Tourism: Giza Pyramids, Egypt

The pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx are, as you'd expect, crawling with tourists from every corner of the globe. That much I expected. One of many things that surprised me besides the suburbs of Cairo closing in was the bus parking lot sitting right in front of one of the giants. If only the ancient Egyptians knew, they could have accommodated them! I imagined that this place was somewhat sacred and parking lots would be far away out of view and people would be dropped off by eco-buses with Sphinx heads and witty bus drivers. So much for that. It's very hustle and bustle, with vendors, camel ride rentals, etc., etc.

Tourists

I've been taking photos of tourists as I've always found them and the culture of tourism quite interesting. Not sure if I have any interesting enough to do anything with, but I thought I'd share some here. Will post more from different locations soon. These are from Angkor in Cambodia. The top photo are of course of Asian tourists, probably Chinese in origin (notice the black socks, sandals, gloves, utter contempt for the sun (westerners on the other hand are on the whole practically naked to ensure full sun exposure for that "I've been on vacation" tan when returning home), wanton abuse of the color pink, and of course, the classic herd touring mentality. The bottom photo is likely Japanese given what appears to be his professional photography/traveling vest and outfit. This guy is ready to leap off crazy ass ruins and do battle with Laura Croft. To me his outfit says, "Screw the unimaginable heat of Cambodia, there are f-ing snakes and mythical creatures afoot. An unprepared Indiana Jones is a dead Indiana Jones. Excuse me while I line up a great shot of these carvings with my digi-cam that I will bore my friends and family with when I get home." Or he could be thinking, "Let me take a photo of this jackass westerner taking a photo of me to complete my series."

Modern Thai/Borneo Long House, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Landscaping is yet to be done...The neighborhood was built in the middle of an lychee/mango orchard and overlooks a small lake.


All the roof tiles were handmade and glazed by a local artisan...which accounted for the house taking a year and a half to finish. The owner moved in last week.














Bedroom


Jacuzzi bath



I was invited to a scrumptious lunch party at a wonderful woman named Carol's new house just outside of Chiang Mai. While in the Peace Corps in Borneo in the 60's Carol lived in a long house and her dream has been to build a house of her own inspired by that with a some Thai influence thrown in (think I got that right). Here is the incredible result. She isn't totally moved in yet and these are just some snaps so please pardon the mess. Thanks Carol, Wat, Adam, Jessica and Steve!

Care for Dogs Shelter, Chiang Mai, Thailand

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