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November 2023
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  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Путешественник

    Bangkok Chinatown

    22 ноября 2023 г., Таиланд ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    I enjoyed our walk through Bangkok’s Chinatown. It was a cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells as we trotted behind our guide.

    Several restaurants sell bird’s nest soup, which is considered a delicacy around here. Although illegal in the USA, from what I’ve been told the collection of bird’s nests in Thailand is regulated and sustainable. I sure hope so.

    Shark’s fin soup is also for sale here, and that made me quite sad to see. Sharks may be scary, but they are an important part of the ecosystem. Killing them for their fins should be illegal worldwide, in my opinion.

    I also saw a little sidewalk vendor selling marijuana, which isn’t legal even in Thailand.

    I included a pic of a 7 Eleven, because this convenience store is a big deal everywhere in Asia, it seems.    Читать далее

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  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Путешественник
    1

    Bangkok Flower Market

    22 ноября 2023 г., Таиланд ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    Bangkok’s flower market was another colorful place to explore. Even when we’re back home in Texas, Larry and I enjoy our local open air market, which has a Hispanic vibe, to buy local produce.

    Here in Bangkok, it’s fun to see fruits and vegetables that we don’t get in the USA. So when I saw an umbrella touting Washington State apples, I burst out laughing!

    When an Australian couple asked what was so funny, I explained that I grew up in Washington State. I certainly didn’t expect to see fruit from my home state half a country away.    Читать далее

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  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Путешественник

    Bangkok Grand Palace

    22 ноября 2023 г., Таиланд ⋅ ☁️ 91 °F

    Bangkok’s Grand Palace is a large complex of buildings. From 1782 through 1925, the king and his coterie lived on these grounds.

    Today, the Grand Palace hosts royal ceremonies, foreign dignitaries, and guests of the king.

    Even with our guide leading us through the grounds at a fair clip, it took us two and a half hours to wander through it all.

    There are at least two temples where we were required to remove our shoes. One of them had separate shoe racks for “Thai people” and “Foreigners.” Few guests read the signs, however, so there was much commingling of native and foreign shoes. Gasp!    Читать далее

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  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Путешественник

    Jakarta

    27 ноября 2023 г., Индонезия ⋅ 🌧 86 °F

    Many crew members are Indonesian, so our ship welcomed hundreds of visitors during our stop in Jakarta. Our captain took time to pose for photos with family members at the dock.

    Although Jakarta has a hop on hop off bus, we were warned not to bother taking it because traffic is so bad that passengers end up sitting in one place for much of the ride.

    Lar and I opted for the free shuttle into town where we found a little coffee shop. I ordered a “Kopi Limbat” which turned out to be an iced espresso topped with a fresh squeezed orange.

    Sounds awful, but it was refreshing! I look forward to adding this to my repertoire back home.

    Turns out “Kopi Limbat” simply means “sky coffee” and isn’t a particularly Indonesian thing.    Читать далее

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  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Путешественник

    Surabaya Cemeteries

    29 ноября 2023 г., Индонезия ⋅ ☁️ 90 °F

    Today’s sighting of a “Monteverde Angel” in Surabaya, Indonesia is the most far-flung example of this famous statue I have personally come across!

    The original “Angel of Resurrection”sculpted by Giulio Monteverde resides in Italy, but copies of it can be found all over the world.

    Not only have I seen the original in Genoa, but I’ve come across replicas of the Monteverde Angel in France, Portugal, England, and even Galveston, Texas.

    Unfortunately, I could only take photos of this Indonesian replica through our car window. According to our cab driver, the cemetery was too dangerous for us to walk around.

    “No stopping. Sorry, sorry,” he apologized. “Not safe. Criminals living here. Poor people living here. Not safe for you. Not safe for me,” he added with a laugh.

    As a compromise, he drove slowly through the cemetery. There wasn’t much choice, really. The dirt road was so uneven and pitted that a quick drive was not possible.

    I’ve read about impoverished people creating enclaves in cemeteries in Africa, the Philippines, and Chile.
    Even in the USA, I occasionally stumble onto evidence of solitary campers in burial grounds. But this was the first time I’d seen an obvious settlement in a cemetery.

    In some places, blue tarps were strewn between cement monuments to create makeshift tents. I caught a glimpse of cooking pots and an open flame. Perhaps someone was making lunch?

    The only reason our cabbie took us through the cemetery was because it led to the entrance of the Dutch military cemetery.

    For the most part, I just didn’t feel comfortable taking photos, although I did snap a pic as a woman approached our car.

    We’d just reached the gate of the Dutch military cemetery. Our cabbie rolled down his window and after a brief exchange, he slipped her some money and she opened the gate. (We reimbursed him, of course, and also gave him a nice tip. He was a good cabbie.)

    The photos here of white wooden markers are from the Dutch military cemetery. A sign by the entrance explained what the different shapes meant.

    Unlike the public cemetery, I seemed to be the only visitor. Even so, I felt uneasy, as if I were being watched. It was sweltering, too, so not exactly the nicest day to be out in the hot equatorial sun.

    Eventually, a groundskeeper approached and asked me to sign the guest book before I left.

    The other photos here are a few I snapped in the nearby public burial ground.    Читать далее

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  • Tui SniderNovember 2023Путешественник

    Shark crocodile

    29 ноября 2023 г., Индонезия ⋅ ☁️ 91 °F

    Today we visited Surabaya. The city gets its name from Javanese words for “shark” (sura) and “crocodile (baya.)

    According to legend, the two were apex predator besties, but after quarreling over food, they decided to divide their domains: the shark got the ocean and the croc was supposed to stay on land.

    This is why visitors to Surabaya will notice shark and crocodile themed murals, signs, and manhole covers all over town.

    I didn’t realize Indonesia was home to crocodiles, but the country falls on the western side of the infamous Wallace Line, which is an imaginary border used to mark the difference in species between Australia and Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia.

    Ever wondered why so many animals in Australia are venomous, for instance, while New Zealand has none? The Wallace Line runs between them.

    Indonesia’s saltwater crocodiles were driven close to extinction by the mid-20th century, but they are making a comeback.

    As part of our taxi tour today, we visited Surabaya’s monument to Indonesian independence, which they gained on November 10, 1945.    Читать далее

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