It was interesting to see and take part in such a traditional Buddhist ritual because, although I have read about the Buddha's life and teaching, I had not ever seen monks begging in this traditional way before. Some people had brought what looked like birthday party treat bags to give to them and I wondered if the monks, especially the younger ones, gravitated to those that looked like something other than their usual fare offered by the vendors. One family brought a stack of 20 baht bills and I did see some other people putting money offerings in the alms bowls as well.
It was really amazing. The gardens were spectacular with rows and rows of Hybrid Tea Roses, a tropical rain forest, ferns, a gorgeous water reservoir complete with fountains, It was just beautiful! We walked and gawked at the flowers, though we were a bt sad that we could not go into any of the buildings and the palace itself was undergoing "annual renovations" and we couldn't even see it through the scaffolding and coverings.
After such a big morning, it only seemed right to take a nap, so we headed back into the city and to Libra Guest House, our home away from home in Chiang Mai for a well-deserved nap!
There's more to our day, or rather night, but I am tired of sitting down, so I'll have to write about that later.