Monday, October 3, 2011

I Dream of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai Gate
Chiang Mai Gate




Temple Prayers
Say a Little Prayer...




Monks Taking a Break from Monastic Classes
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Chiang Mai Night Market- A View from the City Walls
Chiang Mai Walking Market at Night




Doi Suthep
Doi Suthep Temple

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Street Food Thailand



Street food in Bangkok's Chinatown
Street food in Bangkok's Chinatown- Yaowarat, ordering from the seafood menu



Noodles
Pad Thai



317-18a
Fruit Vendor



The Yum Woonsen Lady
The Yum Woonsen Lady Under Thonglor BTS Station



Squid Eggs For Sale

Squid Eggs For Sale at Chatuchak Market

Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Mahabodhi Temple- Bhod Gaya

Via Flickr:
A temple built where the Buddha attained enlightenment. It is in Bihar, one of the, if not the poorest state in India.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

San Juan Del Sur

San Juan Del Sur by pholaphat
San Juan Del Sur, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.

A little piece of heaven on earth, after a week of doing medical relief work in Managua, some friends and I headed down to San Juan Del Sur. We were lucky enough to "discover" this secluded beach it was us and one other party on it. I am sure that by now this little piece of paradise has been discovered. Hopefully, the locals haven't been squeezed out. I pray that they get to share in the benefits of "development/progress"

We are the world, We are the children... of Nicaragua



P4050019

P4050026

P4030193

Some pictures of some of the kids we saw while working at a clinic in Managua.

Drinks and Stories in Kosovo


IMG_2036

In addition to lecturing at a Pan-Balkan Trauma Conference, I had the opportunity to meet a fair amount of locals, most of whom were associated with the medical system. While there, I had the chance to hear about the atrocities of war, and the hope of a new future. I was also fortunate enough to meet with internally displaced Serbians living on church grounds. They were the nicest family, taking the time to talk with us and share some moonshine with us (rakia I think). I felt sad that this old couple had to start again so late in life.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Taj Mahal

P8090015 by pholaphat
P8090015, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.
Words and pictures can't do it justice... nuff said.

Varanasi

Varanasi  by pholaphat
Varanasi , a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.
Such a great city to visit. Amazing to see the ghats along the Gange, one of the holiest rivers in the world.

The Ganges in Varanasi

The Ganges in Varanasi by pholaphat
The Ganges in Varanasi, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
One of the dirtiest and choppiest rivers I've ever been in. The boat ride down the Gange lasted about 10 minutes before we called uncle. We were soaked. Aaah, the memories!

Monkey see, monkey do...

Monkey see, monkey do... by pholaphat
Monkey see, monkey do..., a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.

Bollywood on the Border!

Atari Border Dance Off by pholaphat
Atari Border Dance Off, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.
This is a portrait shot I took of this Indian officer/dancer at the Atari Border. There is a border exchange that happens here on the Indian Pakistan border in Punjab. It ends up being a huge patriotic event, and virtually a bollywood dance off between the India and Pakistan.

Steve McCurry's Photo Blog

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http://stevemccurry.wordpress.com/

One of my favorite photographers. I remember seeing his pictures on National Geographic as child. To this day, his pictures capture my attention. I love how his blog simply uses photos and proverbs to capture a theme. I hope to some day be able to do the same.

Scalp Massage

Scalp Massage by pholaphat
Scalp Massage, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.
I swear, one of the best scalp massages, okay the only scalp massage I have ever had. It was a great experience. Very relaxing. Figure it would be great treatment for tension headaches! Next time I have one, I guess it means I'm chartering a flight to Kashmir!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Good Morning Srinagar!

While in Srinagar, there were warnings by the Indian Military to stay away from crowds. Apparently an Imam had issued a fatwa against some men accused of rape. These men were being held in a prison, and there were threats that if they were not handed over for Sharia Law to be dispensed that they no one would be safe, including tourists.

After spending the morning on a boat watching the sun rise, a couple of my Indian friends had gone into the White Mosque. I along with another friend were left waiting at the bank of Dal Lake. Slowly a large group of boys gathered and started walking to us. They had a rather serious look in their faces, as I planned our escape route, I decided to wave at them to break the ice. They soon had smiles on their faces and they took turns practicing their English with me once they found out I was an American. Its amazing how much a smile and a wave can do to diffuse a tense seen!

Dal Lake with the White Mosque in the Background

Dal Lake with the White Mosque in the Background by pholaphat
Dal Lake with the White Mosque in the Background, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.


This was a Shikara tour with tea and biscuits around Dal Lake, courtesy of Butt's Clermont Houseboats. The owner is a real stand up guy. He did not have any housing because of a photojournalism workshop being held there, but he put us up at a friends place on Naveen Lake and set us up with this morning boat tour. 

Sunrise on Dal Lake

Sunrise on Dal Lake by pholaphat
Sunrise on Dal Lake, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.


On a Shikara "taxi of the lake" watching the sunrise while having biscuits and tea. Could not think of a better way to spend the morning in Srinagar.

Dal Lake

Dal Lake by pholaphat
Dal Lake, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
This was an island in Dal Lake, currently occupied by the Indian Police Force. Apparently, it use to be a meeting place for Kashmir separatists.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

View from inside the Gamow Bag

In case you ever wondered what it looks like from inside a Gamow Bag. We were testing it out during the expedition. Definitely enough room for two but it definitely gets claustrophobic. Hope I never have to use one of these for real.

Ladakh Countryside

Ladakh Countryside by pholaphat
Ladakh Countryside, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.
Fields of Barley?

Hard times in Ladakh

P7300070 by pholaphat
P7300070, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.
There was a significant amount of migrant works working through Ladkah. They were largely responsible for maintaining the roads. These guys had just cleared another landslide and were repaving portions of road. When I see how hard these guys work, I am reminded of how nice we have it in the US. At the same time, these were some of the nicest people I have ever met. I would love to have had the chance to interview them, the stories they must have...

Sunday, August 14, 2011

The Veil of Kashmir

The veil of Kashmir by pholaphat
The veil of Kashmir, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.
In 2007 I took an overnight truck to Srinagar from Leh, definitely not something I would recommend doing again. Though we were exhausted and dead tired, it was definitely an experience to wake up to see our half awake driver flying down the hairpin turns and switchbanks along the river valley. After dosing off for a several hours we awoke to the sun rising over the Veil of Kashmir. As the fog lifted the desert terrain of Ladakh had switched to these green luscious valleys. It definitely seemed like paradise on earth. As we took in the view, the feeling began to change as the Indian Army/Police seemingly came out of nowhere... Welcome to Kashmir!

Ladakh- Women's Coop

Ladakh- Women's Coop by pholaphat
Ladakh- Women's Coop, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.


Women's Alliance of Ladakh


The health of families and communities are tied to the health of women – the illness or death of a woman has serious and far-reaching consequences for the health of her children, family and community. (taken from http://www.globalhealth.org/womens_health/)

A little house work

A little house work by pholaphat
A little house work, a photo by pholaphat on Flickr.

My Favorite Gear

pholaphat - View my most interesting photos on Flickriver