Random Pictures from the Archive; 30 photos from my archive.
For the past few weeks I have been posting one ‘random’ picture per day on Facebook from my archive of photographs. I provided no explanation and simply let the photos speak for themselves. However, I have received quite a few requests for more information about my photos. So, in this blog post, I am going to show each one and talk a little about them. I hope you enjoy!
The first photo in the series was taken from the first place I lived in Hanoi on Xuan Dieu street. My room was tiny and virtually windowless, however, I had access to the roof which provided me with some great views. This photo was taken facing away from the street at what I could call a lagoon. You can see a temple in the background and in the foreground a small boat harvesting some sort of water plant.
The second photo in the series was taken on a trip I booked in Luang Prabang (in Laos). I was fortunate to find a fantastic tour guide. My requirements were fairly straightforward. I wanted to visit places that few westerners had a chance to visit. I asked that from the time we left Luang Prabang, that I would not see another westerner until we returned. The company I booked with was called White Elephant and the owner said he would see what he could do. The next day he let me know he had located the ideal tour guide. My guide actually lived on a mountainside outside Luang Prabang and taught English at most of the villages on the mountain. We agreed on a price and the next day my adventure began. This photo was taken on this trip of a very small village on the way to the top. And true to my request, I did not see another westerner until we returned to Luang Prabang
The third photo in the series was taken on a boat trip in Vietnam to a place called Tam Coc. We were very fortunate to have some lovely friends who were excited to take us to many interesting places. Tam Coc features some beautiful scenery with many karst formations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karst) much like the ones found in Ha Long Bay. I really like this picture because the boat operators use their feet and legs to power the boats – no hand operated oars or motors.
The fourth photo in the series I took at a concert by Carabao, probably my favorite Thai band. His ‘stage name’ is Aed Carabao and he is the leader of this talented band. I’ve seen them four or five times and enjoyed each time.
The fifth photo in the series is a sad one taken during one of my trips to Chinatown in Bangkok. I gave him some food money and hope that he used it for that. He was fine for me to take the photo as long as his face was not in it. Like so many other countries, there are far too many destitute people on the streets.
The sixth photo was taken at Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park. A couple summers ago we did a driving tour of some parts of Thailand I had never been to before. This was one of our first stops. The reclining Buddha is a common theme at Thai temples representing Buddha shortly before he died.
The seventh photos were taken when I lived in Japan for six months while working for a large software company. The first of the two was taken at a baseball game featuring my favorite team, the Yakult Swallows at their home ballpark. Cute girls with pony kegs strapped to their backs was a new phenomenon for me. The second of the two from day 7 was taken at a festival in Japan.
The eighth photo was taken at Phnom Chisor which is an ancient Hindu Khmer temple built in the 11th century. When my driver dropped me off I was greeted by a gaggle of Khmer kids excited to take me up the 133 meters (471 steps) to the top of a small mountain. We finally got to the top and I scrambled around the ruins. When looking off in the distance, one can see two more ancient Khmer temples in a straight line toward Angkor. The kids were excited to show me various things and I gave them each some pocket money when we got down.
The ninth photo was taken at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. Doi Suthep, as it is often referred to is a Theravada Buddhist temple. On the way to the temple along the stairway one can often find families, especially children, dressed in traditional Hmong clothing. It happened that I rode a songtaew (a passenger pickup truck) up the mountain with this girl and her family. Here I will show you a ‘before’ picture I took on the way to the temple as well as her clothed in her Hmong garb.
The tenth photo in the series was taken on our farm in Wang Nam Yen. My brother-in-law was taking care of his cows. The rice has been harvested and the cows are let loose to eat what they choose.
The eleventh photo was taken in Siem Reap at a kindergarten during a break. I had spent the morning checking out the sunrise at the temple complex and after a short rest wandered around the area near the lovely place I stayed (Peace of Angkor Villa). This little girl was just too photogenic to pass up.
The twelfth in the series was taken at the Wat Phra Kaeow of one of the dozens of yaksha (guardians) who are in charge of keeping away evil spirits. The yaksha at Wat Phra Kaeow I think are particularly impressive. I think Wat Phra Kaeow is the single true “can’t miss” attraction in Bangkok.
The thirteenth photo holds no great mystery nor does it warrant a long story. It was taken along the banks of the Red River which runs through Hanoi. I was on a tour of the Pottery Village tourist attraction and took a wander. I don't really know what they are loading or unloading, it is just representative of the boat culture which operates throughout SE Asia.
My fourteenth picture was of a 3D wall which I believe features Kwan Yin, the boddhisatva known as the Goddess of Mercy or Compassion. This shot was taken at a temple very near to my apartment on Quang An in Hanoi. At this temple are dozens of 3D and painted images running the gamut of the lovely Goddess of Mercy to images of people being tortured and cast into some sort of hell. I found it to be a fascinating temple but could not find anyone with enough English or knowledge of it to tell me much about it.
Number fifteen in my series was taken on our 2016 road trip vacation as well as number six in the series. This one was taken at Si Satchanalai Historical Park in the northwestern part of Thailand not far from the ancient capitol, Sukothai.
I shot number sixteen on a stroll in Hanoi about halfway between my apartment and United Nations International School of Hanoi where I worked for six years. These kids were just hanging out and were happy to pose for a shot.
Number seventeen was taken on a tour from Siem Reap set up by Peace Of Angkor Tours. This is Beng Melea, a long lost jungle temple, which at that time had received little restoration. We had to be mindful of the possibility of landmines which had not been cleared. The temple is known in part for a film made there called Two Brothers which is the story of two tiger cubs separated when they were very young. Back when I visited, it was deserted other than our small group of 6 or 7 people, a couple of guards and a few children. It has since been ‘improved’ and made more accessible.
The eighteenth photo in the series was taken on a later tour from Luang Prabang. Here, a monk, far from any city sits by a fire getting ready to cook something.
Number 19 in my series was also taken on a tour from Luang Prabang. I found this young man to be quite insistent on being photographed.
Back in Siem Reap, I attended a Khmer culture show. As part of the show, this lovely dancer along with several others performed traditional Khmer dance in traditional Khmer costume. The twentieth shot shows her at the end of the dance.
The twenty-first picture was taken on one of the Luang Prabang trips. We did cross this rickety bridge which is crossed every day by many people on the way between villages. I would not have crossed it if it had been much higher off the water!
Back in Bangkok, Chinatown to be specific, the twenty-second shot in the series was taken during the Lunar New Year celebration. This is a lion getting ready for the traditional lion dance.
Here in 2020, number twenty three was taken at a temple called Wat Ya Som near the Cambodian border. It is relatively new and enormous temple complex. It is well worth a visit.
I shot this girl on a trip to Sapa in northern Vietnam. Sadly, Sapa is changing rapidly from the charming mountain town to merely a tourist destination complete with a cable car to the top of the highest local mountain, Fansipan. Number twenty-four in the series was taken on a walking tour far from the center of town.
Some ‘old’ friends of mine came to visit me in Vietnam a couple of years ago. After a few days exploring Hanoi, we took a lovely tour of Ha Giang province in northern Vietnam quite west of Sapa. Much of the trip was through gorgeous mountains, unfortunately it was generally very overcast and difficult to capture some of the spectacular scenery. Our tour was organized, including homestays, by a lovely group of people from the YesD organization. YesD gives back to the community and were great to work with.
This is reminiscent of the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations. The twenty-sixth in the series, was taken in a huge temple complex in Nakhon Phanom where my daughter attends university.
This photo was taken at Wat Phra Kaeow. These are also demon guardians. These surround the actual building housing the Emerald Buddha which is the most sacred object in Thailand.
The twenty-eighth photo was taken on Cat Ba island on our Ha Long Bay trip. I have no idea what these things are, but I really liked the composition.
Number 29 was taken on a trip to the Perfume Pagoda. I wandered off from everyone else for a moment and was rewarded with this photo which is not the actual Perfume Pagoda.
Last and certainly not least, number 30 is a picture from Luang Prabang. As is the case in much of SE Asia, including our neighborhood in Thailand, the local monks walk through the town to receive alms from the local people. In our village they pass our house usually between 5:30 and 6:00. I’m not sure what time it was in this shot, but it was definitely very early. Due to the relatively narrow street I couldn’t get all the monks, there were probably another 10 or so following these..
