Clay Irving

Erawan Shrine, Bangkok, Thailand

2007-04-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 31 April 2007 - Erawan Shrine, or San Phra Phrom (ศาลพระพรหม), houses an image of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation.

Central World Plaza, Bangkok

2007-03-31T00:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 30 March 2007 - Central World Plaza is the largest shopping mall in Southeast Asia (5,920,000 square feet). A large open area in front of the mall provides an activities area for live music and, at night, huge crowds often gather here to have a drink in the open air bars. Look at the relative size of the people standing in front of the Adias store.

It has seven monsterous floors, with a very well stocked (Western-oriented) grocery store, food court, several restaurants, and a huge movie theatre on the seventh floor.

The SKECHERS store is located on the third level. Other shoes brands including, Saucony, Puma, and Clarkes are on the same level.

Manhattan Beach, Flowers Near the Beach

2007-03-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 18 March 2007 - I took this picture yesterday. It was a dull, overcast day, but these kind of days really help the color saturation.

Sunday Morning in Manhattan Beach

2007-03-18T11:17:00.001-07:00

Sunday 18 March 2007 - I left home before sunrise and walked down the Strand. I arrived at the Manhattan Beach Pier a little before sunrise on a cool, overcast morning. For this picture, I stopped the camera down to f36 with a -1EV with a 5 second exposure to make the waves nice and silky. The focal length was 135mm, but the focal length equivalent to a full frame 35mm would be 216mm (1.6X for a Canon EOS 30D).

A little later in the morning, it was a little brighter and I walked across the sand, almost to the water's edge. This picture was taken at f22 with -1EV and a 0.5 second exposure at 100mm (160mm, equivalent to a full frame sensor). I rendered an HDR image from the picture using a +/- 2EV, then used detail enhancement in the tone mapping. I loaded it back into Photoshop an increased the contrast.

Tiananmen Gate

2007-02-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

Tiananmen Gate at Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, November 2006.

Forbidden City, Beijing, China

2007-02-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

Forbidden City in Beijing, China, November 2006.

The Great Wall of China

2007-02-18T12:48:00.000-08:00

The Great Wall of China, November 2006.

Eoy and First

2007-02-18T12:28:00.000-08:00

Eoy and First in a songthaw, April 2006

Prasat Hin Phanom Rung

2007-02-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

Prasat Hin Phanom Rung is a beautiful Khmer-style temple in southern Buri Ram province in Thailand. It was built during the 12th century A.D. and is set on top of Phanom Rung Hill.

Elephants

2007-02-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

So this elephant walks into a bar...
No, this isn't the beginning of a really bad joke - The elephant really did walk into the bar.

Eoy and I ride an elephant in Koh Samui.

Vegetable Stand in Pattaya

2007-02-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

Vegetable Stand in Pattaya, Thailand.

Kata Beach

2007-02-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

Kata Beach in Phuket Thailand in the late afternoon, December 2003.

Long boats in the light rain.

Uthumphon Phisai

2007-02-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

Early morning market in Uthumphon Phisai.

Songkran 2006

2007-02-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

I was walking down 2nd Road in Pattaya when I noticed the boy on the man's shoulders. I snapped the picture as I walked past. I was using a Pentax Optio S5i in a waterproof enclosure.

A truckload of people driving down 2nd Road.

Pla Dip (Thai Sashimi)

2006-12-25T09:59:00.000-08:00

This is pla dip I had in Pattaya. It is pla saem-mawn,ปลาแซลมอน, (salmon), pla too-naa daeng, ปลาทูน่าแดง (red tuna), pla gapong daeng nam leuk, ปลากะพงแดงน้ำสึก (deep water red snapper), pla meuk yak,
ปลาหมึกยักษ (octopus), bpoo at, ปูอัด (pressed crab), and wasabi, วาซาบิ.

Shrimp and Prawns

2006-12-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

In the USA, people commonly call large shrimp "prawns", but that's not correct because some prawns can be smaller than shrimp. Some people think shrimp are saltwater and prawns are freshwater. That's not correct either.

This is the difference:

The structure of the gills is different between shrimp and prawns. If you turn a shrimp over and look at its "belly", the side plate of the second segment of the abdomen overlaps the segments in the front and behind. If you do the same to a prawn, all of the abdominal side plates overlap like tiles from the front.
Shrimp "brood" their eggs like a chicken (the eggs are held in their swimming legs -- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleopod). Prawns don't brood -- They just shed their eggs into the current.

In Thailand, there are mainly three types of "prawns" served in restaurants:

กุ้งแชบ๊วย Goong Chae-biao (White Prawn, Banana Prawn) Penaeus merguiensis - It has a white body with small rust-colored dots. Fully grown, they obtain a length of 20 cm (8 inches) or more, but they are harvested before they reach half that size. The small ones are sorted and sold as กุ้งชีแฮ้ Goong Chee-Hae. This is the prawn that is found in recipes that just indicate "prawns".

กุ้งกุลาดำ Goong Goo-Laa-Dum (Tiger Prawn) Penaeus monodon - It has black and white stripes and is the giant among Asia prawns. The females grow to over 30 cm (1 foot) long. Look at the size of these tiger prawns!

กุ้งก้ามกราม Goong Gaam-graam (Spiny-Clawed Prawn, Giant Freshwater Prawn, Freshwater Lobster) Macrobrachium rosenbergii - These are the prawns with the long second walking leg and a large spiny pincher. Spiny-clawed prawns with blue bodies are more tender when broiled or baked than those with grey-green bodies. Smaller spiny-clawed prawns are called กุ้งนาง Goong Naang.

Dinner at Eoy's Home

2006-11-28T08:11:00.000-08:00

Pattaya, Thailand

I love going to Eoy's home for dinner. Eoy's mother and father always prepare a wonderful meal.

To start, the best chicken soup I ever tasted. It was a very rich chicken stock with chunks of all kinds of chicken parts, cooked egg yolks, slices of kaa, ข่า (galangal), pak chee, ผักชี, (cilantro), a generous portion of nam manao, น้ำมะนาว, (lime juice) and, of course prik kee noo, พริกขี้หนู.

This fish is "pla see kohn", ปลาสีขน -- I'm not sure what kind of fish it is, but it must be in the mackerel family. It has a similar, but milder, less oily taste than mackerel. It is wonderful with nam jim, น้ำจิ้น.

This is the nam jim, น้ำจิ้น -- Lot's of hawm daeng, หอมแดง, sliced red shallots, firey prik kee noo, nam pla น้ำปล่า, and lime juice. It is fantastic with fried fish, and the little pieces of chile occassional give quite a hot bite!

This is pla nin, ปลานิล, (tilapia) fried to perfection. Several deep slices are cut in each side prior to frying. When served, you just pry off a big chunk from each slice. It comes off with ease and no bones.

Goong Goo-laa-dum

2006-11-27T06:41:00.000-08:00

Pattaya Pier, Pattaya, Thailand

กุ้งกุลาดำ
goong goo laa dum

We visited Pattaya Pier the other night to buy seafood for dinner, and I saw these large tiger prawns (Click on picture for larger view).

They don't get much bigger than this. It doesn't take many to make a meal like:

กุ้งกุลาดำนึ่งซีอิ๊ว
Goong Goo-laa-dum Neung Si Iu
Tiger Prawns Steamed with Soy Sauce

Yum Moo Ham

2006-11-27T00:37:00.000-08:00

Pattaya, Thailand
ยำหมูแฮม (Spicy Thai-Style Ham Salad)

This is different. A ham salad made Thai-style with strips of sliced ham, cabbage, diced scallions, onion, parsley, plentiful prik kee noo (Thai chiles), tomato, fish sauce, and lime juice -- Garnished with a slice of tomato and two slices of cucumber.

Boxed Lunch at Shenzhen International Airport

2006-11-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

Shenzhen, China
Its called Shenzhen "International" Airport because it has two gates dedicated to international flights. While waiting for the delayed departure, airport personnel passed out boxes to waiting travelers. The first thing I saw was the drink.

Mmm! Wax Gourd Drink is always high on my list of refreshments... Ok, I think I'll skip the drink and head straight to the food.

What the...? A bun with a bun with glop in the center with another bun/cakey-thing.

Fortunately, the Bangkok Airways flight served lunch! :-)

Thai Character Set

2006-10-25T09:39:00.000-07:00


ASCII	Hex UNICODE	Chr	ASCII	Hex UNICODE	Chr	ASCII	Hex UNICODE	Chr
			ภ	ภ	ภ	เ	เ	เ
ก	ก	ก	ม	ม	ม	&#3649	แ	แ
ข	ข	ข	ย	ย	ย	โ	โ	โ
ฃ	ฃ	ฃ	ร	ร	ร	ใ	ใ	ใ
ค	ค	ค	ฤ	ฤ	ฤ	ไ	ไ	ไ
ฅ	ฅ	ฅ	ล	ล	ล	ๅ	ๅ	ๅ
ฆ	ฆ	ฆ	ฦ	ฦ	ฦ	ๆ	ๆ	ๆ
ง	ง	ง	ว	ว	ว	็	็	ไ
จ	ง	จ	ศ	ศ	ศ	่	่	่
ฉ	ฉ	ฉ	ษ	ษ	ษ	้	้	้
ช	ช	ช	ส	ส	ส	๊	๊	๊
ซ	ซ	ซ	ห	ห	ห	๋	๋	๋
ฌ	ฌ	ฌ	ฬ	ฬ	ฬ	์	์	์
ญ	ญ	ญ	อ	อ	อ	ํ	ํ	ํ
ฎ	ฎ	ฎ	ฮ	ฮ	ฮ	๎	๎	๎
ฏ	ฏ	ฏ	ฯ	ฯ	ฯ	๏	๏	๏
ฐ	ฐ	ฐ	ะ	ะ	ะ	๐	๐	๐
ฑ	ฑ	ฑ	ั	ั	ั	๑	๑	๑
ฒ	ฒ	ฒ	า	า	า	๒	๒	๒
ณ	ณ	ณ	ำ	ำ	ำ	๓	๓	๓
ด	ด	ด	ิ	ิ	ิ	๔	๔	๔
ต	ต	ต	ี	ี	ี	๕	๕	๕
ถ	ถ	ถ	ึ	ึ	ึ	๖	๖	๖
ท	ท	ท	ื	ื	ื	๗	๗	๗
ธ	ธ	ธ	ุ	ุ	ุ	๘	๘	๘
น	น	น	ู	ู	ู	๙	๙	๙
บ	บ	บ	ฺ	ฺ	ฺ	๚	๚	๚
ป	ป	ป				๛	๛	๛
ผ	ผ	ผ
ฝ	ฝ	ฝ
พ	พ	พ
ฟ	ฟ	ฟ	฿	฿	฿

Big Buddha in Pattaya

2005-09-21T05:18:00.000-07:00

In South Pattaya, there is a large hill with a large golden image of Buddha. The hill is appropriately called Buddha Hill. At the base of the stairs leading to the large Buddha image there are vendors for water, sodas, and snacks, and small birds in cages. The birds may be purchased to carry to the top of the hill to release them (that may explain the numerous cats prowling the top of the hill).

The steps leading to the top of the hill are flanked by two huge golden seven-headed nagas. The naga is a sacred mythical dragon-like creature that often appears on the balustrades of temple causeways and platforms ("naga bridges"), where they personify the rainbow as a bridge between the earthly and celestial worlds.

Nagas have always been associated with water. In ancient times, the universe had three worlds, heaven, world, and a watery underworld. Nagas inhabited the watery underworld. In Thailand, nagas were thought in reside on the bottom of bodies of water.

In Hinduism, nagas were known as gods of rain and fertility. In Buddhism, they became seen as protectors. There is a story about Lord Buddha meditating under a jik tree when a heavy rain and cold winds started and continued for seven days. A naga king called Mucalinda came out of a nearby pond and wound himself around the Buddha seven times, then spread his hood over the Buddha to protect him from the rain and wind.

A common image of Buddha is one of the Buddha being protected by the naga. The image is believed to have special powers in terms of metta, loving kindness, because it indirectly teaches the benefits of developing loving kindness: even a great naga king living at the bottom of a pond went to the Buddha and provided protection for him as a result of the powers of the Buddha's great compassion.

Pattaya, Thailand

2005-09-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

Pattaya, Thailand

Pattaya Bay
Eoy were eating dinner at a restaurant on the Walking Street. Our table was on a pier over the water. At sunset, the lights on the boats in the bay came on and made a picture-perfect moment.

Elephant in a bar
It isn't the beginning of a joke. There really was an elephant in the bar. Jeff, Todd and I were having a drink at the Buffalo Bar on Soi 7, when the elephant and his mahout visited us -- A dictionary published by the Thai Royal Institute indicates the mahout is defined as being a person who drives, takes care of and controls elephants

Ronald McDonald says, "Sawatdee Khrab"
The wai is the Thai greeting and show of respect, indicated by pressing your palms together near your chest and bowing. Sawatdee Khrab (or Sawatdee Kaa if you are female) is how Thais say hello. At this McDonald's on Beach Road in Pattaya, Ronald McDonald greets you at the front of the restaurant.

Fruit and Vegetable Carving
Kae-sa-luk, the art of Thai fruit and vegetable carving is one particularly delightful aspect of Thai cuisine. In the fruit carver's skilled hands and using a small and very sharp pointed knife, an ordinary papaya or pumpkin is turned into a bouquet of flowers, a radish becomes a tiny rabbit or daisy or a carrot a rare orchid. Almost any kind of fruit or vegetable can be used. The carver must understand the texture of each and use its natural colour to imitate that of the chosen subject. Not all the carvings are as small as a flower; a large round watermelon becomes a richly decorated and lidded bowl to be used as a container for fruit salad. The green outer skin is cut away to make a pattern in relief of flowers or even characters in Thai literature.

Gigantic Lobsters!
In Chiang Mai, we had a dinner that included the largest curried lobster I ever saw. It was one of the specials of the day, and we had no idea it was going to be so enormous! On the platter containing the monstrous lobsters was a carving of a rooster from a carrot. The detail was unbelievable. It is hard to image the orange rooster was once a carrot!

Traditional Thai Dance
The two major forms of Thai classical dance drama are khon and lakon nai. In the beginning both were exclusively court entertainments, and it was not until much later that a popular style of dance theatre, likay, evolved as a diversion for the common folk who had no access to royal performances.

Music is integral to all forms of Thai dance drama and khon and lakon nai performances are accompanied by an orchestra comprising traditional instruments -- usually five percussion pieces and one woodwind. Small bell-like cymbals are used to set the pace while the music of the rest of the orchestra lends mood.

Students of khon learn four categories -- male human, female human (usually played by male dancers), demonic and simian. Each has its own style of movement and before training begins students are selected according to which parts they are best suited.

Students of lakon nai must memorize the mae bot, the 'mother alphabet of dance' which contains 64 basic gestures and patterns or movement, before learning how to combine these in interpretive dancing that tells a story

Song-taew
The song-taew (literally, "two planks") is Pattaya's equivalent to a taxi. It is a pick up truck with two benchs in the bed of the truck. They continually ply the Beach Road and Pattaya 2 Road in counterclockwise circuits, but can be hired to take you to other locations. It isn't uncommon to see a song-taew over-flowing with people -- People sometimes stand on the rear step and hold on to the rails as the song-taew makes it's way through the traffic.

Pattaya Beach
This is a photograph of Pattaya Beach in the early afternoon.

Dinner in Pattaya, Thailand on 26 Jul 2005

2005-09-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

The last meal I ate with Eoy in Pattaya at the end of July 2005 was a feast. The two of us ate everything then "waddled" out of the restaurant down the Walking Street to have some drinks in a bar.

Vietnamese Spring Roll

Kaeng Jeut Wunsen (Noodle Soup) แกงจืดวุ้นเส้น

This is a clear, bland, “Chinese style” soup. The broth is very good, almost like an onion soup flavor. The soup contains pork meatballs, kratiem jeow (slivers of fried garlic), green onions, and wunsen (cellophane noodles).

Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad) ส้มตำ

Som Tam is usually pretty spicey, but this dish was some of the spiciest I’ve had. It is made with julienne strips of green papaya, prik kin nu (fiery Thai chiles), kratieum (garlic), raw crab, prik chi fa daeng (Thai jalapeno chiles), Nam Pla (fish sauce), long beans, Nam Manao (lime juice), and ma kua teet (tomato).

Grouper with Chile Lime Sauce

This dish is very similar to the Vietnamese dish, Ca Chien, and it was delicious! The skin was fried to perfection and the sauce was wonderful with the flavors of chile, lime, and basil.

Boo Talay Yaang (Grilled Sea Crab) ปูทะเลย่าง

I think this is the single largest crab I ever ate! The claws were huge. It was served with Nam Jim (the bowl in the top middle of the picture). Nam Jim is a fiery combination of Prik Ki Nu (incendiary Thai chiles), Hom Daeng (shallots), Nam Manao (Lime Juice), Nam Pla (Fish Sauce), Phak Chee (Cilantro), and a little Gratiem (garlic). It is fiery hot with a very citrus taste, and goes very well with the crab meat.

San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico

2005-09-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sunrise over Gordo Banks
We usually fish from pangas rented from Gordo Banks Pangas. This morning, we went out with Tony to the outer Gordo banks with mostly light tackle. Wouldn't you know it? Almost immediately after arriving at the outer banks, Walter and I had double hook ups with yellowfin tuna.

We weren't expecting to catch tuna -- I didn't even bring a fighting belt. That means the butt of my rod was jabbed into my groin as I fought a 60+ pound yellowfin tuna using a Newell reel spooled with 50 pound test. I fought him for about 30 minutes. Then Walter helped me out for about 15 minutes. Then I tried again for a few minutes. Then Walter worked it in for a gaff in about another 15 minutes.

After a few more tuna were landed, Walter was ready to try to catch some "small fish". Back on shore, around noon, we had five tuna that to fill my cooler with 70 pounds of tuna fillets.

Los Olas

We stayed in a beachfront condo in the Los Olas complex. It felt really good to return from fishing in the hot Mexican sun to the air conditioned condo to take a cool shower before sipping on frozen marguaritas!