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Monday, November 6, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977 by Robert Glenn Ketchum

Fishfarms:  Thailand

Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977 by Robert Glenn Ketchum


In the late 1970’s Elizabeth Mann Borghese commissioned me to travel around the world with her to photograph aquaculture. This is our visit to Thailand.
~Robert Glenn Ketchum




Monday, November 6, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand, Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977, #10
Thailand #10:  
For most of this day, Elisabeth, our guides, and I, have been motoring slowly northward on the Chao Phraya River, after leaving Bangkok. The day has been VERY hot and humid, so being on the river offers some relief. There is also a lot to see, as the river hosts a good deal of varied boat traffic, and we also pass quite close to the shoreline homes where families pursue their daily activities. Some of the smaller boats are farmers, paddling from house to house offering their harvest, an interesting form of grocery delivery. After a few breaks to eat and walk around in small villages, we finally approach the area of homes where our guides expect we will spend the night. Although still tropically hot, the last rays of the setting sun fade slowly into twilight, and being out on the river seems very peaceful. When we arrive at the home of our host family, it is a large stilt house, partially over the river, and they have a spicy regional meal of fish, rice, and greens prepared for us. The family is quite excited to have us as guests, and there is a lot of talking about our project, so I am surprised to learn that these hosts do not do aquaculture, which I thought was point of coming here. I am sure we will ultimately see something, so best just to enjoy the evening, and wait for the morning’s next adventure.


photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2023,
@RbtGlennKetchum @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

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Monday, October 9, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand, Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977, #9
Thailand #9:  
Eventually the over-river communities give way to more traditional shoreline houses and villages as Elisabeth, our guides, and I navigate the Chao Phraya River, north of Bangkok. The day is hot and VERY humid, so being out on the river and motoring slowly along is about as refreshing as it can get. There are boats moving in both directions, many of them small, handmade, and powered by the paddler. Some larger vessels are transporting food harvests. Given the width of the river, the intrusion of the houses over the water, and the 2-way boat traffic, we often pass quite close to homes where families are going about their daily lives, and sharing their meals. We will go upriver much of the day, stopping occasionally to stretch, walk about a village, and eat, but eventually we will stay with a family that also lives on the river, much like this.


photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2023,
@RbtGlennKetchum @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

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Monday, October 2, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand, Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977, #8
Thailand #8:  
Now aboard a power boat, Elisabeth, our host/guides, and I, slowly navigate our way through a myriad of homes built on stilts, above the Chao Phraya River in Thailand. Where we are, the river is quite broad, and these houses can be seen in every direction. They usually have no doors, or glass in their windows, as they are taking advantage of any breezes off of the river. As you can see here, most do have “storm door” closures for protection during typhoons, and deluging rain. The river has many boats, traversing through these homes, and most of those living in the homes pay little attention to those passing, including our group. The effect of that feels almost voyeuristic to me, as these people are living out their lives in full view of constant traffic. Occasionally we see a home with a fish cage beneath it, but nothing we pass seems to be of interest to our guides, so I continue to shoot what I can, while we motor slowly through these river communities, north of central Bangkok, and heading further north.


photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2023,
@RbtGlennKetchum @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

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Monday, September 25, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand, Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977, #7
Thailand #7:  
Our English-speaking, Thai host/guides take Elisabeth and I on a shoreline walk through the hub of the Chao Phraya River near to central Bangkok, but it is their intention for us to travel well beyond that. After navigating various markets and throngs of people on-loading, and off-loading boats, the volume of foot traffic drops off, and we approach a different community that lives OVER the river, not on its shore. Many of these are large family homes, and some support fish cages among the stilts beneath the houses. We are meeting a power boat near here, that is going to take us upriver for several days.


photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2023,
@RbtGlennKetchum @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

Follow Robert Glenn Ketchum's Photographic Activism Online:
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Monday, September 18, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand, Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977, #6
Thailand #6:  
Our English-speaking, Thai host/guides take Elisabeth and I on a shoreline walk through the hub of the Chao Phraya River near to central Bangkok, but it is their intention for us to travel well beyond that. After navigating various markets and throngs of people on-loading, and off-loading boats, the volume of foot traffic drops off, and we approach a different community that lives OVER the river, not on its shore. Many of these are large family homes, and some support fish cages among the stilts beneath the houses. In this image, the plank in the foreground serves as a ladder, and/or a walkway when needed. The narrow board supported on stilts where the boat is anchored is also a “walkway.” Clearly, this is a very sure-footed community. While we will visit some of these homes, it will NOT be by these walkways. We are meeting a power boat near here, that is going to take us upriver for several days.


photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2023,
@RbtGlennKetchum @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

Follow Robert Glenn Ketchum's Photographic Activism Online:
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Monday, September 11, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand, Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977, #5
Thailand #5:  
Our newly assigned guides and researchers lead me and Elisabeth through a confusion of boats and ramps along the shores of the Chao Phraya River, that runs from the heart of Bangkok, deep into the country, where the tributary headwaters cross into Laos. The riverside is a chaos of vendors, men off-loading cargo, and people living out their lives on their boats, or in the ramshackle homes, standing on tall stilts in the mudflats at the river’s edge. There is a din of voices, most of it yelling and shouting, either about wares for sale, or what needs to be done. The activity is exciting, but we attract attention, nonetheless, as there are few foreigners here, and our party has an elderly “mommy,” and a white guy wearing a net shirt, who is bedecked with cameras. More curious than offended by our presence, many smile, wave, and say “hello” in English, especially if they see me taking their picture. A LOT of people live on their boats, and in the rising heat and humidity of the morning, most are trying to stay out of the sun, so they sleep, smoke, or play cards beneath their boat canopies. The massive ceramic pots are an essential part of the view, and everywhere to be seen.


photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2023,
@RbtGlennKetchum @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

Follow Robert Glenn Ketchum's Photographic Activism Online:
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Monday, September 4, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand, Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977, #4
Thailand #4:  
After a “wild” night of food, and a tour of the Patpong district of Bangkok, Elisabeth and I receive word that our aquaculture research plans have been approved, so we rise early the next morning to leave our hotel, and head towards the Chao Phraya River, where we will board a private boat, with guides and researchers to advise us, which the government has arranged on our behalf. Arriving at the riverfront, our hosts connect us to our guides, who seem eager to work with us, and they also speak excellent English. The riversides are choked with houses and boats of every description, and there is a flurry of activity everywhere. As this is all new to me, the first thing I notice is an abundance of large, ceramic, decorated pots, literally everywhere I look. Some are being sold, some are being used, but every boat I can see has many of them aboard. When I query our new associates about them, I am told they serve many purposes, from food and water storage, to the collection of “night soil.” Boy, I guess you do not want to get your pots confused.


photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2023,
@RbtGlennKetchum @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

Follow Robert Glenn Ketchum's Photographic Activism Online:
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Monday, August 28, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand, Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977, #3
Thailand #3:  
Our Bangkok hotel is luxurious by comparison to those in which Elisabeth and I stayed while in India, but it is fair to say, not as exotic (no elephants carry our baggage). Our rooms are quite comfortable, AND air-conditioned, something we did not always find previously. The hotel dining room is also very nice, and decorated with stunning graphics, and details on the walls, columns, and ceiling. The food is good, and very different, but equally as spicy as what we were served in India, just in a different way. She and I enjoy a long, leisurely, and somewhat drunken dinner, retire early, and then rise the next day to have breakfast with our hosts, who plan to show us some of the sights. While our aquaculture research project is being explained on our behalf to various officials, and we await approval for the plans we have proposed, our hosts help us bide our time by showing us some truly grand Thai locations. The country is VERY religious, and there are statuary and temples everywhere, so of course we visit them. Again, since this is not pertinent to our project, I try to limit the pictures I make, because I only have so much film, but who could resist taking a picture of this? Like the remarkable decorated trucks we encounter on the roadways, the temples, in particular, are an astounding display of elaborate hand-crafting, with red paint and gold leaf, making windows, doorways, and columns radiant. It is breathtaking! These people are “nuts” in a VERY beautiful way!


photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2023,
@RbtGlennKetchum @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

Follow Robert Glenn Ketchum's Photographic Activism Online:
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Monday, August 21, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand, Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977, #2
Thailand #2:  
On our drive in from the Bangkok airport to the central city, Elisabeth and I are enjoying the comfort of an air-conditioned car for the first time in weeks. We also encounter western-style highways and traffic, but are excited to see most of the commercial trucks are extravagantly decorated, similar to those we enjoyed in India. In fact, Thai decorations are MORE lavish. Most of the “jitneys" we saw in India were hand-painted. These Thai trucks go WAY beyond that. There is plenty of highly detailed, stylized painting, for sure, but there is much more. As you can see in this image, there is A LOT of very intricate metal work, as well. These commercial vehicles are hand-crafted like jewelry, or sculpture. They are absolutely AMAZING! Elisabeth and I both love them, and she encourages me to make lots of pictures, but I must remind her that I have a limited amount of film, and our aquaculture research project has many more locations to visit. Central Bangkok feels VERY “western,” with terrible traffic, towering buildings, lots of display advertising, and name-brand hotels, one of which will be our home, while we go through the motions of planning our travels within the country with our hosts and various administrative officials. By the time we arrive at our destination, it has been a long day, and we have already had much discussion in the car while driving, so she and I agree to dine at our hotel that night, without our hosts, and then turn in early. They will join us for breakfast, and wish to show us some of the "sights,” while we await administrative approval for the things we expect to do.


photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2023,
@RbtGlennKetchum @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

Follow Robert Glenn Ketchum's Photographic Activism Online:
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Monday, August 14, 2023

Fishfarms: Thailand, Forming My World View through Aquaculture in 1977, #1
Thailand #1:  
Madras, India, is REALLY hot and humid, with terrible traffic and air quality. Thankfully, Elisabeth and I are in transition, and have not come here to work on or aquaculture research. We overnight, and then fly out to Bangkok, Thailand, leaving before the monsoon season arrives in India. As I will soon discover, although India and Thailand are similarly undeveloped in their rural areas, their major cities are quite different. Thailand is modern by western standards, has brand name hotels, skyscrapers, massive amounts of neon lighting, and commercial advertising EVERYWHERE. The airport is very “western,” and even air-conditioned. The airport runway is paved and we don’t frighten any grazing animals when we land. Our hosts are there to greet us, and because of that, we are whisked through customs, placed in a very comfortable car, also air-conditioned, and we head for Bangkok. The highways are quite modern/western as well, and as we get closer to Bangkok, they become VERY congested (also quite western - LOL). There is a notable amount of truck traffic, carrying various goods into the city, but to Elisabeth’s and my delight, for the most part, ALL of these trucks are lavishly decorated, like the ones we experienced in India. In fact, even more so.


photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2023,
@RbtGlennKetchum @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd

Follow Robert Glenn Ketchum's Photographic Activism Online:
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