Tuesday May 30th
First thing this morning we went on a bicycle tour. We rode with two guides through the outskirts of the city and into the country. We stopped at perhaps the nicest temple I had seen yet in Thailand. The inside was beautiful, with the green lit Buddha, the teak ceiling and the columns of inlaid shells. The second stop was at a leper colony. This colony has existed for a hundred years. There are not too many lepers there anymore, as leprosy is now under control in Thailand, but there are still some old people who are crippled up with it. They make crafts and paint to make extra money. The colony now has a hospital for trauma victims too and it also operates as a seniors home.
We rode the bikes for a couple of hours, on flat land, so it wasn't strenuous, but it did feel good to be riding again. We stopped at a small village restaurant for lunch. Dessert was a fruit called rambutan which is very similar to leechy nuts. After that we stopped at one more temple before continuing to ride back to the hotel.
There we had a quick shower, packed and loaded up in the minivans (we have two) and began the drive to the Laos border. About half way we stopped at an amazing white temple that has been built by one man as a show of his devotion to Buddha (and his wealth). This complex completely out classed the castle on Ahmic Lake Road! It has become a tourist stop complete some characters from Hollywood movies and with shops and snack places. I managed to find another pair of sunglasses. I really like these ones and hope they last.
We arrived at Chaing Khong at about 6:00 and settled into our rooms and then gathered together at the restaurant for dinner. The food was very good, and I had cashew nut chicken. We hung around the restaurant and bar for the evening as there is nothing to do in this small town. The man in the beer shirt is my Australian guide, Richard. Then off to bed.
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