one.



















After disembarking at the Ayutthaya dock, we crossed the river into town. You can imagine everyone was awake after this exciting ride.


















To tour the royal palace, the girls had to 'dress up'.





















We then took a longboat to the ancient ruins, stopping for lunch along the way.































It was really quite delicious, and the kitchen crew was pleased that we enjoyed it. We tried to ignore the fact that the dishes were being washed in the muddy river water where we had seen people taking their bath earlier.



































We then went to the ruins.









































As this kid entertained us with the yoyo, we had to wonder why he wasn't in school.



















On the way back to Bangkok, we saw this herd of cattle being moved to higher ground to escape the flooding. Obviously, such a huge herd belongs to a very wealthy farmer.









After a night back in Bangkok, we were ready to move north to Chiang Mai.

Will we be able to bargain with a taxi driver willing to take us to the airport?










CHIANG MAI - October 10 - 14
************************************************************************************





A big attraction in Chiang Mai is the huge night market which was just outside our hotel. Although we arrived late in the evening, we couldn't resist going for a walk through the market before going to bed.









We went on a local handicrafts factory tour one day. At these prices, we were tempted to buy at every stop.














Will it be silk, carpets, or umbrellas?




























We finally decided on a teak bar cabinet. We had it shipped to Singapore where it will come in handy, and we also think it will suit our place back home in Canada. We'll worry about getting it there when the time comes.










Our next adventure was a day of trekking. First we went elephant trekking.














Then we hiked on foot.




























Past hilltribe villages.





























And finally ended our day with bamboo rafting down the river.













Tired, muddy, and wet, we were ready for the journey home.













Our guide's philosophy was, "No wet, no fun." How true!

What a great experience! We won't forget this day.
















Back in Chiang Mai, our final decision was choosing a means of transportation to the airport for our flight home.










Whatever we take, we know it will be cheap.












Here's Judie's pick!










And here's Wayne's pick!












And here's Thailand's pick!










Although the taxi won out, we arrived home safely.










It felt good to be back at our "resort" in Singapore. This is our home!





**************************************************