Happy New Year!!
Emily and I have taken full advantage of the holidays this past week and done absolutely nothing. On New Years Eve, we went out for dinner downtown and then enjoyed the peacefulness of home and watched movies for the remainder of the night. We did actually manage to stay up until midnight and went outside in our pajamas and watched various displays of fireworks in the area. There was also a number of Khom Loi drifting in the air so the sky looked quite beautiful. A great beginning to 2006!
On Monday, January 2, Emily and I went to another Buddha Images Cave and then drove to the Karen Elephant Village just outside Chiang Rai. The day was another of many beautiful, sunny days and the drive in the countryside was just as enjoyable as the excursion itself. The road to the Karen village took us along the Mae Kok river, through various small communities and twisted and turned, up and down through the hills, like many roads in the area seem to do. We managed to see a snake, a number of interesting birds, numerous dogs, a cow (in the middle of the road, mind you) and an elephant, on our way to the village. Upon arrival into the village, I had to patiently wait to park while an elephant made its way down the main street to the path along which it takes many visitors for rides each day. There are quite a few elephants in the village and sometimes down by the river, you can see a large group of them anxiously awaiting bananas or sugar cane treats from the tourists. It is at this location where you can “saddle up” and enjoy a scenic ride which eventually takes you into the river and back to their resting grounds. Emily was devastated when we arrived to find that all the elephants were out on the trails and there was not a single one to feed. We have been to this village before and Emily got a real kick out of watching the elephants literally inhale whole, small bananas and 6-inch pieces of sugar cane. We waited patiently for a bit but weren’t able to feed the elephants this time.
On our drive home, I could tell that Emily was very disappointed that she hadn’t been able to feed the elephants - I foresee another trip to the Elephant Village in the very near future………………

The photos show the entrance to the Buddha Images Cave, the scenic drive through the countryside (taken by Emily, who is hoping to take pictures as well as Grandpa does some day!!) and some shots taken at the elephant village.