The days are very quiet, and the evenings are even quieter. The kids are back at school and the humpback whales are feeding in Antarctica. The local caravan parks are almost empty of visitors and it’s easy to get a parking space on main street or an outside table at the cafes near the wharf.
We’ve just had several months’ supply of rain in little over a week, so the waves crashing on the beaches are yellowed and the usually clear-blue waters of the Sapphire Coast are muddy-looking from the silt washed down from the hills.
Last Sunday we decided to take advantage of the first sunny day in what seemed like ages. We rode our bicycles to the Eden’s wharf on Snug Cove and indulged in brunch before joining a scenic cruise on Twofold Bay.
I had been told to check in at ten o’clock, in case the Twofold Bay Discovery Cruise wasn’t going out, so I wandered down to the water’s edge while my breakfast was cooking to have a look.
Fishing boats at rest ~ Snug Cove, Eden
Buoy in the quiet waters of Snug Cove
Cat Balou ~ a 16 metre catamaran designed for sight-seeing cruises.
Rosalind and Gordon, owner-operators of Cat Balou Cruises, make their boat ship-shape in readiness.
The sun was shining and the water was calmer than it had been for several weeks: clearly the perfect weather to go out on the bay.
Twofold Bay, named for its two bights by George Bass, who passed this way in 1797/98 on his way to Bass Strait, is one of the deepest natural harbours in the world. Historically home to whaling stations, the area still pays tribute to the killer whales that used to assist in the hunt for humpbacks. Today, when the humpbacks make their annual migration, between September and November, they are tracked at a respectful distance by the sight-seeing boats.
This time of year we’d be lucky to spot some Australian fur seals, or possibly penguins or dolphins.
A perfect day for taking pictures, as we leave Snug Cove.
Rocks, mussel farm and sailboats: truly a multi-functional space! Cattle Bay, Eden
Quarantine Bay, so named because a sailing ship with a smallpox epidemic on board took refuge here in the 1800s, is now home to the Amateur Fishing Club and the local yacht club.
Heading home from Boydtown Beach...
Seahorse Inn, started in 1843, was the centrepiece of Ben Boyd's eponymous Boydtown.
A Japanese-owned woodchip mill has operated at the south end of Eden's Twofold Bay since 1967.
Rocks at the mouth of Kiah Inlet. A family-owned whaling station here operated until 1930.
Edrom Lodge was built in 1910 for John Logan. The 28-room manor was modelled on his Scottish home. It later became a guest house, and then a prison farm. Now, it is managed by the Forestry Commission and operates as a group function facility, accommodating up to 70 people.
The vivid colours of Kiah Inlet.
A sea eagle circles over Kiah Inlet looking for fish.
The Naval munitions wharf at Kiah Inlet is used as a general loading dock...
... and a fishing platform ...
Most months two ships sail to Japan, Taiwan or China, with 43,000 tonnes of wood chips each, to be turned into high quality paper products.
Boyd's Tower, the 19 1/2 meter sandstone tower built in 1846, can just be seen over the tumbled rocks of Red Point (South Head).
Ben Boyd built the tower to light the way for his whaling and merchant ships. The government said that if he lit it for his boats, he must light it for all boats - which he refused. So, it never operated as a lighthouse.
Some say the jagged red rocks of Red Point look like the face of a North American Indian.
Recreational boaters, sporting white zinc to protect from the sun, race through the waters of Red Point.
After a delightful two hours, we head home.
Rosalind and Gordon, the owner-operators of Cat Balou Cruises, looked after us well and did their best to point out the one seal who was hiding under the dock. Aside from the seaeagle, and the usual cormorants and seagulls, we had no luck with the wildlife at all. We were, essentially, watching water.
But what views! We’d seen some of this coastline from the air, and it is just as magnificent from the water.
Can you imagine what it will be like in the good season?
Not-withstanding the smoke in the air from the usual spring burning when I was there, and a fever I was running from a bout of illness I had picked up elsewhere, the city wove it’s magic over me.
Wat Nong Sikhounmuang, Luang Prabang
Temple Still-Life: Long Boat, Wat Nong Sikhounmuang (I Think)
Golden Buddha: Wat Nong Sikhounmuang
Young Lao Woman
Offerings and Prayers ~ at the Feet of the Buddha, Wat Nong Sikhounmuang
Graceful lines and curves: Wat Nong Sikhounmuang
Spider at the Back Door - Wat Pak Khan
Crocs on the Step
Seller of Offerings: Wat Xieng Thong
Lay your offerings here. Wat Xieng Thong
The epitome of traditional Lao temple architecture, Wat Xieng Thong, built in 1560.
Apsaras and Deer
Ancient Wooden Buddha: Wat Xieng Thong
Window with a mosaic depicting everyday life ~ Wat Xieng Thong
Wat Xieng Thong's famous "Tree of Life" mosaic was crafted in 1960.
Stupa ~ Wat Xieng Thong
"Little Nen" ~ Novice ~ Wat Xieng Thong
Lines and Curves ~ a "dok so fa" on the roof of Wat Xieng Thong
Luang Prabang got its well-deserved reputation and its World Heritage listing as a “Cultural Site”, not just from its architecturally beautiful temples, but from the way these are still integrated into the daily life of the whole community. Every morning at six am, the people of Luang Prabang come out to the main street to give offerings of food to the monks of those temples as they make their way, barefoot and single file on their morning alms rounds.
Morning on the streets of Luang Prabang, in front of Wat Nong Sikhounmuang.
Waiting to give alms in the morning
Monks on their morning rounds
Making Merit
Begging Bowl
Women waiting to give alms, Luang Prabang
After the rounds: morning chores.
This morning routine of giving food to the monks so that they are able look after of the spiritual needs of of the community frames the day: setting the rhythm and the pace of life in this charming town.
I’d love to go back, as my friends knew when they sent me the postcard. With that, my photos and my memories, I can at least revisit in spirit.
Water gateway to the two rivers and the three countries: Golden Triangle
“By the way, you DO have your passports with you, don’t you?” our guide asked (in Thai) after the van we were in had pulled away from our hotel. At least, that is what I finally figured out she had said – by which time we were already five or ten minutes down the highway. Negotiating meaning in another language is always a tricky business!
And, no – we didn’t have our passports. While I had read our itinerary, including the market stop in Mae Sai in the afternoon (…14.00 น. ตลาดท่าขี้เหล็กที่อ.แม่สาย…. ), I had missed the part (… ประเทศพม่า… ) where it mentioned Myanmar.
It was day two of our three day stay at De River Boutique Resort in the Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai. I was warned, when I bought our package deal at a travel expo in Bangkok, that they had only Thai-speaking guides. Our guide did, in fact, speak some English, and my Thai keeps us fed; most of the time we manage. But this exchange about the passports almost tripped us up completely: before setting off on our day’s tour, we had to return to our room to dig out our credentials.
The first markets we visited that day were local ones. After “making merit” with the horse-riding monks early in the morning and visiting the Royal Mae Fah Luang Gardens at Doi Tung, we stopped to browse the wares made and sold by the Akha hilltribe people. One of the larger ethnic groups in the region, the Akha are known for their crafts. They are also known for their slash-and-burn farming methods and for their cultivation and (traditionally) ritual use of opium. Consequently, there are numerous programs funded by local (Thai) royal projects and NGOs, as well as international NGOs, developed to foster the manufacture and sale of indigenous crafts, and to encourage more environmentally-friendly farming practices and replacement cash crops (especially coffee).
I’m always happy to do my bit by gift shopping for fabrics in these small markets. I do, however, draw the line at tiger teeth and snake whiskey!
Woman at work ~ Akha Market ~ Doi Tung, Thailand
Bags in the Sunshine ~ Akha Market Doi Tung
Woman at work ~ Akha Market ~ Doi Tung
Silver bracelets ~ Akha Market ~ Doi Tung
Tiger Teeth ~ Akha Market ~ Doi Tung
Thais love shopping.
The large street market in Tachileik, Myanmar, just across the Mae Sai River from Mae Sai, the northern-most point of Thailand, is particularly popular. Here Thais can get semi-illicit alcohol and cigarettes at prices far below those at home. Traditionally part of the opium trade routes, this area is still known for its distribution of “yaa baa” (methamphetamine) pills. We must have looked too conservative: we were offered no more than some pot and the usual cigarettes, pirate DVDs and “dirty” pictures.
This spot is also popular for non-Thais who need to exit the country temporarily for a “Visa Run” to extend their stay in Thailand. For us, the adventure was in the border crossing itself: the process of queuing, photocopying documents, queuing and paying, and queuing some more, took about an hour. Only then were we able to join the foot-, tuk-tuk-, car-, and bus-traffic across the river through no-man’s-land to the Burmese checkpoints and into the crowded markets below.
Crossing the Burmese border from Mae Sai to Tachileik.
Street Market, Tachileik , Myanmar
Burmese Buddhas for sale, Tachileik.
Tachileik Temple Buddha
From Money to Offerings: Buddhist Temple, Tachileik
Drink Seller: Tachileik Market (Notice the thanaka paste on her face.)
Thanaka wood for grinding into the paste or cream commonly worn in Myanmar and parts of Thailand.
Tees for Sale: Tachileik Market, Myanmar
Tuk-tuks head back to Thailand with as much as they can carry!
The next morning we were met at the boat landing behind our hotel for a trip up and down the Mekong and a stop at another local market – this time in Laos.
The market was quiet: Thailand and Laos were (and still are) giving each other the diplomatic cold-shoulder over the killing, a week or two before, of 13 Chinese sailors. The sailors were on two cargo boats laden with drugs, travelling the short distance from China down the Mekong between Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. The Shan State, over the river from Thailand in Myanmar, with its drug-financed ethnic warlords and heavy Chinese influence, continues to trade in opium, people, rubies, teak and firearms, and the whole area – traditionally known for the production and distribution of opium – still has a well-deserved reputation for lawlessness. According to one report, the Chinese sailors were killed before the boats reached Thai waters: a heavily-armed pirate in Burmese waters was held responsible for their execution. The story we saw when we were there was that nine men, members of the Thai military but acting “unofficially”, had been arrested for the murders. According to a recent Reuters report (January 27, 2012), no arrests were ever made and the situation remains muddy.
Either way, the Chinese were very unhappy with the Thais. Laos, which is politically and financially affiliated with China – to the extent of having Chinese casinos and a Chinese economic free-trade zone in the immediate area – was suffering from the Thai boycott of market trade. We had the Donsao market to ourselves. The packed-dirt ground and the threat of rain added to the feel of quiet desolation.
Welcome to Donsao, Laos
Bone Pipes and Pots
The happy pipe seller: punctuate that any way you like!
Scorpion and cobra whiskey: for medicinal purposes... I'm not sure what ailments warrant this "cure".
Cobra taste-testing?
Buddha heads and banyan trees for sale.
Souvenir Laos Dolls
A captive sun bear sits in a small cage behind the markets.
Boats on the muddy Mekong
Markets are always a pleasure to visit, and provide an interesting insight into people’s priorities and lives. I love the noise and colours and textures.
I’m less fond of finding bears in cages…
I trust you stay well – lest we have to treat you with snake whiskey. Cheers!
WOW…was thoroughly enjoying the trips you take, right up to the sun bear. What an amazing country of colour and vibrancy however the idea of snake whiskey and tigers teeth elude me. I guess its easy sitting here making judgements but the reality is so very different. Thank you for taking me along with you.ReplyCancel
Hi Anna :o],
It is always a pleasure to have your visits. I have drunk the local whiskey (in VERY small amounts!), but I avoid the bottles with creatures in them. 😀ReplyCancel
Mit dieser Serie hast Du wieder eine grosse Erkennungsreise bei mir wachgemacht. Ich habe nachgesehen, es ist 10 Jahre her dass ich dort in Thailand/Myanmar war. Schön wenn ich nun durch Deine Foto’s die Reise erneut aufleben lassen kann. Herzliche Grüsse, DietmutReplyCancel
[…] villages, the beautiful countryside… I’m less fond of the border markets like those I talked about last week, with their cheap Chinese electricals, clothing, and leather-goods, and their bears in cages, […]ReplyCancel
[…] Bangkok) or money: shaped into trees (e.g. Morning Markets ~ Attapeu, Laos) or butterflies (e.g. Three Markets ~ Three Countries (Thailand, Myanmar, Laos: Golden Triangle)) – and you can usually find plenty of local meat and produce (e.g. Another Morning Market ~ […]ReplyCancel
We are currently having renovations done in our ‘new’ home. Every time I watch the builders calculate the square meterage of a floor or wall, I’m reminded how many of us, back in those dim-distant school days, complained about studying maths, and claimed that we “would never need it in real life.” If you talk to a mathematician, however, mathematics is life. At least since the time of the early Greeks, and probably earlier, people have been using numbers to describe the patterns found in nature, and have used the resulting formulae to argue for beauty – and even to ‘predict’ divine intentions.
No surprise, then, that when you google “Golden Triangle”, one of the entries that pops up relates to Euclidean geometry and the golden ratio that forms the hypotenuse of the golden (or sublime) triangle: that magical isosceles triangle that is in “Divine Proportion” and is the basis for perfect pentagrams and logarithmic spirals…
More maths, right?
The Golden Triangle I was looking for is that 950,000 square kilometres of mountains that, until the early 21st century, was responsible for most of the world’s heroin production. The somewhat contradictory “divine” heart of this region is a golden Buddha, sitting at the at confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers and at the intersection of three countries: Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
The first time I visited this giant Buddha, I remarked on how the imposing image sits serenely, looking over the Thai lands below, apparently oblivious to the gambling casinos across the waters behind it. (Gambling, of course, is one of the least of the issues challenging the wild, border regions of the Triangle.)
On our recent visit, it was the seeming-contradictions within the shrine area itself that struck us. For while there is ample opportunity to pray and/or pay respects, there is also noise and glitz; an almost carnival atmosphere entreating you to spend money.
Toilets, trinkets, icons and a golden Buddha. (2011)
Overlooking the Thai countryside, the Golden Buddha at the centre of the Golden Triangle.
Tiny lizard under the protection of the giant Buddha.
In the shadow of the golden Buddha: a blue Buddha image and the royal emblem of the Thai king.
Buy some good luck for your business: Mae Nang Kwak for sale.
Toss your coins at the belly of Phra Sangkajai! Although he looks like Budai, the laughing Buddha, the sign says this is Phra Sangkajai, a respected teacher of the dhamma.
Three more divinities.
A commanding presence over the mighty Mekong River, the Golden Buddha sits in front of the mountains of Myanmar.
View from our room: Morning mists on the Mekong: Thailand on the left. laos on the right and Myanmar straight ahead.
I actually think this Buddha is more impressive from a distance, where it commands attention from the surrounding hills and all along this section of river.
It was our point of reference as we explored the temples and markets of today’s Golden Triangle.
More about that some other time. In the meantime, happy travels!
sounds fabulous…I too think the Buddha looks more impressive from a distance where the trimmings aren’t as obvious and the commercialism out of sight. Such a fabulous array of pictures and memories,ReplyCancel
[…] (Two Artists: Contrasting Visions), to Golden Buddhas with their backs to casinos and drug trade (Golden Ratios and the Sublime); I’ve said before that Thai temples are not all the same (e.g.: Temples and […]ReplyCancel
Flowers for Valentine's : The Two of Us (Frangipani)
Valentine’s Day got more than the usual bad press this year – or maybe I have too many cynical people in my circle at the moment, so it was more noticeable.
It’s not that I am a particular fan of Valentine’s Day myself. My childhood memories of pressing out punched cards from a sheet of light cardboard to give to my school friends – and worrying about whether I’d receive any in return – are not fond ones. In elementary school, valentine cards were a marker of popularity: a sign of friendship given to classmates regardless of gender. Traditionally, they were meant to be anonymous, but we always made sure the people we valued knew that we had given them one – and we always knew who the ‘alpha female’ in the class was: the girl who received the most.
I do, however, think that the ‘anti-Valentine’ people, those who claim it is a trumped-up occasion, invented by the modern greeting-card companies in cahoots with rose growers, florists, and the manufacturers of chocolates and teddy-bears, have got it wrong. While the tradition of giving cards has nothing to do with any of the many martyred St Valentines of early Christendom, it does go back at least to 1400. The oldest surviving valentine is a 15th century poem written by Charles, Duke of Orléans, to his wife, while he was being held prisoner in the Tower of London. Nothing what-so-ever to do with modern commercial enterprise!
I do understand their argument that trinkets and gifts one day a year are meaningless. But, symbolism is important, and special days give us an opportunity to make the time to acknowledge a loved one. We don’t have to “buy into” conventional commercialism: small gifts or cards chosen or hand-made with care are always more special. And, if every day is Valentine’s Day, all the better!
This year, I spent Valentine’s Day alone. My husband was in Singapore on business – and not for the first time. (No wonder the country has one of the lowest birthrates in the world: running trade shows, oblivious to Valentine’s Day, is not good for population growth!)
Two years ago, however, we managed to escape from Bangkok to Prachuap Khiri Khan, where the staff at our resort made a wonderful fuss over us. Thai’s love a romantic cliché, and we were treated to sparkling wine and a dinner of pink foods overlooking the ocean.
I will take chocolate any time and in any shape, but I’ve never been a great fan of roses. Although they are beautiful and smell gorgeous, I’ve always considered them ‘fussy’. Someone recently called them ‘snobs’ for thinking they so are special, while in fact, as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince points out to the roses of earth: “You are beautiful, but you are empty.”
But, Thai gardens are abundant with other flowers – and I delight in trying to capture some of them with my camera.
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Quiet Moments (Lotus)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Surrounded by Love
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Independent and Proud (Lotus)
Flower's for Valentine's ~ Unusual is Good
(Apparently, the flower above is a แย้มิป่นัง (yemibonang???) in Thai… If anyone knows what it is in English, I’d appreciate hearing from them!)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Opposites Attract (Lotus)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Red as a Rose (Hibiscus)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ I'm on Fire!
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Purple Rain (Bougainvillaea)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Golden Dreams
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Valentine Pink
Flowers for Valentine's ~ All by Myself (Frangipani)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Butter and Cream
Flowers for Valentine's ~ All Together Now!
Pudica White Frangipani
The flowers all around us were a reminder to stop, take a moment…
… and smell the not-roses.
I hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day – with or without chocolate and flowers.
I do thank you for sharing your such beautiful photographs. I think you are very kind-hearted and love to share good things to friends and the world. I miss you when I don’t see you at KMUTT on Saturdays.ReplyCancel
Pongpet – lovely to see you on my Blog. I’m glad KMUTT still has you teaching – they need to hang on to the good ones! 🙂
Signe – you and Lance are in that lucky minority: those who get it “right” the first time! 😉ReplyCancel
Great Photo’s as always Ursula, whilst Lance & I don’t fuss over Valentines day, beyond a verbal greeting, I am blessed to be reminded everyday of our special relationship… so I’m ok without the gifts LOL. I have never been a roses fan, I to appreciate the fragrance, colour etc however as a kid having to dead head them, trim thorns and help maintain my mothers rose garden I nowadays prefer carnations and sweetpeas. The frangipani are beautiful and so simple…yet not prolific in Sydney gardens although with the climate change that could.
Thanks as always and I know you and Gabe don’t need a calendar event to celebrate your special relationship…hope he’s home soon.ReplyCancel
gabe -February 17, 2012 - 2:25 am
Ursula, I really enjoyed this one. Your photo’s are sharp and the sentiment is wonderful.
Dankeschön, merci villmahl, muchas gracias, many thanks!ReplyCancel
Tony Dobson -February 19, 2012 - 4:08 pm
Beautiful floral photos, Ursula. Sandy and I visit the card section of a local store, pick out and show our partner our own favourite card, share a high five, and replace the card. Costs nothing and doesn’t add unnecessary poundage!ReplyCancel
Hi Tony! Thanks for the visit. That sounds like an economical option… though I do love going through old cards. (I don’t throw anything out; one of the reasons we’ve had so much trouble moving – and why we could never live on a boat!)
Happy sailing. 🙂ReplyCancel
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
Can you imagine what it will be like in the good season?
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I actually think this Buddha is more impressive from a distance, where it commands attention from the surrounding hills and all along this section of river.
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We did this cruise when we were down there, the water colour is just magic and we did get to see some wildlife and the scenery, man it was stunning.
this place really is a jewel…. I hope to come down sometime soon and experience it all again… counting your blessings I hope!
Greetings to the two Liverpools! Yes, we count our blessings daily. 🙂
Oh I do so wish I was there!
Anna :o]