Panyee, Thailand

In the floating village of Panyee, back in the 1980s, the boys built a floating soccer field and conditioned themselves to play in the local, regional, and then national championships. Do you think they overcame the odds and won any titles? Guess you'll just have to read The Floating Field (2021) by Scott Riley. [2011]

Panyee, Thailand

In Panyee, the boys could play soccer for only the shortest periods of time. That's because there was no dry land in the floating village. Only when the tide was out could they play on an emergent sandbar. When the tide came back in, the game was over! But, was there a better way? To find out, read The Floating Field (2021) by Scott Riley. [2011]

Panyee, Thailand

A successful place generates a literature of its own, a corpus of stories that eventually get put to paper. Such is the case with the floating village of Panyee. Want to know how unique life is here? Read The Floating Field (2021) by Scott Riley, which is about how a group of boys, in the 1980s, built their own soccer field out on the waters of Phang Nga Bay. [2011]

Bangkok, Thailand

Maps on the Landscape ~ National Scale: What you wear may betray your loyalties and your aspirations. Sure, it applies to Nike and your alma mater, but it may also apply to your country, your home. Here is a nation-building message that seems to defy party loyalty. [2016]

Bangkok, Thailand

Just resting her eyes, she is. But, what else is there to do at Jack's ("Bangkok's cheapest riverside bar") in the morning? For someone riding the water taxis from the east side of the Chao Phraya to the west side, Jack's bar is nearby and worth a look-see. [2011]

Bangkok, Thailand

What sayeth Mickey with arms wide open? "Happy Birthday" to anyone and everyone who is celebrating a birthday today. It is time to reach out and hug someone. Even Daikin the water drop thinks that would be cool. [2016]

Bangkok. Thailand

The flag of Thailand was adopted in 1917 when the country was still called Siam. The mystery is why its colors don't seem to fit the indigenous palette of place. In fact, they match the colors of flags in Europe and the Americas. Perhaps Thailand's flag originated as a statement of parity, equating never-colonized Siam with the era's most powerful states. [2016]

Bang Plee, Thailand

Let's call them genius loci. Translated (from Latin), that means 'spirits of place.' These spirits do seem to have a glow about them: in part because they're gilded and in part because they are street lights. But one appears to be a broken spirit. Which one? [2016]

Bang Plee, Thailand

Stacked high, as they are around most ports, these shipping containers facilitate intermodal transport. They move easily from ship to truck without "breaking bulk." The shipping container revolutionized the world of international commerce just as the goat revolutionized human adaptability to rugged environments ten thousand years ago. [2016]

Bangkok, Thailand

"I may not look like I'm worried, but I am beside myself! I don't think I look like a Smurf, but every time Azrael sees something smurfy blue he pounces! Azrael was last seen in Bulgaria, but I hear he is making his way east looking for those harmless Smurfs. I am not a Smurf!" [2016]

Bangkok, Thailand

If you are in Bangkok and see a cyclist with an orange vest, flag him down and jump on. He wants the business and you want the fun of a speedy and breezy lift to your destination. Of course, if he is idle, he will do what everyone else in the world does: worship his cell phone. [2016]

Bangkok, Thailand

Temperatures in the 80s, muggy, no breeze. Just walking makes you break a sweat, but in the parks people try to sweat even more by ramping up the exercise regime and wearing long sleeves and layers. While you are burning calories and sweating out the poisons, though, be sure to protect yourself from the sun. [2016]

Bangkok, Thailand

Yesterday, Thailand's reigning monarch, King Bhumibol (here at Traimit Witthayaram Temple), passed away, ending a reign of over 70 years. He held the throne during periods of military and civilian rule, always embodying the spirit and culture of the Thai nation. Now the landscape of the country  will change as his son becomes head of state as Rama X. [2016]

Bang Plee, Thailand

Vacant lots invite informal land uses. No one seems to be worried about trespassing, even when a volleyball net is erected as a semi-permanent element of the landscape. In the United States, pick-up activities like this have all but disappeared as society has become over-regulated, over-supervised, and over-legalistic. [2016]

Bangkok, Thailand

Here at Wat Pathum Khong Ratchaworawihan, a mounted warrior (temple guardian?) is backed up by the full force of the Thai monarchy. Thailand's national flag, though, just seems out of place. Red, white, and blue flags belong in Europe or the Americas. Still, this symbol of Thai nationhood celebrates its 100th anniversary next year. [2016]

Bangkok, Thailand

Grilled bananas for breakfast? They are just one among an infinite number of street foods available around the clock. Bangkok is the street food capital of the world. No other city does it better. In fact, home kitchens go unused because every street is thronged with food vendors, including a full assortment within fifty paces of where you live. [2016]

Bangkok, Thailand

There's a pig roast every day in Bangkok's Soi Cowboy. This one has been turning on the spit (see it?) all afternoon and is now done. Meanwhile, one of his kindred waits to take his place for the evening shift: Guess what's in the long plastic bag in the background. [2016]

Bangkok, Thailand

Phra Buddha Wisuthimongkol sits in Benjakiti Park ready to receive supplicants. In Thailand's many open-air 'chapels,' the faithful take off their shoes, light a stick of incense, position themselves in front of the Buddha, assume the simple namaste position, pray, place the incense upright in the bowl, back away, and continue life. [2016]

Bangkok, Thailand

It looks like there is enough clay left to form the rest of the body. On the other hand, it may be just the opposite. The whole body may be returning to the sod from which it was sculpted. Perhaps these lazy legs are intriguing because we don't know whether they are being created or destroyed. And, perhaps that is the hand of the sculptor. [2011]

Bangkok, Thailand

Durians for sale. Have a taste. They are probably not destined to be free samples at Costco, however. No one would ever sell them (or even consume them) inside any structure. In fact, they are openly banned from hotels and never served in restaurants. Why? [2011]