November 2. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

November 2nd.   Chiang Mai, Thailand.

6:00 am. I slowly awaken. The gently lilting of the train and the constant hum of the wheels on the rails have lulled me to a great night's sleep. I feel more rested than I have been all week. There is something very relaxing about crawling into my berth on the train, pulling the blue satiny curtains and curling up with a flashlight to read a book as the train chugs into the night. It reminds me of being at summer camp as a teenager, without the sneaking out to chase boys part.

My berth is right by the door so at every stop I hear the sound of the brakes on the tracks, the door opening and closing and people stumbling over our bags stacked in the narrow aisle. 
Yet I have the best sleep I have a had in a while.

We arrive in Chiang Mai at 8:15.  Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand. It is much smaller than Bangkok and does not have the hectic pace of Bangkok. While Bangkok have 10 Million people Chiang Mai has only 400,000. It takes us less than 20 minutes to our hotel, a welcome change. It is hot but not with the extreme humidity of Bangkok. A slight breeze feels refreshing after a night of sleeping on the train in a closed in space.

The train is washed before it leaves the station and again when it arrives.

Chiang Mai from the hotel window.

Nice big roomy room.

We meet up at 2:00, our first photography class, the we are off the Wat Suan Dok Temple to photograph the complex as the afternoon sun fades and twilight begins to ascend. This temple came from a dream in which a monk had a vision that showed him where to find an ancient relic. When the temple was built a miracle occurred, the relic mysteriously duplicated itself. One of these is housed within the temple. The other was placed on the back of a holy white elephant who climbed the nearby hill and is said to have chosen the site where the second relic would be located.

Wat Suon Dok, or Flower Garden Temple,  was built in 1370 by the King of the Lanna Empire. It is a complex of white buildings and a mausoleum with a stately golden pagoda, or 'chedi' which stands 48 metres high in the centre of the complex. The chedi is said to hold the holy relic. The mausoleum holds the ashes of the past members of the Royal family.

The gold part in the middle is called a chedi and it holds the holy Buddha relic.

The top of the mausoleum.

As the moon rises over the mausoleum. This was our first assignment with night photography.

This temple is used by the Buddha monks and it is common to see them busily scurrying around it. At 6:00 every evening they have Prayers. As they began to chant every dog within range began to howl in unison with them.

It was a good day.

November 1. Bangkok.

Another extremely hot and humid day, perhaps the most humid yet.

We spent the morning in Bangkok yesterday, cruising along the Chao Praya River that runs through Bangkok. The river is the lifeblood of the city, the primary way to move goods around. We board long-boats and skim along the surface, water splashing up on both sides. We pass boats with locals commuting to the docks to catch the skytrain downtown to work, river cruises packed with tourists sightseeing along the river, tugs pulling a chain of huge barges laden with all manner of goods to be distributed in the city.  As we pass further we travel along canals where people live in small shanties on stilts on the water, some are dilapidated and poor, others - while small- display the signs of a home - plants in pottery urns along narrow decks over the water, a cat lying in the sun on a deck, bits of leaded glass and lacy curtains in the windows.  We watch a young boy tossing bread crumbs into the water. Immediately schools of what appear to be catfish swarm to the surface snapping up the offering. The little boy laughs gleefully and tosses more. Every now and then amid the modest homes a large, modern, villa stands seeming out of place and ostentatious. Several temples are dotted among the homes along the river as well.  Many homes have small replicas of temples in their yards. These are spirit houses where people offer small glasses of water and bits of food to the gods. Often there are two spirit houses, a smaller one stands beside the main one, this one is in honour of ancestors.

Maddie and Jackie.

Boats along the river.

Bangkok skyline and the river.

We end our tour at the Temple of Dawn, or Wat Arun, built by King Thon Buri, the King of Siam about 500 years ago. It was the original capital before King Rami I built the Grand Palace across the river. A magnificently ornate structure that more or less sits neglected across the river from it younger and prettier sister.

Elephants are the national symbol for Thailand. They represent strength.

Waterlilies are very common and are magnificent here.

 

This concludes or time in Bangkok. We head to the railway station and our overnight train trip to Chiang Mai.

 

On to Chiang Mai....... Come with me.....

Bangkok ... Its Market Day!

October 31st.  Bangkok.

Another hot and humid day with temperature around 30 degrees and so humid that the sweat runs down the small of your back. In fact at one point I swear I felt it running inside my ear! But a great day! Come with me.....

An early morning start and we head out of town to the Train Market, also known as the Folding Umbrella Market.  Here there is an railway line where vendors set up stalls all along the line to sell their wares... fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs and a lot of fresh fish of every type. Not only along side the tracks as you might think, but actually on the tracks. They put up awnings and umbrellas to close it in completely against the hot sun and hundreds of people wander through shopping or sightseeing.

All of sudden at 9:40 a whistle blows. This signals the train is coming in 5 minutes. I find a perfect spot  between two stalls with an excellent view of both the market and the tracks. I set my camera to continuous shooting mode and get ready, inches from the train track.
With all the precision of a well orchestrated military manouever the merchants pull or push their tables and booths back from the track and lower their umbrellas and awnings. Within minutes they duck safely back from the oncoming train which slowly chugs past. Immediately the stalls are reassembled and with minutes they are back open for business.
I have managed to capture, frame by frame,  every second of it as the booths come down, the train goes by and the booths go back up!! The train so close I could nearly reach out and touch it. The coolest thing ever!!

Vendors along the train tracks. Note the tracks in the centre.

As the train nears they quickly bring down the umbrellas and move back from the track.

The train slowly passes through.

I was standing right here.

The train passes.

Within seconds they are reassembling their booths. Back to business.

From here we load back into our vans and head off to the Floating Market on the canals that connect into the Mae Klong River.  We climb into Thai long-boats and float down the canals. Local farmers have houses built on stilts along the edge of the canals, on the other side of their homes are their orchards where they grow their produce. Women slowly float along the canal, their boats loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables..... pineapples, coconuts, pomellos, dragon fruit, persimmons....  and ice cold beer.

Along the sides are stalls of carvings, wooden elephants, jade buddhas, handicrafts of all sorts. AS you slowly pass by the reach out with a long hook and pull your boat near trying to sell their goods. For the most part the prices were quite high and we knew we would be able to purchase the same thing for a fraction elsewhere, but still the experience was amazing.

As we continued on our way, we stopped at a local pottery place. A family owned business where they make beautiful handpainted pottery... vases, figurines, delicate bowls and beautiful plates and urns with beautiful intricate designs. They explained their process and the steps they took to create their end product. We watched women dipping tiny little brushes into pots of brilliant colored paints and meticulously handpainting the designs onto the pottery while their young children played quietly on a nearby blanket.

Stopping for lunch along the riverbank we sipped cold beer and hid from the noonday sun before we continued on our way back to Bangkok and our hotel. Our guides had planned a special place for dinner tonight.

The restaurant is a very popular and successful place, and very unique.  Even the name is unique, "Cabbages and Condoms". But it has a great story. Dr. Mechei, an Indian doctor in Thailand recognized two very serious issues that were impacting the country and its ability improve its way of life for its people. First, the population of Thailand was rapidly growing. The average number of children  was 7, especially in the rural and hill areas. Families could not afford top provide for their families and especially to provide them with education. Dr. Mechei undertook trying to educate them about birth control and family planning, but this was difficult to make progress and get the message to the people. He felt the birth control, including condoms should be as accessible to people as vegetables at the market.

The second issue was the increase in opium production especially in the rural and hill areas as the people were forced into illegal production to be able to provide for their families. Dr, Mechei saw that the two issues were interrelated and needed to be addressed together. And the crop that could be grown the easiest and cheapest and quickest in these same areas was, you guessed it, cabbage.

Hence Cabbages and Condoms, a non-profit foundation, provides simple solutions to two very big socio-economic problems.  And these restaurants (3 of them) create awareness and generate funds for the program.

The food is excellent. The atmosphere is fun. Everything is decorated in theme. Lamps and light fixtures are made out of condoms. The gift shop sells dozens of clever items, signs and posters on the wall cleverly communicate their goals and messages.  We had a great time!

In our Tuktuk.

Condom light shade!

 !