Snorkeling in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Damon

One of the best investments I made as far as camera gear goes has been the Olympus Sytlus 790sw. While the camera only has a depth of about three meters deep, it is more than sufficient to get decent pics of a variety of tropical fish in the waters of Thailand and islands like Koh Phi Phi.

Note: I am way to chicken to dare try to seal my DSLR properly to take even better underwater pics . Since I am rather clumsy, and probably more lax than I should be when checking things like seals and gaskets, I decided I would rather risk losing a camera worth about $250 USD than losing the amount of money I have invested in my DSLR.

Simon Cabaret: Phuket, Thailand

Posted on October 11, 2009 by Damon

The Simon Cabaret in Phuket, Thailand is a “must see” show if you are visiting Phuket (I probably wouldn’t recommend the show for those traveling with small children).

Most of the performers in the show are Kathoey, or also affectionately known as “ladyboys“. You will often see many of the performers in the show at “Soi Kathoey” later in the night if you’re strolling down Soi Bangla in Patong (and many of the drunk tourists actually mistake them for being originally born as a woman).

Thailand: Snorkeling on Koh Surin Island (Sea Snake)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Damon

This is probably one of the few times I will publish a higher resolution picture on the web, largely because it makes seeing the sea snake easier. While I personally wasn’t afraid of the snake, because I know they would have to bite you somewhere fairly “soft” to inflict lethal damage, the guide started to freak when this snake got a little “too close for comfort”. I basically took this snap with my Olympus underwater cam, then was whisked away a few seconds later.

Update: I found out this is known as a Banded Sea Krait.

Thailand Hill Tribe Girl: Paduang outside of Chiang Mai

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Damon

I have another picture of this cute little Paduang hill tribe girl posted in an earlier entry on the blog. She was so cute and relaxed after we stayed and talked to her and her mother for a bit.

I did some minor post processing with Picnik to enhance the colors of her outfit & rings.

Jaguar: Chiang Mai Zoo

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Damon

This picture of a Jaguar was modified using Picnik from this original here. As you can see from the original, the glass of the cage put some strange aberrations in the photo that couldn’t be easily corrected with any of the tools I had at my disposal (I don’t use Photoshop because I haven’t had the time to really learn it). I used Picnik to change the color to black & white, played around with the contrast a little bit, and then went for a focal zoom effect on Picnik to create some “movement” in the picture.

Phuket: Fantasea Show

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Damon

Fantasea is one of the better tourist attractions to see while vacationing in Phuket (see a fire long-exposure picture from a previous entry). If you’re looking for another tourist attraction besides Fantasea, the Simon Cabaret is another one of the shows you should see while in Phuket.

The nice thing about Fantasea is that you can have a picture taken with a baby tiger (yes, I realize that there are bad things about this practice as well).

Hill Tribe Girl Outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Damon

This little girl was so shy at first (she loosened up after we gave her a snack).. I guess I could understand being on public display all day long for the entertainment of tourists, when a little kid actually probably just wants to play.

From a purely cultural perspective, the Chiang Mai region of Thailand is probably going to be the more “real version” of what Thailand is (or was) historically. If you’re looking for cultural attractions and a very relaxed atmosphere, I would personally recommend Chiang Mai over areas like Phuket or Pattaya. First-time visitors to Thailand should make the following itinerary to get the most out of their first trip:

Bangkok-Chiang Mai-Phuket (I am recommending Phuket because of the world-class beaches & a very modern infrastructure, not to mention easy access to places like Krabi and Koh Phi Phi).

More information about the various hill tribes can be found here.

Buddha: Sukhothai, Thailand

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Damon

Sukhothai, while not quite having the scenic splendor of the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia , is one of my favorite places I’ve been to in Thailand. Getting around to the many temples is at least a full-day affair, and I could definitely spend more time there taking pictures.

Phuket, Thailand: Fantasea Long Exposure

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Damon

I play around with long exposure shots at times to see what happens with the shot. I haven’t been brave enough to try a camera toss yet, and something tells me that my clumsiness won’t let me even consider it.

Fantasea is a Thai cultural show, similar to Cirque Du Soleil, that has an awesome ending with about twelve elephants. The good thing is that the park opens a few hours before the show, which means you can grab dinner, shop & see a few other small performances first.

Wat Doi Su Thep: Chiang Mai, Thailand

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Damon

Damon's Diorama

Photoblog generally containing pictures of animals and Thailand

Tag Archives: thailand