Here are some photos from my trip with Trudi to the village of Chang Dao . Chang Dao is a beautiful area about 60 km away from Chiang Mai. It is known simply for its natural beauty and a small mountain that has a large cave as part of a stunning Buddhist temple at the top. There were 503 steps for us to climb and it was well worth it. This small town was a lovely change from bustling in hustling in Chiang Mai and the food there was fabulous. And it was great fun traveling with Trudi! Which reminds me of one of Mark Twain's famous lines - "I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them, than to travel with them."
Here's a link to a photo album of a few of the flowers back in our neighborhood on the west side of the old city. I'm trying to learn the common names of as many of them as I can by using the library and googling images. "Why do people travel? To escape their creditors. To find a warmer or cooler clime. To sell Coca-Cola to the Chinese. To find out what is over the seas, over the hills and far away, round the corner, over the garden wall." -- Eric Newby, A Traveller’s Life
