A Remembrance of Things Past #1

Well, here we are. Undoubtedly, most of you have been waiting on pins and needles to hear of our adventures over the last couple of weeks and (even better) to see pictures. Well, the pictures are on their way. But for now, let us reminisce verbally.

Mom and Dad arrived early Sabbath morning 2 1/2 weeks ago, and from that point on, there was nothing but a frenzy of activity as we took them to see and experience as much as we could handle. As we are not used to running around a lot (we have become accustomed to sitting a lot and doing things at home or at the school), we get tired easily. But that didn't stop us from kicking up a storm. From the whole experience, I learned that mom is a chronic shopper and dad "think[s] [he] could retire here." Crazy, I know!

I won't give you a blow by blow, as that could take weeks to write and read, but here are some of the highlights of the weeks. We started by going up north to Maetamann Elephant Camp, which we had never been to, and boy were we in for a treat! When we finally figured out where we were supposed to go, we found ourselves looking at a fun day. We paid 1000 Baht each (probably more than we should have, but still relatively cheap for what we got) for the whole package deal. It started with elephant rides. Mom and Dad got one elephant, and Summer and I got another. Contrary to popular (maybe?) belief, elephants are not the most comfortable things to ride on. Anyway, we wound our way around trees, across a river, through a village, and up a hill to where we got off for the next part of the package. It was an ox cart ride back down the road to where we began. Cool! Now I sort of know what the early americans felt like who rode in covered wagons across the the country. Those wagon wheels do not come with any kind of shocks. From there, we got to take a break and eat a buffet lunch. It wasn't bad for a buffet, and we could eat as much of it as we wanted. Then, it was on to the elephant show. We didn't think it was as great a show as the Maesa Elephant Camp (which Mom, Dad, and Matt went to the next week), but it was still entertaining. To end it all, we got to take a bamboo raft down the river a couple of kilometers. It was a pretty slow moving river, but they gave us hats, and it was so relaxing! Summer and I each got to steer the raft during a section of the river. They just use long bamboo poles. It was great. Well, the river pilot brought us back to the camp in his truck at the end of the ride. The whole experience was just fantastic.

Later that week, Summer and I hosted prayer meeting at our house. Each Wednesday, we have it at a different faculty member's house/apartment/hut. This week, it was our turn. It's pretty simple... we just prepare a place for people to come and get some food for after the meeting. Some people go all out and make an entire meal, and others just get cookies and oranges. We decided we'd give them a western food experience, so we toasted up some bread, cut up some cucumbers and tomatoes, set out some mayonnaise, and for those who wanted it instead, we set out some peanut butter. It was so funny! We set everything out, and they said, "You have to show us how to do it." So we showed them how to make sandwiches. It was pretty spectacular. Some of them even went as far as to put peanut butter on their toast and then add cucumbers and tomatoes. I don't think anyone ever did both PB and mayonnaise... I don't think they would have liked it. For many, it was their first time eating sandwiches.

Friday of that week, we took a trip up Doi Suthep ("Doi" is Thai for Mountain). They have a wat up there that is really well known and loved by both Thais and farang. This was another first experience for Summer and I. We had a lot of them while the family was here. Anyway, the road up the mountain is very steep and curvy. When you get to the parking place, there is a cable car that you can take up the mountain to the wat, or you can climb the 306 stairs lined by snake-like dragons on either side all the way up. It was a pretty fantastic thigh (on the way up) and calf (on the way down) workout. Up at the top, you can see a fantastic view of Chiang Mai down in the valley. It's no wonder people like to visit there so much. Right by the parking lot, there is a Jade and Orchid factory. I didn't see a whole lot of orchids-- maybe they just sell them outside. But the jade tour was really neat. They show you where the jade comes from, the different types and colors, and how it is polished and cut for different statues and jewelry. They had a fantastic showroom too. After the "mountain top" experience, we settled back down into the valley and checked into a hotel. Matt was coming!

This ends part I of a two-part blog. Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for "the rest of the story," where we will guide you through the Lee family adventures of week two. Matt joins the mix. Love to all, and thanks for your patience as we entertained our family.

~M