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Entries by Dr. Jeff Harper (338)
Old Bangkok
Saturday, March 26, 2011 at 11:18AM 
I took this photo with my iPhone4 the other night while walking to our car after a night on the town with my wonderful wife. Old Bangkok can still be found in the back alleys of the Silom Road area . . . if you are looking.
On The Street Where I Live
Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 9:56PM Dr. Jeff, Where do you live? What's it like there?
This is Chaengwattana Road in the northern suburbs of Bangkok. It is a fast growing area with even faster growing traffic. When I moved out here 14 years ago you could shoot a canon ball down Chaengwattana and not hit anybody. Drive west about three miles from here and you come to my house. These two photos were taken from the same spot, facing 180 degrees apart.
The Thai Government has relocated most of the bureaucracy from the beautiful Thai style old buildings downtown to bright and architecturally plain modern buildings out in my part of town. This has caused the traffic. You are looking east here. But I forgot to say . . . that I LOVE Bangkok!
Dr. Jeff Harper
I went to the Bira Circuit road race track this morning to see my freind Khun Mac race. He won! I made an addition to my pervious entry on Bira. Go here to read my update on the Bira race.
This is Khun Mac at speed on the back straight of the Thai Bira Circuit. Read all about it HERE.
Making Merit in Saraburi Province
Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 7:24PM 
The entrance to the temple grounds was a thing of beauty filled with spiritual promise.
My wife (Yoo), brother-in-law (Vichai), and niece (Par) and I went to Saraburi province today to make merit.
We participated in ceremonies and left donations.
There was much beauty everywhere we went. The smell of incense filled the air.
It was a day reflecting on what the Buddha said: wake up.
Who designs these cave temples? Fantastic!
The entrance to the underground temple.
One can partake of Chinese numerology cards in the underground temple.
The underground temple had some wonderful Buddhas.
It was cool inside the cave.
It is such a surprise to find Buddas in a cave.
The cave extended quite a distance under the cliff.
Down and around we went.
It seemed around every turn a new Buddha grotto could be found.
Someone is tending all of these subterranean altars.
Yes. The someone is a "cave hermit" and this is an alter to him.
This is the only underground Chedi I have ever seen . . . . and I have been in many underground and cave Buddhist temples.
Some of the Buddha altars were quite spooky.
Even though it was a hot day, fan sales were slow in the temple courtyard.
As this was a special day for worshiping, merchants set up a makeshift markets outside the temple gates.
Beans, lentils, and split peas are in season.
There is nothing like Thai Chinese Temple Roastin' Ears (TCTRE) on a 100 degree day. Trust me.
The most moving part of the day was passing out alms to the aged indigent poor of the area. It was humbling and heart-rendering.
Dr. Jeff Harper
Last Saturday's trip to Saraburi with my family included several Buddhist Temples (wats), both Thai and Chinese/Thai. Here are a few more images from that wonderful day.
Our first temple of the day was a Thai Buddhist Wat that had a stone Buddha "footprint." Pilgrims would set money on the "footprint" for good luck. The room had a mirrored ceiling. Great idea.
Another temple building had Buddhas that you "dressed" in sashes and gold leaf. I dressed one and was thrilled in the process.
Fantastical dressed Buddhas.
I couldn't choose between these three dressed Buddha photos, so I included all three here.
The temple buildings were beautiful and . . . .
. . . opulent beyond belief.
The largest Wat structure held the largest Buddha.
The extensive Temple grounds had many traditional Thai wat structures.
The third temple of the day was a traditional Chinese Buddhist Temple . . of austere beauty.
Beautiful spiritual architecture.
All the elements for a spiritual pilgrimage were present.
The interior of the Chinese temple was thick with incense and mystery.
Altars within the temples speak of timelessness.
Not everything one finds in a temple is positive. This man sets birds free, for a fee. You give him money so you can have the good feeling, and added good gamma of freeing a bird. Gamma ascription can be a complex thing, but this is simple: it is wrong. Unfortunately this practice leads to the netting and trapping of birds which inevitably leads to the killing of many birds in the process. I told this guy to go away. He didn't like me telling him that.
A Week-end in the Vineyards of Khao Yai
Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 2:21PM Only two hours drive from Bangkok are the "mountains" of Khao Yai; a region of vineyards and craggy hills.
Lovely morning light on the PB Valley Vineyards, Khao Yai, Thailand.
Is this France or Thailand?
Napa Valley maybe? maybe not.
It was harvest time.
It is the beginning of the "Damn Hot and Damn Dry Season" in Thailand. When we left Bangkok it was still "only" in the upper 80s(f), but when we returned it was in the upper 90s(f).
After the sun set, a full tropical moon rose.
I rose before dawn to feel the environment, thick with humid mist, come alive.
The morning light revealed some new natural wonders.
Morning dew on red hibiscus.
Translucent yellow in the morning dew.
Jasmine: sweet smelling morning bloom.
The area around our bungalow was nicely planted with a variety of beautiful plants.
As the first light struck them these blossoms opened before my eyes.
Everywhere floral beauty!
The morning sun came through the garden at a steep angle, sometimes lighting the flowers from behind.
What amazing ideas this plant has about reproduction!
The day eventually brightened.
Dr. Jeff Harper
The natural world of Khao Yai was continuously fascinating.
Oh my!
Oh my indeed!
Opening Lotus.
The winery where we stayed was beautifully decorated. This is an old rice separator.
Dr. Jeff Harper
I took many, many photographs in Khao Yai . . . too many to look at carefully. Here are a few more I overlooked in my earlier postings:
The primary reason we went to Khao Yai on this particular week-end was because it was Magha Puja Day (also called Makha Bucha) - a Buddhist Ceremonial Holiday. In the evening of Magha full-moon day, each temple in Thailand holds a candle light procession called a wian tian (wian meaning circle; tian meaning candle). Holding flowers, incense and a lighted candle, the monks and congregation members circumambulate clockwise three times around the Uposatha Hall (once for the the Enlightened One - The Buddha, once for the followers of the Buddha- the Shangha, and once for what the Buddha said - The Dharma).
Magha Puja Day falls on a full moon, here seen rising above the Khao Yai valley.
We made the best of the week-end sightseeing. Here are details of a spa we spent a few hours in getting massaged.
Wall and flower.
Once Again: A Trip Around My Garden!
Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 4:20PM 
I happened to be at my favorite camera store (!) and I happened to notice they had a (used) lens I happened to be looking for (!) and it happened to be at a good price (!), and it happened: I bought it!
So I took the aforementioned new (used) lense out for a test spin in the garden . . . to see wht it would do.
And as usual, there is always new beauty appearing out of the blue.
Like these African Violets I had never seen before . . . .
. . . . or these otherworldly waxy red things with a collection of white sticky protuberances jutting out of the top. I was afraid to get my head too close because they were pulsating like something out of the movie Alien!
Too sweet red buds.
The new (used) Sigma DG OS 18-200mm performed admirably in all kinds of lighting . . . and the optical stabilizer (OS) actually worked. Although this is not a perfect lense according to the reviews (although it is perfect for my purposes; these 850 pixle-width images for this web blog), this could be a sweet 'walking around' lens for me.
This is a very difficult lighting situation: bright color and deep shadow. It came out pretty good . . . and at 200mm, it was great.
A trip to my garden wouldn't be complete without a photo or two of my beloved Lotus Flowers.
Yes, all-n-all, I am very happy with the new (used) lens.