McCainiaks in BKK

 On the road to Chiang Mai... Nam Tok Bua Tong (Sticky Waterfalls) We took a more direct, but no less scenic route back through Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai.  On the way, we stopped at the "sticky waterfalls".  Bua Tong is a  small and beautiful, multi-tiered waterfall made of limestone and mineral deposits. It has been nicknamed ‘the sticky waterfall’ because the limestone creates enough friction to stop slipping, so making it very easy to climb up the waterfall (with the help of ropes). The limestone is slightly rough but it isn’t painful to step on, and forms an interesting bubbly pattern. New Year's Eve in Chiang Mai

 On our 4th day, we left Chiang Rai to take a scenic drive to Golden Triangle. A point in Thailand where you can see Burma (Myanmar), Laos and Thailand come together.  Our drive actually criss-crossed briefly across the Burma-Thai border a few times, so we had to go through several check points to ensure we weren't smuggling refugees (or drugs) across the border.  They saw a car load of "farang" and sent us on our way. We made a few stops on the way to see the views, villages and even got a blessing from a monk. We traveled to "The Northernmost point of Thailand" and walked around the border town of Mae Sai.  When there a lots of tourists, this is a bustling market town and there is even the opportunity to cross into Burma.  With the refugee crisis and pandemic that is not an option, but was still neat to be there. We continued our drive to Golden Triangle for a good night's rest before the next day's adventure. Mekong Pizza Mekong pizza is owned and ope...

 Wat Huay Pla Kung This is known as "the Big Buddha" of Chiang Rai, but it isn't actually a Buddha at all.  Rather, this a statue of the Goddess of Mercy.  On the complex there is also a 9-story Pagoda, but we didn't go into the Pagoda. Instead, we climbed the stairs to the base of the statue (found out later there was a bus!) and then took the elevator up to the head of the statue. Inside there are incredible carvings and views from the goddess' eyes and forehead. The Stairs. A lot of stairs. Can you tell how pleased he is to have his picture taken? After leaving the complex, we stopped by Singha Park.  We will need to go back to spend more time at the park, but we just stopped by for photos of the Lion.  Couldn't convince everyone to get out of the car, though. Mekong River Cruise We booked a boat ride to a Hill Tribe Village (Karin), but while it was a beautiful ride.  We did not see any villagers.  With the lack of tourists many things are closed, ...