BUDDHIST TEMPLE COMPLEX

Our second full day in Chiang Mai was as hectic as the first. I awoke early, showered and took to the streets to explore the neighborhood while it was still dark. It was incredible how vibrant the city is even before the new day dawns. I had read warnings on the internet detailing how vicious Thai dogs can be. Like most of what I read on internet sites before leaving the States, these accounts turned out to be overblown. The dogs I encountered in the street, and they were numerous, were of a rather mellow sort. As I explored the streets and alleyways near the hotel, the dogs, at one point four of them, would follow along for a while, then tiring of my company, take off in some other direction. The ever present motor bikes favored by so many Thais, especially the young people, whizzed by. Many of the homes and still unopened businesses buzzed with activity. It's amazing how many tiny restaurants, laundries, bars, guest houses and massage parlors line the side streets. I ran into one Thai lady who was quite talkative. She asked where I was from. When I answered that I was from Arizona, She informed me that she and her husband had visited Sedona and Tombstone, and that the had purchased a tee shirt silk screened with the words 'TOMBSTONE - THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE'. She also related a comical story about her husband. Upon their arrival in Tombstone, she was about to approach a group of Hispanic youths to inquire about the location of the Bird Cage Theater when her husband stopped her. "I don't think they speak English.", he said. After a while, I made my way back to the hotel. A little after 7 am, I left the hotel again, intending to walk to the Blue Diamond Cafe for breakfast. However, when I got there, I found myself intrigued by a little open air restaurant just across the street from the Blue Diamond. Upon my entering, I was approached by a man carrying a one page typed paper menu. He immediately informed me somewhat apologetically that he did not serve European breakfasts. I replied that that was fine and he promptly seated me at a little side table. I ordered fried collards and deep fried pork and a bottle of Thai Coke. A young boy who looked to be about 7 or 8 brought my coke over almost immediately About three minutes later, an elderly Thai woman brought my meal, a heaping portion of collard greens and slices of fried pork served over a large mound of rice. This veritable feast came at a cost of 45 baht (less than $1.50 U.S.). The itinerary for this second full day of photographing in Chiang Mai was to meet up with two friends of group leader Chuck Fiel's, then proceed to a Buddhist temple complex located a short distance south of the old city's southern gate. Intrepid leader Chuck's assignment for the day was that we shoot no more than 25 photographs. I was not very happy. Here was my chance to document this colorful temple complex and Chuck was placing what seemed like unreasonable restrictions on my ability to document the subject. Even assuming that I would cheat by surreptitiously erasing photographs here and there, the whole idea that we should be so severely limited in the number of shots we could take of the colorful Buddhist temples seemed ridiculous. When we arrived at the complex, I was even more perturbed by the restrictions placed upon us by Chuck. Upon our arrival at the site, we checked out the trained artisans whose task it was to hammer out intricately designed bas relief panels from aluminum slabs. As we photographed the artists at their work, they explained that the tools and techniques used dated back centuries. At one time, large slabs of pure silver were used in the process of producing these wonderful facades. In modern times, with the cost of silver prohibitive, the switch to aluminum was made. During the next few hours, we photographed both the exteriors and interiors of the various temples as well as the colorful Buddhist monks. And, wonder of wonders, I wound up with only 21 photos. And, in reviewing the photos later, I couldn't have been happier. The process of shooting less images had forced me to slow down and fully assess each prospective photo before pressing the shutter. The result was a series of well thought out images that served to document quite well our visit to the temple site. The day was topped off nicely by a wonderful dinner at the Blue Diamond Cafe.

Larry Elkins Elkinsphotos Fine Art Photography