Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
24mm, f5.6, 1/60 sec @ 3200 ISO
Showing posts with label monks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monks. Show all posts
Friday, November 28, 2014
2014, Day 332 - Serene
It seems odd that I should be comforted by the presence of Buddhist monks and nuns but find most members of the clergy from western religions unsettling. I wonder why that is...
Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
24mm, f5.6, 1/60 sec @ 3200 ISO
Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
24mm, f5.6, 1/60 sec @ 3200 ISO
Friday, November 14, 2014
2014, Day 317 - Monklets
Today was the day of a million steps. That is a bit of an exaggeration but it certainly didn't feel like it at the time. Our day started before sunrise and we lingered just long enough to brush our teeth, put on sunblock, and have a quick cup of coffee before running out the door and hopping in to our waiting vehicle.
Nanda, our intrepid driver, whisked us a couple hours away to Sigiriya. The name literally means Lion Rock and 660 feet up at the top of the giant rock formation King Kasyapa built his palace. More than halfway up the final ascent is a stairway carved into the rock between two massive lion's paws. There was once a lion's head to accompany the paws but it collapsed centuries ago which is unfortunate because it would have completed the effect nicely.
Legend has it that Kasyapa was engaged in battle with his half brother who was the rightful king. During this battle Kasyapa moved his war elephant and his army misinterpreted the maneuver as a signal of retreat when he was merely trying to take the strategic advantage. Thus, abandoned by his army, King Kasyapa took his own life rather than accept defeat at the hands of his half brother. It is hard to feel bad for Kasyapa because, if the story is true, he seized the throne by murdering his father so it seems like a case of karmic justice.
Once we completed our descent we decided it was time to stop for lunch. Predictably it was another buffet. We seem to have little luck finding anything small and local near these sites. It was okay and, like yesterday, during the course of our lunch thunder boomed and it started to dump rain.
In the downpour we returned to the car to make for our next stop in Dambulla. Here we went to see the Golden Temple of Dambulla. Fortunately by the time we arrive the rain had let up and we were left with a light misting as we climbed yet more steps in the boiling humidity of a fresh rainfall. At the top there were about five chambers each with numerous statues of the Buddha and several stupas.
Frustratingly you have to climb down to climb yet more stairs to go to the massive golden Buddha statue that looks out over Dambulla. It was a bit like Buddhist Disneyland as there were lots of statues of monks made out of fiberglass lining the walkway. But it was impressive nonetheless.
Feeling spiritual, we left the temple and started on our way back to Kandy. We stopped briefly at a spice plantation and again at a Hindu temple called Sri Muthumariamman Thevastanam. When we arrived they had started lighting the lanterns at the various altars and the ceremony was accompanied by percussion and wind instruments. It was rather beautiful.
All templed out we set out again to return to our guesthouse where we had dinner waiting for us. It was an excellent meal of fish and rice cooked to perfection and followed by a big plate of papaya. Everything was delicious and I am now fighting off a food coma. More to come tomorrow!
Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
24mm, f4, 1/950 sec @ 200 ISO
Nanda, our intrepid driver, whisked us a couple hours away to Sigiriya. The name literally means Lion Rock and 660 feet up at the top of the giant rock formation King Kasyapa built his palace. More than halfway up the final ascent is a stairway carved into the rock between two massive lion's paws. There was once a lion's head to accompany the paws but it collapsed centuries ago which is unfortunate because it would have completed the effect nicely.
Legend has it that Kasyapa was engaged in battle with his half brother who was the rightful king. During this battle Kasyapa moved his war elephant and his army misinterpreted the maneuver as a signal of retreat when he was merely trying to take the strategic advantage. Thus, abandoned by his army, King Kasyapa took his own life rather than accept defeat at the hands of his half brother. It is hard to feel bad for Kasyapa because, if the story is true, he seized the throne by murdering his father so it seems like a case of karmic justice.
Once we completed our descent we decided it was time to stop for lunch. Predictably it was another buffet. We seem to have little luck finding anything small and local near these sites. It was okay and, like yesterday, during the course of our lunch thunder boomed and it started to dump rain.
In the downpour we returned to the car to make for our next stop in Dambulla. Here we went to see the Golden Temple of Dambulla. Fortunately by the time we arrive the rain had let up and we were left with a light misting as we climbed yet more steps in the boiling humidity of a fresh rainfall. At the top there were about five chambers each with numerous statues of the Buddha and several stupas.
Frustratingly you have to climb down to climb yet more stairs to go to the massive golden Buddha statue that looks out over Dambulla. It was a bit like Buddhist Disneyland as there were lots of statues of monks made out of fiberglass lining the walkway. But it was impressive nonetheless.
Feeling spiritual, we left the temple and started on our way back to Kandy. We stopped briefly at a spice plantation and again at a Hindu temple called Sri Muthumariamman Thevastanam. When we arrived they had started lighting the lanterns at the various altars and the ceremony was accompanied by percussion and wind instruments. It was rather beautiful.
All templed out we set out again to return to our guesthouse where we had dinner waiting for us. It was an excellent meal of fish and rice cooked to perfection and followed by a big plate of papaya. Everything was delicious and I am now fighting off a food coma. More to come tomorrow!
Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
24mm, f4, 1/950 sec @ 200 ISO
Sunday, November 9, 2014
2014, Day 312 - Enlightened
Today we availed ourselves the driver's services but before Josh was to pick us up we went into town for a quick breakfast. Many restaurants are closed on Sunday but there is a nice little vegetarian place adjacent to the market that was, with a little prodding from Francene, open for breakfast. We had a nice array of dishes and scampered back to the hotel before Josh arrived.
Our main objective was to head up to Doi Suthep, a beautiful mountain temple initially constructed in the 14th century. It was a busy day on the mountain but we had a nice time exploring the temple and were even blessed a couple of times by different monks. Even with the crowds of people there is a feeling of serenity at Doi Suthep.
Once we extricated ourselves from the crowds we headed down the mountain and at the bottom Josh took us to a restaurant which he declared made the best khao soi, a curry dish with egg noodles that is common in Chiang Mai. It was immediately apparent that none of the staff spoke English and were afraid to take our order until one was obviously instructed to do so. It took a little time with the English and Thai menus but we got our orders placed and were eating in no time. It was a nice meal and cost us less than three dollars each.
Next we tried a visit to JJ Market. Not a produce market but more a local antique mall, unfortunately most of the shops were closed because it was a Sunday but we find that there was an exhibition of orchids in one of the courtyards. From massive plants to tiny specimens there was a huge variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.
I think we've all been feeling a little ragged and the additional heat today didn't make things any better so we decided to head back to the hotel a bit early today. After a little cool down in our rooms and some quality time catching up on the news of the world we decided to cool off in the pool. The water was colder than I anticipated but very refreshing and we all stayed in until we were nice and wrinkled.
For dinner we headed out to the night market but, as with much of the city, many businesses were closed. We finally got desperate and decided to sit down at the nearest restaurant. Dinner was a bit of a disappointment but, as Melissa noted, we've had so many amazing meals we were due for a bad one sooner or later. So we ate our flavorless food and decided to have a little ice cream before heading back to our lodging. Tomorrow afternoon we leave for Sri Lanka so we will have a nice relaxed morning before heading to the airport.
Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 56/f1.2R
56mm, f1.2, 1/160 @ 200 ISO
Our main objective was to head up to Doi Suthep, a beautiful mountain temple initially constructed in the 14th century. It was a busy day on the mountain but we had a nice time exploring the temple and were even blessed a couple of times by different monks. Even with the crowds of people there is a feeling of serenity at Doi Suthep.
Once we extricated ourselves from the crowds we headed down the mountain and at the bottom Josh took us to a restaurant which he declared made the best khao soi, a curry dish with egg noodles that is common in Chiang Mai. It was immediately apparent that none of the staff spoke English and were afraid to take our order until one was obviously instructed to do so. It took a little time with the English and Thai menus but we got our orders placed and were eating in no time. It was a nice meal and cost us less than three dollars each.
Next we tried a visit to JJ Market. Not a produce market but more a local antique mall, unfortunately most of the shops were closed because it was a Sunday but we find that there was an exhibition of orchids in one of the courtyards. From massive plants to tiny specimens there was a huge variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.
I think we've all been feeling a little ragged and the additional heat today didn't make things any better so we decided to head back to the hotel a bit early today. After a little cool down in our rooms and some quality time catching up on the news of the world we decided to cool off in the pool. The water was colder than I anticipated but very refreshing and we all stayed in until we were nice and wrinkled.
For dinner we headed out to the night market but, as with much of the city, many businesses were closed. We finally got desperate and decided to sit down at the nearest restaurant. Dinner was a bit of a disappointment but, as Melissa noted, we've had so many amazing meals we were due for a bad one sooner or later. So we ate our flavorless food and decided to have a little ice cream before heading back to our lodging. Tomorrow afternoon we leave for Sri Lanka so we will have a nice relaxed morning before heading to the airport.
Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 56/f1.2R
56mm, f1.2, 1/160 @ 200 ISO
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
2013, Day 29 - Mob of saffron
During one of our early mornings at Angkor Wat saw saffron colored ghosts moving in the dim light of the early. The temples at Angkor Wat draw monks from all over the country and it is a prestigious place to receive your training. These boys came from northern Cambodia near the Thai border. It is early soon they would be going to pray but for the moment they were hanging out under a tree waiting for the older nuns to answer the call to prayer.
Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f2.8, 1/250 sec @ 500 ISO
Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f2.8, 1/250 sec @ 500 ISO
Monday, December 3, 2012
2012, Day 336 - The monk and the dancers
Angkor Wat is not just a place that foreign tourists visit, monks from all over Cambodia come too to absorb the majesty. This monk and his companions traveled down from near the Thai border to see the temples at Angkor. He was accompanied by a younger monk with greater seniority on his trip. It sounded like he came to the monastery late in life; it may be that he is a widower who has looked to a retirement of a religious nature.
I took a series of candid shots but he and his companion later posed for us. It was very kind of them to indulge us but they were so wooden and unnatural looking that I much prefer these. The carvings on the walls depict Apsara, celestial dancers who inhabit clouds and water. When clustered together the Apsara become divine guardians and here they serve to protect the mountain temple that is Angkor Wat.
Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 100 ISO
I took a series of candid shots but he and his companion later posed for us. It was very kind of them to indulge us but they were so wooden and unnatural looking that I much prefer these. The carvings on the walls depict Apsara, celestial dancers who inhabit clouds and water. When clustered together the Apsara become divine guardians and here they serve to protect the mountain temple that is Angkor Wat.
Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 100 ISO
Monday, April 9, 2012
2012, Day 100 - Release
This photo was taken on my last trip to Thailand. My friends and I had a late return into Chiang Mai and went almost immediately to dinner. As it common the temperature dropped a few degrees as night fell so we decided to go for a bit of a walk. The air was heavy with the sweet scent of the plumeria mingled with the occasional waft of incense. As we wandered the streets of Chiang Mai's old city we saw a sky lantern rise gently towards the stars before getting caught on a slight breeze and setting off into the distance.
Energized by the sight we quickly made out way to its point of origin and came upon Wat Jediluang. There we found s few people waiting for the hot air to collect into the lantern before releasing it to the heavens. These young monks were testing the air to see if enough had collected to carry their lantern away and moments after taking their picture it was drifting lazily into the sky. Some nights are just magical and this is one that I will never forget.
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24/f1.4L Mark II
24mm, f1.4, 1/125 sec @ 1000 ISO
Energized by the sight we quickly made out way to its point of origin and came upon Wat Jediluang. There we found s few people waiting for the hot air to collect into the lantern before releasing it to the heavens. These young monks were testing the air to see if enough had collected to carry their lantern away and moments after taking their picture it was drifting lazily into the sky. Some nights are just magical and this is one that I will never forget.
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24/f1.4L Mark II
24mm, f1.4, 1/125 sec @ 1000 ISO
Friday, December 24, 2010
2010, Day 355 - Phuket, Day One
Sadly, we left Chiang Mai today but we were able to see one last thing before we left, Wat Doi Suthep. Possibly the most important temple in Chiang Mai, it is said by residents of the city that you cannot claim to have visited unless you've seem this mountainside temple.
It was about a forty-five minute drive to the temple up winding mountain roads. At times it was very slow going because even with all the twists and turns the road was quite steep. Upon arrive our hostess walked us in to pay our admission and there she encouraged us to spend the 20 baht (about sixty-five cents) to take the tram up the rest of the mountain while assuring us that we were more than welcome to take the stairs back down after we had finished.
Wat Doi Suthep.
The pagoda at Wat Doi Suthep.
What I am really rather excited about is that each temple in Thailand is associated with an animal from the Thai astrological calendar and Doi Suthep is associated with my animal, the goat. So, with that background, after finishing our tour of the temple we were left waiting for our hostess who brought us and had promised to take us on to the airport afterwards. She had come to pray properly, not just gawk, so I volunteered to walk back through the temple to make sure she didn't sneak out when we weren't looking. In short order I espied her praying at one of the shrines so I kept walking, taking in the ambiance, and then noticed there was a monk by one of the Buddhas.
I didn't have any good pictures of monks so I thought I might take one of him so I doffed by shoes and entered the temple. Not wanting to be conspicuous I took a seat with about eight other people who were praying and took a couple pictures. The devout then turned from the Buddha towards them monk who proceeded to bless all of us. Out of respect I stopped taking pictures and only resumed when the gathering began to disperse and when I got the picture I made a donation to the temple and went to rejoin Brad and Manuel.
The monk who blessed me at the temple dedicated to my astrological sign.
The temple is filled with bells, there are little bells lacing the roofline.
And bells big enough for small children to live in.
Like all Buddhist temples in Thailand there were dogs...
And cats...
Even ants made an appearance...
Shortly after rejoining Brad and Manuel prayers were completed and we returned to the car to be spirited off to the airport. What seemed like moments later we were in the air, making our way south to Phuket.
We arrived about two hours later and quickly found transportation to our hotel. I say hotel but it really is a self-contained resort. There are simple rooms like ours and there are fancy rooms and then there are villas on the property. With multiple pools and beach frontage there is no lack of places to relax. The only downside is that we are a little far removed from all the activities of Phuket but the point right now is to relax so I think this will be ideal.
The building in which our room is located. All that sand is raked flat multiple times per day to keep the place looking pristine.
One of the smaller villas.
And one of the multiple bars, this is the one nearest the beach.
A view of the lobby from our room after the sun set.
Sunset on the beach.
Once we got settled we decided to have dinner at one of the small outdoor places just down the road. The food was unremarkable but there were special guests. We had a small underfed looking dog lurking nearby. While I didn't want to cause trouble by encouraging him to beg he was so pathetic I threw him some of my fish. We also had tons of geckos running around above us and then more when we returned to our rooms. I am going to try to make them all my minions...
Loads of delicious little geckos that have gathered near the light to eat the insects that are attracted.
Our sad little canine friend.
Tomorrow I have nothing planned while Brad and Manuel go off to try their hand at scuba diving. I enjoy diving, I'm even certified, but the weather doesn't look conducive to pleasant dive conditions so I have bowed out.
It was about a forty-five minute drive to the temple up winding mountain roads. At times it was very slow going because even with all the twists and turns the road was quite steep. Upon arrive our hostess walked us in to pay our admission and there she encouraged us to spend the 20 baht (about sixty-five cents) to take the tram up the rest of the mountain while assuring us that we were more than welcome to take the stairs back down after we had finished.
Wat Doi Suthep.
The pagoda at Wat Doi Suthep.
What I am really rather excited about is that each temple in Thailand is associated with an animal from the Thai astrological calendar and Doi Suthep is associated with my animal, the goat. So, with that background, after finishing our tour of the temple we were left waiting for our hostess who brought us and had promised to take us on to the airport afterwards. She had come to pray properly, not just gawk, so I volunteered to walk back through the temple to make sure she didn't sneak out when we weren't looking. In short order I espied her praying at one of the shrines so I kept walking, taking in the ambiance, and then noticed there was a monk by one of the Buddhas.
I didn't have any good pictures of monks so I thought I might take one of him so I doffed by shoes and entered the temple. Not wanting to be conspicuous I took a seat with about eight other people who were praying and took a couple pictures. The devout then turned from the Buddha towards them monk who proceeded to bless all of us. Out of respect I stopped taking pictures and only resumed when the gathering began to disperse and when I got the picture I made a donation to the temple and went to rejoin Brad and Manuel.
The monk who blessed me at the temple dedicated to my astrological sign.
The temple is filled with bells, there are little bells lacing the roofline.
And bells big enough for small children to live in.
Like all Buddhist temples in Thailand there were dogs...
And cats...
Even ants made an appearance...
Shortly after rejoining Brad and Manuel prayers were completed and we returned to the car to be spirited off to the airport. What seemed like moments later we were in the air, making our way south to Phuket.
We arrived about two hours later and quickly found transportation to our hotel. I say hotel but it really is a self-contained resort. There are simple rooms like ours and there are fancy rooms and then there are villas on the property. With multiple pools and beach frontage there is no lack of places to relax. The only downside is that we are a little far removed from all the activities of Phuket but the point right now is to relax so I think this will be ideal.
The building in which our room is located. All that sand is raked flat multiple times per day to keep the place looking pristine.
One of the smaller villas.
And one of the multiple bars, this is the one nearest the beach.
A view of the lobby from our room after the sun set.
Sunset on the beach.
Once we got settled we decided to have dinner at one of the small outdoor places just down the road. The food was unremarkable but there were special guests. We had a small underfed looking dog lurking nearby. While I didn't want to cause trouble by encouraging him to beg he was so pathetic I threw him some of my fish. We also had tons of geckos running around above us and then more when we returned to our rooms. I am going to try to make them all my minions...
Loads of delicious little geckos that have gathered near the light to eat the insects that are attracted.
Our sad little canine friend.
Tomorrow I have nothing planned while Brad and Manuel go off to try their hand at scuba diving. I enjoy diving, I'm even certified, but the weather doesn't look conducive to pleasant dive conditions so I have bowed out.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
2010, Day 354 - Chiang Mai, Day Six
Today is our last full day in Chiang Mai and we had another bike trip planned. The first trip was nice in theory but there were so many logistical issues that it was not terribly fun so we were suitably skeptical about today's activities.
We were, in usual form, picked up early and were pleased to discover that it was only going to be the three of us. This was already an improvement over the previous trip where we had to wait for a lot of other people who could not keep up. Then it was a short drive south of Chiang Mai where we stopped at a temple to get on our bikes and start the ride.
The chedi at our starting point, we were informed that it is a Burmese-style structure and you can tell because it is stacked squares or rectangles whereas Thai-style chedis have more than four sides or are round.
We fine tuned the adjustments to our bikes and set off with Mr. Win leading and Mr. Bon following. Mr. Bon, we were informed, has done as most Thai men and spent some time in the monestary. In fact, although being somewhat girl crazy now, he spent six years as a monk and was therefore well equipped to answer our questions at Thai Buddhism. It ended up being the most informative day we've had and I now know much more about Thai culture than I did twenty-four hours ago.
Young monks at the market.
These decorative poles surround a bodhi tree that are literal and figurative support for the Buddha.
We rode through the countryside past fields of basil and peppers and orchards of papayas, coconut trees, bananas and countless other fruits. Along the way we rode through a market and Mr. Win, a voracious eater, needed to stop for fried bananas, friend pumpkin, roasted hazelnuts, fresh jackfruit and assorted other snacks that he shared with us.
A lady selling boiled sweet potatoes.
Little fish, I wonder if these are the kind used for making fish sauce.
Garlic, tons and tons of garlic!
After leaving the market we made our way towards Lamphun, a once great Mon city that is now something of a sister-city to Chiang Mai. Our ultimate destination was Wat Phra That Haripunchai and then lunch before heading back into Chiang Mai.
The new chedi at Wat Phra That Haripunchai.
The old Chedi at Wat Phra That Haripunchai and apparently the only structure that survived a terrible flood.
Inside the temple at Wat Phra That Haripunchai.
When we got back to our hotel we decided that we would eat in their excellent restaurant and spend the evening packing so that maybe we could sleep in a little tomorrow morning. Dinner was nice, I had a spicy limey fish salad that I really enjoyed. Afterwards we asked about the possibility of seeing Wat Doi Suthep before heading to the airport. Our hosts graciously offered to take us saying that they would like to go as well to pray and then they would happily take us to the airport. They suggested we eat breakfast at seven thirty tomorrow morning so there goes our hope of sleeping in. Oh well, we can rest when we get to Phuket...
We were, in usual form, picked up early and were pleased to discover that it was only going to be the three of us. This was already an improvement over the previous trip where we had to wait for a lot of other people who could not keep up. Then it was a short drive south of Chiang Mai where we stopped at a temple to get on our bikes and start the ride.
The chedi at our starting point, we were informed that it is a Burmese-style structure and you can tell because it is stacked squares or rectangles whereas Thai-style chedis have more than four sides or are round.
We fine tuned the adjustments to our bikes and set off with Mr. Win leading and Mr. Bon following. Mr. Bon, we were informed, has done as most Thai men and spent some time in the monestary. In fact, although being somewhat girl crazy now, he spent six years as a monk and was therefore well equipped to answer our questions at Thai Buddhism. It ended up being the most informative day we've had and I now know much more about Thai culture than I did twenty-four hours ago.
Young monks at the market.
These decorative poles surround a bodhi tree that are literal and figurative support for the Buddha.
We rode through the countryside past fields of basil and peppers and orchards of papayas, coconut trees, bananas and countless other fruits. Along the way we rode through a market and Mr. Win, a voracious eater, needed to stop for fried bananas, friend pumpkin, roasted hazelnuts, fresh jackfruit and assorted other snacks that he shared with us.
A lady selling boiled sweet potatoes.
Little fish, I wonder if these are the kind used for making fish sauce.
Garlic, tons and tons of garlic!
After leaving the market we made our way towards Lamphun, a once great Mon city that is now something of a sister-city to Chiang Mai. Our ultimate destination was Wat Phra That Haripunchai and then lunch before heading back into Chiang Mai.
The new chedi at Wat Phra That Haripunchai.
The old Chedi at Wat Phra That Haripunchai and apparently the only structure that survived a terrible flood.
Inside the temple at Wat Phra That Haripunchai.
When we got back to our hotel we decided that we would eat in their excellent restaurant and spend the evening packing so that maybe we could sleep in a little tomorrow morning. Dinner was nice, I had a spicy limey fish salad that I really enjoyed. Afterwards we asked about the possibility of seeing Wat Doi Suthep before heading to the airport. Our hosts graciously offered to take us saying that they would like to go as well to pray and then they would happily take us to the airport. They suggested we eat breakfast at seven thirty tomorrow morning so there goes our hope of sleeping in. Oh well, we can rest when we get to Phuket...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)