Thailand Part 4: Island Bound

After spending over 18 hours in the air to get to Bangkok, we woke up at 3:30am to head back to the airport for yet another flight. Luckily this flight was much more manageable. We flew to Koh Samui off the east coast of Thailand. Upon arrival, we hurried to make it to a waiting bus that would take us to a high-speed catamaran to the island of Koh Tao. The island is covered with enormous granite boulders (which we would soon get to know better). This is where we would call home for the next few days.

Cactus at the Fine Line

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing Phish bass player, Mike Gordon (aka, "Cactus") at the Fine Line Music Cafe when his band made a stop in Minneapolis. Once again I was given the usual first 3 songs to do my shooting, which is typical for concert photography. This doesn't give you a whole lot of time to explore or set up the perfect shot. The challenge of taking pictures with the ever-changing lights which are near-impossible to predict is something I look forward to at each show I shoot.

I also did a write-up of the show. You can read the full review at Glidemagazine.com.

Thailand Part 3: Khao San Road to Sky Bar

Leaving the river, we decided to see if we could cram 5 people into a Tuk Tuk. The Tuk Tuk's similar size as a golf cart, but we were successful! We held on tight as we zipped through the Bangkok streets to Khoa San Road. This is a long strip filled with street-side shops and food vendors. You definitely need to keep your head up for traffic. We took in the chaos and indulged in pad thai noodles with scrambled egg, shrimp and chicken. It cost about $1.50 for a plate that fed 4 of us. We made it back to our hotel and enjoyed a late afternoon soak in the pool with some cold beverages.

On top of our hotel was the Sky Bar, one of the world's highest open-air bars. We had to wait for the rain to pass but finally they let the masses that were gathered to go out to enjoy the views. When we finished taking our pictures and having a few drinks we made our way back to the streets of Bangkok. What better way to end a long day in Bangkok than a fish massage, where hundreds of fish would attach themselves to your feet and suck off all of your dead skin.

Thailand Part 2: Longtail Tour

We made our way through a small market to escape the heat of the Grand Palace and take a longtail boat ride through the back channels of the Chao Phraya River. The market was full of exotic fruits, vegetables and ready-to-eat foods. Arriving at the river we found our longtail boat. The boats are equipped with a very large engine and a long shaft that goes far behind the boat, which helps navigate in shallow waters. The channels were lined with lower-class housing and we came across a few locals. One lady in her "floating market" offered us her trinkets which we weren't interested in. Then she opened her cooler of beer. She knew exactly how to get our attention! Toward the end of the tour we stopped off at a temple that you can see in the background. Just seeing the daily life of some of the locals, relaxing with an ice cold beer, and enjoying the ride made for one of the best afternoons in Bangkok.