It is way less expensive than our guest house breakfast option. We hit the chain store for all our breakfast goodies: 2 corn flake cereals, milk, 2 yogurts, 2 juices, and a breakfast cheese croissant sandwich.
Total? Three bucks.
Breakfast on the cheap and dirty? Priceless.
We are in the minivans heading towards the Laos border by 8:30 am. Weaving our way through the morning traffic, we run alongside the Chiang Mai Flower Festival Parade. The festival, for which we saw the flower stalls being set up the day prior, starts today. It would have been nice to be able to stay at least a day longer in Chiang Mai, but alas, Laos is waiting!
The six hour drive is broken up with a stop at a cashew farm. We tour the set up, watching the Thai workers chopping and shelling the nuts from their elaborate casings. After seeing the tedious process, it is a surprise that cashews don't cost more than they already do!
Inside the store, we sample different flavours and settle on a bag of natural cashews (roasted, unsalted) and coconut coated cashews. The spicy/sour Tom Yum cashews were a close runner up, but they caused Keir to sweat too much...
We load up on snacks as the next few days will be spent traveling up the Mekong river by boat. Needless to say, there will be no 7-11's along that route!
The next stop is to Chiang Rai where we are greeted by an ornate "gingerbread house" temple. The Wat Rong Koom compound has been (and continues to be) constructed by a famous local artist. The resulting temple is fascinating, dazzling, hilarious, and disturbing all at once.
At the entrance to the complex you are welcomed by skull pylons.
The hands of the dead reach out for salvation (and offerings) as you cross over to the temple bridge.
Inside are elaborate murals combining Buddhist symbols and stories with the likes of Spiderman, Batman, Angry Birds, Darth Vader, Johnny Depp (as Cap'n Jack Sparrow), Keanu Reeves (as Neo from The Matrix), Freddy Kruger, Jaws, and the burning Twin Towers of NYC.
In a word?
Surreal.
(sorry no photos allowed inside the temple - you'll have to use your imaginations!!!!)
Outside, we wander over to a most decorated gold building only to learn that these are the toilets.
Yup.
It gives the Japanese karaoke toilets a run for their money!
Lunch is at a side road canteen. We order a local specialty soup that is spicy and tasty. Except, when we inquire about why the tofu is such a dark red color.....
Yeah - that's not tofu.
(You don't want to know)
(Fine. Congealed duck blood.)
So, there were some leftovers!!!
We arrive at the border by 3 pm, have our passports stamped on the Thai side, cross the Mekong in a canoe boat and get our Visa On Arrival in Laos all within the hour.
The guest house is extremely basic, but the owner is extremely welcoming. We are both entirely grateful that we have our own sleep sheets with us.
With the rest of the group, we walk back into town. Our first visit is to the ATM where we become millionaires for the first time (dolla dolla bills y'all!). One million Kip (!!!)
or, roughly, $125 dollars!
We dine alongside the mighty Mekong and enjoy our first Lao sunset.
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