Heading to Chiang Khong and the Mekong River
Early on Christmas eve morning, we left Chiang Mai with our group of 6 REI adventurers and our Lao guide, Jit. Jit is short for Somchith; we preferred Jit. Our first stop was the Jungle Flight zip line about one and a half hours to the northeast. This was my first time on a zip line and I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. My uneasiness was allayed when I found that we would don stylish harnesses, a hair net (I questioned my need of this accoutrement), and a jaunty helmet.
Although I did not really see the need for the hair net, it did add a splash of pastel color.
An illustrious group of adventurers led by Jit (3rd from the left).
We took a few out of focus photos and some video clips on the gentle "zips", but we put the camera away as the length and height progressed. Here is a clip to ponder.
At the final platform we dropped about 90 feet to the ground. It was our good fortune to be secured by a rope handled by a professional.
The temple is not conventional but has all of the elements of a Buddhist wat. The main entrance to the temple structure has one crossing over those who are not making it to heaven.
Hands desperately reach out for assistance. After passing the unfortunate, it is on to the good life that good people strive to achieve. I did not look too closely as I feared recognizing someone.
We got back in the van and headed for Chiang Khong, Thailand. It is located on the Mekong River which separates Thailand from Laos. We arrived just before sundown, some of us took a stroll along the river. It was a little eerie as Asian music reminiscent of scenes, from Apocalypse Now, floated across the river from the Lao side. Christmas Eve with visions of Apocalypse Now dancing in our heads; this was not detailed in the trip description.
It was dinner on our own that night; we opted to dine in our hotel. The sole musician, a keyboardist, sprinkled his repertoire with his version of Christmas carols; with some effort we recognized a few old standards. We sat at the far end of the open walled restaurant enjoying our musician, and the Apocalypse Now tunes floating across the river. While dining, it was our good fortune to encounter additional music in the form of a "rock and roll" band about 1 kilometer south along the river bank. They were sponsored by a beer company promoting their product. I think we were getting equal amounts of all three; it made my head spin. We opted to skip dessert.
Although I did not really see the need for the hair net, it did add a splash of pastel color.
An illustrious group of adventurers led by Jit (3rd from the left).
We took a few out of focus photos and some video clips on the gentle "zips", but we put the camera away as the length and height progressed. Here is a clip to ponder.
At the final platform we dropped about 90 feet to the ground. It was our good fortune to be secured by a rope handled by a professional.
Here are our 2 fearless zip line guides talking with a woman who is splitting bamboo that will be used like twine to secure packages of all sorts.
We "zipped" (is that how one refers to this activity?) for a couple of hours and then moved to lunch in the jungle. Next to our restaurant were the prize fighting cocks of the establishments owner. The one in the cage is especially fierce. So I'm told. Unfortunately, our trip did not include a trip to the cock fights.
After lunch, we boarded our van for a 2 1/2 to 3 hour trip to Chiang Rai. The stop in Chiang Rai had a dual purpose; visit the Wat Rong Khun and use the reportedly clean rest rooms. Jit assured us that these were 5 star Thai restrooms. Five star restrooms was to become one of the recurring themes of the 15 day trip.
Wat Rong Khun is known as the White Wat. It is an unconventional Buddhist temple built by a fairly famous artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat. The temple is not complete and is expected to be finished in 60 to 90 years. The artist has created a fund and has been training craftsmen to continue the work when he is gone.
The temple is not conventional but has all of the elements of a Buddhist wat. The main entrance to the temple structure has one crossing over those who are not making it to heaven.
Hands desperately reach out for assistance. After passing the unfortunate, it is on to the good life that good people strive to achieve. I did not look too closely as I feared recognizing someone.
The obligatory "here we are at the wat" photo. A real keepsake. I must say that there were good restroom options at the wat. For about $0.05 cents one could use the true 5 star facilities with all of the amenities. If you had your own paper, the free restrooms were reported to be very satisfactory.
We got back in the van and headed for Chiang Khong, Thailand. It is located on the Mekong River which separates Thailand from Laos. We arrived just before sundown, some of us took a stroll along the river. It was a little eerie as Asian music reminiscent of scenes, from Apocalypse Now, floated across the river from the Lao side. Christmas Eve with visions of Apocalypse Now dancing in our heads; this was not detailed in the trip description.
It was dinner on our own that night; we opted to dine in our hotel. The sole musician, a keyboardist, sprinkled his repertoire with his version of Christmas carols; with some effort we recognized a few old standards. We sat at the far end of the open walled restaurant enjoying our musician, and the Apocalypse Now tunes floating across the river. While dining, it was our good fortune to encounter additional music in the form of a "rock and roll" band about 1 kilometer south along the river bank. They were sponsored by a beer company promoting their product. I think we were getting equal amounts of all three; it made my head spin. We opted to skip dessert.
There is no bridge connecting Laos to Thailand near Chiang Khong. We were going to get an early start to catch a boat across the river and apply for our visas. Maybe we would be riding on one of these boats. One could only hope.
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