Tops of structures at Wat Lamchang, eclipsed by a coconut palm, viewed from Moon Muang Soi 7 on a brilliant blue morning

Checking out the morning's fresh produce inside Chiang Mai's old walled-city area

Stalls selling fresh produce along a lane off of Moon Muang Road

As fresh as it gets: filleting red tilapia to order. In Thai the name is pla thapthim—literally, “pomegranate fish.”

Life is good.

Shophouse with eggs for sale

Fresh fruit along Moon Muang Road

More fruit sellers on Moon Muang Road. If you look carefully you can also see, just barely, four modes of local transportation: motorcycle/motorbike (fleeing off to the left); samlor, a three-wheeled carriage propelled like a bicycle; tuk-tuk (at right); and, in the background, a red songthaew, essentially a pickup truck converted to carry passengers in back.

The proprietress of a streetside shophouse restaurant peruses her morning paper.

Woman selling marigold garlands and white-lotus buds, both used for merit-making

A tuk-tuk driver polishing his vehicle

Reflections in the window of a frame shop with images of King Rama IX and the queen

A street in Chiang Mai's Chinatown section

Another Chinatown street scene

Two temple visitors—or perhaps dwellers?—at Wat Ket Karam

And two pooches at Wat Chiang Man

Fresh fruit and vegetables at Blue Diamond Restaurant

On a lane off of Moon Muang Road, a couple zipping along on their way to a spot where they will sell the packages of food prepared earlier

A diminutive broom-seller peddles her handmade wares along streets in the old walled section of Chiang Mai

Celebratory hanging lanterns at Thapae Gate

Civic beauty is a concept that has yet to take hold in much of Thailand.

Rooster in the temple grounds at Wat Bupparam

Herbal-medicine display in a Chiang Mai store window

For reasons unknown to me, Gecko Books, already several years old when this photo was taken, has since changed its name to 'Gekko Books.'

Street vendors selling clothing at Thapae Gate

Clothing with hill-tribe fabrics at Thapae Gate

Marionettes for sale near Thapae Gate

Carved and colored soaps for sale at Thapae Gate

More hill-tribe-style clothing

A whimsical-looking sign outside a Chiang Mai restaurant, but with a rather urgent message: "Chef wanted: Immediately!"

Newsstand with an array of international papers