A cyclo driver takes a lunch break in the grounds of a wat (temple)

Chiang Mai, Thailand, January, 2005

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Chinese New Year parade in Chiang Mai. The Thais celebrate western New Year and Thai New Year (Songkran) too, in April. The western New Year holiday time is the most dangerous time to be on the roads – usually 1000 people are killed in accidents each year over that week. Traffic police finish their work at sunset, so anarchy rules at night.

Chiang Mai, N. Thailand, February, 2002

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I spotted this 1949 Vauxhall Wyvern while I was taking a shortcut on my bicycle through the grounds of a wat (temple) in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai, Thailand, February, 2002

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Daihatsu made three-wheelers from 1930 (motorcycle triporteur style with the pick-up bed behind). The first 3-wheeler car, the Daihatsu Bee, was produced in 1951.

The company was taken over by Toyota in 1966 and ceased manufacturing 3-wheelers in 1976.

I spotted this delightful little Daihatsu three wheeler on Moon Muang St in Chiang Mai.

Chaing Mai, Thailand, January, 2005

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Thailand has many interesting vintage and customized vehicles. A trend developed in the late 1990’s to turn old splitscreen VW campers into cocktail bars. This one, which was parked for a while around the corner from the traveller hub of Koa Sarn Rd, has an miniature vintage Thai house perched on the back, covering the cocktail bar.

Bangkok, Thailand, March, 2002

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Catering three-wheeler motorycles are a very common sight on Thai roads. This is Mai Sai, with the mountains of Burma in the background.

Like many border towns, Mai Sai is a one-horse one-street town. In the extreme north of Thailand, it leads into the very wild north-east area of Burma, which until recently was the personal fiefdom of the drug czar Khun Sa. Since he was officially ‘deposed’ it was taken over unofficially in the late 1990’s by the Burmese government – one of the most repressive regimes in the World – who, by the forced migration of most of the population, developed the area into one of the world’s largest producers of amphetemine, opium and other illegal drugs.

Westerners who fancy a day out can get an early morning bus up from Chiang Mai, cross the border into Burma, deposit their passport at immigration, have a few hours exploring the Burmese side (very depressing) and then cross back into Thailand with a new 2 months Thai visa.

Mai Sai, N. Thailand, c1998

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This typical Thai three-wheeler delivery motorcycle zooms down Koa Sarn Rd, past a bootleg CD/ DVD stall

Banglamphu, Bangkok, January, 2005

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Anyone would be hard put to describe Thailand as a religious place: it has one of the most violent societies in Asia; although most tourists don’t know this, as the violence is Thai-on-Thai. For example, the government’s 3 month schedule in 2002 to eradicate the problem of amphetamine trafficking was a worthy cause; but it included the proviso that the governors of the provinces making the least drug arrests would be replaced.

The police and army run crime in Thailand. So they appreciated the opportunity to remove opponents. As a result, 3000 ‘addicts’ and ‘dealers’ were killed by police hit squads around the country in 3 months; a bullet in the back (’suspects killed during arrest’) is how Thailand’s police have always traditionally avoided extra paperwork and over-crowded prisons.

Nevertheless, on the surface, Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second city, is a serene place, with more wats (temples) than any other place I’ve visited. It also has over 50 vegetarian restaurants, and I enjoyed living and working here for many years.

This is a temple car, used as a float in parades.

Chiang Mai, Thailand, February, 2002