The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

In May of 2024 my wife and I joined a group of her friends on a golf junket to Japan.  A van/bus was rented and we drove, over several days and several overnight stop-overs, from Tokyo to near Nagoya - and back to Tokyo.  We had lots of fun and saw a lot of amazing things . . . and ate a lot of great Japanese food . . . lots of it! While the group played golf I set off to explore the surrounding area with my camera.  This entry, unlike others here, is not a chronological account of the whole trip, but "only" a collection of favorite images.

 

At a tourist trap bathroom stop I took this amazing photo of Mt. Fuji with late spring colors in the foreground.  Magical.

I spent one morning with a Japanese man, another "golf widow," exploring the temples we found on GoogleMaps.  Fantastic beauty. . .

 

Fantastical Japanese artistic expression.

 

A trip highlight was a frightening ride up a steep mountain on a cable-car.  The view was astounding!

 

Transportation options around an ancient royal Japanese temple complex.

 

Japanese use of color and aesthetics are impressive.

 

Japanese sense of humor . . . or?  "Marriage Rocks."

 

I was a bit embarrassed when out tour leader booked a dockside viewing of traditional woman pearl divers.  They seemed like they were just awakened from their naps and driven down to the port to perform for us.  It was interesting.

 

We stopped to marvel at a 19th century Japanese businessman's house. Beautiful.

 

Astoundingly beautiful temples at every turn.

 

Japanese woodworking skill on display . . . love this.

 

We visited many, many shrines . . . each different in special ways.

 

A seaside shrine with monks.

 

Japanese traditional temple aesthetic.

 

The Japanese love of Nature is evident everywhere.

 

Springtime in Japan means . . . FLOWERS!

 

We visited a famous Begonia garden.  Fantastic!

 

Springtime in Japan . . . many different flowers everywhere.

 

A field of bluebells.

 

Seen in a museum waiting room.

 

Gorgeous natural views . . . 

 

We stayed in hotels with great views throughout the week.

 

Another great hotel room window view.

 

Fantastic beauty . . . and craftsmanship.

 

Big straw knot.

 

Inner room of a Japanese temple.

 

Pagoda viewpoint . . . er . . . coastal city view.

 

Too many steps for me!  I didn't go up.

 

Small Japanese town urban environment.  

 

Sweet waterfall at a temple.

 

Small temple shrine.

 

We stopped at a small town along the way and discovered a covered walking street.

 

Small town sweet shop.

 

The Japanese lead the world in amazing, and beautiful packaging.

 

Busking with your monkey at the pagoda view point.

 

Japan is known for its beautiful gardens . . . 

 

 . . .  so many beautiful Japanese gardens!

 

I just love these contrasting textures and shapes.  Japan!

 

A sacred temple.

 

An ancient village restored for tourist enjoyment and appreciation.

 

Japanese tourists enjoying a tour through their cultural heritage.

 

Packaged and ready to ship.

 

My lunch, carefully selected from the corn dog family of fine and delicious deep fried foods. Japan!

 

I left Japan with wonderful memories and a ton of images . . . many more than I could post here.  I know I will go back to Japan.  It is a fascinating country try.

During the summer of 2023 I visited my daughter and her family on her forest farm in southwestern Maine from my home in Bangkok, Thailand.  It was wonderful to be in the cool, fresh air of the northeast USA.  My good Bangkok friend John has a cabin up the coast near the Canadian boarder.  We planned, while still in Thailand, to take a road trip from his cabin up through the Canadian Maritimes, a region neither of us had been.   We took only the very small farm roads from the southwest to the northern coast.  Along these wonderful New England roads I saw the most amazing old houses and farms.

 

An old Maine feed store. I love these old places with the weathered surfaces.

 

My friend John's cabin sits in deep primordial forest a stones throw from the Atlantic ocean.

 

John's magical forest.

 

John's land had so many different kinds of mosses and lichens.  Astonishing beauty.

 

A short walk through a state park lead to this rocky shore.  Fantastic!

 

We spent hours clamoring around and over these huge stones.

 

A wild and wonderful natural seashore.

 

The cabin is not that far from Milbridge, Maine.  We drove around the area visiting interesting places and scenes.  This collection of buoys and floats was interesting.

 

A lovely rural farmhouse near Milbridge, Maine.

 

Milbridge, Maine sits aside the Narraguagus River estuary.

 

Milbridge Bay is as idyllic a Maine scene as you can get.

 

A panorama of the view dockside at the community bandstand . . . where we would join the community for a nostalgia rock band concert.

 

Milbridge, Maine has a public community garden; if you put in time and labor then you can take flowers and vegetables out of it.  I love it.

 

John and I decided on a general route.  I made a couple online cheap motel/dorm bookings (it was the tourist busy season), and we saw a couple of "points of interest" on the GoogleMaps that we used to point us in a general direction.  Lighthouses seemed the common denominator.

 

Early one morning we loaded our stuff up and headed up the highway to see what we could see . . . and photograph, of course.  We more-or-less hugged the beautiful Maine coast, discovering these quaint fishing ports.

 

The West Quoddy Head Lighthouse was one of our first destinations.  We were not disappointed.

 

West Quoddy Head is the easternmost point in the contiguous United States.  Now you know.  It is also the point closest to the African continent in the United States.  Interesting.

 

We crossed over into New Brunswick, Canada near the small town of St. Stephen with it's lovely old church.

 

St. Stephen sits on the Saint Croix River directly across from Calais, Maine, USA.  Both of these towns were major industrial centers in the last century, due to their access to the Atlantic Ocean and short sailing to England and Europe. Evidence of their past manufacturing glory can still be seen, as in this old river power generating station and adjacent mills.

 

A commemorative riverside statue recognizing the mill workers in the factories of Calais and St. Stephen.

 

A beautiful street mural in St. Stephen with a view across the Saint Croix River to Calais, Maine.

 

Calias, Maine from across the Saint Croix River.

 

At one time St. Stephen rivaled Hershey, Pennsylvania as the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America, but eventually lost out.  In 2000, St. Stephen was given the title of "Canada's Chocolate Town." Who knew?  We did not tour the Chocolate Museum, but we did hit the gift shop for some tasty (and expensive) chocolate.

 

A short walk off of the downtown Main Street found us in neighborhoods of old "carpenter Gothic" Victorian houses, testament to the wealth this town once had.

 

We let GoogleMaps guide us to a very beautiful spot after an off limits nuclear power plant road thwarted our attempts to get to another lighthouse.  This is Dipper Harbour, New Brunswick near sunset.

 

A Dipper Harbour fishing boat.

 

Visually fascinating woven old tires for boat pier rub-rails at Dipper Harbour.

 

Dipper Harbour sunset.

 

A final Dipper Harbour sunset photo before returning to our little motel cabin.

 

A lovely seaside home on the back roads to St. John.

We moved on . . . to where the street photography in St. John, Newfoundland was very rewarding.

 

Lovely old row houses in St. John.

 

I am a big fan of old doors . . . . 

 

There were some lovely tree-lined lanes in St. John.

 

Classic red brick wall with old faded painted signage.

 

In addition to the red brick row houses, downtown St. John had some lovely old carpenter Gothic grand homes.

 

The St. John City Market (est. 1855) was one of the highlights of our visit there.  Did I buy a St. John t-shirt here?  You bet I did!

 

Not all of St. John is quaint and charming.

 

The downtown St. John cross streets all lead down a steep hill to the Bay of Funday.

 

We continued along the coast of the Bay of Funday in search of more photogenic lighthouses.  We followed the maps to Cape Enrage Lighthouse, New Brunswick, out on a promontory.  We paid an entrance fee only to then discover that access to the lighthouse was closed due to high winds.  Oh well.  This is as close as I got to use a long lens.

 

A fishing port along the road.  This shows just how big the tidal differences are in the Bay of Funday.  

 

The drive along the Newfoundland coast was fantastically beautiful.

 

The Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Funday are described as a "must see" attraction in Newfoundland.  Indeed it was an extraordinary scene.  It was also a must see for several thousand other tourists on the day we were there.  We had to wait quite a while for our turn to access the photo vantage point.  Worth it . . . but very crowded.

 

The truly marvelous Hopewell Rocks.  We marveled.

 

No matter where in the world you go there will always be that one roadside house with the yard full of "collectables." Everywhere!  Newfoundland roadside wonders.

 

After having dinner in a nice restaurant in Moncton, we drove on and spent the night in a dorm room at a technical college in Springhill, Nova Scotia.  I must have been pretty tired because I didn't take any photos at these stops.  The next morning we ate in the college cafeteria before we drove in to Halifax, Nova Scotia for a walkabout.  I parked the truck in front of a cemetery across from a park, and fed the meter.

 

We found this headstone humorous: like what else would you find under there?

 

The Halifax city park was in full bloom!

 

The Halifax waterfront is beautifully developed.

 

The Halifax quay side display of old Canadian Navy ships was interesting.

 

There were many displays of public art in Halifax.  I loved this sailor statue (reminded me of my Uncle Ernie!).

 

Old downtown Halifax was clean and neat.

 

Our next stop was across Nova Scotia at the historic town of Fort Anne . . . the birthplace of Canada, settled in 1629.

 

The old fashioned interior of the Fort Anne Cafe was very sweet.

 

Fort Anne is, of course, a major tourist destination for Canadians.  

 

Beautiful old colonial architecture abounds in Fort Anne.

 

A rainbow crosswalk in Fort Anne, Nova Scotia.

 

A typical old house in Fort Anne.

 

Restored harbour light house at Fort Anne.

 

At the end of a long day, we caught the East Ferry to Long Island, Nova Scotia, then on to Brier Island.  This is a very remote place in Canada!

 

The view from the East Ferry along the rugged coast of Long Island, Nova Scotia.

 

Brier Island is on the far Northwestern tip of Nova Scotia and takes two ferry trips to get there.  It is an old fishing/whaling area full of delightful old cedar-sided dock houses.

 

Beached lobster boats, Brier Island, Nova Scotia.

 

Such a beautiful and moody place . . .  and very photogenic.  Brier Island.  We caught the big drive-on ferry across the Bay of Funday from Digby, Nova Scotia back to St. John, Newfoundland before driving back to John's cabin in Milbridge, Maine.  I don't know why I do not have photos of the 3-hour big ferry trip, oh well.

 

After returning to John's cabin in Milbridge, Maine, we took to the small roads to explore some of the small towns nearby.  Cherryfield, Maine, ironically known as the "Blueberry Capital of the World" was the perfect New England picturesque village.

 

We had good coffee and cakes at this sweet Cherryfield riveride café.

 

A beautiful old turreted Victorian home in Cherryfield.

 

Like a lot of small villages in New England, Cherryfield had its share of antique shops.

 

Nice yard art in Cherryfield.

 

Caddywampus old store in Cherryfield.  Looks like it was just moved there and puton a new foundation  . . . . unsuccessfully.

 

What you always hope you will find on a road trip: the perfect roadside diner . . . .

 

 . . . with the perfect lemon meringue pie!

 

One of the highlights of my visit was attending the Milbridge Days parade and lobster feed at the firehouse.

 

Milbridge, Maine is more multicultural than you might expect.  This was nice to see.

 

As Milbridge is a lobstering village, the parade had a lobster theme.  Sweet.

 

Oh! To be a lobster in the town parade! Memories are made of this!

 

I love a parade.  Yes, the Shriners showed up with their "street boats."

 

The highlight of the day was the lobster and mussel feed in the firehouse. 

 

John and I had a great time rambling around Maine and the Canadian Maritimes for a week.  Thanks John.

 

The unforgettable beauty of the Maine coast.

While visiting my Hong Kong in-laws, we all took the morning in the Hong Kong Flower Show.  A beautiful experience . . . and another opportunity to try out my new-ish X-T5 Fuji camera.

 

Acres of extraordinary flowers.

 

From these exciting yellow splashes, to . . .

 

 . . . to fields of colorful tulips . . . the Hong Kong Flower Show had it all!

 

I wish I could tell you the names of all these flowers . . . but I did not take notes while there . . .  I was only rffocusing on the beauty.

 

Such happiness expressed in this arrangement!

 

I think this show had more different kinds of flowers than I have ever seen i one place.

 

Some of the arrangements were fantistically beautiful.

 

Thailand had an official entry . . . a large space to showcase Thai flowers and garden aesthetics.

 

I have to confess a bias: I live in Thailand . . . and I think the Thai exhibit was the very best in the show.  There, I said it.

 

I have these in myb garden . . . astonishing!

 

Bluebells galore!!!

 

Japan also had an official entry . . . and it was beautiful too . . . and very Japanese!

 

Japanese garden style.

 

A classic formal Japanese garden.

 

Massivce tulip plantings everywhere . . . the colors were sooooo bright!

 

Tulip interiors are also interestimng.

 

More tulips . . . on the way.

 

Tulips, tulips, tulips . . . I could have done an entire entry on tulips . . . I took so many photos.

 

I have these in my garden.

 

A mixed arrangement.  Nice.

 

I wasn't the only person who thought of bringing their camera to the Flower Show. Everybody, and I do mean EVERYBODY, had their cameras and phones out taking photos . . . and there was some elbowing here and there to get the 'best' photo angles.

 

A lone pink rose.

 

New yellow rose in colorful company.

 

Yellow rose showing off.

 

There was a small pavilion with flower arrangements . . . I think this one won.

 

A massive flower arrangement.  Wow!

 

A cute "farm" display.

 

The European-style farm display used grain stalks with good results.

 

I do not know how they managed to get these fruit trees to blossom at the exact time for the Flower Show . . .

 

A lovely sunflower and succulent ground cover arrangement.

 

Lovely color and pattern . . .

 

Purple succulent splash!

 

Sunflowers always make me feel happy.

 

The organizers of this event spent a lot of time placing the flowers in perfect compositions for the many photographers who attended.

 

These were my favorite.

 

I want these in my garden . . . but it may be too hot here in Bangkok.

 

Color, color, color everywhere!

 

I was very happy with my flower photos from this show.

 

Colorful puffs.

 

So pretty.

 

It seemed at every turn we found more tulips!

 

Fields of tulips!

 

I had a great time at the flower show with my photographer brother in-law . . . .

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 The Rest Of My Hong Kong Visit:

The rest of my Hong Kong stay was equally photogenic . . . Star ferry in sunset light .

 

Hong Kong skyline . . . 

 

Many interesting kinds of boats in Hong Kong Harbour.

 

Wooden harbour "party boats" ready to board.

 

We took a late afternoon bay cruise around the back of Hong Kong Island to Lamma Island, aka, "seafood restaurant island" . . . This is our cruise boat arriving.

 

The back side of Hong Kong . . . showing the high density mass housing high-rise estates. I guess it is a good way to house people because it saves the destruction of nature and open spaces.

 

Arriving at the Lamma Island sea food village . . . where there was only sea food restaurant.

 

A long stretch of seafood eateries lining the Lamma Island harbour.

 

We found our table by the bay and set off to secure seafood favorites.

 

Our live seafood choices!!!

 

These looked good!

 

Waiting on the dock for our boat to take us back to Kowloon . . . our stomachs full from the delicious meal!

 

Our arrival by boat back into Hong Kong harbour at night was truly spectacular!

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Chi Lin Nunnery and Garden Park

It's nice to have in-laws living in Hong Kong  . . . they know the cool places to go, beyond the tourist spots, for good photography.  These gardens were magnificent!  And right in the city.

 

An astonishingly beautiful place surrounded by the city.

 

Stunning ancient Chinese styled garden pagoda.

 

Classic bridge to the Other Side.

 

Old water-powered mill in the park.

 

The inner temple at the nunnery.

 

They did not allow photography inside the temple . . . but it was fantastic.

 

Stepping out from the inner temple we were greeted with this view of Hong Kong Kowloon side.

 

When I got home I couldn't resist making a highly altered HDR "Art" photo from the nunnery.

Back in December 2020, just as COVID 19 was bursting on the international scene and choking Thailand's tourist industry, the Thai government came up with a brilliant scheme to give vouchers to Thai residents for discounts at Thai resorts and restaurants in 'tourist areas' to spur more 'in country' tourism by Thais.  It worked . . . we took a road trip north to Loei, Chiang Khan, and the Mekong River.

 

Our route had us drive straight through to Loei from our home in a northern suburb of Bangkok.

 

The  majority of the drive north to Loei was on modern, divided expressway.  However, as we neared Loei the road reverted to a 2-lane country road.  We were lured into this strawberry stand with the promise of delicious fruit.

 

They were growing their own strawberries here . . . but they were asking a very high price for them.  We declined to purchase any strawberries here.

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LOEI

This is the old Loei I came to see . . . 

 

Loei is a provincial market town in the north of Thailand.  It is still "old Thailand" in Loei. I last visited here about 20 years ago . . . and yes, it has changed a great deal.

 

But there is still a lot of the old Thailand I know and love in Loei.

 

The street food in Loei is excellent . . . and the people friendly.

 

The old downtown of Loei still has locally-owned department stores and "supermarkets" like this one.

 

A street corner in downtown Loei.  I love snooping around in these old Thai market towns.

 

We stopped in this hole-in-the-wall restaurant for delicious noodle soup.

 

A busy market town serving a large agricultural community.

 

The things you see in Thailand! Yes, it was Christmas season even in Loei, Thailand.  They celebrate everything here!

 

We walked through the downtown and found the banks of the Loei River.  The bridge led to a beautiful city park.

 

There was fun to be had in Loei.

 

I sat across the street in a hipster coffee shop while my wife shopped in a fine traditional Thai textile shop across the street.

 

Yes, the hipster cool coffee shop can be found throughout the entire planet . . . even in the remote old market town of Loei.

 

Always interesting old stuff to be found in old Thai village stores.

 

Our very good, and very cheap Au Place Hotel in Loei.

 

Just a half block away from the hotel on a rural street we found this stylish Vietnamese restaurant.

 

We spent a couple nights in Loei and would venture out into the countryside in search of interesting things to see.  We found this amazing Buddhist Temple (Wat).

 

There were caves with Buddhas to explore at this wat.

 

There was this very beautiful marble temple on the wat grounds.

 

The marble temple was very interesting inside.

 

Marvelous light and reflection inside the marble wat.

 

We found this marvelous restaurant for our dinner on the second night in Loei.

 

The "elephant restaurant' interior dining area.

 

We had a fine meal in this old wooden room with traditional spirit masks hanging around.

 

Back at our hotel . . . they had the grounds lit up like a carnival!!!

 

The next morning we said good-bye to Loei and hit the road for then short drive north to the town of Chiang Khan along the Mekong River.

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CHIANG KHAN

We stopped at a riverside resort as soon as we arrived at the river . . . and this was out first view of the mighty Mekong River.

 

We quickly found our charming old wooden guest house.

 

Our guest house was right on a kind of 'walking street' through the riverside village.  The Mekong River is directly behind the row of houses and shops to the left.

 

Chiang Khan is a lovely and funky old Thai town with interesting shops and bike rentals.

 

With both front and rear doors open, you can look right through this hostel to the river behind it.

 

The many shops lining the walking street had ample supplies of local handicrafts to meet the tourist demand.

 

A guest house with street side 'beer chairs' . . . perfect for people watching.  I couldn't help but notice the Brew Dog Punk IPA bottle . . . from Aberdeen, Scotland, my former residence.

 

Such an interesting and photogenic little town.

 

Some shops hung fabric against the harsh afternoon sun.

 

Each shop-front seems to have its own personality, and the photographs are like portraits.

 

Beautiful local, high quality traditional textiles.

 

There were also many shops selling the usual array of souvenir 'touristwear.'

 

There is no shortage of restaurants and places to buy good, expensive coffee.

 

I love photographing these old wooden shops . . . anywhere in the world . . . but Chiang Khan had hundreds of them, and all with amazing shapes, features, colors, and textures.

 

A beautiful shop-front portrait.  The harsh afternoon sunlight actually enhances this photo by accentuating the wood grain and colors.

 

Another fabulous paneled storefront with Chinese lanterns. Lovely.

 

Just so much to see, notice, and photograph in this sweet little riverside town.

 

There was also some very nice chalk public art here and there.

 

Sweet chalk street art.

 

A very inviting bakery . . . delicious too!

 

Thai aesthetics are always fascinating and gorgeous. It's all in the details.  Here, a detail of the interior of our guesthouse.

 

When walking around such these richly aesthetic places with a camera in hand, I am prone to take these kinds of "still life" photographs: pleasing arrangements of objects in fascinating light.

 

Another "still life" of an old art gallery.

 

A very old wall revealing ancient building techniques.

 

Wooden wall with broom and ash tray.

 

Chalk graffiti on old panel shop doors . . . there is a story here.

 

Old panel shop doors reflected in a stainless steel table.  Nice.  These "still life" photo opportunities were endless in Chiang Khan.

 

A very nice tuk-tuk, although I never saw anybody riding in one . . . everybody walked around the little town.

 

We were getting tired and sore walking around the sweet town . . . deciding what to do next . . .

 

Massage! That's what's next!!  The massage shop owner was very kind.

 

a 2 1/2 hour Thai massage will cure whatever ails you, that's for sure!  This street side massage room was so beautiful. Just breathtaking!

 

We spent part of our days walking along a path next to the Mekong River.

 

Looking across the Mekong toward the 'wild side' of Laos.

 

Riverboat ferry both local people and tourists up and down the river.

 

Mekong River boats at the ready.

 

A fisherman going home.  Surprisingly, I did not see very many fishermen out on the river.

 

The fiew upriver toward the smoky Lao hills from Chiang Khan.

 

When the sun set we headed to the night market street.

CHIANG KHAN by NIGHT

As the light faded, and the heat dissipated, it seemed that every Thai tourist in town left their guesthouse and headed to the main walking street. 

The darker it got, the bigger the crowd under the colorful, and fading sky.

 

At last the sun had fully set.

 

Many of the shops, restaurants, and bars that were closed in the afternoon opened for the throngs that came out at night.  This craft beer joint was a welcome stop for me.

 

The interior of the craft beer hall.

 

The Thai hippies who ran the craft beer hall had a fantastic collection of beers and ales to choose from.

 

The town became even more photogenic at night. BBQ beef street hawkers.

 

The many stalls set up along the night street became a 'night market' - a favorite of Thai people and visitors to Thailand.  There was a wide variety of things for sale.  Nuts! I love nuts!

 

All the night market visitors brought their appetites . . . and were rewarded with a wide variety of delicious Thai specialties to eat.

 

Street performers in their traditional 'hill tribe' costumes entertained the gathered crowds.

 

My favorite street performer was this young busker playing electrified traditional old Thai music in a homemade outfit. Cool.

 

We enjoyed out nights walking along the Chiang Khan night market street.

 

After two nights in Chiang Khan we woke up early and said good-bye to the river and headed south.

 

Khon Kaen

 

We were about 30 minutes out of Chiang Khan and decided to take a different route home to Bangkok. Neither of us had ever been to Khon Kaen . . . so why not?

 

We didn't do too much sightseeing . . . just drove around town . . . found a great restaurant on Google . . . and found this magnificent wat to go in . . .

 

We were very glad we went inside.

 

There are many different altars in the large inner space . . . each with a group of people paying respects.

 

Very special light falling on the various Buddha images.

 

Pots for making donations and making wishes.

 

Such a pretty flower memorial altar.

 

This hyper-realistic wax monk was too realistic . . . and creepy.

 

We paid our respects here and then chatted with a monk before leaving.  We knew we haddn't spent enough time in Khon Kaen and vowed to return.

We left the next morning for a 7 hour drive home.  

It had been a wonderful vacation in the middle of the COVID Pandemic!

The first Khao Yai week-end . . . . small roads and beautiful temples.

As my university has called off live, in-person instruction, I have been making my lessons at home and posting them online.  This has had the hidden benefit of allowing me to physically be wherever I want to be, as long as I have a computer and a good internet connection. So twice in the last month my wonderful wife and I have gone up to the mountains of Khao Yai, 2 1/2 hours northeast of Bangkok.

 

We visited friends at Toscana Valley in Khao Yai.

 

Khao Yai is a region at the western end of Sankamphaeng Mountain Range and is a heavily wooded area with a fair amount of natural environment still with wild animals, such as elephant and tigers, in the Khao Yai National Park.

 

Although Khao Yai is known for the National Park, much of the region is developed for weekenders from Bangkok to escape the city hear (especially in the 'cool season').  There are many, many small resorts and tourist activities sprinkled around the beautiful countryside . . . as well as an interesting assortment of Buddhist Wats.

 

So, while my wife played golf at the beautiful courses in the area, I explored the small roads to see what I could see. . . . 

 

I had fun following 'points of interest' signs . . . and seeing if I could get to the hilltop temples I could see here and there in the landscape.

 

Wat Sanaamsai is a giant white Buddha statue on top of a hill.  To get there you have to climb up hundreds of stairs.

 

Hundreds of stairs and hundreds of bells to be rung.

 

I am often amused by the cartoonish monks who adorn Buddhist shrines and altars in Thailand. I decided to light some incense and candles before I embarked on the hundreds of steps.  Fortunately, some nice people pointed out that I could drive all the way to the top if I wanted to.  So I drove up.

 

In addition to a fine mandala, there was a wonderful view across Khao Yai from the top of the stairs.

 

I was glad that I hadn't walked up the stairs!

 

A fantastic giant Buddha image looking out over the valley.

 

I loved this row of Buddha statues in the many symbolic poses.

 

So many beautiful Wats in rural Thailand, and it seemed like there were more than the average number here in Khao Yai.

 

Such a pretty setting for this hilltop Wat.

 

Back out driving on the small farm roads through a great variety of agricultural crops.  These were planted in quite a few fields . . . but I have no idea what they were for.

 

Even out on the smallest rural roads there are little stalls for Thai street food.

 

I saw a temple on a hill top and drove along very small rural lanes until I found the entrance.

 

I eventually found the Wat entry . . . and drove up the steep hill.

 

The road did not go all the way to the top.  I parked and found the steep steps to the top.  I opted to take a service path that wound along the side of the steep hill.

 

The walk up to the temple had wonderful views out over the surrounding farm land.  Some say this area looks like the Italian countryside around Tuscany.

 

I arrived at last on top to discover a very fine, new Wat.

 

Magnificent. Wat Pa Phu Hai Long.

Buddhas of all kinds atop the hill.

 

A grand view.

 

I love these stone balls that have been covered in gold leaf by pilgrims.

 

Such an interesting contrast of shapes and textures . . .

 

I left a donation at the beautiful altar.

 

I was sorry I had to leave this wat . . . it was so beautiful up on the hilltop.

 

I enjoyed my walk back down the hill from the temple . . . and admired the view.  Many people say this region of Thailand reminds them of Tuscany in Italy . . . yes, it does.

 

I saw this little fellow near the car park.

 

We stayed at the guest house at the Tuscana Resort, an Italian-themed development for mostly Bangkok week-enders.  Beautiful.

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A Second Week-end Trip to Khao Yai: A Buddha Cave and a Floating Market Garden

Another week-end out and about on the country roads of Khao Yai while my wife played golf.

 

Just a village Wat along a country road.

 

Such a wonderful, and brand new temple.  So new, in fact,  there was no sign and no marking on GoogleMaps.

 

There are an abundance of Wats to see in Khao Yai.  This one on the way to the Magic Caves.

 

A beautiful multi-roofed staircase leading to a hilltop Chedi and temple . . .

 

I opted not to walk up the hundreds of steps to the top of the hill. The caves beckoned.

 

My GPS took me to this place.

 

My GPS makes perfect artistic decisions sometimes, for next to the hill was this fantastic corrugated building hung with an aging banner of some long forgotten festival.  Textures to dream about!

 

Road dust obscuring a sitting monk image . . . and corrugation . . .

 

The other end of the banner held another fabulous image.

MAGIC CAVE LAND

After snooping around for a while I found the cave entrance located inside Wat Tham Trai Rat, a woman approached me and showed me a card that said she was an official guide for the Magic Cave Land.  I asked how much it cost (in Thai)" and she answered in English, "Something or nothing." She took out her keys and we walked in the cave.

 

And down we went under the Earth into a colorful and wondrous world.

 

Not long after the Buddha altar grottos began to appear. Magnificent!

 

Ad on in to the cave we walked. Of course there were colored psychedelic lighting throughout!

 

Buddhas, monks, and hermit statuary throughout.

 

Some of the Buddha altars were more formal . . .

 

I'll bet this place was on the Hippie 'must see' list!

 

It seemed like wherever you looked there would be a Buddha statue in a nitch in the rocks.  Wonderful.

 

Although the cave is not completely full of amazing rock formations, there are enough to make anyone with an interest in geology interested.

 

There were some fascinating flowing rock formations.

 

After about 39 minutes of walking and stooping through narrow and low passages, a sign in the dim shadows appeared . . . I thought, "this is going to be interesting" . . . 

 

"Interesting" is an understatement.  Truly a wondrous thing to see deep in a cave in Thailand.

 

Not only 'cave man bones' but the bones of animals and perhaps other humans were embedded in the stone display.

 

We caught up with a big family here . . . they were rubbing the bones and then spreading the 'bone spirits' around their heads . . . so, of course, I did the same. Very therapeutic.

 

As there always are, pots for making donations to the upkeep of the caves and nearby wat. I left coins in each.

 

At one point there was an opening in the cave ceiling and a perfect light shaft shown through . . . I wished it had fallen on a golden Buddha . . . but it didn't.

 

My favorite Buddha altar in the cave. Magnificent.

 

Astonishingly beautiful cave Buddha altar.

 

Colorfully lit passages . . .

 

Passing from underground room to room and 'discovering' new vistas and Buddha altars.  Extraordinary!

 

After a 90 minute 'tour' underground we at last came to the stairs leading out.  It was a very interesting experience in a low key kind of way.  The cave was very low key, not at all an over-developed tourist attraction.  It is, after all a Buddhist temple.

The Khao Yai Floating Market

I stopped in at the Khao Yai Floating Market and was greeted by this old Chevy pick-up.  Nice.

 

Another nice, funky old Vespa with a side-car at the entrance.

 

Although it would be fair to say that the Khao Yai Floating Market is a bit of a 'tourist trap' . . . it is not without its charms, beauty, interest, pretty gardens, and photo opportunities.

 

You enter the 'floating market' through pleasant gardens before walking 100 meters down a hill to the pond (not a river) they dug for the water feature.

 

I didn't have a map of the layout, so I followed the signs . . . OH! COFFEE! I'll have to check it out . . . but first . . .

 

I started along this wooden boardwalk to explore the old buildings. Very pretty.

 

The actual 'floating market' does not actually float.  It is a manufactured replica of a traditional Thai floating market [my photos of a real floating market can be found here].  It looks nice, but is not authentic.

 

Before the pandemic, one assumes, Bangkok week-enders would flock here for food, a little shopping, and to enjoy the gardens.

 

At 10:00am on the morning I visited the Khao Yai Floating Market I was the only patron.

 

Fortunately there was ONE little food stand open selling my favorite papaya salad (sum-tam).

 

A side order of sticky rice and puffed rice cakes (and a CokeZero) made a nice snack.  It was delicious.

 

I cold see that it would be nice to while away a hot afternoon in a hammock here . . .

 

There were a few antique items setting around to create an old-timey feel.

 

The wooden boardwalk was a thing of beauty (to me!). It was a little strange to be in this place all alone . . .

 

I was fascinated by this old barber shop . . . I wondered if a real barber occupied it as a business during more touristy times.

 

All the little shops along the boardwalk were closed . . . on to the gardens.

 

This is good. I love flower gardens.

 

A vast and wonderful hillside garden greeted me!

 

They had a good eye for color.

 

I followed a black butterfly around for a while . . .

 

Sunflowers are such a happy sight . . . always.

 

A sunflower is an amazingly complex thing.

 

A sunflower is one big flower filled with many, many smaller flowers opening up in rings around the center.  WOW!

 

Each sunflower is quite unique.

 

Someone thought it was a good idea to plant sunflowers in the rose garden . . . it sorta worked . . .

 

Many different flower beds winding up the hill to what I hoped was an open coffee stand.

 

Beautiful colored whispy fronds.

 

The flower gardens were quite extensive and well-maintained, considering the wet season had yet to begin.

 

Up on the hill were a row of lounging huts . . . places to spend the day.

 

The coffee shop was open . . . and the coffee was delicious.  There were pleasant places to relax while enjoying the coffee (and a brownie) too.

 

Two couples in their 20s showed up and took photos of each other in this heart-shaped 'frame.'

 

It was hot, and it was time to leave.  I walked back down the hill under the cover on these wonderful stairs.

 

Shadow and pattern . . . on the stairs down . . .

 

I passed this along the way . . . I have no idea what the plan was for it . . . but it was very interesting.

 

And back along the pond . . . 

 

 . . . and across a very rickety bamboo bridge . . .

 

For some reason, there was an old fashioned schoolroom set up.  I suspect the developers were collectors of all kinds of old stuff, and this project was a good place to display it.

 

And at last I was back to the Strawberry People and the park exit. It was worth the nominal entry fee for a nice morning of photography and coffee.

 

And we finished the day at our friends house for a magnificent BBQ in Toscana.