Police officer, Bangkok, Thailand

During my trip to Thailand this year I spent halloween in Bangkok. After seeing some extremely creative and interesting costumes and make ups I also spotted the police officers who kept the peace. Thailand whilst being under the military rule after the political tensions has now given more power to the police. It is interesting to see how well this transition had taken place. Alcohol wasn't allowed to be sold on the pop up bars on the streets after 12pm anymore and neither were clubs and bars allowed to be open (unless they had a special arrangement with the local police :D) Nonetheless I felt much respect for the local police force and felt that they acted out of best interest for the locals and tourists enjoying themselves in Thailand. For anyone who has not been there GO! A country as rich in culture, great food and amazing people is hard to find. There is so much to see and experience. I have not once felt unsafe in Thailand and I have been to rougher areas. Bangkok itself being the capital yet still rich in culture and traditions, hard to find  another major city that still has so much variety being offered. Anyhow due to assuming wish to be anonymous the two police officers I have spoken to I will not name. Got to love the Ronald McDonald statue in the background.

Hayma, Red Karen, Thailand

On my trip to the north of Thailand I came across a village of the native Kayan tribe (a subgroup of the Red Karen from Burma). One of the Kayan tribes traditionally at a young age start to use bronze rings to weigh their shoulders down in order for the perception of a long neck/throat. It was very interesting to see their lifestyle and hear some of the stories. There are a lot of subgroups in the Kaya with different backgrounds and clothing, not all have the long necks, but certainly those ladies stand out the most and are therefore most known. Given that this village was given as a refuge place to the Kayan tribes people I have to admit that it had a touristy feeling to it. The economy of the locals was based upon tourists purchasing products and coming through. However where else would you get in contact with some of these very interesting people? I know that these photos I will look upon and remember the Kayan tribe.

Puii, buddhist monk, Thailand

Whilst traveling around Thailand and being fascinated by the deep religious roots their culture holds I went to a lot of local temples. Trust me, there are A LOT! Each one has its own sacredness and beauty. Whilst on my travels I felt a deeper spiritual connection then at other times and so enjoyed the sacred temples a lot. On one of the occasions I befriended myself with a local Buddhist monk. We got talking because he saw that I already had a lot of temple bracelets and asked where I was headed in my travels and as a coincidence as it might should have been my next stop was his home town up north in Chiang Mai. I met him in the south of Thailand, near Phuket.

Wirat, Bangkok, Thailand

The next interesting personality I have met is Wirat. I met him watching his snake handling show in the Bangkok snake farm run by the thai red cross. He seems to have no fear of snakes and casually handles some of the worlds most venomous snakes including the king cobra. After the show I got the chance to talk to him...