Thailand Day Four and Five

Saturday, 12/13.  It was dark when we arrived at out hotel in Mae Sot on Friday night so I had no idea what to expect in the daylight.  Imagine my surprise to walk out and come face to face with a coconut tree. And out my window was a beautiful view of the pool.  We were trying to get there in time to allow the kids time to play, but we spent more time than we planned on at the sunflower field and the dam.  We had so much fun the kids didn't complain about not swimming.

After a breakfast of fresh made omelets, croissants, fruit and juice, we drove to the town of Mae Sot. This town is right on the border of Burma and military police were all around.  We stopped at a market to see what sort of wares were available, and Joseph spotted a purse that has Monkey King on it.  After yesterday's encounter with the monkeys, it seemed quite appropriate to purchase it. So I did. This town is the westernmost point in all of Thailand according to this sign.

The men in the above pictures were weaving some sort of net while one of the military police sat and chatted with them.  On either side of the sign where Joshua and Makaila are sitting were men hiding in the bushes selling cigarettes.  Joseph said they were there so that if the police came they could run and hide in the bushes.  Mae Sot seems to be a city of working class people and much like the other Thai cities we have traveled through.  Joseph said, "Well so much for Mae Sot.  No need to go back."  So on we traversed.

We stopped for lunch at a Big C and ate at a restaurant called MK.  They have a pot of hot stock on the table that has a burner built in.  You order what ingredients you want in your soup and they bring all the fresh, uncooked items to the table.  You then put them in the pot and it cooks right at the table. It was quite interesting with all the greens, pork and fish that Sai ordered.  We also had roasted duck which was not bad.

 After lunch was over, Joseph asked me to go with the kids to Swenson's to get ice cream while they went into Big C to pick up a few items. He had taken me to Swenson's in Pattaya so I was familiar with the menu and how to order it.So off we went with my Thai Baht in hand and thought, no problem, I can order ice cream and we will have a great time.  Before we made it to Swenson's we came upon a KFC advertising strawberry dipped ice cream with sprinkles and chocolate dipped ice cream.  Makaila insisted that she wanted this so what the heck, I can figure out how to order this, right?  I pointed to the picture of the strawberry cone and wiggled my fingers to indicate sprinkles.  No problem.  I also pointed to the chocolate and told the young lady I wanted it in a bowl and not a cone since Makaila said Joshua doesn't like cones. Well, she looked at me like I had 10 heads and handed me a chocolate in a cone.  I asked Makaila how to say bowl, but she didn't know. I pointed to the cone and shook my head no and then made a bowl shape with my hands.  She shook her head no.  Now, I saw bowls right there and pointed to them, and she still said no.  About that time, Joseph walks up and says, "I thought you were going to Swenson's"  I explained to him about the strawberry with sprinkles and the need for a bowl for Joshua.  He said, "Well whose is that in your hand?"  "I guess it is mine", I said since the girl handed it to me and I couldn't very well give it back.  So, it seemed only ice cream sundaes could be served in a bowl,and as you can see, the kids got their ice cream and another memory was made.

Nai Nai is in heaven with these precious ones asleep in the truck.

When we got to Chiang Mai we stopped at a little shopping area for coffee and a break and were surprised to see these cute Christmas decorations.

And on the wall outside was who else but Spiderman.  Of course, Joshua had to have his picture made and assumed the pose.

After a treacherous drive through the mountains we finally made it to Sai's parents house in the village of Banmai Nongbua.  This is a village settled by Chinese escaping from China crossing over the mountains through Burma. Sai's parents were some of those who escaped and settled here.  Sai was born in Thailand, so she is a Thai citizen of Chinese descent.  Joseph said that once we got here, it would be a totally new experience and a step back in time.  Sai's mother had cooked a wonderful meal of pork roast, rice and greens. Joshua brought his Christmas hat and put it on his grandfather's head and he had no problem wearing it.

Sunday, 12/14  I woke up bright and early with the roosters.  I mean literally with a rooster crowing outside my window.  And come to think of it, it wasn't so bright after all since it was around 5 am and still dark outside.  From what I understand, the rooster won't be a problem for long because we will be having it for dinner tomorrow.  Before breakfast, we took a stroll to the local market to buy fresh meat and veggies for dinner. You can tell from the picture below, I do mean fresh.  Yes, those are pig feet from a pig that was slaughtered this morning.  Thank goodness that occurred before our arrival.  We also bought wonderful Chinese doughnuts, some fresh cooked waffles and dumplings.

After breakfast, we took a day trip up the mountain to see Sai's parents mountain house on the way to visit the Queen's Gardens. The mountain house is in a village called Thom Ngob.  Poinsettia trees grow all throughout Sai's village and up the mountain to Thom Ngob.  I had no idea Poinsettias grow on trees, but it is beautiful. When I say we went up the mountain, I mean straight up.  Another surprise was to find coffee growing on the mountainside.  The views were spectacular and I was amazed repeatedly at the beauty God has made and that I had the opportunity to enjoy it. Makaila said, "Look, Nai Nai at the clouds."  Sure enough, the mountains were poking through.  As we continued to drive, we actually drove through the clouds.  We had to stop so the kids could experience "touching" the clouds.  This was a day full of memories in the making.

One thing I must point out is the drive.  Imagine riding with Joseph (a former police officer who loves to drive fast) around treacherous mountain roads on the wrong side of the road.  Many of you have heard of the Dragon Tale road in North Carolina, or Grandfather's Mountain in North Carolina.  They have nothing on these roads through the Dan Lao Mountain Range.  There were hairpin turns so tight, I still am amazed that we made the turns.  All I can say is, thank goodness for Dramamine.

We also visited the Queen's Gardens which was absolutely beautiful.  Several flowers such as begonias and mums were familiar, while others I have never seen before.

Back to Sai's house for dinner.  We stopped at a market to get a few things and these pink eggs were there.  Inside they are black jelly like surrounding the yolk.  No one seems to know for sure if they come out of the chicken that way or not.  I did taste it and I don't think it will be an item on my menu in the future.  Sai's mom does most of her cooking in the outside fire pot.  It is amazing what delicious food comes out of that pot.  

Tomorrow, we will take a day trip to the Golden Triangle.  I can't wait to see what adventures await us.  Since it will be another mountain drive, we have decided to hook up the GoPro to record the drive.  I hope you all are enjoying reading about this amazing adventure, because I sure am enjoying sharing it with you all.

In His love,

Pam