savory Chinese donuts frying, Hua Hin market
dried chilli-shrimp mixtures for cooking, Hua Hin market
the fresh fish section of Hua Hin market
vendor of chillies, cooking tamarind and aromatic herbs
monks making their rounds in Hua Hin market for donations
frying spicy shrimp cakes
squid-drying cottage business along the coast in Pranburi
dried squid
Punyaban waterfall near Ranong
commercial fishing boat returning to Kuraburi pier
Mu Koh Surin National Marine Park
kayaking in the channel between North and South Surin islands
a boulder on Mai Ngarm Bay
a Malayan flying lemur hanging onto the trunk of a tree
red rainforest leaf
snorkeling the reefs of the national marine park
the boats of Moken sea gypsies settled on the south island
a Moken sea gypsy boy
posing with the Moken ancestral totems
a wood carving of a Moken ancestor
sea gypsy homes on a quiet cove
sea gypsy family entering their home
playful Moken sea gypsy girls
a sea gypsy boy negotiates the steps of his home
a home with a view
Moken grandma
another Moken grandma looking out the door of her home
lovely sea gyspsy girls
morning light on a calm bay
national park service longtail boats
fishing boats at Kuraburi pier on our return
fan palm at the jungle lodge in Kuraburi
a variety of tropical bird-of-paradise
bird-of-paradise
birdlike heliconia
waxy torch ginger flower
a fried chicken and sausage vendor at Takua Pa market
crisp-fried shrimp with herbs
mother and girls in a Muslim roti and rice shop
dishing up yellow chicken rice ("kao moek gkai"), a common southern dish
pan-frying roti bread
a plate of delicious rotis
... served with chicken curry
making a meat-stuffed mataba roti
topping filling with lettuce
a plate of cut-up stuffed mataba roti
a scrumptious roti lunch
view of limestaone karsts along the mountainous road to the lake
cooing off with cold, refreshing roasted young coconuts
serene karst view on Chiowlan Lake
spectacular karst scenery on Chiowlan Lake
spectacled dusky langurs (leaf monkeys) scramble up and down the karsts
taking a swim in the lake surrounded by limestone karsts
a colorful school of orange- tailed and finned barbs
sharing a late afternoon drink on the longtail boat surrounded by magnificent scenery
sunset light on a tall limestone karst
boating to our park lodging on the lake
sunset on the lake
morning light on the lake
morning fog cloaks the karsts
paddling on the lake
view from the hillside dining area
boats negotiating their way through the karsts
local boys swimming at the pier
a pig-tail macaque greets visitors at a training center
training a young monkey to pick coconuts
audience participation
monkey picking from a real tree
shaking hands with visitors
monkey rides a tricycle
the Sunday market in Nakhon Sri Thammarat
a shrimp paste and fermented fish vendor
Wat Mahathat with the solid gold spire atop its sacred chedi (stupa) – one of the South's oldest and most holy temples
Buddha images in the gallery
pilgrims praying
a Buddha image inside the chedi
relief of a celestial being on a wall inside the chedi
a tall standing Buddha
golden Buddha in princely attire
gold-leafed Buddha image
gold-leafed Earth Mother Goddess
a novice in an ordination ceremony
a newly ordained monk
young monks in a pilgrimage to Wat Mahathat
a fresh fruit street cart
old wooden temple building juxtaposed with the new, in Nakhon S.T.
one of the many carved panels on the wall of the old wooden temple
guardians of the stairway to the chapel
food stall, Nakhon S.T. night market
Nakhon S. T. night market
local boys excited to meet foreign tourists
shadow puppet play, an integral part of southern culture
tooling a large leather cut of Hanuman, the monkey god
weaving "yan lipao" fern vine basketry at a royally sponsored training center
elementary school students demonstrate the "Manora" dance complete with beaded costumes
"Manora" dance requires years of physical training and is unique to southern culture
the amazing "Manora" dance tells a long legendary story
the student dancers in a small town south of Nakhon S.T.
our trip members mingle with the dancers after the show
getting a picture taken with the talented girls
other students in the school excited by visiting foreign tourists
teacher and students bidding our group a fond farewell
very large reclining Buddha on Koh Yaw, an island in Lake Songkla
taking a picture of the detail on the soles of the Buddha's feet
a Koh Yaw resdient makes shrimp paste from shrimp scooped from the lake
jars of shrimp paste ready for market
a grasshopper on the island
fish farms extending into the lake from Koh Yaw island's banks
workers in the cooperative weaving center on Koh Yaw
a Koh Yaw weaver
weaving Koh Yaw's unique cotton cloth
exquisitely fresh and delicious seafood in one of Koh Yaw's waterfront restaurants
silhouette of Songkla's Naga spewing water into the lake at sunset
the South's most amazing roti flipper!
skillful flinging of a supersize roti
frying up rotis for our group
a small temple near Samila Beach in Songkla
a reclining Buddha in the temple
Songkla National Museum, housed in the former governor's Chinese-style mansion
veranda on the second floor
a painted "gkaw lae" fishing boat
a cascade in a Songkla park
border market on the Malaysian side
local girls in a rainforest park by the border
sunset on Pakbara beach
Koh Khai, a beautiful small island of Tarutao National Marine Park
a natural stone arch on Koh Khai
seaview through the arch's opening
clear, warm waters invite swimmers
taking a walk along the pristine white-sand beach
a long-tail boat parked on the beach
a lovely curved cove on Koh Khai
big boulders on an islet of Tarutao Marine National Park
perfectly balanced rock
the unique black pebble beach of Koh Hin Ngarm in Tarutao Marine National Park
the shiny wet pebbles on the beach
sunset on Koh Lipeh where we stay
a visit to a famous home-grown Trang bakery
sunrise over Thale Noi, a swampy inlet of huge Lake Songkla
Thale Noi is home to a large population of resident and migratory birds
a birding trip to Thale Noi in Phattalung
birding from a boat in the early morning
waterlilies on the lake
a colorful marsh hen
lovely pink lotus flower
beautiful white lotus flower
flying great egret
a fisherman laying fish traps
a fisherman preparing to cast his fishing net
a fisherman lowering a strung fishing net
riding into a cave in Trang on a rowboat
stalactites
bubbling strawlike cave formations
a chamber in the cave
curtain formation
emerging from the long belly of the dragon cave
a southern-Thai hand-painted batik
an artist painting stretched fabric
cascading stream flowing from the cave of a limestone karst in a rainforest park
soaking in the warm waters and natural jacuzzis of the unusual waterfall hotsprings in Krabi
taking a nature walk through wet lowland rainforest in Khao Nor Chu Chi National Park
twining old woody vines
a beautiful fan palm endemic to southern Thailand
palms along the nature trail
a pool along the trail
mineral water from thermal springs in the mountains flows down to a large natural pool
soaking and swimming in the lovely natural Crystal Pool
a natural ledge at the edge of the pool perfect for relaxing and soaking
a natural jacuzzi of mineral spring water
blooming wild orchids by Crystal Pool
extruding fresh "kanom jeen" rice noodles, a common southern food, especially for breakfast
scooping up the cooked noodles with a woven bamboo basket
an open assembly hall of Tiger Cave forest monastery in Krabi
Buddha images in a cavern of the monastery
the huge buttress of a rainforest tree
an entwined woody vine climbing a tree
boating along the mangroves of Ao Luk in Krabi province
boating through a cave beneath a limestone karst
prehistoric paintings on the ceiling of a cave along the mangrove swamp
petroglyphs in red at impossible heights in the cave
longtail boats for hire at the pier of Hat Nopparat Thara
boating down the dramtic Krabi coast to Phranang beach
picturesque karst scenery on Phranang beach
colorful painted longtail boat across the channel from Koh Poda
the main beach on Koh Poda
a sheltered cove of Phi Phi Islands Marine National Park
returning from a loop in the spectacular karst-encircled lagoon of Phi Phi Ley island
a pod of dolphins swimming through a reef
the breathtaking scenery of Maya Bay in Phi Phi Islands Marinre National Park
dramatic karsts, crysal clear sea and dazzling white-sand beach of Maya Bay
sunset on Koh Poda
dance performance at our farewell dinner in Bangkok
