Travelling The Backroads

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

visionshop — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:40:59 GMT

Travelling in Chiang Mai Thailand I took an "off the mainstreet" photo expedition and found Thai silver workers practicing their trade. I learned that it took about a day to produce one silver bowl and both of the workers were paid 20 baht each for each bowl they completed. 20 Baht was the equivelent of about one US dollar. After forming just the right size and weight silver "puck" it was cast into a rough bowl. Then the bowl secured on a wooden log with tar so it could be carefully carved to provide detail. Back on the main street I found a store with siver bowls lining the shelves. The store owner told me that they cost $35 each and that he provide the raw material (silver) to the craftsman and paid their wages. I am an amature photographer who lives in southern California with my Russian wife of 5 years. Together we take care of my ageing mother and travel whenever possible. It is our great joy to see and meet people in other lands with their own stories to tell.

Silver Workers

visionshop — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:59:00 GMT

Sometimes if you wonder down the back alleys of a city you will see it's true heart. While in Chiang Mai Thailand I wondered down a back alley and found men that were casting and then carving silver bowls. I asked them how long it took to make a bowl and found out that they could produce about one bowl a day for which they were paid 20 Baht or about one dollar. In the next street I found a storefront where a man was engraving his store name on the bowl that he said sold for about $35. I learned that this man provided the silver and paid the meager wages and made a very good profit.

Photos: Thailand

visionshop — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:30:00 GMT

A trip through the backroads of Chiang Mai