It's the Annual Chiang Mai Flower Festival taking place this weekend (1-3 Feb 2013).
May be one of several happening during the year but we're glad this festival is going on now.

The Orchids are incredible and so many varieties we haven't ever seen before.

Hard to judge but there seems to be plenty of ribbons awarded.

Chiang Mai with friends

It's always fun to meet up with friends while traveling. In a way, it tempers homesickness but also allows you to share traveling experiences with people you enjoy spending time with.

Although we only met Bob and Brian recently, they seem to have a very similar adventure to their traveling as we do. We were glad to show them a few of our favorite spots in Chiang Mai.

Wat Si Supan

Wat Chedi Luang

The Long Trip Back

After two years, we're finally back in our favorite city in Thailand, Chiang Mai.

The trip over was grueling to say the least. Three flights, three layovers, and some 33 hours later we touched down in Chiang Mai.
It was our first trip on the "super-sized" A380 and we must say that we were not impressed. Boarding went smoothly even with some 470 passengers to get on board. Luckily our luggage went straight through to Chiang Mai and we weren't subjected to the "cattle call" of collecting bags from the A380 flight.
The non-stop portion from San Francisco to Hong Kong took an incredible 14-1/2 hours (I never remembered it taking quite so long).
Singapore's flight crews are usually very good as was the case on the flight over, however the food on this particular flight was mediocre.
The A380 is no doubt a huge plane but the cabins are separated into groups small enough to resemble any other long haul plane.
Did get to catch up on some films we wouldn't have paid to see in theaters though.

Spring at Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree - A great place to hike, especially in the spring when things are blooming.

We've moved recently to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park is a stone's throw away.
We've always talked of hiking and exploring the Park but thanks to our friends Mark and Glen it became a reality. The introduction (or push) certainly has made it easier to venture out to JT more often.

Thanks to Glen for the people pictures. A camera is never far from his hands.

Wandering the Streets

You encounter some pretty unusual sights when wandering around a foreign city. But they may only be unusual to you.

We came upon this herd of wild animals on the streets of Chiang Mai.

They're not so tuff.

And here's one for our agricultural experts.

What to eat in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai strawberries. What strawberries used to taste like in the U.S.

Chiang Mai, like many cities, has food items that are specialties of the area. While there are plenty of restaurants to satisfy the tourist's palate, there are certain local items not to be missed.

One of these dishes is Northern Thai Khao Soi (curry noodle soup). The mild thick curry soup is usually served with chicken, or some other meat, and made with egg noodles. Originally from Burma, it has been adapted and modified by the Thais and has become a staple in Chiang Mai.

It generally contains red curry paste, phom kari (mild Thai yellow curry powder), garlic, coconut milk, ground pork, turmeric, sugar, lime juice, and stock. Accompaniments include chopped shallots, pickled cabbage (phak kaat dong) and lime wedges.

Another must try in Chiang Mai is Thai Northern Sausage (sai oua).

Sausages are quite popular in Thailand but Sai Oua is unique to Northern Thailand. It's a drier sausage made with pork, garlic, coriander, lime juice, lemon grass, galangal powder, shallot, shrimp paste, and chili peppers.

I would never recommend making sausages on your own, unless you're like our friend Pic back home who does it routinely. And he does a killer Sai Oua.

Sai Oua is readily available from street vendors all over Chiang Mai.

Street food is available all over Chiang Mai as it is throughout Thailand.

It's all safe to eat and always a great bargain. Above is a street vendor dishing up Pad Thai for a mere 20 baht (65 cents) per serving.

Steamed bread made with Palm Hearts.

Grilled Rice Cakes.

A Soup stall.

Grilled Squid.

So when in Thailand, and especially in Chiang Mai, try the street food.

What is Happening to KL?

The Petronas Towers put Kuala Lumpur on the 21st century map. The twin towers were the tallest buildings in the world between 1998 and 2004 when it was surpassed by Taipei 101. They remain the tallest twin buildings in the world today.

Building in many of the major cities of Asia has become a boom and in KL the massiveness of the Petronas Towers is slowly being lessened by buildings sprouting up all around them.

The Satay Truck.

Malls are popping up more and more around the central business areas, and they are packed with shoppers.

Some complain that KL is slowly but surely going down the same path as Singapore with glitzy malls. Hopefully this will not be the case. Yes, there are malls in KL but nowhere near what Singapore's Orchard Road has become.

KL is becoming a much more modern city. It's people are multi-ethnic, diverse, and progressive.

Malaysia is a country where Muslims are a majority. Not specifically in KL where non-muslim ethnic Chinese are the majority. But everyone gets along together here.

Bukit Bintang is a little like Times Square at night.

Chinatown KL has turned into what many Chinatowns have evolved into; street markets catering to tourists. Petaling Street is now a vast array of t-shirt and knock-off vendors but behind the scenes and in the cracks are still signs of Old Chinatown. You just have to look a little harder.