iKombazana

The tourist van we rented. They actually let us drive it away ourselves....even though we drive on the wrong side of the road!

Elephant ranglin' in Ayutthaya

He was goin' for my wallet!

Ayutthaya has its own style...even the tuk-tuk's were different

Ruins at Ayutthaya Historical City. Built around 1350, destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. It's estimated that Ayutthaya, by the year 1600, had a population of about 300,000, with the population perhaps reaching 1,000,000 around 1700. Making it one of the world's largest cities at that time






Wonder how long that's been there?








He didn't look happy having his lunch interupted

After checking out the ruins we went for a boat ride on the river. The city is basically an island surrounded by the river. In the old days it was used as a defense system. The food was great, cooked on the boat, with a few cold Chang beers

We had a great time...especially after it got dark and our lovely captain ran out of diesel. We had to tie to a piling in the pitch black night, refuel with the spare can she had on board, and then bleed the system. She was worried. We told her she had three guys, all who had had boats, all with diesels, and all have run outta fuel in the dark! We just laughed and thought it was funny! Made her feel a lot better. Good thing I had a flashlight handy.

Giant Monk statue on the way to Sukhothai

Real live pig butt! A bunch of em, all numbered and ready for market

Now there's somethin' ya don't see everyday!

We stopped here for lunch. Chicken wings and beer!

Giant Golden Buddha on the way to Sukhothai

Had to maneuver our van down some pretty small roads to get to some of the temple cities

The ruins at Sukhothai and surrounding cities were just as impressive. A little older than Ayutthaya, around 1238, and spread out over a much larger area.
















I climbed to the top of one temple for pics. I asked first









The town was all decked out for a festival. Perfect time to be there!

Bring on the Festival!



Lots of fun, music, dance, food, and fireworks!



Headed out the next morning for Chiang Mai. Mostly superhighway, nice Morning Glory
Back in Chiang Mai. Spent the night, and then headed for Chiang Rai, and Ban Lao, where Nattaya's family lives

Breakfast at our guesthouse

Cute little car

Chiang mai is full of beautiful temples




Orchid nursery, Chiang Rai




Wat Tham Pla, the Fish and Monkey cave near the Myanmar border. They don't tell ya about the crocodiles!


Apparently the monkeys and crocodiles are pals



The 'fish' part of Fish and Monkey cave

The cave temple was wonderful, and quite the hike up the mountain.
400 of these.....

Which leads to this....

And gets you here. to the entrance

Buddha image in the cave


Buffet in Chiang Rai near my guesthouse. There's a new idea, pay by the minute!

Yum, live crickets, you could get them live, or have them deep fried.

I opted for the squid! Deeeeeelicious!

The roaches were next on the menu


The scenery on the way to Ban Lao

Thai Scarecrow

Back at my favorite restaurant, Haad Chiang Rai (Chiang Rai Beach)


Just tryin' to relax!

Great temple tucked away from the beach on a hill overlooking the river

While in Chiang Rai the last time, we did a Longtail boat trip down the Kok river from Thaton to Chiang Rai. About a 6 hour trip. This time we decided to tackle it by motorbike. Even though the map showed no roads.....
Some beautiful temples on the road to Thaton





Not sure....sculpture at the Hot Springs we came across. Also Monk approved massage.

Villages dotted the hillsides

Our vehicles of choice. Mine was the speedy lookin' blue Honda

Don't really approve of this, but Mom was teaching her daughter how to be a waitress, and she even counted our change.

Thaton. This is where we turned left and headed down the river

Teak tree trunk stools, very cool...and heavy!

Literally, tons of garlic

Love the hand pumps at the gas station. And the amount in Baht was written on the side of the glass

Found this along the river

Mostly farm land


Tom loaded for bear!


The trail down the Kok river

Great little villages

And villagers!

Cute kids followed us through their village

Turned out to be a water buffalo/goat trail most of the way. Had a few mishaps, almost lost a bike or two down a cliff and into the river...no pictures, couldn't really let go of the bike for about an hour and a half! The trail was so small you couldn't get off the bike. Mountain straight up on your left, 60-80 foot drop to the river on your right! Turned out to be one of the best parts of the trip!

Garlic fields outside Thaton, on the way to Fang

Hotel in Fang. Very nice, $15.00 a night!

Beautiful temple at Chiang Dao caves



Herb vendor outside Chiang Dao

Catfish pond, Chiang Dao caves

Entrance to Wat Tham Chiang Dao

The cave was great. 453 meters, many temples, bridges over streams, and stalactites


Back in Chiang Mai, temples everywhere!




Monkmobile




Beautifully carved and polished teak Buddha image




Kunan, or jackfruit. The tree is well suited to tropical lowlands, and its fruit is the largest tree-borne fruit, reaching as much as 80 pounds in weight, and up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter.



And then it was on to Pattaya to wait for Ted to get his replacement Passport. Not exactly why I go to Thailand, but had never been and everybody said I should see it at least once. That was enough


Some cool cars

I asked for a half dozen oysters on the half shell. They were fresh, delicious, probably two dozen of them, and $3.00!

The duck was delicious too. Ate where the locals did, instead of the big seafood places where the clientele was mostly Russian! And the food rediculously overpriced

The beach was nice, but very touristy. And the umbrellas cost ya.

Went to the harbor. Lots of boat building

The yacht club and harbor were nice

Ouch!

Yacht club apartments at Ocean Marina Yacht Club

My Gucci motorbike to tool around on

There were a couple of nice temples up on the hill overlooking the city


The Chinese temple and gardens were truly beautiful.






As you can see, Pattaya is a large tourist beach town, lots of nightclubs, bars, and, well, rooms rented by the hour, if you know what I mean....and I think you do! Not really my 'cup of tea'. Onward to meet Ted and Nattaya in Ubon, and head to Lao

The border on the way to Pakse and Paksong. A little confusion?

Not only the locals!

ATM's sprouting up everywhere

Local coffee vendor

Backpackers 'customized' motorbike

WIFI in the middle of nowhere

Ariving at the falls

The restaurant

Waiting for lunch


Delicous traditional Lao food

And a couple of Beer Lao......

Make for some happy travellers!

First view of the falls


My bungalow overlooking the river valley the falls dumps into

Kickin' back on Ted and Nattaya's deck, listening to the waterfall, after a long day's travel to Paksong

The next morning Ted and I got up early and headed for sunrise at the falls. Stairs down to the swimming holes at the base of the waterfall


Couldn't go any farther

Sunrise at E Tu waterfall





Orchids growing wild everywhere

Tourist

Monk at the falls

Giant teak roots


Cicadas went off until sunset

Our bungalows at the top of the falls




All set on a coffee plantation, on a hillside above the falls

Nattaya and our hostess

Boat dock for the trip to the islands



On our way, lots of traffic on the river

Our first view of Don Det


Found out it was more for the twenty something crowd with 'Space Cookies, and 'Mushroom Shakes' And the local beach loving water buffalo. Not that there's anything wrong with that.....

So we headed out....

Over the old railroad bridge....

To some quiet bungalows...

On a beautiful private beach on Don Khon, the next island.....

Where the restaurants were empty.....

And beautiful Temples, and waterfalls filled the landscape




Where the monks lived


Friendly local kids

The road to Liphi Waterfall






Locals selling their crafts


Sunset from my deck


Breakfast!



Our taxi for the trip to Khon Pha Peng waterfall

Our restaurant from the water


Farm life along the Mekong

Local critters

Khon Pha Peng waterfall, the largest in South East Asia




Restaurant along the way

Our ride awaits for the trip back to Don Khon


We picked up the owners kids for the trip back

Nice houseboats for rent

Under the bridge and back to our beach

The beach on the south end of Don Khon

With amazing swimming holes

And boats to take you to find the Irrawaddy Dolphin. One of the only species of freshwater dolphin still in existence



Looking over to Cambodia


The hoist the French built to overcome the falls

And take goods by train to the shipping dock they built. If you wanted something shipped up the Mekong, you had to do it through the French.

The old loading dock



The landscape was absolutely amazing!

The motorbike ride to Don Det for dinner and entertainment

My trusty steed

Little naked boy driving his boat along the river

Sums up life on Don Det

A beautiful little village


Traffic on the bridge

The first bungalow was mine, the third Ted and Nattaya's


The staff having a spirited game of Badminton

Sunset, day 2. just like day one, Amazing!

Hammocks on every porch

Hand woven walls, not very soundproof, but nice

More happy travellers we met. Ed and Sue who owned a resort in Nepal

Oh yeah...they were Aussies!

Hotel in Pakse, we splurged!



The first elevator I had seen in weeks!

Comfy $30.00 hotel room

The view from my window

Across the street

Downtown Pakse


Temple near the hotel

The Nagas guarding the temple are very different in Lao


Lots of old temples



Wonderful hand carved wood doors




How do you say that?

I just liked the paint job

The view from the restaurant on the roof of the hotel

On our way back into Thailand


Lots of Bananas!

The water heater store, just like the one in iKombazana

Al Pacino gets around

The Golden Buddha inside the main temple in Ubon

Balls of gold leaf to adorn the Buddha

Miami Vice colored Naga

The amazing golden statue in the Town Centre in Ubon Ratchatani




Beautiful Plumeria were everywhere...just like Hawaii!

Good Night Beijing! Crashed in the airport for a few hours before heading to the wall

Mmmmm...woke up to Chinese Mickey D's coffee

Beijing Skyline


My Buddy. He actually saluted me on the way out

Many Chinese tourists on this section of the wall

'Cindy' our guide

It basically says 'Be a man, Climb the Wall!'

Village at the wall

Example of weaponry of the time


Happy Travellers. Ted, Nattaya, and I at Juyong Pass

Steep section


Many beautiful Temples and buildings at this section




Not a bad gig, Great Wall cop!

Entrance to the Ming Tombs



The 'Soul Tower' where the Emperor is burried

The 'Yin and Yang' gate at the tomb

Original headstone at the tomb of Emperor Muzong of the Ming Dynasty


View from the tomb


No tourists. The Chinese people believe the tomb is full of ghosts and won't go there

Jade market

Some amazing pieces

Some, as big as me!

What everyone needs, solid jade patio furniture. About $80.000.00


The base is wood, but the carving is Yellow Jade

It was an incredible trip! From temples in the north, to almost crashing into the river on a motorbike, to seeing wonderful new places I have never been, and spending days on the river, hiking, boating, and just relaxing!. But mostly just interacting with the local people and learning about new food, meeting new friends, and realizing what truly matters in life! Can't wait till next time!

Vientiane, Proud to be Lao. On my last trip, I had only been to the north of Lao. Many small villages and life along the river. Vientiane, the capitol, is a large city with lots of tourist facilities, and many foreigners. Nice, but nothing like the peace and tranquility of Luang Prabang and the surrounding area.

This was cool, but if ya look, it's got parts from several years


Phra That Luang, The Lao National Symbol. Doesn't look that big until you see the motorbikes in the lower right hand corner. Pha That Luang according to the Lao people was originally built as an Indic temple in the 3rd century. Buddhist missionaries from the Mauryan Empire are believed to have been sent by the Emperor Ashoka, including Bury Chan or Praya Chanthabury Pasithisak and five Arahata monks who brought a holy relic (believed to be the breast bone) of Lord Buddha to the stupa. It was rebuilt in the 13th century as a Khmer temple which fell into ruin.
In the mid-16th century, King Setthathirat relocated his capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane and ordered construction of Pha That Luang in 1566. It was rebuilt about 4 km from the centre of Vientiane at the end of That Luang Road and named Pha That Luang. The bases have a length of 69 metres each and is 45 metres high, and is surrounded by 30 small Stupas. It is covered in several thousand pounds of gold leaf.







Amazing murals, Temple on the grounds of Phra That Luang




Patuxai, the Victory Monument

Ceiling inside

Funny story.....The monument was built using American funds. In the 1960s, cement originally intended to build an airfield during the Vietnam War was used to build the monument. The United States had given Lao money, and cement, to build a new airfield, however, the Lao government of the day used the money to build the monument instead. It is sometimes referred to as the "vertical runway"

View from the top


Guard shack in front of the UN Building in Vientiane. Looks upside down to me....

Downtown Vientiane

Mekong Sunset Looking towards Thailand, from Lao

The Lao temples are everywhere, and beautiful.

On my way to Bangkok, 4 hour delay in Beijing!

Ferry to Koh Chang

Fishing pier on the mainland

Uhhhh...those lifevests don't look up to date!

Car ferry to the island

Northeast side of Koh Chong

Where I stayed the first night on the island, White Sands Beach

View from my bungalow

Nice to see some sailing!

Restaurants lining the beach

I ate wayyy tooo much squid!

Very relaxing beakfast on the deck

Until this guy jumped out of the tree and landed on the table in front of me!


Daily walk down the beach to find new places to paddle and swim


My bungalow on Lonley Beach, 500 baht a night. About 16 bucks...I splurged!

In a beautiful, peaceful garden

A stones throw from this

Next stop, Bang Bao on the eastern coast of the island. Bang Bao pier

Bungalows on the pier, very nice.

Tower at the end of Bang Bao pier. All the piers on the island had them, all very decorative, and different

Little resorts and bugalows dot the island




The Grand Lagoona Resort. The Galaxy, a huge boat, moored in a lagoon, used as a hotel. Too expensive for me, and not really that nice. Lotsa Skeeters!

Koh Chang sunset


The neighbors

Breakfast next to the tatoo parlor

Local Critters

Hospital on the pier, Health Promoting!

Cruising boat leaving Bang Bao


My Dinner!

Where I stayed in Bang Bao, very relaxing, right on the water, kayaks, and boats to borrow. And with our own pier



All ya really need

There was no one there, so I set my camera on the grass, hit the 10 second timer, and ran for the deck!


Bang Bao sunset

Lionfish sculpture

Bang Bao pier from the top of the tower


My front yard

I like the added on outhouse on the stern

Leaving Bang Bao on a rented Longtail boat. It took me two days to find someone that would take me the rest of the way around the island. The road doesn't go all the way through, so the only way is by boat. Every time I asked someone that gave tours they said 'Nobody does that!'. So I finally found a fisherman that would take me the rest of the way around....as long as he could fish on the way. I said 'Let's Go!'

"Perhaps catch a few fish!"

There's a total of 53 islands in Koh Chang National Park

The water was beautiful, and warm!


Arriving in Salak Phet by boat


Saying goodbye to my ride

Tower on Salak Phet pier

The Finnish guy, who had a guesthouse, tooled around on this with Heavy Metal music blaring from the attached boombox!



Little guesthouses out along the tiny cement pier, Fantastic!

Where I stayed in Salak Phet. I got off the boat at the pier and there was no one around. I found a few local kids and asked where the town was, and they said 'this is it!' So I got a ride to the ATM, which was in the middle of nowhere, and a little German woman comes up behind me and says 'is it working? because usually it's not', I say yes and she asks where I came from, and I said a boat from Bang Bao, and she says 'Nobody does that' and I say I know, and she asks me where I'm staying. As usual, I say I don't know, and she says to find her friend Uli's guesthouse, and proceeds to give me directions, 'Go down this path, past the temple, turn right and look for the German flag'. The kindness of strangers....

Urai's Place, Thai/German guesthouse. Cheap, friendly and wonderfull! The beer was ice cold, and the Schnitzel was delicious!

The view.......

Uli's wife, our hostess and chef! Let me borrow the motorbike, and did my laundry for free!

New temple at Salak Phet


Painting the inside

The gate to someone's home in the mountains on my way to the waterfalls

Rubber plantation

Spirit house on Koh Chang

More beaches, more kayaks, absolutely wonderful!


Eclipse from Bangkok on my way to the north.

The north is very different. Mostly farms and small towns. Nong Khai along the river, my friend's farm in Rattanawapi, and temples in Phon Phisai, and Wat Phu Tok




My trusty steed!

Kids came running out screaming "FARANG.... FARANG!".....it means foreigner

Rattanawapi. Along the little road that follows the Mekhong, every 1500 yards or so was another beautiful temple. Many used as schools



Lao temple in Phon Phisai


Built around huge boulders





Dinner at my friend Nok's farm with her family. Every night we BBQ'd fresh fish, eaten with rice and fresh vegetables, and ate outside in the cool northern air. Her whole family would come for dinner to meet the 'Farang' and want to talk and drink homemade ....'medicine'.

The entrance to Wat Phu Tok, amazing teak furniture.

'Yeah...I know....'

Wat phu Tok was incredible. Built by monks on an outcropping of rock in an otherwise flat landscape. Seven levels of stairs to get to the top 'Enlightenment'. I was the only one that went all the way. The walkway and stairs were pounded into the rocks, only wood, and a little frightening! Several hundred feet straight down!











View from the third level

The Monks had their own radio station

The temple was built among the caves and rocks.



Wat Kaew Kou sculpture park, built by a Buddhist/Hindu mystic, who's body still lies in state there. He built the same thing in Vientiane, Lao many years earlier but when the government changed hands they kicked him out because he was not a pure Buddhist. He then went across the river to Nong Khai and built an even bigger one!


Some of the statues were 60 meters high





Large catfish in the pond




The Mystic enshrined in his temple

Wat Pho Chai in downtown Nong Khai, a very special place for Isaan Buddhists

It is the home of Luang Pho Phra Sai. Commissioned by the three daughters of the King of the Lao Lan Chang Empire, it is one of three identical Lao Buddha images, one of which fell into the Maekong during a storm 200 years ago. Its head is said to be made of solid gold!


Monkmobile


The lake outside beautiful Rattanawapi






Chinese temple along the Rimkhong in Nong Khai


Drying sugarcane sticks by the river

The temple that slid into the Mekhong many years ago. When the water levels are low, the top of the temple sticks out and they decorate it until the river rises, and then the following year when the level goes down, they do it again

OK...turned on the tube one night......'Oh Brother" with Chinese subtitles!

Sunset over the Friendship Bridge crossing to Lao


Nice little apartments..around a hundred bucks a month!



Local bike shop

Many floating restaurants on the river.

Tourist Photo at the temple in Nong Khai


Blessing the new Toyota!



Basically a Buddhist cemetery


Merry Christmas!

Making Pastries on the street

Large Buddha looking across the river to Lao


My friend Wanyana helped me find my way to the airport in Udon Thani, I didn't want to leave!

Wacky hotel room

Yummy street food

My first glimpse of the Forbidden City

Beijing at night

Ice fishing the Palace Moat

Forbidden City Sunrise

I was not prepared for snow!

All the Chinese students wanted to practice their English, and get a photo

The Frozen Forbidden City

Hall of Supreme Harmony




Beautiful bronze sculptures

Hall of Heavenly Peace


Hall of Preserving Harmony


Hall of Treasures

Jingshan Hill. Where the Emperors went to pray. The hill was created with all the dirt that was excavated for the moat. Amazing when you consider it was done by man, and animal power 700 years ago.



I had no idea of the enormity of the Forbidden City

Bronze Buddha on top of Jingshan Hill

Where the last Emperor of the Ming Dynasty hanged himself


Hacky Sackers


The frozen moat

Beijing street scene

Music Store

Frozen Moat

Mao

Soldiers marchng through Tiananmen Square

The One Western Tourist!

Tiananmen Square

Breakfast on the way to The Great Wall



Basically a chairlift...only old, creaky, and a little too rusty. This thing was scary!





16 degrees F. on the Wall. Even colder on the chair lift up! I was Freezing!!



Sunrise on The Great Wall of China






The surrounding ladscape was incredible! Giant mountains on every side. Amazing!
Squirrel on the Wall





The bird that flew me home!

Rangoon Sunrise, the first thing I saw when I woke up

Botataung Paya, on the bank of the Yangon River

Mosque on my way to the river

Botataung Paya

1000 year old bronze bell


Most stupas are solid, Botataung is hollow with passages around the base to where the Buddha's hair is. The inside of the temple was covered in gold. The golden walls, up to about 8', were covered in plexiglass, so you wouldn't touch them

Baskets of cash where the Buddha's hair was enshrined

Jade rocks at Bogyoke Zai market. In the next room they were cutting, carving, and polishing little Buddha statues, half the size of your fist, that sold for $500.00. I asked him about the jade, and he showed me this. Probably a half million dollars worth of jade, and this wasn't the only pile

The old British prison is now the 2000 stall market

Yangon train station

Fresh food on the train



Plumbing


Local Transportation

This is in the middle of beautiful golden temples, and 20 story modern high rises. Very surreal

Yangon Harbor Lightships

The Circle Train around Yangon, how the locals transport their goods

Not much room for passengers




Karaweik Hall, floating mythical birds covered in gold.

Bamboo scaffolding for the reguilding of Sule Paya

19th century British Colonial Architecture



The only modern thing left I could find that still said 'Rangoon' on it.