Mountains of Chiang Mai

We stopped off at a Buddhist temple on top of a mountain.  The name escapes me, but I imagine the Buddhist temples on the top of mountains in Chiang Mai are few.  The temple was awe-inspiring.  We paid 20 baht to take the trolley up to the top (only 306 stairs or so).  My Dad turned 50 this year--that's what happens when you start that downward trend!  Seriously though, it was peaceful.  I wanted to rub the monks' heads; don't ask me why.  Probably the same reason I keep rubbing the head of my little Buddah.  I rub his head, he smiles...I keep rubbing, he keeps smiling; it's a great system.  While I'm not a subscriber to any one faith, I do appreciate what each religion has to offer.  Buddhism is a beautiful religion; we'll leave it at that.  At the bottom of the hill, I got to see my first live elephant.  It was just a baby, but it was still cool.  Majestic.

What else, what else...we went to an orchid farm, a butterfly sanctuary, a silk factory, an umbrella factory/outlet, GOLFING (I lost), and generally just got to see a different side of Thailand.  It was more rural, less touristy; overall, it was a lot of fun.  My Dad has now kicked my ass in four different countries in golf.  I blame it on the fact that I've been stuck in Afghanistan for the past 10 months.  He maintains I just suck; and I'm sure neither of us is far off.

We skipped the Golden Triangle, which will give me a reason to head back to Chiang Mai in the future.  How can you not go to the once opium center of Thailand?  A must, oh yes.