The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

Although the city/region of Chachoengsao is not far from Bangkok, I had never visited this part of Thailand in the 20+ years I have lived here.

PART ONE: A RURAL ANCIENT MARKET

Our first stop, based on a roadside sign, was to the Chachoengsao Ancient Market.

The market is on a klong system which has many old houses alongside.

This very photogenic fisherman and his dog appeared as if from nowhere . . .

My friend John Stiles went with me on this ramble . . . and took this photo of me enjoying myself and my new Fuji X-T2 camera.

82 years old and a regular betel-nut user . . . she was very glad to chat with us while she visited her friend next door.

Next door was the old woman's 'home' -- a hovel along the klong.  Abject poverty.

The market is opened only on week-ends, but we were there on a Monday, and glad of it.  The old wooden structures built on stilts over the klong made a picturesque environment.

Lanterns from last years' Chinese New Years still festooned the old market.

A klong boatman, Chachoengsao.

The old market looked like it had seen better days: here an old stage for ceremonies and performances.

Although the market was closed, some of the vendors live permanently at the site.  This man sold lunch to the local residents.

Taking an order.

Life along the klong . . . at lunchtime.

A fisherman and his dog.  We did not see him catch any fish . . . he said there weren't very many to catch, when asked.

The old weathered wood and sharp light made for some nice 'minimalist' photos.

Light, shadow, texture . . . a bridge.

There was some aquaculture along the klongs . . . frog farming.

And, as always, the ubiquitous spirit houses.

The doors of the closed market shops were in themselves things of beauty.

We walked around for several hours finding an endless number of interesting things to photograph.

Sun behind a lantern.

Signs of coordinated development: the market was lined with these very attractive street lights.

I bought a leather pouch for my sunglasses and the seller put my name on it with these old tools.

A wall in the leather shop with framed photos of the owner's wife's parents.  Very touching.

The leathergoods shop had these for sale, but I could not figure out what they were for.

There were a number of empty, abandoned houses.

A lovely morning spent along the old klongs of rural Thailand.

I could have stayed all day in this peaceful place . . but we moved on up the road.

PART TWO: A RURAL WAT

We set the GPS to the town and headed up the road . . . and missed our turn and instead discovered this wonderful Wat.

This Wat was a long way from any village or town . . . a very peaceful place.

The Wat was at the beginning phase of erecting a colossal Buddha image.  It was interesting to see the rebar mesh getting ready to be plastered.

A beautiful rural wat under a giant sky.  We are all so small in the scheme of things . . . if there is a scheme.

PART THREE: A CHACHOENGSAO NEIGBORHOOD WAT

We got a little lost in the small lanes the GPS decided to send us on . . . until we spotted a giant Buddha up between the trees . . and followed an ally to where we thought it might be . . . it wasn't the 'right' Wat, but it was very interesting in its own right.

It was an interesting old wat that backed up to a klong . . . a klong that separated us from the giant Buddha we spotted from the road.  We decided to walk and see if there was a bridge . . .

Our walk took us through a cemetery next door to a school.

The school kids found us very interesting.

My first thought was . . . this is what happens if you let your granddaughter choose your crypt color . . . you get a pink crypt!

I asked John if he thought someone had busted into these crypts . . . or busted out?  He said he didn't want to think about that.

I speculated that a family had gone 'upscale' with their ancestor burials . . . meaning they came into some money, or moved from the area, and wanted to move the Dearly Departed to a new grave site.  I hope I'm right.

We didn't find a bridge over to the giant Buddha, but we did find some beautiful scenes.

There was no way through the swamp to the other side.

So, John and I decided to get in my truck and see if we couldn't find the giant Buddha.

PART FOUR: CHINESE CULTURAL CENTER

At last!  We found the Chinese Cultural Center . . . just opened last year . . . and brand spanking new.  Beautiful!

We paid a small donation and a guide took us around to the various altars and showed us the ropes.

Gorgeous colossal statuary.

I was especially excited about this temple because I am a follower and admirer of my old buddy Ji Gong, the idiosyncratic Chinese monk who was a defender of the weak against injustice.

Ji Gong, my old buddy. (Ask me why I always say 'my old buddy' when I mention Ji Gong next time we meet.)

My old buddy, Ji Gong.

I went into the Ji Gong shrine at the base of the giant statue and paid my respects.

Showing respect to my old buddy, Ji Gong.

The guide showing John the proper ceremonial details.

I go to many Chinese religious temples in Bangkok, but this was not an old temple as I as used to . . . it was brand new!

Fascinating images inside the shrines.

Temple Buddhas.

The back of a temple Buddha.  John and I placed a square of gold onto several Buddhas here . . . they were included in the cost of the donation.

After showing respect at the shrines, our guide instructed us to ring the big bell . . .

. . . and bang the big drum, each three times.  We duly complied.

After we completed the proper ceremonies at the giant statues, they gave us some free ice water and said we were free to explore the temple buildings on our own.

And my-o-my!  The temple interiors were fantastical.  Enjoy the following photos!

After wandering around for some time in these fantastic temple interiors we both realized we were hungry and decided to head into the old Chinese quarter of Chachoengsao along the river.

I paid my last respects to my old buddy Ji Gong and we were on our way again.

PART FIVE: THE OLD CHINESE QUARTER OF CHACHOENGSAO

We drove into the old Chinese quarter and looked for a place to park.  The architecture reminds me a lot of Penang, Malaysia.

My current old school 'muscle car' project in mid-modification (V8, shortened, narrowed chassis, tubbed, big-braked, and custom-painted) on the streets of Chachoengsao.

We found a nice noodle shop for our first course . . . .

After a quick snack, we headed out on a walk around this fascinating old town.  Here, the 100+ year old town market.

The old city market interior . . . still in use.

There were just too may photographic subjects to cover . .  we were just a couple street shooters snapping on the run.

The light in the old market spaces was marvelous.

At some point in the past these old shops must have been very successful, being located next to the town market.

The oldest shops in the city.

Some of these old shops are still in use by traders.

We stopped for fresh fruit juice smoothies.  I had a carrot and apple one.

There is a growing obesity problem in Thailand (pun intended).  It's no wonder . . . look at the chip and snack wholesaler's shop.

These well-worn shop doors were things of beauty.

The shopkeepers here told us that this shop had been operated by their family for over 100 years.

We stopped in at this riverfront restaurant for a full Thai meal that couldn't be beat. Ate way too much, but was happy.

Your intrepid photographer out and about . . . and getting ready to have a wonderful meal.

Before our meal arrived, I took the liberty to look around the old atmospheric wooden building.

The restaurant interior was amazing . . . and very artfully done.

An interior wall at the restaurant.

The view from our diner table!

After our big late lunch we went out walking again . . . what did we see? More food!

The vendors were all busy getting ready for the evening rush.

We asked this shopkeeper how long he had been sitting there . . . he said, "62 years."

Tai street food is delicious . . . but we were already too full.

We walked around a working town . . . an iceman packing his product with help.

An old shop house in the city center of Chachoengsao, Thailand.

Chachoengsao riverfront.

Such a beautiful place . . . but time to leave this part of town . .  we still have a famous Wat and Buddha to see.

PART SIX: Wat Sathorn Wararam Worawihan

Wat Sothonwararam is located near the river in another part of Chachoengsao.  It is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in the world, and is also possibly the largest Buddhist temple in the world.  The temple has the ‘Luangpho Phuttha Sothon,’ the revered Buddha image.

One of the most beautiful, and unique Buddhist Wats I have seen in Thailand.

Many golden salas surround the Wat.

The Wat is under royal patronage.  Here: a photo of the new King of Thailand.

We had come to see the famous Buddha likeness inside, but, alas, we were too late . . . it closed at 5:00pm.  What to do now?  Let's go see some bats!

PART SEVEN: A BAT TEMPLE

John read online that there was a Buddhist temple on the way back to Bangkok that had a mass flight of fruit bats from it's trees every evening and if we hurried we could see it.  So we went on some very small rural roads and arrived just as it turned dark.  A beautiful Wat . . . I took photos of the Buddhas first.

Very old and revered Buddha images.

More revered Buddha images at the bat Wat.

The trees were hung with hundreds of very large fruit bats!

The bats flew around so fast, and it was getting so dark, that it was almost impossible to photograph them . . . but I managed this one shot I like.

John and I had a wonderful day trip out of Bangkok.  We left at 6:30am and returned to Bangkok at 8:30pm.  What a day!