Got up early of course!   

We figured out really quick ,coffee at home is very nice , you can have it in your pjs at 5:30 am .
so that starts out a nice lesurely day.

went for a Scorpion Tailed River boat tour today.

very interesting. told us about the history, of the Ping River. The logging, losing a large bridge during a very bad storm. 

The first presbyterian missionaries came in April 1867. The ruler allowed them to stay at a public hall that had been built as a Buddhist rite performing hall. They stayed in that for four years till the church was built. The people came in the evenings to watch them eat. They were amazed that they did not eat on the floor or with their fingers. This gave the missionaries an opening to visit with them.

in 1868 the ruler gave them some land and the first Christian church was built.

the health care they offered did well for them in the community. But their missionary work suffered when the ruler arrested two men for neglecting their National religion . This made the people afraid until the ruler died in 1870 and they were free to believe as they wished.

they also started a school nearby that accepted both boys and girls.

They floated logs down the river 70 years ago. The guide said There are now 7 dams built used for electricity. 409 miles long it goes all the way to Bangkok.

he told us that years ago they used elephants for working up and down the river. 

The river is known as the life line of the province. There are gardens growing on the banks of the river on both sides.

the guide then took us to his home beside the river and showed us many herbs and plants and explained what each one was and what it was used for.

 
he then fed us a beautiful prepared snack. Sorry I ate it before I thought to take a picture.
he then showed us two bottles of Cobra Scorpion snake whiskie. The men were fascinated. The women not so much.
 
Our guide was very humorous, a bit hard to understand at times. Had a very enjoyable trip.

got a Red truck to bring us home and they work very well as long as they know where they are going. We drove around and saw a whole lot of Chiang Mai before stopping him and flagging down a tuk tuk! He brought us right to the hotel.