The Great Mormon Butterfly (Papilio memnon), a member of the Swallowtail Family (Papilionidae) is one of most spectacular and largest butterflies that I’ve encountered in Thailand. The female of the species is this week’s featured travel photo - the picture was taken just off the roadside in Northern Thailand, not far from the city of Mae Salong in Chiang Rai Province.

Unlike her cousins in North America (i.e. The Tiger and Anise Swallowtail etc), this Thai swallowtail is very clumsy and a relatively slow flyer. The male and female of the species look completely different in terms of their coloration. The female as depicted in this photograph is multicolored with black spots on creme colored hindwings, while the male is almost completely black.

Other related swallowtails in Southeast Asia, more commonly known as birdwings, look remarkably similar to the Great Mormon in terms of their physical characteristics and are also relatively slow fliers.

Isn’t this female Great Mormon a beauty? A real whopper of a name too! I bet you didn’t know that there were Mormons in a Buddhist country like Thailand? Now you know.

Coming up soon is the story of the Monarch Butterfly Annual Migration from North America to the Highlands of Central Mexico. One of nature’s greatest phenomenons.

Overlooking the rugged Atlantic Coast in the hills of Barbados is the Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill, the largest existing windmill in Barbados. This historical monument is this week’s featured travel photo.

Built in 1727, the Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill ceased grinding cane commercially in 1947 and was donated to The Barbados National Trust, an organization responsible for preserving the history, natural beauty and cultural heritage of this small island. The restoration of this antiquated windmill was completed in 1999 and it is now open to the public as a museum.

Morgan Lewis Mill is an historical remnant of Barbados’s once prominent sugar cane industry and its colonial legacy. There are some wonderful photo opportunities in this rural part of Barbados and a stop at this windmill is highly recommended.

Known primary for its magnificent beaches and gleaming resorts, I’m sure that most people do not associate Barbados with windmills, but here is an astounding fact - Behind Holland, this small Island Nation of only 166 square miles has the 2nd most windmills of any country in the world. SHOCKING!

One of my favorite vistas in Thailand is the featured Travel Photo of the Week. Located about 5,000 feet above sea level in Northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai province is Mae Fah Luang Arboretum.

Located in the center of the arboretum, there is a large grassy area surrounded by native trees with wonderful panoramic views of the mountains in nearby Myanmar. The views are absolutely unforgettable, and it is such a wonderful place to just relax, meditate and enjoy nature. Such a spiritual place.

The revered Princess Mother, an ardent conservationist, was responsible for the development of this beautiful arboretum/park. Her objective was to create a refuge for the indigenous trees and plants of the area and to curb the accelerating deforestation in Northern Thailand.

The late Princess Mother who died in 1995 is the mother of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Located near the city of Kanchanaburi in Western Thailand, The Bridge over River Kwai is our featured travel photo of the week. The Japanese occupied Thailand and Burma during WW2 - the famous bridge was built by Allied Prisoners of War under the supervision of their Japanese captors. The plan was to build a railway line that would connect Rangoon, Burma with Bangkok, Thailand in order to facilitate the movement of Japanese troops between the two occupied countries. By car, Bangkok is a mere 2 ½ hours by car from Kanchanaburi.

The Bridge was bombed repeatedly by Allied Forces to thwart the Japanese war effort and eventually was destroyed before the end of World War 2. Because so many prisoners of war as well as Asian Laborers died during the construction of this railway, it was renamed the Death Railway by the Allied Forces. After the war, the dead were reburied in specially created War cemeteries located in Kanchanaburi town.

After the Thai Government rebuilt the bridge sometime after the war, Kanchanaburi has become quite a popular tourist town primarily because it’s historical significance in World War 2. In addition to the Bridge and the Death Railway, other historical attractions are the WW2 museum and the War cemeteries. However It was the famous award-winning movie of 1957, Bridge over the River Kwai starring William Holden and Alec Guinness, that really put this particular bridge and Kanchanaburi on the map.

While walking across the famous bridge, I couldn’t help but start humming Colonel Bogey, the theme song of Bridge over River Kwai. A most memorable moment!

Trivia – The movie, Bridge Over the River Kwai was filmed entirely in Ceylon

This week’s travel photo of the week is appropriately named THAI PUSSY NAPPING. Many of you who have arrived at this blog were expecting to see some naked Thai girl rather than some ordinary Thai pussycat. If so, I am very sorry to have mislead you.

If that’s all you’re interested in, then you can mosey along now (as they say in Twitter). However if you have a genuine interest in Thailand, I’m sure you’ll find lots of provocative (non porn) material and articles on Thailand on this travel blog.

What’s the back-story behind the picture?

While having dinner at Morgan Cafe in the popular beach town of Kai Bae on Koh Chang Island (circa August 2005), I met this particular Meow-Meow. I believe she was the “house pussy” for the restaurant, but I’m not sure. One thing I do know - she sure was a lot better company than most of the THAIgers in the area. Let’s say, she took a particular liking to me! Meow!

Now believe it or not, in Thai language, a cat is called maa-ou (pronounced meow). Strange but true!

This installment of the Travel Photo of the Week feature continues with the theme of children. I’ve have stated previously that children are great subjects for photography. Unlike adults, they don’t have any hang-ups or issues about a stranger taking their picture.

From my experience most children are absolutely delighted to pose in front of the camera. In Thailand, I have had children run after me on a number of occasions, begging me to take their picture.

For this photograph, I was touring the rural countryside of Northern Thailand’s Nan Province when I encountered some Thai children huddled together in back of a large flatbed truck. They were returning from school to their rural village. When the driver stopped along the roadside to pick up some bags of rice, the children got off the truck and posed for me in this special group shot.

Most of the kids are wearing some funky T-Shirts. If you look in the upper right corner of the photo, observe that one of the young girls is flashing the victory sign at me.

I have taken many photographs of children during my many years of travel. With their natural innocence and curiosity, children make wonderful subjects for photography.

This week’s featured travel photo is the Little Girl from Mindo, Ecuador. I was walking back to my small hotel along a dusty unpaved street - just before reaching the entrance, a young girl of about 6 years old standing on the shoulder of the road happened to catch my eye. I believed she lived next door to my hotel.

Holding a flower in one hand, wearing checkered trousers and a colorful pullover, the little girl looked so very cute and innocent. Unable to resist the temptation, I pulled out my camera and took a picture of her.

The look on her face is priceless - she seemed to be totally mesmerized by the camera just like ‘a deer caught in the headlights’. I consider this picture to be one of my most memorable travel photographs.

Situated at 5.000 feet above sea level,
Mindo is a popular mountain resort located about 2 hours from Quito

Many Buddhist temples in Thailand are located either on a hilltop or the hillside of a mountain, and the views are often quite remarkable.

Wat Phra That Khao Noi, a hilltop temple in Nan in Northern Thailand, is no exception. Located a couple of kilometers southwest of town, the temple complex is not really special as it is relatively new, but the Statute of the Giant Buddha overlooking the town and Nan Valley is quite striking (and the panoramic views are of course wonderful).

The Buddha Statute reminds me in a way of the Christ the Redeemer (Statue of Jesus Christ), on top of the Sugar Loaf in Rio De Janeiro or the La Virgen de Quito at El Panecillo in Quito, Ecuador

The picture was taken shortly about 1 hour before sunset, and the rays of the sun give the Buddha a golden glow.

For the 3rd consecutive week in a row, my travel photo of the week features some dramatic mountainous scenery in the tropics.

This photo of Mount Imbabura was taken from my hotel in Otavalo, a colonial town located in the highlands of Ecuador. Otavalo is at an elevation of 2560 meters (8500 feet) above sea level, and Mount Imbabura, an inactive volcano which rises to an elevation of 4630 meters (15,160 ft), dominates the tropical landscape. The summit as you can see is covered with snow.

Now consider that the peak of Huayna Picchu (Peru) is about 2,720 meters (8,900 ft) above sea level, and the summit of Doi Chiang Dao (Thailand) is only 7,200 ft above sea level – comparing these altitudes with the elevation of Otavalo (8500 feet up) and the towering Mount Imbabura, puts the issue of altitude into perspective.

Waking up in the morning in Otavalo, to see the ‘giant in the sky’ looming in the background gave me a feeling of elation.

Remember last week, when I remarked that Doi Chiang Dao reminded me somewhat of the spectacular mountainous scenery that surrounds the sacred Incan city of Machu Picchu?

Now you will be able to see the comparison as I am posting my very best photograph of Machu Picchu (circa September 2007) in this edition’s travel photo of the week. In my mind, Machu Picchu is “the holy grail” of ancient archaelogical sites - none can truly compare.

I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of this majestic site in various travel magazines and you have probably asked yourself, how can this place be of this world?

Located high in the Peruvian Andes, the vistas from Machu Picchu are truly awe-inspiring. I arrived in the morning shortly before sunrise and the ruins of this holy Incan city were shrouded in a thick mist, taking on an eerie mystical quality. About three hours later, the sun broke through the mist and the magnificence of Machu Pichu was revealed in all its splendor and glory.

If I didn’t know any better, it felt like I was visiting someplace not on this planet Earth. Did extraterrestrials visit the Incas and direct them to build Machu Picchu?

I consider myself very fortunate to have visited Machu Picchu in my lifetime. It was that incredible!