Nai Yang Beach, Phuket, Thailand 2

Being only a stones throw from my house, I often go to Nai Yang on my day off. It's such a lovely place to relax and listen to the waves.

Coral on driftwood

The crabs roll intricate patterns of sand balls. I thought some time ago that they were eggs, but I have been told otherwise by a man in the know. Cool all the same.

God, he said quietly. Isn't the sea what Algy calls it: a grey sweet mother? The snotgreen sea. The scrotumtightening sea. (Ulysses - Joyce)

You could catch some tasty dinner in one of those babies.

Ayutthaya, Thailand

"Only a fool could not take a decent picture in Ayutthaya."

These are the very words that I thought after doing some pre-trip wiki-research. Predictably true to form, I managed to take millions of pictures most of which could have been bettered by a blind chip wasted on ketamine.

Here are the pick of the pitiful bunch:

Bangkok Cityscape, Thailand

Shot from the hotel room balcony.

And again.

Shot from the top of the Baiyoke Tower II:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baiyoke_Tower_II

The photograph voted the winning wonder of Ireland .

Belfast Telegraph:

An amateur snapper from Co Down fought off thousands of competitors to win a tourist photography competition, it was announced yesterday.

Ryan Wilson impressed the judges with his entry entitled Into the West to take home first prize in the Wonders of Ireland contest.

The winning picture features Tyrella beach near Downpatrick against the stunning backdrop of the Mourne Mountains, with a horse and rider in silhouette.

The photo also shows a dramatic sky with heavy clouds and sun bursting through, which was described as “typically Irish”.

Irish and visiting tourists submitted thousands of photo entries, with 56% of images coming from visitors.

The 11 runner-up photographs were the work of Belgian, Dutch, Spanish, UK, German and Irish tourists.

The announcement was made by Gulliver Ireland at the launch of the GoIreland.com Photography Awards 2009 yesterday.

Held in association with John Hinde Ireland, the GoIreland.com Photography Awards is an international amateur tourist photography competition that highlights Ireland and its tourism qualities using a different theme each year.

Photo of the Day

This was taken at a Chinese /Thai temple in Hat Yai. I really like the expression on the young monks face. Notice the different dress of Chinese/Thai monks.

Pikey

Photo of the Day

These photos were taken in Khao Lak in Thailand in 2007. It was the worst hit area from the 2004 tsunami. On this small stretch of beach an estimated 10,000 people perished. I took these phots to show the bleakness and macabre atmosphere that still hangs around.

The beach moved 15/20 metres up land because of the tsunami and left trees on a new beach with their roots still intact.

In the other photo you can see one of the many tributes that adorn trees that are now on the beach.

Scary

This is a video from the day showing you the power of the wave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TQR9ph8kSs&feature=related

Pikey

Photo of the Day

This photo was taken looking into a temple on top of a mountain in Hat Yai, Thailand where my friend and I went and sat for a day last year. It was in the middle of no where and we did not see anyone all day. Very tranqil and relaxing.

Pikey