The Provo Museum of Postal Art

  The Golden Mountain, in Bangkok, attracts visitors from around the world who wish to leave their sins at the forgiving feet of various garudas and other Buddhist sprites.  Lese-majeste is still a serious crime in Thailand; these two American tourists risk some serious fines, or even jail time, for pulling faces near the portrait of the former King and Queen of Thailand. The Bangkok City Library features some of the rarest Pali manuscripts in the world that refer to the alleged 'secret' teachings of Buddha. Saint Bonaventure Catholic Church, in Bangkok, dates from the late 1700s and is believed to house the remains of Saint Bonaventure himself, who converted one of King Mongut's many wives to Catholicism, and was beheaded for this deed.

  PROSE POEM: THE HEINIE MANUSH PLASTIC BAG SANCTUARY You see them everywhere in the city; drifting down lonely streets, hanging around bushes and weeds; dogging people’s steps; even taking flight in a hopeless effort to escape their wretched environment. And out in the country they fly along dirt roads, ripped to shreds by pickup trucks. Clinging to corn stalks and pumpkin vines, looking for a little stability. Never finding any. So often they are savagely stuffed with garbage and thrown into a filthy dumpster. Blamed for everything from global warming to the sacbrood virus, they are fragile and thin-skined pariahs.  These are the plastic bags. Used once and then tossed aside like a soiled glove. Never to be given gainful employment again. Banned in more and more metropolitan areas, they are considered a stigma and embarrassment to any decent neighborhood. We at the Heinie Manush Plastic Bag Sanctuary have dedicated our lives to alleviating the suffering and abuse of plastic ...

  I lived in Thailand for several years and have never lost my fascination and admiration for all things Thai. A recent trip across the Kingdom has not lessened my joy in documenting this - that - and the other. A men's comfort station off the freeway leading into Bangkok. Lots of water, but no soap or paper towels (and no toilet paper -- experienced drivers know to bring their own.) Noted international birdwatcher Nerfy Stumpwasser observing bulbuls and black drongos in a rice field in the Isaan region of Thailand. The Japanese Statue Garden in Pitsinulok, Thailand. A roadside stand outside of Rayong, Thailand. Items on sale include shrimp chips, rice whisky, sticky rice baked inside bamboo, Thai comic books, and lottery tickets.

  Thailand offers an extraordinary venue for the photographer. Following are recent photographs detailing some of the fascinating people, places, and things from the "Land of a Thousand Smiles." (Photography by Draper Reed, photojournalist for Sports Illustrated.) At the King Mongut Museum of Modern Thai Art This is an installation piece by Somsut Promisid, who works mostly in acrylic enamel. This is Senor Alexandro, who opened the first Mexican/Thai fusion restaurant in Thonburi, a suburb of Bangkok. Beneath the city of Bangkok is an intricate system of underground canals that has been in darkness for over 200 years -- in that time blind white salamanders and caiman  have developed a weird ecosystem that is just now beginning to be studied. The Bangkok sky train is crowded 24/7. On weekends everyone heads out to their favorite 'talad,' or market, to shop for fresh fruit and veggies, as well as desiccated cuttlefish and durian chips. Opium is sold in the form of lozen...