Around Bangkok

The huge reclining Buddha at Wat Pho

Central World Plaza shopping mall

Benjasiri Park near Sukhumvit Road

View from Lebua Tower, hotel featured in Hangover 2

At the Grand Palace...

coming into Bangkok via train

Bangkok's Democracy Monument

People often complain about Bangkok's traffic...and for good reason...

Example of typical Bangkok gridlock traffic - a problem nicely rectified by taking the city's above ground monorail as seen above and below or by hopping on the back of one of the many motorcycle taxis, which will weave in and out of traffic and even zoom onto sidewalks.

Air tram stop near Chatuchak Market, Bangkok's huge weekend market

A South Indian temple

One of many bars lining Soi Cowboy

Off of Khaosan Road - an street crammed with t-shirt stalls, gift shops, street food and pubs for tourists and backpackers was Soi Rambutri, a really relaxing, shady area consisting of a horseshoe brick road circling around a monastery and lined with the cheapest guest houses in Bangkok, restaurants, internet cafes, bars, more t-shirt stalls, VW bus bars, travel agents, etc. I found a particularly off-the-beaten track, dirty and cheap guest house through an alley past some clothing vendors. This was the staircase leading down to the bathrooms from my room. (I stayed at this place during one of my four stopevers in Bangkok, after I had been to Japan and was thus trying to save what little money I had left.) The bathrooms did not smell good. You can actually see a urinal in the photo.

Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport

Layover in Seoul at Incheon Airport

Southern Laos

Along a road near Champasak


Crossing the Mekong River


Outside of Champasak, I rented a bike and cruised a few kilomters to Wat Phou, ancient temple of the Khmer empire from the 10th and 11th centuries though it has been a temple site since at least the 5th century...


"Buddha's footprint" + elephant




At Wat Phou




Kid cutting up an ox head along the road in Champasak


Pakse


Calf in front of my bungalow on Don Det, part of the 4,000 Islands area of Southern Laos


Crazy dude on island of Don Khong

Buddhism in Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is filled with old historical Buddhist temples and monasteries. Young boys come from all over the countryside to live at the monasteries and receive a free education. Every morning at dawn, the novice monks walk quickly through the streets in single file pausing to collect food from kneeling locals who put sticky rice and other food into their alms bowls.




The monks walk in line in order from oldest to youngest.


Evening chanting


Shortly after taking this photo, Vai, the novice monk on the far left asked me to help him teach his daily English class. After helping once, I returned several consecutive evenings to help Vai in his classroom teach English to younger novice monks. While in Luang Prabang, I also taught Italian in the afternoons to a local man who was trying to learn the language.


Two of the novice monks and English students. Most, like this one, carried cell phones in their little pocks on the front of their orange robes.


Although novice monks can smoke cigarettes, they are not permitted to play soccer. Perhaps this one is wishing that he was free to join in the game.




At Wat Xieng Thong, an elaborate and impressive temple from the 1500's...






Another temple


Wat Mahathat...

Vang Vieng: the Organic Farm and Idyllic Countryside

David milks a goat at the Organic Farm outside Vang Vieng.


These were the best behaved goats I've ever milked. Goats are intelligent creatures of habit and these animals were in the habit of being patient and standing still as they were milked.


One of the young workers...he also attended English classes at a nearby school started by the farm. The Organic Farm (as it is called) solicits international volunteers to help teach English and to help with goat chores. Unlike WWOOF farms, this place charges volunteers a bit of money for accommodation and food.


Amazingly, this farm is just upriver of where the tubing starts. (See post below.) And during the afternoons, the loud music from the riverside bars blasts onto the farm and was supposedly responsible for the death of their sensitive silkworms.


Part of the drying process to make tea from mulberry leaves. The Organic Farm also makes juices and wine from their mulberries.


David gathers up the goats' breakfast.


All of the goats live on the second story of two barns, so the goat manure falls through or is swept through the slats of wood to the level below. Here there are bins of goat manure with red worms, resulting in black gold compost.


On a road outside town...




Corin and David take photos on a bike ride to the Blue Lagoon.


Rice


Reclining Buddha in Phoukham Cave near the Blue Lagoon...