February 27, 2015 (Chiang Mai, Thailand to Yangon, Myanmar)

We left for the airport in the morning and arrived in the morning in Yangon, Myanmar. I wanted to take home the one Buddha small statue I had bought and was going to send home along with my painting that I had purchased of the elephant in Chiang Mai and they wouldn't let me mail either of those. They said they don't let you ship Buddha's out of the country anymore since they felt that the Buddha statues weren't being respected and the painting was too big, even rolled up, so they won't mail anything longer than 100 cms. So, sorry Kendall. Looks like you will be taking these things home for me. Thank you Kendall! You are allowed to bring a small souvenir Buddha home if you carry it as a souvenir.

Arriving in Yangon was easy, less than an hour flight. We checked into our hotel where we met Nathan!! It was so fun to see him. He looked exhausted from his long day of travel. We had lunch while he rested and then we were off to see the most impressive pagodas and buddhas in the country. We began with the third largest reclining Buddha. This Buddha looks really effeminate, which is to make him look beautiful. Then off to Shwedegon which has around 6000 Buddhas at the massive Stupa- which is like a temple but is a place that has 5 hairs of Buddha enshrined. You don't go inside the Stupa, but you walk around and there are literally thousands of things to see and places of worship. The grand gold staircases to get up to the pagoda are unbelievable! They have corners in the area which are shrines dedicated to the day of the week that you're born on and where people come to meditate and ask for wishes and where they pour water on the shrine for how old they are. The whole plaza took almost 1.5 hours to walk around. It was mind blowing! Definitely a wonder of the world, not sure if it is, but it should be!

We went to an incredible former royal performance and entertaining hall which was in the shape of a massive golden boat that looks like it is floating on a lake. It was on the same lake as our hotel and just was majestic. Inside they had appetizer stations and some older woman was making small pancakes, so tasty! They had someone inside that depending on what day you were born, would give you a Burmese name based on the syllables you have to use depending on the day you're born. It was interesting and then each name had a meaning. Mine was peaceful- thank you name giver :) The evening was great with a dancing show with many traditional dances in the hall. We barely made it back into the hotel and all feel fast asleep.

February 26, 2015 (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

This morning we were up early to make our way to the Paper and Parasol/Umbrella making shop. The shop was full of old women that were wielding sharp knives cutting strips of bamboo to make slats and pieces of the umbrella. Then there was  another woman that was catching all the beaten tree bark that had been smashed and softened and soaked in water. They then put the thin layer of paper pulp onto a screen and let dry and then peel off and they use as the paper for the parasols. It was an interesting process and something fun to learn about since I haven’t seen how they make this kind of paper before. 

We then loaded up and headed to the mountains for our Zip Line Tour. We went on I think it was 17 ziplines and down vertical drops and across small foot bridges suspended high above the canopy and between tree houses and platforms. There were a couple drops that were so fast and the guy taking us thought it would be  hilarious to bounce and swing us around while flying across the literal jungle. Probably didn’t feel like the safest operation, but we had a good time, despite our temperamental zipline guide and the girl that got totally freaked out by the longest and fastest zipline and started crying hysterically ;/ 

We were able to see Gibbons in the forest which was really cool. They are small apes with crazy long arms and no tails. They were blonde and black. They were so fun to watch swinging and climbing around the trees.

We had a terrific organic lunch at the zipline place by the stream. It is really a town that puts on the whole operation and the food was exceptional. Following lunch we made our way back into town and visited a silk shop and silver shop. We learned about how they make silk and saw the silk worms and the cacoons they make after eating for  weeks Tapioca and Mulberry leaves. The worms cocoons are covered in yellow or white threads and before the moth/butterfly  hatches from the cocoon they heat the cocoons and then can pull the fine thread that wraps around the cocoon and thread it through a machine that gathers it and makes it into a twin almost. The thread is a bit rough at first and then once they wash and dye it it becomes fine and soft. They had huge looms there where women were weaving the silk into cloth and so interesting to see how much goes into the process of making 1,2,3,4 ply silk. 1 is thin and soft and used for blouses. Suits are make from 4 or 5 ply silk0 5 threads making one string. 

We also made our way a few shops down where they make silver pieces. We learned a little about his process but the display wasn't as good as the silk and the honesty the silver felt like it was over priced. 

After we got back, Sam was ready for some chill time but Kendall and I hopped on bikes from the hotel and went exploring around the neighborhood. We were looking for more artists to hopefully find someone that could paint a certain parrot for Sam. As we went exploring we didn't find any paintings but we did find some great clothing and handicraft and antique shops. One was just a dream with all handmade fabrics and clothes and reasonably priced and set inside a garden. Everything about the shop was so artistic, just loved it and bought a couple of items a dress and skirt both made locally and just love! Kendall and I poked our heads into lots of shops and it felt so fun to be riding around streets and on back streets around sunset. 

For dinner we headed back to the Night Market and Sam was looking for an artist to paint the parrot he wanted and also wanted another fish spa! He is hooked :) After walking for a while he found a foot spa and it since I wasn't up for doing it again and Kendall was game to do with Sam, which they did the fish spa I had a fantastic foot massage in the street while they fed their feet to the fishes! 

We finally decided on one artist to paint the bird for Sam. The one more contemporary artist we really liked said he didn't have the time or I believe the patience to paint the bird so we went with more of a realistic painter. It will be fun to see what it looks like when we get home in a couple months. 

February 25, 2015 (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

Today was so unreal to be able to play, feed, groom, ride and bathe with elephants! We went with an organization that rescues and rehabilitates domesticated Asian Elephants. We were each assigned a particular elephant:I was given a young mother elephant, Sam was given a teenage girl elephant and Kendall was given a large male with big tusks. We first  fed all the elephants with sticks of sugar cane and grass and bananas. The best way to an elephants heart is through their stomachs. They basically eat all day and consume tons of water. They would be impossible to have as a pet, sorry Sam ;) The then taught us how to size up an elephant to see if they are healthy and happy. Are their ears and tail tag wagging a few times a minute,? Do they have dirt on their sides? They sleep about 6 hours a night on average and a healthy elephant sleeps on the ground and unhealthy stands up because they aren't well enough to get up and down and they sleep and eat actually through the night getting up and down and they switch sleeping sides through their 5 hour sleep cycle. Are they sweating? They don't have tear ducts but they sweat through what looks like cuticle around their toe nails. How many piles of poop do they have on the ground and the consistency of the poop. They should have at least 5 round balls of poop each time and can see near them when they sleep. If they are healthy their poop has some water in it and should not smell too bad- the trainer made us each smell the poop and he squeezed it and water came out. He also showed us that you can look at their poop and a younger elephant has smaller fibers because their teeth are bigger and still sharp and all there. An older elephant has longer fibrous strands in their poop- teeth more worn down.

We learned to get on the elephant two ways. One from the front and up the trunk. I did this and it sure wasn't graceful, too nervous about putting my knee in the cranium of the elephant to climb all the way on- which Kendall did gracefully as can be done I might add. You pat on the top of his head and then he/she stiffens her trunk and you step up onto the trunk and they lift you up. The other way is pulling on their ear and saying the command Nalong for them to sit down and then you climb up their leg and on. Same ways going down. We then rode them bareback through the forests for about 45 minutes to our lunch spot. You sit way up on their head. Really cool but after about 20 mins my inner thighs were throbbing for clutching for dear life. Swear I was going to fall off, no harness  but a rope to hold onto as you're leaning back when going down. I was sure if I wasn't clinging for dear life I would have tipped right off that elephant onto the rocky mountainous terrain we were climbing over- holy smokes! We would say "Bai" to go. "How" to stop. "Didi" for good job. Said those words a lot today :)

We enjoyed  a fresh lunch all hand prepared where we basically ate with our hands food on banana leaves in the forest. When we were done the baby elephants literally charged the table and started taking all the food. It was hilarious. There were still some water bottles on the table and they knew not to eat those and left whatever was paper or plastic and just finished up the meal.

We climbed back onto our elephants and made our way to the waterfall. There we dismounted and changed out of our smocks and pants that we were riding in and took them to the water where we bathed them. They want to keep their elephants as healthy as possible so unlike in the wild where they can contract different parasites, they like to keep them clean and give them shots if they get sick. So they scrub then thoroughly. Into the brown waters below the waterfall we went with our 7 elephants and scrubbed every inch of them and then they lined them up to drink behind us and took some photos. While we were taking photos they sprayed us all multiple times. Really quite funny. Have to say ready for a serious shower after that! We did walk up to the waterfall and rinsed off a bit.

We said goodbye to our elephants and then off to see their baby elephants, part of their breeding program. They had 2 about 2 month olds and then one that was only 8 days old. They were so cute and so domesticated because although there were many around the mother and her new baby they were totally comfortable and we gave the mothers water and food and were able to totally interact with the babies. It was amazing really. So amazing that the gestation is about 2 years and the babies come out huge and then go right about walking around and are playful. The babies just drink mother's milk and so they are constantly going up to their mothers and nursing.

What an eventful afternoon. We enjoyed it so much. As we left and were headed back into town we asked to stop by and see an active Buddhist Temple.. Wanna our guide took us to one that was covered in little shrines and decorative flowers and where they were about to have a service. Several elderly men and women were inside the temple preparing to worship and meditate. Here is what I have learned about Buddhism from Wanna:

Buddha was a man that lived about 2500 years ago. He lived in India and he was a crown prince with all the luxuries not afforded to almost all of India. He chose to leave his family and retreat into the woods and live among hermits that meditated on their Hindu faith and philosophies and there he developed his own philosophy separate from his Hindu faith. He separated himself from Hinduism that spends so much of their effort worshiping so many gods and giving so much time and attention to these gods and giving offerings and not enough he felt to others. He created his own beliefs and moved to Sri Lanka, an island south of India where he grew his philosophy and became a monk. He had several followers and later there were missionaries of Buddhist faith and they wrote a written record of Buddha's beliefs. He did not intend to be worshiped, but as one that directs others how to reach Nirvana- the place where you stop being reincarnated. You can only reach there by being a monk and keeping the 227 rules/commandments. Those that aren't monks are expected to keep the basic 5 commandments of their beliefs: :no killing any being, no lying,  no stealing, no intoxication, and no adultery. These were established by Buddha again to lead you to Nirvana and to the final place- like Heaven- Nirvana. All those that are monks and devote their lives to being a monk will reach Nirvana in the next life and end their reincarnation. Everyone is expected to help support the monks and they walk through the neighborhoods early in the morning with their bowls for people to give them food. They only eat 2 meals a day and don't have dinner. Everyone can do their part in being a better person by giving food to them. Our guide says she does but often can't get around to it, so on all special holidays she brings a lot of extra food to the temple for the monks. 

All very interesting to me, I love to learn about other faiths and what directs and motivates people's faith and lives. 

In the evening we went to a performance of Thai traditional dances and dinner. We sat on the floor of the dining hall, theater and ate and then watched the dancing. The women moved slowly and most of the dance was in their hands. The opening dance they had the silver or gold tips on their fingers which elongate their hands and make them even more intriguing to watch. After the main show we moved into another amphitheater where many tribal dances were performed, really more of a show of their cultural costumes and the variety of people and performance. It was very interesting and authentic actually and then after the dancers were selling some things from small booths and I purchased a really cool vest of one of the tribes and hat. When my daughters were young I would always bring home costumes from the countries I was visiting and they would wear to International Day. I loved doing this and miss collecting them. Tonight I got myself one. So fun although when I finished making my deal they had literally turned off the lights at the place and our van was the last one in the lot :) 

The van driver dropped us off in the center of the Night Market for us to poke around and try and find Sam an artist he liked to paint him a parrot for his room. Of course we didn't find one but we had fun wondering around and guess who came home with a large elephant painting?! So excited about it and just a total deal. Had them take off the canvas and wrap it and put in a scroll that I will send home tomorrow from the airport. 

We made it back around 11:30 p.m. and were exhausted!

February 24, 2015 (Golden Triangle, Thailand)

After checking out of our really cool hotel, The Legend Resort along the Kok River, we made our way to the Golden Triangle, where the three countries Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand meet at the Mekong River. There was a large shrine there built to honor the queen of Thailand with a large golden Buddha. There we boarded a boat and went on the river and drove by the Laos Vegas Hotel in Laos- a casino since they allow gambling in Laos. We had to leave our passports in Thailand, We disembarked along the river bank and came into a little area where they had a market in Laos. We peaked around there for a bit and I bought a cool purse that was hand made. Love it!

We also made a visit to the Opium Museum. This was funded and the idea of the Queen of Thailand. It was an outstanding museum, one of the most detailed and elaborate museum I have been through. They explained the history of Opium and how it came from Egypt it then went to China and then into South East Asia and India. We learned about Opium Wars that happened a couple hundred years ago and how they were based on the Chinese wanting to ban Opium and how the Europeans wanted to keep it legal so they could make money from it. The Europeans won and opium continued to flourish and they said that 1 in 30 people in China used Opium and it was destroyer of their culture of their people because of the addictive natures. Opium production came to Thailand through China and in these hills above Chiang Rai they were actively growing and selling it. Opium is used in many medications and is also the base of heroin, morphine and even in asprin. The museum showed the affects of opium, how it was grown, how it was traded, what devastation it caused to people and communities and how it was banned and how countries throughout the world came together to ban the use and illegal growth of opium. It was a bit dark going through this museum but left you with the positive affect of why would you ever want to do drugs when it destroys your agency, it destroys your desire to work or be productive, it destorys your family and health. 

We ate lunch at a little Thai cafe and they also sold some wooden sculptures which were unique to anything else I had seen. I purchased a small teak statue with some gold- a remembrance from being in this area- chose that over an opium pot or pipe …not supporting anything opium after going through that museum! 

On the way to Chiang Mai we stopped back at the White Temple again to get  Sam some bamboo rice. It is rolled up in Bamboo so it is like takeaway sticky rice. It was nice to see the temple again without so many people and many monks that had come to see the temple. It is funny though, the men that are supposed to have nothing and are fed by the people each whipped out iphones from their robes and were taking photos of the White Temple :) 

We then had a 4 hour drive to Chiang Mai. Half way we stopped and pulled over at the sulfur hot springs. Hopping out of the van they had a geyser that was shooting up and then a really boiling small pool that a man was selling eggs next to. Kendall selected a small basket of spotted quail eggs. He has about 6 in a tiny reed basket that you attach to a stick and float in the boiling hot spring for 5 minutes and then you can peel and eat. He has some hot and sweet sauces there for you to add to your egg. Most people were eating large brown chicken eggs and about 1/3 cooked and they would slurp up the egg. Kendall went for fully hard boiled and liked the sauces. The eggs were rather labor intensive to peel, so she only had a couple. We soaked our feet as well in the warm spring water and it was about 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It felt good to soak, along with many other locals that make this a good stop along their way between these sister cities going to and from Chiang Rai to Chaing Mai. 

Once we arrived in Chiang Mai, a much bigger city than Chiang Rai, we checked in and went right out on the town. A few blocks away was the Night Market. Tons of people and shops and some great artists selling their work. Just loved the pieces, contemporary and colorful. Tempted to pick up a few and have them rolled and sent home. Kendall bought a couple things, we found Sam a Red Bull T-shirt with Thai writing which seemed authentic since the Red Bull ingredients come from the tea we saw growing yesterday. I purchased some beautiful handicraft cross stitch pieces that were made my the hillside tribes. Loved them! Tomorrow we play and tend to the elephants. Can’t wait!