The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

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.

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.

My wife and I visited Poland (Kraków and Gdańsk) in the summer of 2014.  This entry is of the three days we spent in Gdańsk, while there is another entry for Kraków HERE.

Gdańsk is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited . . . and as good luck would have it, we visited during a street festival!

 

The statue to Neptune.

 

One of many small squares in the city center.  The architectural style was surprisingly . . . . Dutch.

 

Gdańsk is on the Motlawa River estuary.

 

An old city filled with wonderful architecture.

 

The architecture of Gdańsk tells a story:  "Parts of the historic old city of Gdańsk, which had suffered large-scale destruction during the war, were rebuilt during the 1950s and 1960s. The reconstruction was not tied to the city's pre-war appearance, but instead was politically motivated as a means of culturally cleansing and destroying all traces of German influence from the city. Any traces of German tradition were ignored by the communists, suppressed, or regarded as Prussian barbarism only worthy of demolition, while communist and Flemish/Dutch, Italian and French influences were used to replace the historically accurate Germanic architecture which the city was built upon since the 14th century. [Citation]

 

The Long Street with the old (circa 1327) City Hall towering over it.

 

Although I would have preferred to stay at an old 'boutique hotel,' we instead stayed at a modern 25 story hotel.  The plus side of the modern hotel were the views over the city.

 

Gdańsk was reduced to piles of stone and brick during WWII by Allied and Soviet bombers.  Almost all of what you see here was reconstructed during the 1950s and 1960s.

 

As luck would have it, we arrived in Gdańsk right in the middle of the annual St. Dominic's Fair. With 750 years of successful tradition, the history of the Fair goes back to the year 1260, when it was established by the decree of Pope Alexander IV. 

 

St. Dominic's Fair brought tourists from all over Poland, Europe, and the Far East.

 

Every street in the city was set up with stalls selling food and crafts. It was the biggest street food and crafts fair I have ever seen!

 

In addition to the street stalls, the fair attracted artists . . . 

 

 . . . buskers . . .

 

 . . . street performers . . .

 

 . . . morose balloon salesperson . . .

 

 . . . historically costumed information givers . . . giving me the Evil Eye! YAR!

 

 . . . and this guy (wearing a hat that said Crime!) who tried to entice the tourists to wager on his 'snail races.' The street fair was, in many ways, still like its medieval origins.

 

We enjoyed shopping at the many interesting crafts stalls.

 

Interesting bags . . .

 

 . . . very cool hats . . .

 

 . . . very cool hat and bag!  There were some very unusual arts at the fair.

 

Many beautiful textiles on sale.  We bought many things at the these stalls to take back home to Scotland with us.  I bought a hat!

 

These street stalls were so cute: they mimicked the style of the Gdańsk buildings.

 

The textiles, hats, and bags were nice . . . but the variety of FOOD at the festival was incredible!!!

 

The breads were fantastic!

The breads were fantastic!

I was in pig heaven for sausage lovers like me!

 

SAUSAGE!!!!

 

I loved cured and smoked pork fat as a child . . . a few thin slabs on a piece of peasant bread . . . mmmmmm!  But I resisted! 

 

Cures and smoked meats . . . a very Eastern European way of eating . . . and so very tasty!

 

Many of the shops put their fruits and vegetables out on the street.

 

Temperate climate fruits are a real treat for us.  These kinds of fruit in Bangkok cost a small fortune, so we went crazy living in Europe for a few years.

 

Lovely fruit.

 

Whole heads of sunflowers . . . that's the way to sell sunflower seeds!

 

Fresh, crispy cucumbers!

 

They had every kind of street food at the fair, including this actual Burrito Truck!  Amazing! (I didn't buy one, and immediately regreted it!)

 

We bought a lot at the wooden spoon stand to take back home to our cottage in Scotland.

 

A dealer of art and socks . . .

 

A woman set up her stool and sold her own crocheted items.  Sweet.

 

There were many buskers, but this guy was exceptionally good.

 

The weather varied from bright sunshine to dark clouds and sudden bursts of rain.

We found thee perfect Old Europe restaurant  . . .

We were hungry for lunch and found this charming old restaurant.

 

Down along the river quay.  A fine medieval dock crane on the far left.

 

River cruise ship for the tourists . . . 

 

For me, the lure of Gdańsk was the marvelous array of fascinating architecture.

 

A few of the old buildings survived the carpet bombing.

 

Such an odd building . . . all roof and dormers . . .

 

Narrow alleys, cobbles streets, ancient buildings . . . the charms of old Europe.

 

Here and there . . . public art . . .

 

My love of old doors, walls and windows was satisfied in a big way in Gdańsk!

 

I was told by a shopkeeper that some of these grand old doors and their stone casings were pulled from the rubble after the bombings and restored and reused.  Marvelous.

 

I marveled at these windows . . . exquisite!

 

Such lovely symmetry, color, shape . . .

 

A gate from the time of horse drawn carriages . . .

 

I loved the whimsical display.

 

So sweet.

 

A weathered door . . . and . . .

 

 . . . and its context.

 

A fine, formal marble doorway.

 

High relief stonework.  Nice.

 

Not all of Gdańsk's doors were as appreciated as I would like to have seen.

 

The views out over Gdańsk at night from our high rise hotel room were wonderful.

 

Making this photo blog about this wonderful city has made me very homesick for living in Europe . . . 

 

I don't know if I will ever return to Gdańsk, but I know I will always have fond memories of it.

Pak Khlong Talat is Bangkok's great flower market . . . and one of the largest flower markets in the world.

 

Literally millions of fresh lotus buds and flowers every day pass through this flower market.

 

The lotus bud is a powerful symbol in Buddhist thought.

 

Pak Khlong Talat is a huge flower market with large indoor spaces and narrow alleys all full of flowers . . . it is a wholesale market, so many buyers come every morning and send their purchases back to their shops by tuk-tuk.

 

Some buyers come to buy 'raw' flowers for arrangement elsewhere, and some come to buy ready-made arrangements, like these aromatic jasmine bud garlands (used in Buddhist blessings).  Imagine how wonderful these women smell after a days' work!!!

 

Fragrant jasmine buds being weighed.

 

Beautifully made jasmine garlands on ice, ready for sales.

 

Many kinds and styles of Buddhist votive flower arrangements were being made everywhere.

 

The market has more than flowers for sale . . . fruit for the hundreds, if not thousands of flower market workers.

 

But, of course, it is the flowers that amaze a visitor to the flower market.  Orchids everywhere!

 

 Thailand's hot and humid climate means that orchids grow outside all year long.  Just nail one on a tree and it grows!

 

Orchids come in every color of the rainbow . . .

 

Exquisite orchids.

 

 . . . including white orchids.

 

An orchid hawker tending her product.

 

The flower market is also a good place to get people photos.

 

The market opens at 3:00am when the growers begin to bring in their flowers . . . and buyers begin to purchase and ship.  This draymen looks tired!

 

Hoping for a big sale.

 

The kinds and varieties of flowers available for sale was staggering!  These sunflowers are from Thailand.

 

Roses, roses, roses . . . 

 

 . . . roses, roses, roses . . .

 

 . . . and more roses.  These wrapped roses were imported from Europe.

 

Some flowers were sold as already made arrangements, like this white lily ensemble.

 

Marigold flowers sold on nylon strings.

 

Such a beautiful and colorful array . . . 

 

Although the light in the market was not ideal for flower photography, every once in a while there was magic light!

 

Pretty little things!

 

Bunches and bunches of flowers.

 

And bundles and bundles of beautiful flowers.

 

And this extraordinary bouquet!

 

Individually hand-wrapped chrysanthemums.

 

Inside the flower market.  This was at around 9:30am and lots of the stalls were already closed . . . sold out.

 

A market draymen moving purchases out of the market to waiting tuk-tuk delivery.

 

The area around the flower is made up of many rows of old shop houses.

 

The flower market is in a very old part of Bangkok, not far from the Chao River and just north of the Chinatown district.

 

Remnants of Old Bangkok can be seen in and among the complexity of the streets.

 

Not only flowers . . . but everything a creative flower arranger might want to employ in a tropical flower arrangement!

 

Existentially beautiful tropical leaf.

 

Gorgeous.

 

And ribbons and bows for that special wedding or graduation event.

 

A complete flower arranger super store!

 

Need some green sprigs with little buds for your arrangement . . . sure, they have them.

 

And ribbons and bows . . . 

 

 . . . bunches and bunches of ribbons and bows.

 

The back side of the flower market blends into a traditional, and common, Bangkok "wet market" -- a fresh fruit and vegetable market.

A ginger hawker's display.

 

Beautiful ginger.  I love ginger . . . and many Thai dishes are made with ginger . . . especially Thai desserts, my favorite.

 

Purple net sacks full of potatoes.

 

A stack of spice root.

 

A stack of Thai squash ("fucktong" in Thai).

 

A lot of activity in the vegetable wholesale market.

 

Unique ingredients are what make Thai food so tasty.

 

A market chili sorter . . . she did not smell like flowers!!!

 

A small sale of fish . . . no doubt intended for the market workers to take home for dinner.

 

After three hours (!!) we finally stepped outside the markets.  

 

Loading up the produce . . . outside the market.

 

Produce all loaded in the tuk-tuk bound for a restaurent or small market somewhere in the city.

 

Who was that masked man?  A flower market worker taking a break.

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We walked a few blocks from the flower market to find a very good cup of coffee . . . and stumbled upon this shop selling "fake" plastic flowers:  incredibly realistic plastic flowers.  I guess some people get tired of having to buy fresh flowers over and over . . .

My friend John Stiles and I took a day off work on a week day and drove north out of Bangkok early in the morning in search of the famous Lopburi sunflower fields . . . they were suppose to be coming into bloom this time of year (November 2017).

 

Just an easy 1 1/2 hour drive up a divided highway to Lopburi.

 

We began the day before first light, so when we came across this roadside restaurant on a pond, so we stopped.

 

We enjoyed some good coffee (they had a grand Italian coffee-making machine!) and dry honey toast with pork floss.

 

There was a dried fish stand setting up outside the restaurant when we arrived.  Very photogenic.  We would see a lot of dried fish throughout the day.

 

Small dried 'sprats' . . . my favorite.

 

The fish hawker and his beautifully arranged fish.

 

The colors and arrangement oft these dried fish were captivating.

 

Good in soups and salads.

 

A heap of dried fish heads . . . for making fish head soup!

 

There were also some fresh fish for sale as well.

 

Drying fish on the round baskets.

 

These are rice treats with either fish, beans, or sweets wrapped in leaves.  We didn't buy any fish or rice treats . . . and headed up the rural road toward Lopburi.

 

We left Bangkok (Minburi) around 6:30 am, loaded a general Lopburi address into the GPS, and headed up the big highway for the hour and a half drive.  When we got a few miles outside of Lopburi, we left the highway for the small roads . . . and found several wonderful small Buddhist Wats.

 

Right off a small road to Lopburi we found an ancient Wat . . . with a beautiful spirit house.

 

Monks quarters.

 

I enjoy walking around old Wats just to see what can be seen.  Here, a still life portrait of items arranged in the  space of a monks house porch.  I love the makeshift, slapped together feel of the shoe box . . . no concern for aesthetic geometry . . . yet beauty was achieved.

 

In front of a meditation hall. The crematorium can be seen at far right  . . . the monks were consulting with contractors about repairs needed to the crematorium.

 

An alcove for a magnificent Buddha image.

 

I found the steering wheel on this ceremonial cart interesting.

 

I love old unattended things.  This ceremonial cart sitting beside a klong was a thing of beauty (to me).

 

The old ceremonial cart by the klong.

 

The old wooden Wats have so many beautiful scenes to photograph.

 

The old Wat held a beautiful black Buddha.  I am always interested in the devotional markings pilgrims have left behind.

 

The pattern of the gold leaf applications is fantastic.

 

 

 

We saw only a few monks out and about.  This monk stepped out for a cigarette. I asked if I could photograph him and he nodded OK.

 

Around he back of the monk's quarters . . . rural Wats are sometimes disheveled like this.  The monks are not there to garden, and the local people who support the Wat are busy working hard to stay alive.

 

The old surfaces of the ancient monks' quarters had a marvelous patina.

 

Monk and water urns.

 

A powerful Buddha image.

 

I looked one last time at my final destination . . .

 

The practical side of Wat life.  We left this wat and drove down a tiny rural farm road until we came to . . .

 

Just around the corner . . . a colossal Buddha image under construction.  10 stories tall with two workers crawling all over it.

 

Sculpting the Buddha's head way up on bamboo scaffolding.

 

In a lot just in front of the giant Buddha under construction were these racks being filled with fish to be dried.

 

Fish spreaders . . .

 

Another 500 meters walk up the country lane and we encountered another, bigger fish drying operation . . . and the same two guys spreading fish!

 

They were drying a variety of fish on bamboo racks.

 

Some of the drying fish had been split and skinned.

 

Some of the drying fish had been gutted and beheaded.  There was a lot of drying fish here.

 

John asked one of the fish spreaders where the fish came from, since we were a couple hundred kilometers from the sea.  They said it was all imported from Cambodia fresh every day.

 

I'm afraid we made this guy a little selfconsious with all the photography  . . . DAMN TOURISTS!

 

I took way too many photographs of these incredible fish patterns . . . .

 

Very strange things to see out in the Thai countryside.  We left the drying fish behind and went looking for the sunflower fields.

 

We eventually found a field that was just coming into flower.

 

We first explored a little patch up a dirt path . . . away from another field that had quite a few other sunflower pilgrims.

 

New sunflowers budding are fantastically interesting things.

 

The sun was hiding behind the clouds, but that might have made the photography better . . . .

 

Beautiful sunflowers . . . they make you happy.

 

A beautiful place to be on a Monday afternoon . . .

 

We passed by a field that had yet to flower.  John, from Iowa and, like all people from Iowa, was an expert on sunflowers.  He said that sunflowers have an 'internal clock' -- in other words, sunflowers planted a week after other sunflowers, will bloom one week later.

 

An ice cream hawker found his way to here the Thai tourists were  . . . as we had.

 

John bought an ice cream sandwich . . . literally, a slab of ice cream in between slices of bread.  The hawker consented to this photograph.

 

We found a larger field of blooms.

 

This is more like it.

 

We were not alone, of course.  Sunflower fields attract people like moths to a flame.

 

A gorgeous place to find a sunflower field . . . below the sharp hills with a Buddhist temple perched high up on a rise.

 

The light was starting to fade as we headed out of the beautiful fields . . .  we had a hilltop Buddha image to get to.

 

Rows and rows of sunflowers popping in and out of the sunlight.

 

This sweet, and nutty, couple were selling freshly salted and roasted sunflower seeds. I bought a kilo (they were delicious).

 

And off we went to find the hillside Buddha.

 

This MUST be the road!

 

Yes, all the roads I have ever taken have led me to this place . . . the highway to hell!

 

The Peacock Temple was . . . .  very interesting, that is for sure.

 

Chedis . . . and the snake-railed steps up to the big Buddha on the hill.

 

I love these rural Wats . . . in nature and not overly tended.

 

And so we started the climb up the temple stairs . . .

 

And up and up we went.  The stairs were numbered, so we didn't have to count them ourselves.  However, we did not know how many total steps there were going to be!

 

 

The walk to the top (436 steps in all) was well worth it . . . the view across the Thai landscape was remarkable!

 

The Peacock Temple below.

 

What we came to see: a giant Buddha image.  Very beautiful.

 

There were several altars in and around the top of the climb . . . as well as some tunnels that went inside the mountain . . . we didn't explore these.

 

4:00pm at the top of a hill enjoying the view and the various altars.

 

After 30 minutes on the top of the hill, we made our way back down the dry leaf covered 436 steps.

 

At last . . . the bottom in sight.  And then into the car and off to a Wat we could see from the hilltop Buddha.

 

We arrived at a temple hosting a meditation retreat just at the moment they bikkus were in meditation. 

 

Such a beautifully spiritual place.  We were at first reluctant to take photographs until a Wat attendant came over and indicated that it was OK for us to use our cameras.  We took full advantage.

 

These Buddhist 'nuns' were in colored robes normally associated with Tibetan Buddhists.

 

We did our best not to disturb the meditating nuns and monks.  Here, a photo during their break.  Monks on one side, nuns on the other.

 

An elderly nun.

 

I felt that this was a meditation center I would enjoy attending.

 

A beautiful 'sala' . . . one assumes it is used in case of heavy rain during meditation times.

 

The Wat seemed very prosperous, with new structures under construction.

 

After the meditation stopped, John and I walked around the Wat grounds.

 

The main Wat structure.

 

Fantastic design and excellent workmanship.

 

This 'Thai Angel' was outside the front entrance to the large Wat . . . and very unusual to see with a baby, almost in a Virgin Mary pose.  Is this the baby Buddha Gotama?  I do not know.

 

We walked around all sides of the Wat main structure.

 

A Thai Wat in the fading light.

 

Nearly last light.

 

One last look around the ground gardens.

 

We passed a lotus hawker on the way to our car . . . and drove home in the dark: another satisfying and inspirational day out in the world.