Statue of Liberty
The 9-11 memorials I’ve visited seem to be very appropriate tributes to that terrible day. I have visited the NYC memorial twice. Below are links to my previous posts regarding 9-11. The YouTube video was created in 2001, posted in 2006 and has almost 50,000 views.
My BLOG post of my 9-11 Memorial visit.
My BLOG post of Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, PA
Eagle Portrait on July 4th, 2018.
How appropriate to photograph an American bald eagle on the Fourth of July in Alaska. In Hoonah, Alaska I was able to slowly approach this eagle which had apparently just eaten some fish. Yep, we made a return visit to Alaska to visit Denali National Park and cruise the beautiful coastline for a second time in two months.
America! …for purple mountain majesties
It was quite a wonderful sight to finally see the mountains of Alaska from our cruise ship. First small mountains in the distance, the Aleutian Islands, then bigger mountain ranges on the Alaskan mainland. Back in the USA after about six months of travel to places too hot for any human. Great to see snow again.
Chinatown in Yokohama
Yokohama, Japan just outside of Tokyo has the largest Chinatown in Asia. We were fortunate to be staying near Chinatown during their Lunar New Year’s celebration. Walking to dinner in Chinatown, we unexpectedly encountered many loud celebrations involving firecrackers and drums.
Japanese macaque monkeys inhabit Iwatayama Monkey Park.
These macaques are cute, but before we visit the monkeys we must visit one of the most famous Shinto shrines in all of Japan, the Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto. Inari is the patron God of business, prosperity, rice and sake. Continue reading
Wat Arun Temple, Bangkok
The Wat Arun Temple was a fun night of photography. The vantage point for this photograph was extensively researched on the internet in advance. I’m sitting on the second floor of a bar having drinks using a special low profile tripod (Platypod) which fit perfectly on the wooden railing along the perimeter of the bar. I never made the journey across the river to actually visit the temple. Continue reading
Gimme Shelter
The Patara Elephant Sanctuary allows you to get up close and friendly with elephants of all sizes. The sanctuary’s advertisement says you can be an elephant owner for a day. With the elephants walking around freely, our first task was to scrub the mud from their tough skin, then walk them to a large pond and give them a bath.
A Buddhist monk motions to a pet dog during traditional chanting.
Wanting to see more of Thailand than the typical iconic Buddhist temples crowded with tourists, I made a special request of our guide, Lucky 8. This day was to be spent out in the Thai countryside where there would be neither tourists nor admission tickets. It was by coincidence that we happened upon a Buddhist funeral in Lucky’s home village. Yes, this entire blog will be about attending a Buddhist funeral in rural Thailand.
Popular Buddhist Temple
When traveling in Europe I try to blend in as much as possible. Clearly this was not going to be possible in Thailand. Arriving Sunday afternoon hungry and tired, we thought it best to jump into the Thai culture by eating street food for dinner at a nearby weekend night market. Ordering our food through gesturing and fumbling with the Thai baht currency, we had fresh spicy food on a stick served by friendly people all willing to help out. Our Thai experience only got better and better.
Marina Bay Hotel in Singapore
Singapore is sometimes referred to as Asia Light or Asia 101. Everyone speaks English, you are statistically safer here than anywhere in the world, the food is wonderful, cabs are cheap and plentiful, trains are always on time and the airport is rated the best in the universe. Above all, if you are over the age of 50 you cannot be sentenced to a caning as punishment. Continue reading