We met up with Otto to drive to his home town for a tasty breakfast of chicken or duck noodle soup. 200 baht each. Then on to the highest mountain in Thailand called Doi Inthanon, to see the lovely Wachirathan waterfall. Next, the highest point in Thailand at 2,565 meters where it was only 10 degrees, Nearby we visited the king and queen pagodas at Wat Chedi Luang. Yellow for him (born on a Monday) and purple for her (born on a Saturday). The complex has an extensive flower garden overlooking the village which we couldn’t see due to some impressive fog. Max did not buy buns there as we already had shrimp chips in rainbow colors and Japanese potato chips purchased at the gas station/rest stop. Now, down the mountain again for lunch at the local Kai soi place festooned with coconut everything. Sooooo good and quite spicy even though Otto said 'not spicy', of course. We helped some Italian and Turkish tourists order then headed back to old town to the hotel. We chatted about movies and websites then said our goodbyes.
In the evening we strolled through the increasingly crowded Sunday Night Market in old town. I think we just ate Chou crème buns for dinner (from Galae last night), because...vacation. Max got me a cute giraffe shirt for Christmas, too. One that I commented on a day after he secretly bought it back in Siem Reap.
Helpful phrases we learned from Otto which elicit smiles from the merchants:
foreng = foreigner
sa was dee jiao = sa was dee ka/hello in Chiang Mai dialect
kampung jiao = kampung ka/thank you in Chiang Mai dialect
Otto took us to his favorite hometown breakfast place for soup...yum!
Wachirathan Falls
Doi Inthanon, the Highest Point in Thailand
Royal Pagodas
in the Mist
Preparing for Khao Soi
Otto's favorite breakfast restaurant on the main road in his childhood hometown
Rainbow Japanese Shrimp Chip Rest Stop Purchase
Doi Inthanon - the Roof of Thailand
Doi Inthanon Summit - The Highest Point in Thailand
Stone Elephant Faerie Ring
Tourists
Wat Chedi Luang Royal Pagodas - Burial Complex for the King and Queen
All Things Coconut Restaurant, including but not limited to condiment containers, bowls, helmets, and soup