the written word through a bubble...

The Painted word...

Coloured Baubles...

Vietnamese Wine with a scorpion and cobra..supposedly good for rheumatism!!! Eeeeks.....

Local Art depicting the magnificence of the Angkor wat

Bayon, Angkor Thom, Siam Reap

Gate leading to Angkor Thom, Siam Reap, Cambodia

A stark reminder of past atrocities......

Iron Shackles used for the detainees in Tuol Sleng...

Implements of Torture used by the Khmer Rouge...

Iron cots and shackles...and a photograph depicting a prisoner executed by the Khmer Rouge in Tuol Sleng...

Busts of Pol Pot in theTuol Sleng Museum..

Skulls (punctured by hoes and axes) of victims in the Choeung Ek Memorial..

Dingy cells constructed within classrooms in Tuol Sleng (a former school)...

Tuol Sleng Secret Prison / S-21

Genocide carried out by the Khmer Rouge....

Sites of mass graves...

Choeung Ek Memorial for Genocidal Victims, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Interiors of a restaurant in Mae Sot...Thailand

Travelling on a long tail boat on the River Salaween, Thailand

Temples at the Sukhothai Park..

Say Cheese....! :)

** All smiles for the camera. Children at the migrant school in Mae Sot, Northern Thailand

Delicious Vegetarian Thai Organic food in Mae Sariang, Northern Thailand

Interiors of the airport at Sukhothai, Thailand

The interiors of the airport....the seating area probably seats not more than 50-60 people and there is just one guard in the entire building. Open on three sides with a wooden roof and orchids blooming in a riot of colours, the ambience is just too good to be true!!!! The landing strip is amidst fields dotted with lillies and other flowers of a vibrant hue....

The airport at Sukhothai, Thailand...

*It resembles more of a resort than an airport. One of the best airports I have been to ...small and very personalized...a wonderful experience....

Countryside in Northern Thailand....

A veil of mist on the River Salaween...

River Salaween is the longest free flowing river in the Mekong region and is the subject of much debate currently owing to being a proposed dam site. The river flows between Burma and Thailand. The mountain on the far end is in Burma, while the photo has been taken standing in Thai territory!!!

The Spirited Lady.......Aung San Swu Kyi!

Stupas at the Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai, Thailand

Orchids blooming in the airport at Chiang Mai, Thailand

Orchids in Mae Sot...

Pink Frangipani blooming in Mae Sot, Northern Thailand...

Observations of life in Bangkok on the first day.....

The place where I am putting up is within the university campus. The University is centrally located with the financial district running parallel to it. Crossing roads here are a bit like India. The cars don't seem to wait for anyone. One just has to take the chance and cross it. Other than buses and the sky train, the most common means of transporation is the 'tuk tuk', which is a modified auto rickshaw, with a larger seating capacity. The streets are relatively clean, lined with trees.

The youth are quite fashionable...mostly with punk hairdos, earrings and coloured hair in mohawk style!!! Many a times, its difficult differentiating between a boy and a girl..truly unisex clothing is the fashion statement here!!!

Will update on the observations....