novices

The reason why there seem to be so many saffron robed monks in Luang Prabang is because of the huge number of novices living in the various temples scattered within and around the city. Most are quite friendly and will engage visitors of the city in a conversation if only to enable them to practice their skills in speaking English. The others I met, I could only converse with them in Thai. From talking to some of them I learned that the live a very disciplined life. They are up early in the morning for their prayers then they go around the village to collect alms from the people. During the day, they go to school, study their lessons and then do chores around the temple. Then before they know it, it is time for the evening prayers.
© 2005 daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

peace man!

These are the two monks I met at the Kwang Xi waterfalls. This was the only photo that did not get damaged in that film roll that I managed to destroy. I am glad this was saved. Nothing better than 2 monks spreading the message of peace in this turbulent world. © 2006, daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

village women

The first photo was taken in Ban Xienglom, the village where the Lao Spirit was located. These women were gathered near the corner store exchanging morning news. The second photo was taken in Ban Thong Thai, in Kaew's village. The woman in the center is his mother. © 2006, daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

walking to the village

On the eve of my departure from Luang Prabang, I did a mini trek accompanied by Pat, the resort guide. We went up a hill until we got to a clearing where we had a view of the mountain. © 2006 daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

luang prabang babies

Some of them were sleeping, some of them were moody and some were quite outgoing. Nevertheless, babies are always a joy to watch. Their smiles and laughter are music to my ears. © 2006 daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

offerings

During my visit to Luang Prabang, I noticed that aside from lighting incense sticks, the people were also offering cones made of banana leaf decorated with flowers as well as releasing birds. The photo of the girl came from the damages film roll I mentioned in my travel blogs. I was able to reasonably repair it using Photoshop. I still would have preferred being able to save the film so that I could make hand prints out of it. The only consolation is that I have other pictures of the girl in another film roll that I did not manage to damage. click here to go to my luang prabang travel blog © 2006, daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

sai bat

in luang prabang, every morning without fail, the monks and novices walk the street to collect alms from the faithful. At daybreak , people lay down mats along the route where the monks pass by with their basket of warm sticky rice. With each monk or novice that will pass by, a small handful of rice is placed in the monk's bowl. At times we find children begging food from the monks.

Welcome the year of the Fire Dog






I would like to send my friends in Hong Kong my wishes for prosperity and happiness during the year of the Fire Dog. The Lunar New Year starts this sunday. Our office is closed on Monday. However tomorrow, I will be leaving for Luang Prabang in the northern part of Laos. Hopefully, the air will be fresh and clear and I am looking forward to 10 days of bliss because all I will be doing is taking pictures. I am an earth dog myself. My chinese sign is referred to as dog going up the mountain. So that is exactly what I am doing. © 2006 daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

wat suthat






If you have heard of Bangkok's giant swing then you would have heard of Wat Suthat. I like coming back to this temple because of the series of Buddha statues lining the inner wall surrounding the temple. Unlike the other temples, these statues are not enclosed with lucite. Also fascinating are the fresco paintings behind the Buddha images. Last Sunday turned out to be one of the holy days because some people dressed in white were in the temple fasting and spending some time meditating. A lot of the statues that I saw last year were now painted in black. Some were covered with saffron cloth.
It was a good time for me to try out my Rollei. It was also the first time I used Fuji acros. I am very pleased with the result. I was using F 8.0 in all of the shots and the I am impressed with the amount of detail captured by the photograph. I am still learning to use the tlr. There does not seem to be any problem with paralax if the camera is pointed straight to the subject. It is more of an issue if the camera is pointed upwards. I remember, I positioned the naga of the temple near the top of the frame. The print came out with the naga being further away from the top frame. It is perhaps in this situation that some anticipated compensation is required. © 2006 daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

arches

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spinning cones

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view from my window

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treasure map 1 & 2

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herringbone

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digital art deco

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ladders

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I want my cha cha heels!

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tree of life

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barrel cones

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shield

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dragon's lair

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steel mask

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oval

I am up to my old tricks again. I was taking some pictures of the architectural details of the train station then suddenly one of the guards told me to stop. These days are sensitive so I stopped. I converted the image into monochrome and then back to rgb. Lastly I manipulated each individual channel of the curve and this was the result. To me it looks like a mandala. What does it look like to you? © 2006 daddywasabi, all rights reserved.