We checked out of our fancy hotel to hop on a bus that took us on a winding road, up a mountain, and into the fog leading us to Bhubing Palace. There were flowers EVERYWHERE it was so dreamy with all the fog. We rode around on golf carts receiving a tour of the gardens. Bhubing Palace is the royal winter residence in Chiang Mai where the Royal family stays during seasonal visits to the northern part of Thailand.
We went a little bit down the mountain to find a place for lunch. I enjoyed a dish that was very popular in that region of the country. I can't remmeber what the Thai name was for it, but I do remember that it was absolutely delicious.
After lunch, we climbed to a temple built on a hill. It was a Buddhist temple but had some Hindu features which I thought was really interesting. We participated in a ceremony in which a monk blessed our journey, wishing for safe travels, and were gifting a piece of white yarn that was tied around our wrists (I still have mine! 7/15/15) We also gave merit again and used the cup to predict our fortunes. Fortunately everyone received a happy fortune this time!
We climbed back in the van after our descent. After about thirty minutes riding, we all realized that we didn't know where we were going. We asked Pi Sue, and to our surprise she pointed to the top of a mountain. We were taking a very long, tough drive to get to the Doi Ang-Khang Agricultural Research Station. The drive was pretty magical. We rounded turns that led to the most incredible views. At one point we rounded a corner and halted to a stop because there was a herd of cows coming toward us! We passed through hill tribes and finally after hours of driving we arrived at the station.
Katie and I busted out of the car and immediately began running around like children. We were just so excited to be in the mountains! I have very found memories of that short span of time. We arrived just in time for dinner, so we took a quick trip to our little cabins to drop off our belongings.
As usual I had one to myself. As I walked in, I caught my breath because I could see a ton of rock in my bathroom. I walked in expecting to see a shower made of rock, but no, they actually just built the cabin around a boulder! It was so cool. I was way too excited about it.
We enjoyed lunch at the restuarant on the station, I posed with a mother nature statue, and we slept peacefully in the cool mountain air.