Purple Peppers

Here's a story of the Changs and Bastkes who were joying in the city of Chiang Mai. It was their second time in Thailand together. It was a Chang Bai Adventure in Chaing Mai. Our Chinese surname is "Bai", and we traveled with Campbell and Linda Chang :)

We got to wear these cool hats for about an hour on a bamboo raft. We sat on the raft took in the wonders around us as we looked pretty cool :) It was a river ride to write poetry and songs. For some it got a little long, but for me time on the water is never too long.

The flag flies at the old city gate in Chiang Mai.

We made new friends! It was nice to meet other tourists and hear of what lead them to Chiang Mai. We met a wonderful family from Spain who live in Japan. We shared stories as we waited in line for our elephant ride. The girls were darling.

I also made a new friend. He let me sit on his leg, trunk and back. Me and Mr. Elephant shared some stories. I even made him laugh. I wanted to take him home with me, but Daniel didn't think it was a good idea. I'm sure he'll remember me though :)

Friendly faces in the river.

Friends with hats. I like how the lady in the middle seems to be eyeing Linda's hat.

We had a great group for our zip line adventure with the Flight of the Gibbon. We were with a family from Australia, two girls from Singapore and our guides - North and Sun. They didn't get tired for joking with us or raising the adrenaline levels even more! It was incredible to fly over the canopy of the jungle, hang out in tree houses 120 metres high, and literally drop down to solid ground.

Old friends adventuring together. Linda was a warrior princess, and Daniel revealed his true identity.
He is Batman!

We went hiking by a waterfall. It was beautiful and refreshing!

We spent a day with the elephants. We went to a show at an elephant camp. Since the elephants are no longer needed to help with logging in northern Thailand, they are now put in camps. Do you know what an elephant's most valuable resource is? Their dung! It's also known as golden nuggets. Since elephants are vegetarians, it makes the best fertilizer. We also saw paper made out of the "golden nuggets".

The Changs enjoyed their time on their elephant!

Eye see you!

We also went on an ox cart ride. Soon we'll be welcoming the year of the Ox. It was a reminder of the colonial times. Many scenes brought me right back to the movie Anna and the King.

We visited and orchid farm and an umbrella factory.

Our evenings were spent at the night market. It was like a treasure hunt. I once again brushed up on the bargaining skills I learned in Mainland China, and enjoyed the challenge. We met some delightful vendors too and found some treasures. Daniel's treasures were once again - soccer shirts!

This is Mango rice. It is also know as sweet goodness on a plate by me. I found a stand by the old city gate that brought a colour burst to this dish. The mango was served with three different kinds of rice - white, purple and light green. It was sprinkled with peanuts and coconut milk. I also ate pad thai every day. I’d have to say that my favourite meal was on our last night at a restaurant in the night market. I had one of the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had and a plate of totally fab Pad Thai!

We had a layover in Bangkok on our way back to Taipei again. We did a lot of walking through the terminals. Daniel also gave me some photography lessons as we found the right light. So many snapshots and memories. What a great way to start a new year! We've saddled up our elephant and are ready to follow the path ahead for 2009!