Thailand

Solar cooking in Thailand

Solar cooking in Thailand

12 Photos

Not many chefs don a welding mask before they enter the kitchen, but Sila Sutharat prefers to cook his chicken sunny side up. Two hours south of Bangkok this 60-year-old vendor has found an ingenious way to offer his customers something a little different by harnessing the power of the sun. Using a large wall of nearly 1,000 moveable mirrors — a device he designed and built himself — he focuses the sun’s rays onto a row of marinated chickens, sizzling away under the intense heat.

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Baby elephant ‘Clear Sky’ learns to walk again — in water

Baby elephant ‘Clear Sky’ learns to walk again — in water

24 Photos

After losing part of her left foot in a snare in Thailand, baby elephant ‘Clear Sky’ is now learning to walk again — in water. The six-month-old is the first elephant to receive hydrotherapy at an animal hospital in Chonburi province, a few hours from Bangkok. The goal is to strengthen the withered muscles in her front leg, which was wounded three months ago in an animal trap laid by villagers to protect their crops.

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Thai park, overrun with monitor lizards

Thai park, overrun with monitor lizards

16 Photos

Monitor lizards are known as “hia” in Thai — a noun which doubles as the language’s most powerful swear word. Which may mean there’s a lot of cursing in Bangkok lately, with the lizard’s population soaring to 400 in the city centre’s main park. Given the glut, Thai officials have begun bagging the meaty reptiles and relocating them to a nearby sanctuary.

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‘Earth Trekkers’ family takes 13-month trip around the world

‘Earth Trekkers’ family takes 13-month trip around the world

106 Photos, 1 Video

“87,000 miles. 44 airline flights. 396 days. 35 countries. 1 family.”

That would be the epic movie tagline for the Rivenbark family, of Howard County, who recently returned from a 13-month trip around the globe. The family —- consisting of mom Julie, dad Tim, Tyler, 12, and Kara, 10 — sold their house, and their cars; Julie quit her job, Tim took a leave of absence. And the kids did their homeschool work while on safari in Africa, in a hotel in Nepal or whenever they could find time.

The family kept a near-daily blog, which was fed by stunning photos from Julie and fun, educational videos from Tyler. A short documentary about the Rivenbark’s trip is below.

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