The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

My friend John and I had been travelling in the USA recently and had not connected here in Thailand for several months.  What better way to catch up than a photo ramble.  We had recently noticed some interesting online posts of ancient ruins to the north of Bangkok in a region neither of us had been to, as well as never having been to the city of Nahkon Sawan  . . . why not take a road trip!!!  Three days and two nights.  We left Bangkok at 06:00.

 

After an hour of driving up the highway north of Bangkok with my good buddy and fellow photography buff John, talking, catching up on recent life events, looking around enjoying the Thai countryside . . . this comes into view up against a nearby hill . . . . . why not drive up there and check it out, after all, that's what a photo ramble is all about.

 

Our sense of anticipation heightened as we approached.

 

Our curiosity was rewarded with this magnificent wat.

 

Thai Buddhist wats are never the same.  They are filled with idiosyncratic decoration and images.

 

There are a lot of these giant Buddha statues around Thailand, but I think this one is perhaps the most aesthetically rendered of them all.

 

The golden Buddha was also spectacular.

 

Some of the wat structure seemed to still be under construction, like this wat altar.  Beautiful

 

This stacked Buddha altar, in this light, was phenomenal.

 

The ceiling of this under-construction temple structure was also interesting.

 

Surface textures are among my favorite photo subjects.  I was not disappointed at this wat.

 

After taking a number of selfies to post on Facebook, we left this amazing hillside Big Buddha wat.  It was still early in the morning and we had three more hours of driving to get to our goal (although we are always open to side trips).

 

RAMBLE PART ONE:

Si Thep Historical Park & nearby hilltop temple

 

Our first stop was at the UNESCO World Heritage Site,  Si Thep Historical Park, an ancient city that was inhabited from the 3rd century until the 13th century. 

 

There are many archeological sites in this park and you can access them by taking the shuttle bus around the park (included in the park entrance fee).  You can hop on and off any bus that comes around.

 

This is a photo taken from a drone flyover of the park . . . taken from an excellent Si Thep Historical web site.

 

We hopped on the park shuttle bus and got off at the first stop.  The ruins were impressive foundations of a civilization that had flourished a long time ago - 1500 years ago.

 

We hopped off at the next stop . . . and were stopped in our tracks with amazement!  These were fantastic ruins . . . ones we knew little about before.  This was going to be a fun exploration.

 

Ancient temple (Prang Si Thep) from the time of Ankor Wat, but not of the same civilization. These are from the Dvaravati (12^th– 16^th Buddhist century) culture. Fantastic. 

 

Outstanding 1000 year old brickwork.

 

I believe these rough stones would have been covered with white plaster, and perhaps painted, during the heyday of this temple.

 

Another nearby chedi (Prang Song Phi Nong) was not so well preserved, but interesting nevertheless.

 

A remarkably well-preserved decorative door plinth from the 8th century.

 

The sign says, DO NOT CLIMB.

 

Although the sign said not to climb on the ruins, it didn't say you couldn't go inside the door.

 

The 8th century chedi interior . . . what remains of it.

 

An ancient cistern or pond or pool.

 

Some plaster is still visible after 1500 years.

 

A decorative part of a long lost temple or route marker.

 

We enjoyed ourselves as we wandered around the park grounds, taking photos of the ancient monuments.

 

We were walking around in this strange forest within the park looking for another chedi/temple, Khao Klang Nai,  that was suppose to have remarkable stone carvings.

 

There it is!

 

There it was, Khao Klang Nai, a 5th century chedi/pyramid.

 

There was a weather covering on one side of the chedi, protecting the ancient 1500 year old stone carvings.

 

Another Aztec-like carved panel.

 

There were 30-40 of these fantastical carvings, too many to show here.

 

Extraordinary decorative art, 1500 years old.

 

We reluctantly moved on from this incredible site.

 

Enjoy this slide show of more of these amazing 8th century stone carvings.

 

We walked back to this snack bar area and waited for the shuttle bus to take us back to the car park.  There was another section to the historical park that required us to drive.

 

A 15 minute drive away we found Khao Klang Nok, which served as a Buddhist temple and monastery from the 8th to the 13th centuries.

 

Khao Klang Nok (Si Thep) is a mainly fired red brick structure, with the volcanic stones used on the top. A remarkable structure dating from the 8th century.

 

The park posted this drone photo of the chedi as it was reconstructed.

 

8th century brickwork [reconstructed in 2008).  Amazing.

 

I was completely mesmerised by the creativity of this ancient brick architecture.

 

Still magnificent after all these 13 centuries.

 

Stairway to the ancient chedi.

 

I wanted to go up these steps to see what I counld see . . . but they do not want you to climb on the monument.  Oh well.

 

A very informative sign showing the 2008 archeological dig of the ancient city of Si Thep.

 

The Buddhis chedi is still respected to this day. We enjoyed marvelling at this ancient chedi, but we were moving on . . . it was starting to gt hot, and storm clouds were threatening.

 

Guided by GoogleMaps, we took to the small country roads in search of the next "point of interest"  . . .  but found these shepherds and their cows very interesting.

 

GoogleMaps showed a "Wat Pa Sa Kaeo" chedi (and a photo).  We drove to the area, but there as no road leading to it.  Instead we found an open gate in the chain link fence and walked towards the chedi we hoped would be there.

 

We found it, and it was marvelous.  It really seemed like a "lost temple." to us.

 

More incredible bricks similar to the other chedis in the rest of the historical park . . . and from the same era: 8th century.

 

The chedi was falling over, but some effort had been made to prop it up.

 

Tere were other small structures within the enclosure of the wat.  We were still technically within the broader boundaries of the Historical Park.

 

A not very informative information sign.

 

Temples are not the only things of interest here in central Thailand.  We moved on from the park.

 

I always stop for amazing trees.

 

We set GoogleMaps to route us to the first bird sanctuary an hour away, which took us through this beautiful farm land.  But . . . off to the left . . . we spotted hilltop temple.  "Let's see if we can find the road up there."

 

Sure enough, we found an entrance to a wat and drove inside.  As it turned out, this wat was highly developed for tourism.  We paid a fee, left our car in a large parking lot and rode in the back of a covered pick-up truck up this road (it got very steep and winding) to the top of the large hill.

 

The first view as we arrived said this was going to be a fantastic place!   After much searching, I found the name of this fantastic place:  Wat Pa Siri Wattana Wisut.  

 

The view from the hill top was fantastic.

 

Central Thai farmland as far as the horizon.

 

Recently flooded and ploughed rice paddy.

 

We sat here for quite a long time, taking it all in.

 

There was a giant Buddha image with an alter room beneath.

 

The altar under the giant Buddha had a exquisite jade Buddha.

 

After hanging out at the top of the hill for a while we boarded the pick-up taxi and headed back down the hill . . . . where we pulled over to take in this magnificent Hindu-style temple.  Wow!  What a surprise.

 

Unlike the other monuments and temples on this hill, the Hindu temple and grounds seemed to be finished with the construction.  Very beautiful.

 

Not all major temples in Thailand are ancient . . . they are still building amazing structures like these.  This is living spirituality, not just reverence for the past.

 

The temple door was open and inviting, so we went inside.

 

When my eyes finally adjusted to the low light, this is what I saw: a magnificent altar.

 

I spent some time wandering around the interior of this temple finding the best angles and compositions for photos.  

 

Such remarkable color and architecture.

 

I could have spent all day here . . . but The Road beckoned.  

 

We found this US$8.oo motel and drove to a nearby good noodle soup and chicken stand for dinner. We just beat the rain.  Lucky.

 

The next morning he hit the road again.  We swerved off the big road to the bird park a few times to find large wats and big Buddhas in the landscape.  We met this roadside goat herder  on of oour side trips.

 

A small village wat with very 'nieve' art and archecture.

 

The interior of this rural wat was especially beautifuul.

 

Very pretty wat grounds there.

 

This giant monk and elephants is what drew us off the highway.

 

This aging spirit house told the story of time and wether.  We moved on.

----------------------------------------------------------

RAMBLE PART TWO: 

Bueng Boraphet Bird Park

Our next stop, after a GoogleMaps dead end at another bird park that wasn't there, was the fabulous Bueng Boraphet Bird Park, a 224 square kilometer natural wonder.  The park entrance was beautiful, and we knew we were in for a treat.

 

The park entrance area was very clean, organized and well maintained.

 

The park web page mentioned boat tours, and sure enough there they were.  We paid for a tour . . . we were seemingly the only tourists at the park at the time, so we got a private tour.  Nice.

 

We headed out in these channels into the vast wetlands.

 

Around the first curve in the canal we spotted our first bird, a white heron.

 

Around the next bend we saw the only real tree in the park . . . full of birds of all kinds.  Fortunately I had my long telephoto lens for close-ups.  

 

I took so many bird photos on our boat trip that I will enter many of them in a separate blog entry.

 

We moved on to a more open area . . . almost everywhere we looked there were birds sitting in the thickets.

 

There were some fish traps among the reeds and birds.

 

Our boat driver/guide was very good at pointing out the different kinds of birds hiding in the rich water plant growth.

 

The fish traps were fascinating.

 

We saw fishermen tending their fish traps.

 

We saw 7-8 longtail boats during our 2-hour boat tour.

 

Our guide mentioned the Thai names of these birds, but I did not write them down.  I'm sorry I didn't get the names of these fascinating birds.

 

So much beauty to photograph out in the wetlands.

 

I found this bird passing by just walking on the bottom . . . 

 

Every once in a while a bird would suddenly pop out of the undergrowth and take flight . . . and we quickly panned with our cameras . . .  with varying results.  I am not a very good bird photographer.

 

I am better at photographing birds if they sit still!!

 

But I do get lucky with a flying bird once in a while.

 

Our guide pointed out this bird and her four chicks (look closely!) scrambling across the water plants.  Amazing to see how well adapted they are to their environment.

 

I am not an amateur bird watcher by any means, but this couple were a wonder to watch.  Without the boatman pointing these out we would have never seen them.

 

There were miles and miles of these water plants covering the wetlands.  An ecosystem unique to this lake?

 

After several hours we turned around and headed back to the dock.

 

Our flat-bottomed boat pushed through the 'fields' of these lotus pads and flowers on our return.

 

Just before we reached the dock on our return, this black heron decided to stretch.  Thanks!

 

Back at the park entrance we took selfies in front of these carved birds (of course!).

 

 A slide show of some of the amazing birds we saw.

 

Our drive from the bird park to Nahkon Sawan city was not as straightforward as we would have liked.  GoogleMaps thought this was the best and shortest route.  Nope.  We backtracked a couple of times and finally found the main road into town after a one hour diversion.  Oh well.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -

PART THREE:

Nahkon Sawan City

 

 

Our last stop was in the city of Nahkon Sawan ("Heavenly City"), in central Thailand, 250kn (160 miles) north of Bangkok.

 

We woke up at out US$12.00 city center hotel and walked around the area toward a park.  Lots of wet season fruits available.  Fortunately, we found a sweet and friendly little roadside cart making delicious coffee.

 

We joined the morning joggers on our walk around the main Nahkon Sawan city park.  There was an antique suspension bridge in the middle of it.

 

A very photogenic tree in the city park.

 

We walked around the small streets for a while, but knew we would end up at the hilltop wat that domiates the city skyline.

 

The hilltop wat above the city of Nahkon Sawan is called Wat Khiriwong.  You are greeted by this amazing purple glass Buddha near the entry.

 

As this is a hilltop temple, some of the views give the illusion of being up in the clouds.  Amazing.

 

There are several levels to the hilltop wat.  At each level there are more and more beautiful sculptures and sacred structures.

 

Rooster statuary donations . . . thanks from prayers answered by devotees.

 

At the higher level we were always reminded of the grand views out over the city and surrounding countryside.

 

Grand views all around from the top of the temple grounds.  Notice the Chinese cemetery (center far right).

 

Looking down into the Nahkon Sawan city center.

 

We spotted a giant Buddha statuary below and wondered how we could have missed it!!!  The road up to the hilltop wat went right next to it!  We would visit it when we got down there again.

 

From the top we could see the Bueng Boraphet Bird Park we had visited the previous afternoon in the distance (and the hill that overlooked it).

 

At the very top of the hill was the actual original Wat Khiriwong, abandoned for 600 years before being revived and restored in 1961.

 

The highest level wat had three floors with Buddha altars with cremated ashes built in.

 

Many fine golden Buddhas in this wat.

 

2nd floor ashes receptacles and Buddha altars.  Those buried here are no doubt belong to those who have made large donations for the wat restoration.

 

The top floor held the most amazing altar, chedi, and painted dome.

 

I have never seen such a beautifully painted dome in any other wat in Thailand.  Just fantastic!

 

A masterpiece of Thai Buddhist art.

 

We stopped at the entrance on our way out to admire several altars.  This one with Buddhas heavily covered with gold leaf.

 

A small fortune in gold leaf covered this revered old monk.

 

I loved the use of modern LED lighting behind this altar.

 

We left Wat Khiriwong happy and peaceful.

 

We went back down the hill into town and found an alley that would take us to the giant Buddha statue we had seen from the hilltop wat.

 

The alley has some fine old, weathered traditional Thai wooden houses.

 

We were not disappointed with this magnificent giant Buddha.

 

There was a fine and active altar room beneath the giant Buddha.

 

There was an overgrown "Hell Garden" with several hell beings next to the Big Buddha temple.

 

The final image from our three daughters and two night adventure in the Nahkon Sawan region.  We had a great time.

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.  

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

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.

-------------------------------------------------------

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.