Saturday, March 1, 2008
When I booked my plane ticket, I found that for a little extra I could fly up to Chiang Mai (Thailand's second-biggest city, in the north of the country). I'd love to spend more time in Chiang Mai some day, but the only reason I wanted to visit it this time (apart from just an exploratory visit) was to take the opportunity to visit the Chiang Mai Foreign Cemetery, one of the more out-of-the-way graveyards I've visited in Asia. I figure next time I'm in Chiang Mai, I'd be traveling with others, and they wouldn't have the patience to visit this charming little cemetery.
I photographed every gravestone, and will soon be uploading the information to Find A Grave. (Why do I do this? Well, this morning I received an email from a person doing family history research, and he thanked me for a photo I posted last year, which helped him to find the burial location of a long-lost relative. This is one of many reasons I'm into cemetery research.)
Then I had to go back to the airport. I had a few hours to kill, so I decided to walk the three miles to the airport, and found it a pleasant, interesting walk. Just before reaching the airport I stopped at a shopping mall to cool down.
On the way I saw a frangipani tree (Plumeria alba), with its beautiful flowers in bloom:
Then I took the flight back to Bangkok, and Harry met me at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Together we went back to his apartment in the Huai Khwang area (4 stops north of Sukhumvit on the MRT), where I met his wife Ann, his dog Tom and his cat Boo-Boo. I stayed at their place for my entire visit.
We went with some neighbors to a nearby open-air restaurant, and had a fantastic meal. Tom yum soup, curries, fish, and other wonderful things.
