sharpendphotography : personal » adventure » thailand, dec 2007 Up one level
colorful items in a chiang mai supermarket michael discusses our sending intentions with the long tail pilot at the magnificent <i>low tide wall</i> on phra nang penninsula. you have to hire a boat to reach this cliff, timing your arrival as both the tide and the sun receed. by dusk, the tide was out far enough that we could walk back to railay. without a doubt the best 200 baht i spent the entire trip. candles burn outside wat prah sing, chiang mai stone elephants stand guard at the impressive stupa at wat chiang man in chiang mai
with no automobiles on ko phi phi, everything entering and exiting the island must be carted through its narrow streets. porters occasionally shout returning from a hard day of snorkeling at hat yao on ko phi phi. yes the water is really that blue. monk robes left out to dry at the wat chiang man briefly bring to mind jennifer's laundry basket half-way around the world silk getting spooled at the very educational thai silk factory in bo sang
a rare success at a chiang mai public phone endless golden figures adorn the perimeter of the wat prah kaew in bangkok our bangkok tour guides bunpote and yui, two of the nicest people we met in grad school the polished emerald eye of a stone dragon guarding the chedi entrance at wat chiang man
underside of a newly made umbrella left out to dry in the warm ciang mai sun sadly, jennifer essentially spent our entire time in railay horizontal, contracting and recovering from various tropical ailments. this approved picture was taken several days after her full recovery, in a charming botique hotel called <i>manathai village</i>. taking a short break during my morning commute to tonsai from railay east. it's roughly 20 minutes between the two, with the crux being a short hike through the trees directly ahead. at low tide one can opt for some easy boulder hopping, avoiding the jungle altogether. massive curries await disembarking passengers at tah chang pier in bangkok
colorful banners draped from the rafters of wat phan tao, chiang mai enjoying the ride back from phi phi leh the deliciously bizarre rambutan is sort of like a kiwi. except it's red, has a giant nut inside, and tastes nothing like a kiwi. jennifer prepares to release our hot-air lantern on new year's eve. thais believe the lantern carries your troubles away as it drifts into the night sky. i can't think of a single american tradition that comes anywhere close to such a beautiful and magical custom.
although it's sort of like riding on top of a chainsaw, the tuk-tuk is an efficient means of transportation in the notoriously traffic-choked cities of thailand. statues gaurd golden stupas at what phra kaew in bangkok we master chef jennifer stir fries a mean spring roll filling at the super-fun thai cookery school in chaing mai.
colorful shingles at wat phra kaew parking attendant at railay west an elephant's mahout washes behind her ears during the morning bathing session at <i>the elephant conservation center</i> near lampuhn compulsory party favors help ring in the new year at our hotel in chiang mai
walk around any mainland thai city on any day and you are guaranteed to see stray cats and motorbikes. although we never actually saw stray cats ON motorbikes, there's little doubt that a kitty doesn't once in a while crawl onto the saddle. meat, rugs, infants, pineapples... you name it, it sped past us at least once. tropical reef fish surface for a banana snack provided by our long-tail pilot. as you might guess, the snorkeling on ko phi phi was AMAZING. 'there is a god, and, obviously, he climbs,' reads my guidebook's description of <i>cross-eyed</i>, the 5.12b that wanders up this face flanked by two massive stalactites. it is in fact a stellar route, with several cruxes and incredible moves... although i'm not so sure it's absolute proof of god's existence. <i>the rostrum</i>, on the other hand... evening traffic on the commute back to tonsai bay, ko phi phi
young monks, don inthanon national park adult silk moths are blind, flightless, and have a life span of less than two weeks. these adults were two of the lucky 1/3 of all pupae allowed to develop into adults; the remaing majortiy are boiled alive in their silk cocoons, facilitating extraction of the silk fibers. vibrant incense burns outside most buddhist temples and shrines, often left in handful-sized clusters such as these preparing lotus flowers for an offering at wat phra kaew
i can't help but shed a tear for all the little terriers that had to go home and get their carry bags before they could shop at the namba parks mall, osaka, japan monkey psicobloc scores of alms bowls await donations in wat phan tao, chiang mai a steep trail leads to hat yao, ko phi phi
fierce-looking ants took issue with me apparently crossing some boundary on my way to a riverside photo spot. by the time i was done, they had formed a massive chain just waiting to attack on my return. this lucky scout happened to strike a pose in the ever-so-shallow range of macro lens sharpness. the classic thai lunch: spring rolls, phad thai, and (not-so-vegan) tomato cream soup. eager ferry passengers arrive at ko phi phi yui navigates the tah chang market
dragons watch a temple entrance at wat chiang man we saw an impressive scale model of the ancient cambodian angkor wat at bangkok's wat phra kaew. an archetectural marvel by today's standards, angkor is known for the endless stone hallways surrounding its perimiter. peering through one of these hallways in the bangkok model gives a slivered glimpse of a nearby temple's rooftop. in chiang mai, we stayed at what must be one of the coolest hotels on the planet, the dimunitively titled the japanese know how to make me drool. if only i had room in my case!

all images © bryan zeitler // photos last dumped on 01.12.08 // created and maintained using JAlbum 5.2