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> Bamboo Basket Boat at Sea, Nha Trang, Vietnam       These amazing basket boats are woven from bamboo, and lacquered in some fashion to make them waterproof. They are lightweight and easy to carry from place to place, apparently good in shallow water because of little draft, and often used as tenders for larger boats. But they are also utilized for fishing and getting from place to place in their own right, as this guy demonstrates. His curious use of a plastic pot is atypical for steerage or propulsion, as normally a paddle is used in seasaw fashion to advance the vessel at walking pace. Perhaps he is bailing, as appears to be the case, but the boat does seem to be setting well in the water. Controlling these boats is another mystery to the uninitiated, as you might well imagine, in that they tend to just go round and round like a spinning bowl in the water when powered with improper technique. One of those things you have to know how to do, looking somewhat easy as you observe local use, but quite baffling without proper instruction and lots of frustrating practice. They tend to be freqently seen throughout central Vietnam. Where bamboo basketry of all sorts is commonplace, this is one of the larger, more inventive uses. People baskets, intended to contain the water on the outside rather than within.
> Bamboo Basket Boat Beach, Nha Trang, Vietnam      On a beach at the northern end of Nha Trang, looking south down the coastline. The city of Nha Trang proper lies on the other side of the point, to the interior, while the tourist sector extends south from well below the other side of the point down along the beach. These bamboo basket boats are probably tenders for the fishing boats buoyed offshore, but could also be lieing in wait for trips to sea on their own, up or down the coast. Can you imagine trying to control one of these, especially in less than calm water?
> Bamboo Bicycling, Nha Trang, Vietnam       Bikes and motorbike are everywhere in Vietnam, getting people and things where they need to go. One of my future projects has to be cataloging the ingenuity and variety of these human powered two wheeled vehicles as incredible beasts of burden. It is amazing what people can accomplish when not burdoned with safety regulation, and the amount of gear that can be ingeniously strapped to a motorbike or bike. Another project should document bamboo as used in every day life in all kinds of ways. This bamboo carrying push bike is heading north out of Nha Trang along the coast, quite away fro the tourist scene.
> Occheuteal Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia      Looking from the less developed southern end of Occheuteal Beach, toward what is called Serendipity Beach at its northern portion. Serendipity is where most foreign visitors congregate in a low key assemblege of on and near the beach huts, restaurants, and slightly more upscale facitlities. As one walks the length of the beach from Serendipity toward this spot, the composition of facilities and people you see becomes more local, with a good mix right in between. Nearer to this end facilities diminish, and the beach takes a more natural flavor. Further south behind this point lies Otres Beach, another serious step down (at least for now) in terms of activity level and facilities. A perfect place to chill and avoid more serious trappings, while still able to feed and lounge and drink and swim.
> Fishing Boat, Occheuteal Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia      Beached fishing boat and one coming in, traps and nets on the beach. Continuing livelihood for locals and great fresh food for the beach, offered almost continuously by ladies walking the shoreline as you lounge with your tropical drink. Although not as dramatic as some of the karst strewn southern Thai beaches, the mellow and mixed crowd dyanamic makes these Cambodian beaches and islands a most attractive alternate experience.
> Baby Elephant and Mahout Swimming at Hat Klong Muang Beach, Thailand      Once in the water the mahouts would roll the elephant on its side and rub him down a bit. A person would get on his back for a little bronco ride, eventually getting rolled off into the water. The tire was good for tugs of war, with the elephant practiced at pulling people around wherever he chose. The whole set of beach and water games lasted a couple hours, after which the elephant used his trunk to shower himself with sand to dry off. The smiling women on the right is half the mahout team.
> Baby Elephant at Hat Klong Muang Beach 2, Thailand      On this day in this part of the Land of Smiles (LOS=Thailand), kids, adults, mahouts and elephants all smile on cue. The elephant was amazingly interactive and gentle, letting us feed the him bananas and peanuts from our hands and mouths. Apparently it wasn't quite enough, though, as he prepares to eat this little guy's head.
> Baby Elephant at Hat Klong Muang Beach, Thailand      Another escape from the upscaling crowds of Ao Nang and Railay Beach, this quieter if less dramatic beach had the added fun of playing with and bathing this young elephant. After some beach time stretching his legs and fondling the tourists, it was time for a swim in the calm waters with this gentle mini-giant. Not a tourist attraction or fee based event, rather just the daily bath a mahout couple provides their charge, and that's hard to resist joining in.
Baby Elephant at Hat Klong Muang Beach, Thailand     

Another escape from the upscaling crowds of Ao Nang and Railay Beach, this quieter if less dramatic beach had the added fun of playing with and bathing this young elephant. After some beach time stretching his legs and fondling the tourists, it was time for a swim in the calm waters with this gentle mini-giant. Not a tourist attraction or fee based event, rather just the daily bath a mahout couple provides their charge, and that's hard to resist joining in.
> Baby Elephant at Hat Klong Muang Beach, Thailand      Another escape from the upscaling crowds of Ao Nang and Railay Beach, this quieter if less dramatic beach had the added fun of playing with and bathing this young elephant. After some beach time stretching his legs and fondling the tourists, it was time for a swim in the calm waters with this gentle mini-giant. Not a tourist attraction or fee based event, rather just the daily bath a mahout couple provides their charge, and that's hard to resist joining in.
Baby Elephant at Hat Klong Muang Beach, Thailand     

Another escape from the upscaling crowds of Ao Nang and Railay Beach, this quieter if less dramatic beach had the added fun of playing with and bathing this young elephant. After some beach time stretching his legs and fondling the tourists, it was time for a swim in the calm waters with this gentle mini-giant. Not a tourist attraction or fee based event, rather just the daily bath a mahout couple provides their charge, and that's hard to resist joining in.
Photo by: photographie-irie • see photo in gallery
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