Busloads of novice monks arrived as we were visiting Phu Ping Palace, where the King and Queen often stay in Chiang Mai. 

Young novice monks walk through the beautiful gardens at Phu Ping Palace in Chiang Mai. 

I'm constantly amazed when you can walk down to the bottom of a cave and find beautiful statues like these right there in front of you. 

A Buddha statue near the temple caves. 

A newly constructed serpent head temple in Chiang Mai. 

Palong hilltribe children hang out in the shade, away from the sweltering heat, ready to sell hilltribe crafts. 

Our tour guide, Dao, shows us a bible that has been translated into a hilltribe language. 

A Palong woman by a house. 

A precious picture of a 92 year old grandmother from the Akha hilltribe.  

The kitchen, with a coal stove, and pet dog, inside a hilltribe house, where the men sleep on one side, and the women sleep on the other. 

A traditional house from the Palong tribe. 

Women from the Akha hilltribe come over to show us their handicrafts for purchase. 

Hilltribe children play jacks, with their buffaloes in the background. 

A family of little Wilburs play under a house. 

We drove by a household having an afternoon traditional ceremony to dance the spirits away. 

Garbage cans in a town near Chiang Mai. (Since my mom works for the EPA in recycling, I was asked to take a lot of pictures of garbage.) 

The baby elephant raises the flag... 

...and elephants can paint! 

Nina and I pose for our picture before we trek through the jungle...I think our elephant is even smiling! 

Every now and then our elephants would stop for a midday snack. 

Our driver sits on the neck of the elephant and rests his feet on the elephant's ears. 

Walking through the jungle...Geez that rope around the tail's gotta be uncomfortable! 

Mom and Gary are led by their elephant into the river. 

Nina and Tanya say "Cheese!" in our lovely river headgear. 

Phu with his special goggles ready to play with hula hoops at Bamrung Wittaya School in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Photo courtesy of Christy.