Chiang Mai

From Vietnam we flew to Bangkok and then went north to Chaing Mai. But while in Bangkok, we met up with fellow Mississippi world travelers Oliver and Jennifer Diez.

Where Bali might have been the cosmic center of altars. Thailand has to be the center of temples. Here’s a golden one.

They also did a great job of decorating some of their bridges.

We were there for New Years and wow. Thousands of lit lanterns rise to the heavens. And they do love fireworks.

Our AirBnB apartment building may have the longest rooftop swimming pool in the world.

We also got to meet up and travel all through Vietnam and Thailand with our good friends that we met in Boquete, Panama and again in Vung Tau, Vietnam. This is Tim and Tu.

One of the must do activities on Thailand is to mix it up with elephants. Here’s an Elephant Bath.

We have a favorite restaurant in Chang Mai, Vegan Heaven. Here we are with Dan Brook. He’s a professor at San Jose State University who regularly takes students to Thailand to experience a different culture and do service work.

We took a side trip to an historic city, Sukhothai. Ancient temples spanning acres and acres.

Some of the hands and feet on these statues seem to come to life.

There was a lot of water around the room we stayed in. And giant lilly pads!

For our last week in Thailand, we went south to check out Phuket. We didn’t go to the rowdy party part of the island. Instead we went for a remote part.

But the facility was quite nice.

Up a steep hill, away from everything. Our nice pool.

Surrounded by mountains, the only place to walk or jog is up. 10,000 steps with absolutely no traffic. Only sounds of birds and monkeys. Started at Supalai Bay Resort.

We went snorkeling but were disappointed to find that the waterproof covers we bought for our phones also keeps pressure from making key selections. Later we learned you have to reprogram the phone to take pictures with the side keys.

We took a boat out to the many islands out in the ocean. One of the most famous beaches/islands in Maya Beach.

Charlotte got her hair colored (recolored) and it worked out ok thanks to this intense supervision.

After 8 months out East, it’s time to return to Europe and our favorite places in Spain. On the way we stop for an overnight in Abu Dhabi. Some interesting architecture there.