Recent Events

Chiang Mai


Snow in Thailand

Christmastime in Chiang Mai. Look at the kids at the bottom portion of the video. Soap bubbles are as close as they’ll ever get to real snow. And they still love it!


New Year’s Fireworks 2024

This is the fireworks show from the Shangri-La Hotel right next to my condo. You can also see the many fireworks going off around the city.


Honesty is the Best Policy


Don’t Try This At Home!

You see this all the time in Northern Thailand. People leave their belongings on a table or chair and stroll off to who knows where with the full expectation that their stuff will still be there and untouched while they’re gone. And they’re right!

Westerners get a kick out of it. The Thais think nothing of it. 


The Ping River Overflows Its Banks – 2022

The Thai people take it in stride. Nobody panics.


Halloween Night 2022 – Nimman Area

The scariest we saw. I think that younger kid just put a curse on me! HA!
The cutest kid of the night.
I saw those eyes from across the room… and they scared me!

Meanwhile at Maya Mall

Two squads of dance teams do their own “Thriller” style of routines at the entrance to Maya Mall. In the end they run at the camera for a scary ending.


Astra Sky River Condo With Insane Rooftop Pool!

The Astra Sky River Condo is finally complete and ready for move-in. It also features a fully equipped gym (not shown in video).

Grocery Store Robots

Grocery Store Robots

They’ve been around for a couple years now so I guess people really do try products on sale from these robots carts. Funny!


A Sideways Hole-in-the-Wall

Located at the NE corner of the Old City.


Walking Her Pet Turtle

For real!


Pantry of Sharing

These free Snack Kiosks have sprung up all over Thailand. The official name the Thai Government calls them is “Pantry of Sharing.” 

The Google Translate App allows the camera on your phone to translate signs and labels in real-time from one language to another. It’s a powerful app.


Wuhan Virus – Food Relief Lines

Thailand is resilient. The Thai people made it though the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis just fine. That collapse sent the Thai currency down from 25 Baht to the Dollar to a record 56 Baht to the Dollar and shuttered business throughout the country. But there was no starvation and the country continued to chug along until their recovery in 2001. (I continued to vacation in Thailand and release travel videos yearly during those lean years). The Thais will come out of this 2020 crisis just fine.

The Wuhan Virus pandemic does not equal famine. Food is abundant in Thailand. And for Thais who have lost their jobs during the lockdown, it’s available for free.

The video above simply serves to show how the system is working in Chiang Mai. 


Place Holders in Food Lines

Between meals the Thais leave place holders on the sidewalk for the next meal. Like Westerners leaving their towels on the beach in the morning to hold their spots. Look to the left as you watch the video and you’ll see umbrellas, personal bags, bottles of water, whatever to designate their space when the food line opens up again. All the way around the corner!

Not only do people leave this stuff alone, but you can bet there’s no cutting in line either.

The honor system here is outstanding.


Clean City Streets

Visitors to Chiang Mai, Thailand are quick to notice the lack of trash on the city streets. There are no strict laws in place like in Singapore, where they heavily fine you if you litter on the street. It’s simply a different mindset over here. 


Thailand Spirit Houses – Explained

In places like Phuket where horn honking is routine (NOT Chiang Mai) every driver will toot their horn as they pass the larger roadside spirit houses.


Park Library Phone Booths

A walk through the park and a mobile clothing/shoe repair shop couple.


Fried Ice Cream

Randomly walking down the streets of the Old City I found an old couple setting up their Fried Ice Cream Truck in front of a temple for late night snacks.


Halloween

It has become a thing over here, only because the Thais like holidays, especially if they get to dress up in wacky outfits. They also like to dress up for Christmas (for two whole months).

The kids don’t go house to house in search of Halloween candy. They go to designated areas in each neighborhood.
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IMG_3800The look on this little kid’s face! Like, “What on Earth is going on!” LOL


Hidden Restaurant

VIDEO
Another adventure to see “what’s up there?” It’s been open for 8 months and still no signs anywhere.


Superheroes in the Alley
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Huh? An alley with superheroes busting through the wall. Also note the city streets of Chiang Mai are pretty darn clean.


Fourth of July in Chiang Mai 2019
Steel Bridge
The Steel Bridge over the Ping River in Chiang Mai.
Fireworks Pre-Show
Beside the bridge – The Pro fireworks display during assembly behind the River Market Restaurant where the American Fourth of July celebration dinner and fireworks show was held. It may look dinky, but the fireworks show is long and professional (see video).
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VIDEO
The fireworks view from the Steel Bridge.


Thousands of Thais – and Me!

VIDEO
The Lanna Expo 2019 hits the Chiang Mai Convention Center from June 28 – July 7. Free admission and even free city bus service to/from the venue.


Hill Tribe Dances

VIDEO
On the way to dinner . . . ethnic tribes do their thing. Just another fun night in Chiang Mai.


Moonsoons
Rain Protection
When a monsoon rolls in, the mall workers roll out the duct tape and prepare all the entrances for wet shoes before you step onto the shiny, slippery tile floors.


National Holiday

VIDEO
The Queen’s Birthday June 3rd.


Staying Cool
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When the Hot Season rolls in with daily temps over 100° the hat sellers are the only ones open before noon in the Night Market areas.


A Hole in the Wall Down a Soi (Alleyway)

A stop for cappuccino.


Making Use of Rooftops

I’ve spent little to no time in New York City so I have no idea if this is prevalent in cities all over the world. Since it’s never cold here, I suspect there is a lot more rooftop activity in the tropics than in northern areas of the world.

Anyway, you see this quite a bit in Asia where interior space is at a premium. This is a view from my room at the Westin Grande Hotel in Bangkok. Call it crazy, but to the Westerners who live here, seeing this stuff is part of the “charm” of Thailand.


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Side Trip to Bangkok Nov. 2018

Click Here for the IconSiam Mall trip in Bangkok


Strings of Electric Lanterns

During the Loy Krathong (Yi Peng) Festival (in November), strings of electrified lights are strung up all over the city. What’s amazing is the respect for public property in Thailand. Not only are these nylon lanterns not fooled with for over a week of display, but even if they are on the ground, waiting to be strung up, they are left alone.


Delivery Trucks

You see deliveries all over the city. Often, if the business is not yet open, the delivery truck will simply leave the delivery at the front door for the business when they arrive to open up.

The drink delivery trucks never bother closing the side doors between deliveries. No city delivery driver would try this in the Western world. He’d come back to an empty truck!


Bridge Displays

Poinsettia plants delivered to all the city bridges to be set up for Christmas displays.


Crossing the Street in Thailand

You see this this all day on the streets of Thailand yet a lot of Westerners never seem to grasp the nuance of it. Full Screen is the best way to watch this.


Street Displays

As you walk down the streets in Chiang Mai you see odd little gems. As a Westerner it’s always surprising that the hats and glasses are still there day after day. They wouldn’t last an hour in a Western city.


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In America the cops go to Dunkin’ Donuts for their coffee. In Thailand the cops just pull up to a street vendor for their Thai coffee fix.


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“Out of Business” is a negative connotation and not a sign you see over here, even though places constantly come and go in Thailand all the time. You see signs with wordage like this instead.
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First-Class Overnight Sleeper Train to Bangkok

Video (5 min 46 sec)
I can sleep in a car, bus or plane. But I can’t seem to sleep in a bed on a train. Go figure. Here’s a quick view of the train trip from Chiang Mai to Bangkok.


Microburst 5/29/18

I walk into a microburst wind storm at Maya Mall. Cool!
This food stall alley had been up for two weeks – before this . . .


Songkran Festival (Thai New Year) Nov. 2018
Click photo below to go to Songkran page and see videos.
Splash


Travel Videos
All my past travel videos from 1998-2006 have now been posted to the site (categorized by country/city).


The Monk’s Trail Hike
Added a new page to the Temples Section. I hiked through the jungle along the Monk’s Trail to the Wat Pha Lat (Temple).

Jump to Monk’s Trail Page


Grasshopper Mountain Bike Tour (By Train)

I join a couple from Brazil as we jump on a train to Lamphun. From there we bike northward back to Chiang Mai through the rice fields and countryside, stopping to eat and snack along the way.

A 9 hour, 35 mile trip condensed into 12.5 minutes.


Grasshopper Countryside Mountain Bike Tour

Video (9.5 min)
Keep in mind that Asians try to avoid the equatorial sun as much as possible by wearing long sleeves and gloves or using parasols or magazines held at an angle as they walk outside. The tour guides often cover as much skin as possible when working outdoors.

For best viewing click on the Full Screen button on the lower right hand corner and sit back from the screen to watch the POV image.


Chiang Mai February Flower Festival
Click on the image for a larger view and tap to scroll through the images.


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