Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Thailand - Part II

 So, this is going to be mostly pictures, because I'm too busy to have time to write much, but I thought I should at least post something so you can see what it's like here.  And what it's like is ... just beautiful!

These are the hotel grounds where we're staying - the landscaping and color are amazing.


 Only in SE Asia would you get a sign like this - NO DURIAN.  (Durian is a popular local fruit, which is forbidden in a lot of places because it smells horrible).



 On the subject of funny signs, though, I prefer this one.  His special powers include the ability to kill bad guys with a pure concentration of smell - he's known only as:

 Anyway, these are some shots from some of the walks around the city.  They have a lot of really ancient architecture in Chiang Mai, including the old city walls and some of these old monument things (I guess; maybe I should have read the guide book closer).


The street food, as you saw in the last post, is amazing, and all pretty cheap.

The Sunday market even has stalls where for about $1, the ladies will give you a 15-minute foot massage.


These were weird; sort of a banana cake roll.  You can see the finished product there in the back, like a banana rolled up in a sweet pancake and covered in chocolate sauce.  I didn't try one, but they looked tasty.


A guy selling some handcarved wooden dishes.  They were a little pricey, though.

Quite a number of Buddhist temples around the city.  They decorate them very lavishly, and the effect is really pretty.


I did meet some folks some of you might recognize here in town.  It was great to catch up with them, and enjoy a burrito at a Mexican place together.


This is the "Night Bazaar," sort of a nighttime tourist market where all the vendors come out and try to sell you fake Rolexes and Thai silk scarves and the like.  I bought myself an "authentic" Liverpool jersey to wear when I support the Reds for about 1/10 the price of the real ones.


The temples are decorated really exquisitely.  Some of the detail in these things is quite amazing.


And of course, there are smaller versions too, as seen here.


Unfortunately for me, it's about time to wrap up my Thai adventure and head home, but I wanted to give you some more pictures to enjoy while I'm on my travels.  It will take me 4 days to get home, but I'm starting to really miss my family, so I'm anxious to make the trip, even with the accompanying temperature drop.

It has been a very profitable time here, though, with lots of good meetings with new and old friends and coworkers.  We found out lots of news that relates to our work and how we can improve things, so now we just have to implement those things in T-land!

Thanks to all of you who were thinking of my wife and children back home while I was traveling; from all reports they're doing well (and hopefully looking forward to me getting home as well?).  Please continue to do so as I travel, and look for more news in a week or so on here.