Today was my first adventure all by myself! I missed one of the buses, met 3 canadians from Toronto (what are the odds!?) and befriended a cute 4 legged friend that accompanied me on one of my journeys.
The bus picked me up at 8:30 and then picked up about 8 other people. By the time we left Chiang Mai it was about 9 o'clock. Then it was an hour and a half drive to the mountain. Once there, the first stop was Karen village. The tour guide explained that the village sustains itself, they make their clothing, grow their own food, etc. However, as I walked around some houses had regular clothing, scooters, satellite dishes, etc. not to say that a place that sustains itself can't have those things, it more or less came as a shock because the tour guide explained it as living in the past and adhering to traditional practices. I went for a walk around the village, seeing rice fields, and making my own furry little friend (I named him Django) who walked with me the entire way. This is when I missed the bus, apparently my walk was too long, so they took everyone to see a small waterfall while, Sean (guy from Toronto) and I were on our walk. |
The water fall was beautiful. I was able to hike all the way to the top and take pictures, unfortunately I couldn't get to the centre to see the view of all the mountains. I then ventured to the bottom and hoped some rocks too. Next was lunch which was prepared for us it was very good. And one of the most exciting things for me (because it's so warm) was that there was a thunder storm while we were there! The wind picked up and it down poured for about 10 minutes! |
Doi Inthanon, is named in honour of the king Inthawichayanon, the 5th king who died 500 years ago. They buried him at the top and named the mountain after him, Inthanon being short for his actual name. Often people will go to his burial site to be blessed or pray. There are three colours of flowers that are often used: red- meaning to bring luck and riches, yellow:- meaning good health, and white- is spiritual. The mountain is also special because it is the highest point in all of Thailand!! (2565 meters above the sea level). Unlike mountains that I have previously climbed in Canada/US, the tops aren't rocky. So in the picture all you see is the sign because the top is covered with trees. |
Finally, we went to see the two chedis (stupas) dedicated to the king and queens 60th birthday anniversaries. Naphamethinidon, meaning 'by the strength of the land and air' was build in 1987 to honour 60th birthday aniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Naphaphonphumisiri, meaning 'being the strength of the air and the grace of the land' was build in 1992 to honour 60th birthday anniversary of Queen Sirikit. The two chedis are surrounded by beautiful gardens and has an amazing view of the rolling hills and mountains. It was a truly breath taking site.
The day ended with some delicious pizza and breaded zucchini, it was my first Western meal since I had arrived. (I ate almost a whole large pizza!) Shameful, but it was delicious and I was very hungry. Unfortunately, it was a goodbye supper for Cat and Lily. They have been here for 4 months and will be leaving within the next week. It was great getting to know them! |