The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

I am enjoying my life in Bangkok.  I have been enjoying it for over 13 years now.  I enjoy it as much as I did my 10 years in The Congo and my years in London and Singapore. One of the main reasons I enjoy it so much here is the "adventure in meaning" I experience almost every day: the spaces I find myself in. The "perception that comes only with estrangement" when looking up to say to myself, "Look where you are." Today was one of those days.

Here are the photos . . . the narrative will follow.

With my wife and her family at our family Buddhist Temple (Wat) paying respect to the memory of my and their recently departed mothers.

Monks moving about the temple - some construction on site - and some shoes.

A quick stop for Starbucks at the Central Lat Praew shopping mall with my friend Richard.  I picked up a supercharger from New Zealand from him and we had a nice conversation.

Another stop amid the labyrinthine side streets and alleys of Bangkok to a race car chassis shop to make arrangements to restart construction of another racing project - a drag radial class legal 1970 Ford Maverick.  This shop mine as well be located in one of the white spots on the map of the earth; it is remote in every way. I feel as remote when I am here as I did when exploring the upper reaches of the Congo River in the late 70's.

The race shop privy.  12:00 noon. June 6, 2009. Bangkok,Thailand.

Fast food for lunch.  Notice what is on sale here: a shrimp burger, a fried pork strip/rice and cabbage  combination plate, Chinese dim sum, mashed potatoes/gravy/sausages, and Pepsi. I had the chicken steak on a bun.  It was made from fresh chicken dipped in tasty sauce, but was so messy with sauce, oil, wet lettuce, and tomato that I could not keep it all between the bun and not on the table or down my arm, even with my 50+ years of burger-eating expertise.

Another coffee stop . .  and a rare indulgence for me - cherry cheesecake.  I do not eat sugar or carbs . . . . . but a little  now and again . . .  The Thais have a great aesthetic sense: the design in the coffee foam is a piece of art.

 At my trackside race shop with Peter, my friend, chasing down an electrical gremlin that has kept me off the track for several weeks.  We found the problem: mice had been gnawing the insulation off the wiring.  I hate it when that happens.

I stood around in return lane with my friends 'bench racing' and admiring Andy's Bad Boy Street Racer Supra (BBSRS) wide body.  I went home around midnight. It was a good day, filled with interest, some charm, friends, warm feelings, disappointment, and fun.