Leaving Chiang Mai

Our hosts dropped us off at Mark’s work place and he took us out for a quick lunch at a local cafe that was located next door to a machine shop…..

This stand specialized in noodles and it was fun watching her prepare the dishes.  She put some pre-cooked noodles into the strainer and dipped it in the boiling broth for a few seconds to heat them up.  She then added herbs and spices to the strainer and dipped it again.  The noodles were poured into the bowl and a broth was poured over the whole thing……

It was served with picked cabbage, onions and a slice of lime that you squeezed over the soup.   It was yummy!!!!!!

Underneath the blue basket are 4 dishes of condiments including chili powders and pastes that could also be added to the soup.

Mark dropped us off at a store that we wanted to visit and then we wandered around the street waiting for Anne to pick us up again.

We ended up in a temple and weren’t really sure that we should be there.  However a Monk walked passed and gave us a welcoming smile, so we walked around for a few minutes…..

• I loved the dragon sculptures on the edges of the  buildings.  It is hard to tell in this photo, but it was made from colored glass and really glinted in the sunlight.….. We returned to Mark and Anne’s house and packed for the return journey to Kunming.   We were sorry to say good-bye, but hope that we will see each other again before ANOTHER 25 years has passed……

One thing that we will also miss from Chiang Mai were the Geckoes.  They were so cute and made such wonderful sounds at night.  Their call sounds like someone tapping on a table with a metal ball, and it is LOUD, which is amazing considering their diminutive size!!

So farewell to Thailand…..we WILL be back!!!!