TravelAddicts-SoutheastAsia > photographie-irie  > Travel > southeast asia 2007
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photographie-irie > Baby Elephant at Hat Klong Muang Beach 2, Thailand      On this day in this part of the Land of Smiles (LOS=Thailand), kids, adults, mahouts and elephants all smile on cue. The elephant was amazingly interactive and gentle, letting us feed the him bananas and peanuts from our hands and mouths. Apparently it wasn't quite enough, though, as he prepares to eat this little guy's head.
photographie-irie > Baby Elephant and Mahout Swimming at Hat Klong Muang Beach, Thailand      Once in the water the mahouts would roll the elephant on its side and rub him down a bit. A person would get on his back for a little bronco ride, eventually getting rolled off into the water. The tire was good for tugs of war, with the elephant practiced at pulling people around wherever he chose. The whole set of beach and water games lasted a couple hours, after which the elephant used his trunk to shower himself with sand to dry off. The smiling women on the right is half the mahout team.
photographie-irie > Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Seua) 1, Thailand Atop the 1237 step climb at Tiger Cave Temple is a giant Buddha shrine with a series of smaller Buddhas like this. Just south of Krabi, beautiful sunsets highlight multiple shades of karst silhouettes receding into the horizon. Colorful monks share the area at the base of the climb with a troop of Macaques who also call this home. Wat Tham Seua is a peaceful retreat and good workout, with multiple waterfall and hot spring destinations a bit further down the road in this short ride out of Krabi. Great motorbike rides all.
photographie-irie > Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Seua) 2, Thailand Macaque from the base of Tiger Cave Temple, where a large troop lives among the monks and tourists passing through. The monkeys excel at drinking from soda bottles and eating out of tourist and monk hands. They get lots of practice. Given the numbers of people passing through and the monkeys daily interchange with on site monks, this less than healthy life style is not apt to change. As with all monkeys I commonly saw in the temples, the animals were as much fun as whatever else you came to see.
photographie-irie > Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Seua) 3, Thailand This old Macaque posed between meditations or application of eye shadow. I heard cautions about aggressive monkeys, but never saw anything worth concern. It just seemed sensible to limit physical contact to keep shit from happening. There are lots of them, they are very quick, and ultimately still wild.
photographie-irie > Sunset, Ko Lanta, Thailand      Although for years Lanta was a bit away from the beaten path, it's now in the midst of development that threatens to add it to the classic tourist mix. Facilities do thin into a more natural setting as one heads south on the island, with Old Lanta town on the southeastern end still having a quaint historic charm. Here about midway on the western side of the island, these smaller boats await a flood tide float, while bigger ships stay in the deep of the fading horizon. As this scene demonstrates, in spite of the Lanta's growing popularity as tourist resort, it is fairly easy for the time being to get away from the hubbub at the island's northern end.
photographie-irie > War Museum Weapon Demo, Siem Reap, Cambodia      Upon arriving in Siem Reap, I hired most excellent Tuk-tuk driver Vannda Srun to take me around the area. The first place we went was The War Museum, a collection of old weapons, tanks, and ammo from Khmer Rouge war days. A fitting first exposure to this land of genocide and unthinable atrocity, the experience well introduced the surreal reality of trying to understand Cambodia. Visitors commonly remark in wonder at the friendly, smiling grace of locals, finding that hard to reconcile with the country's poverty and war torn history. But these unique people, generations away from the horrible crimes, seem outwardly to effectively distance themselves from the emotional trauma, perhaps in self preservation. Or perhaps their county's gruesome past has simply assimilated into their perspective of normal, all they have ever known. I can't claim to comprehend their unthinkable past and it's effects on their current lives, but it does compel a surrealistic aspect to being in Cambodia. As Vannda showed me around the weapons that devastated their land, killed and maimed their relatives and friends, he bounced around as if it was his playground, climbing into tanks and presenting smiling poses for me and my camera. They are as frequently commented, a most friendly and gracious people.
photographie-irie > War Museum, Siem Reap, Cambodia A visit to Cambodia forces intimate exposure to the ravages of war. Land mines not yet removed still present real danger when wandering off beaten paths. This is one place to stay on travelled trails, as in Laos where abundant unexploded ordinance still dots the more rustic terrain. The Cambodian population appears quite youthful and simple, as the Khmer Rouge genocide eliminated most skilled, educated and non-peasant persons. Amputees abound, many begging, but most just getting on with their lives. For all their hardship, the people are incredibly welcoming and carry amazing grace. Here the war museum is a simple place with multiple weapons you can hold, as well as those tanks to climb aboard. Quite surreal, how such reminders of death and destruction can be so casual to locals while so troubling to visitors from afar.
photographie-irie > Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia      Angkor Wat is a spectacular assemblage of ancient architecture commemorating the Khmer Empire dating back to the early 12th century. Elegant and mysterious in it's jungle setting, this wonder of the world has been discovered by modern tourism and is ripe with Japanese, Korean and Chinese tour buses that unload hordes of visiting picture takers. As spectacular as Angkor is, a distraction can be the somewhat Disneyland atmosphere, Cambodia style, that has overtaken the area for it's cash potential. This distant temple lies in the midst of jungle greenery as do most structures overgrown with trees, vines and some tourists. The major developed part of the complex is less invaded with greenery than tourist hordes. Often hazy skies and the throngs of visiting humanity can diminish a bit from its still enticing appeal, but this paradox didn't keep me staying for more than a week. I tended to head for outlying and distant areas to get away from the crowds and see more of the Cambodia less overrun with tourism, wherever prior mine removal allowed. In the background behind this temple lies the ever-growing town Siem Reap where most visitors stay.
Baby Elephant at Hat Klong Muang Beach 2, Thailand     

On this day in this part of the Land of Smiles (LOS=Thailand), kids, adults, mahouts and elephants all smile on cue. The elephant was amazingly interactive and gentle, letting us feed the him bananas and peanuts from our hands and mouths. Apparently it wasn't quite enough, though, as he prepares to eat this little guy's head.
> Baby Elephant at Hat Klong Muang Beach 2, Thailand      On this day in this part of the Land of Smiles (LOS=Thailand), kids, adults, mahouts and elephants all smile on cue. The elephant was amazingly interactive and gentle, letting us feed the him bananas and peanuts from our hands and mouths. Apparently it wasn't quite enough, though, as he prepares to eat this little guy's head.
Baby Elephant at Hat Klong Muang Beach 2, Thailand     

On this day in this part of the Land of Smiles (LOS=Thailand), kids, adults, mahouts and elephants all smile on cue. The elephant was amazingly interactive and gentle, letting us feed the him bananas and peanuts from our hands and mouths. Apparently it wasn't quite enough, though, as he prepares to eat this little guy's head.
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Keywords: beach boy smile elephant kid thailand mahout hat klong muang
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