Gallery 2
I might have guessed that I wouldn't stop at 20. So here is another set, again with some additional photos for context.
1. Above: Great Wall of China
When you go to regional work conferences, they usually straddle the weekend. Sign-ups are available for a little light relief by way of excursions which are often not very tempting at all. In Beijing, this listing just said, ‘the Great Wall’, so busloads scribbled their names down, right off the end of the sheet of A4, some sneakily crossing out names above. It didn’t disappoint. Sometimes things are more or less than what was expected or contain a surprise. This was more; the way the path on top of the wall is really, really steep was an eye-opener. But why wouldn’t it be if you build a wall exactly in a line, up and down the landscape ignoring the contours. Of course, it would be steep! You can’t see it from space – urban myth!
When you go to regional work conferences, they usually straddle the weekend. Sign-ups are available for a little light relief by way of excursions which are often not very tempting at all. In Beijing, this listing just said, ‘the Great Wall’, so busloads scribbled their names down, right off the end of the sheet of A4, some sneakily crossing out names above. It didn’t disappoint. Sometimes things are more or less than what was expected or contain a surprise. This was more; the way the path on top of the wall is really, really steep was an eye-opener. But why wouldn’t it be if you build a wall exactly in a line, up and down the landscape ignoring the contours. Of course, it would be steep! You can’t see it from space – urban myth!
2. Above: Yatai in Fukuoka
Fukuoka is famed for Yatai, mobile food stalls usually offering yakitori (barbecued bits and pieces). There is a street down by the river where you can find the stalls. What I have found, and it is similar with the Golden Gai in Shinjuku, an area of mini-bars, is that they are not particularly welcoming of foreigners. The idea is that regulars stop by for a bite, a drink and a natter. Using up three of the six seats with folks who can’t contribute to the conversation is probably the issue. Still, they do look endearing even if slightly off-limits. Also bear in mind is that it will be rather draughty sitting there in winter.
Fukuoka is famed for Yatai, mobile food stalls usually offering yakitori (barbecued bits and pieces). There is a street down by the river where you can find the stalls. What I have found, and it is similar with the Golden Gai in Shinjuku, an area of mini-bars, is that they are not particularly welcoming of foreigners. The idea is that regulars stop by for a bite, a drink and a natter. Using up three of the six seats with folks who can’t contribute to the conversation is probably the issue. Still, they do look endearing even if slightly off-limits. Also bear in mind is that it will be rather draughty sitting there in winter.
3. Above: The Tonle Sap, Cambodia
The Tonle Sap inland waterway is a lake with a seasonal variation in depth of some eight metres. From barely a swamp in the dry season, to a nine-metre-deep lake in the wet season. Uniquely, the flow of water also reverses between the seasons. In May during the monsoon rains the Mekong River flows back into the lake from the direction of the sea, then in November it flows out the other way. Just south of Siem Reap is a small hill, Koh Krong, which is popular at weekends. The half-hour walk up the hill, was mainly to visit the Khmer ruins and photograph the sunset, but also being a Sunday, to share the view with local picknickers. The sunset wasn’t much, but a little tableau presented itself on the way down.
The Tonle Sap inland waterway is a lake with a seasonal variation in depth of some eight metres. From barely a swamp in the dry season, to a nine-metre-deep lake in the wet season. Uniquely, the flow of water also reverses between the seasons. In May during the monsoon rains the Mekong River flows back into the lake from the direction of the sea, then in November it flows out the other way. Just south of Siem Reap is a small hill, Koh Krong, which is popular at weekends. The half-hour walk up the hill, was mainly to visit the Khmer ruins and photograph the sunset, but also being a Sunday, to share the view with local picknickers. The sunset wasn’t much, but a little tableau presented itself on the way down.
4. Above: Wat Khao Tabaek, Chonburi Province, Thailand
I can imagine a committee meeting where they took a vote and agreed to offer coloured ribbons at the wat entrance for devotees to write their wishes on, before tying them to a tree or pillar. For a fee of course. What a winning idea that turned out to be! The wat and steep approaches are festooned with prayer ribbons, such that there is scarcely anywhere left to affix your offering. I am guessing that the wat upkeep finance account is in good shape. Must be - they've built an elevated glass walkway now. This wat is only a thirty-minute drive away but in an obscure location; I found it while casually browsing google maps and scrolling down its reviewers’ ratings; a quick way of pinpointing local places of interest.
I can imagine a committee meeting where they took a vote and agreed to offer coloured ribbons at the wat entrance for devotees to write their wishes on, before tying them to a tree or pillar. For a fee of course. What a winning idea that turned out to be! The wat and steep approaches are festooned with prayer ribbons, such that there is scarcely anywhere left to affix your offering. I am guessing that the wat upkeep finance account is in good shape. Must be - they've built an elevated glass walkway now. This wat is only a thirty-minute drive away but in an obscure location; I found it while casually browsing google maps and scrolling down its reviewers’ ratings; a quick way of pinpointing local places of interest.
5. Above: The Bodhnath, Kathmandu, Nepal
Sitting with a beer on the balcony of a third-floor hostelry overlooking the Bodhnath and the circling pilgrims, I noticed a procession approaching. I dashed down to join the crowd just as the head monks were leading the ceremony by intoning the key scriptures. All around were novice monks who looked a little bewildered to be honest. But at that age you don’t question what is going on, you just take it in your stride and try to be good at whatever the elders are asking you to do. Pictured here is a young boy whose eyes are saying, ‘Who let you in?’ I was standing inside their circle, so fair enough.
Sitting with a beer on the balcony of a third-floor hostelry overlooking the Bodhnath and the circling pilgrims, I noticed a procession approaching. I dashed down to join the crowd just as the head monks were leading the ceremony by intoning the key scriptures. All around were novice monks who looked a little bewildered to be honest. But at that age you don’t question what is going on, you just take it in your stride and try to be good at whatever the elders are asking you to do. Pictured here is a young boy whose eyes are saying, ‘Who let you in?’ I was standing inside their circle, so fair enough.
6. Above: The Mekong River at Chiang Khan, Loei Province, Thailand
The Mekong River has always had an air of mystique for me. I remember gazing across to Laos in 1982 from the Thai side. Not a thing stirred, not even a boat on the river, or a riverbank animal, or bird for that matter. It could have been that this was just seven years after the Pathet Lao had seized control in Laos, and you would be shot dead for attempting to cross the river. I visited a Thai-side Laotian refugee camp at the time where folks zoomed up to sell their old Laotian banknotes for twenty baht, their hopeful stash being now worthless despite denominations with plenty of zeros on them. Pictured here, the early morning mist over the Mekong from the boardwalk at Chiang Khan, a good vantage point for sunsets too.
The Mekong River has always had an air of mystique for me. I remember gazing across to Laos in 1982 from the Thai side. Not a thing stirred, not even a boat on the river, or a riverbank animal, or bird for that matter. It could have been that this was just seven years after the Pathet Lao had seized control in Laos, and you would be shot dead for attempting to cross the river. I visited a Thai-side Laotian refugee camp at the time where folks zoomed up to sell their old Laotian banknotes for twenty baht, their hopeful stash being now worthless despite denominations with plenty of zeros on them. Pictured here, the early morning mist over the Mekong from the boardwalk at Chiang Khan, a good vantage point for sunsets too.
7. Above: Red Lotus Lake, Udon Thani Province, Thailand
Not far into the long drive back from Nong Khai, a sign said ‘Red Lotus Lake, 12 kms this way’. Do we detour or just crack on with the journey? I mean, there’s hours still to go. Not having heard of the lake, it was a 50:50 decision. But it was a case of ‘we are here and not likely to be here again any time soon, so…’ The lotuses are actually lilies and there is a veritable sea of pink as your slow boat chugs away through the channels. Money well spent indeed as the morning sunlight flits across the water. Later in the day the lilies close for a snooze as do the boatmen, hopefully with a 500 baht note tucked safely into their pockets. The real name of the lake is Nong Han Khumphawapi, which doesn't quite roll off the tongue!
8. Above: Shibuya Street Festival, Tokyo
There is an annual street music festival in Shibuya, so you can guarantee a bit of heavy drum noise to go with the buzz of the weekend crowd. This particular group were all proper players, and just one drum in sight. There also didn’t seem to be anyone hiding in the chorus, they all seemed capable of standing up and belting out a solo at any time. Add in the chic outfits and you’ve got jazz band smarts from top to bottom. There is a strong instrumental music programme in Japanese high schools, so it is not uncommon for people to say, ‘Oh, I used to play the trumpet a bit at school,’ or whatever, before zipping through some tricky scales at the local fete. 'Mixolydian, you say? Righto!'
9. Above: Icon Siam, Bangkok
I can’t imagine many places can compete with Bangkok for shopping malls. In fact, folks commented on the fact that the BTS Skytrain may have been built in order to directly connect all the malls. Some small truth there, especially on the Sukhumvit section. The other thing about the malls is that when it comes to décor, for celebrating some festival or other, they really do pull out all the stops. You can stand agog at Central World just before Christmas, or Emporium during Chinese New Year – crane your neck, please do. Or this one at Icon Siam in October – ‘October? Because we felt like it!’
10. Above: Seoul, South Korea
There is something appealing about Seoul that is hard to put your finger on. It isn’t Tokyo for sure, with its wide boulevards, large sedans and shopping thoroughfares. Perhaps it is the adjacent hills which present a great overview, or the palace grounds so close to the city centre. It may even the rather lived-in city streets and markets with rubbish waiting for collection – a stark contrast to the manicured world of Korean soaps. On this Sunday morning there was a full-on pageant outside the old palace. I am not sure if it takes place every month or on a particular occasion. We tend to think of Korea’s new-found soft power as its cultural marker, but here its heritage was laid bare and embraced in all its glory.
11. Above: Chanthaburi, Thailand
The riverside community dates from 300 years back on the Chanthaburi River. Vietnamese and Chinese churches and temples are dotted about, as are the shophouses and merchant stores that drove the local economy. Meanwhile there is a large Thai regional centre grafted onto the outside, with all the usual industry and commerce along with matching traffic. Walking by the river with your camera, you might blink and wonder exactly where you are though, which makes for a more than one scenic shot. 'Looking for the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, sir? Step this way...'
12. Above: Loy Krathong, Mabprachan Lake, Chonburi Province, Thailand
Your krathong is a banana trunk garland that is floated on the local lake, river or in the sea to take your cares away, ready for a new lease of life. There are candles and joss-sticks on the krathong, along with a few coins, and if you are serious about wishing to garner good fortune, a few of your personal fingernail-clippings. Krathong competitions take place to make the most elegant offerings and even the fifty-baht ones represent some earnest handywork. As an occasion it is colourful, elegant and calm. Down at the local pond there is some serious shoo-splashing of the water to make sure your own krathong gets a good start as it heads off into the night. The chatter at the water’s edge gives a real community feel to the evening – perhaps everyone is anticipating all the good luck that is about to come their way.
13. Above: Cosplay in Kyoto, Japan
You might think that an older guy approaching a young lady and asking if he can take a photo is marginal creepy. But with cosplay, they want to be photographed. They set out that morning, likely from a non-descript apartment in a dreary suburb dragging the suitcase along, with the express purpose of being photographed. It doesn’t really matter who is taking the picture, the more the merrier. And suddenly they are a super-hero or some manga heroine, their lives lit up by a ray of sunlight that has arrowed down through the clouds. These two splendours were parading about in the garden of the Manga Museum in Kyoto. Who were they supposed to be? No idea, but probably more uplifting than whoever they were all week. Each small photo above is taken from a full-length portrait which captures better their alias.
14. Above: Dream Catchers, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai has two weekend markets, Wualai and Thapae. They are miles long and you can guarantee that they will be hot, humid and crowded. The crowds amble along in one direction either side, glancing at the stalls perfunctorily, apart from the two people who go against the flow, barging their way through. Luckily foot-massage stations occur regularly and there are heaps of food stands. I don’t know if it is just me, but I never buy anything at these markets. I don’t know why, perhaps it is because I bought the local craft fare forty years ago, so now I just look straight past it. A dream catcher like this would send your cat into a frenzy. Best place it high against the wall ready for videos of cat fails of leaps and splats.
15. Above: The Blue Wat, Chiang Rai, Thailand
The Blue Wat in Chiang Rai is like walking inside a large blue see-through sweet wrapper, albeit a richly embroidered one. Everywhere you look your eyes just see blue, even the white Buddha is backlit with blue light. These three monks were wondering how to do a selfie, contorting this way and that to get themselves and the Buddha in the frame. I offered to take a shot for them and was proffered their three mobiles one after another, followed by one for myself. To elicit a smile for the camera we say, ‘Say cheese’. Guess what? It is also the same English word in Thai as there is no Thai equivalent.
The Blue Wat in Chiang Rai is like walking inside a large blue see-through sweet wrapper, albeit a richly embroidered one. Everywhere you look your eyes just see blue, even the white Buddha is backlit with blue light. These three monks were wondering how to do a selfie, contorting this way and that to get themselves and the Buddha in the frame. I offered to take a shot for them and was proffered their three mobiles one after another, followed by one for myself. To elicit a smile for the camera we say, ‘Say cheese’. Guess what? It is also the same English word in Thai as there is no Thai equivalent.
16. Above: Toyako, Hokkaido, Japan
Hokkaido is a wonderful destination in Japan – for its snow, volcanoes, ice festival, horticulture, seafood – you name it. Driving across the island takes an age due to the distances and the fact that the roads sometimes drop to single lane as they plot a course round some big hill or through some long tunnel (a big sign at the entrance always says how long the tunnel is, so you have an idea of what to expect). Along the way you can stop and admire the caldera rim, the smoking volcano or just the pretty flowers, both wild and cultivated. The autumn light on this trip also helped; clear, sharp air, fresh but not too cold.
Hokkaido is a wonderful destination in Japan – for its snow, volcanoes, ice festival, horticulture, seafood – you name it. Driving across the island takes an age due to the distances and the fact that the roads sometimes drop to single lane as they plot a course round some big hill or through some long tunnel (a big sign at the entrance always says how long the tunnel is, so you have an idea of what to expect). Along the way you can stop and admire the caldera rim, the smoking volcano or just the pretty flowers, both wild and cultivated. The autumn light on this trip also helped; clear, sharp air, fresh but not too cold.
17. Above: Wat Ban Den, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Wat Ban Den is 60 kms north of Chiang Mai and not very findable without google maps. It means ‘splendid house’ in Thai. An understatement if ever there was one. There are 12 statues for each of the zodiac signs. It is as if the teams of workers set out to outdo each other with paint and glitter. Each statue depicts some weird mythical beast or other, giving it the feel of an alien zoo (extrapolating there). The huge reclining Buddha is the centre-piece though and looks like it is covered in real gold with a texture that adds to the realism. Impossible to fit in the viewfinder, a close-up is the best option.
Wat Ban Den is 60 kms north of Chiang Mai and not very findable without google maps. It means ‘splendid house’ in Thai. An understatement if ever there was one. There are 12 statues for each of the zodiac signs. It is as if the teams of workers set out to outdo each other with paint and glitter. Each statue depicts some weird mythical beast or other, giving it the feel of an alien zoo (extrapolating there). The huge reclining Buddha is the centre-piece though and looks like it is covered in real gold with a texture that adds to the realism. Impossible to fit in the viewfinder, a close-up is the best option.
18. Above: Khao Kor, Loei Province, Thailand
Northern Thailand has so many hill-tribes who settled into the highlands in recent history before borders became more defined and nations shut them tight. This particular community were Hmong, probably from the mountains of Yunnan in China. They are economically integrated into Thailand, having been taught in Thai at school for generations. But their own languages are spoken at home, and they hold their customs close, none more so than traditional dress which is brought out and dusted down on their New Year’s Day. Khao Kor in Northern Thailand is a picturesque upland area of rolling hills and pretty valleys. Gazing at the scenery, one imagines that many hobbits live there.
Northern Thailand has so many hill-tribes who settled into the highlands in recent history before borders became more defined and nations shut them tight. This particular community were Hmong, probably from the mountains of Yunnan in China. They are economically integrated into Thailand, having been taught in Thai at school for generations. But their own languages are spoken at home, and they hold their customs close, none more so than traditional dress which is brought out and dusted down on their New Year’s Day. Khao Kor in Northern Thailand is a picturesque upland area of rolling hills and pretty valleys. Gazing at the scenery, one imagines that many hobbits live there.
19. Above: Talat Noi, Bangkok
Wandering around the hot and sweaty backstreets of Talat Noi, an old Chinese community on the river in Bangkok, you can see into the open-grilled shophouses as you shuffle by. Folks sitting nonchalantly in white vests (always white vests) tend ancient, oily machinery that clanks away. What are they making? Who knows! But you can bet generations of the same family have been doing it in the same shop since they first moved in. As you round the bend you spy a photo-opportunity of a rusty old Fiat wedged against the wall. You feel pleased with yourself until you get home and realise that everyone and his dog has shot that exact same photo. Talat Noi, is 'Little Market' and features a great deal of street art too.
Wandering around the hot and sweaty backstreets of Talat Noi, an old Chinese community on the river in Bangkok, you can see into the open-grilled shophouses as you shuffle by. Folks sitting nonchalantly in white vests (always white vests) tend ancient, oily machinery that clanks away. What are they making? Who knows! But you can bet generations of the same family have been doing it in the same shop since they first moved in. As you round the bend you spy a photo-opportunity of a rusty old Fiat wedged against the wall. You feel pleased with yourself until you get home and realise that everyone and his dog has shot that exact same photo. Talat Noi, is 'Little Market' and features a great deal of street art too.
20. Above: Wat Thap Kradan, Suphanburi Province, Thailand
The shrine at Wat Thap Kradan dedicated to the legendary singer, Phumphuang Duangchan (Pueng), has people making a pilgrimage from all over the country. A cult has grown up whereby many believe that good fortune comes to those who pray to her spirit, especially regarding coveted lottery numbers. Pueng touched the nation’s heart-strings after dying aged 30 from lupus. Her tragic life of a manipulating family and managers, played out in public and was clearly relatable, thus elevating her status beyond the regular to the stratospheric. The music is called Luk Thung, a Thai country-style which resonates particularly with the largely rural population. Most of the artefacts in her shrine, such as the shoes and stage outfits, were red in colour, but videos online of her performing show her in anything but red. Perhaps a power-luck thing?
The shrine at Wat Thap Kradan dedicated to the legendary singer, Phumphuang Duangchan (Pueng), has people making a pilgrimage from all over the country. A cult has grown up whereby many believe that good fortune comes to those who pray to her spirit, especially regarding coveted lottery numbers. Pueng touched the nation’s heart-strings after dying aged 30 from lupus. Her tragic life of a manipulating family and managers, played out in public and was clearly relatable, thus elevating her status beyond the regular to the stratospheric. The music is called Luk Thung, a Thai country-style which resonates particularly with the largely rural population. Most of the artefacts in her shrine, such as the shoes and stage outfits, were red in colour, but videos online of her performing show her in anything but red. Perhaps a power-luck thing?