The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

THE THAI-CAMBODIAN BOARDER TOWN OF HAT LEKKhlong Yai District is a narrow strip of land along the northeast shore of the Gulf of Thailand.  It is a rarely visited region of Thailand and mainly serves as a route to the Cambodian Boarder at the small town of Hat Lek.  Khlong Yai and Hat Lek are fishing ports for the Thai fleet of shrimpers, squiders, and general market fishing.

Hat Lek is a boarder post between Thailand and Cambodia.  It is a bustling little place where tradesmen scurry abut with carts full of produce bound for the Cambodian side.  We did not pay the fee for a Cambodian Visa, so only saw the Hat Yai, on Thai side.

Beautiful, and busy, downtown Hat Lek, Thailand.

Hat Yai was crawling with Durians.  Apparently it is a good time to send Durians from Thailand to Cambodia.  We got there early, around 7:30, but we were already too late for the morning market, which seemed to be already closing up.  I find these dray carts ("a strong low cart or carriage used for heavy burdens.") fascinating

There were still many dray carts heaped with Durians when we got there . . . and plenty of buyers.  Personally, I LOVE Durians and consider them the very best fruit on Earth.  They are known as The King of Fruits by those, like me, who crave them.  However, about half of our planet's population consider Durians the most disgusting and sickening fruit in this quadrant of the universe.  The human being is completely split about liking or hating Durians!

Durians, Durians, and more Durians.  Yum, Yum, and more Yum!

The cart porters were obviously NOT paid by the cart . .  but by the piece!

There were all kinds of dray carts toting all kinds of goods both ways across the boarder with Cambodia.  You can see the Durian traders in the background.

Packed, loaded, and headig for the Cambodian boarder.

If you have spent any time in my photo blog, you know I have more than a passing interest in push carts, dray carts, and street peddlers carts.  These carts are obviously purpose-built for this situation: transporting goods to and from Cambodia.  The porters were also fantastically photogenic!

Many of the dray-men were pushing the heavy loads were women, er, dray-women!  As is often the case in Thailand (and around Southeast Asia), women who work in the sun take every measure to keep from getting dark skin.  Dark skin is a sign that one is a manual laborer and not a "refined lady or a "HiSo lady."

A happy dray man.

Hat Lek must be the Durian capitol of the world! 

I would love one day to fill a gallery with these cart portraits . . . with one room dedicated only to Durian dray carts.  The Durian seems to me to be the best eidence that extra-terrestrials have visited our home planet.  The visiting aliens siply dropped the seeds of these amazingly yummy fruits after eating the box lunches their spouses packed home for the trip.

The women porters' hats and masks made them very mysterious indeed.

It got rapidly hotter as the morning grew shorter.  The merchants withdrew to the shade and under parisols.

I ran into the Porter in Blue later in the morning sitting with her young child in the shade.  She consented to be photographed.

One particular Durian porter caught out eye, not least for her bloodied hands from handling Durians without the thick leather gloves used by the other porters, but because she was so very beautiful.  Movie star beautiful!

The dray women of Hat Lek, Thailand.

Hat Lek is on the Gulf of Thailand, so after exploring the boarder trade in Durians we explored the little town . . . only to discover a Buddhist Thanksgiving ceremony dedicated to the sea presided over by seven chanting monks.

The villagers were tending hand made sand chedis along the beach.

It was an idyllic setting, on a perfect day.  I gave thanks as well for the bounty of the sea.

A perfect morning to commune with The Buddha and with nature.

Hat Lek also had a small fishing port.  We stood in amazement as the fishermen unloaded their boats by throwing pink baskets full of fish up to the waiting buyers on the stone jetty.

Although it was only 8:30am, it was very hot already.  The boatmen worked very hard.

Like everything we encountered on the Khlong Yai coast, the colors were vivid and bright.  Each fish buyer brought with him his own color-coded plastic boxes and baskets.

As we were watching the fishing boats being unloaded, a boy and his father slowly glided into Hat Lek port.

KHLONG YAI DISTRICT COMMERCIAL FISHING PORTAbout 20 kilometers south of Khlong Yai we passed this interesting roadside sign . . . and were immediately thrown into a perception of ourselves on a map as seen from above . . . a fun awareness shift!

One of several commercial fishing ports along Thai Highway 318.

Between Hat Lek and the fishing port of Khlong Yai, there are several commercial fishing docks.  We stopped at one and spent some time photographing the colorful scene.

The port was a busy place: loading ice onto ships after they have been emptied and readied for a quick turn-around, and back out to sea.

It was over 100f (39c) on this day.  Loading ice into the ship's hold must have been refreshing.

The ice workers had the best job, that's for sure.

Oh to be an Iceman's helper on a day like this!  Easy money!

Some of the 'catch of the day.'

This picture takin' thing ain't all that hard!  It's as easy as shootin' fish in a barrel . . .  literally!

The docks were full of wonderful images, like this corroded old anchor . . .

. . . . and the light bulbs use to attract squid to the boats at night.

The dock and fisheries workers did not mind being photographed.

Taking a smoke break among the fish crates.

KHLONG YAI TOWN AND PORT

We drove North on Thai Highway 318 back to the town of Khlong Yai.  We arrived in the late afternoon and headed immediately for the port . . . and the magic light that precedes the sunset.

Khlong Yai is a bustling little authentic Thai port town that the tourists have ignored.

We were greeted with more colorful and fascinating, and supremely photogenic, Thai fishing village scenes.  I never get tired of these scenes . . . and took thousands of photos. 

The sunlight, and the water, flattened as the afternoon wore on.  I was happy to walk along the docks taking photos.  I was in a perpetual "Oh WOW!" state of wonder. "Basil, look at THIS!  Basil, look at THAT!"

The people of Khlong Yai were very friendly and open.

Old, weathered wooden warehouses and brightly painted boats reflected in the inlet.  Photographers' Heaven.

So many interesting textures and patterns . . . and evocative images.

Basil, an excellent photographer and teacher, gave me many tips on composition and how to get more out of my camera and lenses.  Thanks Basil.

Wash day on the docks.

We walked further out on the quay and noticed the buildings on the other side were dilapidated, unoccupied, and in many cases heavily damaged.  Perhaps there had been a big storm or tsunami . . . or somebody is behind on their mortgage.

The abandoned green room (above) cast an amazingly abstract reflection on the water.  A little color enhancement and brightening in post-production makes for a very beautiful abstract photo.

There was no shortage of photo opportunities of my favorite subject; the  textures of dilapidation.  I think of it as "Old Space."

At some point the houses along the pier were no longer grounded on terra firma.  The mudskippers were up and about in the afternoon light making trails in the mud under the houses.  Mudskippers are fish that have adapted legs and gills for living outside the water . . . . just like the first animals that came out of the sea billions of years ago.  My advice:  Go back!

The sun was beginning to set, which meant it was getting near dinner time.  I found this scene amusing; Mom had obviously sent the son out under the house to catch an ingredient needed for tonight's meal . . . no doubt sum tam with small crabs.

The fading sun cast an eerie glow on the buildings.

The sunset lit up an approaching storm approaching from over Cambodia.

We reached the end of the pier, quite far out into the Gulf of Thailand.  Across the inlet was another pier.  What a scene!

The sunset did not disappoint. "That cloud look like a horse!"

Golden sunset light on an old building.

We walked out back along the same pier, completely engrossed in the light.

 The port was beautiful in the dying light.

We walked back into the little town looking for something to eat.  We stopped in a small shop for water and asked where a good, air-conditioned restaurant might be found . . .  and were told that there wasn't one in the entire town.  Gotta love that!

We spent the night in the only hotel in town - the Khlong Yai City Hotel (not mentioned on the Internet - how is that possible?).  They seemed completely unprepared for the arrival of guests!  Although the air-conditining did work, I would not necessarily recommend this hotel . . .  but if you need a roof over your head after a hot and wonderful day, it will do.  We woke early and drove north to another fishing village, Mairood.

                                                                                                                                                       WikiMap

Songkran is the actual Thai Buddhist calendar New Year holiday . . . and the third New Year celebrated each year in this wonderful country (the others are January 1 and the Chinese New Year). I had a ten day holiday from work (in Bangkok) . . . so I hit the road.  The first four days in Hua Hin, and the next five days on a road trip through Trat Province to Khlong Yai District and then on to the Cambodian boarder (Hat Lek) at the furthest Southeast point in Thailand.  I will be putting up all my best photos from this trip over the next few weeks, as time allows, so keep checking back.   Photos from the Hua Hin part of my holiday follow this blog entry here.

Trat and Khlong Yai Provinces boarder the Gulf of Thailand, so there is no shortage of tropical vistas.

The topicality was ubiquitous . . . as these back lit palm trees against a blue sky testify.

EXPLORING the MAIROOD FISHING VILLAGEThe main attraction of the Khlong Yai coast are the many small fishing villages built on pilings in the estuarial mangrove inlets.  The good thing about having your own vehicle is taking the small seaside roads so you can check out any "local attractions."  This is Mairood Fishing Village.  We stayed here for two days and two nights.  it was a photogaphers paradice . . . . completely unspoiled by mass tourism . . . and beautiful colors.

Thai fishermen paint their photogenic boats amazing colors.

The fishing villagers were very friendly.  This fisherman called out to us to join him for an evening's trawl!

All the villages had an array of boats in all sizes and configurations.  it was a photographer's heaven . . . and hell: how to choose between so many fascinating images?  We stayed at the fantastic, and rustic, Mairood Resort which you had to walk through hte village to get to!

The wooden houses of the fishing villages were connected by old wooden boardwalks above the muddy mangrove bays.

Although I am sure the occupants would want "better," the colors and textures of this house are something fantastic. I might be interested in trading homes.

With all the un-air-conditioned houses packed so closely together, everyone must get along.  Three generations enjoy a mid-day meal in 40+ heat.

There are bits and pieces of adornment here and there throughout the village.

An old fisherman swelters in the heat, kiddie fan in hand.

 A fisherman's shack, Mairood, Thailand.

This jaundiced old bachelor fisherman kept a messy shack.

Rusty corrugated "tin" roofing has become the icon for degradation. Why?  It is so beautiful.

Most of the fishermen and their families keep a tidy, clean, and spare house.  They all live on the floor; there was hardly a chair in the village.

Life within the village.

Incredible line, pattern, and shadow.

A benefit of building your home over the estuary is the convenience of casting your nets from your front porch.

The irony of this photo was not lost on this old fisherman.

Apparently the fisherman (above) had not tended his spirit house properly.  It is interesting that his spirit house was made of the same materials as his home.

Most houses had a spirit house . . . often in a better state of repair than the main house.

No matter where I have been in my life, there has always been a house made into art.

Most residents of these fishing villages spend the hot part of the day sitting in their open-fronted houses looking out over their dock and boat.

The dock poarchs are the workplaces of the fishermen.

The docks are used for a variety of purposes.  Here shrimp are drying.

Some docks are very busy places in preparation for the coming night's fishing foray.

Very clever: shells used as net weights.

Neatly stacked stuffed shell net weights.

There is a system of colored flags to identify each owners' nets when deployed at sea.

Bright net flags.

A wide variety of colored flags are used, making the fishing village a very colorful place indeed.

The bows of the fishing boats are festooned with colorful flower bouquets, gossamer bunting, and garlands for good luck.

There was no hiding the colorful boats!

The Everyday here seemed bright and profound: the Supra Mundane of the Buddhists.

Although remote and undeveloped, the villagers are not cut off from the modern world: I saw many iPhones here . . .  and notice the satellite dishes atop the shacks.

There were many elderly people in the village.

I thuroughly enjoyed photograaphing the corregated art of Mairood Village.

The area around the village, and the Mairood Resort, was sandy Mangrove marsh and beaches.

Mangrove plants are very strange . . . they throw up shoots in the lagoons . . . and knees in the swamps.

The villagers abandon worn out boats in the lagoon . . . but not forever, it seems.  Many of the houses seem to be build of disassembled fishing boats.

Out on the beach this man came up to us eager to share his amazement, and good luck, about the bee hive rich in honey he had just robbed across the lagoon.

While the open fronts of the houses face the estuary and docks, the backs of their homes are in the mangrove swamp.

The mangrove swamp is full of interesting, and photogenic, things.

It would be wonderful to be a child in this environment . . . the opportunities to  fantasy play in the mangroves is limitless.  It reminded me of the several years I lived, and played, in the Sabine River swamps of Louisiana in my own childhood (1958-1960).

I found these girls among the mangroves . . . on some kind of a lark.

My cabin at the Mairood Resort was as comfortable as it was beautiful . . . and a stone's throw from the mangrove swamp, beach, and fishing village.  Perfect!

This photography stuff is difficult . . . and hot!  Poor me . . . . I had to spend the afternoon at the Mairood Resort pool.

The grounds and gardens of the Mairood Resort are beautiffly landscaped.

EARLY MORNING MAIROOD, THAILANDWe woke very early one morning to go out on the docks to see the Buddhist monks on their morning alms rounds.  It was quiet, calm, and clear as the village awoke.

A few people were up and starting their day . . . . but no monks.

The fishing boats sat  still in their morning moorings.

The village was still asleep.

We walked to the bridge where we would walk the road to the nearby Buddhist temple.  There was one dockside shop open selling vegetables and fruit.

A part of Mairood is firmly planted on the ground. 

As we walked toward the Wat, the morning light started to pour in.

An eager shopkeeper opening early (6:00am) on what promised to be a fiercely hot day.

The local hardware store opened early too.

The walk to Wat turned out to be three kilometers.  The scenery was breathtaking; the light perfect.

We saw a great variety of spirit houses along the way.  Some home made . . .

. . . and some store bought.

But all the spirit houses were serving their purposes well: to house the spirits in nature that were displaced when the humans came and cleared land and built houses.

Many people were out in the "cool" morning air (it was 28c at 6:00am!) tending small garden plots.

As we walked along the country road taking photographs, these monks caught and passed us on their way back to the Wat.

We followed this young monk to his Wat.

The monks, young and old, arrived back at the Wat with the morning's alms.  Th Abbot told us they will eat only once a day.  Monks continued to arrive in small and large groups.

It was a very spiritual morning.

The Wat bell . . . used to call the monks to meditation and study.

A peaceful and tranquil place.  The rural Wats are more serene than the noisy and dog-infested Bangkok counterparts.

Yep, all roads lead here . . . that's a certainty.  The Wat crematorium stained with the soot of those once alive.

We arrived at the fantastic Mairood Wat and were greeted by very friendly monk who showed us around and explained its history and pointed out some of the building projects going on which he was in charge of.

Sorry.  I took about twenty perfect photos of this Wat and could not decide which to post . .  so here is another.  Incredible beauty.

Self portrait at the Mairood Wat.

It was the perfect morning to wear your new dress while riding your new bicycle before it got too hot.

We walked back to Mairood village in time to see some boats coming back in from the over night  fishing.

The colors of the village, fishermen, and boats were vivid.

This was the fish of the day being offloaded.

What's for lunch?  Not seafood AGAIN! The poor children.

The simple beauty and charm of home made spirit houses, recently tended, was touching.

Mothers and children awaited the return of the fishermen with news of the catch . . . and their safety.

A Mairood Sunset

As we walked around the  village we noticed the sun was getting low.  Villagers were beginning to prepare the evening meal:  seafood, what else!

 As the sun began to set, and he heat and humidity began to subside, the village children came out to play.

Sometimes it seemed like the children were posing . . . it was such a perfectly beautiful evening.

Magic light . . .

During and after the Killing Fields of Pol Pot, this part of Thailand was a haven for Cambodian refugees.  many of the residents of the Mairood Village are of Cambodian nationality, like this little girl.

A boy lost in play among the thick hyacinth tangle at sunset.

This girl and her dog were inseparable.

And, my oh my, what a sunset it was!

For the boys it was time to climb up onto a squid boat . . . .

. . . . and play pirates in the squid rigging.

 We were at the estuary outlet one sunset.

Children were out playing in the fading light.

This boy was very sad: he had just learned that his family as going to move to "the city" from Mairood village.

There is so much to do and to explore in a young world.

Young Sisyphus.

Sunset Boyplay.  When and where indelible memories are made.

With the last of the light fading, more and more boats left Mairood port for a night's fishing n the Gulf of Saim.

Songkran is the actual Thai calendar New Year holiday . . . and the third New Year celebrated each year in this wonderful country (the others are January 1 and the Chinese New Year). The new year dawned with a fantastic tropical sunrise.

I bought a new lens (to complete my lens range), the Canon L-series f2.8 II 16-35mm zoom, and was dying to try it out.  I missed having a wide angle lens on my Canon full frame 5D Mark II.

There are some shots that you cannot get with anything other than a wide lens . . . like this one.

The 16-35mm II lens takes a unique 82mm filter, which I do not have, so no polarizer is used on these shots.

These squid fishing boats go out at sunset and return a little after sunrise.

It was a beautiful day fo a walk on the beach . . . with all the curiosities to discover. This is a cleaved Mangrove nut cluster that washed ashore.

This yellow-clad girl indicated that she wanted me to share in her appreciation of her new Marvel Heroes parasol.  I did.

The pool at the Dusit Polo Hua Hin was a good subject for my new wide lens. Very sharp.

I went into Hua Hin early to watch the Chinese Formula One race at the Hilton and had a little walk around time in my favorite Thai town with my new lens.

Such a sweet town.

This being the end of the Hot Season and the beginning of the Hot and Wet Season, many trees in Hua Hin are in full bloom.

I stumbled upon a seaside Chinese Buddhist Temple I hadn't seen before.

The temple was near the many piers that hold guest houses and seafood restaurants.

After four days we drove back home to Bangkok . . . and stopped half way at our favorite seafood-on-a-pond, The Lod Talay.

Yes, there are two car shows per year i Bangkok: (1) The Bangkok International Motor Show in November and the (2) The Bangkok MotorShow in April.

I went to the Bangkok MotorShow to take a look at the debut of the "All New Ford Focus" in Thailand.  I was thinking maybe I would want to buy one . . . . but it looked pretty pedestrian.  My friend Bud said that the Focus "wasn't me."

Ford had the most space; they manufacture in Thailand and have three new models in the Thai market -- the Fiesta, the New Ford Ranger, and the soon-to-arrive Focus.

Bud was at the MotorShow to see if they had the new Porsche Boxter . . . . . they didn't, but he was also interested in the new VW Scirocco.  Nice in green and . . .

. . . and nice in black.  The Scirocco is not for sale in the USA.  Why?

The MotorShow seemed smaller than the International MotorShow in November, although there were many outstanding displays, like the new D-Max from Isuzu.

There were a lot of cool new cars and motorcycles to look at.  The workmanship on the Ducati is awesome.

The concept cars are always interesting too.  Toyota had this new Corolla (?) concept.

The Nissan "TownPod"  concept car was extra-cool.  Build it, please.

The Mercedes 2-door run-about seemed to take styling cues from the 57 Chrysler New Yorker grill.  I have a feeling this one will not make it to production . .  way to labor-intensive . . . and low flying birds would eventually mess with the symmetry.

Yep, there were even some scooter sidecar concepts. Way cool.

As is always the case, where there are models, there are photographers in abundance.  Being tall has its advantages in Thailand once in awhile.

I believe those mirrors are standard on the Honda this year.

I believe this model was affiliated with an automobile manufacturer.

I would have like an unobstructed view of this cool Chevy Cruz in full Bad Boy street racer trim.

I believe she was standing next to a Suzuki.  Whether it was a car or motorcycle, I can not tell you.

A set of four models. They spoke too!

The Volvo models were again the classiest and most beautiful.

Bud and i enjoyed the MotorShow.

I made a quick trip to the Gulf of Siam  . . . .  got up early to catch the misty, hot, humid sunrise.

The squid boats were coming back in from a night's trawling . . . . picturesquely through the morning golden light.

It is the 'hot season' in Thailand . . . and by 6:30am it was already 85f degrees and 85% humidity.  The sky was thick with heat haze already.

The tourists, local or foreign, do not come to the beach in March or April; it is just too hot.

The number of fishermen seems also to diminish. These underwater sand ripples were fascinating.

When it is this hot and humid the air is so thick that sound does not travel very far.  There is an immense silence that falls over the sea.  You can hear neither surf or motor boat.

About the only thing you feel like doing in this heat is to languish in the pool . . . but the water was already too warm to enjoy.