Manoon Brawo – guide
(09-855-0605)
Whoa, quite a gauntlet to pass through to get to the other side. This is serious border patrol: grim-faced guards….and no pictures of course. The market is pretty much the same as in other towns. Plenty of booths for anything you want. Scott got the best buy…the materials needed to make the powder sunscreen we see worn/smeared on people’s faces.
Near the end of our time there, I bumped into Namji and the guide. They had gone to a Wat at the top of the village. So, Sarah and I jumped into their tuk-tuk….but no, can’t use the same one they used…unwritten rule….the tuk-tuk drivers have to take turns. So we jump into another one and take a fast, wild ride up to the top where the view was spectacular on all sides and the wat was very unusual. Actually, reminded me a bit of The Rock Cathedral (a cathedral set in the side of a rock cliff) because the wat is set high up the side of a hill that had to be reinforced by stone. It wasn’t just one building, but a few buildings, and one held very large, gleaming gold Buddhas.
At the entrance area to the wat there were women and children selling things….one of the things was a bat in a bamboo cage…..uh…, no, pretty tricky getting that past customs.
What else can I say except that I’ve been enjoying all the variety of foods we’ve been encountering…off the little stands and carts, the small shops, the restaurants….it’s all GOOD!
