A KINGDOM OF CONTRASTS

Thailand is truly a kingdom of contrasts - and from the sky it is even more evident. The rolling plains of Bangkok and the central region are totally different to the mountains of the north. It's rather like the difference between Berkshire and Snowdonia in North Wales.
The picture was taken on Friday coming in to land at Sukothai - about two thirds of the way from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. You can see the effects from the heavy rain - but it was worse than this when we flew out three days earlier. You often see news of floods on the Thai news but I guess you become a little bit insulated in the city. The only really noticable thing is the sandbags that appear from time to time close to the river. In places like Sukothai and Chiang Mai those sandbags are permanent fixtures.