2002-02-07

Tha Ton

Where ever you may go in Thailand you will be sure to find a giant Buddha. This one is on the way to Tha Ton.

A funeral procession I passed along the way to Tha Ton. I drove the bike past for a respectful distance and zoomed in with the camera to get the photo. Buddhist monks are in the foreground followed by mourners and a flower-draped hearse.

I came across something strange near Fang. I'm still not sure what it is but it looks like an art colony with a collection of old relics or at least things that looked like old relics. No one was around and I was free to walk the premises and take photos. This beast carries a vine-covered pedestal bearing Buddha statuettes.

Each of the sitting men is unique. Look closely and you'll see the monkeys playing around him.

Nature has a wonderful sense of humor. A bashful Buddha.

Tha Ton is a quiet village on the Kok river near the border with Burma. This is a long-tailed boat. They serve as taxis and busses of the river. An engine from an old car or truck is mounted on a swinging pivot for steering. And 'fast' isn't the proper word for them. They zip across the river like a racing speedboat.

What makes this one unusual is it appears to have a muffler. Many of them have straight pipe exhausts and the roar is positively deafening. Botter says the Thais think the louder they are the faster they go.

Some men repairing a boat in Tha Ton.

The giant Buddha of Wat Tha Ton watches over the town. It's early evening and time to find a place to stay for the night. I plan to visit the wat tomorrow.