Phuket, Thailand 3

Phuket, Thailand 3

Suzan and Her Batik Painting She Did During

an Art Class on Coral Island

Suzan learned the process of Batik painting (done on silk - an Indonesian art form). First the scene is drawn (I did not draw this - already done for me). I did trace the scene then with wax - then painted each one with something similar to watercolors. First one paints with water then with the colors. When done there is a process of applying wax to the entire painting and boiling it for several hours (I wasn't around for that and still don't quite understand how it all works). My instructor shared that she spent two entire years learning the process so in one day I couldn't expect to fully comprehend. Had a lot of fun and did this over two half-days next to a young girl from Israel (who was Indian) who had loads of talent!

A View From the Beach Towards the Mountains

of the Bangtao Lagoon Bungalows Where We Stayed

Our fresh naval orange and peach bungalow on the sand with a quaint front porch cost us $25.00 a night! Can we move here?!

A N. Thailand Hill Tribe Person From Chiang Mai

Selling Her Goods on the Beach, All the Way in South Thailand

We Rode Bikes Up a Hill Above the Beach to

a "Locals" Viewpoint. Very Scenic.

False Advertising. They Were Not Able to Remove

the Grey From Jim's Hair

The Crystal Clear, Azure Colored Waters

of the Andaman Sea at Bangtao Beach

Happy Hour on the Sands of Bangtao Beach

Thailand, Celebrating as We Do Best

Our favorite way to wind down another beautiful beach day in Thailand - on the beach with our bare feet in the sand - having a seafood Thai dinner, sipping beer and/or wine while the waves lap nearby. Now this is LIVING.

Resting During a Long Bike Ride on the West

Coast of Phuket. We Were Lost, so We Had to Rest

We took a wrong turn somewhere - yet instead of feeling lost - we decided to reframe the situation. We instead found some really cool places. We stopped at a restaurant along a private pond. As we sat down a sow and her piglets ran by - all five. Then the monitor lizard that Jim had been desperately seeking in Coral Island - appeared - here! Jim had a photo field day. We stopped at an Open House along a golf course - pristine - and noticed that all of the caddies are women. How cool is this. We passed fields of water buffalo, a huge lake with lotus blossums and beautiful oversized Thai homes to oggle over (which are likely inhabited by 'foreigners' as we were told that many Europeans are buying up the place)........At any rate we spent a day finding our way back and never really got lost at all!

The Artist Supawat Standing Next to His Buddha

Masterpiece, Which Will Be Hanging in Our House Soon!

On a long beach walk Jim notices a sign for the S and W Gallery nearby. "Let's go in," Jim suggests. Suzan in her bikini and a pair of Tevas says, "Well I'm not dressed for this." Jim then says, "They won't care - they'll appreciate the potential business."......"We're only browsing though," said Suzan.
One hour later...... Suzan and Jim purchased the magnificent painting of the "Meditative Buddha."
With the artist's use of gold leaf and an impressionistic background - the painting has an ethereal quality - we became mesmerized - felt as if we were levitating---this work is a definite reminder to take an inner-retreat as a sanctuary for the soul. And we'll always be reminded of our favorite Asian country, THAILAND!

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