Safety First

Our trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand for the long weekend (we had a public holiday in HK on Monday, but I don't know what it was for) was absolutely wonderful.  It began with an easy - and short - 2 1/2 hour direct flight from Hong Kong.
There is so much to see and do and eat in Thailand, but you do all of this with a certain amount of risk.  Let me explain with my photos. When we arrived, we knew we were getting a driver to our resort/guest house. The driver came in an open-backed truck that belongs to the resort. But, it turns out, these are also the very trucks used for taxis.  No, they don't add anything to the back once you are in motion.  Most of the taxis have a small metal ladder attached to the back (and off to the side) of the truck, which allows for more customers if the benches are full.

Thailand is the land of motorbikes and trucks, not the land of OSHA.  I did see helmets on some riders, but we think those were used for the occasional rock flying.
Here's where I missed the best shot.  The guy in the orange is wearing a "Safety First" shirt! In all fairness, he is sitting instead of standing!

This is just frightening to me.  But, I would be doing the same thing if I lived there earning an average of $9 per day and raising a family, I'm sure.

Again, all are safely sitting.

I'm thinking they are on the way to church and that makes me happy!

The one consolation is the speed of the drivers are somewhat slow in the city.  I did notice that everyone was working - not a lot of loitering going on here. I loved all of it: the people, the food, the transportation, the food, the food!!!

We went to the fabulous "walking market" in Chiang Mai on Sunday night.  There are street vendors for what seems like miles selling food and drink and all kinds of handmade items.  But, we started with the insects!  The girls and I used our good judgment and opted out of this.  Jeff, Ellis, and Forrest opted for the protein. At least they were cooked.