Trip to Khao Yai

Loitering Around Bangkok Aug 13

Below are the collection of pictures that had been piling up for quite some time.

A Day Out on Town in BKK Mid -Oct 12

October 14, 2012

A Day Out on Town

I downloaded new ios from Apple which always you to take panoramic shots. Of course the quality of the photo is not going to be that of full frame DSLR but man-o-man look at what you can do with it. Makes any good wide angle lens shot a joke. What you are looking at is about 160 Deg view of the popular intersection of Asok in downtown BKK. 

Again some pictures you just take. These men, working on this building renovation, when frozen forever, with my iPhone, look like they are preforming to some stage production for some award ceremony.

I go to Chinatown every once a while to loiter around. There's a huge flea market there where you can buy anything and everything. You have heard the idiom "Everything and the Kitchen Sink" - well here it is - this guy is selling among many other things used stove, a plant, light fixtures, badminton, a nylon hose, mini flashlights, old Atari, a Cassette player, sewing machine, and  yes the Kitchen Sink as well!!!

In another alley saw this guy taking a nap in all the noise and chaos of a mid-day rush of the flea market  I don't like to take shots with lots of subjects and objects in them like "Everything and the kitchen sink" like above. But his relaxed pose caught my attention. Shot with iPhone.

Then further down saw this lady selling used pots and pans. Wanted to try out my new 50mm/f1.4 fast lens. 

A Day Trip for Purist Toursit in BKK

If I were to tell you that - somewhere amongst the concrete jungle of heart of Bangkok you can:

- journey through a river on a long boat while passing by ancient temples on the shores;

- to a passage through crowded markets on long and narrow alleys soaking in exotic sight, sound and smells;

- to being on a monastery on top of a mountain with few ounces of solitude and nice breeze with the view of the city to sip into;

- to walking through corridors and cloisters of beautiful places

- and end up in “bohemian rhapsody” of a walking street with hemp clothing and tattoo parlors, backpackers and hippies with breaded hair consuming beer and street food while loud psychedelic trance blares through DVD shops in every direction.

in less than a day you would probably think no way. Well…I am here to tell you I did just that……. well almost ……last weekend!!!

Here’s the itinerary – brought to you commercial free…… if you got the energy for it that is.
Below is the Google map of the epic journey I did on foot.

A – Take Silom line via Sky train and get off at Saphan Thaksin Peir

B - Take the ferry along the Chao Phraya River and get off on Pier # 5 aka China Town Pier

B-C Head towards China town with maze of shops on side streets and narrow alleys.

There you will first come across what I label as “A Dingly Dangly Row” – (women shoppers heaven for any kind of accessories – like earrings, beads, hairclips, lockets and lipsticks to name a few)

Then when you cross the main drag into other side street there is “Exotic food and Spices Row” stuff you never knew existed .........or edible at that

And then when you take a 90 Deg turn at the end of the alley. This is your “Porn-DVDs-to-Used Kitchen-Sink-and-Everything-in-Between-Row”.

D – After departing from China town and few minutes of a little less exciting walk through the city streets your reach Golden Mount Temple (more like a Monastery on top of the hill) with a 360 Deg view of the city below

D-E – Depart temple - take a long walk through wide streets and palaces along the way

E – Khao Shan Road to be among the backpacker and “granola type - Purist Tourists

What chronicles below is the photos along the journey -

Chayo Phraya River - this pic was taken from ealrier trip actually.

China Town - Not my Pic!!!

One of the Gate with Bells on Golden Mount Temple

Stair Way to Heaven Anyone?? (Golden Mount Temple)

Monks - Taking a Break from Their Hectic day!!!

Monk trapped in Temple, Temple trapped in City!!!

Temple and Palce on the way to Khao San Road

Khao San Road - Pic by Darby Sawchuk....

Meet Me In Chaing Mai

My old friend from BKK once had said “Meet me in Chiang Mai during Songkran – it’s amazing there”. I wish I could be there during Songkran – but what chronicles below is a trip I took last weekend lasting three days.

City of Chiang Mai as seen from Doi Sutep temple that sits on a sorrounding hill. Chaing Mai seems very similar to Kathmandu valley.

Native Hmong Kids in a village near Doi Sutep temple. They were sitting in a hut by the hill side - Ready to strike a pose - for a little chunk change .......of course. Which I readily obliged - how could I resist.


Once an Opium producing Poppy field - turned into a botanical garden in this Hmong Village near Doi Sutep temple.

Our guide told me that there was a 107 years old man that lived in the Hmong Village - which was a tourist attraction in itself. First I thought it was a joke but low n' behold there he was sitting by one of the shops near village entrance. What's the secret for such a longivity I asked - "Couintry life and lots of Opium!!!" came back the answer from our guide.

Saw this sculpture on foot steps of a (entrely white) temple on our way to Chiang Rai and Golden triangle on second day. These live size hands seem to sprout out of the ground - as if trying for a reach. Very symbolic yet disturbing!!!!

Some old "Stupa" style temple as I reach near golden traingle. This temple was built by some King from the area about 1000 years ago.

Finally at the golden triangle. This gate lies on the shore of Mekong river in Thailnad side.

The mighy Mekong at first glimpse - but the clouds were rolling in soon.



No caption needed - Sign tells the story!!

And what do they have at the river delta at the heart of golden tringle?? A "Paradise"!!! "Paradise Casino" that is!!! Once a prime center for Poppy trade - now an area coomon to all three countries.

Rice paddy field in a nearby village in Chiang Mai. Similar to lanscape of Nepal.


Our lunch awaits at a local eatery after long and hard... (uhhhm) half hour of trek.

A little girl with her grand mother. This was by the little arts n' crafts village near Chiang Mai on the third day of our tour.

Life in BKK/Thailand

Here in Bangkok you get CNN "World Edition" which includes a brief world weather report at the end. It goes something like this – “We got this low pressure system on South China Sea while mostly sunny in all over Africa, Eastern Europe looks a little cloudy and all of continental US is on hurricane watch called Lilly!!!!”

I am like – who the hell is this weather report for?? How can it be possibly useful for anyone.......besides an alien.....may be.... with their ship parked over Earth planning for right opportunity to attack us – Hey T2D2 did you just hear on CNN that most of the Africa is sunny let’s plan to land there tomorrow”

I should be blogging a lot more than I have been since I moved to BKK but I haven’t; being very busy at work. Here are collection of pictures and videos from last 7 months or so with no particular order.

This is a video from Koh Larn hour and half away from BKK next to Pattaya.

This is my fav. part of going to islands. Sit right by the beach on eateries like these.


Took this pic in a nearby park called Rama 9 in BKK. What srtcuk me most was how amazingly this large shrub or tree was trimmed to perfect semi-shpere.

At night with bulb exposure. Too bad I didn't have a stand. This was on Koh Samed Island.

Dogs seem to follow me wherever I go!!! I was sitting by a rock on a rather empty beach on Koh Samed Island- this dog showed up from nowhere stood just in front of us and gazed the ocean for a while and later decided to come and sit by us.

Giant Water Lily Leaves at King Rama 9 Park!!!

Another pic - Rama 9 Park.

Few places on earth are perobably as dramatic and as beautiful as Maya Bay on Phi Phi Islands!!!

Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le as I was leaving - these islands are like monolthics cliffs that seem to jump out of crytall clrear blue ocean reaching towrds the sky. Truly magical place!!!

The famous rock formation on James Bond Island. Prbably the most photographed view in Phi Phi Islands - one can probably buy a better postacrd of it for 5 cents - but here's mine for the record anyway....

Picture of our guide dude in Phi Phi Islands!!! I made him pose for us after he made us do the same - taking silly tourist pictures of ours all day long arround the island. He is on the stern of this long skinny boat!!!

View of downtown outside the balcony of my apartment.

View of Chayo Phraya River from the steps of Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) one breezy evening.


Heading to Koh Samed on a Ferry

SOuthern most point Koh Phuket

Photo from trip to Koh Chang