Hi Villagefarang ,

I was there a few months ago ;

now it's close every day from 12 to 1 pm and open only at 9 am in the morning; I think it's a little bit too late.

It's like that since a few years ; I thought it was recent ..No ! in february 2012 it was already like that...

As we can read often on this forum, " quality tourists " ; they are everywhere in Thailand...

I thought about doing 70 kms on my bike today but it was just too hot. I ended up doing 55 km which considering the heat and not riding for over a week is probably not that bad. In spite of the heat, it was a beautiful ride with an abundance of flowering trees. Pink and purple are the most common in our area but yellow and bright orange can be seen here and there.

You are right Villagefarang;

I did 92 km today;

it's too much with these so hot temperatures .

Coming back, I stopped many times to have a little rest and drink, drink, even sometimes my water was as hot as the sun outside ...

If I go tomorrow,

first leaving the house as early as possible ( 05h30 am ) and do maximum 70/80 km so I can come back the house before it's too hot ( beginning between 10 and 10.30 am )

This is still one of my favorite shots taken while out on the mtb a couple years ago. It shows some of the best features of the area where I live from a vantage point that was very hard to get to.

Here is a little section of road I enjoy riding on. I seldom encounter anything other than farm equipment or scooters.

Never been to the white temple.

I haven't posted a sunset shot for a while. Here is one by our pond.

Here is a shot from this afternoon. Bike on a bridge over the River Ing.

I just love our Chiang Rai Sky.

I like bamboo for some reason but have to guard it with my life to keep the relatives from eating every shoot that comes up. This year’s shoots are twice a big as last year and they grow really fast if left alone.

Another beautiful Chiang Saen sunrise this morning

This photo shows an awareness of composition, actually most of yr pics do, most of the rest don't.

Believe it or not, it is possible to give a compliment without putting everyone else down in the process. Then again, your posting history makes it clear that any positive comments you make are just a smoke screen to cover your true intent.

Believe it or not, it is possible to give a compliment without putting everyone else down in the process. Then again, your posting history makes it clear that any positive comments you make are just a smoke screen to cover your true intent.

Don't feed the trolls VF

A recent Chiang Rai Photography Club outing (very early reside) allowed me to capture these and many more

Believe it or not, it is possible to give a compliment without putting everyone else down in the process. Then again, your posting history makes it clear that any positive comments you make are just a smoke screen to cover your true intent.

Don't feed the trolls VF

Good advice. I will try to remember that when he reappears under a new name.

More over the Mekong

Just a couple of iPhone sunset shots from today.

You get better photos out of your iPhone than I do out of my iPad.

I took this at Doi Chaang on Saturday, emailed it to myself and this is the result.

I suspect that it's something I'm not doing right rather than the fault of the iPad.

Stopped off at this new temple on the way to Chiang Mai the other day. It is near Mae Suai so still in Chiang Rai, I think. Again these are iPhone shots.

Another place to show my family. Thanks VF

I started seeing Open Billed Storks on my bike rides a year or two ago but only recently have they visited the fields right in front of our house. Always in large groups of maybe 50 to 100 and beautiful to watch in flight. Huge birds and glide like vultures. Without a zoom they are very hard to photograph because they are very skittish and hard to sneak up on. This was the best I could do before they all flew away.

Has anyone checked out the new Canon Coolpix P900 83x zoom camera, amazing.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3145258/The-camera-doubles-TELESCOPE-Nikon-s-Coolpix-83x-zoom-camera-powerful-moon-moving.html

Edit: link added

Has anyone checked out the new Canon Coolpix P900 83x zoom camera, amazing.

Its a Nikon P900 and presently not available here but you can pick it up in KL for around 22,000baht.

I get anywhere near these guys and they are gone but I did get closer today.

I get anywhere near these guys and they are gone but I did get closer today.

Same here, one day I'll get them! Great shot Villagefarang.

Wow all the pics are stunning and I can now look at them without crying as we are coming back to Chiang rai soon after living in UK for past year. Big mistake returning home!

Has anyone checked out the new Canon Coolpix P900 83x zoom camera, amazing.

Its a Nikon P900 and presently not available here but you can pick it up in KL for around 22,000baht.

Thanks, I have Canon on the brain of late. This was the link that didn't take the first time.

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Compact-Digital-Cameras/COOLPIX-P900.html

Looks a little like rain.

Another stunning evening in Phayamengrai, Chiang Rai. We had to cut our evening walk a little short to avoid the ravages of wind and rain. It sure was beautiful, though.

A couple of recent views from the house. Interesting weather we are having these days. Starting to get some burning in the hills too. Probably the result of pruning the Lamyai trees after the harvest, at least in our area.