than ton 3 Boat

I want to preface this with the note that I had a very bad head cold and Hanna was home not sounding too great.....so   Henry and I decided to forgo much of ChiangRai.  I had seen the white temple... we say the clock and the night market and had a massage... and then left on the VIP 7:45am bus... happy to be home.

The boat ride was a high point. Lucky for us, we were staying at the Garden and the bus came there to pick us up... hence we were the first on the boat and were told to sit up next to the driiver when we were on two long soft cushions and had several behind us as back rests.  Our feet were a little cramped but we had the best seat....looking back and able to take photos on either side.  
The rest of the happy crew got on accross from the Apple. There were two boats that travelled together helping to watch how the other was riding on the water.  The journey was about 4 hours with one real pit stop and one get out and lighten the boat stop. The river is a shallow windy waterway with no navigational marks that I could see. The motorman was magical

 The longboat arrives with the water cool engine and we put our gear in the front and sit in the back

 In the front of the boat was a man from Chicago... whom we called Chicago and that could be an entire blog, a man from france/germany, and a couple and their children

An Italian couple who were worried about their bag which got tossed on the other boat to lighten ours..and a french couple.   I think she has an earache or she swallowed a pickle.  The woman with the back to me was the wife of the german/french couple...   The boat has a metal bottom which is a very good thing since we went bang bang on the bottom or the top of rocks several times.

This is a hollowed log with a young boy with a stick




The pic below are tourist on a raft expedition...

same same but very different

 This a fixer upper that probably you could buy cheap.

flat bottle boats are tied up at the edge     The pic below is the driver of the other boat

We made two stops...one to let the others walk to the other side of a narrow pass.  Henry and I sat near the engine to help keep the bow up.   And we stopped at a pit stop which they had a squeeky violin player and a snake with a little boy that was put in the middle of the snake. When we got to shore there was a truck which we ungracefully crawled into and out of ..... spent the night in ChiangRai and then we took the vip bus back to home base.

than ton 2

The second day as spent going up the mountain   What is remarkable about the nine stops on the hill is the craft work on the various Buddha's windows and other adornments.  Going up was a challenge on a bike I was not familiar with and having someone on the back... but coming down made me very happy to have had all the muscle work I had before I came.  

 this is a very simple village and while they have recently aquired a 7/11  there is very little indiction of much more than several tribal villiages.. Latsu, Karen  etc. From what I heard, the mountain structures are all from many thousands of contributions from all over the country/world.

This is a clear glass ball with light coming in the window on the claw of a naga... makes an interesting picture.

for anyone who has not been to Thailand.  It is common for folks to make a wax figure of famous monks who have been at the Wat... don't but a blowtorch to these two or you will have a pill of wax.

 What is a Wat without temple dogs... they love the sun and appear well fed.

 one of the things about going up the hill was the great scenery...  But when I say Up,,,I mean really UP.  the roofs below are near our cabin

The people on top of the Naga are about life size so you can see this is a very big structure.

 We asked one person what this was and they responded Thai Army... and the Monk said Burma Army... from where we knew the boarder was... the Monk was correct

This is looking from #8 to #9 on the mountain tail.   I am not sure the songtow goes up there... of B&H on a little motorbike ventured there...The road was less traveled....and yes this is my artsy photo

We had a great lunch at local "kitchen" and after lunch took another trip down the road and came to a tribal market.  Believe me we were noticed and it was not easy getting candid shots.

What a difference a smile can make... ok so she might need some teeth... but the pic above is the evil eye....    hard to tell it is the same person....

Than Ton part 1

This might have to be in sections since the internet is spotty at best at the guest house...
Henry and I had a good breakfast at Nice Kitchen with Hanna and then we went to the corner and got a songtow to take us to the northgate side bus station.   There are two buses... a local and the "vip" which means it has fewer scheduled stops... but stops wherever to drop people off.

The fans were not on too often but the woman on the other side of the aisle was in need of large amounts of cool mountain air, so I sat with half my body rather cool for four hours.   We stopped at the ChiangDao bus stations... and I smiled at my many memories.  When we arrived, we were dropped off next to the road that led to our guest house ( the Apple is on the other side of the street and not far). Henry and I will share lodging and the little place reminded me of the nest... but the facility was not a nice... I think it was $10 a night per person....about the same as the one in Chiang Rai.   There are bungalows on the water for $35-40 a night... which were directly in front of us... but by 7pm ... all you saw was dark space and during the day... we were on he go.  
When we arrived there was a sign...300bht a day for a scooter.... Henry was game and it turned out to be a great idea.  By mid afternoon I had a soar throat... and knew I was heading for a headcold.

Our first adventure was to just take a little ride down the road... We had no map but there are large hills and most folks can point to the town if you need to know how to get back.   We stopped at the boarder when we went down one road, and stopped at a little school with kids singing the Buddha chant... an orange orchard with tourist... and just country... The roads were a challenge since there were many potholes and Henry is much taller than I making the direction changes a little slower than if I were the only rider. The flowers by the road side were as I think of Thailand...

 The children are very serious and sound like everyother school room... all answering in unison .. and while it is in Thai... you know it is something like yes teacher...  Here they are saying the Pali chant  and below is the classroom ready for end of the day

At the orchard, I had some nice fresh juice and Henry had a coffee... There was a bus of Chinese trouist... which I could say about anyplace... except my cabin.

 I wonder how many people have posed like this... she went out an stood there and the boyfriend/husband with the big camera snapped the shot... I looked up from my orange juice and snapped.

The market truck rolled in at the orchard and folks came out to buy things.  The woman wanted 2 baht for the picture... and then laughed




After the orchard we took a side road to who knows....

 And as we arrived back home, the young boys were just finishing their swim in the water near our cabin..... and another good day in paradise.

A cold is a cold is a cold

Summer colds are the worst kind in my opinion. You are already hot and dragging and then had to it a head that wants to be in bed. When you are in bed… you are in a stupor of awake and asleep but the sun is shining and while your body says… I just want the cover over my head….you are too hot to do so and don't want give up the warm sun that is coming in the window. The weather map says it is very cold where your family is living. Being present to your own needs is vital to your life. Regardless the geography of GPS note, you must follow the needs of your body. It is interesting that when my head stuffs…I feel like I have on galoshes.

To let the body take a normal course is to not add pharmaceuticals but then your inner voice says… go to the peema and get fixed quick… so with my pack of McXY to take one every 6 hrs…in three days.. all better. ..i am on a course of clearing the head, ending the sniffles and pushing the cold someplace but not as bothersome. Then I can write about Than Ton.

Than ton

The bungalow is simple but very adequate.  I was able to get a scooter and Henry was ok with being on the back. To say the climb up was a challenge is an understatement. but we did well. After a delicious lunch we took a ride down the highway and found a small market.   These are the pictures of the day. 

this is a picture of two statues one in front of the other. 

middle way NTM

I have stepped over the half way mark in my 2014-15 Asia journey.  Like stopping a speeding car with no breaks at the top of a mountain road, it took me some time to get leaved out to a routine that was comfortable for me.
At the beginning of the routine, I tried to pick up where I thought I remembered I was with the people I thought I was to be with and who would walk with me.  No one is on my path and so I had to walk away from some  and farther away from others and change many of my haunts and books etc.. but I have come to a sane middle way that feels in the right place for this time.
In 15 min. I will leave my bungalow and go north for four days to take some pictures and see what there is to see in that part of Thailand.  I will pass Chaing Dao the beginning of it all and will give a salute to the time that helped me start to wonder.   I laugh as much now,,, but a different laugh.. more a laugh at my own bublings.  
I am very content in my little house and happy to have such good health that allows me not to think ...can I do that very often.  I don't need to bunjee jump to prove or learn anything.. so what might be outside the reach is not something I choose to reach for.
I have a long way to go to get more settled in my practice... I will go up the mtn 3/8...and back home the end of the month.  
For now.. I am holding to awareness and compassion...    bonny and MO..

aimless wandering

This was a wander about day... and in fact I wandered away from my scooter and could not find it for a rather long time. I found the next to new sale area... and an interesting new to you sales person

I actually lost the scooter looking for the pool... 

At the park
I watched the little boy feed and scare the

The monk is a contrast to the Chinese women and their shoes. 

This is the Thai version of the little free library.... just a box with books at the park

 and the woman was drinking her lasse and hold her head.  it is her doc martins that appear above

a