Tuesday, November 29, 2005


Phra Pradaeng Morning Market, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Phra Pradaeng Morning Market, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Phra Pradaeng Morning Market, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Phra Pradaeng Morning Market, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Chatuchak Weekend Market, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Chatuchak Weekend Market, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Chatuchak Weekend Market, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Sports Day, Bangkrachow, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Sports Day, Bangkrachow, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Sports Day, Bangkrachow, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Sports Day and STOU

11/27
The sports day was fun. Sunday morning, at 7:00 Soccer (Football) started with a women's game, there were then three very competitive, and fun to watch football games. There were many people from the surrounding community. Both men and boys played in the games. Ton, Jit's nephew played as a goalie on one of the teams. It was good to watch him play and also just to have fun. He works hard around the house taking care of his grandparents. The football games ended around 11:00 with a lunch. At 3:30 Volleyball started, I thought it was going to start earlier, but then I realized that people were scheduling around the hot time of the day, duh!

People in the community love volleyball. The game is slightly different in that people can also kick the ball over the net, like in soccer. The games including cheering, teasing, and much laughter. In Thailand people know how to play many games, because it is included in the school curriculum. I took some photographs with the digital camera, but I am not too happy with them. I also did some photography with my Nikon FM3 and the 105mm lens, I will look forward to seeing the result.

11/28
We went to STOU. I am working on my presentation. There is an outline for the presentation at http://www.cysewski.com/stou/interinfo/ It is fun to get back into the lesson creation business. I will be preparing a presentation and set of hands on experiences. Having the faster Internet access at STOU makes it easier. Tuk is a great person to work with, I enjoy taking with her when we go to STOU. She is very competent in her skills, and also very interesting. Nun, works with us also, she is helping me with Thai. She will spend next year in China teaching Thai at a Chinese University. The neighborhood around STOU is very different, sometimes it has a European feel, with bakeries and coffee shops. The area is near Impact Center. The experience in the area around STOU is very different then being in Phra Pradaeng.

11/29
Today Jit's mom goes to the hospital for a cataract operation. She will probably be in the hospital two or three days. We are getting ready to go now. Last night Jit spent some time talking with Ooy. Ooy is the motorcycle taxi driver for the community. People respect her. Ooy is around 40, she has three kids, two of them grown. She is from the Klong Toey area and is married to Lek's son. Ooy is supporting her folks who live in the park. Her dad does recycling. Ooy has had a tough life, but her values are very good, she works very hard to make a living and to support her family. There are many courageous people in Thailand fulfilling their family responsibilities.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Under the Mega-Bridge, the Phra Pradaeng Morning Market at 5:00 AM

If you are from Seattle you know the Pikes Place Market, imagine a real market, starting at early in the morning, before 4:00, that is packed with meat, vegetables, fish of all kinds, and is a true wholesale market for all the restaurants and food sellers in the community. The Phra Pradaeng market is just a normal town market, but it is amazing.

We got up at 4:00 to meet Naw to go to the market, she was buying food to prepare for the sport day today and Jit was getting food for her mom. Jit will prepare a special meal for the monks tomorrow morning. It is the anniversary of Jit's grandmothers death. We rode in the back of a pickup, we had to wake up the park caretaker to open the gate. Our driver was a little hung over so the ride kept me alert.

The market was very busy, it was still dark so the lighting was by florescent tubes and bare light bulbs, the floor was very wet, maybe hosed down. I will try to describe some impressions of the market.

There were vegetables of all kinds, large and small. Many stalls had fresh vegetables.

There were pans of fish, still moving. We bought a large burbot looking fish. The seller clubbed it in the head when we bought it. We then left, while he butchered and cleaned the fish. There were many stalls of fresh fish.

There was a motorcycle taxi, shopping in the market. He had his jacket on, he would go from place to place and load up his motorcycle for delivery.

There were stalls of dried peppers of many kinds.

There were many stalls selling chicken eggs. One chicken egg stall was on the ground in the dark. An old lady was trying to sell in the dark.

There were stalls of flowers for sale, some were for worship, and others were just beautiful.

There was shrimp and squid for sale.

There was butchered pork, pork heads, pork entrails, tripe, and even a skinned pork head.

There was a child sleeping on a counter top.

There were people wheeling large baskets on hand carts and filling the baskets with their purchases, one basket even had a boy in it.

Motorcycles and carts were going through the market, delivering and hauling purchases

The were people riding bicycles, some of the bikes, manufactured in Thailand are very practical with many baskets and seats for two. The bikes also are decorated with a sort of plastic web that is on the fender. Not too swift, but very practical.

There was a lady carrying a pretty large white poodle in her arms, a think carrying small dogs is a fad, but this dog was medium size.

There were bags of sauces and nuts for sale.

There were fish for sale in round coconut leave containers.

There was plastic bags of coconut milk for sale.

There was soy milk and fry bread for sale.

Many smiles, people saw my camera and thought it was fun, it is a real community. The market is the basis of many other businesses, the wholesale place for many retail shops. It is just an average Thai market in an average Thai town and that is what makes it so amazing. It is 5:15 and it is packed with people, working people, doing their jobs.

I can see ships going down the Chao Phraya river past Phra Pradaeng, I can hear the rumble of their engines.

There are Buddhist monks getting food and women in hair scarves.

There are desserts in bags, and little golden fruits.

There is even a fashion store, for clothes, but that was not a major part of the market.

There were Taxis, Tuk Tuks, Pedi-cabs, Blue Truck-Buses, and Green Mini-Buses. It is about 5:45 in the morning.

There are some dogs sleeping and wandering around looking for food, the downtown shops are shuttered, but the street sellers are open and ready to sell. The 7-11's and Family Marts are open.

The shop selling worship stuff for the temple is open and Jit bought some things for her mom.

There was a beggar looking for donations.

There was no espresso shop! I would have loved a good cup of coffee.

I took photographs, but the conditions were marginal. I do not know how they will look.

There was a girl with a stuffed animal key chain, I see these a lot.

There was a women in a yellow jacket and a straw hat sweeping in front of the market and a very old man in a white shirt shopping. It is still before 6:00 in the morning.

We loaded all the purchases and rode back home in the back of the pickup.

What is amazing is that the market is just an ordinary everyday market, yet it is fascinating and very exciting to see. I hear the Klong Toey Market across the river is much larger, but the market experience the basis of so much that is Thailand.

I had fun.

Saturday, November 26, 2005


Phuket, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Phuket, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Phuket, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Phuket, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Jatujak or Chatuchak market and Lizards eyes.

11/25
Today I worked on my STOU presentation. I will be creating a presentation on gathering and using information using the Internet next month. I will be creating a web site, hand outs, and step by step examples. It should be fun, and the material that I create I will also be able to use in the courses I teach at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

I have been walking in the park with my binoculars. I watch for birds and the Monitor Lizards. The Lizards are very alert and I am learning their habits. If I surprise a lizard they freeze, they do not even flick their tongue. When I look at their eyes with my binoculars they are very alert and beautiful. If I move closer, or move away, they will quickly move into the water. If the lizard sees me first they will slip into the water, I will hear the movement in the water or see a ripple. Some of the lizards sun bath on an island. I love to watch them get out of the water and crawl onto the island. Even if they are on the island they will watch me, and sometimes freeze, or return to the water. One of the lizards had its back to me, as I walked I could see it turn its head to watch me. I walked from one side to the other and the lizards followed my movement. Their eyesight must be excellent. When I am using the binoculars I can see the pattern of their skin, their eyes, and also watch their tongue investigating the air. The lizards seem smart, and very alert. Lizards eyes are really beautiful.

The park is supposed to be getting paddle boats, I wonder how the lizards and the paddle boats will get along. There is also supposed to be a food stand opening in the park, two of the community members will run it. I hope that the increased activity does not disrupt the lizards life, or the number of birds that I see, but I know that it will.

11/26
Today we went to Jatujak or Chatuchak market, their were two signs, right next to each other, with the different spellings. The Chatuchak Market is an excellent place to shop. It is not a tourist place, there are things to by of high quality and excellent design. There are also pets, many puppies, but no real Thai dogs that I saw, and fish in plastic bags. We did our Christmas shopping and then shipped our gifts to my daughter Margaret, in Fairbanks Alaska, to organize and mail to others. The shipping people, TNT shipping, are really excellent. We used them last year and the communication was excellent. We had some professionaly packed dried fruit and a glass candle with an image of a Buddha that we wanted to send. It was recommended that we do not because of customs. The idea, which I appreciated, is that we did not want to give customs the opportunity to use judgement. There was the potential for complications if the package was inspected.

When we went to the Market in 2004 it was May and June. The Market was overwhelmingly hot. We mostly looked for clothes with my daughter. Today the weather was nice, a little cloudy and cool, meaning around 80. We got there about 9:30. We mostly looked at handcrafted items for presents. The selection was excellent, and Jit was excellent at bargaining. There was a Chinese Buddhist ceremony. There were monks chanting and also a dragon. The dragon went around the market, the dragon was followed by drums. I took many pictures. I used the small Ricoh GR1v with the 28mm lens since we were primarily shopping. I will not see the pictures for a week or so. We got home around 2:00.

I want to go to the market again with photography as my goal. When the weather is cooler the market is an excellent place to wander and explore. As we were leaving it was getting pretty crowded, for me the best time to go would be the first thing in the morning.

When we got home we took Jit's mom over to watch the community volley ball game. Both teenagers and adults were playing. People play until it is too dark to see. The games are very relaxed. We then went to a birthday party for one of our friends kids. It was a good evening.

Tomorrow their is supposed to be some kind of sports day in the park, people want me to take photographs, so I will. I think the games begin at 8:00 in the morning and many people from different muu's will attend.

Friday, November 25, 2005

Street Photography in China

Street Photography in China
An excellent article describing street photography technique. I use an Olympus 7070, a Ricoh GR1v, or a Konica Hexar AF. Sometime I use a Bessa R2a with a 28mm, 40mm, or 75mm lens. Probably the best for street photography is the Hexar AF.

Phuket, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Phuket, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Patong Beach, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Patong Beach, Thailand Posted by Picasa

Thursday, November 24, 2005

A sad dog, complicated caring, cool weather, and Snow

I saw a sad looking dog today in the community. I had seen it from the distance a few times. Both the dogs front paws are deformed. They bend to the front. The dog limps along very slowly. The dog has white fur and it's skin is in very bad shape. The dog has open bare sores over much of it's body. I mentioned the dog to Jit, she is noticing animals more now. She asked the owner if we could take the dog to the vet. The women said that her daughter found the dog when it was a puppy, beside the road, and raised it. She had taken the dog to get some medicine for its skin a few days ago. The dog has a good temperament, but how did the dog's skin get in such a bad condition if the owners cared for it?

It has been cool lately, around 70 degrees at night, 80 to 85 degrees during the day, it is nice. In the morning people huddle with their arms clutched around their bodies to keep warm while they are waiting for the boat. We do not have hot water, the volume of water is not enough to use the electrical heater for a shower. Taking a shower takes some courage, it is cold! Usually the cold water is a relief, but not the last few days.

With the cool weather it would be a good time go to the Weekend Market or wander in Chinatown.

I spent the day working on outlining my faculty presentation for STOU, it is going well. I also have been using My Web 2.0 from Yahoo, it is sort of a de.licio.us for humans. I am going to use it for tracking my bookmarks. The idea of tags is a powerful concept.

I am reading a novel, Snow, by Orhan Pamuk. The novel is set in Turkey and is about religion, faith, creativity, and politics. It is one of the best novels I have read in many years.

I have many photographs to edit, maybe tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Some thoughts on Patong, sadness at a Wat, and John Denver

As you might guess from some of the photographs I posted, I found Patong Beach irritating and depressing. When we got back home it felt like returning to Thailand. I do not like to see people using each other, in economic desperation, or destroying themselves. I saw a lot of destructive behavior at Patong Beach. I also saw kindness, hard work, and kindness. The beaches on Phuket, as distinct from the party culture, are relaxing and a wonderful break from winter.


Sunday we also went to the grocery store that was below ground level. There is a plaque on the front that memorizes the Tsunami. Many people died in the store, they could not get out.

There was an excellent bookstore in Patong, with an in depth and intelligent selection of books. I bought a novel, Snow, and also Newsweek and Business Week. Newsweek had an excellent article on Asian poverty.

Sunday night we listened to the African band for awhile. People kept requesting rock and roll and pop. The band kept trying to get across that they were an African band, but I do not think that some of the people got it. It was sort of like requesting John Denver songs from Bob Marley. The band did play a few exciting songs, among the junky requests. If I had my way I would want the band to play the music they loved, then I could learn something. One sort of ironic request, for Patong, was "Oh Baby it is a Wild World, It is Hard to Get By on a Smile". Another song, that did sort of fit was Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds." I did like the band when they were playing African and Reggae music. The band is from Cameroon.

Monday morning Pong, Jit and I visited a Wat. Pong and Jit went to worship. Wat Lampetch (sp) is at the North end of Patong beach. Entering the Wat you can see that it was re-built. There was fresh concrete on the walls and no paintings or decoration. The crematory, though, looked like it was original. There were about 10 worshipers, women, most of them looked sad and like they were carrying a burden. I imagine going to the Wat on a weekday morning is usually because of the need to worship. There was a Monk, braiding a string, as he was receiving offerings of practical essentials. There were cats and chickens, it was a good break from the Patong experience. Pong said that many people were cremated here. There is another Wat nearby, up the hill a little, that also must have been the center of body identification.

Monday, before we took off, we went to Woody's to say goodbye, this time there was low key Reggae music playing. Others were using the Internet so we could not check out email. I still hope to meet Woody, but I will probably not return to Patong or Phuket this trip to Thailand.

Today, Tuesday I worked on my STOU project and sorted through some of my trip photographs. Tomorrow I will probably go to STOU because I need faster bandwidth to explore faculty web pages. It was actually cool today, it was nice. On Yahoo it said that the low temperature was 69 degrees.

Einstein and friends, Patong Beach, Phuket Thailand Posted by Picasa

Patong Beach, Phuket Thailand Posted by Picasa

Patong Beach, Phuket Thailand Posted by Picasa

Patong Beach, Phuket Thailand Posted by Picasa

Patong Beach, Phuket Thailand Posted by Picasa

Patong Beach, Phuket Thailand Posted by Picasa

Patong Beach, Phuket Thailand Posted by Picasa