tigers

Visited some tigers, magnificent creatures, 

& sat with some cubs, surprised by how hot & damp

they felt, just like me.

& the Queen's Botanical gardens were wonderful

particularly the giant Bamboo, each as big as

a large palm tree. 

William Blake's Tyger

eating

While in Chiang Mai, I ate breakfast at the Blue Diamond whenever possible ~

it was open early, I could watch the wild life

in their garden

plus it looked & tasted so good.

seeing with your tongue

drinking

The delicious rosella tea was served at a nicely restored

old shop house on Thapae Road

Another old shop house, not in very good shape

but still a beauty.

So many things I don't know: Quaoar

b&w

  

As you may know, there are strong colours, 

& masses of gold decoration, in Thailand, & its

wonderful.. 

also, after some time, its a relief to see something

like this.

nothing to see here

flowers, apsaras

A dear friend, Bryce Courtenay, passed away 

on November 22

Sending love for whatever comes next

in this mystery play.

seeing

I got a few shots like this while away, I enjoy the
ambiguity of background/foreground

& more like this, hoardings at building sites etc,

I like this kind of un-meditated abstract. A lot.

Much as I still love some westerns, I like this idea of

deconstructed westerns

When we were kids, we'd watch old spooled westerns,

(screened outdoors on a sheet at night) as if they were comedies,

most were so far from the Australian bush experience.

shapes

Left is a nest, I don't know what bird, in Chiang Mai, 

right is a piece of the outer fabric of a palm tree

that I found near my place in Byron Bay,

I think it beautiful too.

Some formal gardens in Thailand have topiary animals,

I'd like to pick up some of the wire skeletons they're trained on,

but how to transport back to Australia?
 I think I'd leave them bare.

lots of busy clippers

related

Enlarged, you might see the similarities

between the Chiang Mai wat, left, & a page from

the Book of Kells: as much as anything it's the

intricacy of details across the surface

& perhaps the reverence behind their making.

I photographed the page from the facsimile edition of 

the book that I have. 

stacked

Bikes stacked in a pickup, rattan in a store,

& a family on their motorbike, 

who obligingly stopped for the camera
(I hope it's ok to add it here)

clams are happy

wired

The wiring in Thailand & other parts of asia

looks like a death defying puzzle for

an unfortunate electrician

surprisingly easy to not see them, after a while

I liked the scribble of vines, here

Every now & then there's a more poetic twist.

Last night at a wonderful concert in Byron Bay
Ani Choying Drolma

closer

These kind of primitive flowers are such a simple design,

but I'd never noticed the leaves before, until I saw on

the big screen (click to enlarge) like mountain ranges

& I could see there was a small bird, but not how

 it's legs were, nor what seems to be a falling flower:

the camera sees better than I do.

Hard to find any good photos of this artist's work,

they give no sense of the power of them.

They made my hair stand on end, truly great.

contrasts

This wat had a multitude of the plaster statues..

& also the most original wall paintings I saw in Chiang Mai, 

as well as other good pieces -

while many other wats seem to have used the same

reference for their narrative wall paintings,

this artist's work made the stories come alive 

as if he had been there, in a way. I really liked them.

somewhere else, also interesting

mirrors

My favourite mirrors are in small squares, slightly offset, 

& then the weather gets behind, I've taken

1000's

On this particular temple wall it's ever-changing

because the camera is also at an angle, a road behind. 

Probably I'll do something different with them,

to make large digital prints.

Noc the Beluga whale 

- sounds like a baby who will soon speak?

reflecting

Theres a moat around the old city, always good for

some reflections

I like the other kind, too, in shop windows, like this

chandelier

There was one showroom full of outrageously

flamboyant costumes, I took a lot there, too.

photomicrography selection at the guardian

kitch

There's a lot of kitch, some I enjoy, some is so

saccharine, & most of the

plaster animals make my eyes roll, especially when

placed near something very fine. I liked the holographic 

photos of monks, but not the sunset horses in surf etc.

wish I could have caught this show

nagas

These may be nagas, or dragons, in any case a kind

of guardian, & also a place for the artisan to 

let go with a mixture of scare & delight.

If you know more, let me know?

Sometimes I like all the data, but theres a lot 

competing for space already.

wildlife photography

tropical

It's definitely tropical in Chiang Mai in September/October,

though not all year.

At this stage of my trip I was noticing how some places

spoke of the heat..

& had allowed for it.. though I'd want mosquito screens

Bodhi trees seem to be left to grow wherever they 

germinate, while some vines, as they grow, evoke

lost landmarks.

lostlandmarks