Thailand Characters

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Hiding in a small Isaan style restaurant just off Khao San Road.

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A tuktuk driver on Khao San who wanted to take me on a one hour tour of the city for 10 baht. What a generous guy. If only I had had the time!

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A classic photo from the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in Rachaburi.

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A pretty lady in Pattaya. Don't know if the hat and the ear rings match or not.

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Songkran!

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"Money for me, money for me!"

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Ahhhh, in this hot weather, the driver goes about the national pastime...

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The view of the world's largest gpld reclining Buddha lost its allure for her a long time ago...

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This shot doesn't really show you how large these monitor lizards in Lumpini Park were. I jut love the way the two Thai ladies at the top of the picture just sit there watching these half snake / half alligator beasts!

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A young girl opens a bag of fish food to feed the fish at a temple and make merit.

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I was captivated by the genuine warmth of this beggar's smile. But with all due respect to the woman, she did not look like she was a bona fide beggar. Either that or unlike most she really did make the effort to look after herself despite the difficulties she faces.

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A young lad is attached to his mother's mobile kitchen on Soi 6 in Pattaya.

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Oooh, shrimp fried rice, my favourite!

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The tattoos on this gent's torso are supposed to protect him from all of the the world's evils. He's probably a fair bit older than he looks - I bet he was close to 70, so the tattoos may well work!

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At the Floating Market at Damonen Saduak in Rachaburi, older ladies gracefully paddle their boats through the network of klongs (canals).

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These well fed ladies enjoy time out from their shopping in a suburban market.

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Collecting your cash as you cross the river on one of the 3 baht ferries.

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This poor guy was not making a lot when I walked past - either he had a nasty cold or he has yet to develop hi singing voice!

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A monk begging for money? Miss Udon insisted that this guy was not the genuine article at all.

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A homeless man captures some zzzzz in a temple down by Thammasat University.

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Right on Sukhumvit, a vendor takes a break and gets stuck into the latest comic. Thais of all ages adore comic books and it is not unusual to see women well into their 30s sitting on the skytrain enthralled by their comic!

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A very sad sight, a pregnant beggar.

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Bent DVDs for sale on Sukhumvit.

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A Muslim man hanging out in in Sukhumvit Soi 3/1.

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This beggar looks as though he suffered from leprosy and is a common sight begging on Sukhumvit. It is rumoured that many of these beggars are part of controlled gangs and little of the money they receive is for them.

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I genuinely couldn't tell if this guy was Thai or not...and he was scary enough looking that I didn't dare ask!

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Lychee, delicious when it is in season!

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If there is one thing I don't miss from my early days in Thailand, it is sitting jammed tight into a bus that was going nowhere fast. You'll never know just how bad traffic was pre-skytrain if you didn't experience it for yourself.

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I guess she was a homeless girl who chose to sleep with the fire hydrant as her pillow, on Khao San Road.

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Suki Haeng is being fried up by a vendor at the small market at Ta Dien, next to the Chao Praya River.

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Who was caught with their hand in the cookie jar?!

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A bunch of kids were jumping off a railway bridge which crosses the Bangkok Noi Klong and I managed to get one or two of the shots in focus. These kids are brave - not only were they jumoping several metres, the klong itself was filthy!

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Despite not knowing each other, all of these Thais sit down and share tables while enjoying the food at a local market.

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Hmmm, just what is that in his hand?! Are they allowed to smoke?!

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Mixing up a bowl of gooey deow (noodle soup).

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The Taling Chan floating market in Bangkok is worth a visit if you don't have time to make it to Damonen Saduak.

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Ooops, she saw me!

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This pretty lass worked with what I guess was her mother selling this and that at the Taling Chan River Market.

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There is something seriously wrong in this photo. Can you spot it? You have to wonder what Mummy was thinking... This was taken on Khao San Road.

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A young couple share a laugh. With nowhere to go - they can hardly hang out at either of their parents' houses, they are left to relax in public.

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A young couple sit on Saphan Poot and look out over the Chao Praya River towards Wat Arun. The market at Saphan Poot is a popular spot for young lovers in the evening.

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Selling all sorts of weird brands of cigarettes at the Saphan Poot Market. They' are sold individually, i.e. it's a few baht per fag.

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Time for a game of Thai draughts, in Lumpini Park.

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The popular fortune teller on the Beach Road, Pattaya, who tells the girls just when they are going to meet Miss Right. Sorry gals, Dana is happy to remain a bachelor.

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A samlor rider in Roi Et, he wanted 20 baht after I took the photo and got quite nasty when it wasn't forthcoming!

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Behind the grimey cabinet a man prepares chicken and oily rice.

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This little lady was enjoying a sweet drink at the night market in the city of Udon Thani.

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Isn't it awful to see a woman of this age forced to beg?

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Be careful. If you eat too muh you'll get fat like me!

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"Oh, my precious white skin!" A couple of local lasses use an umbrella on a bright sunny day in the quiet (and boring) town of Si Chiang Mai in Nongkhai.

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Mmmm, cutting up the bacon!

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Hiding behind the bushes!

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What do you think that look on his face means? At the Indochina Market in Nongkhai.

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Making one of my favourites, old style iced coffee, near the Indochina Market in Nongkhai.

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A vendor hunts for change in the coin bo at the market beside Sala Gaewgoo just outside the city of Nongkhai.

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Enjoying her lunch.

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A bunch of seniors enjoy lunch in the temple grounds in rural Nongkhai. They kindly invited us to share with them but as much as I like Isaan food, this mix looked just a bit too spicy!

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This lady appeared to be doing odd jobs at a market in central Udon Thani. She was perhaps the only person I met in Udon who didn't smile!

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A motorcylce rider impersonates a tuktuk driver in downtown Udon Thani.

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A motorbike rider in downtown Udon Thani. The locals in Udon are soem of the nicest, friendliest people in all of Thailand and are noticeably nicer than even those in the neighbouring provinces.

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I was incredibly lucky to get this shot as it was after midnight and the rain was teeming down, yet somehow the autofocus locked (most probably on the headlight) and even at 3200 ISO I got a useable shot.

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Anyone for a late night snack?

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Cover up, darling, or we might get an unwanted show! The big question is whether it is the real thing? (Both the knockers and "her"!?)

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What on earth is she doing?! A lady ascends a tree late at night. Of course it could only be Pattaya!

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A vendor sells insects and other tasty snacks on Second Road, Pattaya.

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A groundswoman goes about her duty in the grounds of Phimai Historical Park in Nakhon Rachasima.

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E-dan! The Isaan farmer's tractor!

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Thai boys get ready to dive into the Chao Praya River. They're beave!

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A strange version of tagraw is played whereby the players have to try and get the ball into a net erected several metres above them.

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Her job is to grill chicken and sell it out the front of her house. I doubt she would make much more than 50 baht a day profit.... It's a hard life!

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Typical attire of a vendor in rural Thailand, this friendly woman wandered the streets selling kanom (Thai style sweets).

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In rural Thailand, kids are often raised by their grandparents while their parents move to the big cities in search of decent paying work. It is hard to eek out a living in rural Thailand - there just isn't the work available and sadly, family members are apart for much of the year.

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Thai kids and their huge smiles always make for nice photos.

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The sign in Thai says "kanom jin" 14 baht, meaning Chinese style noodles are availale at 14 baht a bowl.

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This guy was peculiar. At a fresh market in provincial Udon, he just sat there and dry shaved himself with the razor continually, while gazing into space.

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A cute kid who told stories that embarrased her mother something chronic...(her mother was eyeing up the Stickmeister!)

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Cute kids in rural Thailand. Once they saw the camera and saw the immediate results, they were begging me to take more shots. I went through a whole gigabyte memory card in less than 30 minutes!

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Anyone for a side of beef?

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Selling contraband, promoting marijuana, wow, you got to wonder about this guy! Still, it's in Pattaya so what do you expect?!

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Over 70 years old and a great conversationalist. It is hard to beat chatting with the oldies in Thailand and if you're prepared to listen, and they don't repeat themselves too much, you get some great stories.

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She agreed to my request to take a picture, but only if I moved the big Leo bottle and put to soft drink bottles in front of her. Really, it's true! This was in rural Udon Thani.

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These two old ducks massage tourists on the beach at Hua Hin.

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A promotion girl on Khao San Road yaks away to a friend in Thai on her mobile, while handing out promotional leaflets to farangs.

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Time for a break at Lumphini.

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What is granddad holding in his hand? And that's not a smile on his face. Who's he looking for? Did his wife come home last night?!

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A cute kid in rural Udon Thani. She just jumped up and posed and I fired off the shot with no time to compose, so was well pleased with how it turned out.

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Rain crashes down on the capital and is too much for some people's umbrellas.

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Look at the road Mama, not at me!

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Down on his luck, he told me that he used to be a chef in Pattaya but then things went awry and he ended up back in the provinces with no money. His English was pretty good.

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He spoke Thai but he looked more Vietnamese to me.....

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Always a sad sight in a country which produces enough food to feed the entire region...

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That's not her daughter, it's her sister!

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A friendly tuktuk druver in rural Isaan.

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In That Phanom, two pretty girls catch every guy's attention!

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"What are you pointing your camera at? The chedi?!"

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A young novice beams for the camera.

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Taken out of a moving car, these guys were in a songtaew heading towards Sakhon Nakhon.

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I think this was in rural Khon Kaen although I am not 100%. The old boy was wearing but his underwear...

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Looking across the mighty Mekhong towards Laos.

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A monk strolls along the river-front promenade in pretty Nakhon Phanom.

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A friendly beautician who operates on Pattaya Beach. Like so many her story is sad...she works the beach because her husband died in a motorbike crash - full marks to her for not falling into a bar job.

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The flower man from Walking Street, Pattaya.

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Selling trinkets from the north at a bay just around from Pattaya.

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The beach walk from Pattaya Bay towards Nagleua is a pleasant trek... and if you're lucky you might meet this kindly soul who very well may invite you up into the bushes for a bit of fun....as she invited me. I declined "her" generous offer.

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A beer bar on Beach Road, Pattaya - where else could it possibly be?

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Three motorcycle taxi riders in downtown Korat. They leapt up from their game of draughts and asked me to photograph them, of which I was only too happy to oblige!

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The local home moving service?!

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Being resourceful, a wheelbarrow can also be a place to rest!

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I am in love!

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Horribly bored outside a beer bar on Patong Beach, Phuket.

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His name is Oat. He is a homeless fellow who is often seen around the Silom Road area, particually in Soi Thaniya where this photo was taken.

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An old lady at Karon Beach. I asked her if I could take her photo and she said only if I gave her 20 baht. And then after I had given her 20 baht she wouldn't even look at the camera, let alone smile! SCAM!

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Mate, it's time to visit the dentist!

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A cute couple take photographs of each other with the phone on their mobile camera at Lumpini Park.

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A bit of liquor in the system and this guy was all over the show.

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Oh my goodness! What on earth are they doing in a public place?!

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A star of this site for some time, this lady has a sad past. She is not quite all there, due to being viciously beaten up by a former farang boyfriend. She can still be spottedaround Sois 7 and 8.

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The boardwalk in Pattaya as some people call it. Always a great spot for people watching...

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I never did quite figure out what he (she?) was doing!

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Oh my goodness. If I get that big, shoot me! I hate to be cruel, but I can remember when a pal of mine was in Thailand a few years back and we spotted someone with a similar physique to this fellow and my pal said, "I know why a guy like that coems to Thailand." Hard to argue with him!

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A silk vendor in Korat, the city with two names. It is also known as Nakhon Rachasima.

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A Western couple zoom along the ChaoPraya River at break neck speed with their child unthethered in his or her pram.

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A couple of scavengers collect bits and bobs at the Asoke intersection late at night.

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"What are you with the big lens looking at?!"

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I think this is what the Thais would call "I Oo-un"! Ask your Thai firend what that phrase means.

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A farmer and his buffalo. This one hasn't kicked the bucket....yet!

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The motorbike is the familty transport for many. Even after so many years in Thailand, I cringe when I see this sight.

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Always a sad sight on the streets of Bangkok. You see less of this upcountry than you do in the capital and the beaches and islands.

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A homeless man bothers his dog which is trying to get some zzzzz. Or maybe he is asking the dog if it wants a swig of his Singha?

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Two cute girls in a lane next to the Golden Mount.

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A local businessman has no shortage of Buddhist amulets.

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The garb might be traditional, but the mobile phone isn't.

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A couple of Thai labourers look like they have have just woken up for the day.

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A cute little kid in rural Thailand points his gun at me!

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Labourers at the end of the day. It is not unusual to see gangs of Thais sitting casually in the back of a pick up truck as it barrels along intercity roads at high speed.

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Feeling hungry?! She'll whip you up a treat in minutes.

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I would guess that these two pretty ladies on Khao Sarn Road are actually Japanese. They really do not like Thai.

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A young Thai lady from the Beach Road in Pattaya. She kept sayng "Dana, Dana" but have no idea what that means, probably some strange Thai word I do not understand...

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"Hello handsome man!" Women from a bar opposite Beach Road in Pattaya.

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A gardener takes a leak outside a temple in Roi Et. He must have had a lot to drink!

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Thais seldom eat alone because eating in a group makes the food more delicious!

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Wow! Check her out! A promotional girl for Sangsom, one of the popular brands of Thai whisky.

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An elderly couple play Thai instruments outside the Irish Xchange on Soi Convent.

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There's not time like the present to catch up on sleep. Who's reflection is that in the mirror?

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Taking a pride in his work, a tuktuk driver gives the beast a good cleaning. The sticker on the side of the tuktuk says "We Love The King".

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On Soi Thaniya, three Thai ladies invite passers by in for a massage.

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Is he trying to look like Elvis? A vendor on Khao Sarn Road has a selection of the latest albums at a mere 100 baht a copy, copy being the most apporpriate word!

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A pretty Thai woman looks pensive.

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You go island, mister? The seaman is about to drift off in the late afternoon Pattaya afternoon sun.

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A regular fixture on the Beach Road in Pattaya, this lady is always chatty and I enjoy asking her what has been going on in Pattaya since my last visit. She always tells mewhat is happening and from time to time, her words have appeared in the weekly column. Stickman correspondents come in all shapes and forms!

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A farmer in Roi Et. I never did work out whether it was a man or a woman. I *think* it's a bloke! He gave me evil looks when I stopped the Stickmobile by the side of the road and pulled out the telephoto.

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Not that uncommon a sight in Thailand, a farang monk. I wonder if he gets the same level of respect from the locals as a Thai monk does?

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Mr Handsome man checks out the crowds on the Beach Road. Who's lucky day is it?!

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Would you like some snot with your banana pancake? It's free, no extra charge!

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Those damned frog sales people! This hilltribe woman walks up and down Khao Sarn Road rubbing a small piece of wood over a wooden frog, and tryign to peddle it for silly money. Do people actually buy these things?!

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Amazing skill from a Thai juggling a football on Khao Sarn Road. I have never seen anything like it before. And good on the guy, he was earning really good money from those watching.

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49 baht for a draft beer? Sorry darling, I am about to lose the late afternoon light so I'll come back a little bit later (and I did, but the price had gone up to 99!)

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The motorbike boys at the stop of Soi Pattayaland 2. Acouple of them are holding laminated cards for the local massage parlours.

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An East European woman, possibly a Russian, shows off in that little cubicle atthat gogo bar on Walking street which has exclusively Western women. Sorry honey, you can't compete with the local lasses.

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The most bored looking girls on Walking Street are those who should have more energy and enthusiasm trying to entice punters into their bar.

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An old woman sells roses to the romantically inclined on Walking Street. Poor old dear really should not be working at her age, but despite her age, she maintained a smile most of the time.

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This photo was taken outside the beautiful 9-storey temple in Khon Kaen. This poor old lady was not carrying the shopping, but looked to be a scavenger, collecting rubbish and taking it to one of the recycling plants where she would get a few baht for the lot.

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Thai children really do photograph well.

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A young lad grins away - probably because he was enjoing the sights on Soi Pattayaland 2!

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A dosser sleeps wherever he can, in this case, on the second road in Pattaya.

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Ta-graw, that odd mix of volleyball and football fascinates sports fans when they see it for the first time. It is played with a really odd little ball and the players are quite athletic. The sport is very popular in South East Asia.

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Ooooh, she doesn't look like the type of person I would want to piss off!

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The Beach Road in Pattaya is a street photographer's dream. Walk from one end to the other and you have hundreds of subjects!

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This lass was perched in a tree on the Beach Road in Pattaya. All sorts of characters can be found on that stretch of road.

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Why is it that so many street food vendors are so, mmmm, "well-rounded"!

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A pretty, but somewhat hard-looking lass peaks over the vegetation at me on the Beach Road in Pattaya. Tattoos always make me think that a girl is tough, especially Thai women who are not so hot on tattoos, generally.

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An old woman in rural Chaiyaphum. Older Thais will seldom smile when you take their photograph, smiles not being the done thing in photographs when they were growing up.

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It says Noi on his hat. I guess he has been selling roses like this for many, many years.

Thailand 2005 Photo Gallery

Thailand night-time and low-light