The chofah ("light tassel") is a common element in most temples throughout Thailand and the neighbouring region.
Last October, we were heading off on a much-anticipated short trip to Thailand’s North. Ask any Thai about the northern cities of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, and they will tell you that they are: “very beautiful! There are many temples.” A non-Thai friend of ours in Bangkok asked what we would see at our first stop: Chiang Rai. “Temples!” I replied with a wink, knowing the groan that my comment would be met with.
A lot of non-Thais, even those who have lived in the country a long time, think that temples are all the same. They are not.
Of course, temples, which essentially comprise a collection of buildings for religious ceremonies, study and worship, have common elements. But, as with anything else, the more you look, the more you notice.
We had plenty of opportunity to notice the small – and larger – differences between temples as we walked around Chiang Rai, visiting five complexes on foot, and another by car (Wat Rong Khun, which I’ve talked about before), essentially in the space of a day. This little provincial city has the odd church and mosque as well, but it is the Buddhist temples on every corner that stand out.
Our first stop was at the 750-year-old Wat Ming Muang. During the reign of King Mengrai The Great when the temple was constructed, there was a significant Burmese (Shan/Tai Yai) population in this area – hence the Burmese influence in the architecture and sculptures.
Every temple has a chedi (stupa or pagoda) which houses relics from the Buddha. This one, at Wat Ming Muang, features classic white elephants.
Burmese-style Buddha image ~ Wat Ming Muang
Like any temple, especially an old one, Wat Ming Muang (The Auspicious Temple of the City) is continually expanding and undergoing renovation. I find it fascinating to watch how the back-bones of the elements are constructed, before they become the ornately finished products we are used to seeing.
This finely-detailed elephant head with its jewelled naga-like crown is one of a pair, adorning the new stairway.
The new cement columns at Wat Ming Muang feature a different style of elephant.
Our second stop was at Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), which was named for the the green gemstone (jade rather than emerald) buddha image which was found there when lightning struck the chedi and cracked it open in 1434. ThatEmerald Buddha is now in the Grand Palace in Bangkok where, amid great ceremony, the King changes it’s golden coat three times a year to mark the formal change of seasons.
The replacement buddha ~ Wat Phra Kaew
The replacement Chiang Rai Buddha is not an exact copy, but a ‘replica’ commissioned in 1991 to honor the Princess Mother’s 90th birthday. It was carved in Beijing from Canadian jadeite donated by a rich Chinese businessman.
Jade Buddha Head ~ Wat Phra Kaew
Altar in the grounds of Wat Phra Kaew, dedicated to Phra Sangkajai (Maha Katyayana), one of the "Ten Disciples of the Buddha".
Classic gold Buddha under natural and artificial light, flanked by "Tung Kradang"; banners carved with religious stories and commissioned as offerings to the Lord Buddha. ~ Wat Phra Kaew
Burmese Buddha ~ Wat Phra Kaew Museum
Light from the carved teak window balusters in the Wat Phra Kaew Museum fall on a Bodhisattva.
Tiers of old carved Buddha images ~ Wat Phra Kaew Museum
Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles ~ Wat Phra Kaew Museum
Budai, the "Laughing Buddha", rides a Chinese dragon ~ Wat Phra Kaew Museum.
In the reading corner, two "nehn", or novice monks, take time out.
From Wat Phra Kaew, it was a short walk to our lodgings, via two more local temples: Wat Phra Singh and Wat Klang Wiang.
Buddha ~ Wat Phra Singh
Visiting monk. His red-ink tattoos are common among Burmese (Shan / Tai) men. The designs are stamped before being tattooed, and last about five years, protecting the wearer against evil spirits, bringing strength, and resisting and curing diseases.
It's always good to know you are in a "No Killing Area"! Wat Klang Wiang
Afternoon clean-up duty ~ Wat Klang Wiang
The next morning, after our trip by car to The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun), we visited Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong. The ancient sacred stone representing the city pillar; the “navel” or centre of the city; was moved here in 1992. Unlike most Thai cities, which house their city pillars, their Lak Mueang, in a shrine, Chiang Rai displays its pillar in an open area. I leave it to you – but I don’t think they look like navels!
Sadu Mueang, the Navel or Omphalos of the City, Doi Chom Thong, Chiang Rai
Yup. "Navals." Indeed.
Small figures of elephants and horses are common elements in Thai shrines. Wat Phrathat Doi Jom Thong
More Buddhas - different Buddhas. Wat Phrathat Doi Jom Thong
Whatever the religious image, Thais are always ready to "pay their respects" and to pray. Wat Phrathat Doi Jom Thong
Yes, there is a temple on every corner in Chiang Rai, and they are all lovely.
To my mind, at least, they are also all very different!
Ursula, ich liebe diese Serie. Schön die Tempel, Buddhas en elefanten en natürlich geben auch die anderen Fotos eine besondere Stimmung wieder. Grüsse DietmutReplyCancel
Asian markets are such a wonderful miscellany of contrasting colours, smells, sights and sounds – and nowhere is this more true than in Cambodia’s second largest city of Battambang. Dark corners hide from both the distorting light emitted by flickering fluorescent tubes overhead and the burning glare of sunlight streaming in through openings in the walls. Khmer stall-keepers sit on trestle tables, the epitome of a calm and quiet self-containment that is at complete variance with the loud, cheerfully coloured shirts they wear and the buzz of movement around them. I was there in June, when outdoor temperatures average highs of 33C (91F). Somehow, vegetables and poultry products managed to look crisp and fresh in spite of being displayed in an open alley-way in wilting heat, and the fruit looked wholesome and cool, regardless of being hand-cut and on offer in the most unlikely of places.
In a dark space between the pants for sale, a fruit seller dishes up a portion...
... while another fruit vendor plies her trade in the fabric "aisle".
The "produce section" is outdoors in the searing sun.
Fresh produce: banana flowers, ginger and lotus stems
The poultry section...
Markets are a photographic challenge for me because of the wild variances in light and the abundance of potential photographic subjects. My big decisions are always about coping with the jumbled cacophony of images and deciding what to leave out. Karl Grobl, who with Gavin Gough, Marco Ryan and Matt Brandon was leading our photo-tour, reminded me about using slow shutter speeds to get a feeling of movement, and I spend part of my morning leaning on a pole for stability, before wandering off to explore the space and finding my “subject”: a quiet garland maker in the middle of a busy cross-roads.
Colour, Bustle and Chaos: Battambang Market (ISO 1600, 70 mm, f /5.0, 1/30 sec)
Meat on the hoof in the Battambang market.
Always the ready smile
Smiles for the stranger.
Jasmine garlands amidst the food and haste (ISO 1600, 20 mm, f /11, 1/15 sec)
The garland-maker
Quietly watchful as she works.
Busy hands at work
Labour-intensive garlands
Rich-smelling jasmine garlands are everywhere in Asia. Whether hung as protective talismans in vehicles or laid at public or private altars, they are made, sold and given as offerings to the local deities. (For more about their use, check out a delightful article from Vivienne Khoo: “Cancer and the Queen.”) Selling for pennies, they are labour-intensive to make, even by skilled hands; I love watching as workers use needles or bamboo skewers to thread jasmine, symbol of promise and purity, and assorted other flowers, in this case the wonderfully fragrant Magnolia champaca, onto threads made from banana leaf or cotton to make wreaths of all shapes and sizes.
This little corner was a welcome respite of scented calm right in the middle of the busy meat market, and I was very appreciative of the garland seller’s willingness to have me hang around and watch over her shoulder while she worked.
A relative of the ylang ylang, richly fragrant champak sits on banana leaves, Battambang Market.
A timely reminder: no matter how busy a place is, it is always possible to stop and smell the roses – or jasmine and magnolia, as the case may be.
very well written and photographed. you really capture the feeling and provide great descriptions. I just can’t understand how folks can wear long sleeves etc in the wilting heat.
Thanks, Elliot – much appreciated!
Yes, the sleeves in the heat always amazes me too. And, they stay cool as cucumbers while I drip with sweat! 🙂ReplyCancel
[…] for Lunch, Cambodia), others specialise in flowers (e.g. Pyin Oo Lwin Flower Markets, Myanmar; Fragrant Flowers … Battambang Market, Cambodia). You can buy talismans (e.g. Golden Treasures of the Old City ~ Bangkok) or money: shaped into […]ReplyCancel
Looking across Aislings Beach and Lake Curalo to the Great Dividing Range, NSW
Nothing can beat a scenic flight over interesting terrain on a clear, sunny day.
We knew we were in for a treat when the skies over our patch of the Australian coast turned pink on the eve of a coastal flight we had booked in a small aircraft. For it is generally true that a red sky at night, with the setting sun sending its rays into a stable high pressure system from the west, indicates good weather is on the way.
And it was indeed a perfect day for flying.
We met our Piper Cherokee Six – and its owner, veteran pilot, Andy – at the small coastal airport of Merimbula. Once we’d had our safety briefing and strapped on our life jackets, we were up and away; off on one of Merimbula Air Services‘ “Gabo Island Adventures”.
Our Piper Cherokee awaits.
It's all under control.
Our regular lunch spot on Eden Wharf looks so different from the air!
The Tasman Sea crashes onto the red bluffs of the aptly named Disaster Bay, NSW. The City of Sydney (1853-1862) was the first of many ships to be lost in the strong seas common in this area.
The sand dunes and forests of Nadgee Nature Reserve straddle the border between New South Wales and VIctoria, and mark the end of the Bass Strait and the start of the Tasman Sea.
Gabo Island, with its lighthouse and grass landing-strip, comes into range.
The Gabo Lighthouse keeps watch over the ships and the weather on the Tasman Sea.
The first lighthouse was started on the current site in 1847, but the project quickly ran out of money and was abandoned until after the loss 30 lives in 1853, when the steamship Monumental City was wrecked on nearby Tullaberga Island. The current tower is Australia’s second tallest: 47 metres high and 55 meters above sea level. The lighthouse and surrounding fences and are built from beautiful red porphyritic granite quarried on the island itself. Buttresses were added to the fences following a freak wave in 1895 which washed over the island, damaging property.
Grass tussocks huddle in the lee of the buttressed red granite wall.
The island used to house three families: two light-keepers and a weather technician, but of course modern times demand less people-power. Today, there is always a live-in “caretaker”, and one of the other homes is available to recreational visitors or scientists who come to conduct studies. At the moment, two young scientists are in residence: one studying the feral rats who have come on to the island from ships, and the other studying the 30,000 strong colony of Little Penguins who come ashore to burrow every night.
Lighthouse-keeper's house: now the caretakers' accommodation and museum.
Scientist in Residence
Two-hundred and forty steps, all constructed in Manchester, England, lead up to the light.
Caretaker's accommodation from the top of the lighthouse.
Little Gabo Island hosts numerous pied cormorants.
Three visiting children, looking very small from the top of the lighthouse, race across the granite.
Exhibits in the old smithy.
Our pilot Andy sits at ease in the weather station as he talks about the island history.
Looks good, but don't touch! Yellow fungus on old asbestos roofing.
The island has its share of sad stories. As I said earlier, the lighthouse wasn’t completed until 30 lives were lost to a ship wreck in 1853. The governments of the neighbouring states later erected a monument in memorial. Up an overgrown, road there is a small cemetery with three headstone: for two infants who died in 1861, possibly from a contagious illness, and for a young woman who died later the same year in childbirth. As recently as 1929, a lighthouse-keeper’s wife died as a consequence of a fall when medical attention couldn’t be accessed promptly due to rough seas.
Memorial to those lost at sea in 1853 when the "Monumental City" went down.
Blackberries ~ almost in season.
Rail ties on the disused road to the old quarry.
Evidence of life: A bicycle and some sort of scientific paraphernalia sit at the side of the path.
Cows keep the island grass under control.
The old quarry and the impossibly-blue Santa Barbara Bay.
A pile of Gabo granite at the abandoned quarry. In the past, the granite was used in a number of Australian public buildings.
Rubbed smooth by wave action, the pink granite sits in the sapphire waters of the bay.
Santa Barbara Bay is a popular destination for Victorians coming from the mainland to picnic, swim and snorkel.
Time to return home ~ our Cherokee awaits.
Turquoise waters mark the 500 meter wide channel between Gabo Island and the mainland.
Pambula Lake is the last major sight before landing back at Merimbula Airport.
Mid-afternoon, we touched down gently back at Merimbula Airport. Merimbula Air Services call this trip: “A great day out!”, and indeed it was.
Such an amazing place, we didn’t do a flight however took one of the many cruises around the different bays and revelled in the history and marine life that surrounds Eden and the area generally. From the air it is quite magnificent!ReplyCancel
Looking for any info on Gabo Island Lighthouse Keepers
William Henry Owen and His Wife Christina Eleanor (Ellen)back in 1913 to 1918 especially any photos or history.
Summer in Australia’s “high country” is known for it’s clean crisp air, abundant wild flowers and various outdoor activities; it is possibly less well know for its music. But, during ski season there are plenty of live acts in the various pubs and chalets, and summers bring various festivals, including an Irish Cultural Festival and a Jazz Party.
“Personal venues” can be translated as small restaurants not designed for live music, making it imperative to book dinners early if you want a view of the performers unobstructed by walls, pillars or other diners. I don’t have enough of an “ear” to comment on the sound quality in these venues, but certainly found the chattering of other patrons annoying some times – and downright disruptive at others.
On the first evening, we stopped in for sets at a pub and a lounge before heading off to dinner at The Knickerbocker for what proved to be one of the highlights of our weekend in terms of food and service, and with respect to the entertainment: Hat Fitz and Cara Robinson.
Hat Fitz, the epitome of pre-war hill-country and delta blues, on his steel guitar.
Hat’s National Steel Guitar
I saw Hat Fitz perform many years ago at the Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival, and thoroughly enjoyed his show. The addition of Cara Robinson, multi-instumentalist and powerhouse singer from Ireland, turns his already-good performance into magic. There were a couple of times we had goosebumps as Cara’s voice ranged freely across the scale and held notes effortlessly.
(You can click or double-click the audio link below for a studio version of their performance of Wiley Ways.)
Hat Fitz on guitar with Cara Robinson on percussion.
Cara Robinson on one of her wind instruments.
When Irish eyes are smiling…
Robert Susz, a ubiquitous presence on the live Australian music scene, pops in to play harmonica.
We knew it would be a hard act to follow, so while the different versions of the blues continued in pubs around Thredbo Village, we toddled home to our lodgings for a fresh start at the outdoor performances the next day.
Marco Goldsmith fronts the seven-piece rhythm & blues Blue Heat.
Robert Susz and Dave Brewer from the Mighty Reapers
Robert Susz on his harmonica.
Clayton Doley plays keyboard for the Mighty Reapers
Clayton Doley on keyboard and Vito Portolesi on bass for the Mighty Reapers.
Many hats in the audience.
Performing jazz, blues and boogie-woogie, the “Wild Women” Lisa Otey and Diane van Deurzen in the sunny Village Square.
The Kevin Borich Band rocks out.
It’s still Rock and Roll: Kevin and his National Steel
Cooling off ~ Hat Fitz hatless
Virtuoso Australian guitarist Jeff Lang
Shiny bits: Jeff Lang’s 1960s Black Airline
More Hats in the Audience
Sound Check
The staff race to put up umbrellas…
… but the rains over-take us – as they do at all good music festivals!
Inside the Black Bear with Steve Grieve …
… and Jo Jo Smith.
When the rains came, we ducked into The Black Bear for an early dinner, and rode out the evening on the songs of Jo Jo Smith accompanied by Steve Grieve, before returning home humming and smiling.
sounds like you had a great time… I never realised there was a Blues festival in the mountains, I knew about the Presley weekend in Parkes. I do wish they would publicize this stuff more widely. Back home and you sure know how to find the good stuff not just whilst travelling.. cudo’s!ReplyCancel
[…] for an excuse (as though one is needed!) to head into Kosciuszko National Park, and we enjoyed the Blues Festival there greatly in January, so we decided to try it out. I’m not about to wade into the […]ReplyCancel
[…] decided to ease in with something familiar, Hat Fitz and Cara whom we last saw perform at the Thredbo Blues Festival in 2012. In spite of Cara still wearing an eye-patch following a car accident last December, their […]ReplyCancel
[…] was our third visit to the Thredbo Blues (e.g., The Blues in Colour). I always have one or two acts on my “must see” list, but mostly I love the laid-back […]ReplyCancel
[…] was our third visit to the Thredbo Blues (e.g., The Blues in Colour). I always have one or two acts on my “must see” list, but mostly I love the laid-back […]ReplyCancel
Australia, when it is not being buffetted by typhoons, razed by bushfires, innundated by floods or ravaged by droughts, is blessed with a wonderful climate where sunny clear-blue skies predominate even in winter: truly a Lucky Country.
A couple of years ago, in preparation for our re-patriation from Asia, we bought a small house on the southeastern coast of Australia – our little patch of the Lucky Country – where we intend to retire.
The town is aptly named Eden.
Almost surounded by the eponymous Twofold Bay, this working fishing village and popular holiday resort boasts a safe deepwater habour for recreational and working boats at its heart, beautiful swimming and surf beaches within its boundaries and National Parks all around. It truly is a little paradise!
More about all of that some other time.
Our neighbourhood sits on an estuary, a salt-water inlet, where we can join others in walking running or cycling on the elevated Allan Gibson boardwalk, running through the tea trees. This is our little slice of paradise.
Morning mists on Lake Curolo (05 Nov 2011)
Rainbow Lorikeet over the Estuary (04 Oct 2011)
Little Pied Cormorants (02 Jan 2010)
Black Swans and Cygnets (04 Jan 2012)
White Faced Heron (02 Jan 2012)
It will take us some time to be able to identify the bird- and plant-life along the boardwalk; every time we run or walk along it there are different lights and colours.
Orange Flowers against the Tea Trees (02 Jan 2012)
White bottle-brush (06 Nov 2011)
The boardwalk runs beside the estuary (Lake Curalo) and into the tea trees. (09Nov2011)
Blue Fairy Wren (female) on a Guard Rail: Allan Gibson Boardwalk (02 Jan 2010)
Of course, we are not the only ones using the boardwalk, which links the estuary to a sporting ground, a camping site and the beach, and even when there are no people in view, they are in evidence. Weekends and holidays, it is busy with people cycling, running, fishing, walking or just sitting reading.
Boat on the Estuary (09 Nov 2011)
Lone runner on the boardwalk (06 Nov 2011)
Grasses in Lake Curalo (06 Nov 2011)
There is always a mixture of life on the boardwalk. (02 Jan 2012)
Fishing in Lake Curalo (31 Dec 2011)
Black Swans at Nightfall (05 Nov 2011)
Although we have moved in, it will probably be some time before we really “retire”. Still, when it is so nice being at home, we might travel a little less.
Thanks, Susan! Not exactly the Matterhorn, but we like it. 😉ReplyCancel
Judy Phillips -March 16, 2012 - 11:54 pm
I met you briefly at Coolem Q/land last September, we know Gabe through business and he gave me your card. I am thoroughly enjoying your photo’s and seeing your love of nature and travel expressed with joy through your photo’s. Keep up the great work.ReplyCancel
[…] am also a bit lazy, and aside from regular morning walks on my boardwalk (See: A Little Slice of Paradise), I tend to not explore my neighbourhood as much as I should. So, I’m always glad when […]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.
Yes, there is a temple on every corner in Chiang Rai, and they are all lovely.
A timely reminder: no matter how busy a place is, it is always possible to stop and smell the roses – or jasmine and magnolia, as the case may be.
Although we have moved in, it will probably be some time before we really “retire”. Still, when it is so nice being at home, we might travel a little less..jpg)
I love the artwork/carvings in these temples… similar yet unique and of course they have elephants – a favorite of mine.
Welcome back! Yes, we too love the elephants. 🙂
Ursula, ich liebe diese Serie mit den Buddhas und Elefanten.
Auch geben die Fotos die sfeer wieder, Grüsse Dietmut
Thanks, Dietmut. I’m so glad you liked the post. Herzlichen Glückwunsch!
Ursula, ich liebe diese Serie. Schön die Tempel, Buddhas en elefanten en natürlich geben auch die anderen Fotos eine besondere Stimmung wieder. Grüsse Dietmut