The last two days have been extremely full with adventure, eating and exploring. Yesterday we (and what seemed like half of China) started off the very warm day at the Grand Palace. The palace was the official residence of the Kings of Thailand and is made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions set around open lawns and gardens. the most holy Emerald (made of jade) Buddha Next, we headed off to Wat Pho, which was just down the road (after grabbing a much needed fresh fruit juice, the stuff is everywhere and is amazing). This temple is famous for the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Within each temple there are different shrines to Buddha for different things, business, love, mother nature, success, health, ect. For the Chinese New Year, high level monks were giving blessings to people, so to take advantage of the rare opportunity, Duane and I stood in line to receive a blessing which was pretty cool. the famous Reclining Buddha In t...
Germany. Last summer, my cou sin Florian emailed me that he and his long time girlfriend, Martina, were engaged. So amazing! Another excuse to go to Europe! I love those. Through planning and limited by PTO, I decided we would rent a car and explore the Bavarian Alps South of Munich and make our way to the Black Forest for our first traditional German wedding. Yesterday, Mom, John, Duane and I la nded in the second best city in the world, Munich (Fact: San Francisco is number one). Hello old frie nd. It has been far too long. Struggling, but desperately trying to stay awake, we made our way to our respective hotels just in time for a much needed shower. To accomplish not passing out at 7pm and inevitably making my jet lag unbearable for the next 5 days, we met up with my good friend Fabian for dinner and drinks in the student neighborhood around the University. Man, did I miss my German food and my friend. Sunday was our only day i...
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, often refered to as Doi Suthep, is about 9 miles from Chiang Mai and is a sacred site to many Thai people. According to legend, a monk named Sumanathera had a dream that told him to go to Pang Cha and look for a relic. Sumanathera ventured to Pang Cha where he found a bone, which was said to be Buddha's shoulder bone. The bone displayed magical powers (e.g., glowing, able to vanish, move and replicate itself). In 1368 Sumanathera took the relic to what is now northern Thailand. The bone was placed on the back of a white elephant by the King and released it into the jungle. The elephant is said to have climbed up Doi Suthep, trumpeted three times before dying at the site. It was interpreted as a sign and King Nu Naone ordered the construction of a temple at the site. We took a tuk truck (a red covered pick up that acts as a cab in the north) to the base of the temple. Then climbed 300 steep steps to the top where the temple is located. Saf...
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