Chiang Mai sunset panorama

This is a view from our balcony tonight in Chiang Mai, Thailand. A beautiful sunset behind the Doi Suthep mountain where one of the most famous temples of Northern Thailand is located.

We didn't have a nice sunset for a while here because of the rainy season. It was always overcast around this time. Tonight was special though, the sky was cloudy but it gave beautiful colors over the mountain.
I just love the view from our new apartment. It's even nicer from the rooftop, where the pool is located *wink wink*

You can click on the photo to have a larger view. Enjoy!

Katam Corner - Chiang Mai

One of Chiang Mai's major attractions is its "Old City". Built some 700 years ago, it was once an entirely walled square surrounded by a moat. Today, it is one of the rare cities in Thailand where the old surrounding brick wall is almost intact, especially on the corners with their walkways and arrow slits.

There are five gates around the city with the most famous one being the Tha Phae Gate, entirely reconstructed in the 1980s to give an idea of what the walls once looked like. Tha Phae gate is now pedestrianized and is part of the "Sunday walking night market" every weekend.

This photo here is the "Katam Corner", one of the corners of the Old City (South-Eastern corner), and it happens to be right in front of the apartment we are renting. The wall is clearly visible surrounded by the moat.

It is truly a beautiful old city.

Dubai Creek

Dubai is often associated with tall skyscrapers, modern architecture, crazy surreal projects and of course.. the Real Estate Crisis and bankruptcy.
But a lot of people who have never visited the UAE have never heard of the "old Dubai", the area around the creek, with low old buildings, a population of Asians (Pakistanis and Indians mostly), old taxi boats and huge souks (markets).
It's a part of Dubai I like, a part that reminds me of what the UAE used to be before the leaders went crazy with the petro-dollars.
I love walking in the old markets and actually being able to bargain with a merchant while he offers you a tchai (tea with milk) all in good humor, creating a connection that is missing in the gigantic modern malls scattered around the newest part of the city.
And once shopping is done, take a ride on a taxi boat while watching the sunset away from the abandoned half-started projects and all the superficial crazy hype of Dubai's "New Vision".