How To Make An Umbrella

We visited several Chiang Mai handicraft factories and my favorite was the umbrella factory. The process starts with the bark of the Saa tree (Mulberry) which is stripped from the limbs of the living tree so that the tree isn't killed and then boiled and pounded to a pulp.
The pulp is dissolved in a vat of water, sometimes with a natural color die added, and a fine screen is passed through the vat, collecting the fibers. This thin coating is left in the sun to dry.
The next step is to make the frame from sections of bamboo.

The ribs are carefully cut and fitted and then set in the sun to dry as well.
Here are some frames and painted tops drying in the sun waiting to turn into patio umbrellas.
Once the saa paper has dried, it is peeled from the screen and cut into circles and carefully fitted to the ribs. It is coated with waterproofing and dried.
The final step is the delicate painting. This particular factory also makes silk and pure cotton umbrellas as well.
This is the paper umbrella we bought, antiqued before it was painted.

Orchids, Orchids Everywhere

Chiang Mai is known for its flowers, particularly orchids. When you fly with Thai Air they present everyone with a fresh orchid. Fortunately orchids are willing subjects for photographs so enjoy an orchid garden with me.

Ok, I know the lotus to the left isn't an orchid but this is one of my favorite photos from this trip. As always, if you want to take a closer look at any photo, a larger version is available if you click on it.

Night Market in Chang Mai

Hey, I could live here: excellent food, lots of culture, warm and welcoming people, plenty of used book stores, awesome shopping, easy internet access, and Aljazeera and BBC on cable. What's not to like? Oh, the heat and humidity.

Fortunately the night market begins once the sun has set and it begins to cool down. Here are some random photos shot as we strolled along the miles of booths lining the street and overflowing into shopping malls. To the left are wood and paper lanterns and lower down, the flowers are carved and painted bars of bath soap.

Rethinking Paradise

From Siem Reap, we spent the entire next day traveling by car, bus and ferry, arriving after dark on to the island of Koh Chang back in Thailand. We awoke the next day to the contrast between the dry countryside and extreme poverty of Cambodia and the rainforest, bustling tourist industry and beautiful beaches of Thailand.














Our hotel was an attractive cluster of thatched huts a few minutes stroll from the beach.












The island is the second largest in Thailand and we stuck close to the beach we chose to stay on, a perfect stretch of white sand lined with hotels, little restaurants and a beach swing. We spent a lot of time just floating in the calm water of the Gulf of Siam and one day snorkeling in their National Marine Reserve.







Take a look at this even smaller cluster of cabins on one of the smaller islands where we snorkeled. They go for 300 baht (about $10 a night). Paradise anyone?

In Cambodia - Part 2

Time for more UNESCO World Heritage sites.



Today our tuk tuk driver and our guide took us to the other-worldly Buddhist temple, Ta Prohm, the temple complex that is being reclaimed by the jungle. Enormous trees have grown from its roof and sent roots through the rocks into the earth, fracturing the moss-covered temples as they sought water. The trees are about 200 years old and this particular temple was built in 1186. If you saw Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider, this is the temple where she plucked a flower and fell through the earth.



We next took a 1 hour drive through the countryside to the Hindu temple Banteay Srei, also called the "Lady Temple." This ornately carved small temple, thought to be built in 967, is splendid in it's detailed ornamentation.















Cambodia is still recovering from it's disastrous history, not the least are the remaining land mines. We listened to this small traditional band made up of land mine survivors who were making delightful music in an attempt to earn a living. We also visited a French-supported artisans training school, which encourages handicapped young people to learn the traditional arts of stone and wood carving, laquerwork and silk painting. Their finished work we saw was museum quality.

In Cambodia

We left our Bangkok hotel at 7am and by 6pm we pulled, dusty, thirsty and tired, into Seam Reap Cambodia, the closest city to Angkor Wat and other UNESCO World Heritage site. Even though We arranged for an air conditioned bus and car, everything in between was hot, sticky and dusty. We were told that the last 150km from the border to Seam Reap would take 3 hours because a major airline from Thailand paid the Cambodian government not to improve the road and whatever they paid, they got their money's worth. Quite an adventure; here is one of our transports to the border.

After a refreshing sleep and breakfast this morning we hopped into a tuk tuk with an English speaking guide and toured Angkor Wat and Bayan. Angkor Wat was large and hard to get a grasp on. The highlight was the group of beautiful dancers. Here is a photo of me failing Cambodian dance class.




Bayan, on the other hand, had 52 towers, each with four beautiful beatific heads carved on each side. It was impressive, even though it was falling apart and being restored with French and Japanese assistance.















At both sites there were detailed historical bas relief carvings which had survived. Here is part of a battle scene with elephants and another with lovely dancers.





























On a fashion note, I observe that the current traditional dress for women here is basically colorful pjs, flip flops and some kind of hat, a look I didn't attempt to adopt. The hats can be as fanciful as possible and it is definitely comfortable.