This is a small (15 x 15cm) pencil & watercolour sketch of a woman I saw on a ferry on the Chao Phraya River in 2005.
I took a photo of her, then did this picture later, at home.
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!
This week my wife gave birth to our second son.
His name is Rhys.
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.
- ブログルメンバーの方は下記のページからログインをお願いいたします。
ログイン
- まだブログルのメンバーでない方は下記のページから登録をお願いいたします。
新規ユーザー登録へ