Cracker by Damian Christie

Can you guess which it is?

Well.... you either swam on the back of a sea turtle, swam with a school of manta rays, or stood on a tiger fish.

Im guessing I can cross the last option off the list tho'

of course they come in Dutch .... well sort of

You're really getting the hang of the underwater camera - the ray looks particularly cool with the glossy sheen to it.

By the way, the Far Side link is a bit screwy - it has some extra guff at the beginning and end. I believe the correct link is: here

I understand the "long-necks" have been offered asylum in NZ but the Thai government won't give them exit visas because "they're not refugees". However they're not allowed to leave MaeHongson province or get a real job either. It's probably more of a face-saving measure for the govt rather than about how much money they're bringing in.

I went there to visit an anthropologist friend a few years back and when the tourists left the first thing they do is get out their cellphones and motorbikes and ride backwards and forwards across the village. Taking off the spiral neck brace thingy is a fairly time-consuming process.

h n: yeah, they're pretty much prisoners in a human zoo.

This was news a year ago. Damien, if you're getting this back on the news radar, good on you.

I don't understand why journalists keep saying things like:

... because of the central role they play in the local tourism industry.

I met heaps of tourists in this area and none were remotely interested in going to a human zoo. It's promoted pretty heavily by the Thai government's tourism office but it doesn't seem very popular.
60 minutes or 20/20 sent some idiotic journalist from NZ last year and she suggested that the province's entire economy was based around the Kayans.

Sorry that would be a lion fish.

Can you guess which it is?

It has to be the rays. Assuming it is, aren't they the most wonderful creatures. So spiritual. I was lucky enough to encounter a large male on a trip to Kelly Tarlton's. I got there around feeding time, and afterwards, the largest male came over to say hello. He hung his wing over the side of the pool for me to stroke him, and looked straight at me - surprised the crap out of me that this "fish", as I had previously thought of them, was so soul full. And he definitely had soul. Beautiful.

He hung his wing over the side of the pool for me to stroke him, and looked straight at me

Maybe he was asking you to get him the fuck out of this fish tank.

And he definitely had soul.

Yeah but did he have any good dance moves, he'd picked up at the aquatic club?

he definitely had soul

Unlike some:

a wee town called Pai

that town is a chillout mecca for heaps of Japanese friends. the older hippies and the budding young hippy-types rave about that place so much. never been there but have heard some stories...

btw, the little girl on the bike...that bike looks exactly like the bikes all the little girls ride around on in Japan. what a cute kid!

I met heaps of tourists in this area and none were remotely interested in going to a human zoo.

I'd have to guess that given every single tour operator from Chiang Mai north offers "visit long-neck village" as part of their Elephant Trek/Bamboo rafting/etc day trips, there's a fair few visits going on. There are a number of these villages, the one I went to was the furthest away (about 27km) in the hope that it would be less of a zoo. I have to admit I didn't know anything about the Burmese refugee and Thai Govt angle until I went there.

Jackie, yes it was the Manta Rays. Andin, no, much like a strip club, the dive operation has a 'no touching' policy when it comes to the fishes and stuff. So there's no riding turtle's backs. Cue next blog...

yes it was the Manta Rays.

Ahh, just a day in the life of huh?Beautiful photos Damien. Look forward to more. Bring it on :)

like a strip club, the dive operation has a 'no touching' policy when it comes to the fishes and stuff. [...] Cue next blog...

...which, from this, we may expect will feature an altogether seedier dive?

It is annoying that every motorbike you can hire is totally weak. I noticed that a lot of American sailors seemed to have found a secret source of Harley Davidsons. Perhaps they brought them on their ship?

But who cares about riding a Harley when you're there for how awesome Thailand is? Great photos, glad I pushed you.