This morning we woke up very early to fly to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Our plane left at 6:15 am and we arrived in Chiang Mai at 7:30 am. So, we had the whole day to explore. We first went to a very busy open market to eat breakfast and do some shopping. After. a few hours at the market we decided to drive to a famous Buddhist temple on the hill above Chiang Mai. We stopped at one place and decided it would be more fun to hike the last 2 km to the temple instead of drive. So, we hiked through the forest (jungle?) up a very steep trail to the temple. Of course, it rained on us and turned the steep trail into a steep, muddy trail. We then visited the temple and had a great view of Chiang Mai from above. We wanted to go on to the palace but it was closing so we went a checked into our hotel. Kate and Tari relaxed by the pool and I took a nap. We then went for a nice dinner at a local restaurant and then got to bed early.

Some of you may wonder about our connection to Kate. Kate was an exchange student at Grandview HIgh School. She had issues with her first host family and she then moved in with us during the school year. We loved hosting her and are so happy that we have finally traveled here to Thailand to visit her and see the beautiful country she lives in.