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Hi,

Wednesday morning the sky in Chiang Mai was perfect for going to the zoo. Cloudy with just a hint of a mist, and cool temperatures. It was also a good day to roam the freeway in search of an off-ramp.

I'm really blown away by how many of you knew this song. If you're close, but not real sure, we would like to help.
"So I went to the corner, just to ease my pains, yeah, just to ease my pains. I got troubles, whoa-oh, I got worries, whoa-oh, I came home again. When I woke up this morning __ __ __ __ __ ..." Clue: Oddly enough, there are five words in the title, and the same number of people in the group, whose number is part of their name. There, I've said too much.

On our adventure up the mountain with Ten, we kept seeing signs indicating that the zoo was on the same road. Since we set out without guidance, or a compass, we decided to return to the scene of the climb (5), and take the same road to find the zoo. The drive was much easier in the daylight, and the view was breathtaking. We went past the restaurant, and continued to see arrows pointing towards the zoo. Finally, we found it.

The Chiang Mai Zoo is set in a wonderful forest/jungle environment with roads that wind up and down the mountainside. We entered and parked where there was a tram station. While waiting we noticed a very large aviary with an entrance so we went inside. The enclosure contained a wide variety of plumed pigeons, peacocks, pheasants, and giant birds that had a prehistoric look. We took lots of photos, and felt very peaceful among the birds, especially since we were alone with them. Just as we came out of the aviary, the tram arrived and we began our tour of the rest of the zoo.

We were very impressed with all of the enclosures, and the effort that was made to keep them looking like natural habitats that also contained things for the animals to do. We saw white tigers, emu, elephants, bears, a wide variety of deer and antelope, various monkeys, a giraffe, and of course, the pandas. There were other exhibits that we didn't see like the aquarium, and the koalas. There will be plenty to see the next time we go.

The 'baby' panda is the big draw at this zoo. Lin Ping's name is half of her mothers name (Lin Hui-Beautiful Forest), and the name of the river that runs through Chiang Mai, the Ping river. Lin Ping is a little over a year old now, and when we went into the enclosure she and her mother were both sleeping. It was still exciting to see her way up in a corner sleeping on a rock. The environment for the two pandas has lots for them to do. There are things to climb on, a swing, and perches made to look like rocks sticking out of the side of the wall. Three walls of the giant room are painted with a mural of a mountain. The gift shop for the panda exhibit was crazy, with everything you could imagine taking on a panda theme. We'll definitely be going back.

After we left the zoo we went out on the highway to a place called Carrefore, which is described on our map as a 'hyper store'. Another interesting use of an English word. Inside Carrefore is a Home Pro store. We've been to both before and both times we've missed the exit. That meant that we had to drive way out of our way in order to turn around. Once we got back, we started at Home Pro. It's the kind of store that makes you realize how many things you didn't know you needed. (Ha) Anything to decorate, or improve the home is in this store. Stuff I didn't know existed. Things I could eventually find a use for if I put my mind to it. We ended up not getting anything. Now that's restraint. Carrefore is like Target on steroids. We looked a lot, had lunch, and went down the road to a big pet supply store. There we saw a little one year old Hedgehog. It belonged to the owner, and was fascinating.

That just about sums up our Wednesday in Chiang Mai. It was quite a tour of the city, and it left us not even wanting to tackle the Night Bazaar. Tomorrow I'll take you to the U.S. Consulate, and Mae Sai immigration.

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

Peace,
Danny

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."
~Auguste Rodin

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