thangkas

Everywhere I went, there were thangka painting schools

& shops that sold them. The quality varied a lot.

Having seen some masterpieces, long ago,

I wasn't really tempted.

Though I like to think of mandalas, guardian deities, bodhisattvas
& buddhas flying all over the world to their new homes.

Also that people are making a living painting them.

I just looked for a link in case you are not familiar with

thangka painting, &, wow, found Kalsang Dawa, who studied

with a master I knew in Dalhousie.

Somehow I didn't think to search before. He & his cousin

gave me a thangka for my 30th birthday, I treasure it.

the other side

This time I organised to have a guide one day, who would

take me to the other side of the river, where there are

several wats noted for their wall paintings. Without Thai,

it would have been difficult. With Niwat, it was fun, I learnt

a lot, & luckily all were open, though quite dark.

We went by ferries, tuk tuk & foot, I'll surely go again.

The paintings were great, despite the depredations of the

climate. I was still learning my new camera ~ many shots only

good enough as reminders; using a tripod might have helped.

The Nikon has a panorama option, it's only for fun.

The zoom is very noisy past a certain point.

(But I did get some good ones in those 8000+ !)

bangkok

As I was flying Thai this time, had to stop in Bangkok,

which I really love: even when I go to the same place

there is always something new to see, or to see anew.

Often stay at a budget guesthouse near Pra Athit, am

familiar with how to get places, plus that's the part of the city

I like best. There's a market at weekends which always seems to

have some displays that evoke whole histories.

The drastic floods last year have left their mark near the river,

but it all works anyway. Cheerfully.

walking

How do you move around in a town new to you,

with a camera? The best is to have a local friend, but I

find that I get better results on my own, because I'm not

having to consider another person (I take a lot of photos!)

Some friends think walking means only walking..

museum

The museum in Bhaktapur has some interesting

miniatures & paintings, most behind glass. Not very

well kept, though I liked being there. & there's

a few surprising pieces.

details

When its a small place that gets lots of tourists,

you have to be really fast, thick-skinned, speak the

language, or have someone with you who does, or else

be strong enough to carry a giant camera, to get the

good people shots. I like many other subjects too.

& the aim is to give you a glimpse of what I saw.

early mornings

Am an early riser anyway, but every morning I raced to

the roof to see if the mountains were visible.

Then, as no restaurants open so early, I'd walk around

taking photos. Not so many tourists stay in Bhaktapur.

look & feel

I keep no notes about where & when, all I can say is there are

many great doors, sculptures, carvings ~ & if you go there

you will see them too, or you might even remember the

names & dates of temples & kings. I like just to wander

without a plan, & see (& feel) whatever I can.

How about you?

bhaktapur

As usual in a new place, some days are colourful,

others monochrome. I think I still felt well here, but I

picked up a lung infection somewhere, early on.

There is much I like about Nepal, though I found the

level of pollution quite horrifying.

nepal etc

About 5 weeks in Nepal & India left me quite sick, but am

better now, so will probably post a small selection

of my photos, over the coming weeks

I started in Bhaktapur, one of the old capitals, & a quieter

option to Katmandu. In fact it looks quite medieval.

Noticed right away that people are very tired of being

photographed, I tried to respect that, though it was

painful, so many good faces.

I stayed at the Vajra guesthouse, & liked it, & there are

countless architectural details, shrines, ruins, temples

& of course souvenir shops, tourists etc.

Oh, & I was a few days in Bangkok first, that will come later.