Chiang Mai, Thailand - "Tonight, we're reaching for the stars."
So after dinner, we gathered with our guide Surapol Pansidam, better known as Paul, in the parking lot of our hotel overlooking the Mekong River in the Golden Triangle area of northern Thailand.
He'd kept us guessing all day about what he was up to.
At one point, we'd seen some points of light in the distant sky.
"What do you think they are?" he asked, with a sly smile on his face.
No one had a clue.
Paul divided us into pairs and gave each duo a rectangular white tissue-paper lantern.
One of us held the closed top, the other the open bottom. Then he inserted some candles and lighted them. The hot air gradually filled our paper balloon.
"Now, let it go," Paul called, and the balloon rose - higher, higher into the heavens, seemingly becoming one of the stars themselves.
One after the other, we launched a new star and stood transfixed as it floated to who knows where.
That night, we took a Thai tradition and made it ours, sending our cares and worries into the night sky.
What makes Thailand so compelling is its intoxicating mix of the exotic with the simple, of adventure with daily routine.
Here are some special experiences that will make a trip to Thailand complete:
Getting around
• Elephant ride at Mae Taeng elephant park outside of Chiang Mai: Corny, touristy, perhaps even questionable, but amazing fun. Perched on our pachyderm, we smiled at the camera as our elephant marched into a river. The ride was slow and lumbering; our elephant was in no hurry to go anywhere. She came to a halt when an accompanying young elephant had difficulty crossing a stream. Elephants do have minds of their own.
• Boat taxi on Bangkok's canals: Who knew that Bangkok was the Venice of Asia? Actually, many of the canals, or klongs, off the Chao Phraya River have been filled in over the years, but those remaining wind through residential neighborhoods, with homes hovering precariously over the water. A system of locks and dams regulates the water levels.
When we were there in November, shortly after the rainy season, the river and its canals were high. We got caught in a traffic jam while waiting to go through one lock and then had to find a detour when another flood gate broke. I'm not complaining. It made for a leisurely ride and a peek into a part of Bangkok off the tourist path.
• Tuk-tuk in Myanmar or Burma: It was a tight squeeze in the carriage of a motorized two-passenger rickshaw, a reminder that the two of us are considerably bigger than the usual riders. On a day trip from Chiang Rai, we put-putted through a Burmese border town and then up the rather steep hill to the Dragon Pagoda, a gleaming gold chedi overlooking the town. There was, I admit, a brief moment of suspense when we wondered whether our tuk-tuk's engine was powerful enough to make it up the hill. It did, but just barely.
• Horse-drawn carriage in the "lost city" of Wiang Kum Kam, Chiang Mai: It didn't matter that the "lost city," founded by the same king who founded Chiang Mai, is not the most impressive archeological site we saw. The horse-drawn carriages, their loping pace and festive garlands of artificial flowers, made the visit special.
That, coupled with the scarcity of people, made the site more intimate. Wiang Kum Kam was abandoned - and Chiang Mai established - when King Mengrai realized that it was too susceptible to flooding. He made the right decision: The attraction had just re-opened after being closed due to flooding.
Food - beyond pad thai
• La Valley, outside of Chiang Rai: The restaurant is owned by an artist who also displays her drawings and watercolors in her gallery on the property. But it was the fresh whole grilled tilapia, served with saffron rice and, yes, pad thai wrapped in banana leaves, that wins the honor, for me, as the tastiest meal we had.
• Floating market at Damnoen Saduak, outside of Bangkok: As tempting as the street food always looks, I've grown wary as I've grown older about sampling dishes from street vendors. So when our guide shared some items, I figured they would be safe - and delicious. I devoured what looked like Thai tacos, a kind of fried crepe stuffed with coconut cream, and a deep-fried whole banana coated in coconut tempura batter.
• Cabbages and Condoms restaurant in Chiang Rai: OK, the fish cakes were superb, but that's not what made it special. The restaurant, which is owned by the Population and Community Development Association, raises money for family planning and AIDS prevention. The posters decorating the restaurant are, well, unique and stress the importance of family planning. Above this particular C&C restaurant is the Hilltribe Museum, with a terrific gift shop selling local crafts at great prices.
• A roadside stand on a highway in central Thailand: Our impish guide Paul suggested that we might find something there for a picnic lunch. Like grilled rat? Rows of them sizzled on an outdoor grill. I guess you pick them up by their crispy tails.
Time for enlightenment
• Sukhothai Historical Park: Sukhothai was Thailand's first capital and a center of artistic creativity and innovation from 1238 to the mid-1300s when it was eclipsed by the rise of Ayutthaya. Once enshrouded in jungle, the ruins now have bicycle racks and tram stops for visitors. The highlights: the Khmer-style Wat Sri Sawai, with three prangs or beehive towers; and Wat Sra Sri, with its famous walking Buddha - a Sukhothai artistic innovation.
• Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok: The temple complex, mobbed with tourists and believers, is nothing short of astonishing, an extravagant visual feast almost impossible to absorb.
The gold leaf and glittery mosaics glisten in the sunlight; giant mythological figures guard the entrances to some of the buildings; decorative dancing monsters ring the walls.
The most sacred spot in the complex is the temple of the Emerald Buddha, whose clothes are changed seasonally. Outside its doors, the faithful light candles, leave food offerings and dip lotus blossoms into water to anoint their heads and shoulders. It is unforgettable.
• Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep outside Chiang Mai: Built on a hill, the complex can be reached by funicular or by climbing 306 steps bordered by a magnificent Naga, or serpent, balustrade. (At the very least, you should descend the steps to see the Naga in its full glory.) The central part of the complex is a symphony in gold - with rows of Buddhas around a stunning gold chedi or stupa. Like most temples, it's crowded with believers who are lighting candles, praying and leaving offerings.
• Temple of the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok: Covered in gold, the reclining Buddha is 150 feet long and 49 feet high - immense but somehow touching. The 10-foot-high feet are remarkable, with various images and signs of the Buddha in inlaid mother-of-pearl.
• Wat Arun in Bangkok: Located directly on the Chao Phraya River, our approach to the Temple of the Dawn was rather dramatic - by boat. Perhaps because it was the first temple we visited in Thailand, it simply astonished me.
Lessons in life
• Alms-giving, Chiang Mai: We woke before dawn to head to a monastery to offer breakfast to some Buddhist monks. We bought the food, packages of rice and fish, prepared by vendors on the spot, but other people brought food from home. Even before sunrise, the scene was lively: Food vendors did a brisk business while flower sellers hawked lotuses.
A steady stream of monks, barefoot and clad in saffron robes, came through the monastery's gate. Some were young - children, even. The monks, who do not cook, rely on the faithful for food, which they then share with the older, sick or disabled monks. After the monks stowed the food in a round covered pot, they chanted a blessing, and the givers knelt - or at least bowed their heads to avoid eye contact - in response. It was a poignant illustration of Thailand's deep Buddhist roots.
• Loy Krathong, throughout Thailand: This annual festival of lights takes place on the full moon of the 12th lunar month and celebrates the Thai people's cultural bond with water, both rivers and monsoons.
Everywhere we went, cities and towns had erected huge, colorful krathongs in ponds, moats and streams.
Markets were busy selling the banana leaves, lotuses, candles, incense and other accoutrements for people to make their own krathong, a banana-leaf "boat" shaped like a lotus that's set adrift on the water. As the krathong floats away, so do one's cares and woes.
In the light of the full moon, we took our krathongs to the bank of the River Kwai. One by one, we took turns lighting the candles and setting our krathong in the water.
Our guide told us to include a strand of hair so any bad luck would float away, too. Soon, the river was dotted with lights.
By SUSAN C. HEGGER
McClatchy News Service
