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Rebels, Smugglers, Gangsters and... Backpackers?: Photos 21 to 38
Asia » Thailand » North-West Thailand » Tak
December 16th 2006 by Out of Scope
Which of these things does not belong?
Mae Sot is a strange place. It seems like an ordinary, run-of-the-mill, forgotten town, with a couple of dozen streets woven together haphazardly just a few km east of the Burma border. There are a couple of Buddhist temples, a main street lined with mundane shops, and a busy market heaped with vegetables, fruit, fly-buzzed meat, and fishy fish. One item for sale that I hadn't seen before were buckets heaped with a fetid grey paste - after some research, I learned that it's fermented fish paste, a staple of the diet of the Karen people (pronounced kuh-REN). Natives of Northeast Burma, tens of thousands of Karen are in refugee camps this area of Thailand, having fled political persecution and a gruesome, bloody rebellion against the SPDC (formerly SLORC), the government of Myanmar.
This is the first sign that Mae Sot is not just an anonymous sleepy town. Likewise, I thought the building I walked past on the way to my hotel seemed strange... when I glimpsed it out of the corner of my eye, I thought it was a high school. A closer look rendered a sobering revision - those people
Full Text Entry: Rebels, Smugglers, Gangsters and... Backpackers?
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February 12th 2007 - eddie: Expo Temple
Hi Daniel,
Interesting blog. Just wanted to let you know that the temple at
the Royl Flora Expo is actually a recreation of the old northern style
royal palace rather than an actual temple. It would have been the place where the King met diplomats and advisors. That's the reason why you didn't see a Buddha statue there. It was built to showcase local artists and craftspeoples skills.
February 13th 2007 - Mom: Stick insect and LOVED the orchids
Is the stick insect the form--appears a little bit gray-green--that's bisecting the phot horizontally? And you're right--I loved the orchids.
Mom
Thank you for the clarification. That makes much more sense than than calling it a temple.
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Monk at waterfall
The saffron robes add an air of distinction to any photograph. Look for more such pictures coming up.
Elephant eating
She's munching on a banana tree here. Not the bananas from - I mean the trunk of a banana tree. This girl loved this stuff. You could see her eyes light up when the keeper gave it to her.
Pai Waterfall
Lots of photos with me in them... I guess that's because I actually had people with me.
Jurassic Green Beans
These bean pods were LITERALLY the size of your arm. Each bean the size of your thumb. Look at the table they're on. I don't know what you do with these, but they were AMAZING!
Massive Buddha
In the hills above Tha Ton. It's even bigger than it looks, since Mike's standing well in front of it.
3 Comments - Add Public Comment or Send Private Message
February 12th 2007 - eddie: Expo Temple
Hi Daniel,
Interesting blog. Just wanted to let you know that the temple at
the Royl Flora Expo is actually a recreation of the old northern style
royal palace rather than an actual temple. It would have been the place where the King met diplomats and advisors. That's the reason why you didn't see a Buddha statue there. It was built to showcase local artists and craftspeoples skills.
February 13th 2007 - Mom: Stick insect and LOVED the orchids
Is the stick insect the form--appears a little bit gray-green--that's bisecting the phot horizontally? And you're right--I loved the orchids.
Mom
Thank you for the clarification. That makes much more sense than than calling it a temple.
All Comments
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