lumpini park

On that day, there were sculptures on display near the red cross building. Otherwise it was an ordinary Sunday afternoon at the park. Near the open air gym, there were men who seem to be practicing an ancient martial art as they were hitting each other with thick wooden rods that was perfectly coreographed that each of these men seems to avoid each others fatal blow. The ancient trees still provide a restful shade . I am glad I live nearby this park because this place never ceases to provide me with something new to look at. © 2006 Bangkok, Thailand, daddywasabi all rights reserved.

pool

We had a get together a few days before Songkran and the temperature had started to become very hot. The two photos on top were taken with a Leica M6 with the viewfinder guide in the wrong scale. The last photo was taken using Holga. I wanted to take a picture of just my friends and the water. April 2006, Bangkok © 2006, daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

broom seller
Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, February 2006, © daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

gold panning in luang prabang
Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, February 2006, © daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

bare trees
It must have been because of the time of the year. Some of the foliage were dry. I found a few trees without leaves. The shrubs on the ground were quite thorny that I remember being sorry for not wearing my jeans during my mini trek. Nevertheless I found the trek to the village with Pat was a good exercise. Luang Prapang, Lao PDR, © daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

xieng lom
The village of xieng lom was the nearest village nearest the resort I stayed in during the last few days of my stay in Luang Prabang. The people seemed quite easy going and went about their activities in the morning while I was walking around the village. Some I found congregated around the corner store exchanging news of the day. Most found it interesting why I was carrying around 2 cameras around my neck. I am glad that they obliged when I took some of their pictures. Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, January 2006, © daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

morning at the market
Every morning after I finished my breakfast, I would stroll around the Luang Prabang market. Markets offer interesting sights to a visiting tourist such as myself. Women wearing traditional clothes. Exotic foods abound. One time I even saw a woman selling birds and squirrel, perhaps hunted in the nearby forest the day before. Mostly, I would go for breakfast where they served hot chocolate drink and and fried bread batter which never fails to provide comfort for the early morning cold weather. Luang Prabang, Lao PDR January 2006 © daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

snake whiskey bottles
if you look closely beyond the reflection for the glass, you will see the snakes, centipedes and the worm soaked in the local laotian brew. Supposedly it helps you keep warm during the cold season. I declined the offer of the shopkeeper but he cheerily allowed me to photograph his bottles. Kao said it has medicinal values but even he also declines to try the brew.....Luang Prabang, Laos PDR, January 2006 © daddywasabi, all rights reserved.

village men
Both men were from Xieng Lom. One is a farmer fisherman who lives in a farm beside the Mae Kham. I asked our boat to stop by because the previous day I saw him mending his net. Unfortunately today I seemed to have disturbed his nap. The old man is a grandfather who was playing with his granddaughter. I thought he would not let me take his picture because he kept warning his granddaughter about me and my camera. © 2006, daddywasabi, all rights reserved

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.