As many of you may know already, I spent a couple years in Thailand from 2000-2002. I got the chance to go back a while ago, and bring my family for a week. I took A LOT of pics but haven't really done anything with them as of yet. Well, I was just sorting through them today, and decided to throw a few up for your viewing pleasure . I wasn't exaclty sure where to post this thread, so feel free to move it if you'd like mods. Some of these aren't herp-related, but most are.

Here is a shot of the countryside just outside Chiang Mai. That there is the elephant we rode through the jungle for a few hours.


Here's me and my Mom on said Elephant. It was so beautiful up there. Hmmm, I think this is the first pic of me ever posted on these forums....


We spent a while in Bangkok while we were there too, and while walking through Lumpini park on our way to the Red Cross snake farm, I spotted a few of these guys swimming around in the little lake there. Now realize that this is in the middle of a city with a population of about 10 million. They live in the canal systems and eat garbage and that rats attracted by the garbage.


Then we got to the snake farm.


They do a little show there a few times a day where they explain the process of venom extraction, and antivenin production in southeast asia. They milked one of these banded kraits (kids don't try this at home, especially at night).


and brought out a few of their other residents, a couple siamese cobras...



and one of their three Kings they had housed there. This guy was about 11 ft

I got to play with these after the show for a bit. It's amazing what you can get away with there when you're white and speak fluent Thai

They also had a little museum showing the beginnings of the antivenin production and some preserved specimens including these skins.


I talked with the director and lead snake milker for a while afterwards. He had been working with these snakes for 20+ years, and had only ever been bitten once. He made a bad move too close to a King, and got tagged on the the finger. They got him the hospitol quickly, but he still had to have part of the finger amputated.

It was awesome to be this close to all these snakes, but I don't think they take the best care of them . They see all the venomous used for milking as replaceable (as they take in all the siezed illigals) and force feed all the snakes that die in thier care to the kraits. They should look at all the advancements in venom extraction facilities and husbandry here. A healthy happy snake yields much more venom than an emaciated stressed snake. They just don't see the point in caring for them well. Heck, I saved a good number of snakes from the cookpot by buying them in the food markets and letting them go in rice patties outside of town when I lived there. Hopefully they will change their ways in the future.

Thanks for looking!!

-Evan

P.S. We also went to the Dusit zoo, which has an extensive native reptile exhibit, but none of my pics turned out from there .