Central and Northern Thailand off the beaten track

Below a selection of pictures from our trip to Thailand in April 2010. We had planned to stay just a bit over 2 weeks, but because of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption, we were obliged to stay in Bangkok another 5 extra days.

View from our hotel room in Ayutthaya, capital of ancient kingdom of Siam, surrounded by rivers.


Ayutthaya, ruins of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet and remainings of a Buddha statue.



Refugee camp close to Burmese border.



Village Ban Tha Song Yang: just a short swim away from Burma; 40 degrees Celsius in the shadow.





Mae Sariang: view of river and image of image of the king - which is present at the entrance of every town in Thailand.



Poi Sang Long festival is a Buddhist novice ordination ceremony unique to the province of Mae Hong Son. Young boys aged between 7 and 14 are ordained as novices to learn the Buddhist doctrines.



Idyllic hut and lotus flower in the surroundings of Mae Sariang.



Our hut for 3 nights in the area of Mae Hong Son (town).


Wat(temple) Chong Kham and Wat Chong Klang in Mae Hong Son.



Elephant and boat trip in Mae Hong Son province.





Village of Long neck women: the people wearing these brass rings belong to the Karen group, who has a distinct language and culture from the Thai. They live in isolated hill areas in northern Thailand and also in Burma and Laos.







Mae Hong Son: temple, rice fields, impressions, trekking and bamboo rafting.






Chiang Dao: trekking around the second highest mountain in Thailand, temple, market.






Children throwing water on the car: something one sees just all the time during the Thai New Year - Songkran festival (2010: 13 to 15 April).


Mae Salong: a border town with a Chinese touch, with tea plantations dominating the landscape.





Surroundings of Chiang Rai, where we met some "friends of friends (Switzerland)", who belong to the Akha hill tribe, which has its origins in Tibet.






At the Mekong river, on the border to Laos and Burma.






An elephant with artistic gifts.


A typical Thai house for Rachel and André.




The Thai do really love flowers, orchids above all.











Rawee Waree, a resort north of Chiang Mai that I am not able to describe with words.









Bangkok: Royal Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha








Bangkok by night - view from rooftop bars





Bangkok by boat





The bridge on the river Kwai




Tiger Temple, or Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, in the Kanchanaburi province