Children's Day 2016

This year's Children's Day photos were taken on two days at two locations.  Yes, you can celebrate Children's Day on more than one day.  The first set was taken in and around the town where I live.  The second set was taken at a hill tribe village, located in the mountains north west of Chiang Mai, down a series of steep dirt roads that I thought would never end.  Taking pictures of kids can be fun.  You have to think fast and keep moving, like they do.  I took a lot of photos and decided to use them to create two videos.

Lamphun Province

I had the good fortune to visit Lamphun province and visit several Buddhist temples in the area.  The most striking was Wat Phra That Haripunchai.  If you ever get to Thailand and want something other than beaches, elephant rides, full-moon parties and Tiger Kingdom, this would be a very interesting and pleasant place to visit.  It's located just south of the city of Chiang Mai.  We rented a small car and made a round trip in four days using ¾ of a tank of gasoline.  There are plenty of accommodations, places to eat, and the people there are among the friendliest you will ever meet. 

I’ve included two Wikipedia links and a map that you might enjoy if you are interested in the history of this area.  Of course, I took a lot of pictures, using a Nikon D610, alternating between an 18-35mm zoom and a 50mm prime lens.  Most shots were taken early morning or late afternoon, but a few were shot in the middle of the day.  I hope you enjoy them.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Phra_That_Hariphunchai

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamphun_Province

Our ride up and down highway 106.

This stairway and path lead to the temple you see in the foreground.

This one is for my friend George, who  reminds me not to chop off peoples feet when I crop photos.

Novice monks, nen, on their way to class.

The next few photos are of people performing their devotions and prayers. 

An old gas station, preserved by the city of Lamphun as a historical landmark.

The temples in this area have many, many murals.  It would be a photo project in itself to shoot them all, and a history lesson to learn what they depict.

Mural artist at work.

This photo and the one above were taken in a room of mirrors with Buddha statues and other artifacts in the middle.  There was almost no light.  18mm, 1/25, f3.5, ISO 3200.

This and the photo below are repeats, taken at different times of day.

After noodles and coffee I took stroll and found this villager working in his yard. We exchanged pleasantries and then he went on with his work.

This is my favorite shot from this trip:  Monks at evening prayer.   50mm, 1/250sec, f2.0, ISO 1600