Ping River view from my hotel room in Chiang Mai
reclining Buddha, Wat Phra Singh
Buddha in main chapel of Wat Phra Singh
naga guarding staircase, Wat Phra Singh
pair of nagas guarding stairway, Wat Chiang Man
Burt watches the ice cream vendor makes a Thai-style sundae
Thai-style coconut ice cream sundae
bright purple parasols drying at the factory, San Kampaeng
worker piecing together the bamboo frames for hand-made paper parasols
artist painting the design onto a garden umbrella
sour sausage, Ban Rai Yam Yen, Chiang Mai
crispy fried lemon grass fish, Ban Rai Yam Yen
fried shrimp cakes with plum sauce, Ban Rai Yam Yen
sour tamarind curry with fried snakehead fish and vegetables, Tha Nam
sticky rice balls stuffed with black sesame paste in warm ginger broth, Tha Nam
black sticky rice patties stacked on banana leaves, Friday Shan market, Chiang Mai
grilled and crisped black sticky rice patty
... sprinkled with sugar, seasonings, chocolate sauce and condensed milk
... and rolled in a banana leaf for eating
Akha hilltribe woman at the Shan market
fruit and vegetable vendor
produce laid out on mats on the ground
custard apples, tangerines and mandarins
Yunnanese pickles anyone?
making fried black sticky rice donuts
black sticky rice donuts frying in the wok
crisp-fried black sticky rice donut dipped in a sweet dark brown syrup
another vendor grilling a black sticky rice patty
Shan woman grilling
sticky rice patty starting to puff up and turn crispy
greens, chayotes, cabbages, green pumpkins, grains and dried beans
turmeric rice squares with fried garlic and cilantro
sweet brown sticky rice squares with peanuts and coconut
packets of steamed chopped pork with spices wrapped in banana leaf
fried foods vendor at the Friday Shan market in Chiang Mai
boy happy with his bag on Doi Suthep
Hmong girl and the naga staircase of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Hmong girl poses
Hmong girl being interviewed for a TV program
glittering gold in the inner courtyard of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
the brilliant gold-plated chedi centerpiece of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
monk circumambulating the sacred golden chedi
... followed by a throng of lay worshippers
Buddha images surrounding the chedi
colorful tiered roof of one of the chapels
a pair of barking singhs (mythical lions)
papaya shakes, Kaeng Ron Ban Suan
hot-and-sour mixed fruit salad, Kaeng Ron Ban Suan
"sai oa" spicy northern sausages and fried "naem" sour sauces
grilled catfish, "sadao" neem flower buds and sweet tamarind sauce
northern hunglay pork curry with ginger
a pair of singhs guarding Wat Jet Yod
the spires of Wat Jet Yod
a levitating figure on the outside wall
the newly restored interior of Wat Jet Yod
a pair of nags at Wat Jet Yod
a monk giving a sermon to students in a tunnel of Wat Umong
vendor frying chicken at Worarot market, Chiang Mai
vendor making coconut pancakes and sweet potato balls
sweet coconut pancakes
flower and incense sets at the flower market
white lotus buds
fragrant garlands keeping fresh on ice
vendor making soft crepes ("thong muan sod")
rolling the crepe after the batter is cooked
rolled sweet coconut and sesame crepes ("thong muan sod")
temple built for the present king on the grounds of the Royal Flora Expo
the centerpiece inside the temple
dragon on the doorway of the Bhutan garden
orchid garden
orchid arrangement for the King's birthday
pounding "kao mao" (green sticky rice with pandan)
hot-and-sour seafood rice noodles, Ruam Sen, Hang Dong
"kao soi" curry noodles with fish, Ruam Sen, Hang Dong
hot-and-sour soup served inside a young coconut, Heun Boran, Chiang Mai
Sally serving the soup
northern-style chopped chicken salad with roasted spices ("lahb kua meuang"), Heun Boran
steamed seafood curry in young coconut ("haw moek maprao awn"), Heun Boran
the alley market of Yaowarat, Bangkok's Chinatown
roast pork and a variety of finished dishes in front of a shop in Chinatown's alley market
monks receiving alms
a vegetable cart
silver pomfret and striped mullet
an assortment of pickles
seaweed salad and salted Chinese dried fruits
stall selling five-spiced soy sauced ducks and poached chickens
fish simmering in a sauce with ginger and pickled garlic
a dragon on the outside wall of a Chinese temple
Ana and Bob on the longtail boat heading for Bangkok Noi canal
a Buddha image from the old Ayuthaya period at Wat Chalaw by the canal
a glittering new section of the temple built in the shape of the Royal Barge
squid cleaning in "Squidville", Pranburi
a worker showing off her squid
a worker laying out whole squid on a wire frame to dry
workers placing the cleaned squid out in the open to dry
squid are dried spread out in steaks as well as whole in tubes
a big squid-drying operation right by the sea
squid are dried whole on these racks by the sea
dried squid ready to be packed for export, Pranburis Marina
the best fried "single sun" squid in Pranburi! Sunee by the sea
stir-fried crab meat with chillies and crisped holy basil, Sunee at Pranburi Marina
very fresh salt-baked jumbo prawns!
crisp-fried grouper topped with three-flavored sauce, Sunee – a great family-run seafood restaurant in Pranburi Marina
Sun in front of Punyaban waterfall, Ranong
frying roti in a shop in Takua Pa
stretching the dough very thin by flipping
stuffed banana roti
plain rotis to eat with curries
Sally and Burt feasting on roti fried bread with chicken and goat curries
stuffed savory mataba roti with sweet-sour hot sauce and cucumber relish
"yum sadet" hot and spicy salad of mixed chopped ingredeints to wrap in "chaploo" leaves, Reun Mai, Krabi
"pak wahn" greens cooked in fresh coconut milk with shrimp, Reun Mai
panaeng beef curry, Reun Mai
barramundi steaks topped with choo chee curry sauce, Reun Mai
crispy-fried turmeric catfish, Reun Mai
fog over the limestone karsts in the morning, view from the Maritime Resort, Krabi
extruding fesh "kanom jeen" rice noodles into a wok of boiling water, Ko Joi, Klong Neua, Krabi
close-up of noodles coming out of the press
rinsing fresh-made noodles in cold water before transferring into individual bowls to be topped with "nahm yah" fish curry sauce
unfinished Chinese temple across the alley from Ko Joi 'kanom jeen' shop
a red dragon climbing a pole
a Chinese saint with the Buddha in his heart
a statue of a saint cleaning his ear
Sally and Burt soaking in the spring-fed Crystal (or Emerald) Pool. Krabi
Sally and Burt by the natural jacuzzi cascade of thermal spring water from the hills
the naturally formed and spring-fed Crystal or Emerald Pool
limestone karst on the Krabi coast
a different view of the same karst
a kayaker gliding over the clear emerald green sea water
beautiful Phranang Beach backed by limestone karsts with caves, Krabi coast
monkey on the fence along the karst trail
rock climber scaling the limestone karst
the bay across the peninsula from Phranang Beach
west Railay Beach
limestone karst, longtail boats and Phranang Beach
limestone karsts behind Koh Poda
Indo-Pacific sergeant major and a school of blue and gold fusilier
a large school of blue and gold fusilier
large school of blue and gold fusilier feeding among the corals
schooll of dusky dottyback
limestone karst and reflection on the calm sea water
long-fin rockcod perched on a rock
common black-spotted pufferfish
a ferry boat passing by our island with the mainland karsts in the background in late afternoon light
first evening's sunset on the island
beautiful light at sunset time
silhouetted karst and sunset skies
"kua gkling" fiery hot southern chopped chicken dish, our first dinner on the island
crispy fried shrimp cakes
steamed red snapper with mushrooms and green onions
Koh Yoong ("mosquito island"), our first snorkeling stop in Phi Phi Marine National Park
parrotfish
Java rabbitfish
the aggressive Indo-Pacific sergeant major
green-spotted giant clam
yellow slingjaw wrasse
damselfish
four-barred wrasse
scribbled pipefish
redbreast or banded splendor wrasse
dusky wrasse or speckled rainbowfish
checkered seaperch or snapper
two giant clams side by side
camouflaged big-spot blenny
cheeklined wrasse
tiny spotted boxfish
spotted coral rockcod
a school of Moorish idol
banded butterflyfish feeding on coral
triangular butterflyfish
triangular butterflyfish and coral
thicklip
black-eye thicklip
a giant crocodile longtom being cleaned by blue-steaked wrasse
black and yellow Bennett's feather star
spotted coralcod
beaked butterflyfish
a pair of lined monocle bream
inside the calm Ao Pileh lagoon of Phi Phi Ley island
surf's up on Ao Ling beach, back side of Phi Phi Don
the sunset skies
second sunset on our island
roast pork with hot-and-sour dipping sauce
hot-and-sour shrimp soup
morning sky before the sunrise
sunrise light over the mainland karsts
fishing boat and the golden sky right before the sunrise
the sun rising above the horizon
the sun's up over a new day
early morning light on the beach and limestone karst
pad thai noodles for breakfast
a school of silver batfish
face to face with a Clark's anemonefish
Clark's anemonefish
a marbled brown giant clam
blue sergeant
large school of jacks
a hermit crab with a lovely shell
the desserted beach on our island
the desserted beach and stormy skies
stir-fried shrimp with chillies and basil
jungle curry with chicken and an assortment of vegetables
fried barracuda with garlic and pepper
sunrise over the coconut palms on our last morning on the island
fish congee for breakfast
longtail boat hauling tourists to the island
Reun Mai's winged bean salad
stir-fried "pak wahn" greens with shrimp, Reun Mai
pan-fried king mackeral steaks with soy sauce, Reun Mai
Reun Mai's smoky roasted eggplant salad
fried barramundi stir-fried with red curry, Reun Mai
the best green curry of the trip! at Reun Mai
fried mussel cake with egg and beansprouts, Aw Taw Kaw market, Bangkok
an assortment of spicy shrimp and fish mixtures to eat with rice, Aw Taw Kaw market
spicy northeastern rice salad with sour sausage, Vientiane Kitchen, Bangkok
batter-fried eggplant salad, Vientiane Kitchen
"miang bplah chon" fried serpent-head fish to wrap with various tidbits and sauce in "chaploo" leaves, Vientiane Kitchen
charcoal-grilled chicken with two kinds of dipping sauces, Vientiane Kitchen
"bplah boran" crisped seaperch with seasoned fried herbs, Vientiane Kitchen
smoked crispy fried pork leg with skin, Vientiane Kitchen
dance performance during our farewell dinner at Vientiane Kitchen
the lively northeastern bamboo dance
