My mom just got back from her trip to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Maehongson, Lampang, and about a dozen or so other places I can't quite remember at the moment. Telling from all the stories and tidbits that she's been telling us, it looks and sounds like she had a lot of fun. Maaan, I'm so jealous, I want to get away and do some vacationing, too!

~*~

Click on the pics to enlarge them.

Aww, what a cutie!

Contrary to what some of the farangs who I've encountered over the years may think, we do not use elephants as a mode of transportation and, indeed, we do have cars in Thailand. Gasp!





The locals say that the louder you ring this bell, the better Buddha will be able to hear you and your wishes.

Here's Mom trying to give the bell as big of a clang as she possibly can.

Boy, is it heavy.






Woohoo, 'atta girl, Mom! Look at her go. Buddha's ears must be ringing like mad from all the boisterous clanging.

You can almost see her rippling biceps in this pic. Yup, indeed, don't anybody mess with supermom.







What a pretty pagoda, eh?



A little doll of a Karen Paduang woman that my mom brought back from her visit to Maehongson.
Check out the cool gee-tar and colossal earrings. Oh yeah, and the neck. Check out the neck. Ouch.
Is it just me, or does the doll look a wee bit scary?





A real Karen Paduang woman.

No, Mom didn't bring her back home, though.

BTW, If you're interested, you can find out more information about the Karen Paduang tribe here and here.




No, your eyes haven't decieved you. What you're looking at really is a peacock. Don't believe me? Look a little more closely.

See?


Here's what made my mom bawl her poor eyes out and weep in agony. She found these quaint Dutch souvenirs in a province called Lampang, and, all together, they only costed her about 70 baht (approximately $1.75 US). However, just this past March, we went on a trip to the Netherlands where we very nearly emptied our wallets after paying sky-high prices for some cute little Dutch souveniers - souvenirs that looked exactly like these trinkets from Lampang, Thailand.


This authentic Dutch souvenir that we got on our recent trip to the Netherlands costed 8 Euros (approximately 380 Baht or $9.50 US). The dozen or so miniature wooden shoes and windmills that my mom purchased costed even more.

I think I can still hear my mom's wallet sobbing in silent distress.


Sorry for the cosmetic clutter, but it's the only decent and tidy space in my somewhat disheveled room. Anyway, my mom picked this up from a little village along the Burmese border. Apparently, it's supposed to be some sort of a massaging device.

My dad was rather appalled by it. He swears it must be a murder weapon of some sort and that it's probably the real reason why the Burmese were rather powerful back in the day ("No wonder those Burmese were able to swipe Ayutthaya from under our noses!").


~*~
On a side note: I just found two strands of blonde hair while brushing my hair. I sometimes have my ditzy moments, but I'm not that far gone yet, I think. Hmm, should I be worried?


BTW, Wennypoops, if you're reading this, HAPPY FREAKIN BIRTHDAY! I'm so sorry I can't be with you in Vancouver, but I'm thinking about you just the same. I love ya, hun!





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