Slides & Summicrons - The Andaman Collection 2012

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Took two separate trips to Andaman region of Thailand this year, visiting Phuket and Krabi. This was my first trip to the region and the weather was quite kind to me the 9 days I was there!

As usual, I went with several rolls of slide film, my Konica Hexar RF and a pair of Summicrons - the 28mm ASPH and 75mm APO - and managed to return with some interesting shots. So on to the pics!

 

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Phuket in October. Our first destination on arrival was Phang Nga Bay and the sea gypsy village of Ko Panyi (or Pulau Panyi in the Malay language). [Provia 400X; Summicron 75mm APO]

I was quite surprised to discover that the entire village was built on stilts. Located behind a large limestone hill, the entire land size is perhaps smaller than the old Singapore National Stadium. Yet this small rock is home to "roughly 200 families or between 1,500 and 2,000 people." [Provia 400X; Summicron 75mm APO]

It's quite common to see ladies on this island wearing the headscarve (or hijab) - almost all of the island's inhabitants are Muslims who follow and practice the Islamic faith. [Provia 400X; Summicron 75mm APO]

The children here appear to lead a care free life - with the sea as their playground, I can only assume life here will be full of water-based adventures. [Provia 400X; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

These boys were diving and swimming in the waters all afternoon. [Provia 400X; Summicron 75mm APO]

 

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The friendly locals seemed a bit tense and camera shy at first. [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

But they later warmed up and become more chatty, which allowed me to take more shots up close. [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

The first thought that came to my mind when I saw this axe-wielding boy chopping wood was how hard life in Ko Panyi must be - that you still need to burn wood to produce fire. And then I visited some of the houses and saw the Xbox game consoles, satellite TV and laptops..and well... [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

This lady was extremely nice and sold me some cool local handcrafted souvenirs. Apparently the wood they chop are used to make these souvenirs - which explains the axe-wielding boy. [Provia 400X; Summicron 75mm APO]

 

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Fishing is a common activity here, enjoyed by both the young and old. [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

Another popular past time in Ko Panyi is football (or soccer depending on which country you're from). The locals play it almost every afternoon. [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

Due to the shortage of open spaces, the locals used their engineering skills to construct a floating platform, furbishing it as an open court for playing football. In total, I saw 3 of these floating football platform on Ko Panyi. [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

Generations of football players have played and honed their craft on these man-made artificial turfs. There is even a short documentary on YouTube about the Ko Panyi footballers and the story of how they rose to dominate the regional Thai football tournaments. [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

 

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Random people portraits in Ko Panyi

[Provia 400X; Summicron 75mm APO]

[Provia 400X; Summicron 75mm APO]

[Provia 400X; Summicron 75mm APO]

[Provia 400X; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

 

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Much of the transportation to the islands around the Phang Nga Bay region is water-based. The versatile long-tail boats are commonly used to ferry people around from place to place. [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

These long-tail boats are a source of livelihood for many living in the Andaman. The sea-faring boatmen spend much of their days on the seas, they even sleep in the boats... [Kodak Elitechrome 100; Summicron 75mm APO]

...have their meals in the boats... [Kodak Elitechrome 100; Summicron 75mm APO]

...and some even do their cooking in their boats! The menu served on this floating restaurant is quite comprehensive. [Kodak Elitechrome 100; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

 

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Ahh..the beautiful vista at Laem Phromthep (Phromthep Cape) in south Phuket is truly breathtaking - especially during sunset. [Kodak E100G; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

Ahh, Laem Phromthep - where couples come in droves to have their wedding photos taken... [Kodak E100G; Summicron 75mm APO]

...where hipsters arrive totting their Instagram-powered iPhones to get a piece of the smoldering sunset... [Kodak E100G; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

...where siblings go to offer each other soothing head massages... [Kodak E100G; Summicron 75mm APO]

...and where devotees converge to offer their prayers and supplication. [Kodak E100G; Summicron 75mm APO]

 

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One more picture of the lovely Laem Phromthep before 2013 kicks in. [Kodak E100G; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

 

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And so the journey in Phuket continues. In October, the vegetarian festival was in full swing and I was lucky enough to witness the large religious procession that took place in Old Phuket Town. And what a march it was!

Old Phuket town was buzzing with activity - it become more chaotic later on when the fireworks started! [Kodak E100G; Summicron 75mm APO]

There was plenty of street-style food and drinks on sale at the Vegetarian Festival bazaar area - if you ask and snoop around, you'll find that the food served are strictly for vegetarians. [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

Like I said, plenty of food and drinks on sale. [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

The whole of Old Phuket Town was alive in a cacophony of colors! [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

 

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Things became really chaotic once the procession started at around 4pm - some of those firecrackers thrown by the bystanders sounded more like hand grenades! Needless to stay, I stayed off the main road and stuck by the road side.

While I was jumping around trying to evade the firecrackers, the procession walkers seemed quite unaffected by all the smoke and noise. [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

The participants were carrying various items - like religious idols... [Kodak E100VS; Summicron 28mm ASPH]

...while others were brandishing weapons and using it on themselves - yikes! This practice of mortification of the flesh for religious purposes reminded me of the self-flagellation practiced by some European monastic orders as well as Shi'a pilgrims in Karbala. [Kodak E100G; Summicron 75mm APO]

From time to time some devotees would suddenly rush towards the procession walkers in order to get their blessings. [Kodak E100G; Summicron 75mm APO]