Friendship

Hi,
First off, some of you may have been observant enough to notice that I sent yesterday's message from a different address. I still get mail at the gmail address, but I'm having trouble sending. The .mac address is my secondary address.
It seems that Bill Withers slipped by a bunch of you. "Lean On Me" was the song, back in 1972. Now you know.
"Just __ __ __ You won't see me follow you back home. The empty sidewalks on my block are not the same. You're not to blame" Clue: Title includes a girl's name, group named for a side of a river. Hmm.
Well, it rained last night and this morning. Not heavy, but by the time we were ready to go sight seeing, we needed to change our plans. We cancelled the trip to the hill and Wat Rong Khun and headed north for the Opium Museum. On the way, we passed the Museum of Buddha and I told Supat that we'd like to see it. We were the only ones to enter a large open building. All around the perimeter were bronze statues of mostly seated Buddhas, from every era of Thai history as well as surrounding countries. Supat and the guide explained what set each one apart. We now know that the expression on the face, the fullness of the face, etc., reflects the conditions of the people at the time. If there was peace and prosperity, Buddha's face was usually full and smiling. We spent almost an hour, getting acquainted with the finer points of Thai art and legend.
From there we continued toward our goal, but hunger struck. We were taken to Cafe de River (and resort) on the banks of the Mae Kong. What a trip. The place was empty, and our trusty friend knew that they had tables by the water. So, we went down a brief, but scary, flight of stairs and took a table looking out on the river, and Laos on the other side. We had a delicious lunch and were treated to a couple of guys fishing, just as we finished. When I say fishing, I mean 'Old School". They were casting nets on the water. I think I got a couple of good shots. The whole thing will be on the Flickr page.
We finally made it to the museum. We spent one and a half hours learning more than we wanted to know about the whole world of opium. It was like a crash world history lesson, an economics class, and a bold look at the devious nature of many governments. It was a beautifully executed presentation in a modern, three-story building. When you come to visit, you'll have to see it for yourself.
Then it was on to the border. We drove to Chiang Saen for picture taking at the Golden Triangle and shopping. (more pics) After that we headed for Mae Sai and the border with Myanmar/Burma. It's a mad little border city that was just preparing for the evening bazaar. We went to the top of Scorpion Hill and looked down on the city and the border. We wound our way through the market place and stopped for some treats we remembered from January. They look like tortillas, made from black sesame flour, heated on a grill, sugar added in the middle and then rolled up. Yum.
Tomorrow we'll go to Wat Rong Khun and then another major local artist. The afternoon will probably be spent cruising downtown.
Have a Wacky Wednesday.

"Friendships begin because, even without words, we understand how someone feels."
~Joan Walsh Anglund

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics