I remember seeing my first Rolls Royce as a youth in Superior, Wisconsin. I was down-town riding in our families Rambler stationwagon when my father pointed it out to me. He said that it was Morgan Murphy's car and was hand-made and very expensive. Except for the grill and hood ornament the car didn't look that special to me.
More than 50 years later, I spend winters in Thailand and have been able to attend numerous Motor Shows and have seen many exotic and expensive cars. Rolls Royce even has a show room in one of the downtown Bangkok Malls. It was quite devoid of customers so my brother-in-law and I went in to take a look. The price on the showroom model was 41 million Thai Baht or $1.2 million (I don't know if this includes taxes and delivery fees or not). Lets just say it is still very expensive.
Rolls Interior
Above is a view of the cars interior: first class materials but the design is a bit antiquated... Draw your own conclusions.
Image's Message: Friends Out For A Drive
So how do you a promote an expensive but conservatively designed automobile? With models or pretties as they call them here in Thailand. It is a formula that has been used around the globe to promote everything automotive and everything in general. As they say "Sex Sells".
And that is what started me to thinking: Who would ever believe that these beautiful Thai models would have any connection to Rolls Royce other than a working model relationship with the car dealer? Why are these models dressed as they are and not in formal elegant attire? Are they posing as Holly Wood type starlets? Could these models afford a Rolls? What kind of reality does this represent?
Questions, questions, questions....
Image's Message: I Love Posing In The Backseat Of A Rolls
A vision of reality only seen at Motor Shows and in daydreams. Wonder what the model is thinking? (How long till I am done for the day? I'm tired. I'm cold, when can I get out of these skimpy clothes? How do I look? Will this be my big break?)
Message: It's Just Me Sitting On The Fender Of My Rolls
What is this model thinking? (This fender is hard to sit on? Should I have put on more makeup? How is my posture? Do my socks match my outfit? Is my hat stupid?)
Message: Beautiful Sexy Me with my Rolls
The final image of a model who took extra time to pose, what is she thinking? (Do I look sexy enough? How much cleavage should I show? Will these images improve my portfolio, Who is that old guy taking pictures of me?)
So many questions and so many answers depending on one's perspective.
Will I ever buy a Rolls, even if I could afford it? No. But maybe a Maserati or a Lamborghini. The Maserati shop in the Mall says they accept Master Card (I wonder if they check the spending limits).
Are these images and their messages true or just illusionary? In fact they are just a dream designed to sell cars. It is telling that an old established company like Rolls Royce is taking this approach, but I guess they need to sell cars, models need to work, and we all need a daydream or two...
If he were alive, I wonder what Morgan Murphy (newspaper publisher) would think of all of this???
On June 17, 2014 I underwent surgery in Thailand for the removal of three piles. What follows is my narrative of that experience.
My story begins on June 7th when I noticed a painful external hemorrhoid and on June 12th I went to Nonthavej Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand to seek treatment. Upon examination three hemorrhoids were discovered and the Doctor recommended that I have surgery as soon as possible. The surgery was scheduled for June 12th.
In my narrative I will describe my surgery with the hope of giving anyone considering medical tourism a little information and insight into this facet of health care.
On entering the Hospital I first went to reception, where my wife, Tina (a Thai Citizen), helped me with the initial paperwork. For those not so lucky to have a Thai wife, the hospital has competent foreign patient representatives who speak English. Here is the reception area and some of the personnel working there.
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After the paperwork at reception was completed one of the recptionists took us to the surgery department where a chest x-ray, blood work, blood pressure, temperature and an EKG were done. I then met with my cardiologist to discuss the surgery and my heart, blood pressure and cholesterol.
After testing we were taken to our private room on the 15th floor of the hospital. The room came with wi-fi, a refrigerator, a microwave, a hot water maker, a LCD television, a sofa for my wife, extra pillows.
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My surgery was scheduled for noon, about 11:15 am the anesthesiologist came to my room, introduced himself and asked if I had any questions. At noon an attendant came to the room with a wheelchair to take Tina and I to the surgery wing on the second floor of the hospital. There I was prepped for surgery, then taken to the operating room given a local anesthetic, oxygen, and connected to monitor my blood pressure / heart rate. The surgery took about 2 hours and I was returned to my room and helped into bed.
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The care I received from the many nurses and other staff members was phenomenal: it included twice daily sponge baths, at least 12 blood pressure / Temperature tests per day, three hospital gown changes per day, at least one bedding change per day, two room cleanings per day, and three meals and one snack per day. During the day there were at least five nurses at their station to care for 25 private rooms in this ward; at night at least three nurses were present. I only had to wait a few minutes after calling for a nurse, and they always arrived with a smile and gentle touch. It is amazing the care that can be given by an adequately staffed hospital.
I had three doctors attending me: a surgeon, a cardiologist, and an anesthesiologist. All three visited me at least once a day during my stay and answered my every question and concern.
My surgeon and his assistant
My Anesthesiologist and his assistant
My Cardiologist and his assistant
For those of you interested in Medical Tourism in Thailand: a summary of the billing for my surgery and two day hospital stay is here.
When I return to America I will submit a claim to Medicare and they will coordinate with my other insurance companies. Hopefully the coverage will be as good as what is covered in America. I will update this blog when reimbursement of my out of pocket expenses is made. At this time I am very satisfied with the cost and quality of my treatment.
If you have any general questions, feel free to contact me. I am no expert but am happy to relay the results of my experience to help you sort out the pros and cons of medical treatment in Thailand.
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These 5 Images are now
Happily Retired!!!
It has been my good fortune to travel and photograph some beautiful places. I will take you to four places this month: Wisconsin USA, Singapore, Thailand, and Nepal.
I was raised in Northern Wisconsin and have enjoyed the beauty of it's out of the way places. It is a harsh land and desolate in many places, but also pure, fresh and beautiful with good friends and good clean air...
Singapore is in many ways the antithesis of Northern Wisconsin. It is a big city crowded onto a small tropical island, a sort of urban utopia: clean, safe, well planned. Singapore is spectacular.
Thailand has beautiful islands and oceans, cool highlands, a complex mixture of ancient and modern cultures, and the best food in the world.
Nepal is where I lived for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 1970's. The people, places, and event I experience there are a cherished part of me.
The 5 images in this collection will be available until April 30, 2014 when they will be retired.
Black Lake SunsetImage taken June 2013 in Southern Douglas County Wisconsin with a Sony RX1 camera.
Northern Wisconsin is where I was raised and I've always had a love for it's forests and Lakes. This image was taken at sunset while canoeing. The early summer sun is still shining the last rays through the Tamarac Bog. This image prints best as a canvas print at 16" x 20" or on quality photo paper at 8" x 10".
My son and daughter-in-law live in Singapore. While visiting them we took a stroll through "The Gardens By The Bay". On our return from the gardens, the city lights and the Eye of Singapore were spectacular. This image prints best at 24" x 16" on canvas or 8" x 12" as a metallic print.
Thailand is my winter home now and I have come to love it's highlands, cities, and oceans. This image was taken with a 14mm lens and processed to make a painting like image, it is a personal favorite. This image prints best at 8" x 12" on quality paper or as a 16" x 24" canvas print.
I was very lucky to have been a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal from 1974 to 1977. Since then I have been to Nepal many times: gone trekking in the mountains, traveling the country side, and visiting friends. Pokhara is my favorite city in Nepal. It is very close (12 miles as the crow flies) to the Himalaya (really big mountains: the abode of the Gods) and also one of the few places in Nepal with a lake, Phewa Taal. Here is an image taken on a flight from Pokhara to Jomsom, Nepal. The mountain on the left is Annapurna South (7219 m or 23,684') and the one on the right is Fang (7647m or 25,089').
This image prints well on canvas at 30" x 20" or at 10" x 8" on quality photographic paper.
The last image is of the Night Sky as seen from deep with in the northwoods of Northern Minnesota. The Milky Way was spectacular that July evening.
This image prints well on canvas at 16" x 24" or on quality photographic paper at 8" x 12".
If you have any questions or comments about these images or places, please feel free to contact me.
If you would like to purchase one of these limited images, please do so before May 1, 2014. Please note that you will receive a 20% discount on any of these five images by entering the code " AprilLimited " during the check out process.
In addition I will donate 10% of my profits from the sale of these images to the United Methodist Churches Advanced Specials.
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Himalayafan's March Limited Edition
It has been my good fortune to travel and photograph some beautiful places. I will take you to four places this month: Wisconsin USA, Singapore, Thailand, and Nepal.
I was raised in Northern Wisconsin and have enjoyed the beauty of it's out of the way places. It is a harsh land and desolate in many places, but also pure, fresh and beautiful with good friends and good clean air...
Singapore is in many ways the antithesis of Northern Wisconsin. It is a big city crowded onto a small tropical island, a sort of urban utopia: clean, safe, well planned. Singapore is spectacular.
Thailand has beautiful islands and oceans, cool highlands, a complex mixture of ancient and modern cultures, and the best food in the world.
Nepal is where I lived for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 1970's. The people, places, and event I experience there are a cherished part of me.
The 5 images in this collection will be available until March 31, 2014 when they will be retired.
Northern Wisconsin is where I was raised and I've always had a love for it's forests. This image was taken at sunset in Douglas County. The early summer sun is still shining the last rays through the Tamarac Bog where the skeets are humming! This image prints best as a canvas print at 32" x 18" or 16" x 9".
My son and daughter-in-law live in Singapore. While visiting them we took a stroll through "The Gardens By The Bay". On our return from the gardens, the moon and city lights highlighted the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. This image prints best at 16" x 20" or 8" x 10" either as a canvas print or a metallic print.
Thailand is my winter home now and I have come to love it's highlands, cities, and oceans. This image was taken at sunrise while climbing a hill to Samroi Yad National Park on the Gulf of Thailand. This image prints best at 16" x 20" or 8" x 10" on canvas or quality photo paper.
I was very lucky to have been a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal from 1974 to 1977. Since then I have been to Nepal many times: gone trekking in the mountains, traveling the country side, and visiting friends. Pokhara is my favorite city in Nepal. It is very close (12 miles as the crow flies) to the Himalaya (really big mountains: the abode of the Gods) and also one of the few places in Nepal with a lake, Phewa Taal. Here are two images taken in Pokhara.
This image was taken at Lakeside in Pokhara during a Hindu Religious festival. The boats were originally used by the Gurungs to carry goods across the lake to their farmsteads. But now they are used to take tourists around the lake and to go to the Barahi Temple on an island in the lake.
The tents on the right side of the image are where the priests preach and the pilgrims worship. And finally the raft in the left center of the image is used for ritualistic bathing.
This image graces my dinning area...
This image prints well on canvas at 24" x 16" or quality photographic paper at 12" x 8" or with cropping at 20" x 16" or 10" x 8".
This is the view of the Himalaya from Lakeside. Even though I've been to Pokhara many times, Fishtail mountain and the Annapurnas always take my breath away. It is a view like no other...
This image will print best at 20" x 8" with adjustments it can also be printed larger or cropped to 12" x 8" or 10" x 8".
If you have any questions or comments about these images or places, please feel free to contact me.
If you would like to purchase one of these limited images, please do so before April 1, 2014. Please note that you will receive a 20% discount on any of these five images by entering the code " MarchLimited " during the check out process.
In addition I will donate 10% of my profits from the sale of these images to the United Methodist Churches Advanced Specials.
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As another year passes I sit, reflect and feast on old music and images. It has been a year of both frustrations and also triumphs... All years are like this I guess.
We have our favorite memories of the past year and also those gone by... And with the passing of time I have come to value the olden days more and more, while still appreciating the present days... Which I guess is why most of the images in this video are monochrome:
Here are the lyrics of Auld Lang Syne as written by Robert Burns in 1788:
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne ?
CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup ! and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne.
CHORUS
And there’s a hand my trusty friend ! And give me a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne.
Dear family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances may you know your true worth and importance. Here is my New Year's Wish for you:
May the year 2014 bring you happiness and strength to be happy no matter what life may bring to you this new year.... BLESS YOU ALL!
Fred
AKA Himalayafan
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Northland Summer
Summer has brought me back to the Northland of Wisconsin and Minnesota. My 87 year old mother and I have taken a number of short "Photography Trips" this spring and summer... Here are some of the images:
Spring
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People, Events, and Celebrations
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Around the Northland
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Wisconsin State Parks
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One of my favorite places in Nepal is Kagbeni.
It is a very old town mentioned in the ancient Hindu scriptures as Salligramon. A place where the salligrams ( "voice of god" pictured above ) fossils are found in the nearby Kaligandaki River. Now days however you can buy salligrams in Kathmandu and Pokhara, which beats carrying them in your backpack.
When I first came to this area of Nepal in 1976, the only way was by foot, following the "Mul Bato" (Main Road) from Shyangja District to Baglung then along the Kaligandaki River through Tak Kola (homeland of the Takalis) to Jomsom and finally Kag Beni a 5 day walk as I remember.
More recently an Airport has built in Jomsom and a rough jeep road has been made from Pokhara to Baglung to Tatopani to Jomsom to Kagbeni and even Muktinath. By air it is a spectacular (see above) 17 minute flight to Jomsom followed by a 3 or 4 hour hike to Kagbeni.
Kagbeni is the gateway to Upper Mustang (One of the last strong holds of Tibetan Buddhism) and Mukhtinath (A ancient pilgrimage site). Here old Buddhist and Bon traditions are mixed with the modern. I hope the following slide show will give you a taste of the Kagbeni I know and love.
I hope you enjoyed this visit to Kagbeni. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them.
Till next time all best,
Fred Johnson
AKA Himalayafan
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Songkran is Thailand's New Year Celebration. It is celebrated on April 13th with the next day being Family day. This year Songkran fell on Saturday, which made for a 4 day holiday (April 13-16).
Songkran is celebrated with trips home and giving water to elders and also water spraying and squirting by many...
There is a massive exodus from Bangkok, resulting in most neighborhoods being deserted and most local shops and eateries closed.
Those left in Bangkok head downtown to the malls as Tina and I did to shop, eat, and take photographs.
So please join us for our trip to downtown Bangkok and the Terminal 21 Food Court...
Thailand is know for it's delicious food and Pier 21 (the food court at the Terminal 21 Shopping Mall) is very popular with Thais and foreigners alike. There is an amazing variety of foods, expertly prepared at reasonable cost. Tina and I had 4 dishes, 1 desert, ice tea, coffee, and water. We left full and satified with a very good meal at a cost of 217 Thai Bhat ( $7.56 US). Let me begin by showing you some more images of this modern food court and then images of some of our sampled foods.
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Tina selected our first dish: BBQ Pork with Sesame Noodles, pickled ginger, and vegetables in a tasty sauce. It was absolutely delicious.
I had a hard time deciding on a second dish, but finally selected: Buried Chicken with Yellow Curried Rice and a mild chicken soup. This dish is from Southern Thailand is similar to Indian Chicken Biriyani (but seasoned a bit differently). It was delicious.
Tina was patient and waited in line for our next course always popular Papaya Salad. This salad is made from green papaya, dried shrimp, tomato, green beans, peanuts, chillis, lemon juice, garlic and other seasonings. Absolutely delicious and low in calories.
We finished our meal with Mango Sweet Sticky Rice. Tina also had a Thai desert: Thai Mellon with Taro (not pictured).
Also not shown are Ice Lemon Tea and Oliang (Traditional Thai Coffee).
After finishing our meal, we let the food digest and then went by Skytain to Homepro Plus to shop for a lamp. The young people (and not so young too) were out in force with their squirt guns, waterproof cell phone and money holders. Some even had traditional Thai cooling powder...
These guys wait at Ashok Skytrain Station, full of confidence, and fully loaded squirt guns...
The girls in the background plot last minute strategy and the train bound for glory approaches...
This girl, squirt gun in tow, rides the Skytrain while communicating with her friends...
Thai teachers do not have to control all of this water squirting mania as all schools are enjoying a two and a half month vacation.
It's a good thing too, as even my legendary grade and high school teachers and fellow teachers would have a hard time controling all of this....
Hope you enjoyed this brief visit to the food court and the brief glimpse of Thai culture. Till next time, all best...
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I have attended a number of "motorshows" in Thailand and found them to be full of energy, cars, motorcycles, and of course models ("Pretties") looking to advance their careers and help sell the event and the vehicles. It is an extravaganza.
So enjoy the images, may they give you a feel of the motorshow...
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Some of the vendors go for a sophisticated look (as this Porsche model left). Others a low key sensual look (as this BMW motorcycle model right).
And of course there are cars. Here is a Lamborghini sports car.
Here is a Harley Davidson Motorcycle.
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Some of the models are flirtatious and others sexy, it's all about selling... Be it an exotic car or a family car or a modeling career...
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An elegant model poses with a Rolls Royce (above left). A vivacious model poses with a Bently (above right).
The costumes worn are varied and some are unique like the Captain's outfits (above).
Some of the displays show creativity, the Mini Cooper display is shown above along with a view of Impact Challenger (Above).
The motorshow attracts hundreds of thousands visitors during it's week long run. This causes traffic jams and travel delays, as a result many of the models rent one room condominiums near Impact Challenger. This off duty model is having beakfast at a local eatery and discussing her modeling portfolio with another model.
Satirical costuming is also popular.
There is also a pagent that occurs with the motor show, Miss Motorshow and her court make appearances at the shows vendor sites and pose for the cameras...
Curled hair of red and blonde with head pieces are popular.
The Vietnam War brought many changes to Thailand, these include quite a lot of "Westernization" including beauty pagents, clothing and a more materialistic society. Chevrolet and Ford both have Thailand operations. Here three Thai Models show that "Sensuality Sells Cars" and I guess a big reason for the Motorshows.
There are two shows a year, they are well attended by Thais and Expats alike. And are one of the few events at the Impact - Challenger Center with an entry fee: 100 Thai Baht ($3.33 US).
I like attend to practice making portraits, hopefully I am learning and my images are improving. Feel free to leave me comments and critiques...
]]>In March Tina and I took a one week vacation to visit Thailand's Andaman Sea Coast.
We traveled by overnight Bus to Khaolak, Thailand arriving in the middle of the small village at 5 am. One "Taxi ride" (100 Thai Baht or $3.33 US) later we were at our resort. The staff was very helpful and accomodating and by 7:30 am we were in our bungalo, Sadly the AC in that room was very weak. The resort handyman tried to fix it but didn't have the refrigerant it needed. We were promptly moved to another bungalow which was much better and we had an ejoyable stay at the Baan Krating Resort. It is truely a great place to stay in many ways: food, accomodation, and service. We will stay here again.
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We had wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed the peace and solitude at Khaolak.
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Then we rented a car and drove to Phuket Town. As most of the hotels were full due to a large convention, we ended up staying in the city center near the old market and a truely unique traditional Phuket style eatery. Phuket has wonderful dimsum and seafood.
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We stayed two nights in Phuket Town, but on our second day we drove around the island, visiting Bangthao, Kamala, Patong, and Cape Phromthep. We were both amazed at how developed the beaches have become.
Especially Patong Beach where Tina had worked at the small Patong Jupiter's Inn next to the Patong Beach Hotel right in the middle of the beach. In those days there was only well water and electricity for the Bungalows from a small generator.
The bungalows and hotel are now gone, replaced by big hotels and 5 star resorts as well as all the branded shops and eateries of Europe and America. Such is development on Phuket Island. It must be my age, I prefer the peace and quiet of Khaolak.
I did enjoy the Cape Phromthep and a spectacular Sunset.
From Phuket we drove to Phang Nga Province were we had a great lunch at the Phang Nga Bay National Park. There are bungalows for rent and reasonably prices tours to James Bond Island and Panyee Island (and other's in this beautiful bay with its limestone cliffs). It is a place I would like to visit again.
Phang Nga Bay National Park
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Also in Phang Nga Province we visited the old town of Takuapa. Had lunch at the market and did a bit of shopping.
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Traditional Thai Shop
We returned to Khaolak, turned in our rental car and spent two more days exploring the area.
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I hope you enjoyed this brief visit to Southern Thailand and may you also visit this beautiful area...
I have started to experiment in abstract images. This set of three I think would be nice on the wall of a large room.
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What do you think?
These and my other abstractions can be found here.
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This year for my birthday we did something different: checked into a high rise hotel on Bangkok's riverfront, took photos, and went to the newly developed Asiatique.
The Chatrium Riverside is a combination of Hotel, Residence, and Condominium in three separate towers on the banks of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. I made reservations based on hotel reviews in the Trip Advisor. Tina and I had a fantastic time there.
I wanted a room on a high floor to facilitate photography. The hotel staff was wonderful and with a small increase in price, we ended up in a Junior Suit on the 32nd floor with a nice view of the Chao Phraya River and the Bangkok skyline.
During our stay we visited Asiatique a shopping and eating center done in historic waterfront style. It is a great place to explore...
Now come and join Tina and me for some moments at Bangkok's riverside:
The slides in this show can be found here.
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My love affair with mountains began in grade school when my family bought camping gear and we started traveling during Dad's summer vacations. I was happy reading the AAA guide books and taking family photos of our vacation adventures. In particular I have fond memories of Glacier, Rocky Mountain and Olympic National Parks.
After graduating from college in 1973, I decided to join the Peace Corps to serve my country, help others, and to see the world. There were several possibilities: Honduras, Malaysia, and Nepal. In the end I chose Nepal, because of my love of the mountains. In October of 1974 I arrived in Nepal with my Peace Corps Group N/45 and began an almost 40 year connection with Nepal and her mountains.
Now off to the Annapurna Massif in Central Nepal:
Annapurna is a collection of many peaks, six of which are 6997m (22,956 ft) or more. Annapurna I at 8091m (26,545 ft) is the tallest and was first of the world's 8000m peaks to be summited. The Massif is large, to walk the Annapurna Circuit takes 17 - 21 days, covers 160-230 km (100-145 miles) and reaches an altitude of 5416m (17,769 ft) at Thorong La.
Buddhist prayer flags wisper to the wind in the Manang Valley.
Annapurna I and Annapurna South rise above their foothills.
Fishtail Mountain (Machhapuchhare) as seen from Pokhara.
Annapurna I, Annapurna South and Fang shimmer in early morning sunshine.
The sun sets on Annapurna II.
These five images are favorites and are offered for sale here: http://bit.ly/WGvquc
During the month of February 2013 these Annapurna images will be available at discount of 49% using the coupon code " wheniam64 " while checking out.
Namaste,
Fred Johnson
Himalayafan Photography
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I love food, in fact my family loves food: growing it, baking it, cooking it, and of course eating it. Recently I had the good fortune to sample some cupcakes that have more than a 200 year history. So let the story begin:
The Portugese were among the earliest of the European explorers to come to Thailand. They arrived in the 1500's to trade and because of war time assistance to the Thai King, were given a plot of land near his new Capital, Thonburi, now part of Bangkok. Here they lived, inter-married with Thais, and established a Catholic Church now called Santa Cruz Church.
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They practiced baking using charcoal ovens, simple ingredients and traditional recipes. These have been passed on from generation to generation within the community. I will share some of the details of my visit in this blog.
Lets start with the cakes (Khanom) and the bakeries. The cakes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and are among the best of Thailand's bakery products. The cakes are only made in the small Santa Cruz Community but distributed widely. Here are a few images of the Communities bakeries:
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The Santa Cruz Community is small and beautiful, it is the product of over 200 years of evolution. After enjoying the Portugese-Thai bakery, do take some time to walk around the community. It is truely unique and will give you a glimpse into this rich aspect of Asian History.
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I hope you enjoyed this brief visit to the Santa Cruz Community in Bangkok, Thailand. May you be able to taste these cakes from history and walk the lovely lanes of this community.
Google Map of the Area http://bit.ly/TPxmBV
One version of the Kanom recipe http://bit.ly/WL7rYE
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Many places have markets or shops located near train stations, but the one in Samut Songkhram, Thailand is unique. The shops are literaly located on the train tracks. Eight times a day trains come to the station and each time the shopkeepers must pull up their awnings and move the sale items to let the train pass. Then they quickly set up shop again.
This is truely amazing to witness. As you watch the video: you will see that some goods are underneath the train as it passes and how quickly the awnings go back down after the train passes.
HD Version
Standard Definition without audio
I enjoyed my trip to the market and making this video, I hope you will also experience the unique and interesting in your life.
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I recently visited my son, Fred, and his wife, Priya, in Singapore. I hadn't been there in 10 years and it was wonderful to go back again. In this photo essay I will share some of my experiences and images.
My low cost flight from Thailand on Scoot Airlines was comfortable enough but landed 11:30 pm. The trip through immigration and customs was very quick and efficient. After a brief wait for my luggage, I was ready to go to my hotel, but since the subway had closed I needed to take a taxi. The trip was quick and the fare was $27 SD (or about $22 US). Even better the return trip to the Airport via the subway was only $2 SD (or about $1.63 US). I should note that Singapore limits cars and traffic in this city of 5 million is much lighter than traffic in Minneapolis, Minnesota (less than 1 million). And as you might guess the mass transit system is excellent. (Here is a link to the Singapore MRT http://bit.ly/R0wOBU ).
I checked in at Swissotel: The Stamford asking for a room on an upper floor and was given a room on the 53rd floor. The night lights and views were spectacular.
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The next day I met my Fred and Priya for a snack at a sandwich shop in the Hotel's complex. (The Stamford, Fairmont, and Raffles Tower are all in the same complex along with a subway station, a grocery store, and a mall. Very convenient.
After the snack we went by subway to the Botanical Gardens ( http://bit.ly/SjJbMM ) where we enjoyed a nice walk, took some photos, and had lunch.
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After returning to my hotel by bus, we decided to take in the Nightly Laser Show at Marina Bay ( http://bit.ly/XWUVGE ). The show takes place 2 or 3 times every evening and consists of the Laser Show, Music, and also images projected on to water spray in the Bay. This first night I took photographs from the bridge facing the bay.
After the show and a dinner at a food court overlooking the Bay we made plans for the next day: to visit the Little India (for Nepali Food) and view the light show close up.
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Oh, I almost forgot our night visit to the Gardens by the Bay (http://bit.ly/PsAO3p) and the Cloud Forest Dome (http://bit.ly/XXDjKJ), so let me share a few images of this wonderful place.
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On Monday Fred had to work, but Priya and I visited the Malls by the Bay. Later we met my Son for Lunch at Marche (http://bit.ly/S7BgmD) an International place with a Swiss motif.
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After lunch, Priya and I returned to The Stamford and visited the area around the hotel.
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Later we went to the Night Safari ( http://bit.ly/S77ajg ) It was a good experience, but sadly there was not enough light to take good photographs of the animals I did however take a nice photo at the "Fire Show".
I returned to the Gardens by the Bay, the day of my departure.
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Let me leave you with a few more images of Sinapore as I look forward to my next visit to this world class city nation.
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I hope you enjoyed my photo blog. if you like these images they are available here http://bit.ly/Pdt05u
Fred Johnson
Himalayafan
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Thailand Open 2012, Impact Arena, Bangkok, Thailand
Sometimes life gives us unique opportunities: recently I was able to attend a the Thailand Open because of the kindness of one of Tina's friends. Thank you very much Pi El...
I had played a little recreational tennis in college, so I knew a little about the game. What surprised me was the: speed and precision of the professional game and also the technology involved in judging the matches (The challenge cameras literally measured ball placement to the neares millimeter!)
We saw two matches:
R Gasquet (France) vs B Tomic (Australia)
M Roanic (Canada) vs J Nieminen (Finland)
R Gasquet vs B Tomic
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B Tomic
B Tomic is 19 years old and is ranked the #39 singles player in the world.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Bernard-Tomic.aspx
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Match Results
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M Raonic vs J Nieminen
J Nieminen
J Nieminen defeated M Raonic. He is 31 years old and the #35 ranked singles player in the world.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Jarkko-Nieminen.aspx
M Raonic
M Raonic is 21 years old and ranked the #15 singles player in the world.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Milos-Raonic.aspx
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Match Results
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America is a large country with large distances between many senic attractions. One area that is sometimes overlooked by travelers is America's Midwest and specifically the Northshore of Lake Superior.
As the heat of summer builds across the United States, the northshore is a wonderful place to visit. It is usually cool and refreshing. There are wonderful views of rocky shorelines and woodlands; canoeing and camping; and the opportunity to see wildlife in this pristine part of America.
Air travelers can fly into Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota MSP or Duluth, Minnesota DLH to begin their Northshore adventures...
Some useful links:
]]>It has been a cold rainy May here at the head of Lake Superior. But with the rains come high waters and the chance to do a little photography.
The high waters have attracted spectators; I was told by a resident that the St. Louis River has not been this high since 2002. I feel fortunate to make images of the river and hope that you will enjoy my attemps at videography.
Jay Cooke State Park has breath taking scenery: lush forest, rocky gorges, and with the rains a raging St. Louis River. The first video was shot at park headquarters near the famous "Swinging Bridge".
The second video was shot in the town of Thomson at a dam used to control the river for recreation and electic power generation, a few miles upstream from the park. The power of the river here is truely amazing.
Thanks for visiting my zenfolio site. Please register, sign in, browse my images, mark favorites, and leave comments. This helps me in many ways, thank you.
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They say that everything is in a state of constant change, it is just the nature of things. Well in traveling from Thailand to Northern Wisconsin, the weather around me definitely changed. It went from summer heat (85 F - 100+ F) in Thailand to cool wet spring in Wisconsin (35F to 55F) with lots of wind and rain mixed with a few glimpses of sunshine.
And you know it feels good here, no need for air conditioning. I still have recollections of the Thailand heat and that memory feels good too. I think a range of experiences helps one appreciate the situation at hand.
So here is a pictorial contrast (Tropical / Temperate) for you the reader:
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Over the last 40 years the world has become a much smaller place: a phone call home from the third world that was expensive and almost impossible to make is today easy and cheap. Remote corners of planet earth now are exposed to the full range of internet, tv, and consumer culture.
The changes themselves bring many benefits, but also some neagative affects. A few examples:
Nepali children are losing the ability to speak their native language: the tribal languages are being replaced with Hindi (from Television) and English (from School) resulting in a loss of cultural identity.
Traditional Cultural dress is fast disappearing from many countries and places including: Nepal, Thailand, and Alaska and being replaced with a blue jean and fashions culture.
In America, a land of immigrants, families are quickly losing their cultural identities: My dad (50% Finnish) could speak Finnish, mom (100% Finnish) could speak it as a young child (but forgot once she started school). I (75% Finnish) only know a few Finnish words (Mostly swear words). My children know none.
It goes on and on. Many changes are beneficial, but some are cause us to wonder: "Who are we? What are we? How can we be something we are not? Are we proud of ourselves and our cultures?" These are questions that we all need to answer to know ourselves and are crucial to our well being. The world's melting pot is wonderful if we can just maintain our own identity and worth.
In Ubud, Bali I witnessed a group who are doing a wonderful job of cultural preservation through dance: daughters, mothers, teachers and dancers preserving Balinese Classical Dance.
A group of young girls and their families get together a couple of times a week to practice dance. They do this not at school or someones house, but an actual venue where professional dancers give performances: for this group it's at Ubud's Water Palace "Pura Taman Saraswati". To my way of thinking practicing in that beautiful place has to be inspiring.
Balinese Classical Dance is very intricate and takes many years of dedication and hard work to perfect. Even if only a few of these girls go on to careers as dancers, they will have developed self-confidence, and learned a great deal about dance: the movements, gestures, and stories being told. They will also be in a position to appreciate dance performances. And most importantly they will be able to pass this knowledge and appreciation along to their children. Thus helping to preserve culture in a most important way. I think the work they are doing is fantastic and sincerely hope that others around the world over may also be able to use this model.
Normally I don't attend dance performances (probably because I don't know how to dance myself). Watching the little girls practice made me want to attend a dance performance. So the next evening Tina (my inspiration) and I attended a Legong Dance Performance at Ubud Palace. We enjoyed it very much and will share a couple of photos I took of the dancers.
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Thailand is known around the world for it's delicious food which is a subtle blend of tastes and cuisines. The variety of meats, fish, seafoods, vegetables, fruits, and herbs is amazing. Food is available most any time of day and at low cost. Thais eat out often and one can buy already cooked food to take out in the ubiquitous Mom & Pop food spots. In short Thailand is a food lover's paradise.
In this blog I will give my impressions and images of a Thai eating institution: the Thai BBQ and in particular Khun Ya Kitchen. So let me begin, with a little history.
In 2007 on my way back to Wisconsin from Nepal, I stopped to thaw out in Thailand. My stay was only a week: with a few days in Bangkok and the rest of the time at the beach in Pukhet. In Bangkok, I found an inexpensive place to stay near the new Airport. A staff member told me about a Thai BBQ place near the Guesthouse. So off I went on foot and after a sweaty 15 minute walk arrived at the BBQ place.
It was packed and I didn't know any Thai language, but undetered went in and after a while someone came to my table. The waitress didn't speak much English and I could speak no Thai. But she did call a waiter who spoke a little English and he explained how the BBQ works:
A clay pot with wood coals is brought to the table, on top of this is an aluminum container which holds water for making soup and boiling foods.The center part of the container is raised and has a lump of pork fat on is to keep the food you are grilling from sticking. I should also note that the meats are cut in small thin slices to facilitate grilling and that chop sticks are used to turn the meats and retrieve boiled foods from the soup...
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The customers go to the food area and select the meats, fish, and seafood they want, put it on trays, and bring it back to their table for grilling and cooking.
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Besides meats there are a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs, pre-cooked food and deserts (both Thai and American style ice cream) available.
In 2007 I couldn't use chopsticks very well so the grilling was an adventure... But lucky for me the pre-cooked foods and deserts made up for my lack of grilling skills. Still all in all it was a good experience.
Since then I have returned three or four times to Khun Ya Kithchen with my Thai friends and family who really have the BBQ thing down to an art... So with their expertise, I have been doing much better... I still don't grill that much better, but I do eat much much better. So let me give a bit of advice:
Arrive at the Kitchen close to opening time. After getting a table it is time to go and take your food. Start with the prawn's (the big fresh ones go the fastest) look for ones that do not have a yellow color (yellow = not the freshest). Select you other items: meats, vegies, salads and a few precooked items to tide you over while the prawns cook (I like them boiled) and the meats grill.
Return to your table and start cooking and grilling. But be prepared to make many trips back to pick up additional items.
Here are a few additional tips: Watch the locals to see how they manage things. Be sure to order a bucket of ice and some of your favorite beverages. Thailand is a hot place and you are going to be at the BBQ for a while, then sit back and enjoy it. The cost for this all you can eat BBQ is currently a little more than $4 a person.
I leave you now with some prawn images.
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HAPPY GRILLING AND DINING TO ALL, WHERE EVER YOU MAY BE...
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Ok, I know the place doesn't look like much, but let me tell you the story and perhaps if you are very lucky you will experience the Ch'luk or find your own Ch'luk. All it takes is a little bit of courage, some patience and luck.
The story: Toward the end of our 3 week Bali vacation, we found ourselves in Lovina on Bali's north coast. I had read that Lovina is famous for seafood (especially grilled fish) so naturally I wanted to try it.
I asked at our beach-side hotel and the receptionist gave me the names of a few places. Then I told her that I wanted to try traditional seafood and asked her where the "locals" eat. She told me Ch'luk and gave rough directions on how to get there. Of course I promptly forgot the name, but vaguely remembered the directions.
So Tina and I set off on foot in the hot afternoon sun (the place sounded close). After a lot of sweating and walking we wondered if we had gone the right way. When we saw the Tourist Police Post, we went in to get directions. Because I couldn't remember the name of the place I just asked where locals went for good grilled fish. Again I was told Ch'luk and given directions.
Since we had walked too far, we headed back and looked for that second street the policeman had mentioned. We were not sure that we had found the right one, but headed down the street toward the beach anyway. Along the way we saw signs for another Seafood eatery and later came to it near the beach.
I was hot and tempted to stop there, but something inside of me insisted that I find Ch'luk (maybe it was my Finnish sisu). Come hell or high water I was going to find that place.
So we started back toward town along the beach, after a while and seeing no signs for Ch'luk, I asked a local where it was. He pointed to a ramshackle house 50 feet away. With a little apprehension we walked through the gate into Ch'luk's compound (pictured above)
Inside the grounds we found a open air section with a Balinese family eating and a thatch shaded table where an ex-pat and his Balinese wife eating. We decided to sit at the thatch shaded table.
They gave us advice about the food and told the owner to give us the local price on the fish. It is fresh and stored on ice in the big red cooler you see in the first picture. We picked a couple of fish. The father of the family weighed them (the fish are sold by type and weight) and began grilling them on a wood-fired outdoor grill.
A while later our food arrived at the table ( this is a slow-food place ). I like spices and can honestly say that I have never had better grilled fish. Our meal consisted of the fish, a spicy salad, cucumber and cabbage, white rice, fresh coconut juice (drank from the coconut), and four types of condiments (sauces and tasty tidbits). The cost of the meal for the two of us was about 50% of the cost in the regular eatery or about the cost of a single McDonalds fish sandwich meal supersized!!!
Needless to say we returned to Ch'luk the next day and had another fantastic meal. Tina is very good at making friends with people, so they agreed to have their photo taken with her.
Simplified directions on how to get to Ch'luk: Start at the Dolphin Monument in Lovina (Kalibukbuk) walk east on the beach, past the fishing village, past the cement breakwater. The walk should take 20-45 minutes depending on how fast you walk. If you get to Spunky's Eatery you have gone too far. It is also good to ask for directions along the way and remember Ch'luk is about 100 feet off the beach.
May you experience Ch'luk and find many of your own Ch'luks....
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There was a small bati (local road house) down by the Storm River. This is where my friend, Dennis, took his meals during the early days of our Peace Corps Service. Here we ate amidst wood smoke, chickens, hearty laughter, and a leaky roof. There was always something going on in that place and we took it all in.
In the evening one spunky boy would be told to do his homework. He would begin his out-loud recitations, but after a while the kerosene candle would flicker and his attention would wander. Then he would find a torch (flash light) to work with and would continue till it's weak batteries would give out.
I don't recall the exact circumstances of this photo... But it remains one of my favorites...
Where is this boy today? I do not know, but chances are good that he is overseas: in the Gulf, United Kingdom, Singapore, or Brunei... Perhaps working as a security guard, a mercenary soldier, or a policeman...
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