We had a much-needed long weekend with last Friday off. It's a new holiday - the birthday of HM the new king!
I didn't end up going out of town for the holiday, since I just traveled to Koh Chang a couple of weeks ago. Instead, Pinky and I headed out to Bangkok's Old Town for a day to explore the part of the city along the river where we don't often get to go.
Chaophraya River
It's actually a lot quicker to take a taxi to the old town from my apartment, but we went the long way - traveling down the "River of Kings" by boat is way more fun!
Along the way, the ancient "orange flag" river bus chugged past Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, freshly restored and looking great in white.
Wat Arun
It was a hot day, but there was a nice breeze on the river.
Wat Rakhang
We ended up at Tha Maharaj Pier around lunchtime, grabbed a bite to eat and a coffee, and headed off on foot past the Grand Palace to our destination- the Bangkok National Museum.
a nice day on the river at Tha Maharaj Pier
The National Museum is located just behind the Grand Palace on the grounds of what was once the "Front Palace". Long ago, in the early decades of the Bangkok Kingdom, the King of Siam would appoint an "Uparaja", or "Second King" to serve as his viceroy and heir.
Chapel at the Front Palace
The seat of the Uparaja was the Front Palace. This changed in the late 19th century with reform to the rules of succession, and the Front Palace was eventually converted into the Bangkok National Museum.
Inside the National Museum
The museum is home to an impressive collection of Thai and Southeast Asian art and artifacts, as well as artifacts and historical buildings from the Front Palace.
one of the many pieces in the collection
It ended up being a really good day to visit the museum; even though it was a weekend, it wasn't too crowded and we got the chance to take our time appreciating the exhibits.
khon masks
All in all, I really enjoyed the long weekend. Now we are back to work and in the midst of midterm exams. Fortunately, there will be another holiday for Mother's Day coming up in the next few weeks!
This week, for the second time in the past five years, Professor Mueller, the woman who sent me to Thailand many years ago, came with her family to visit us in Bangkok.
At 8:00 pm on Wednesday night, I met up with the three other American teachers in the 19th floor lobby of the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, now the second-tallest building in Thailand.
We had reservations for the Floating Market Buffet on the 77th floor, a new (for me) restaurant designed like a Thai floating market - very cool!
It's been so busy at work lately, so it was nice to go out in the evening and have some fun! And you can't beat those views of the city!
Wai Kru Day, the annual Teacher's Day, came and went, but I wasn't really feeling it this year.
I don't know... maybe I've been so busy lately that I didn't really have the time or energy to really enjoy Wai Kru Day like I normally do.
After the ceremony, I rushed back to my office to get back to work.
But this week, a couple weeks after Wai Kru, one of my students came up to me and gave me a floral garland, just like the ones that they use for the Wai Kru ceremony.
It was his last day at school; he got a scholarship to go to the US to study for a year. For the past three years, I tutored this student and his brother every Saturday, and last year I helped him prepare his application and practice for the interview. And now, he's finally going abroad!
The second old roll of film from a year ago that I found and developed didn't turn out so well. By accident, most of the photos were shot on the "bulb" setting, and washed out. But a few looked pretty cool!
Shot on Diana Mini with Kodak Pro 100 film
I like this one of my bro and sis at an ice cream parlor in Waco! It feels really retro with the split-frame.
I like this one too. I have no idea where either of those photos were taken, though!
This is my favorite! This is a Japanese maple tree from my parents' garden. The color looks great!
When I visited my family in Texas this year, I found two rolls of film that I had left there from the last time I was home. I didn't remember what was on them, but I knew they were from just after I got my Diana Mini camera. A few months later, back in Bangkok, I've gotten around to developing them.
These photos are shot on my Diana Mini with Fujifilm Superia 400 film.
These pictures are from over a year ago, when I first got my camera. I shot these when my friend James and I visited Carlsbad, New Mexico on a road trip.
The first few were from when I was still trying to get the hang of my camera. Shot at a park in my hometown - a cool effect from half-frame double exposure.
Texas bluebonnets! This one is a little washed out, but I like the colors and the retro feel that I get from my camera.
And more bluebonnets.
Surprisingly sharp and rich colors on this shot.
Heading out on the road trip!
New Mexico, here we come!
Arriving at the national park.
Stopping to take some photos on the quiet road leading to the national park. It was nice and sunny that day, not nearly as cold as it was when we visited this past year!
Waiting at the park HQ to begin our journey down into Spider Cave.
Into the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico.
A dusty desert morning.
It was cool to find this roll of film which I had completely forgotten about! In fact, this must have been the first roll of color film I ever shot with my Diana Mini (and the second roll ever).
This gallery contains a collection of photos from my trip to Burma. If you've read my latest book, Across a Golden Land, you can see some photos from the places that I have described here!
I've put together this gallery of images to help the reader to further enjoy my book. I hope that it adds to the story.
Everyone wore a longyi. It's the national outfit of Burma, and it's not
at all unusual to see men, women, and children wrapped in the dress-like
longyi.
streets on Yangon
Walking around the old town, we first passed the Rangoon City Hall,
which combines Victorian architecture with Burmese-style elements.
city hall
As the rain fell, we walked around the main city square, looking at all
the old colonial-era architecture. In the background, you can see the
red clock tower of the High Court.
the main square
In the very center of the city sits the 2000 year-old Sule Pagoda!
Sule Pagoda
Mahabandula Garden, the park surrounded by downtown city blocks. The
obelisk is an independence monument that replaced a large statue of
Victoria, Empress of India after Burmese independence from the British
Raj. The park, which had been the site of a number of protests, was
surrounded by fences topped with barbed wire.
Mahabandoola Gardens
One of my favorite parts of Yangon was the "Book Street", where people
set up open-air shops selling hundreds of second-hand books in Burmese
and English. Many were missing their covers, and held together by
makeshift brown paper covers with the names scrawled on in black marker.
I love this! A book is a book, whatever its condition, and the worse
the condition, the more read it must have been!
Book Street
The Strand Hotel was a refuge from the rain pouring outside.
The Strand Hotel
Burmese noodles at a teahouse: we enjoyed a cheap and flavorful lunch, finished off by a cup of hot and sweet Burmese milk tea.
lunch
Everything was called "Golden This" or "Golden That". The adjective
"golden", had been latched onto by the country's nascent tourist
industry. Nothing, though was more golden than Shwedagon Pagoda, the
great golden pagoda of Rangoon.
Shwedagon Pagoda
Mt. Kyaiktiyo
Because of the heavy fog, it was nearly impossible to see anything on
top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo. There, balanced precisely on the side of the
mountain, is the Golden Rock, the legendary shrine said to balance on
the hair of the Buddha.
The fog up there was insane!
The legendary Golden Rock
Mandalay
Our private first-class compartment on the train from Yangon to Mandalay was a little... disappointing.
inside the train
Mandalay Palace, a modern re-construction of the ancient palace of the Mandalay Kingdom.
Mandalay Palace
The rain was pouring again as we visited the Golden Palace Monastery, an
original surviving building from the Mandalay Palace complex. The
entire temple was hand-carved from dark teak wood, and was incredibly
beautiful.
Golden Palace Monastery
Kuthodaw Temple, the site of the world's largest book! Each of these
short pagodas contains scripture from the Pali Cannon of Buddhism.
world's biggest book
Bagan
There is no better way to travel than by slowly sailing up the Irrawaddy
River. As we cruised to Bagan, the green hills along the riverbank were
dotted with hundreds of glittering golden pagodas.
We never saw any dolphins though.
an Irrawaddy riverboat
Mr. Bobo and his trusty horse Nanda. This was our ride during our stay
in Bagan! Bagan was more of a rural village than a town. Sure, there
were a few cars for hire, but what better way to get around than by the
iconic horse carts?
our ride for the day
Looking over Bagan was a magical sight. As far as the eye could see,
thousands of ancient stone pagodas stretched out across the landscape.
Bagan
Our last sunset on a hidden, white-sand beach on the Irrawaddy River, It
was beautiful, a moment that I will never forget. Finally, after
waiting all week, and after struggling through the terrible weather, we
saw our one, stunning sunset.
Pub Street, Siem Reap's backpacker street which gives its name to my
book. Here, you can find delicious food, cheap hostels, and $0.25
draught beer.
The floating village on Tonle Sap Lake, the largest lake in Southeast Asia.
floating village
Angkor Wat
Visiting Angkor Wat is one of the main reasons that people go to Siem
Reap. The best time to visit the famous temple complex is just before
dawn, to watch the sun rise behind the ancient Khmer ruins.
Sunrise at Angkor
Angkor Wat was the greatest city of the ancient Khmer Empire.
Angkor Wat
While I don't exactly agree with riding elephants (see THIS article or THIS ebook
for more information), I thought that this picture of the elephants,
tuk-tuk, monks, and ruins of Angkor Thom really captured the spirit of
visiting Angkor Historical Park.
Angkor Thom
Although most people visit Angkor Wat as tourists, the ancient
Hindu-turned-Buddhist temple complex is still a holy site in Cambodia.
By the time we arrived in Sihanoukville, Typhoon Chaba was picking up.
We ended up stuck on the mainland longer than we had intended.
Typhoon Chaba made the sea too dangerous to go out to the island
Koh Rong
Our bungalow! Home, sweet home while we were on Koh Rong! We were really
and truly roughing it, but it was definitely an unforgettable
experience.
bungalow near the beach
Mosquito netting was a must!You can see, above the bed, the gap between
the wall and the roof. That's where the monkey came into the bungalow
one morning!
bed in the bungalow
The bathroom was open to the elements! Luckily there was nobody around except monkeys. It was really just like camping.
our bathroom on Koh Rong
But despite the rough accomodations, the island was beautiful!
arriving at Koh Rong
After the typhoon passed, the sky was blue, the sand was dazzling white, and the sea was clear as glass.
beautiful day on the beach
boat off of Koh Rong
sunny day on the island
Phnom Penh
The Independence Monument in downtown Phnom Penh. It's modeled after Khmer-style architecture, like at Angkor Wat.
independence monument
For our last evening, we went out on a sunset cruise along the Mekhong
River. The skyline of Phnom Penh isn't so built up yet. It was a perfect
way to end our trip to Cambodia.
