the earth ink

One of the most amazing cross-country trips was by third class train from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet. Leaving early in the morning, I heard the creaks and groans of the tracks being manually changed and lights flipped one way or the other to guide our line of vintage rail cars out of the city limits. Locals were up already, in the dark, making food for their carts for the day. Smells were potent. As the sun came up, we watched the rice paddies fly by and followed passengers as they boarded the train and departed at their stops. Tourists, of course, were on the train for the long haul; all six hours of the journey toward Cambodia. However, many of the locals used this train as their place of business; selling fruits and vegetables, meals of rice and meat on a stick, and breads and beverages. This woman alighted the train and took the track back toward her destination. Her orange clothes and baskets caught my eye. I was impressed that this is part of real rural life in Thailand.

I am a non-buddhist. So walking through Wat Pho was a far less religious experience than those who dropped their coins in the pots behind the world's largest reclining buddha, but no less curious. This Wat complex houses an astounding number of buddha figures. Away from the main temple, the grounds were sparsely toured and I had a difficult time imagining how their could be a need for so many rooms, walkways, and shrines full of so many buddhas. While meandering through the maze of towers and courtyards, I had plenty of opportunity to capture images of more sculptures and statues than I will ever know what to do with. Instead of finding the religious meaning in the statues, I found the art (though rather excessive and opulent) in my photos and learned a little more about the rituals of another belief system.