Colors and Contrasts

From the vivid shades of green and blue enveloping Phuket, where this latest three month wandering began, to the hazy gray skies and brown hills of Maehongson, where I spent the final six weeks, I reluctantly returned Seattle where the high temperatures ever day were literally half of what it was in Thailand but I was grateful at least to return to the glorious explosion of color and greenery as the Pacific Northwest fully embraced her Spring wardrobe. 

Here are a few more photos of the color spectrum and contrast. It was the first time I have experienced almost all of the hot season in Maehongson and to watch so many of the hills lose all greenery was quite startling - but with even the first rains which came early this year, leaves magically appear again. Grateful for the reminder that what looks done in and dead often isn't. Scroll down to see dry vs rainy seasons views...

The blues and greens of Phuket...

...to the heat and dry of Maehongson in the hot/dry season... 

Maehongson airport with Wat Doi Kong Mu behind. Notice the grey/brown hill compared to...

...the same view during the rainy season.

Here's a photo of coming into land during the rainy season (green hills might be the giveaway!) If you zoom in you will see something that has always been of interest to me but I could never figure out what it was. This time I went on an adventure and discovered...the old and newer fancy radar system for guiding in the very few planes that land these days in MHS!

While on the radar adventure day, I also discovered many wild orchids blooming!

Some days the air was so hazy and smoke filled that you could barely see the town from the top of the hill. Note the contrasting photo taken during the rainy season!

But either way, there are only two ways to the top of the hill - drive around the mountain or take this zigzag path up. Most days I managed a walk or run up to the top. When I first arrived at the end of February, there were still a few leaves on the trees...but within a month most of the trees were bare. 

But amazingly, with a little rain, the leaves magically reappear!

Another contrasting view between the dry season...

...and the rainy season

One more contrasting view between hot and dry...

...and hot and wet!

The hot season also brings out the best/worst of the haze in Bangkok.

Next up...new views in Seattle!