20 minutes . . .

. . . that's all it took to change the sea from dark blue, and through an ever lightening sky to a pale blue rippling water to an almost flame red.


I was pleased that a visiting old friend (and occasional Flickr buddy, Maxsimus) was able to join me on an early morning shoot today to the back and beyond of Thailand, as we used to do on many prior pre dawn excursions, always for the same reason, to shoot sunrise.

However, today we got it way wrong. We arrived too early for sunrise and once our eyes had adjusted to the light (or lack of) we had to wait through an amazing 30 minute light show of colour. I'm sure Richard's camera later showed exactly what I had captured as well - even 10 minutes after sunrise we couldn't see the ruddy (a well chosen word) thing (sun) as the fog and mist were at low level, and the sun's light was being reflected off much higher clouds, colouring the sea, but obscuring the sun itself at horizon level (but now we could at least see the horizon).

No probs, we snapped happily away, despite the frequent interruptions of early morning elderly Thai exercisers who came across to us, venting their curiosity as to what the two farangs* were doing staring into the mist and distance from 5:30am. (* white foreigner)



Having exhausted ourselves at this, our first spot of the day at Don Hoi Lot, we moved onto one of Thailand's most famous floating markets - but that's another story. And "ruddy"? Yup, had we waited just another five minutes, we would have captured the big blazing red ball of a sun as it bit through the upper layers of our fog. Blast.

Suwannaphoom, at night

In the last few months I have found myself on several occasions walking through Bangkok's international airport, Suvarnabhumi (Thai: ท่าอากาศยานสุวรรณภูมิ, pronounced: Suwannaphoom, meaning "Golden Land"), late at night en route to diverse locations such as LA, Washington and Seoul. All part of the job, sadly, as it takes me away from family.


However, the trips provide an opportunity to get out one or other of my cameras and start snapping, although for convenience I pack away the tripod in the suitcase, and the images here have been handheld. Somehow airports feel different at night, there is less noise, and the hustle and bustle usually much less, as if people are just quietly and patiently waiting to continue their journeys, to get on their airplane seat, take the welcome drink and snack or dinner, then crash out. Even with the amount of lighting, at first one thinks the airport is bright, but in reality there are many dark corners, although in our transitory mood, I doubt many of us notice.


So, about the airport: Suvarnabhumi is Bangkok's international airport and was officially opened for limited domestic flight service on 15 September 2006, and opened for most domestic and all international commercial flights on 28 September. It is currently the main hub for Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Orient Thai Airlines, Thai AirAsia and will be a hub for the new Thai Tiger Airways. It is located in Racha Thewa in Bang Phli district, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) east of downtown Bangkok. The name Suvarnabhumi was chosen by King Bhumibol Adulyadej and refers to the golden kingdom hypothesised to have been located somewhere in Southeast Asia. The airport has the world's tallest control tower (132.2 metres / 434 feet), and the world's third largest single-building airport terminal (563,000 square metres / 6,060,000 square feet); its also the 5th busiest airport in Asia, having handled 40.5 million passengers in 2009, and is also a major air cargo hub.


On 26 November 2008, the airport suffered from an illegal occupancy by protestors of the P.A.D, the People's Alliance for Democracy, closing the departure lounge and blocking exits, and causing almost three thousand passengers to be stranded within the main terminal. Another 350,000 travellers were stranded inside the country as all flights were grounded for a short while. On the 2nd December 2008 the protesters agreed to leave the airport to permit the resumption of flights, but security checks, clean-ups and recertification once the illegal occupation ended delayed the airport from being fully functional until 5 December 2008.


In 2009, Ireland warned its citizens to be on guard while browsing in the airport's shops. "We have received reports that innocent shoppers have been the subject of allegations of suspected theft and threatened that their cases will not be heard for several months unless they plead guilty and pay substantial fines," the Irish government wrote in a travel advisory, which also advised shoppers to retain all receipts to "avoid great distress". Britain and Denmark also posted online advisories about hard-to-detect demarcation lines between shops in Suvarnabhumi's sprawling duty-free zone and warned shoppers to be alert about carrying unpaid merchandise across the lines.

On October 1, 2010, two hundred armed men occupied the airport's parking lot for an hour, blocking the building's entrances and seizing ticket booths in order to collect fares from motorists. Airport security personnel failed to respond to the incident, which is reported to have resulted from an internal dispute within Parking Management Co., a firm contracted by the airport to run its parking facilities. That aside, it is rather a nice airport, albeit not the best in the region, if you like the spartan feel of exposed steel and bare concrete.

The "khoom fai"

Sky lanterns are traditionally found in some Asian cultures and are airborne paper lanterns usually constructed from oiled rice paper on a bamboo frame, and containing a small candle or fuel cell composed of a waxy flammable material. In Thailand they are called khoom loi (Thai: โคมลอย, literally: "floating lanterns") or khoom fai (Thai: โคมไฟ). When lit, the flame heats the air inside the lantern, thus lowering its density and causing the lantern to rise into the air.


Thais use khoom fai all year round, for celebrations, to make merit and other special occasions. One very important festival in which sky lanterns are used is the Lanna festival known as "Yi Peng" (Thai: ยี่เป็ง) which is held on a full moon of the 2nd month of the Lanna calendar ("Yi" meaning "2nd" and "Peng" meaning "month" in the Lanna language). Due to a difference between the old Lanna calendar and the traditional central Thai calendar it coincides with Loi Krathong which is held on the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar.


It is considered good luck to release a khoom fai, and many Thais believe they are symbolic of problems and worries floating away. In recent times, khoom fai have become so popular with all Thai people that it has become an integrated in to the Loi Krathong festival in the rest of country. With three young kids I can never escape releasing khoom fai whenever sellers come near, and that is usually on one of our favourite beaches on Samui. The kids love writing their names on the lantern, my eldest doing it for the youngest, and then assisting the seller hold the lantern until it fills with air and gently floats away.

In a Thai village

Some scenes of every day life in a typical Isaan village.

The "High Street"


"Rush Hour"


The local "Starbucks"


Prayer time


The prayer "hall"

Paulaner

Not that far from Bangkok's city centre is a gem of a restaurant: the Paulaner Garden. In a Bavarian style German beer garden, the ambience is lovely and the setting beautiful, especially when the sun is setting in the late afternoon and early evening. In the gardens there is a colonial-style house, built at the turn of the last century on Rajvithi road, Samsen, where the house stood for over 100 years before it was moved to the present site.


The menu is a large mix of German, International and Thai foods, and you will always find something you like. The service is good, but not exceptional, after all this is not a 5 star hotel.


On the drinks side, however, a full drinks list 0f non and alcoholic beverages is complemented by the selection of house beers available, including Hefe – Weizen, Hefe – Weizen Dunkel, Paulaner Original Munich Premium Lager, Paulaner Original Muncher Dunkel and Paulaner Oktoberfestbier.


Paulaner is a German beer, brewed since the early 17th century in Munich by the Minim friars of the Neudeck ob der Au cloister. The order and the brewery are named after Francis of Paola, the founder of the order, the monks having originally brewed the beer for their own use since 1634.


Paulaner ranks number 8 among Germany's best selling breweries, and the brand can now be found in outlets throughout Thailand.


The restaurant can be found on New Samakhee Road, just off Chaeng Wattana Road.