Photo Post 3: Local Market, Chiang Mai area (Warning: may be too visceral for some viewers.)

Photo Post 3: Local Market, Chiang Mai area (Warning: may be too visceral for some viewers.)

livevigorously

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

One thing is for sure, the Thai love to eat. And as you can see from the pictures, they eat just about everything. (More so the northerners vs. the southerners.)  In fact, their voracious appetites have cleared nearly all their fauna from the national parks in the North. In 6 days of trekking and mountain biking in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai I didn’t see as much as a squirrel. (Certainly this is true for areas in the States and Europe as well.)

Phra Nang (Princess) Cave, Railay

Phra Nang (Princess) Cave, Railay

livevigorously

The cave above is one of the more unusual sights in Railay…

DSC_0556

What’s amazing about Thailand is how ancient practices blend with the present from animistic to ritualistic. There are fresh flowers and incense is burning in this cave.

In my Chiang Dao cave adventure, our native guide stopped to kneel at the shrine of the hermit who had died in the cave generations ago. And there too, fresh flowers and food offerings.

hermit shrine

Railay Cliffhanger

livevigorously

Of course, I couldn’t resist. Had to choose between the vista point and the lagoon as they were in opposite directions and it was getting dark.

Unfortunately, my videos don’t do justice to the pitch of the ascent and descent. Realize this is nothing to a rock climber, but it got my heart rate going a bit.

Well, it was a cliffhanger for me anyway.

Photo Post 1: Little girl carrying her baby brother, Karen Hill Tribe

livevigorously

This might be my favorite photo of my entire Thailand trip. In one of my trek posts, I mentioned the big hill climb up to the Karen Hill Tribe village.  The morning we departed, this 5-year old girl was walking up the steep, long hill with the umbrella in one hand shielding her 2-week old brother whom she was carrying in her other.

little girl with baby
Big sister

She wasn’t alone. Her mom was by  her side.

Karen hill tribe girl carrying litte bro and Mom