One day Marc and I embarked on a 12 hour tour of northern Thailand with the specific goal of seeing the Golden Triangle. This is where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos are connected by the Mekong river. It was a major conduit for the once flourishing opium trade.
Before reaching this area our tour van made two stops: The Maekhajan natural hot spring geyser and the Silver Wat (Buddhist Temple). They were good stops if only for the availability of restrooms at each location.
The geyser is situated in front of a outdoor shopping area and shoots hot water continuously. It was a nice photo op. The Silver Wat was impressive in that it was painted all white and is very large. To get to the Wat, everyone has to cross a low bridge underneath and alongside which is an expansive sculpture comprised completely of hands and arms reaching out. It represents people trapped in hell trying to get out. After crossing the bridge you are confronted with two fearsome warrior statues and then you can enter the Wat. Of course, you must take off your shoes first. The Buddha inside was large and imposing. Next to the Silver temple was a Golden building which turned out to be restrooms.
Then it was off to Chieng Saen and the Golden Triangle area. Before arriving we had opted for an optional tour which enabled us to visit Laos by boat. From the Thailand shore at Chieng Saen we could see three casinos; one built in each country. We were told they were there for the Chinese trade. Chinese would come from Mainland China to attend these casinos. The boat took us out on the Mekong river passing Myanmar and over to Laos. Here we debarked the ship and were led to an outdoor market where we could purchase contraband items. The easy highlight of this foray was the whiskey bottles that contained cobras and scorpions. We all were given shots of the whiskey which was very strong. And, I bought a bottle with a cobra to take back to the states.
After a nondescript lunch we took a short ride to the town of Mae Sai. This a border town with Myanmar that has tons of shopping in addition to an entrance to Myanmar. Unfortunately visas were required for entry so the best we could do was peer across the connecting bridge.
Another short ride took us to an area that contained two native tribes (Akha and Yao). Here we observed their living conditions and had another opportunity to purchase some of handicrafts. They lived quite primitively by our standards but they seemed content with their lot. Quite often young adults leave for jobs in the larger towns and never return.
Two more hours of driving brought us back to Chiang Mai.
To see photos taken during the tour click here.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thailand 08 Tiger Kingdom Pictures
Thailand 07 Tiger Kingdom
One day Marc and I took a taxi to Tiger Kingdom which is located in the hills not far from Steve's place. The 25 minute ride up and back cost us about $15 and the driver waited over an hour for us at the park.
The park is a well organized venue. We were met at the entrance by an employee who explained our options in a very passable English. There were four choices: Spend time with a tiger cub, a small tiger, a mature tiger, or all three. We opted for the big one. The place is nicely laid out offering a veranda from which one can view the big tiger enclosure. We became acquainted with how the process worked and were thus ready to meet our beast. However, first we were made to read the rules of tiger engagement and had to sign off that the park could not be held liable if anything gruesome were to happen.
Then we entered a gated enclosure about the size of a football field where 3 full grown tigers awaited. We (Marc and I) were assigned a beautiful 1 year old female (about 7 feet tall and 500 pounds) and her 2 trainers (about 5 feet tall and 120 pounds). But, they were well armed with flimsy bamboo sticks and were prepared to use them. Happily no animals or humans were injured during our 20 minutes ( it seemed like an hour).
She had just exited from the swimming pool and was quite content to sit around or play with the trainers. Marc and I were allowed to approach her from the rear and pet her. She didn't seem to mind except once (see the picture sequence). The trainers were very careful with us and we appreciated it a great deal. It was fun but I was happy to finally be on the other side of the fence.
To see our pictures, click here.
The park is a well organized venue. We were met at the entrance by an employee who explained our options in a very passable English. There were four choices: Spend time with a tiger cub, a small tiger, a mature tiger, or all three. We opted for the big one. The place is nicely laid out offering a veranda from which one can view the big tiger enclosure. We became acquainted with how the process worked and were thus ready to meet our beast. However, first we were made to read the rules of tiger engagement and had to sign off that the park could not be held liable if anything gruesome were to happen.
Then we entered a gated enclosure about the size of a football field where 3 full grown tigers awaited. We (Marc and I) were assigned a beautiful 1 year old female (about 7 feet tall and 500 pounds) and her 2 trainers (about 5 feet tall and 120 pounds). But, they were well armed with flimsy bamboo sticks and were prepared to use them. Happily no animals or humans were injured during our 20 minutes ( it seemed like an hour).
She had just exited from the swimming pool and was quite content to sit around or play with the trainers. Marc and I were allowed to approach her from the rear and pet her. She didn't seem to mind except once (see the picture sequence). The trainers were very careful with us and we appreciated it a great deal. It was fun but I was happy to finally be on the other side of the fence.
To see our pictures, click here.
Thailand 06 Chiang Mai Markets Pictures
Night Bazaar
Typical sidewalk view
Artists sketching from photos
Information about Garra fish
Garra de-scaling customer feet
Wanna buy a nice watch?
Walking Street Market
Typical scene
Making Pad Thai with scrambled eggs
Strawberrys for sale
More goodies
Warorot Market
Scene outside market
Motor bikes parked at market
Dried fruits and nuts
Typical sidewalk view
Artists sketching from photos
Information about Garra fish
Garra de-scaling customer feet
Wanna buy a nice watch?
Walking Street Market
Typical scene
Making Pad Thai with scrambled eggs
Strawberrys for sale
More goodies
Warorot Market
Scene outside market
Motor bikes parked at market
Dried fruits and nuts
Thailand 05 Chiang Mai Markets
There are quite a number of markets in the city. We had opportunities to spend time in 3 notable ones: The Evening Bazaar, The Walking Street Market, and the Warorot Market.
On our second night we walked a few blocks to the very famous Evening Bazaar. Here, on a very busy main street in the middle of town, this market dominates both sidewalks for about 8 blocks. It opens at dusk and closes around 10 PM. The vendors quickly set up and take down their stalls every day. Almost anything you can consider is available here, particularly for tourists. There are two particularly intriguing venues that can be seen here. One is an area where artists draw life-like sketches of people directly from photos to canvas. They are very talented and draw quite rapidly. The other is a large fish tank containing dozens of a particular type of small fish called Garra that are excellent de-scalers of feet and legs. Customers dip their legs in the tank and are immediately "attacked" by the fish who begin to nibble away at the exposed flesh. The end result is that a microscopic layer of skin is efficiently removed.
The Walking Street Market runs only on Sunday Evenings and is located in the old-town section of the city. Here again there are many stalls selling much of the same things as the Night Bazaar but with a greater emphasis on handicrafts and a greater variety of snack food as well as little restaurants. It has become as famous as the Night Bazaar.
The Warorot Market is adjacent to the Chinatown section of the city and has a greater emphasis on raw food ranging from fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat. It is open all day and unlike the other markets mentioned above is in a immense three story building. It's an amazing place and like all the markets it was mobbed with people but most of the customers were not tourists.
To see pictures taken at these markets, click here.
On our second night we walked a few blocks to the very famous Evening Bazaar. Here, on a very busy main street in the middle of town, this market dominates both sidewalks for about 8 blocks. It opens at dusk and closes around 10 PM. The vendors quickly set up and take down their stalls every day. Almost anything you can consider is available here, particularly for tourists. There are two particularly intriguing venues that can be seen here. One is an area where artists draw life-like sketches of people directly from photos to canvas. They are very talented and draw quite rapidly. The other is a large fish tank containing dozens of a particular type of small fish called Garra that are excellent de-scalers of feet and legs. Customers dip their legs in the tank and are immediately "attacked" by the fish who begin to nibble away at the exposed flesh. The end result is that a microscopic layer of skin is efficiently removed.
The Walking Street Market runs only on Sunday Evenings and is located in the old-town section of the city. Here again there are many stalls selling much of the same things as the Night Bazaar but with a greater emphasis on handicrafts and a greater variety of snack food as well as little restaurants. It has become as famous as the Night Bazaar.
The Warorot Market is adjacent to the Chinatown section of the city and has a greater emphasis on raw food ranging from fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat. It is open all day and unlike the other markets mentioned above is in a immense three story building. It's an amazing place and like all the markets it was mobbed with people but most of the customers were not tourists.
To see pictures taken at these markets, click here.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Thailand 04 Chiang Mai Flower Parade Pictures
Float beauty
Vendor selling sparrows for releasing during parade
Marc with nice American couple
Colorful float
Older ladys marching
Another beauty
Native band
So pretty
Thailand 03 Chiang Mai Flower Flower Parade
Chiang Mai Flower Parade
Steve and I met Marc in the city and we walked a few blocks to the street where the annual Flower Parade was to take place. The street was closed to traffic and we arrived there but a few minutes before it began.
It was composed of: 1) flowered floats containing beautiful young women; 2) marching bands from various schools and other organizations, marching groups wearing colorful outfits, and various assorted individuals just strolling along.
It was a joyous affair: very colorful, very loud, and very enthusiastic. And, it went on forever. We left after a few hours but found out that we didn't see half of it.
Click here to see some pictures.
Steve and I met Marc in the city and we walked a few blocks to the street where the annual Flower Parade was to take place. The street was closed to traffic and we arrived there but a few minutes before it began.
It was composed of: 1) flowered floats containing beautiful young women; 2) marching bands from various schools and other organizations, marching groups wearing colorful outfits, and various assorted individuals just strolling along.
It was a joyous affair: very colorful, very loud, and very enthusiastic. And, it went on forever. We left after a few hours but found out that we didn't see half of it.
Click here to see some pictures.
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