Wild and Crazy in Chiang Mai, Thailand!

What were you doing New Years Eve?  The usual.  Or the unusual.

As is standard operating procedure for us, Masumi and I were well off the beaten path . . . we certainly weren't in Times Square.  We weren't wearing a beer guzzler cap.  We didn't do vodka jello shooters, smoke DMT or put magic mushrooms on our eleven-cheese pizza.  We never even got around to singing Auld Lang Syne.

Here's the very short, edited version of our New Years Eve celebration.

This was the climactic end to seven days in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

To put it mildly, it was a unique and highly entertaining visit to a country I've been to before, but always finding intriguing.  My wife Masumi, however, has never been to Thailand, so this short adventure was especially exciting for her.

Doi Inthanon National Park is about an hour drive from Chiang Mai, and is home to the highest peak in Thailand.  On our way there for two days in nature, we went through a Hmong village, where they happened to be having a New Years festival.

The park and surrounds were outstanding.  Unfortunately, since Doi Inthanon Mountain itself shrouded in a cloud, while we were there the visibility at the top was limited.  But as the day progressed, the air cleared and we got to do some hiking and experienced stunning views of the countryside.  We stopped at a few villages sprinkled around and sampled "real life" in this rustic, relatively underdeveloped part of the world.

For easy access to the park, we did a homestay at Nongtao, a Karen tribe village actually within the great expanse of Doi Inthanon National Park.  People were shy but amicable.  Our host was truly superb, helping us decide what to do and how to get places.

Not far from our homestay was an elephant park.  These were no ordinary elephants.  They had all been in the parade celebrating the recent coronation of the new King of Thailand.  You can sense from their regal bearing and sophisticated manners their royal blood lines.

What would a visit to Thailand be, however, without spending time at a few of the literally tens of thousands of temples and shrines?  We capped off sacred site hopping by visiting the world-famous White Temple, a short distance outside of Chiang Rai.

We were so comfortable and fit in so perfectly, I'm sure no one suspected for a moment that we were tourists.

[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . https://jdrachel.com ]





Wild and Crazy in Chiang Mai, Thailand!

Dachau World

             [This posting is no more demented than the cruel deceptions of the Israeli government.]  
While researching Europe for interesting places to visit and things to do during our three week visit there this summer, my wife and I stumbled on a very unusual entertainment complex in southern Germany. Apparently, laying the foundation for the advent of this whole new concept in "theme parks" is the unwavering popularity of reality TV. That and the fact that the public is always on the lookout for something new and exciting __ the latest and the greatest! __ made Dachau World a real crowd pleaser and instant success.

Of course, my first reaction was that this whole idea was crass exploitation, demonstrating an appalling level of insensitivity. But I contacted the German Department of the Interior and my perspective was turned around 180 degrees. My source, who preferred to remain anonymous, disclosed that the Dachau World theme park was fully owned and developed by a consortium of Jewish investors based in Israel. In fact, this investment group which is wholly responsible for planning and constructing the park, consists of eighteen orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch centers, which easily obtained the approval of the German government for their innovative project. As my source explained, "We immediately saw the potential for this type of entertainment complex and fast-tracked Dachau World. They have our full support. As far we we're concerned, these Jews deserve all of the compensation they can get for whatever inconvenience the Holocaust might have caused them. I say bravo!"

"Your concentration camp experience is enhanced by a full complement of professional actors, hired as full-time 'detainees' of Dachau World."

Initially, there was some difficulty finding a community to host the new theme park. Many local citizens thought it would be an embarrassment, opening up old wounds dating back to the Third Reich. But these petty objections were finally overcome when economic projections showed how much Dachau World could boost a local economy. The sprawling complex is now located in an industrial suburb of Munich, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the original Dachau concentration camp. It has ample parking and a water park, as well as concentration camp rides and home stays in actual slave worker barracks.

I will confess that in the end, when we finally arrived at the gates of the park, I chose not to spring for admission and we didn't go in. It was only 36 euros a day and I had the money.

But I guess I'm kind of a wuss. You know . . . one of those silly, old school, bleeding-heart liberals who just can't appreciate the lighter side of genocide.

"For a little something special, you can spend the night in one of our ovens."

Now I'm sorry we didn't stay there for a few days.  I hear they have great yoga classes.
But don't you miss out!! For more on Dachau World, just check with your travel agent.

Like the poster says, it's fun for the whole family. And when your friends ask you what you did for the holidays, you can say . . .

"We stayed in a concentration camp. Woohoo!"

Oh! Before I forget: I was unable to confirm this, but I also have it from a trusted source that this same group of Zionist investors has just broken ground somewhere in Gaza for the construction of a related "reality show" theme park. It's called PLO World. This will similarly offer an array of real world vacation packages so that visitors can experience what it's like to live under the oppressive terror of the Israeli army.

Site in Palestine being readied by Israel for construction of the new PLO World theme park, expected to open sometime next year. Don't miss out!

[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]