Thailand
Officially the Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as Siam. The Thai use of the phrase "the land of freedom" expresses pride in the fact that Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia never colonized by a European power.
Today is the busiest tourists destination in all of South East Asia, a popular destination for backpackers from around the world, and this is not always a good thing ...
- The Giant Buddha -
Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest wats in Bangkok and is home to one of the largest single Buddha images,
the Reclining Buddha (Phra Buddhasaiyas).
As soon as you enter the temple you find it right in front of you, you catch a glimpse of its golden color between the huge columns supporting the ceiling, you realize the extraordinary size, 15 meters high and 43 long.
The huge head supported by the arm is 10 meters to the ground, the peaceful expression of his face immediately catches the attention.
Bangkok - Thailand May 2015
- The Little Guy -
Just outside the caves of Mae Sai live many monkeys and this is why the caves are also known as the Monkey Caves. The younger monkeys play with each other, those adults who are not bothering tourists, relax in the shade of the trees, and this little fellow is clinging to a tree watching the scene, probably pondering what to do.
Mae Sai - Chiang Rai Province - Thailand
May 2015
- Buddha Head -
In the temple complex of Wat Mahathat in the heart of Ayutthaya Historical Park there is a very special and very famous fig tree, The special feature is a Buddha head that is embedded Within the roots of a tree. There is still no exact history of how the Buddha head Became entwined in the roots of the tree. Among many theories, one theory suggests That the tree grew around the head of the Buddha When the temple was left abandoned.
Ayutthaya - Thailand May 2015
- Human Portrait -
I love taking pictures of people, every time is a new thing, according to the person who will become the subject of the photo, change the way you approach it, it changes the way of being, the way of speaking. A great photographer knows how to put at ease in front of the camera a stranger in a few seconds.
There is a quote by Alfred Eisenstaedt, one of the most productive photographers of the twentieth century that has always struck me, and I repeat that in my head every time I approach
a new person for a portrait.
"It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter." A.E.
Kayan Village - Chiang Rai - Thailand May 2015
- Kayan Girl -
Women of the Kayan Lahwi tribe are well known for wearing neck rings, brass coils that are placed around the neck, appearing to lengthen it.
Girls first start to wear rings when they are around five years old.Over the years the coil is replaced by a longer one and more turns are added. The weight of the brass pushes the collar bone down and compresses the rib cage. The neck itself is not lengthened; the appearance of a stretched neck is created by the deformation of the clavicle. Many ideas regarding why the coils are worn have been suggested, often formed by visiting anthropologists, who have hypothesized that the rings protected women from becoming slaves by making them less attractive to other tribes. It has also been theorised that the coils originate from the desire to look more attractive by exaggerating sexual dimorphism, as women have more slender necks than men. It has also been suggested that the coils give the women resemblance to a dragon, an important figure in Kayan folklore. The coils might be meant to protect from tiger bites, perhaps literally, but probably symbolically.
Kayan women, when asked, acknowledge these ideas, and often say that their purpose for wearing the rings is cultural identity.
Kayan Village - Chiang Rai - Thailand May 2015
- Unconventional Temple -
Wat Rong Khun, perhaps better known to foreigners as the White Temple, is a contemporary, unconventional, privately owned, art exhibit in the style of a Buddhist temple in Chiang Rai Province.
By the end of the 20th century, the original Wat Rong Khun was in a bad state of repair. Funds were not available for renovation. Chalermchai Kositpipat, a local artist decided to completely rebuild the temple and fund the project with his own money.
Chiang Rai - Thailand
May 2015
- Phra Buddhasaiyart -
The most striking feature at Wat Lokayasutharam in Ayutthaya is the giant reclining Buddha known as Phra Buddhasaiyart. At 37 meters long and 8 meters high, this reclining Buddha figure towers over the devotees who come here to make offerings.The head is resting on a lotus. The area at ground level beneath the head is covered in tiny squares of gold-leaf which have been paced there by people making merit. Flowers and incense are also presented as offerings.
Ayutthaya - Thailand May 2015
- The Baan Dam -
Baan Dam that in Thai literally means Black House is the unique creation of national artist, Thawan Duchanee. Part art studio, part museum, part home, Baan Dam is an eclectic mix of traditional northern Thai buildings interspersed with some outlandish modern designs.
Chiang Rai - Thailand
May 2015
- The Crying Buddha -
The large Wihan, the highest building within the Wat Phanan Choeng complex, houses an immense gilded 19 meter high seated Buddha from 1334. This highly revered Buddha statue is called Luang Pho Tho. The statue is regarded as a guardian for mariners. Allegedly, prior to the destruction of Ayutthaya by the Burmese in 1767,
"tears flowed from the sacred eyes to the sacred navel".
Ayutthaya - Thailand May 2015
- Girl's Eyes -
“There is a road from the eye to heart that does
not go through the intellect.”
Kayan Village - Chiang Rai - Thailand
May 2015
- The Buddha above the Clouds -
This giant golden Buddha statue is located on the banks of the Mekong River. The area is known as the Golden Triangle. The English name comes from the meeting of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand here, but to the locals it's Sop Ruak, since this is where the Mekong River meets the Ruak.
Golden Triangle - Chiang Rai Region - Thailand May 2015
- The Buddha of
the Puddle -
The day was very hot, the temple of Wat Chedi Luang in the center of the old city of Chiang Mai was crowded with tourists and the faithful, in a few minutes a downpour hit the city, everyone ran away, not even after 15 minutes the rain stopped and the puddles that had formed around the temple gave me the inspiration for some pictures of reflections.
Chiang Mai - Thailand
May 2015
- The Free Soul -
"Life without freedom is like a body without the spirit."
K.G.
Koh Tao - Thailand May 2015
- A Girl -
A Beautiful Kayan girl spies me from her show, in a village in the north part of Thailand.
Kayan Village - Chiang Rai - Thailand May 2015
- The Passenger -
Walking on the side of a traffic jam in the streets of Chiang Mai, I noticed this little girl bored to stay in the car, I smiled and I waved to her, after a few meters I realized that he was following me with his eyes ...
Chiand Mai - Thailand May 2015
- After the Storm -
After a strong storm over the old town of Chiang Mai, I found this Buddha statue decorated with hundreds of water drops.
Chiand Mai - Thailand May 2015
- The Night Painter -
In the vast night market of Chiang Mai I was fascinated by the talent of this artist, the movements of his hand reminded more a person intent on playing an instrument instead of painting.
Chiang Mai - Thailand
May 2015
- The Cycle of Rebirth -
The main building at the White Temple, is reached by crossing a bridge over a small lake. In front of the bridge are hundreds of outreaching hands that symbolize unrestrained desire. The bridge proclaims that the way to happiness is by foregoing temptation, greed, and desire.
Chiang Rai - Thailand
May 2015
- The Mekong River -
This is an extraordinary aerial shot of
four typical Thai long-boat on the Mekong river...... no wait a minute, my mistake, these are just four opened peanut pods on top a big basket of peanuts. :-)
Chiang Rai - Thailand May 2015
- Elephant's Eye -
"You know...they say an elephant never forgets. What they don't tell you is, you never going to forget an elephant." B.M.
Chiang Mai - Thailand
May 2015
- The Man and the Elephant -
The Elephant Nature Park is a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants in Mae Taeng District. Founded in 1996, the project's aim is to provide sanctuary for distressed elephants from all over Thailand. The santuary is in a natural valley, bordered by a river, and surrounded by forested mountains the sanctuary and surrounding area also offers a glimpse of rural life.
Chiang Mai - Thailand May 2015
- Motherly Love -
Yet another bus of tourists arrived in the parking lot of the Monkey Cave. Parking is populated by monkeys, who welcome the noisy human river that comes from the various buses and taxis. In the chaos a mother watches over the newborn.
Chiang Mai - Thailand May 2015
- Golden Guardians -
Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest wats in Bangkok, with an area of 80,000 square meters, and is home to more than one thousand Buddha images.
Bangkok - Thailand June 2015
- The Big-Ear Tribe -
There are two closely related groups in the north part of Thailand, the Long-Neck Karen, and the Big-Ear Karen, where women put large earrings
in their ears to make the lobes bigger. The Karen in Burma have suffered opression at the hands of successive regimes of that country for decades. Forced re-settlement and labor, incarceration, denial of political representation and citizenship status rights among other human rights violations, have led thousands of Karen to move into Thailand. While many argue that they have a better life there, their status is yet unsure.
Many of them are in Thailand as refugees.
Chiang Rai - Thailand May 2015
- Silhouette -
I've always been fascinated in photographing subjects in silhouette. The absolute lack of detail in the black areas enhances the edges. Sharpness and details, have no value here because the eyes give importance to the forms, the shapes, the geometry of the picture, The most important part of the picture becomes the thin line that demarcates the subject from the background.
There's something intriguing and challanging in trying to express and enhance an emotion without the use of the face, eyes and human expressions.
Kho Tao - Thailand May 2015
- Ayutthaya -
I'am in the Ayutthaya Historical Park, and today is a really hot, the temperature exceeds 35 degrees Celsius, the stones and bricks of temples and pagodas are so hot that you could cook scrambled eggs with no problem.
Ayutthaya - Thailand May 2015
- The Buddha View -
Wat Chaiwatthanaram is a Buddhist temple in the city of Ayutthaya Historical Park, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, outside Ayutthaya island. Wat Chaiwatthanaram was a royal temple where the king and his successors performed religious ceremonies. Princes and princess were cremated here.
Ayutthaya - Thailand
May 2015
- Little Brother -
In the elephant sanctuary in northern Thailand, it often happens that young orphans find adoptive brothers and sisters who take care of them. These are two young female who had not yet had cubs, they use their innate maternal instinct on the 1 years old male, that recently arrived in the reserve.
Chiang Mai - Thailand
May 2015
