Monkey Temple

Prachuap, Thailand, January 24, 2006

I finally left Hua Hin to explore further down the East Coast of the Thai Peninsula.

Before I left, I picked up some silk scarves for you Mom. Let me know what other colors you're looking for.

This is me at my Guest House, all loaded up and ready to roll.

I took a bus to Prachuap Khiri Khan which is 80km South of Hua Hin. It's a quiet fishing village with a wonderful Temple on a Mountain but I came here for several other reasons; and they were all MONKEYS!

There is a Waterfall Fountain just as you arrive in Town and there are Monkeys everywhere.

On the street...

On the cars (remember African Lion Safari when those monkeys used to love to rip off vinyl roofs?)

Even on the Hydro Wires...

Now I know what the expression 'Barrel of Monkeys' is really all about.

I bought some bananas from this woman and had her feed these guys. The movies I got of this are a riot.

These monkeys live at the base of an ancient Buddhist Temple that is at the top of a Stairway 395 steps up.

The monkeys followed me as I made the climb.

Like old Souls, reincarnated to guard their Spiritual Home with Joy.

And as they messed up the stairs, an orange robed monk quietly swept it all clean again.

You can see the steps from this top view.

The Islands behind me are far away. The view is amazing. As I looked out I tried to imagine what it must have been like for the Thais as they saw the Japanese invasion force come on to their shores here. This was one of the points they chose for their invasion; right into this harbor. As I stood looking out from the top I wrote in my Journal:
"This is the Castle of Prachup Khiri Khan. It does not command as a fortress. It shares its blessings with the World. The people of Thailand have learned a great secret of serenity that we in the West can only hope to catch a glimpse of."

Hua Hin Bar Girls

Hua Hin, Thailand, January 23, 2006

Hua Hin has a Red Light district and it happened to be right next to my guesthouse. I went for a stroll when I heard things starting to get rowdy but for some reason I just didn't seem to have many Bar Girls trying to hit on me. They seemed to concentrate on the older European guys with the Beer Bellies. Finally, a group of girls asked me to join them for a beer. At first they tried to set me up with a woman for the night but I am so down to Earth and innocent, they ended up just adopting me like a stray puppy.

I asked one of the girls if I could take a photo of them and they were all enthusiastic about the idea. The next thing I knew, they had elected me as their official photographer.

I took photos of them all and then I went with 'Mon' to have them developed. We brought the 4x6 prints back to the bar a few minutes later and they were all delighted.

One of the girls is trained in Thai Massage so she showed me how to massage the hands. Then I massaged her shoulders for her. The women pitched in and bought me beer for taking their photos and massaging their shoulders.
Here are some of the other pictures I took.

This girl is the youngest of this crew. She is 27.

And I found that this photo really brought out a grace and beauty to her otherwise lanky features.

This woman was the greatest challenge because her mouth falls into a grimace when I snap pictures of her. I asked everyone how old they were. They said they were all 37. They all come from Central Thailand; just East of Kohn Kaen, which is where many of the call girls come from.

When I was done they asked how much I charge for my services. I said: "For you; special deal; 4,000 bhat ($130) We laughed together and I told them I was bad for their business. I pointed out that they were paying me to drink beer with them. I think my Thai negotiating skills are improving.