We left Chiang Moi in the morning to go to our next stop, Dubai. The plane stopped at Mumbai for fuel. I couldn't believe that I was in India but they wouldn't allow us to get off the plane.

Dubai is an impressive place, from an architectural perspective. There are many wonderful buildings, no two are alike. There is this Hotel al-Arabia, 24 floors high. The 24th floor has a helipad. Anyone can stay on the 24th floor for a mere US$15,000 a night. The price includes helicopter pickup from the airport, right to your penthouse. If you budget would not allow this, you may try one of the budget rooms on other other floors, starting at UD1500. There are no taxes to pay in Dubai. And UAE has a population of only 1.6 million people.

Then we went to Burj Khalipha, the tallest building in the world. Went to the observation deck on the 124th floor and had a great view of the city.

We checked in to Raffles, another impressive hotel. At night, a boat cruise and dinner on board. Not humid, very pleasant.

Today is the highlight our visit to Chiang Moi.

First we went to an elephant reserve. There were 75 (Indian) elephants in the reserve. The were trained to do various chores and entertain visitors by playing football and basketball. They were also trained to paint. Some of the paintings were really impressive and intricate. We then went for an elephant ride.

Orchids grow in abundance here. Went to an orchid farm and saw some exquisite orchids.

A special Thai dinner and traditional Thai dance entertainment at night.

People at Chaing Moi are very hospitable and there is a tradition of giving. At the hotel where we stayed (Dustit D2), every day there was a small gift for us by the bedside: it could be a baseball cap, a key chain or something else. When we had the farewell dinner, we were given another small gift - perfumed Chinese oil.

This morning we went up the largest Buddhist temple in Chiang Moi (nobody called it CM), where, we were told, Buddha’s relics were buried. After lunch, many went to a hot springs. Did feel like going there. Had a relaxing afternoon. Tried to write my blog, but the internet wouldn’t cooperate. I could not upload my pictures either.

Off to Chiang Moi, Thailand’s second largest city. This is a country in which 97% are Buddhist and, perhaps as a result, people are gentle and nonaggressive.
First we went to a silk factory and saw how silk was made, Then to a gem cutting place. We went to dinner and a show at the Cultural Centre which featured traditional Thai dancing. After dinner, I went to the Night Market, a long street with hundreds of retailers selling handicrafts and many other things.

In the morning we went to the museum which housed some stone age tools. He museum traced the history of Malaysia from prehistoric times to the post-colonial period. Following that we went to see the Butu cave. Interestingly, the cave was located on a small hill. On needs to climb about 300 steps. The cave now houses a Hindu temple. In front of the cave is a large statue of a Hindu god, Murugan. It is a huge statue, some 300 feet high. Quite impressive.

While KL and KK (Kota Kinabalu) are both in Malaysia, the attitudes were completely different. In KK people friendly, eager to please. TV commercials tried to convince us how people in Malaysia are full of smiles and are welcoming. Just as well they had the commercials. Even the hotel doorman would not smile, greet or offer help with anything.

We left Kota Kinabalu on Oct 12. Some 30 members of the staff were waiting outside to sing us a farewell song and wave goodbye to us.

We arrived from Borneo to Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur. On our way to the hotel we stopped at Putrajaya, a planned area to house all government ministries, 26 in all. It was very impressive. All modern buildings in a distinct architectural style. At night, I wandered around downtown KL (yes, that is they refer to Kuala Lumpur here) and saw the famous Twin Towers, which two of the tallest towers in the world. They were beautifully lit and was excellent to look at.