Last week I went with my family to Hawaii. It was the first time any of us had been there. It`s a popular holiday destination, and as I expected, Waikiki Beach (Honolulu) - where we stayed - was pretty touristy [kankouchi], but it was nicer than I expected - everywhere looked clean and well-maintained, the people were polite, the traffic was orderly, and there was no annoying noise, like loud music or shouting people.
It`s very different from the last place I went on holidays - Bangkok, Thailand. What a difference!
What else would you like to know about my trip? Let me guess:
How was the weather? Did you get sunburnt?
- Good; warm but not too hot - 20-28 degrees C. No, fortunately I didn`t get burnt.
Did you go to Ala Moana shopping centre?
- Yes. I bought a pair of shoes, a pair of jeans, a top, & some postcards.
Were there lots of Japanese people there?
- Kind of, but I also noticed a lot of Koreans & also Australians.
Did you go surfing?
- Unfortunately not. I really regret it, because the waves looked absolutely PERFECT for beginners (that`s me).
Do you want to go there again?
- Of course!
As you can guess, I had a great time in Thailand. It`s a very interesting country, full of strange & exotic sights. Every day is an adventure!
I hope you enjoyed looking at my photos. I took more than this, but I came back from Thailand one month ago, so I think it`s time for my blog to return to Japanese themes now.
This photo is of a girl in Chiang-Mai & singing birds in wooden cages.
Do you like flowers? Flowers are super cheap in Thailand.
The bunches of roses on the left are 60 baht - only 150 yen ($1.75)!!! The orchids on the right are only 50 baht (125 yen / $1.50) for THREE! Wow! Can you believe it?
Occasionally I receive email invitations to art exhibitions at La Lanta Art Gallery - http://www.lalanta.com/ - in Bangkok.
By chance, I was in Bangkok at the same time as the opening night of this exhibition, so I could attend.
I met the charming gallery director, who showed me around (unfortunately I forget her name) & we chatted about art, photography, Japan & many other things. She`s an intelligent & interesting lady, & her English is excellent.
There are lots of interesting art galleries in Bangkok, but unfortunately I didn`t have time to visit many this trip.
Have you been to an art exhibition recently? How was it?
Just before western men get married, they usually have a party called a `buck`s night` or `stag night` or `bachelor party`. Usually only male (men) friends can attend.
2 days before my friend Paul`s wedding, he had a bachelor party. Of course it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, this heavily censored photo is all that I can show you...
Use your imagination!
One of my best friends in Thailand is a former student called `A` (her nickname). When we meet for dinner, we usually go to a restaurant beside the Chao Phraya River. It`s great to eat spicy food, drink cold beer, chat, and watch the boats go along the river.
This restaurant has a great view, doesn`t it? On the left you can see the Grand Palace, & on the right, Wat (temple) Arun.
As a gift, A gave me a t-shirt with a map of Thailand on it.
Her mother gave me a pair of shorts.
I wish there were restaurants like this around here.
There are various kinds of boats which you can catch in Bangkok. I like the river ferry, which travels up & down the Chao Phraya River. It`s cheap & you can see interesting sights such as temples, old houses, river barges, people fishing, etc. Also, when it passes the Boon Rawd beer brewery (=factory) you can smell beer being made... mmmm!
Another kind of ferry travels along the main canals of Bangkok. It`s very handy for avoiding traffic jams on the roads but it`s difficult to find if you`re not a local. Also it`s noisy, dirty, smelly, & it`s a challenge to get on & off (look at the photos above). I love it!
Bangkok has changed a lot in the last few decades, & some places look very modern, but if you explore the backstreets, you can often find interesting old buildings.
A great place to do this is around Chinatown. I took these photos of old colonial-style buildings there. Many are in bad condition & eventually I think they will disappear from Bangkok. It`s a shame.
Do you like this style of architecture?
* click on the image to enlarge
I love Thai stamps. They`re colorful, interesting & beautiful.
I visited the Bangkok General Post Office, & was happy to see that they had a `Philatelic (stamp collectors`) Section`. There were LOTS of beautiful stamp sets to choose from - fantastic! I bought lots of different kinds, & put them on packages, letters & postcards for my family & friends.
It took time but it was fun & I felt happy & satisfied.
The counter clerk who served me didn`t look happy though. I felt sorry for him [kowaisou] - he didn`t want to add up the price of all the various stamps on my boxes. So I did it for him, & he accepted my figures without checking - haha!
Afterwards I thanked him deeply: "Thankyou very much - the people who get these boxes and stamps will be so happy - really! Thankyou."
Then he smiled & I felt happy again.
Chiang Mai is in the far north of Thailand, near the borders of Laos & Burma. Many foreigners like it because it`s cooler and less busy than Bangkok, and there are activities like hiking, river rafting, mountain-biking etc.
Unfortunately, this means there are quite a lot of hippy tourists in Chiang Mai.
I don`t like hippies.
My friends in Chiang Mai told me that nowadays it is also quite common to see retired Japanese people living there (houses and apartments are much cheaper in Thailand than in Japan).
I spent a lot of time walking around, taking photographs, and saying "No, thankyou!" to vendors. I also bought a couple of things at the popular night market.
Would you like to live somewhere like Chiang Mai after you retire?
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