Exploring A Canal Series
Chom Chom, eating fruit in a village on the Mekong Delta, August 30, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Beautiful Boy, child in a village on the Mekong, August 30,
photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
red on blue, red lace over blue shutters in a home on the Mekong, August 30, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Floating, helm of the canoe as we make our way down a Mekong canal, August 30, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Brick Village Series
Lone Boat at Dawn, small boat painted with a face to ward away evil, August 31, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Morning, man and child on a boat at morning passing the brick village on the Mekong, August 31, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Brick Village, detail of a building in a village whose homes are constructed of brick, August 31, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Brick Village, faded blue boat docked on the edge of Mekong’s brick village, August 31, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Temple Window, looking out the window of a Buddhist temple in Cai Be, August 31, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Arms, statue in a Buddhist Temple in the city of Cai Be on the Mekong, August 31, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Temple Colors, beautiful colors in a Buddhist Temple in the city of Cai Be, August 31, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Big River Series
New Bridge, bridge being constructed near the city of Can Tho, August 30, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Floating Market, vendors selling produce on the river, August 30, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Tidy Village, buildings stand out on a crisp morning, August 31, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Bassac Boat Series
Bassac Cruise Boat, wooden boat for excursions from two to nine days, August 31, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Tomato Art, an elegantly presented decoration, August 30, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
-related to posts Peace On The Mekong and A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words. Or Is It?
ybonesy – such an exciting series. There is so much color and detail. And so much depth in your exploration of the culture even though you were never right “in their faces”.
Your photo essay makes me long to take photos somewhere – anywhere! – that is not in the American Midwest. Not that I don’t appreciate my Wisconsin and all it offers, but I really want to shoot some place new.
I’m hoping my foray into the US Southwest in October will calm some of my wanderlust for awhile. But how I would love to see more of this world than just my own country.
Thanks for sharing.
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Exceptional photographs, you have such a good eye and are so wonderful with colours.
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The second of the boat shots would make a wonderful painting…hint…hint…
but the small boy is my favorite…he has a great expression, full of innocent sweetness…and just a hint of mischief
really beautiful yb
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Delicious photographs, yb. It’s actually very beautiful there. Seems peaceful. There are so many details in these photos, I may come back and comment again after I have a chance to study them more.
I am drawn to the first Temple photo, the Brick Village, and Beautiful Boy (he really is). I like Lone Boat At Dawn, too, and the face painted on the boat. Great detail. I would not have known why it was there.
You know, that first shot of Chom Chom — the fruit has a similar structure to this sweet gum seed that Liz picked up in Georgia. It’s sitting right here beside me in a dish. It is dark chocolate brown though.
Fascinating. Thanks for sharing all of these. I hope to hear more about the Temple as you have time.
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yb, I also like Floating. I notice the river is muddy brown, the color of the Rio Grande. Did it feel like that river?
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I love chom chom!! ❤
The photo of the little boy is soooo adorable! And the rest of the photos are amazing!! Great eye for detail, yb! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing!
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P.S. Like Bo, it really does make me want to go out of Western countries and explore different places and soak in the culture differences. I really like how the photos reveal how you have an eye for art and design. 🙂
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Thank you! I honestly don’t think I’m a very good photographer, especially when I see certain shots by others. But I’m plodding along, trying to improve as I go.
QM, the river is muddy brown, and I suppose the color did harken back to a certain other river, but everything was so incredibly unfamiliar—the humidity, the vegetation, the smells and quality of light—that it honestly didn’t remind me of the Rio Grande. Not to mention the width and depth of the river. Just so different.
Oh, also, I did save a couple of photos for a post about the temple, especially since I’ve started a drawing on that. I’ve already tried finding the name of that temple, but to no avail. I’ll keep trying.
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A~Lotus, chom chom really is one of my new favorite fruits. I don’t recall if I asked you this already, but among the *many* Vietnamese fruits, which one is your favorite?
Bo, October in the Southwest will be colorful and like a whole different country. 8) But yes, the camera has infused a new excitement for me when it comes to international travel. I linked this post back to the one I wrote about taking photos when traveling — A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words. Or Is It? — in which QM talked about the practice of photography. Approaching picture-taking that way, which is much more than picture-taking, certainly did open my eyes in a new way to what was around me. Pulled me out of my head and into the present moment. So glad we had that conversation before I left.
Thanks, too, Jo and Heather. Heather, so you think I ought to paint the boat, eh? I don’t know if I can. Hmmm, I’ll have to think about that. Would be kind of cool.
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Holy. Crap.
These are amazing.
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yb, lol, you asked this already. It’s difficult for me to choose which fruits are my favorite because I have such a sweet tooth for any fruit that has such a satisfying amount of sugar. That way, I don’t have to go and eat a chocolate candy bar and feel guilty about it!! 😛
I guess for me, it’ll be the custard apple, followed by the soursop, chom chom, litchee, and the persimmon.
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Thanks so much for the beautiful photographs. I can’t imagine eating a fruit so spikey as that one…Lovely images of the villages, boats, temple, water, colors and textures…How wonderful you have these experiences and can capture the essence of the visual richness with a little digital device. You did a great job.
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ybonesy, I’m glad those photo tips were helpful (#9). I should do more posts on photography. I was thinking about that last night. I love it yet rarely post on the process of photographing. I’ll ponder that a little more.
Looking forward to your post on the Temple. Those tend to be sensitive places in terms of photography. A co-worker just got back from her first trip to China for business. She said she got into trouble with her guide for snapping a photograph in one of the Temples there. Sometimes it’s hard to know if you can take photographs or not. And many times, it’s not posted.
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You’re right; you have to be sensitive. Fortunately, at the two temples I went to, there were caretakers there who I could ask permission from. I also felt a strong sense of generosity around sharing the beauty and specialness of these places.
I do think you should do more photography process posts. Although, I know if I tried to do art process posts, it would be more burdensome than fun. I’m not very good at talking about that particular process. Don’t mind talking about writing process, but art is a different animal.
David and lil, thank you so much. lil, the spikes are actually kind of soft, and of course you take off that shell before eating the fruit. But they’re not as prickly as they look.
A-Lotus, that reminds me, I wanted to try custard apple and never did. I did like soursop, though. I’d take fruits over chocolate any day, but I’ve always been that way, even as a kid.
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nice shots, wonderful subject–almost forgot the word mekong
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Great photos – thanks for sharing them. I particularly enjoyed the beautiful colours in the tomato flower!
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Oh, yb, thank you for sharing your fabulous photos!
The temple window reminds me of the design on Chinese coins.
I wish that I could view a whole slideshow, while listening to your descriptions and impressions of this fabulous experience.
I grateful to have even a peek at it though!
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I have gone over these over again, they are amazing, yb
I want to choose one for a post on my blog C Little No Less but having a tough decision. I was thinking the temple window says it all. So thanks for the knockout beauty and awareness.
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Thanks, lil. Come back and give us a link. I want to see how the photo or photos inspired you.
breathepeace, yes, the window does resemble that pattern, doesn’t it? It is a Chinese temple—interesting you made that connection.
Thank you, Scott and Lirone. Glad you each stopped by.
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fantastic photographs. they really give me a feel of the land and culture. i especially loved the first two — just gorgeous.
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Those are marvelous, wonderful photographs. My favorite is from the helm of the canoe on the mekong canal, the red brick village series and the beautiful boy.
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Thanks, lissa and amuirin. I really like the helm of the canoe, too. Of all of them, it feels the most tactile to me—it pulls me right back to that spot, that moment on the canal.
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Ybonesy I am so impressed not just about your beautiful photos but about your entire journey!!
I toast you tonight…your courage and your creativity! You are truly an inspiration!!
Thank you for sharing!
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This is gorgeous- as is your shamanic series recently posted. On the above- I am drawn to the Mekong child photo – it’s extraordinary!
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Thanks, Suz and Sibyllae. Hey, Suz, don’t you make frequent treks to Tuscany to paint? I would love to do a trip there.
BTW, Sibyllae, the Shamaic series is from a guest artist, Carol Tombers. It *is* fabulous. A real coming together of spiritual practice, creativity, and technique.
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Hello Ybonesy,
I love your pictures.
When you are coming back in November, will you have a chance to come to the delta again?
If so, let us meet
Ben
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Thanks for stopping by, Ben. Since this post, I’ve been back to Vietnam three times, I think. Once last winter, then in May of this year, and then earlier this month. This last trip I went on a boat ride to Ha Long Bay. I still have to do a post about it.
I would love to see Mekong Delta again. That was such an amazing trip, almost like being on my own private retreat, floating quietly through a different world.
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