Chiang Mai Tour Day 4 was Monday, January 8, but I had to go away to give a lecture to young people who escaped North Korea and now live in S. Korea. There is a ministry called Jacob's Well that aims to help restore the dignity as children of God as the citizens of God's Kingdom. So, it became a special day for ladies. They received massage - both Thai and foot massage - and spent time experiencing tropical fruits of Thailand.
On Day 5, we decided to explore Mon Cham, one of the popular hangout places in Chiang Mai off the Samoeng Loop and two additional places right on the Samoeng Loop: Elephant Camp and Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden. Samoeng Loop is a scenic route of 100 km in the mountains and along the loop there are numerous places of interest. I plan to explore the loop again on a motor bike someday in the near future.
Mon Cham
Mon Cham is a place that is situated on top of the hills where people can enjoy the panoramic view as well as flowers. Also there are food carts and merchants that sell various products. Most of these merchants are Hmong people, one of six major hill tribes.
I was amazed at my mom who at the age of 88 was able to hike up the hills without too much difficulty. Her warm and peaceful smile is always comforting and encouraging to me.
We bought some fruits, roasted corn ears and roasted sweet potatoes. We stopped by an adventure shop called Pongyang where people can try out ATVs, zip lining, biking in the air etc and enjoyed the snack along with beverages while watching their activities along with the ever soothing green scenery.
Elephant Camp
We already rode on the bare back of elephants else where, and my 88-year old mom would not dare to ride it. But she could watch an elephant show without taking a risk.
We watched the elephants getting bathed in the small river. They love to get dirty with mud but also to get bathed in the water. One elephant lay down in the water.
Later in the show, elephants kicked balls and also defended the goal with their body. The elephants did other tricks such as taking off the hats from their trainers and also putting them back on the heads of their trainers.
But the most amazing and impressive trick they showed to us was their painting skills. Amazingly they were able to paint trees and even scenery. I am not sure how they learned, but it proved to me that elephants are quite smart. I saw one painting of an old tree framed for sale at TB15,000 or $460. Well... I am not sure if I want to pay that much money for a painting drawn by an elephant.
Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden
This botanical garden was established in honor of Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current king and the wife of the former king who ruled Thailand for 70 years, the longest rule by a monarch.
The area was quite large, but the contents were a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the lake view with a water shoot colorfully coordinated with trees decorated with colorful fabrics. A large flower clock was displayed on the grass near the pond, and it was pretty.
We found out that all seniors who are older than 60 years of age were admitted for free. Great! - Jeffrey
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