Along the road between Ramasun and Udorn, Thai farmers ride their water buffalo to and from their rice paddies.
The Thai equivalent of our heavy construction equipment, elephants were used for heavy pulling in the Teak logging industry.
A Thai farmer works his water buffalo in a flooded rice paddy.
Alongside the road to Udorn, a crowd gathers to gawk at a truck that has had an accident.
An open air meat market and restaurant in Udorn.
One of my buddies buying fruit from a street vendor's stand in Udorn.
This is the inside of a combination gift shop, news stand and pharmacy in Udorn. The four foot tall elephant
was carved from a solid block of Mahogany, or perhaps Teak! I really wanted to buy it, but it must have
weighed several hundred pounds, and getting it home would present a real logistical problem!
A residential street in the outskirts of Udorn.
This is one of Udorn's main thoroughfares, looking in toward the center of town. Like most of the rest of the
world, in Thailand they drive on the "wrong side" of the road.
.Two Buddhist monks prepare to cross the street in Udorn. Every morning they would set out from the monasteries
to beg alms from the people on the street. Even the poorest of the Thai people were happy to give to them, for the
monks had no other means of support. They spent most of their lives in prayer and meditation.
.A Thai mother takes her toddler with her on her motor bike to do the family shopping. Looks pretty unsafe to me!
Thai housewives stroll around the town square in the center of Udorn.
Thai children congregate on an Udorn sidewalk to play. They seemed to wonder why in the world I'd want their picture.
Some of my fondest memories of Thailand are of the children.
Thai kids relax in the shade eating their lunches. The umbrella is for shade only. This picture was taken in the dry season.
I came upon these Thai children skinny dipping in the Klong. The klongs were small ponds which served as
reservoirs for water to be used during the dry season, but they also provided some cool fun and relief from
the heat for the kids too.
Searching for treasures in the trash. I don't know what they expected to find among the old newspapers and
palm fronds. Note the sunken belly on thier four-legged friend. I don't recall having ever seen a fat Thai human,
much less, a fat Thai dog!
A Buddhist temple in Udorn. Note the ornate trim work.
A close up shot of the trim on the temple shown above.
Houseboats on the Mekong at Vientiane, Laos. Whole families lived in these floating homes. All their wordily
possessions are stowed inside or strapped on top.
A Lao fisherman casts his net on the Mekong at Vientiane. We weren't supposed to be there because of the
Pathet Lao. We made sure to get the hell out and high tail it back to post long before night fell!
A street in Udorn. Most folks traveled on bicycles, motor bikes or pedi-cabs. The pedi-cabs were surprisingly
fast, getting one around town in short order - cheaply too!
.An old Thai woman turns wool into yarn at an Udorn shop.
Two of my close compatriots discuss what kind of film to use, as we tour the Ubolratana Dam
south of Udorn. (This is the place where I nearly stepped on a Banded Krait, otherwise known
as a "two-stepper".....Take two steps and you're dead! Fortunately for me, someone else had
an encounter with it before I did, and had managed to smash its head with a rock.)
Three of my buddies pose with Tom, a local Chinese merchant, who owned a jewelry store in
Udorn. Tom was a good friend to us, and we spent quite a few leisure hours with him and his
business partner. Strange, but I don't recall the names of my GI friends in this picture, though
we were always hanging out together. Guys, if you see yourself, please drop me an e-mail!