There were a number of other buildings on the grounds. And many Buddhas. Then it was on to Wat Phra Singh. Once again, beautiful, ornate buildings - of course with nagas - and Buddhas.
Granny being escorted by the nagas.
The magnificent back wall inside the temple.
Granny enjoying her lunch after the temples.
After lunch we were off to visit an Hmong village. As the crow flies, it was about 5 miles. However we couldn't get there as the crow flies. Instead we had to use the tradional way - roads. It was about a 20 mile drive on good road to the Wat Doi Suthep temple. There we had to change vehicles because our van would not be able to traverse the road? to the village.
We transferred to a "songthaew". This is a pickup truck that has been converted into one of the most uncomfortable modes of transportation. The back of the truck has been fitted with two HARD benches that run front to back and have NO cushions. Below is a picture of a songthaew which is FAR better than the one in which we rode.
The ride from Wat Doi Suthep to the village was about 45 minutes in each direction. You have to know the road. There are only few spots where two vehicles going in opposite directions can pass each other.
First stop in the Hmong village was the Srinehru school. We sat on the steps of the main building for a few minutes and watched the children getting ready to play a game. Then it was off to see the village. While we were wandering we came across a man shooting a slingshot. Being an EXPERT with the slingshot from my childhood days, I naturally had to give it a try. Didn't do too badly if I say so myself.
Coffee is one of the local products. We had passed a coffee "farm" on our way to the village and here in the village we see the coffed drying. Above right is their "up-to-date" grain grinder.
Of course there always the children.
We made our way back to Wat Doi Sutep. This Wat is supposed to be one of the most important and beautiful in Chiang Mai. However, I would have meant climbing a LOT of steps and we didn't feel up to it. So, we passed on that opportunity, got back into our van and headed back to the hotel.
Our actvity for the next day was a cooking class. We were picked up at our hotel and taken to the "home/farm" of our instructor/host. There we were joined by about 5 other couples. First was a tour of the home and the farm to be followed by the cooking. For the cooking portion, each couple had their own cooking station and their own expert instructor.
Our host greets us and starts the tour of his home. The buildings are on stilts with the living areas upstairs and storage below. The living areas are quite simple with very little furniture. The walls are filled with pictures and there are cabinets and shelves of various objects.
Our host was going to give us a short discourse on some of the local customs etc. He, as well as most of the rest of the group, sat on the floor for this talk. Fortunately, there were a couple of chairs which Granny and I used. Otherwise we might still be there.
Outside, everybody was given a small flower bundle to place on the "spirit house". I also noticed the unusual container for the bee hive.
The rest of the group went for a walk around the farm. Granny and I thought it would be too difficult for us to keep up so we decided to pass on the walk and just look around where we were.
Again we saw how the buildings were on stilts. We also saw the modern water system pictured on the right.
It was time for cooking class. Grandma had been helping prepare the wrappers. A number of the other ingredients were on trays ready for action.
On the left is our instructor and a tray of some of our fresh veggies. On the right are some of the peppers ready to be ground. That was one of my jobs.
Below left are some more of the spices we will be using. Next you have Granny cutting up some of the vegetables. And the fruits or maybe more accurately the veggies of her labor.
It was time to start cooking. Both Granny and I were busy stir frying the ingredients.
The feast is done! Time to enjoy.
Click
HERE to see video of cooking class.
When our meal was finished, we finished weaving the little baskets that had been started by our hosts. When they were done, they were each filled with 3 clementines.
Delicious!
