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Yes, the Buddha is laughing at you.

Yes, the Buddha is laughing at you.

I’m not sure which would be the greater number: how many Buddhas there are in SE Asia or how many photos of Buddhas I’ve taken in SE Asia. In any case, applying The 7 Shot Rule to either would take the patience of, well, Buddha. So I guess it was inevitable that at some point I’d do a 7 Shots: Buddhas post. Or maybe even seven of them.

#2

#2

Hell, I could easily do seven posts of just Buddhas smothered in gold. Without ever leaving Bangkok. But back when I started this series of posts I determined that with travel photography a good image is one that instantly transports you back to time and place. And while a cropped photo of a humongous golden Buddha’s knee may seem like a good subject at the time (and has for me on a few dozen different occasions) by itself it really doesn’t fill that criteria. Even those gold covered Buddhas that are named and are quite famous in their own right look a lot alike. If it wasn’t for other photos taken at whichever wat that Buddha calls home, I’d never be able to identify them.

#3

#3

As similar as many Buddha statues are, some do stand out. Even if they are not standing. So I thought I’d start with photos of seven of the more distinctive Buddhas I’ve encountered in SE Asia. Each of these photos works under the 7 Shots Rule premise; it may take me a minute to come up with the right wat’s name where some of them can be found, but even at that, immediately, I can tell you where that wat is.

But can you?

#4

#4

You can consider today’s post a Buddhist version of Where’s Waldo? You can also consider it a good example of how badly I follow rules ‘cuz there are eight photos instead of seven (which is also a good example of how badly I suck at math). But there’s a reason for that. Since I decided this post would be a challenge for you to name where each photo was taken, and thought I should offer a prize of $1,000 to the first person to get all of the answers correct, throwing in a ringer was my natural inclination. I mean it’d be nice if you were the winner by coming up with all of the correct answers, but then that’d mean I’d be the loser (and out a thousand bucks) so whether or not to rig the game . . . well, there was no challenge in deciding that question. Duh.

#5

#5

I’m posting these from what I consider the easiest to the most difficult (with the exception of the first, which if you can provide the specific locale for – along with getting the other seven right too – you will win a grand). The only hint I’ll give you is that while most are from Thailand, one or more may be from other SE Asian countries. And yeah, if you only get seven of the eight right all you’ll win is bragging rights. But I’ll be impressed. As so may be the Buddha. And that’s gotta be a good thing.

#6

#6

#7

#7

#8

#8

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