Bright Future: Wonderful weekend

Wow! What a great weekend I had here in sunny Chiang Rai. Yes friends, the sun finally decided to come out to stay for a while last Thursday (the day the last of the October travelers left) and it has been beautiful.

On Saturday, I had the great pleasure of meeting Shirley from Australia and accompany here on her day trip. I have been in communication with Shirley via email and the blog but had never officially met her, however she was gracious enough to let Max and I go with her on her trip up north to Doi Tung, the border road and then Mae Sai. While I have been to the border road and Mae Sai, I have never been to Doi Tung and the Royal Villa or the Mae Fah Luang Gardens and I have wanted to go for some time now. Shirley was kind enough to allow me to join her and what a wonderful day it was. We met for the first time when we picked her up at her hotel and then soon became acquainted with each other. Max joined us and we were off.

The Royal Villa at Doi Tung is stunning and has a breathtaking view of the valley below. The inside is a combination of teak wood, pine and and other elements with a Swiss look and feel to many rooms. It is still used by the Royal family and when they are in residence, tours are not permitted. The villa was built in 1988 by the King Mother because the area in the hills reminded her of Switzerland, which she loved. During WWII, the royal family went to Switzerland because it was the only neutral country where they would be safe. This is how the King Mother became so fond of the country. Once she returned to Thailand, she not only built the Villa, but she focused on a sustainable way of life for many of the hill tribe people in the are of Doi Tung. Most of them were opium farmers and they had almost destroyed the rain forest by removing all the trees so the poppies would grow. the King Mother reforested the land, gave the farmers jobs growing flowers for the gardens instead of opium, had many of them on the staff around the villa and then managing the magnificent garden below her villa. The King Mother loved to garden herself and she had spectacular gardens around the villa. Please enjoy some of the many pictures I took of our travels that day.

Shirley putting on long pants to enter

Trees and garden on the walk to the villa

Orchids on the trees

View of Burma from the balcony

The Villa

Wood carvings on balcony

The zodiac signs for me and my daughter, side by side

The view of Thailand

Main entrance to the Villa

Once we finished the tour of the Villa, we headed down to the Mae Fah Luang Garden. This is another site to behold. Orchids are the flower of Thailand and there were many kinds. One area had many different colors and varieties of Lady Slipper orchids. They are delicate and beautiful.

Canopy of orchids

Max enjoying the water feature

View of the villa from the garden below

Birds eating Papaya

Continuity statue

Sunday Shirley came to Promise Home and we all went to church together. When I got into the van, she told me that a friend of hers called and she was in Chiang Rai as well and that she wanted to visit. At church, the girls always get up to sing before the service starts. Children of all ages join in the signing. From big to small, they sing their hearts out. When Shirley's friend was ready to picked up, she called and we all went back to the home for lunch and to spend time with the children. We had wonderful conversations, a great lunch and then songs afterwards. Yvonne taught the children two songs in English and they really enjoyed learning them. The afternoon went quickly and soon Yvonne needed to leave. We said a prayer before leaving and sent Yvonne on her way. Shirley came back after dropping Yvonne off and spent the rest of the afternoon with us. The children had chores they needed to do and Shirley and I spent time just talking. Shirley joined me for dinner and before she left, she gave each child a small bear that some members of a church in Australia had knitted. Each child received their own, unique bear. They hugged Shirley good bye and sent her off with waves and smiles.

I had a most enjoyable time with Shirley during her visit. She is a lovely lady and I look forward to her coming back to Chiang Rai to visit us once again.