Monks-to-be, Tachilek, Burma, 1989
Yes they can be kids, too. I was in Tachilek cruising around, when I saw a wat on the top of this hill. I drove up the incredibly steep, rutted road and entered a courtyard where there was a main temple and a two story bulding with various shades of orange robes hanging-of the railings. Contrasted with the faded green of the building, it made for a beautiful sight. Towards the back, I could see some naans (children training to be monks) peering at me from from the back of the builing. I went over and said hello to them. They were very shy at first, but as you can see from the picture, they soon returned to being themselves. Most of the were children of very poor people in the community who sent their kids to live and study at the wat.
Banana Seller, near Sukothai,Thailand 1992
On a 10,000 km. bike ride from the Golden Triangle to Singapore and back, I came across a section of road with people selling fried banans with sugar. It was about 5pm and the sun was low, giving a very nice lighting effect to the scene. I found this man and we talked for a bit while he was frying bananas. He and his wife used to be rice farmers, but sold their land a few years ago when prices were high. They spent all the money in a couple of years, and without land to farm anymore, became banana sellers.
The Mai Sai Guest House viewed from Tachilek, Burma, 1988
I stayed in this guest house a few times when I visited Mae Sai, a trading post on the Thai/Burma Border. The Guest house was quite isolated from the town traffic and afforded a beautiful view of the river and the traffic crossing the river from Burma into Thailand. There is a bridge a couple of kilometers downstream, but this traffic was mostly the kind of goods that Customs officials on the bridge frown on.
Akha woman on my bike. Chiang Dao, Thailand, 1989
While living in Chiang Mai, I would take every chance I got to explore the area on my bike. This Akka tribe is located about 2 hours from my house on a high ridge. Most Akka villages are located on high ridges, making farming difficult due to the lack of good soil nearby and the lack of water. Most of the Akka either hired themselves out to local farmers or travelled long distances on foot to do their own farming..
Me and my friends on Borneo, 1993
The kids near my house loved to have their picture taken. Before I had come to live there, none of them had ever seen themselves in a picture. The first time I brought back copies for each of the kids, they just stared at them in open-mouthed silence. Then they would take the picture and run home screaming for their family and friends to come look. I became the village photographer, being asked to take family photos of every family in the village. They didn't want me to take the photo though, they wanted me to be in the photo with them, so I had to find people and show them how to use the camera. Needless to say, I got a lot of interestingly framed pictures! I have many fond memories of the incredible kindness of these people..
Condoms and Cabbages, near Chiang Rai, Thailand, 1992
In a small town, in the middle of nowhere, stands this restaurant which is supporter of family planning. They have great food, but the prices make it suitable more for Bangkok than a small village in the North. The owner, Khun Mechai Wirawydja has long been involved in family planning in Thailand. He become so famous for passing out free condoms in brothels and other places of 'entertainment' that the condom is now commonly referred to as a 'Mechai'. The bike is my 1987 Honda CB750 that has travelled 140,000+ long kilometers in Thailand.
Phanat Nikom, Thailand, 1991
I used to teach at a refugee camp set up to provide cultural orientation and language skills to mostly Hmong refugees from Laos on their way to new homes in the States. They became refugees because during the Vietnam war, many Hmong worked for the Americans as guerillas, guides, etc. When the the war ended and the U.S. pulled out, the Hmong sufffered serious consequences at the the hands of the Lao government, forcing their escape into Thailand. The U.S., with Thai support, set up these refugee centers..
Strawberry Lady, Chiang Mai, 1988
Every January, when the cool season and strawberry season is in full swing, I drive out to this field to buy the biggest, freshest, sweetest strawberries I have ever eaten..
Me and the boys. Thaton, Northern Thailand, 1994
I normally ride alone because I prefer it to a group, but a couple of times a year, some friends and I will get together for an over-night ride somewhere. In this group we had America, Austrailia, Germany, Japan, England and Thailand represented. This is a small border town that until recently was not under strict control of the Thai government. A bit of a frontier town, to say the least..
On the way to Mae Hong Sorn, Thailand, 1991
This is the area where much of the movie 'Air America' was filmed. The area is full of these types of limestone mountains and pastoral scenes.
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