The Michelin Man - I saw this in Bangkok in an old area and was very surprised and amused that this perennial icon was doing the traditional Thai Wai (Greeting)

Young novices look on in awe at an ancient row of Buddha images. This is at Wat Chaiwattanaram at Ayuthaya. Most Thai boys spend some time as a novice monk and later in life also become a monk for some time. Ayuthaya used to be the capital of Siam before it was destroyed in the late 1700's. It was known as the 'Venice of the East' as it was built at the junction of three rivers and spread across several islands with many canals running through it.

Getting around Ayuthaya on a 'pedallo'. That's my girlfriend Jib chasing me around the streets where all the old temple ruins are.

When Ayuthaya was destroyed, the Buddha images were beheaded and, legend has it, that this one was discarded and the tree brought it 'back to life'. The tree is certainly ancient. It is a highly revered site at Wat Mahathat in Ayuthaya.

This giant Buddha (see the two men adjusting the robe) in a restored temple in Ayuthaya draws countless visitors every day. Folk pay to have a new robe draped over the image and this is done many times each day.

When I first went to Bangkok I discovered Radio City. Here they have Thai Elvis and Tom Jones impersonators. Great music and great fun. Used to spend a lot of time there and always take visitors to town there. This is a pic of the staff.

Lot's of T-Shirts for sale at any Thai market.

Tuk Tuk's. Love them or hate them, they are a very convenient way to get around in traffic. Personally, I love them - My girlfriend hates them

Lovely young ladies promoting their wares. You can't see it here but the Smirnoff girl had 'test tubes' strapped around her waist (like a bullet belt) and was offering shots to all.

The very happy, friendly staff at the place I used to eat breakfast each day.

Chaotic scene at a Sunday street market in Bangkok. Personally, I love all the movement in this image.

BBQ'd pork balls on skewers with very spicy chili sauce. I've tried them before but - not for me :<)

Brightly coloured food stall at a night street market in Bangkok.

Chili's on display at the Saphan Put (Memorial Bridge) fruit and vegetable market in Bangkok. A great place to visit for people shots.

Simple shrine in a Bangkok market with brightly coloured ribbons for decoration.

Chinese temple in Chinatown. Bangkok. Love the bright colours they use. Why should a place of worship be drab and solemn ?

Monks at a Chinese temple in Chinatown, Bangkok. I really enjoy the colour 'palette' you find in these places.

Old motorcycles in Chinatown, Bangkok.

Worshippers at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. One of the highly revered spots visited by thousands daily.

Temple guardian at Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok. This is the principal temple in Bangkok and is in the same grounds as the Grand Palace.

A row of temple guardians. Great colours and lot's and lot's of gold.

Golden Garudas encircle Wat Phra Kaew. Not sure how many there are all the way around but they're always fun to photograph.

Buddha statues encircle the cloisters of Wat Suthat in Bangkok. This temple is over two hundred years old and is one of my favourite shooting haunts.

I went for a ride up the river and got off with no particular destination in mind. Came across a local temple and found this monk sweeping.

Took some pictures of the windows also. Really love all the detail that goes into the decoration.

Golden Buddha sitting on a wall at Wat Suthat. Love the dappled effect of the sunlit leaves behind.

I think these doors are at Wat Po in Bangkok. Great details.

Samlor rider enjoying a quiet interlude. Fun to ride around in for short distances.

Children framed in a temples entrance gate. Just having after school fun as children do.

A family eating lunch attracts a lot of attention from the local Pigeons.

Wat Arun - The Temple of Dawn - with river craft in the foreground. Taking boats along the river is a great and cool way to get around Bangkok. I lived there for about two years before I realised you could quickly get across town like this. Sure beats Taxi's.

Monks in their saffron robes waiting for a river boat to go downtown. Everywhere you go you see monks.

Longtail boats always have Puang Malai (Flower Strings) hanging on their prows. This is for good luck. I suppose the more you have the better your luck will be :<)

The (in)famous Bridge across the River Kwai. This image was taken in 2001 and there were a lot of tourists around. Went back there recently (Feb 2007) and the tourists numbers seem to have increased ten-fold !

Thai children always find little spots to play games. This time on a quiet sidewalk. They always seem happy and content without the $$$ toys kids in the west want/demand/expect.

A monk having his head shaved.

Thai kids always seem to be smiling. They love having a camera pointed at them and always enjoy seeing their images on the LCD. I don't think there has ever been a time when I have taken a street photo of a Thai person and they have not warmly thanked me for just taking the pic.

Parked the car in a quiet little street and these guys pulled up behind me. Scared the life out of me but they were actually just going to a house in the street next to where I parked.

Buddha images are always gold or, if not, brightly decorated.

Many folk set up little barrows each day in their little spot. Most of these folk work from very early morning until late at night 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Small Thai kitchen behind one of Bangkok's 'super' luxury hotels. Meals at these places are just a few Baht and they are very filling. Meals are served in a plastic bag which you take away.

Fish cooking on a sidewalk grill.

A fruit and vege barrow man walks the local streets selling his wares.

Young boy in Chinatown, Bangkok. The face powder is used by many Thai people but I'm not certain why. Some have told me it's a form of worship others say it is just to make the skin feel cool ??

Pillar decoration used at a Chinese temple. Great colours, hey ?

I'm always fascinated by the decorations they use to brighten up the temples. makes you feel happy just to be there. Why would you want to go somewhere to worship and feel like you should be sad to be there ?

Young novice monks at Wat Chaiwattanaram at Ayuthaya. This used to be the capital of Siam but was destroyed in the late 1700's. Every temple and building was burnt and looted. Only the base structures remain.

A simple shrine at the entrance to a very small temple.

A worshipper at the shrine. As I understand it :- Always three candles, three incense sticks, etc. Wisdom, purity and kindness.

A very European looking temple at Bang-Pa-In. This is a royal palace and has many European style buildings. One of the kings built it after visiting Europe.

Fresh Orange juice for sale outside one of the train stations.

Tourists love to take the Elephant tours around Ayuthaya's ruins.

The Grand Palace, Bangkok.

Tuk Tuk racing along a quiet Bangkok street. I waited patiently for one to come so I could take it with the yellow lines in the foreground.

Puang Malai (string of flowers) can be found everywhere. Here one is placed at the base of a tree to show respect for the tree.

Don't know exactly where I took this but I love the colours and the 'bike at the front.

Chinese temple decoration.

Even the roof's have very ornate decoration.