We are currently having renovations done in our ‘new’ home. Every time I watch the builders calculate the square meterage of a floor or wall, I’m reminded how many of us, back in those dim-distant school days, complained about studying maths, and claimed that we “would never need it in real life.” If you talk to a mathematician, however, mathematics is life. At least since the time of the early Greeks, and probably earlier, people have been using numbers to describe the patterns found in nature, and have used the resulting formulae to argue for beauty – and even to ‘predict’ divine intentions.
No surprise, then, that when you google “Golden Triangle”, one of the entries that pops up relates to Euclidean geometry and the golden ratio that forms the hypotenuse of the golden (or sublime) triangle: that magical isosceles triangle that is in “Divine Proportion” and is the basis for perfect pentagrams and logarithmic spirals…
More maths, right?
The Golden Triangle I was looking for is that 950,000 square kilometres of mountains that, until the early 21st century, was responsible for most of the world’s heroin production. The somewhat contradictory “divine” heart of this region is a golden Buddha, sitting at the at confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers and at the intersection of three countries: Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
The first time I visited this giant Buddha, I remarked on how the imposing image sits serenely, looking over the Thai lands below, apparently oblivious to the gambling casinos across the waters behind it. (Gambling, of course, is one of the least of the issues challenging the wild, border regions of the Triangle.)
On our recent visit, it was the seeming-contradictions within the shrine area itself that struck us. For while there is ample opportunity to pray and/or pay respects, there is also noise and glitz; an almost carnival atmosphere entreating you to spend money.
Toilets, trinkets, icons and a golden Buddha. (2011)
Overlooking the Thai countryside, the Golden Buddha at the centre of the Golden Triangle.
Tiny lizard under the protection of the giant Buddha.
In the shadow of the golden Buddha: a blue Buddha image and the royal emblem of the Thai king.
Buy some good luck for your business: Mae Nang Kwak for sale.
Toss your coins at the belly of Phra Sangkajai! Although he looks like Budai, the laughing Buddha, the sign says this is Phra Sangkajai, a respected teacher of the dhamma.
Three more divinities.
A commanding presence over the mighty Mekong River, the Golden Buddha sits in front of the mountains of Myanmar.
View from our room: Morning mists on the Mekong: Thailand on the left. laos on the right and Myanmar straight ahead.
I actually think this Buddha is more impressive from a distance, where it commands attention from the surrounding hills and all along this section of river.
It was our point of reference as we explored the temples and markets of today’s Golden Triangle.
More about that some other time. In the meantime, happy travels!
sounds fabulous…I too think the Buddha looks more impressive from a distance where the trimmings aren’t as obvious and the commercialism out of sight. Such a fabulous array of pictures and memories,ReplyCancel
[…] (Two Artists: Contrasting Visions), to Golden Buddhas with their backs to casinos and drug trade (Golden Ratios and the Sublime); I’ve said before that Thai temples are not all the same (e.g.: Temples and […]ReplyCancel
Flowers for Valentine's : The Two of Us (Frangipani)
Valentine’s Day got more than the usual bad press this year – or maybe I have too many cynical people in my circle at the moment, so it was more noticeable.
It’s not that I am a particular fan of Valentine’s Day myself. My childhood memories of pressing out punched cards from a sheet of light cardboard to give to my school friends – and worrying about whether I’d receive any in return – are not fond ones. In elementary school, valentine cards were a marker of popularity: a sign of friendship given to classmates regardless of gender. Traditionally, they were meant to be anonymous, but we always made sure the people we valued knew that we had given them one – and we always knew who the ‘alpha female’ in the class was: the girl who received the most.
I do, however, think that the ‘anti-Valentine’ people, those who claim it is a trumped-up occasion, invented by the modern greeting-card companies in cahoots with rose growers, florists, and the manufacturers of chocolates and teddy-bears, have got it wrong. While the tradition of giving cards has nothing to do with any of the many martyred St Valentines of early Christendom, it does go back at least to 1400. The oldest surviving valentine is a 15th century poem written by Charles, Duke of Orléans, to his wife, while he was being held prisoner in the Tower of London. Nothing what-so-ever to do with modern commercial enterprise!
I do understand their argument that trinkets and gifts one day a year are meaningless. But, symbolism is important, and special days give us an opportunity to make the time to acknowledge a loved one. We don’t have to “buy into” conventional commercialism: small gifts or cards chosen or hand-made with care are always more special. And, if every day is Valentine’s Day, all the better!
This year, I spent Valentine’s Day alone. My husband was in Singapore on business – and not for the first time. (No wonder the country has one of the lowest birthrates in the world: running trade shows, oblivious to Valentine’s Day, is not good for population growth!)
Two years ago, however, we managed to escape from Bangkok to Prachuap Khiri Khan, where the staff at our resort made a wonderful fuss over us. Thai’s love a romantic cliché, and we were treated to sparkling wine and a dinner of pink foods overlooking the ocean.
I will take chocolate any time and in any shape, but I’ve never been a great fan of roses. Although they are beautiful and smell gorgeous, I’ve always considered them ‘fussy’. Someone recently called them ‘snobs’ for thinking they so are special, while in fact, as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince points out to the roses of earth: “You are beautiful, but you are empty.”
But, Thai gardens are abundant with other flowers – and I delight in trying to capture some of them with my camera.
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Quiet Moments (Lotus)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Surrounded by Love
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Independent and Proud (Lotus)
Flower's for Valentine's ~ Unusual is Good
(Apparently, the flower above is a แย้มิป่นัง (yemibonang???) in Thai… If anyone knows what it is in English, I’d appreciate hearing from them!)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Opposites Attract (Lotus)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Red as a Rose (Hibiscus)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ I'm on Fire!
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Purple Rain (Bougainvillaea)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Golden Dreams
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Valentine Pink
Flowers for Valentine's ~ All by Myself (Frangipani)
Flowers for Valentine's ~ Butter and Cream
Flowers for Valentine's ~ All Together Now!
Pudica White Frangipani
The flowers all around us were a reminder to stop, take a moment…
… and smell the not-roses.
I hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day – with or without chocolate and flowers.
I do thank you for sharing your such beautiful photographs. I think you are very kind-hearted and love to share good things to friends and the world. I miss you when I don’t see you at KMUTT on Saturdays.ReplyCancel
Pongpet – lovely to see you on my Blog. I’m glad KMUTT still has you teaching – they need to hang on to the good ones! 🙂
Signe – you and Lance are in that lucky minority: those who get it “right” the first time! 😉ReplyCancel
Great Photo’s as always Ursula, whilst Lance & I don’t fuss over Valentines day, beyond a verbal greeting, I am blessed to be reminded everyday of our special relationship… so I’m ok without the gifts LOL. I have never been a roses fan, I to appreciate the fragrance, colour etc however as a kid having to dead head them, trim thorns and help maintain my mothers rose garden I nowadays prefer carnations and sweetpeas. The frangipani are beautiful and so simple…yet not prolific in Sydney gardens although with the climate change that could.
Thanks as always and I know you and Gabe don’t need a calendar event to celebrate your special relationship…hope he’s home soon.ReplyCancel
gabe -February 17, 2012 - 2:25 am
Ursula, I really enjoyed this one. Your photo’s are sharp and the sentiment is wonderful.
Dankeschön, merci villmahl, muchas gracias, many thanks!ReplyCancel
Tony Dobson -February 19, 2012 - 4:08 pm
Beautiful floral photos, Ursula. Sandy and I visit the card section of a local store, pick out and show our partner our own favourite card, share a high five, and replace the card. Costs nothing and doesn’t add unnecessary poundage!ReplyCancel
Hi Tony! Thanks for the visit. That sounds like an economical option… though I do love going through old cards. (I don’t throw anything out; one of the reasons we’ve had so much trouble moving – and why we could never live on a boat!)
Happy sailing. 🙂ReplyCancel
The chofah ("light tassel") is a common element in most temples throughout Thailand and the neighbouring region.
Last October, we were heading off on a much-anticipated short trip to Thailand’s North. Ask any Thai about the northern cities of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, and they will tell you that they are: “very beautiful! There are many temples.” A non-Thai friend of ours in Bangkok asked what we would see at our first stop: Chiang Rai. “Temples!” I replied with a wink, knowing the groan that my comment would be met with.
A lot of non-Thais, even those who have lived in the country a long time, think that temples are all the same. They are not.
Of course, temples, which essentially comprise a collection of buildings for religious ceremonies, study and worship, have common elements. But, as with anything else, the more you look, the more you notice.
We had plenty of opportunity to notice the small – and larger – differences between temples as we walked around Chiang Rai, visiting five complexes on foot, and another by car (Wat Rong Khun, which I’ve talked about before), essentially in the space of a day. This little provincial city has the odd church and mosque as well, but it is the Buddhist temples on every corner that stand out.
Our first stop was at the 750-year-old Wat Ming Muang. During the reign of King Mengrai The Great when the temple was constructed, there was a significant Burmese (Shan/Tai Yai) population in this area – hence the Burmese influence in the architecture and sculptures.
Every temple has a chedi (stupa or pagoda) which houses relics from the Buddha. This one, at Wat Ming Muang, features classic white elephants.
Burmese-style Buddha image ~ Wat Ming Muang
Like any temple, especially an old one, Wat Ming Muang (The Auspicious Temple of the City) is continually expanding and undergoing renovation. I find it fascinating to watch how the back-bones of the elements are constructed, before they become the ornately finished products we are used to seeing.
This finely-detailed elephant head with its jewelled naga-like crown is one of a pair, adorning the new stairway.
The new cement columns at Wat Ming Muang feature a different style of elephant.
Our second stop was at Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), which was named for the the green gemstone (jade rather than emerald) buddha image which was found there when lightning struck the chedi and cracked it open in 1434. ThatEmerald Buddha is now in the Grand Palace in Bangkok where, amid great ceremony, the King changes it’s golden coat three times a year to mark the formal change of seasons.
The replacement buddha ~ Wat Phra Kaew
The replacement Chiang Rai Buddha is not an exact copy, but a ‘replica’ commissioned in 1991 to honor the Princess Mother’s 90th birthday. It was carved in Beijing from Canadian jadeite donated by a rich Chinese businessman.
Jade Buddha Head ~ Wat Phra Kaew
Altar in the grounds of Wat Phra Kaew, dedicated to Phra Sangkajai (Maha Katyayana), one of the "Ten Disciples of the Buddha".
Classic gold Buddha under natural and artificial light, flanked by "Tung Kradang"; banners carved with religious stories and commissioned as offerings to the Lord Buddha. ~ Wat Phra Kaew
Burmese Buddha ~ Wat Phra Kaew Museum
Light from the carved teak window balusters in the Wat Phra Kaew Museum fall on a Bodhisattva.
Tiers of old carved Buddha images ~ Wat Phra Kaew Museum
Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles ~ Wat Phra Kaew Museum
Budai, the "Laughing Buddha", rides a Chinese dragon ~ Wat Phra Kaew Museum.
In the reading corner, two "nehn", or novice monks, take time out.
From Wat Phra Kaew, it was a short walk to our lodgings, via two more local temples: Wat Phra Singh and Wat Klang Wiang.
Buddha ~ Wat Phra Singh
Visiting monk. His red-ink tattoos are common among Burmese (Shan / Tai) men. The designs are stamped before being tattooed, and last about five years, protecting the wearer against evil spirits, bringing strength, and resisting and curing diseases.
It's always good to know you are in a "No Killing Area"! Wat Klang Wiang
Afternoon clean-up duty ~ Wat Klang Wiang
The next morning, after our trip by car to The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun), we visited Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong. The ancient sacred stone representing the city pillar; the “navel” or centre of the city; was moved here in 1992. Unlike most Thai cities, which house their city pillars, their Lak Mueang, in a shrine, Chiang Rai displays its pillar in an open area. I leave it to you – but I don’t think they look like navels!
Sadu Mueang, the Navel or Omphalos of the City, Doi Chom Thong, Chiang Rai
Yup. "Navals." Indeed.
Small figures of elephants and horses are common elements in Thai shrines. Wat Phrathat Doi Jom Thong
More Buddhas - different Buddhas. Wat Phrathat Doi Jom Thong
Whatever the religious image, Thais are always ready to "pay their respects" and to pray. Wat Phrathat Doi Jom Thong
Yes, there is a temple on every corner in Chiang Rai, and they are all lovely.
To my mind, at least, they are also all very different!
Ursula, ich liebe diese Serie. Schön die Tempel, Buddhas en elefanten en natürlich geben auch die anderen Fotos eine besondere Stimmung wieder. Grüsse DietmutReplyCancel
Asian markets are such a wonderful miscellany of contrasting colours, smells, sights and sounds – and nowhere is this more true than in Cambodia’s second largest city of Battambang. Dark corners hide from both the distorting light emitted by flickering fluorescent tubes overhead and the burning glare of sunlight streaming in through openings in the walls. Khmer stall-keepers sit on trestle tables, the epitome of a calm and quiet self-containment that is at complete variance with the loud, cheerfully coloured shirts they wear and the buzz of movement around them. I was there in June, when outdoor temperatures average highs of 33C (91F). Somehow, vegetables and poultry products managed to look crisp and fresh in spite of being displayed in an open alley-way in wilting heat, and the fruit looked wholesome and cool, regardless of being hand-cut and on offer in the most unlikely of places.
In a dark space between the pants for sale, a fruit seller dishes up a portion...
... while another fruit vendor plies her trade in the fabric "aisle".
The "produce section" is outdoors in the searing sun.
Fresh produce: banana flowers, ginger and lotus stems
The poultry section...
Markets are a photographic challenge for me because of the wild variances in light and the abundance of potential photographic subjects. My big decisions are always about coping with the jumbled cacophony of images and deciding what to leave out. Karl Grobl, who with Gavin Gough, Marco Ryan and Matt Brandon was leading our photo-tour, reminded me about using slow shutter speeds to get a feeling of movement, and I spend part of my morning leaning on a pole for stability, before wandering off to explore the space and finding my “subject”: a quiet garland maker in the middle of a busy cross-roads.
Colour, Bustle and Chaos: Battambang Market (ISO 1600, 70 mm, f /5.0, 1/30 sec)
Meat on the hoof in the Battambang market.
Always the ready smile
Smiles for the stranger.
Jasmine garlands amidst the food and haste (ISO 1600, 20 mm, f /11, 1/15 sec)
The garland-maker
Quietly watchful as she works.
Busy hands at work
Labour-intensive garlands
Rich-smelling jasmine garlands are everywhere in Asia. Whether hung as protective talismans in vehicles or laid at public or private altars, they are made, sold and given as offerings to the local deities. (For more about their use, check out a delightful article from Vivienne Khoo: “Cancer and the Queen.”) Selling for pennies, they are labour-intensive to make, even by skilled hands; I love watching as workers use needles or bamboo skewers to thread jasmine, symbol of promise and purity, and assorted other flowers, in this case the wonderfully fragrant Magnolia champaca, onto threads made from banana leaf or cotton to make wreaths of all shapes and sizes.
This little corner was a welcome respite of scented calm right in the middle of the busy meat market, and I was very appreciative of the garland seller’s willingness to have me hang around and watch over her shoulder while she worked.
A relative of the ylang ylang, richly fragrant champak sits on banana leaves, Battambang Market.
A timely reminder: no matter how busy a place is, it is always possible to stop and smell the roses – or jasmine and magnolia, as the case may be.
very well written and photographed. you really capture the feeling and provide great descriptions. I just can’t understand how folks can wear long sleeves etc in the wilting heat.
Thanks, Elliot – much appreciated!
Yes, the sleeves in the heat always amazes me too. And, they stay cool as cucumbers while I drip with sweat! 🙂ReplyCancel
[…] for Lunch, Cambodia), others specialise in flowers (e.g. Pyin Oo Lwin Flower Markets, Myanmar; Fragrant Flowers … Battambang Market, Cambodia). You can buy talismans (e.g. Golden Treasures of the Old City ~ Bangkok) or money: shaped into […]ReplyCancel
Looking across Aislings Beach and Lake Curalo to the Great Dividing Range, NSW
Nothing can beat a scenic flight over interesting terrain on a clear, sunny day.
We knew we were in for a treat when the skies over our patch of the Australian coast turned pink on the eve of a coastal flight we had booked in a small aircraft. For it is generally true that a red sky at night, with the setting sun sending its rays into a stable high pressure system from the west, indicates good weather is on the way.
And it was indeed a perfect day for flying.
We met our Piper Cherokee Six – and its owner, veteran pilot, Andy – at the small coastal airport of Merimbula. Once we’d had our safety briefing and strapped on our life jackets, we were up and away; off on one of Merimbula Air Services‘ “Gabo Island Adventures”.
Our Piper Cherokee awaits.
It's all under control.
Our regular lunch spot on Eden Wharf looks so different from the air!
The Tasman Sea crashes onto the red bluffs of the aptly named Disaster Bay, NSW. The City of Sydney (1853-1862) was the first of many ships to be lost in the strong seas common in this area.
The sand dunes and forests of Nadgee Nature Reserve straddle the border between New South Wales and VIctoria, and mark the end of the Bass Strait and the start of the Tasman Sea.
Gabo Island, with its lighthouse and grass landing-strip, comes into range.
The Gabo Lighthouse keeps watch over the ships and the weather on the Tasman Sea.
The first lighthouse was started on the current site in 1847, but the project quickly ran out of money and was abandoned until after the loss 30 lives in 1853, when the steamship Monumental City was wrecked on nearby Tullaberga Island. The current tower is Australia’s second tallest: 47 metres high and 55 meters above sea level. The lighthouse and surrounding fences and are built from beautiful red porphyritic granite quarried on the island itself. Buttresses were added to the fences following a freak wave in 1895 which washed over the island, damaging property.
Grass tussocks huddle in the lee of the buttressed red granite wall.
The island used to house three families: two light-keepers and a weather technician, but of course modern times demand less people-power. Today, there is always a live-in “caretaker”, and one of the other homes is available to recreational visitors or scientists who come to conduct studies. At the moment, two young scientists are in residence: one studying the feral rats who have come on to the island from ships, and the other studying the 30,000 strong colony of Little Penguins who come ashore to burrow every night.
Lighthouse-keeper's house: now the caretakers' accommodation and museum.
Scientist in Residence
Two-hundred and forty steps, all constructed in Manchester, England, lead up to the light.
Caretaker's accommodation from the top of the lighthouse.
Little Gabo Island hosts numerous pied cormorants.
Three visiting children, looking very small from the top of the lighthouse, race across the granite.
Exhibits in the old smithy.
Our pilot Andy sits at ease in the weather station as he talks about the island history.
Looks good, but don't touch! Yellow fungus on old asbestos roofing.
The island has its share of sad stories. As I said earlier, the lighthouse wasn’t completed until 30 lives were lost to a ship wreck in 1853. The governments of the neighbouring states later erected a monument in memorial. Up an overgrown, road there is a small cemetery with three headstone: for two infants who died in 1861, possibly from a contagious illness, and for a young woman who died later the same year in childbirth. As recently as 1929, a lighthouse-keeper’s wife died as a consequence of a fall when medical attention couldn’t be accessed promptly due to rough seas.
Memorial to those lost at sea in 1853 when the "Monumental City" went down.
Blackberries ~ almost in season.
Rail ties on the disused road to the old quarry.
Evidence of life: A bicycle and some sort of scientific paraphernalia sit at the side of the path.
Cows keep the island grass under control.
The old quarry and the impossibly-blue Santa Barbara Bay.
A pile of Gabo granite at the abandoned quarry. In the past, the granite was used in a number of Australian public buildings.
Rubbed smooth by wave action, the pink granite sits in the sapphire waters of the bay.
Santa Barbara Bay is a popular destination for Victorians coming from the mainland to picnic, swim and snorkel.
Time to return home ~ our Cherokee awaits.
Turquoise waters mark the 500 meter wide channel between Gabo Island and the mainland.
Pambula Lake is the last major sight before landing back at Merimbula Airport.
Mid-afternoon, we touched down gently back at Merimbula Airport. Merimbula Air Services call this trip: “A great day out!”, and indeed it was.
Such an amazing place, we didn’t do a flight however took one of the many cruises around the different bays and revelled in the history and marine life that surrounds Eden and the area generally. From the air it is quite magnificent!ReplyCancel
Looking for any info on Gabo Island Lighthouse Keepers
William Henry Owen and His Wife Christina Eleanor (Ellen)back in 1913 to 1918 especially any photos or history.
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
I actually think this Buddha is more impressive from a distance, where it commands attention from the surrounding hills and all along this section of river.
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Chaotic scene and a lovely weekend.
sounds fabulous…I too think the Buddha looks more impressive from a distance where the trimmings aren’t as obvious and the commercialism out of sight. Such a fabulous array of pictures and memories,
[…] (Two Artists: Contrasting Visions), to Golden Buddhas with their backs to casinos and drug trade (Golden Ratios and the Sublime); I’ve said before that Thai temples are not all the same (e.g.: Temples and […]