Archives
October 2019 –Mae Sot, on the Thai/Burmese border, makes for an interesting adventure. The main reason I was in town was to look for old beads and any other antique or curiosities that might have drifted across the border. Alongside the Mae Nam Moei River on the Thai side of the border is an expansive market that sells a mixture of imports from Burma, black-market clothes, cheap Chinese electronics, food, carved wood,… Read More
The Russian Market is one of the oldest covered markets in Phnom Penh. It gets its name from the large number of Russian expats who used to shop there in the 1980s. Make of that factoid what you will. It was the only outing where I had to engage a tuk-tuk, but it was only a $4.00 ride, and, yes, they use US dollars more than local currency. I headed over in… Read More
I bought this little Buddha in Vang Vieng, Laos, and it is very puzzling. I’ve never been able to find another example of a seated Buddha holding a naga-handled mirror in front of him while meditating. Never. Ever. From anywhere in the world. This statue probably dates from the 18th-19th century and was most likely made for a household shrine. Originally it seems to have been cast from bronze and covered with… Read More
(1977)
THE ARDENT ENTHUSIAST 