Caves, Cattle and Flowers

After lunch (and a very fine lunch it was , diet coke and all) we set out for the Phra Non Cave at Wat Tum Chiang Dao. Luckily, I had saved my entrance ticket or I couldn't have told you that! I've been to quite a few caves throughout Thailand and they normally include a short walk and a few large caverns where Buddha images had been placed. This one still included Buddha images, but the walkway was much longer with exits from time to time that would take you into total darkness. During times of flooding, water rises and the cave becomes part of an underground river. Kim will have to add here, since these two and maybe one more were the only ones I took that were semi in focus.

After the cave it was time to head back to Chiang Mai once more. Kim, with her great negotiating skills, strongly suggested, that since Khun Chiaya hadn't gotten us to all the destinations promised he could extend his time with us for one more day, taking us to the cattle auction (good choice Kim) and Floral exhibition being held in Chiang Mai. He added a trip to his friend, Susan's, and the deal was done.

Khun Chiaya picked us up early the next morning for the trip out to the auction. It was a huge production with police directing traffic and parking. We walked past the area set aside for the selling of roosters earmarked for cock fights and on to the pastures set up to sell the cattle. I think he was trying to "herd" us along as he didn't want to spend the whole day with us, but then we had to walk gingerly to avoid the hazards (land minds) left for us on the ground.

On the way back to the parking area, I felt someone watching me. Looking over my shoulder, I was startled to see a masked stalker following me. Strangely, the stalker resembled my good friend Kim.

Khun Chiaya asked us if we could make it around the Floral exhibition in an hour's time and we assured him that we could do that. Little did we know what a large area we would have to cover. The way to do it? Hire a driver and a golf cart for an

hour tour. We quickly realized that left to own devices, we would still be walking around the first building. Our driver would stop in front of a building and tell us we had three minutes or five minutes. We drove by most of the outdoor exhibits, but did it all in the allotted one hour.

On to Susan's for a look around her home and the many museum quality items she had on display. Of course, many were for sell and I just happened to spot a small basket that would fit nicely in my carry on. Funny how that worked out!