Bountiful Bangkok

The day began with a 7:30 pickup.  My hotel is the farthest from town, so I was picked up first, followed by two more stops, for a total of nine people, including me for our guided tour of the city.

The traffic was insane!  Lots of cars, very few traffic lights, and the ones we went through were so long.  It took about an hour and a half to get where we were going this morning, and about twenty minutes to get back to the hotel early afternoon when the traffic was much lighter.

Street market

Tuk Tuk - A rigged up motorcycle, used to ferry people.
There were lots of these in Cairo, too.

Another picture of street market.
They were present around every corner.

The Thai government is patterned after the British.  They have a king and queen, but they are figureheads only.  Like England, there is a Parliament that governs the land.  The king has been on the throne since 1946.  He is 85 years old and in poor health.  Below is a picture of his wife.

Pictures of the Queen lined the streets in celebration of her birthday August 12th.
Mother's Day is also recognized on this day.

Side note - Again, like the British, the steering wheel is on the right side of the cars.

Our first stop - a Buddhist Temple, Wat Pho.  My vocabulary isn't adequate to describe just how magnificent this place was.  Likewise, the pictures don't do it justice either, but I took a lot.

One of the many structures in the temple complex.

They contain statues.

Another extraordinary structure at the temple complex.

Whimsical statues at entryways

Ornate Entry Way

Windows and doors framed in gold and diamonds

Me in front of the Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha - 160 feet long
The head is way down on the left,
with the toes on the right.

Bottom of the feet of the Reclining Buddha

Mother-of-Pearl on bottom of Buddha's feet.
They are divided into 108 sections, each one depicting
a way that Buddha can be identified.

These are 108 bowls for collecting coins.
People drop coins because it is believed to bring luck
and it helps support the monks who maintain the Temple.

A monk tending to the shrubs at the Temple.
About 200 monks live here.

Ornate statues that look like very fancy pyramids.

Closeup of the above picture.

A waterfall in the middle of the complex.

Colorful fish at the bottom of the waterfall.

"Penis Rock" - My name for it.
Women who desire to get pregnant rub it for good luck.

Our next stop - Wat Traimit Temple, home of the Golden Buddha, the largest Buddha in the world.

Magnificent statue of Buddha at the Wat Traimit Temple.
You are required to take off your shoes before entering the temples,
and you have to kneel down or sit down to take pictures.
I sat with the bottom of my feet facing the statue.  That was a no-no.

Three-story Wat Traimit Temple

Closeup of Wat Traimit Temple - 2nd Level

This solid gold Buddha
is 9.8 ft tall and weights 5.4 tons.
It is the largest Buddha in the world.

And in the mist of all of this opulence, are the slums.

Slums very near business district

These slums reminded me a lot of Shanty Town in Cape Town, South Africa.

Bangkok, like many cities, is a city of contrasts.  The temples and monuments are extraordinary, and clearly, much effort is made to keep them that way.  On the other hand, there are many parts of the city in dire need of attention - the rough roadways, the old buildings, and the antiquated, and highly congested highway system.  It appears the infrastructure has been neglected for some time.  But as long as you stay near the temples, you see a very modern, better kept cityscape.  I saw a lot of the city because my hotel was located way out and we had to drive through a lot of it to reach the inner city where the temples were located.

The people are warm and kind.  Everyone is greeted by the locals clasping their hands like they're praying, followed by a bow.  When you tip or buy something, you are thanked with this gesture.  It is very warm and respectful, for lack of a better term.

Tomorrow is a very early pick up, so goodnight for now.

Good Book

I just finished one of the funniest books I've ever read entitled The Bear Ate My Pants by Tony James Slater.  It's about a young man who moves to Ecuador to volunteer at an animal refuge center.  His description of his time there and the insights into his frame of mind while they were happening is hilarious.

Very highly recommended.

Side note - My last trip of the summer is to Bangkok, Thailand.  I'll be leaving on Saturday for a few days.  When I return from said trip, I'll rest for a minute, then it will be time to return to school.  It starts on the 2nd for us, with kids returning on the 9th.

Have a terrific day!

Good night.

Hero?

Another interesting article, this time from the Wall Street Journal.  It's entitled "Are You a Hero or a Bystander?"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443989204577603341710975650.html?mod=djemLifeStyle_h

Top Twenty TED Talks

I know.  I know.  You're thinking I should give these TED Talks a rest.  Maybe so, but I love being in a space (which is most everywhere), where folks are smarter than me.

If you share my thinking, enjoy.

If not, do whatever you do to entertain yourself.

Keeping it clean, of course.

Side note - At a storefront in Istanbul, my friends and I stopped to check out some innovative wine flasks.  There were two men in the shop.  The older of the two appeared to be the shop owner, and was definitely the maker of the wares, explaining the process.

The other young man was sitting at a desk near the front door, and he was fascinated by something on his computer screen.  I could hear music, but couldn't see the screen.

So while my friends were learning about the flasks, I asked the young guy what was so important on that computer that kept him from helping to sell their merchandise.

He looked up and smiled a very guilty smile.  You know the one, where you've been caught with your hand in the cookie nor, and all you can do is smile?

Then he gave me a hug.

The kid was guilty of something.  I don't know what because I never did see the screen.

It was kind of colorful seeing him try to play it off though.

Now to TED -

Below you'll find a link to the top twenty TED Talks.  Start with #6, "How Great Leaders Inspire Action." It's fascinating.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/21/ted-reveals-top-20-most-watched-talks-sir-ken-robinson-tops-the-list/

More soon.

Everything is a Remix?

This is another interesting TED Talk about creativity.  I'm not sure that I agree with him.  What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd-dqUuvLk4&feature=player_embedded

Hello and Goodbye . . . Istanbul

My tour of Istanbul, Turkey is coming to an end today.  It was a wonderful trip.

It is known as the home of the famous Blue Mosque and the spice market. Because of the EID holiday, the spice market was closed.

The Blue Mosque

Spice Market - Closed because of EID

No worries.  There was plenty to see and do.

Garden view of the Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque

We visited a palace that holds an 86-carat diamond.  Amazing!  I'm not a big jewelry person, but you can't help but love this rock.  Pictures weren't allowed, but I found this one online.

86-carat diamond

Flowers and shrubs in the shape of the flag,
in the garden at the Blue Mosque

"New" Mosque located at the harbor

My absolute favorite part of the trip was our voyage to The Big Island, one of nine islands in this area, that took an hour to reach by boat.  There were huge houses, mansions really, around every corner and every bend in the road.  Some were high on the hills, others at street level, and all incredibly beautiful.  Cars are forbidden on this island.  The only mode of transportation is by horse and buggy - they act as taxis - or on bikes or by foot.  So, so cool.

View of Istanbul from the ferry boat

This dog and cat were oblivious to the crowds walking by

Clock tower in the town square

There must have been at least 100 horse carriages ferrying folks around the island. All of the horses had "poop catchers" which was a brilliant idea or else there would have been tons of poop in the streets.

A few of the many horse carriages

There was some of the most vibrant-colored fruits and vegetables I've ever seen sold at store fronts.  I'm guessing all of the horse poop makes great fertilizer.

Speaking of fruit, I've eaten the best figs ever, here.  There eaten like apples with the peeling intact.  They're pale yellow and deep brownish/purple.  Yummy!

Panoramic View of Istanbul from the ferry boat

View of building in town square

The island is only a two-mile trip around, and there are only 7000 residents.  There were that many visitors yesterday alone.

Over-the-shoulder wine flask

On the way back to Istanbul, one of the tour guides acted as emcee and invited folks from the many and varied countries to come up and sing a song native to their country/region.  A video clip of one brave soul's rendition is below.

There were three other women traveling alone, so we hung out together because the buggy ride required four people.  It worked out great.  They are lovely ladies.

Me and my new friends 

So long Istanbul.

As always, thanks for sharing this ride with me.

A View from Abroad

A very interesting article on America in today's local UAE paper.

http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/political-boasting-misses-the-point-of-americas-history?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Daily%2BNewsletter%2B19-08-2012

Turkey, Part 2

We just arrived at the hotel in Istanbul.  The drive over was filled with great sights - the best was an amazing aqueduct with Spanish style arches. I missed the shot . . . again, but I found pictures of it online.  I'm hoping to see it again before we leave.

Istanbul Aqueduct

Another view of the aqueduct

This is the town square.

There is a group of about 40 of us at this hotel and about that many staying at another place.  We all took advantage of a Groupon or Living Social Voucher and flew in from Dubai.  We'll have two days of guided tours, then we're headed home on Tuesday.

This trip was designed to celebrate EID.

Ramadan is officially over today and EID begins tomorrow.  This is a 5-day period to mark the end of the month of fasting, with three sacred days of partying and celebrations.  (This is the way they do it in the UAE.  Not sure if it's universally recognized like this).  This is a time when gifts are exchanged and presents are bought for all.  This is their Christmas, if you will.  This is the closest thing the Muslim community have to our Christmas holidays, and I hear it's pretty lavish, as you might expect.

Side note - I know I've said this many times before - so I expect there will be some eyes rolling, but that's OK.

Here goes -

All of these wonderful things didn't start happening in my life

Until . . .

I forgave.

A year ago.

At 55 years old!

I let it/him/them go.

Pushed it aside,

and / or

Chose to look at things differently.

I realized I was holding me back.  Not this person or that one.

Me.

Just me.

And when I made a conscious decision to let it/him/them be, things in my life turned around.

This is from someone who took great pride in holding a grudge, so . . .

If I can do it, you can too.

Cool Stuff

Real quick -

I discovered Triposo.  It is a free travel guide app that gives you things to do, the history of the area, and maps.  And, it works when you're offline.  Very nice.

Another super discovery was e-Gate, which allows you to skip the long lines at the airport when you're having to get your passport checked.  For a fee, roughly $60, I went to their office at the airport.  Showed them my passport.  They scanned my thumbs, and took my picture.  Voila!  That's it.  I now have a credit card looking ID that I will flash and zip right on through the passport checkpoints.  Sometimes the lines are crazy long, so this will be great.  I know that all airports have them, so if you travel a lot, it might be worth looking into.

I have to go to bed.  It's an early one for me.

Good morning to you.

Good night to me.

Ciao.

High in Dubai

Today I went for a helicopter ride over Dubai.

Oh my!

It was exhilarating!

I bought this voucher months ago from Groupon or Living Social, and knew I wanted to wait til the summer break to use it.

So, today was the day.

The ride began at Dubai Festival Marina, which is a high end mall, pier, and heliport all rolled into one. Thankfully, the GPS Coordinates were posted online, so it wasn't hard to find.

The Dubai Festival Marina

I arrived early, so I checked out the mall to stay cool.  At the appointed time, I joined six others back at the office.  We were weighed, shown a safety video, fitted with life jackets, and escorted to the landing pad.  When we got inside, we were buckled in and given headphones to protect our ears from the noise.  It was incredibly loud.

The helicopter

Then, off we went.

I was sitting in a middle seat, so the pictures aren't the best, but I hope you can get an idea of what I was seeing.

The islands making up the "world."

This picture is from online, showing what it looks like from space.
Amazing!

The water was a crystal blue.  The sky was a little hazy because it was windy, but otherwise, it was a wonderful day to do this.

This is the top of the palm tree
where you can see The Atlantis Hotel

This picture is from online, showing the entire island.
Each of the palm branches houses high-rise condominiums and apartments.

This is a close-up of The Atlantis Hotel.
It is extraordinarily big, with more than 1500 rooms.

Seeing the man-made islands making up the "world" and the palm tree was enchanting.  Pictures just don't do this justice.  It is absolutely magnificent!

The speck at the top is the Burj Arab,
the hotel that's shaped like a sailboat.

This is a closeup picture from online.

What a day!

Tomorrow I'm headed back to Turkey.  This time I'll be visiting Istanbul.

Inshallah.

More soon.

I Knew I was Getting Close . . .

To home when the toilet bowls disappeared and the holes in the floor appeared.

I knew I was back home . . .

When one lane of a three-lane road was suddenly turned into a parking lot.  No signs.  No heads up.  Nothing.

I knew I was back home . . .

When folks regularly created curb parking when no parking was available elsewhere.

I knew I was back home . . .

When none of this bothered me.

In the nine months that I've lived here, I've learned to go with the flow.

I've learned to consider, no matter what's happening, that all is well.

I've learned to adapt,

And

I've learned to love . . .

My new home.

Race in America

Where to begin?

We've come a long way in tackling the issues surrounding race in America.

Are they obsolete?  Of course not.

Is it much better?  Absolutely.

In raising Ben and Frankie, it was important for them to understand the struggles and battles fought, so that they could appreciate all who went before them to make their way possible.  But many times I felt the conversations fell on deaf ears because their experiences were so different.  Their struggles were minuscule in comparison.

That's a good thing, right?

Yes, but . . .

There are still those who have issues with who we are, based solely on the color of our skin, and we need to be aware of that, so that when it comes up, we can deal it with constructively.

I've thought a lot about this recently, in reference to my granddaughter, Zadie.

As a mixed child, she will need to be taught no matter how she sees herself, what matters in the way she is treated, is how the world sees her.  My classic example is Tiger Woods.  He sees himself as this multiracial (which he is) entity, but when he walks out of the door, the world sees a Black man.

When Zadie looks in the mirror, will she appreciate who she sees?  How do we help her grow and mature to embrace both sides of herself, without having to deny either part of who she is?  Will the standards of beauty have broaden by the time she's of age, to regularly include women of color?  Will it be necessary to have the same conversations with her, that I had with Ben and Frankie?

I think so.

Not as some indictment on everyone who is a certain color, but to be aware that there are still narrow-minded people who struggle to see pass our color.

Better to be prepared than to be blindsided.

Have we come a long way?

YES!

Do we still have a ways to go?

For sure.

Picture of Crete, Greece

This is Pigeon Island.  It sits in the harbor, standing watch on all who enter and leave.
It is a fort, surrounded by a wall, with tower in the middle.

Wonderful hole-in-the-wall coffee shop

Another street cafe

Notice the grapes growing and serving as a roof for this restaurant.

 

Closeup of the grapes growing on the roof

A church in the heart of town

Seaside homes and businesses

Pictures of Ephesus, Turkey

Panoramic view of Kusadasi, the city nearest Ephesus

Smaller stadium that the Apostle Paul was believed to have preached.

The Virgin Mary.  She is believed to have  lived
in Ephesus after the death of Christ.  Her home is nearby.

A sculpture in a museum in Kusadasi