CYCLING IN THE CHIANG MAI COUNTRYSIDE

Great morning.....Those of us that didn't opt for the 5km zipline, went for a guided cycle through the beautiful countryside. We loaded up into the paddy wagon....

 And off we went to pick up our bikes.

It was a very leisurely ride, past small villages, here is a typical family house, very open.

A not so typical car...

This area is known for its famous cock fighting. We saw many cages with beautiful birds, sitting out in the sun to strengthen their muscles. The owner of a bird that wins a fight can make $30,000 u.s. 

We also came upon a very large spider spinning his web in the bamboo.

This type of bamboo will grow one meter a night in the rainy season.

Ugly story, because the truth isnt always pretty.....in WW2, when the Japanese were in Thailand, they would stake out their prisoners of war on top of the bamboo., and then wait for the bamboo to grow through them. A slow, ugly death.

We stopped for street food, deep fried taro muffin kinda thingys (not the real name)

We also tried fried sweet banana, taro, and sweet potato but i couldnt get my camera out fast enough, so here are the remnants...

We stopped at a beautiful shrine, in this small village.

This was what was painted on the inside of the pink elephant...aka Ganesh

We stopped at a little roadside restaurant for a great bowl of soup.

When we left the restaurant there was a bit of confusion, and one of our bikers disappeared.

So where is a better place to pull over and wait than the village crematorium.

Yes folks, that is exactly what you think you would find at a crematorium.

We also stopped in the shade of a beautiful big tree, in between some rice fields. Even out here, there are pictures of the last president.

It was a beautiful experience, to bicycle through the small villages and see the local way of life. The people here are so friendly and laid back and always make us feel very welcome. It was the perfect thing to do after a couple busy days.....stay tuned