Welcome to another week of Travel Photo Thursday. This has been a week of computer challenges. I opened up my relatively new (less than a year old) Lenova laptop on the weekend and was greeted by the dreaded blue screen. In the end I had to reformat the computer, and have spent my free time this week downloading and installing programs, etc. etc. I also had to recover a lot of photos, and am now in the process of reorganizing them and getting them on to my portable hard drive. Actually, it was a huge surprise to me that I had not already done so. It seems that when I was traveling this past winter I downloaded many photos to my C drive with the intent of moving them to my back up hard drive, and forgot to do it!

This week I am pleased to announce a contest. Simply paste your Travel Photo Thursday link in Mr. Linky below, and like Budget Travelers Sandbox on Facebook. The contest is open until midnight this coming Sunday. On Monday I will pick a name at random and one lucky person will win a copy of “Thai Cooking: Step by Step”.

To join in the Travel Photo Thursday fun simply post a photo on your blog. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post.

Please note: Travel Photo Thursday is open to all individual travel bloggers. If you are the owner of a commercial travel site/blog, please contact me directly and we can discuss available advertising/sponsorship options.
My email address is nanciemckinnonatgmaildotcom.

Please post a link to a post featuring a travel photo, not simply a link to your blog.

As a courtesy please post a link to Budget Travelers Sandbox. 

If you do tweet a shot, please use the hashtag #TPThursday.

Since I am giving away a Thai cookbook this week, I figured it would be a good idea to feature some Thai food. There is a short alley way in Chiang Mai’s Chinatown that has some of the best street food I have ever tasted. My favorite vendor is a husband and wife team who have been making som tom salad at their alley stall for the past ten years. I love, love, love their salad; THE BEST!

Making the Som tom salad…

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The finished product

I love my som tom VERY spicy. The green sprigs on the side are morning glory. This along with the piece of cabbage help to control the heat in your mouth. Take a bite of either and things will cool down. Like I said before this is the absolute best som tom salad I have every eaten, bar none.

How much, you ask? 35 baht…($1.13US!!); any budget traveler’s dream!!

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Sausage Vendor

I have tried the sausage, and it is also very good. The thing is, once I finish the som tom salad I don’t have room for anything else.

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A view of Chiang Mai’s street food alley…

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Finding Street Food Alley (This is my nickname for the street) is not that difficult. Located downtown in Chiang Mai’s Chinatown, right beside the small Chinese temple. The vendors are open from late morning to late afternoon. Everyone is usually gone by 5pm. If you are in CM, don’t miss your chance to try some of the best street food in the city. Who can resist a delicious lunch for less than $2.00US (much less!); a dream lunch location for any budget traveler!

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Finally, a shot of this week’s prize….

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Like and follow BTS on Facebook.

Good luck to everyone who enters the contest!

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Yesterday I spent most of the across the Ping River in Chiang Mai, and found an absolutely lovely textile shop, Vila Cini. Textiles ranges from moderately priced silk bags to more expensive silk runners. One part of the shop was more kitchenware, with an elephant theme. The shop itself is made up of several old Thai houses, joined by courtyard containing a fountain with this stunning Buddha face.

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Yesterday day I went to the Chin Haw Market in Chiang Mai…and I loved every second. Set-up next to the local mosque, the market starts in the wee hours (6am) and packs up at around noon hour. You can probably buy just about anything here. Locals seem to come for the fresh produce, and local “fast food”. Two of my finds (with the help of a friend) were the opium milk (gasp) and red rice wine. I had to buy a bag of each for research purposes

This morning (I know, can’t understand why I didn’t rip open the bag the minute I got back to my room) I cautiously opened the opium milk. Snff, sniff…smells like milk; not as white as regular milk. Almost holding my breath, I took a swallow…welllll…………not too bad; a little sour. Not something I could drink daily, but I think one could acquire a taste. I’m sure you’re all wondering if I got HIGH………..I only sipped a little so NO, and I was assured by my friend that the stuff would not put me into LALA Land. Apparently this is the milk produced after the water buffalos eat the poppy stalks after harvest. I’m not sure what it is used for, and hopefully Ms. Goggle can come up with an answer someday soon.

The Milk…..

Now for the red rice wine, and you’re probably thinking red wine in a bottle made from rice…NOT EXACTLY. You buy this in a plastic bag (sound familiar). The rice is red and sitting in liquid. Cautiously opening the bag, I immediately was hit with the pungent odor of, what else?…WINE. A sample proved that indeed the rice does taste like wine. Again, not sure what this is used for. Ms. Goggle will be working overtime later today or tomorrow!

The Wine…

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This is just a touch of what the Haw market offers. I will be back with a more in depth post just as soon as I stop gallivanting all over Chiang Mai!

Now, what should I do with my research samples??

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I’m still sorting photos from the summer. I took this one during one of my night time wanders around Chiang Mai. I love the framing and the golden glow.

(Click on the photo to view a larger version.)

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This was just a magical morning on the Ping River. I took this shot around 7:30 am. I was standing on the bridge across from the American Embassy.

(Click on the photo to see a larger version.)

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Thursday has arrived, and it’s time for TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY. This week I’m posting from Daejeon, where I’m getting ready to start a new semester of teaching. The sun is shining, the skies are blue, and it’s much cooler than in SEA.

To join in the fun simply post a photo on your blog. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. Please remember to leave a comment after you link. Finally, if you have a few moments, visit the others who have linked. Perhaps you can give them a tweet, a stumble, or a comment on their TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY.

The Thai’s love their chili’s! When you have a salad made on the street the question always is “How many?” not “Do you want?” I’m up to three in my som tam salad. That’s plenty hot, even though I’m sure that’s considered “wimp level” by the salad maker. This shot was taken during my photo walk in Chiang Mai’s Myung Mai Market.

(Click on the photo if you want to view the larger version.)

If you do tweet a shot, please use the hashtag #tpThursday.

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English signs in non-English speaking countries are always good for a bit of comic relief.

The condo I’m living in here in Chiang Mai is about a 30 to 40 minute walk from the old city. How long really depends how many scooters and tuk-tuks I have to dodge or climb over along the way. Walking is my thing, so I don’t mind the trek into town. By the time I get there I’m usually in need of the lady’s room, so I usually creep into McDonald’s. I always feel a little guilty because there is almost always a yellow sign on the stairs up to the second floor that says “out of service”. The other day I’m coming down the stairs and I see this guy standing there looking at the wall, and I can see his lips moving. At first I thought he was talking to someone outside, but then I realized there’s no window there. I’m thinking… crazy person!

I get down to where he’s standing, and I started to laugh. He’s trying to figure out this freshly posted sign.

We had a good chuckle together, and figured that the staff must be tired of people asking if the toilet is out of order because of the ‘out of service’ sign. When in fact it’s okay to use the toilet, but they don’t want customers eating on the second floor unless all of the first floor seats are full. No more guilt trips when I use the lady’s room at McD’s.

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Thursday has arrived, and it’s time for TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY. In case anyone is wondering, yes I am still in Chiang Mai, and yes, it’s still sunny! To join in the fun simply post a photo on your blog. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. Please remember to leave a comment after you link. Finally, if you have a few moments, visit the others who have linked. Perhaps you can give them a tweet, a stumble, or a comment on their TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY.

If you do tweet a shot, please use the hashtag #tpThursday.

The dragon is an important character in all Chinese New Years celebrations. The dragon here in Chiang Mai did a fantastic job, winding through the streets for several hours. People want to feed the dragon, so he stops frequently in his travels. I asked a local why they give him money. I was told that feeding the dragon will guarantee prosperity for the coming year. That is certainly true for the dragon. In this shot the lady seems quite excited for the opportunity.

Maybe this is a good way for budget travelers to fund future travelers…or better yet keep your money in your pocket away from the dragon’s mouth!

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There’s a large Chinese community here in Chiang Mai, so there were major celebrations here this past weekend. Of course, that meant lots of cute little kids dressed in their finest running wild. When the energy ran out Dad’s shoulder was the spot of choice. Isn’t she cute?

For the budget traveler festivals are one of the best ways to stretch the budget dollars. The New Years festivities here in Chiang Mai meant lots of free entertainment and awesome food stalls overflowing with delicious cheap eats; a budget travelers paradise!

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Thursday has arrived here in sunny Chiang Mai, and it’s time for TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY. To join in the fun simply post a photo on your blog. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. Please remember to leave a comment after you link. Finally, if you have a few moments, visit the others who have linked. Perhaps you can give them a tweet, a stumble, or a comment on their TRAVEL PHOTO THURSDAY.

If you do tweet a shot, please use the hashtag #tpThursday.

This is the cool season in Northern Thailand. That means lots of sun, no humidity, daytime temps in the 30′s (Celsius) , cooling off at night, so you can sleep without a/c. With this lovely weather comes lots of annual festivals. I took this shot last weekend at the that annual umbrella festival in the tiny umbrella making town of Bo Song. This is an annual festival where the entire village is covered with beautiful handmade umbrellas of all sizes and colors. These young girls were performing traditional Thai dance outside one of the factories.

You can visit Bo Song year round to watch the umbrella makers at work. This is a great day trip for budget travelers. Take a white songthaw (pick-up trucks that serve as buses) from the flower market in downtown Chiang Mai. The 20 minute ride will cost you 15 Thai baht. You can watch the crafts people at work for free. They will even hand paint a design for you on your bag, telephone or whatever, for a small price; a perfect souvenir from your trip to Thailand.

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