GinaCottonSimpson

This blog contains 134 (yep 134!) photos. To view all of them scroll down and turn the pages. I'll be adding videos to this blog so check back! Up before dawn I drove from Kho Lanta to meet up with the Six Senses people at the Phuket Airport. The drive was fantastic with Krabi Provence being it's lovely self. With no real time issues I was able to make a couple of stops, enjoy views, and purchase some interesting woven fish traps. Being that my car had accumulated unavoidable dings and scrapes, I was nervous to see what the financial damage was going to be. Amazingly the rental dude looked it over, smiled and handed me my reciept....whew. The people from Six Senses were waiting upon me when I arrived. They had matching celery colored linen ... read more

This blog contains 77 photos. To view all of them scroll down and turn the pages. I will be adding more pictures and some cool videos soon so stop back! After 2 nights in Phuket, it was time for my big drive to Kho Lanta. I got a super early start, so I could visit Tiger Wat Cave before it got too hot. Sri Panwa sent me off with a lovely boxed breakfast for the road. It was much easier navigating Phuket Town in the dawn hours than it was in the early afternoon, thus I enjoyed the scenery much more. I thought it was really cool to see the monks out with their bowls collecting morning food alms. Photo-op after photo-op presented itself, but I had no way to stop and take one. This was ... read more

This blog contains 38 photos that follow the many videos. To view all the photos be sure to scroll down and turn the pages. My second day in Chiang Mai comprised of my much anticipated visit to Elephant Nature Park. When planning my trip to Thailand, I had a real dilemma when it came to elephants. I really wanted to see an elephant up close, but I did not want to be in an exploitative situation. Elephant treks and rides were out of the question for me. I know about the phajaan and do not want to support people who continue to inflict this torture. I heard about Elephant Nature Park and checked out their website. Finally I found an option that made me feel decent about getting up close with these magnificent creatures! ENP is ... read more

This blog contains 39 photos. Scroll down and turn page to view all of them. Day four of my trip...time to meet the Black Lahu Hilltribe. I like the Black Lahu! What a gregarious,fun bunch! Their origens are Tibet and Western China. There are many sects and the one I visited is named after their distinct black based clothing. They are animists and have village Shamen who practice herbalsim. A 16 year old boy named 'Chiyo' was assigned to to take me on a trek. He was rather quiet and a departure from his gregarious fellow tribesmen --but I imagine this might have had something to do with being sixteen and having to take an "old lady" on a trek ha ha ha. We started up the mountain and the going was slippery(channel the goat, Gina, ... read more

This blog has 27 photos --please scroll down and turn page to view all of them.Unfortunately I have noted that when using my iPad to upload photos none of my crops or other edits show, so forgive the occasional finger, dark picture etc. I came across Mae Aw while researching my trip to Thailand and instantly decided it was a must see place. It might not be the most spectacular spot in the country, but I find it really unique and cool. The village was settled by Chinese peoples who were members of the Kuomintang Party.The village for all intent and purpose is "Chinese" which gives it an uniqueness. Here is a great synopsis of the village's history found on Legal Nomads: To trace back to original inhabitants of Mae Aw (or as the Thais call ... read more