CHIANG MAI
Fair Earth Farm
July 2009

groundbreaking ceremony for the Rutherford's new house out at Fair Earth Farm, Mae Rim
preparing the set the 'sao ek', compete with banana and coconut offerings attached

preparing the offering

setting the posts

giving the blessing

Annie pours the first concrete foundation

Jeff and Annie pouring the cement foundation

Annie getting a blessing

the secret Huay Tung Tao waterfall

Corey admiring the falls

view of Huay Tung Tao reservoir on the way down...

Huay Tung Tao reservoir

spirit shrine behind Fair Earth Farm

Farmer Jeff showing off an agroforest plot of taro, pineapple, rattan, etc..

the paddy

looking over the paddy back to the agroforest zone

the pond

along the irrigation canal

spreading rice husk before plowing

view of misty Doi Suthep behind the rental house in Thung Kao Nao village



bad panda!


out on the town...

BURMA
Rangoon and Nay Pyi Taw

June 2009

view out my hotel window

the famous Shwedagon Pagoda

covered entrance way

at Shwedagon

making offerings according to your birth day of the week

Ei Ei, our guide

diamonds and precious stones adorn the top of the stupa

all the latest Hollywood blockbusters (Terminator 4) are on in the movie houses

the main Bogyoke Aung San market

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Sule pagoda

mosque across from Sule

old and new

snake salesmen--the snakes just sat there with their heads facing in a glass jar..
...if only they knew, all they had to do was turn around...

diesel generators were outside of every building

the famous Strand Hotel

ferry across the Yangon River

harvesting coconuts!!

he was WAY up there

taking logs to port

tea shop

roadside Hindu shrine

clock tower

'Happy World' fun park

novice nuns

raining in Chinatown

betel nut stall--stands like these were everywhere

Nay Pyi Taw, the new capital

typical roadside scene--plowing with cattle, and a wooden oxcart

fancy resort in Nay Pyi Taw

a

Nay Pyi Taw market

men's longyi salesman

Nay Pyi Taw market

barbecue!

some sticky snacks

new government housing developments

recreation park entrance

new 'wal-mart'

planting the pond banks of the resort

at the Nay Pyi Taw zoo

Siberian tigers

model of the new planetarium

South American penguins!

beautiful hornbill

cultural show

dressed in each of the 10 ASEAN countries' traditional outfits

roadside temple on highway to Rangoon

roadside scene