Katherine Ayars: Bhutan/Thailand
- punakha. i gave him a dollar. he couldn't stop smiling.
- punakha
- punakha. one of my favorite photos from bhutan.
- women winnowing rice. while they do this, they whistle in order to call the good spirits, which float through the wind and bless the rice.
- more children near the fertility temple. while i was taking photos, the kid in the hoodie ran around behind me and stole a highlighter out of my backpack. it was hilarious.
- chimi lhakhang, dedicated to the divine madman
- bodhi tree
- prayer flags outside of chimi lhakhang
- near chimi lhakhang, the fertility temple
- i gave this adorable kid a highlighter. major excitement.
- punakha
- kids near the fertility temple, chimi lhakhang
- kids in punakha
- punakha
- punakha
- home in punakha
- punakha. she was working the fields.
- field worker in punakha
- kids in punakha
- punakha, bhutan. i want to live here. there's something impossibly magical about this spot on earth.
- local artwork for sale
- this stray had a terrible leg injury. i gave him some food.
- wangchuk, the driver, adding kindling to a roadside firepit.
- roadside fare. the white material hanging is cheese. rock hard cheese. i didn't try it, but i was told it takes all afternoon to consume a piece.
- dzong entrance. there's a check and balance system. for each political position, there's a religious figure who checks the political decisions.
- traditional bhutanese home entrance
- living quarters at monastery
- monastery
- strays outside of a monastery
- thimphu
- national animal. the takin.
- stunning tapestry. took over one year to make. if i'd had $2,000 to spare, i would have purchased it.
- weaving factory
- weaving is a back-breaking process. i don't know how they sit there all day.
- the bhutanese weave the most gorgeous tapestries.
- residence building. a celebration is held upon completion of each new building.
- drivers keeping warm while guides and tourists hike. the authorities told them they had to put out the fire.
- royal dedication. i watched the ceremony from high on a hill.
- buddha dordenma under construction. overlooks thimphu, the capital. it will house over one hundred thousand smaller buddha statues. at 169 feet, it will be one of the biggest buddhas in the world. it's made of bronze and brought over from china.
- prayer wheels near the temple. women sit there all day and pray.
- bhutanese temple. at any given time, at least twenty locals were outside worshipping.
- temple near paro. this man -- listening to his radio as he walked -- likely circled the temple all day.
- temple pigeons
- stray puppies. there is a serious dog problem in bhutan. the country is overrun with strays. they're buddhist, so they don't believe in euthanization. i cried more than once.
- tashi's home. eight families live in this beautiful building. so comfortable and inviting.
- my incredible guide, tashi, and his lovely wife and children. they invited me over for tea and home-brewed arra (rice wine).
- bhutanese fortress outside of paro
- bhutanese prayer wheel. note the traditional attire of the man. men wear a robe called a 'go.' women wear a 'kira.;
- they recycle!
- traditional bhutanese architecture. note the fertility artwork.
- himalayas
- in-flight magazine on way to bhutan. 'tashi delek' essentially means 'good luck.' only one airline, druk air, services bhutan.
- koh samui. north shore water buffalo.
- cafe waiter on the north shore
- this is the pose he assumed each time i took his photo.
- game of cards on a hot thai afternoon
- thai drug. i'm not sure what this is. betel, maybe? i watched him paint something onto a leaf, roll it and smoke it. his mouth was tinted red (a sign of betel).
- in lieu of napkins, they use tissues.
- any massage lover would love thailand.
- north shore. bophut.
- odd bathroom sign. is she holding an oozie?
- fancy rice
- north shore of koh samui. preparing to fish.
- they actually liked having their photo taken.
- north shore of koh samui. i don't know why they have caged birds.
- shoes and socks drying
- my room on the north shore. the red fabric was folded into a different pattern each day.
- north shore of koh samui. this dog and i fell in love.
- look closely. there's a tiny dog on the bike. (i saw many dogs riding this way.)
- north shore. this reminded me of the opening credits of big lebowski.
- koh samui north shore. stray dogs were here.
- another sweet mutt in bophut
- this little girl was actually happy. this is just the way she "smiled." i bought a four-dollar dress from her mother.
- i'm not sure why, but tissue boxes such as this one were filled with toilet paper rather than tissues.
- bophut. north shore. i watched the rough waters carry this sandbag out to sea.
- coffee shop in fisherman's village
- for sale
- a typical motorbike holds at least three people. how cute are these kids?
- fisherman's village. how gorgeous is this building? reminds me of malibu.
- fisherman's village. first time i've seen a plant wear socks.
- these italian men were hilarious. they loved having their picture taken. fisherman's village has a mediterranean feel . . . one of the island's main french outposts.
- fisherman's village - bophut - north shore of koh samui. this massive dog owns the street.
- bookstore in fisherman's village. one of my favorite photos.
- washing machines are rare on koh samui. i washed everything by hand.
- a 'fish spa' - garra rufa nibble dead skin off feet. despite health risks, there are about 4,000 of these spas operating in thailand. i'm a germaphobe. i stayed far away.
- local art
- dog and cat in thai boutique
- west coast of koh samui. took this photo for leslie. don't know why he insists we include windchimes in every story. sheesh. how very purple.
- dragonfruit. inside, it's white with tiny black seeds. not too sweet. delicious.
- north shore market
- north shore market. i bought bananas.
- north shore market
- south shore. longboat fishing. view from my hotel.
- while on the south shore, dinner was caught less than a day before it was served. amazing.
- a fancy glass of pineapple juice!
- south shore of koh samui. i did not manipulate this photo in any way. the evening was impossibly gorgeous.
- interesting bug on my hotel window
- dogs are allowed everywhere in thailand. even in restaurants.
- spring rolls. amazing.
- coconuts!
- more longboats
- rain moving in. it rained about 75% of the days i was in thailand.
- longboats
- driver with hotel owner. two of the nicest men i know.
- my new friend, chai
- my driver while on the south coast of koh samui
- the boat crew's beverages. looks like a thai beer ad.
- longboat crew sleeping. (there are two members in this photo.)
- longboat crew
- longboat captain
- best meal of the entire trip
- boat captain fixing fish lunch
- lunch on south shore, koh samui
- the longboat
- they toss each catch on the boat floor. watching a fish die is not fun.
- longboat captain with his first catch
- longboat captain fishing
- fishing on south coast - no rods - just a hook with squid and tiny weight. amazing.
- our bait: squid
- koh samui - my longboat captain
- koh samui longboat
- rain approaching - south shore of koh samui - after our longboat tour
- longboats on south shore of koh samui
- flower arrangement made for me by hotel staff. i was the only guest for over a week. this was at my dinner table one night.
- stray dogs playing near hin ta
- unnamed rocks near hin ta and hin yai
- hin yai - grandmother rock. located near grandfather rock.
- hin ta - grandfather rock - legend holds that the ship of two elderly lovers crashed here - their bodies formed the rocks.
- thai chickens. they get along well with the dogs.
- koh samui south shore
- koh samui ganesh
- another view of chinese buddha - fat and happy
- chinese buddha - koh samui
- sweet thai stray
- monk offering me fish food. feeding the fish brings good luck.
- koh samui longboat
- view from big buddha
- statues at big buddha - northern koh samui
- big buddha
- i love, love, love bangkok fashion.
- babies up front are very common.
- thailand mutt. so sweet.
- mummified monk. note the sunglasses.
- mummified monk - koh samui
- snail on my hotel window during koh samui rain
- driving along south shore of koh samui
- koh samui coconuts
- massage parlor. incredible. an hour for sixteen dollars.
- bar in lamai. so many bars . . . all located next to massage parlors.
- topiaries. only . . . what are they? that 'rabbit' has three ears.
- more motorbikes. way too much fun to drive . . .
- food for sale at loi krathong
- winning lantern - she said it took her one entire day to construct it. impressive.
- winner of 'best lantern'
- loi krathong
- loi krathong - november
- more food at loi krathong. eggs?
- loi krathong fare. squid? didn't taste it.
- lanterns for loi krathong
- festive dresses in honor of loi krathong
- lanterns floating at loi krathong. stunning sight.
- loi krathong with a new friend (only photo of me in thailand)
- loi krathong - koh samui
- loi krathong festival - koh samui - november
- lantern floated during loi krathong - the full moon festival
- all the locals ride motorbikes. i finally broke down and gave one a try. my crash was minor.
- south shore of koh samui