A typical Wednesday morning in Chaing Mai took an unexpected turn when I suddenly spotted a 4-meter long reticulated python. I have seen snakes in the city before, but never one so huge.

This animal was a good 20 cm thick and I’m guessing about 4 meters in length. According to Wikipedia, the reticulated python is the longest species of snake, with some individuals growing to nearly 7 meters long.

This particular snake was discovered in the area in front of Chiang Mai University. I just finished having breakfast at the little vegetarian restaurant where I usually eat before going to work. As I was about to get on my motorbike and drive off, I noticed something bright colored under the tree just a few feet away. The yellow and black patterned object at first looked like a piece of plastic because it was so shiny and colorful. Then

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