Is It Art, And Is It Ethical?

It would be foolish of me to make a generalized statement about piracy in Thailand for several reasons, but mainly because few of you reading this view such things strictly in black and white, and everyone seems to have their own level of comfort regarding counterfeit clothing, movies, music and the likes - depending on their own personal code.  It's also sometimes difficult to know for sure what is "real" and what's not in the Land of Smiles.

I read the other day that counterfeiting is big business there, especially in tourist areas, but not only there.  Designs  for clothing are "borrowed" or blatantly stolen, knock-off copies of watches appear with only minor changes - the list goes on and on, and you're liable to see copied merchandise for sale in a rural village stall as you are at Jatujak Market. Imitation is said to be the highest form of flattery, but when it impacts the bottom line - people get testy.

Take for example the shops who will, for a fee, paint you a piece of art from a photo you bring in.  Some also have original pieces for sale, but usually they're copies of existing images: paintings, photographs, that sort of thing.  The shop up top today was one where several people sit day after day, carefully painting canvas after canvas of reproductions such as the one of Vincent Van Gogh's painting of irises.  You can see the image of his painting in the book clipped open to the right of the canvas.

The folks working in the shop seemed a little uncertain about my taking photos in there so I won't say where in Thailand this was, and I've obscured their faces. They were pleasant people, but obviously they themselves had some misgivings about the use of their skills in this particular instance.  One man was working from a snapshot a customer had brought in, and he was pleased to show that off, but I haven't included that shot, either.

While the owners of some of these works might just say "who cares" my guess is that a huge mega-corporation like Coca-Cola might not feel that way.  Van Gogh isn't here to get a royalty check, but monies are owed to someone, and where does one draw the line?  They're not being passed off as the Real Deal Originals at market value.  Personally I don't like the idea, but I'm not a lily-white participant in this arena, either, so I'm casting no stones.

We'll address the movie and music part of it another time.  Enjoy your weekend, all.

Let's Talk Dirty To The Animals

Across the narrow country road from Wat Bang Kung is and area targeting those who come to visit the temple. To hold interest there's a micro-zoo with five or six different types of animals, a place to buy snacks and sodas, a stand selling chilled coconut milk and an area out back above the bank of the river where you can watch people feed the fish.

For a few baht you can buy a plastic bag of fish pellets and feed them yourself. The bag is tightly sealed with a rubber band, although I'd already opened mine before taking the picture to the left. The fish know where the food is, and they drift around the area just below the water, waiting for someone to toss in some pellets, and then there's a feeding frenzy.

Kids (and some older kids) buy bundles of greens to feed the caged animals who will eat them, like the pigs, rabbits, a couple of monkeys. There were also some birds, the grandest being the peacock up top today. I'd never gotten a photo of one that was quite so full and majestic looking as this one, and as they're a novelty for this old bird I stood and watched it for a while.

While walking by the monkey cage I happened to bang my forehead on a bar sticking out from the structure. Nothing all that surprising about that in and of itself; I'm taller than most Thai, and the height of potentially dangerous things isn't usually measured in my favor. What was surprising was that it hurt enough that I let loose with one of my more colorful expressions I save for just such unpleasant surprises as this - and the monkey sitting near eye level with me looked up as he was chewing and gave me a look as if to say "Really! Can't you behave with a little more decorum in my presence?"

With the small lump on my forehead beginning to rise I thought for a moment about cursing at him directly, and was suddenly reminded of an old routine Gilda Radner did as the opener for her Broadway show back some 30 years ago, and instead began to sing the song in my head. I felt a lot better afterwards. The clip is below, but as I try to keep the blog suitable for most I should warn you that there are a few really rough words in it and it's NOT for kids...

Caution: this clip is not for those with innocent ears.

The song continued to run through my head as I walked around and looked at the rest of the pens and cages, watching the kids feeding the animals.

The temple, the warriors, the kids, the animals - it was a nice few hours. Make the stop if you're in the area.  By the way - while the peacock is most impressive from the front, it's far less interesting when it's walking away from you...

Out At The Wat: Around Bang Kung

This is the third of three posts about Wat Bang Kung, the small temple building nearly engulfed in ficus trees at Camp Bang Kung in Amphawa.  Part one showed the growth around the building, part two covered making merit and the inside of the temple, and today I thought I'd take you on a walk around the immediate grounds.

To make sure you're aware that this has been (and still is, to a degree) a military post there's a smiling cartoon-like statue of a man with a Thai name on his uniform and a canteen that says "U.S." on it standing on the other side of the road from the covered building and the other larger, more modern structures like the ones still being guarded by muay thai warriors up top and below.

In addition to the long rows of symbolic warriors - representing a battle long ago to protect the temple grounds - there are several spots for visitor "photo ops". One by one the students took turns standing behind them, some making silly faces; sticking their tongues out, rolling their eyes as if they're bored with goring their enemies - and some putting on a fierce face.

Either way, their fellow students were entertained. The girls giggled and the boys howled at the antics of their friends. Since I was standing there taking a couple of pictures I heard one of them saying "You! You!", and when I looked over I understood by his pointing that he wanted me to pose behind one of them, so I chose the taller of the two and stuck my face through it. The kids howled while I made faces, and it was nice to be a kid for a couple of minutes.

Count yourselves fortunate that I didn't think to hand my camera to one of them first.

I've found the children I've run across on field trips while in Thailand to be orderly groups. Naturally, there are teachers along to keep them in line, but while they are children and have the energy of 10 adults they tend to be quieter and able to stay on task with their school projects most of the time; be that a writing assignment, a question and answer session with their teacher or just standing and appreciating with that innocent wonder what's in front of them. One little girl seemed spellbound by the tree wrapped around the building, and stood following the roots and branches with her eyes, as if to memorize them.

When left to their own devices, though, the kids became kids - and that's when I found them posing with the warriors, or just gathered together to talk like kids do anywhere. The group below is no different.

The long lines of somewhat simple statues of the muay thai warriors around the grounds were the inspiration for dozens of photos I saw taken that day.  One by one and two by two the tourists stood next to one statue or another, holding their arms or leg up as if in mortal combat with it. It reminded me of the guards at the Grand Palace who stand motionless while tourists take their photos with them.  You can almost hear them saying to themselves "Oh, good grief... another one?"

One last picture today of some of the warriors. At least they had some dependable shade. It was hot that afternoon!

Inside The "Tree" Wat At Camp Bang Kung

Yesterday you saw how the ficus trees have embraced the old temple at Camp Bang Kung in Amphawa, leaving only portions of the original wall showing, and a window or doorway peeking through here and there, like the one framing gold leaf covered statue visible above. Today you'll see inside this small but noteworthy place.

Making merit in front of the wat at Camp Bang Kung, Amphawa

For most Buddhist Thai making merit is one of the most meaningful parts of a visit to any temple, but especially those they've traveled some distance to see or pray at; otherwise you could visit a spot closer to home, right? I was told there were Thai here from places far further than Bangkok, where my friend had brought me from, and there were two ornately decorated buses to prove it.

 These two below would look at home in Manila, where an ongoing unofficial competition has raged for decades to over-decorate one's jeepney, the Filipino equivalent of the Thai songtaew.

Getting back to more spiritual things: As is common at many places of worship you make a donation for your candles, flowers and incense to present before saying your prayer for peace, prosperity, health, luck, the winning numbers in the upcoming lottery - whatever. My guess is that it's much the same there as here in the U.S., but they're probably not praying for the Miami Dolphins.

The photo to the left shows an offering of merit that's a little different: a gold paper ficus/bodhi leaf on a stick through which you slide an offering before adding it to the straw-covered pole intended to be the trunk or branch of the tree.

Recent offerings had been gathered together and those sticks were arranged in a bundled bouquet of sorts at the top of the post. The two girls walking away from the post were ready to enter the temple.

Some of you will remember the post from last July about the tradition of putting your gold leaf on the back of the Buddha, and the marble steps up to the image here also led to a narrow walkway behind the image. The picture below was taken looking back down from that vantage point, and it gives some perspective on the overall size of the place.

Although I usually leave the artsy-type shots to those with a better eye and better composition skills I'm adding a couple today, only because they pleased me.  The first is of a portion of the decorative wrappings of the main Buddha statue that had been rolled up by a monk and placed to one side of this large statue, and near it were portions of gold leaf; some that had fallen off the statue, some errant for other reasons.

The second is looking up behind the same statue where the tree has come through and has begun to creep into the temple.

Next time I'll try to show more of the grounds, kids and park adjoining the temple.

Tree roots coming in through a window near the entrance

The "Tree" Wat At Camp Bang Kung, Amphawa

Yes... there's a temple in there, behind the tree growth

Some of you probably attempt to keep house plants living in your homes. If you do, you already know that what's called a "weeping fig" plant in some parts of the US  (technically a ficus benjamina) tends to be difficult to keep content. Even after a decade together if I speak to mine crossly it drops a dozen leaves.  Although I know full well they're two very different climates it's been a (minor) source of frustration for me in Thailand to see plants I struggle to grow back home being considered invasive pests, and this was one example.

Camp Bang Kung isn't the Thai army camp it was years back; it has a history that goes back to when it was much more of a going concern, in the days when King Rama II was born nearby. [The posts about Rama II Park are here and here].

A look through the front doorway

Sitting to one side of the grounds is a small temple/ordination hall that over the years has become nearly completely engulfed by ficus trees, grown with great vigor to an impressive size.  It's not unusual to see ficus trees near Buddhist temples, as it was beneath a ficus religiosa tree that the Buddha is believed to have found enlightenment, or Bhodi, but this small building has been so firmly embraced by it that the tree may actually be holding the structure up.

As is often the case at historical or religious sites you'll see school groups on weekdays, out on a field trip; something many reading this remember but an educational tool being lost here in the U.S. to budget cut-backs, litigation and other foolish decisions (in my opinion, anyway). The groups we saw were thoroughly enjoying their day, and it was nice to see. You can see some of them in the photo above that I'm including to show some perspective for the building itself, which wasn't all that large. The rear of the building is the only side not nearly covered by the tree.

The last photo today is my favorite, I think. It shows what I'm remembering as the rear portion of the East side. Through the doorway you can see the stairs going up behind the large Buddha statue that towers over visitors coming in through the front.

More on the interior and grounds tomorrow.

Victory Monument Panoramas - Night And Day

Clicking on the images will enlarge them

Outside obligations today are filling the slice of time I usually carve out to write a post, so I'm falling back on a couple of panoramic shots of one of my favored morning walking areas - Victory Monument. Oddly enough I've never actually gone out to the island the monument stands on, but I've walked around it many times. Next trip I'll get a panorama or two of the spot I was standing to take today's pictures - all eight of them, joined into two.

The night shot is a couple of years newer than the day view below, and I'd prepared it before I was minimizing the watermark on photos.

If you've never seen this area, take the BTS there some morning and watch the the folks heading off to work and school. It's a little like being in an ant farm... sort of like MBK Mall on a weekend.

Speaking of weekends, enjoy yours. I'll see you here again on Monday.

Night Photos, Part 16: Chong Nonsi Area

Technically this is part 17 of the series, but since I didn't put the last one from Amphawa in it I figure I'll stick with the program, for once.

Regular visitors know I'm interested in available light photos; longer exposures that don't use a strobe for illumination.  The few I have ready for today were taken at different times in the area in and around the Chong Nonsi BTS station.  The top picture is one I was pleased with, taken at street level, below the station itself.

The last shot today is the skyline towards the river from the station, and in it you can see the illuminated gold-colored dome of the Le Bua Skybar at State Tower to the right.

Flowers, Part 10: Adenium Obesum - The Desert Rose

Those of you who have played "Concentration" in one form or another will understand the challenge of seeing a specific item and then later having to remember it and match it with a new one to get the point. I'm terrible at that game. I figure it's my lack of matching skills and not merely my memory fading as I stumble through the last years I can squeeze out of middle age without having to do that "I'm only 39" thing.  That might not be the case, but it's the story I'm sticking to.

That said, I don't have a recollection for a lot of the flowers I take pictures of in Thailand. Oh, sure - I usually ask someone what they're called, and sometimes even try to write it down phonetically on a sweaty piece of paper from my shirt pocket, but notes get lost, and things I'm told vanish into the ether even faster.  The flower up top is a form of Adenium Obesum (aka a Desert Rose) and I remember that because I'd noted "chuan chom" on a scrap of paper and looked it up later.

It's believed to have arrived in Thailand from Indonesia, and since then it has spread freely throughout the country. You'll see the small, trumpet blooms in gardens, courtyards, bright indoor areas and often as various forms of bonsai; some traditionally small, and some much larger, such as the example at the end of the post today, taken at a small temple in a public park in Udonthani. You're also likely to see them in many other places, and they are beautiful blooms, I think.

Anyway,  I suppose that today's early Christmas miracle was that I was able to remember the single temple shot with the flowering plant in it from seven years ago, find the image and post it below.  Whew. Must be nap time.

Farming Giant River Prawns In Thailand

Giant river prawns in a holding tank at a family farm in Amphawa

Macrobrachium rosenbergii may well be my favorite seafood dish when I'm in Thailand, but in reality it's not truly a sea creature at all - it's a freshwater shrimp.  Better known as giant river prawns to most visitors reading menus in Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and other Asian countries it prefers to begin life in brackish water, but grows to the fine size it does in fresh water; most recently in enormous commercial farms.

If you have an Asian supermarket in your area you may find them in the freezer case. What you'll find can't hold a candle to the ones just out of the water a few minutes before they're on your table, but still good, I've found.

When he was younger the man who runs the resort I stayed at in Amphawa was a fisherman, both along the Mae Klong river and into the Gulf of Thailand; but as age and physical limitations got the best of him he put his time and resources into building the Ban Kung Maenam home stay. Not able to completely let go of his roots he still keeps a hand in by hatching and raising the shrimp, and stocking the kitchen with fish and shellfish. Often it's his employees who are sent out in the boats, but he said he likes to get away from things and go out on the water himself as time allows.

The farming tanks for the shrimp are large, shallow affairs; maybe 10 to 12 feet (3 to 3.5M) square, and around a foot and a half deep. I stopped to watch them moving around in them a couple of times while I was exploring the areas off behind the kitchen and bungalows, but frankly I preferred to see them mixed into my breakfast stew.  This rice soup was flavored by the shrimp boiled to make the stock, and decorated with four to six delicious prawns. It was the standard fare for breakfast at the resort, and I couldn't have asked for anything better.

The Floating Market... From A River Boat

When I was taking pictures for the first story about the Amphawa Floating Market (posted here two weeks ago) I had no idea that a few days later I'd be in one of the boats I'd photographed, but that's how it turned out. My Thai friend spoke with a boater there who understood he'd make more money as my tour guide for an hour than he would selling stuff along the canal, so we clambered down the steps, into his boat and off we went.

Here below is a view from that first post showing a gathering of boats near a walk-over foot bridge I took about half-way down a set of cement steps...



...and here's a similar view of the same steps from canal level:

In that same July 18th post you also saw a view from that foot bridge of people sitting on the cement canal-side steps, and here are steps from a different angle:

The local boat folks themselves are used to seeing tourists in group tour boats, looking 20Kg heavier than they really are in orange flotation vests as they're herded up and down the canal, but they seemed somewhat surprised to see us in the boat of someone they know and usually park alongside on any other day.  They'd laugh and wave at our "captain" and point at us, chattering back and forth with him.  I think he kind of enjoyed the change in his routine, myself.

OK, so THIS woman wasn't smiling, but I liked the image

It was a treat for me to see the area from a different vantage point, and it was well worth what I probably overpaid the man for getting us around. While we were down there on the canal we continued further along  and stopped for a short while at the wat you see on the left in the photo below. I'll try for that report next time.