The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

I am always surprised by the serendipitous encounters with beauty in rural Thailand.  Once in a while I have my camera with me, as I did one evening at the race track . . . and on the way home.

30 miles north of Bangkok at the Bangkok Drag Avenue.

2:30am along a Thai country road.  This is Klong Haa (canal number five) where a party has sprung up for what could be a variety of reasons: somebody is going off to be a monk, or an anniversary, or a good harvest, or Wat (Buddhist temple) is being dedicated. It is breathtaking to come upon one of these "in the middle of nowhere" in the middle of the night.  I got out, of course, and investigated.

Lights have been strung, a stage has been hauled across the bridge and set up, entertainment hired from town, food organized, all the friends and neighbors have come and gone, and clean-up chores done . . . . and no desire to pull the plug just yet, even though it's been a long day.  It feels of picking up and packing out: It is a time to look at what wonders can be . . . in the middle of the night . . . . in the middle of nowhere. This is like the life of the mind.