The Wai Khru Ceremony at Wat Bang Pra 2013

The Blessing & Resuscitation of the Yantra Tattoos (พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ)

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

This year I had the good fortunate to be able to attend another Wai Khru Ceremony at Wat Bang Pra in Nakorn Pathom, Thailand.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

Thousands of people came together to to celebrate & pay respect to the monks and ajarns at this provincial temple.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

I've written about this fascinating event before here.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

I left Bangkok early in the morning taking Route 338 driving towards Nakhon Pathom (นครปฐม). The taxi I hailed did not know the way there and I had to provide directions. It is best to print the address & directions to the temple in both Thai and English languages before you go.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

We crossed the Chao Phraya river over the Krung Thon bridge and then made our way towards the elevated expressway which would bring us out of Bangkok and into Nakorm Pathom. As you depart the city from the west the city transforms from a concrete jungle to rice fields and country life.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

The temple sits on the banks of the slow moving Nakorn Chaisi river as it cuts its away across the central plains towards the sea.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

This is the front view of the temple as I was walking in the front gate. Over the last 5 years the temple has paved the main parking lot in asphalt and constructed several new buildings.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

Compared to Bangkok, life is very quiet and conservative here in the Thai countryside.   Friends of mine who arrived the night before shared stories of the festival type atmosphere which went on the previous evening.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

This all seems to have been burned away by the hot morning sun.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

Now it was time to get serious, pray and ทำบุญ make merit.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

The monks tattooed all through the night and now it was the time for their newly inked skin to be resuscitated, blessed and recharged.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

As the devotees pray and mediate laughter and screams can be heard all around the temple grounds.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

Some of the screams are almost sinister in nature, others comedic but all as serious as a heart attack.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

The energy within the temple compound was intense.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

As the pinnacle moment arises, some of the disciples loose all control, transform into the animal they have personified on their body and rush screaming at full speed towards the front of the temple.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

Many times they run, crash and hurt themselves or others on the hard parking lot asphalt.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

Body snatchers lined up in defensive positions catch and calm the possessed by gently rubbing their ears.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

I overhead two of the body snatchers talking about a foreigner who had broken their arm and had to be medically evacuated.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

After the ceremony the monks bless the disciples and attendees with holy water.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น วัดบางพระ 2556

For more information and other photos you can read one of my previous accounts.

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น(วัดบางพระ)

พิธีไหว้ครูหลวงพ่อเปิ่น(วัดบางพระ) วันเสาร์ที่ 23 มีนาคม 2556 เวลา 9.39 นาที ณ วัดบางพระ ต.บางแก้วฟ้า อ.นครชัยศรี จ.นครปฐม

There is an short video of the event on Lonely Planet here.

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Bangkok's Deviant Street Art

The first large-scale collaboration between Thailand and European street artists. Kilos of fresh paint have been applied all over the city transforming ordinarily drab city walls into something creative and magical.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

This was the first large-scale collaboration between Thailand and Europe in the field of street art.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

After just having returned from working in New York City I was disappointed to find that I had missed the Bukruk International Street Art Festival.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

Street art is visual art. It can be found in almost every city. I've noticed more and more fresh paint over the last decade.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

The term can include traditional graffiti artwork, sculpture, stencil graffiti, sticker art and other types of guerrilla artwork.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

For some it is difficult to distinguish between contemporary public-space artwork and that from graffiti and vandalism.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

A portion of Us and Them Mural in the back of Siam Square by Alex Face.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

The area from Siam Square to Rama 6 is actually quite large and if you do not know the exact location could lead to a lot of ground work too.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

I am not surprised that they used the old abandoned buildings at the front of the Petchaburi Soi 18 community along the Saen Saeb canal.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

From the 4 Headed Elephant bridge over Phaya Thai road come down the stairs next to the pier. From the pier you can see many different works on both sides of the canal.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

Viewing each piece from different angles and perspectives reveals hidden stories and meanings.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

These large pieces above are located in the city blocks directly next to the Saem Saeb canal & Ratchatewi BTS on the same side of Phaya Thai road as Siam Paragon.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

This neighborhood consisting of 3 and 4 story block apartments is what most of Bangkok looked like 20 to 30 years ago.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

I would not be surprised to see this stretch of land be developed as a condo, hotel or another fancy mall by the end of the next decade.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

European artists (15):
Amandine Urruty & Nicolas Barrome: France / Low Bros: Germany / Hattie Stuart & Ben Eine: England / Ibie & San: Spain / Daan Botlek & Rick Hedof: Netherland / Akacorleone & Kruela Denfer: Portugal / Dem: Italy / Saddo: Romania / Bonom: Belgium

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

Thai artists (11):
Alex Face – Bon – Haritorn Akarapat – Kobby – Unchalee Anantawat – TRK – Mamafaka – P7 – Rukkit – Tawan Wattuya – Yuree Kensaku

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

http://bukruk.com/festival/about-the-festival/

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

The artwork is located in various spots around Pathumwan from Siam Square to Ratchatewi to Rama VI roads.

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Central Park After Winter Storm Nemo

The February 2013 nor'easter (also known as Winter Storm Nemo or the Blizzard of 2013 was a powerful winter storm that developed from the combination of two areas of low pressure, primarily affecting the Northeastern United States and parts of Canada, resulting in heavy snowfall and hurricane-force winds. © 2013 Michael LaPalme — New York City

Looking West to 5th Avenue on 59th Street. I used to spend quite a bit of time in Central Park when I worked in the city over a decade ago.

Looking south towards 59th street from within the park. I noticed a tall skyscraper currently being constructed behind the Essex House.



The Pond - Central Park West frozen the morning after the storm.



Manhattan Skyline from Central Park - Looking towards the corner of 5th avenue & 59th Street (Central Park South)



Manhattan Skyline from Central Park - Looking towards the corner of 5th avenue & 59th Street (Central Park South)



Manhattan Skyline from Central Park - Looking towards the corner of 5th avenue & 59th Street (Central Park South)



The storm dumped between 2 and 3 feet across the entire northeast. There were a few dozen people out enjoying the snow.



The bridge spanning "The Pond" in Central Park West



The first low-pressure system produced moderate amounts of snow across the northeast.



The rain and snow combined via a second system coming out from the Atlantic. Mayor Bloomberg asked everyone to stay home so that the emergency snow plows and salt trucks could clear the streets faster.



As the two systems merged they produced heavy snowfall from New Jersey to Ontario.



It seems as if the city had only just recovered from the recent Hurricane Sandy which saw large sections of Manhattan without heat or electricity for weeks after it struck.



From what I could tell the city took many precautions it normally would not have taken if Sandy had not struck.  This statue is located in the "Grand Army Plaza" at the intersection of 59th and 5th avenue in front of the Plaza Hotel.



Golden equestrian statue of William Tecumseh Sherman designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.



The gold statue of Sherman on a horse with "Victory" in front of him pointing the way forward.

Central Park is a public park at the center of Manhattan in New York City. The park initially opened in 1857, on 843 acres of city-owned land.

1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023