The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

When I was a professor at a Thai public university I used to take the green flag Express Boat (like this one) from near my home in Pakkret down the river to the university.  I hadn't done that since I retired a couple of years ago, so a friend of mine, John, and I decided it would be a fun early morning ramble to photogrph boats and anything interesting along the riverside on our way to Bangkok's Chinatown, 45 minutes away by boat.

By "anything interesting" I meant a constant line of fascinating houses built on stilts in the Chao Phraya River.

As our Express Boat leaves Pakkret it passes through a narrow canal (called "Klong Lat Kret" by locals) that creates the river island of Koh Kret from a bend in the river.  Many old wooden houses line this passage.  I spent my first two years in Thailand trying to rent one of these stilted rierside houses without luck.

I must confess, I never tire of gazing at these old wooden houses passing bye as the boat glides downstream to Bangkok.

Not all of the riverside houses are in a state of disrepair.  I watched this one being build every morning for about a year on my way to work.  I want to live there.

The Chao Phraya River is a living river: it is more than a water channel for commuter boats, it is also full of commercial activity, and a little fishing.  Here a longtail boat is being loaded at an ice house for delivery to riverside cafes and other businessess needing daily ice resupply.

Since it was morning on a school day, we saw many school children waiting on their home docks for their school bus ferry to take them to school.

River life:  a mother accompanies her son to school by ferry.  She may go on to a market afterward.

It is wet season and the water hyacinth has all been loosened from the banks to float to the sea.

Construction work along the river banks is common to see.  As this part of the Chao Phraya River is estuarial, there is much concern about sea level rise.  Considerable effort and resources have been spent raising the banks of the river in anticipation of this eventuality.

Of course, if your alarm clock didn't go off, you can always take a hair-raising ride on a hot rod longtail boat to the office.

There is always something to see and think about along the river.  Here, a fully loaded self-propelled gasoline tanker is tied up in front of a giant Buddha statue, waiting for the tide to turn to ease the up-river journey.

For me, it is always a thrill to come upon one or more river tug boats working a set of barges up or down the river.

Here four tugs, three in front and one (not pictured) in the rear steering, work a set of barges up river in the early morning.

These Chao Phraya river barges are huge!  They sit high out of the water when empty, and are nearly submerged to their gunnels when full of rice, or sand, or whatever other cargo they haul. The famalies of barge crew often live in the houses on the barges.

In comparison, here is a fully loaded barge with a tug waiting for the tide to turn.

A tug working four empty barges up river.

A tug motoring to a rendesvous with some barges to move.

A workman in a self-propelled small barge heading to a worksite.

As we neared the our Chinatown dock, larger buildings appeared behind the riverside stilted huses.

This was my favorite house along the river when I was commuting to work.  However, I was shocked to see that something was amiss: this beautiful riverside home seemed to be abandoned now.  A shame.

Many beautiful old teak Thai style houses dot the riverside. New and old.

Of course, there are many riverside wats and chedis along the way.

Sometimes the temples are obscured by passing barge trains.

There are several more dense urban areas along the route.  At these points, if there is no nearby bridge, ferries carry students and shoppers across the river.  This is the Nonthaburi ferry crossing.

This ferry seems to be very old.  I wonder how long it has been in service.  I used to see this ferry crammed with students on their way to school on the other side of the river.

I felt a bit of nostalgia seeing this old express boat.  This is like the one I used to take to work and back. Newer models have replace most of these.

Temple construction.  I tried to figure out what kind of temple this might be.  It is not of a style typical of Thai wats.  Maybe a Jain temple?

 A favorite Buddha image for me.  I would always wai when I passed to show respect and to remind myself to stay in the present moment always. 

There is a small Islamic community in Thailand, so you see mosques here and there.

And always . . . a tug pulling a barge.  The building in the background is a large Thai urban public school, likely K-12.  Some of these Thai public schools are very good, others are not.

As we neared the city center, we passed a shed housing a collection of cremonial royal barges.  Periodially, on special national occasions, there would be a grand Royal Barge Procession on river of hundreds of these golden barges.

Near our final stop.

I assumed this was a royal structure of some kind.  Likely a reception and viewing platform for Royal Barge Processions.

CHINATOWN

The pier where we were let off was near a stretch of Chinatown full of small, old alleyways.

For me, the Bangkok Chinatown is an endless source of wonder and amazement . . . and photo opportunities.

With a large open market nearby, the only way to get supplies in was by hand trucks, like these.

Aazing sights around every corner in this maze of Chinatown alleys.

I enjoy photographing these abstract, organic scenes:  Stained Wall With Sticker.

As my friend John and I ambled around these narrow aalleys we stumbled upon this marvelous Chinese temple.  It looked inviting.

We climbed the stairs and stood at the door . . . and this is what we saw.

Such a fantastical space!  And thick with incence smoke.

A marvel of spiurtual pracrice and reverence.

A forest of candles . . . donated and lit by local devotees.

Self portrait with Gwan Yin.

The view to the alley looking out from the temple door.

An outdoor incinerator for sending gifts/sustanence to your long departed ancestors on the other side.

We proceded up the alley toward the market.  A good business concept: storage compartments for the market hawkers to keep their wares safe over night.

I foound it a bit odd for a wig shop to be found along a back alley in Chinatown.

We were finally arriving at the market proper.  More storage cabinates lining the way.

An isle through the market.

Many market stalls lined the alleys now . . . selling everything imaginable . . . and unimaginable.

Some shops were a haphazard mess, while others, like this one, were a miracle of OCD organization.  How long, how many generations, has this family been ensconsed in this space selling this and that.

There are literally miles and miles of these Chinatown market alleys.

A workspace/jobsite for many, many people.

A few monks were still in the market gathering alms for himself and the monks left back at the wat.

A long morning of shopping in the heat and humidity taking a toll on this man  . . . and me.

Yes, even here, the device is ubiquitus.  I suppose its a nice distraction from sitting in the market all day . . . all your life.

Fish maw.*  When I say the Chinatown market has everything, I mean EVERYTHING! [* I LOVE fish maw soup the way my wife makes it!]

Interesting fresh veggies for your soups and curries.

This delicious-looking roast chicken smelled great.

The food section had an amazing array of edible items for sale . . . in bulk.

All the spices and ingredients you would need for your next feast.

Dried food.

My friend needed to go back home by public transport, so I stayed in Chinatown for a while exploring one of the big Chinese temples.  Many devotees here.

This is such an extraordinary altar.

The use of neon here is outstanding!

This temple had many side rooms with altars to different dieties from the Chinese pantheon.

In this neighborhood there would be many wealthy people donating to this temple.

I stayed quite a long time here, sitting on a bench, enjoying the peaceful space, before leaving.

I left the Chinatown area by taxi heading to Khlong Thom, a fabulous indoor market for automotive parts & acessories and electronics.  They didn't have what I was looking for (I bought a few stickers anyway).  Afterwards I walked around the back streets in the area.

My luck was good: I found a shop specializing is special high heat insulation materials!  I bought this roll of under hood high heat insulation for my hot rod pick-up project.  I left happy.  

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It was a great day out and about in Bangkok, my home. I was very tired and worn out by the walking and heat of the day, so I took a taxi home.  I took many, many more photos of the wonderful wooden houses along the Chao Phraya River, too many to post here.  I would hope that, if you ever make it to Bangkok, you too will take a long trip on the river.

Himself.

I am very happy today! My multi-year build street rod project has come home! It's a highly modified 2004 Toyota Hilux Tiger.

Out in the wild.  Filling up with E85. There will be a lot of this in my future.

My baby parked at home . . . at last!

The engine in my little fun toy is a Lexus 4.35L (265 cu.in.), 3UZ V8 with an intercooled Whipple supercharger.  It makes 560 horsepower and 500 foot pounds of torque AT THE REAR WHEELS: adequate passing power in case you come upon a slow truck on a long uphill grade.

A big THANK YOU goes to Khun Mac and his outstanding staff of mechanics and fabricators at MacTec Garage.  The quality of work and attention to detail is fantastic.

Yes, I sat in the driveway tonight just to admire my little jewel. 

My wonderful wife ordered this dust cover . . . perfect fit.

Brought my Tiger to the Trucks & Coffee club parking lot meet-up.  Lots of nice trucks and friendly people.  My first car show with the Tiger. I had lots of positive praise about my project, especially the engine.

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For a complete explication of the build and all the parts and construction, please visit this entry on this blog:

Construction Details Link HERE

Wat Mettadhamma Pothiyan had the most astonishing four story tall wood carving I have ever seen in my life.  Truly mesmerizing!

My wife and her brother and I drove far out into the Thai countryside west of Bangkok to visit a special event at a very special Chinese-style temple, Wat Mettadhamma Pothiyan.

It was a hectic three hour drive from my Bangkok home.

Wat Mettadhamma Pothiyan is not an old wat, although many of its architectural features are very reminiscent of ancient  Chinese temples.

There were some very beautiful structures on the grounds, and many construction sites of new buildings.

A lot of money is being donated by the current followers for this wat, and its charismatic head monk.  This temple is going to be fantastic when it is complete.   But we did not come here for the architecture and grandeur of the temple structures . . . it was what was going on inside that drew us there.

Of course we weren't there to just admire the architecture, although we did plenty of that, we were there with a lot of other people to take part in a special event inside one of the temple buildings.

We were there for an auction.  It was a fund-raising event for the wat.  All of these magnificent statues, altars, carvings, and decorations are expensive.  Not to mention the upkeep and support of all the monks who make this wat their home.

My wife's family and I bid on this altar piece . . . and won.  It is made of 100 baht bills.  I was happy to donate.

After we won our bid, I felt free to roam around in this temple and take photographs at will. The altar here is astonishing.

A three Buddha altar.  All the items, fruit baskets and such, in front of the Buddhas were auctioned off that day.

I really enjoyed scrambling around the altar trying to get the best angles for the 'perfect' photo.

WOW!  Just WOW!

I took many, many photographs of this altar, way too many to post here.

We left the crowded "auction hall" and waked 50m to another very large, covered area that was full of all sorts of effigies and votive items.

All along the new building one could find amazing craftsmanship.  This Kuan Yin door was beautiful.

An outside covered area was full of remarkable wood carvings.

Yes, there were also images from the Hindu tradition, like this Gnesh.

Remarkable craftsmanship and artistry everywhere.  I like these strange rock scenes.

A row of giant carved teakwood statues of various deities . . .  one of which is my favorite.

I am a bit of a devotee of the ancient Chinese Buddhist monk, Ji Gong (on the right).  "He purportedly possessed supernatural powers through Buddhist practice, which he used to help the poor and stand up to injustice."  He held an idiosyncratic understanding of Buddhism.  To me he represents the "none of the above" method of reaching enlightenment.

A sweet tiger deity.

I like that Chinese Buddhist temples have whimsical statuary.

But the main attraction at this temple was the four story high giant many-armed diety, Guan Yin Bodhisattva, in its own special hall.

Indescribable.

We spent quite a long time in this very special temple hall . . . just walking around and around the giant Guan Yin Bodhisattva (Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara - or Thousand-Armed Guanyin), staring up, mouths wide open is astonishment.

We left the Guan Yin hall very inspired. On the way back to our car we passed a big workshop where other huge wood carvings were being made.  A fantastic wat very and worth the three hour drive from Bangkok.  I know I will be back.

I live just north of Bangkok in a neighborhood near the Chao Phraya River. It is easy for me to go down by the river, and I do it often, at any time of day, usually with my good camera.  I always enjoy the activity on the river near and around the riverside market town.

There are, of course, many small ferry boats taking people either out to Koh Kret (a nearby island in the river without bridge access and without roads for cars), or just to the other side of the river.

Ferry boats dock at the old wooden piers in the old market at Pakkret. I often take this ferry out to Koh Kret.

There are so many different kinds and types of boats on the Chao Phraya River.  These fishermen provided a lot of interest to the riverside diners . . . and me.

The Chao Phraya River is still and important commercial transport waterway.  It is not unusual to see these large tug boats hauling three or four huge barges up or down the river.

Of course, boats are not all you can see along the river.

There is always a flurry of boat traffic on the river.

Some of these docked ferries are long distance "river taxis" that go all the way down to central Bangkok, 30 kilometers away.

There are always the famous Thai long-tail boats to see.

Long-tail boats are a faster way to get around on the river.  They can take you right to your house or riverside business.  They cost a little more, but are very fast and fun to ride.

There are many Thai Buddhist Temples (Wats) along the river, so it is not uncommon to see monks riding a ferry.

A great variety of ferries ply the river.

Long-tail boats come in all sizes.  This man is delivering some packages out on the island.

In the mornings there is a packed 'rush hour" on the ferries.

At other times of day the ferries are mostly empty (except on the week-ends when many Bangkok tourists go to Koh Kret).

The big long distance river commuter boats do not operate on week-ends and are all tied up on in Pakkret.

A busy river crossing at Pakkret.

Some of these long-tail boats are quite large.  You often see these in the mornings full of students on their way to school or college.

The scenery along the river is quite fantastic.  I love the aesthetics of the houses on stilts in the river.  When I first moved to Thailand (29 years ago) I wanted to live on the river in one of these wooden houses.  Try as I might, I couldn't make it happen. But I love where I am living now. I still have to pinch myself that this is my neighborhood.

Four cute dogs on a boat.

Getting somewhere fast on the river.

A big ferry taking Bangkok day-trippers out to Koh Kret.

A big tug boat laboring up the Chao Phraya River.

If you want to get around on the river in a BIG HURRY . . . this is your best way: a hair-raising jaunt on a modified long-tail boat.

Bangkok tourists boarding their ferry to Koh Kret.

Local Bangkok tourists on an outing.

Big tourist ferry crowded for the day trip.

Some likely international tourists chose to take a fast long-tail boat out to the island.  Fun, fun, fun!

I often take this very ferry when I go out to Koh Kret.  I love the steering wheel on this one.

If you lived on the river you would never have to leave the house! Restaurant boats (like this one) and fruit & vegetable boats make the rounds every day.

There are many, many different ferries along my stretch of the Chao Pryaya River.

Long-tail boats parked in their shed.

A typical river scene out on Koh Kret.

The famous tilting chedi of Koh Kret.  An old rice barge that was converted to a tourist floating hotel comes into view.  People stay on these these for 2-3 day cruises up the Chao Phraya River to the ancient capitol of Ayutthaya.

A beautiful view of Koh Kret and a giant Buddha image along the river.

Need to get some merchandise out to your island shop?  No problem, just flag down a passing long-tail boat.

The ubiquitous Thai long-tail boat . . . .

After I explore along the river, taking photos of boats, I pass through the old town of Pakkret for more photos . . . and another blog entry from MY NEIGHBORHOOD.

It's durian season in Thailand, so why not take a trip out in the hills and visit a durian farm. My wife and I LOVE durian, the King of Fruit!

The location of the farm is here - go to this GoogleMaps link and see where it is:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/G6sEf6i9yKWafgp8A  

We weren't the only ones who decided to visit the durian farm that day. Groups of people came from all directions while we were there.

Picking the right durian requires skill, knowledge, and a bit of luck.

Although we are in the wet season now in Thailand, we took a risk and drove out to the farm anyway.  Fortunately it did not rain while we were there.  It was a very pleasant day out at the hillside durian farm.

One durian tree can produce quite a lot of fruit.  Some of the fruit was supported by pink ribbons to keep them from falling before they were ripe . . . and, I assume, to keep them from falling on visitors.  I would not want to be hit on the head by one of the heavy, sharp durians!

I enjoyed walking around the orchard taking durian portraits.

These looked ready to pick.

Durian portraits are now my favorite subject!  Who knew?

The spikes on a durian are very, very sharp!

Some durians can be picked from ground level, but others require some tree climbing.

Yep, that guy who climbed the tree has to throw the sharp, spiky durians down to his catcher . . . with a burlap bag for protection.  Fascinating.

That's a lot of durians . . . and worth a lot of money . . . durians are expensive, even in Thailand.

You have to know what you are doing to get the pudding-like fruit out of a durian. This is to be left to the professionals.

One of the durian farmers supervising the operation.

Perhaps my favorite portrait: Chair With Durian II

Small slips of foam board were sometimes used between durians to keep them from stabbing each other.  We really enjoyed our day trip to the durian farm.  We ordered about 10 durians (they deliver) to be sent to friends and family . . . and our house, of course.

We took very small roads back to Hua Hin . . . but stopped at a "riverside home stay" we saw on the map that had a coffee shop.  There were some nice views of river rapids, but it was a big commercial development without any "Thai-ness" whatsoever.

We got back to Hua Hin in time to enjoy the sunset over the same hills we had spent the day.