A Special Temple (And Some Photos by Ella)

We had been waffeling back and forth on whether we would visit a place called Tiger Kingdom today. It is a tourist attraction where you can pay money to go into an enclosure and play with tigers of different sizes. It is a little expensive but it would make for an awesome experience (and photos) for the kids to be able to play with baby tigers. We finally decided that our day with the elephants was good enough and that we would save some money instead. That left only one thing on the schedule for today, visiting a temple called Phra That Doi Suthed.

First though, we had to have some breakfast at our usual spot. While we were sitting on our bench in the shade at the Three Kings Monument, a tuk tuk driver approached us and asked if we needed to go anywhere or if he could take us on a tour of the city. I told him that we had nowhere to go but asked if he could just take us for a spin around the block. A tuk tuk ride is a classic Thai experience and I also wanted to add another mode of transportation to our list. We all crammed into the back, except for Tyson who sat next to the driver, on top of the vehicle's battery that the driver set a cushion on. It was fun but the downside is that Ella will not stop talking about how much she wants her own tuk tuk.

Once we were dropped off back where we started, someone noticed that our omelette cart was parked in front of a muay thai supply store. Mason has been wanting his own pair of muay thai shorts (our kids are so impressionable), so we went in and found his pefect souvenir.

Our hotel arranged for our personal song taew to the temple on top of the mountain. It was a roller coaster ride up a winding road and at least half of our family complained of car sickness. Once the ride ended, people realized that we weren't at the top of the mountain yet. By the kids' count, it was 209 steps up the snake staircase to the temple at the top.

Once we were at the top, there was also a wonderful view of Chiang Mai itself. I remember visiting this temple as a missionary and while I remember the staircase, I don't remember it being as busy with tourists. Similarily, I'm sure that this view of Chiang Mai has also changed dramatically in the intervening years.

We were there in time to see the monks performing their evening prayers.

And, by the time we left, it was a lot quieter. (Also, Heather is gorgeous)

When we got back to the city, I took eveyone to this food cart for rice and pig leg. It is an incredibly tender pork, served on rice with pickled cabbage and a sauce poured over top. I have been trying to introduce the family to this meal ever since we got in-country, and all I can say is that it was worth the wait.

Speaking of worth the wait, here are some of Ella's pictures from today:

(I'm so glad I brought a second camera for her to use. Remember that we don't have a computer, so none of these blog photos have been edited, or even cropped.)

- C and E