MORE WATS, MOUNTAINS, & MONKS, ETC, ETC.

Mae Hong Son was rural and sheltered by mountains, no bustle here. It had beauty, serenity and its own special charm.

My new guide was a small, but sturdy Thai man. This one would be brief; my time in Thailand was nearing its end. I don’t remember his name, but I doubt he remembers mine. The van driver was never introduced.

“Have you seen enough temples?” the guide asked.

I confessed that with the exception of the white one in Chiang Rai, the others were starting to mesh together in my mind.

“Well, you’re going to see 3 more, now!” He laughed. “All of these are of Burmese origin, the border is close by."

The Burmese style is common in Thailand due to invasions by Burma, now called Myanmar. Burmese Wats have steep prangs (a tall ornate tower-like spire) where as the Thai Wats have a wide A-shaped roof with multiple tiers. The first, in typical Burmese style was Wat Chong Klang.

In the center of town, we came upon a picture postcard lake and across stood Wat Chong Kam. After I snapped a photo, we drove over for a closer look.

Then, I was driven to the outskirts of town and up Kung Mu Hill. Below, the view took my breath away! Here, was Wat Doi Kong Moo and more Buddhist monks than I could count. My guide admitted he had studied to become one as a teenager. “Just too many rules!” He shook his head. “It wasn’t for me.”

I was handed a short bamboo log and told to bang a gong 3 times for good luck. After doing this, I was escorted to a large hanging scroll and given a felt tip pen. “Add your name for karma points,” the guide instructed. Mine was the only Western name up there.

“I’ll probably go to Hell for this,” my guide confessed “but I love betting on cockfights.” He noticed the horrified expression on my face. “Here in Thailand we don’t attach razors to their feet they way they do in the Philippines. “

Despite the cockfighting, Mae Hong Son looked like a pleasant and lovely place to retire. I could easily picture myself here.

“Recently, I took my wife to the movies,” the guide said. “It was an 8 hour drive!” – THAT shot down my idea of retiring there!

From Kung Mu Hill, I was driven to a resort for the night. The place was located way out in the remote jungle; spread far out, again I was handed a map to find my way around.

My room had atmosphere, a primitive beauty. The back porch overlooked a creek I could have leapt across 35 years ago. On the other side was dense jungle.

I pulled back the cover on my bed and saw a menacing looking bug crawling around. I grabbed a Kleenex, picked it up and crushed it.

Then I fluffed the 2 extra pillows and placed them at the foot of the bed. Despite the nightly elevation my swelling refused to go down.

I walked into the bathroom and saw 3 more of these bugs climbing the wall! I dispatched those, too! But being out in the jungle, I figured it was to be expected.

The restaurant was located at the far opposite end from my room, a lengthy but scenic walk. Like many Thai eating establishments it was open on 3 sides. It made me wonder what they did during monsoon season when it was hotter and rainy. All I saw was fans, no air-conditioners.

Darkness was falling as I walked back to my room. As I switched on the bathroom light, I spotted more of THOSE bugs crawling on both the floor and ceiling. Clearly, this was a battle I wasn’t going to win!