The roofs of the Hmong homes are metal, but the sides are either cypress or in a lesser degree thatched bamboo. Some have dirt floors others are elevated with wood floors. There is no set pattern for the buildings, they put them where they will fit and according to the hilly terrain.

The gardens at the Hmong village were well cared for and had many plants that we have in Florida.

A small attrctive sculpture of Buddah in a garden at a Hmong hilltribe village near Chiang Mai.

Orchids at the King's Palace. It is no longer used by the king but it is still called the Kings Palace. He has several. This one is very modest but has massive grounds.

That's me. Those pants are not my normal attire. I had to "rent" them in order to visit the King'spalce next to Doi Suthep. The fern in this garden were huge and so many varieties, all native to Thailand.

Just a butterfly on a huge Poinsettia. But he looked like a bird he was so large.

These are children from a Hmong hilltribe. They are doing a harvest dance.

The description on the plaque for this sculpture was not clear as to what exactly this is about. I do know that when a sculpture or picture of Buddah is shown standing with the right hand raised that he was to be helping the angels.

There were several schools and organizations that were at the wat to accept donations for their cause. The entertainment was cute this dance was a harvest dance, hence the collection baskets.

This Buddah sculpture is carved out of marble. The picture really can't capture

the beauty of it.

Buddah sculptures are in abundance at Wat Doi Suthep, which is the most sacred place in northern Thailand.

Orchids in Doi Suthep.

Orchids are in full bloom here and they are magnificent. These are in Doi Suthep.

There was a death in the Thai family that has adopted me. This is a pan of pork getting ready to be made into curry and served to the family and friends of the person who passed. The funeral goes on for three days. The night that the food is served, after the service at the wat, no one sleeps they stay up all night to grieve in the form of drinking, eating and shooting fireworks.

Giant Bamboo was in Doi Suthep also. I couldn't get all the bamboo in the pic. But you can tell how large it is.

In Wat Doi Suthep are these huge Poinsiettias. They were all along the road up the mountain and scattered throughout the grounds of the wat.

Some of the largest Bougainvillas I have ever seen are at Wat Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. This one starts on the first level and is about 20 feet tall.

Anyone need a ride???

There were several of these ballons afloat and it was truly a moving experience. We watched them until they either drifted from sight or their candles burned out.

These mini hotair balloons are made of rice paper and are a part of the Flower Festival in Ching Mai, Thailand. The festival goes for 3 days 2 of which I had to go to Laos to get a 60 day visa. I missed the largest part of the festival.

The trees grow out of the limestone as if they were planted there purposely. They seem to thrive in the mineral rich water.

Tadsee Waterfall near Luang Prabang Laos.

Limestone has been eroded into soft rolling cascades of cool water off the mountain.