The Chao Phraya river runs through the heart of a Bangkok Like the Ganges or the Seine or the Thames it is the heart and soul of this city. Along its banks are the Palaces and Temples and Malls and Buildings that comprise this city. Running into this river are a series of side canals along which millions live and worship and work. Here you’ll find impressive mansions and tumble down shanteys. Like all of Bangkok tossed together in a big teeming celebration of life. We rented a long tail boat for a trip along the river and the canals that make up a lot of traditional Bangkok

Bangkok is a veritable feast for all the senses but perhaps visually the juxtaposition of ancient and new and the brilliant and somber make it one of the most visually stunning places in the world. I love the temples

here. Magnificent from afar and equally magnificent in the detail up close . I literally come back here every time I’m here and am blown away time after time. This is truly a city to experience before you die

One of my favorite things about Thailand is the food. Everywhere you go there are people selling, cooking and eating food. The quality is very high and it’s almost universally delicious. Some months ago I thought how fun it would be to take a cooking class in Thailand. On line I went and found a class taught out of a local chefs house. Her Norwegian husband picks you up at the metro stop and together they take you to the local market. I can honestly say that John and I were the only non Thais in the place. It was an explosion of fresh food and color. Okay it was a bit disconcerting to see the fish still breathing or swimming but you can’t say it wasn’t fresh.

After the market we went to their home and started cooking. We actually did the cooking under Mai’s watchful eye and guidance. When finished we ate the results. While everything was great for me the spicy Beef salad and yellow curry were sensational. Can’t wait to try these at home. What a great experience! I am still trying to figure out how to cook that pigs head.

Attached are 4 separate posts about Dubai

If NewYork, Miami, Singapore and Las Vegas had a love child and dropped it off in the desert that would be Dubai. While I had fun there and enjoyed aspects of it I never really connected with it. Below you’ll find three sets of pictures It’s the classic case of Place versus Placelessness. That reflect my visit

When I’m in any of those above cities I have a definite sense of place Despite the western commercialism of so many places and the proliferation of Starbucks and KFC there is still a feeling of a distinct culture or personality which doesn’t seem to exist here.

Every attraction and every thing people line up to see was man made or created for expats or tourists. Even the amazing desert has been reduced to a pastiche Midnight at the Oasis moment with 4 wheel air conditioned dune bashing and Las Vegas choreography of regional dances performed by foreigners . The desert in its starkness is beautiful but you can’t easily access it that way . So no question it’s an entertaining place and full of distractions but all a bit hollow. However, the architecture is amazing and probably the only reason to visit Just my opinion

However , the day we spent at the old spice market and a trip down creek side I did feel like there was some there there

It’s beautiful and stark if I could just get away from the camel rides and ac dune bashing, fun but it might as well been held in a huge mall

We rented a boat to get a different perspective

The Buildings

Regardless of what you think about Dubai and it’s labor practices the architecture is stunning and innovative. Architects must lick their lips thinking about it !

My sister moved to Cyprus 30 years ago and in a way it’s the place I find very familiar and almost like a home ..not home but a home. My nephews were raised here and over the years I’ve probably been here 10 or more times and usually for extended visits. When it’s sunny it’s quite beautiful but this week it rained and I found it a bit gloomy.

It’s really a cultural mix between the various factions that have controlled it or invested in it fir many centuries. Here you’ll find a strong Greek influence. Many people fly the a Greek flag instead of the Cypriot one . It once had a sizable Turkish population until the civil war and Turkish invasion and the splitting of the north into a Turkish servant state. In the 80s it became a sort of Russian playground where lots of Russians banked their offshore cash and due to the numerous British bases and it’s history as a member of the commonwealth their is a string British influence. Finally it’s proximity to the Middle East also exerts a strong influence. When I first came here I wasn’t a fan but over the years meeting so many Cypriots and seeing the non touristy part of the island I’ve really come around and feel very comfortable here.

While still in a somber mood from visiting Courtroom 600 I did manage to get out and enjoy today’s Nuremberg. Fun , Festive and the best Wurst

I’ve been here many times. It’s a beautiful old city with the old city walls still partially intact. It’s full of beautiful shops and restaurants but for me it will always be the center of the Nazi regime. It was here Hitler generated most of his early support and here he built his massive Nazi complex. While I had been ere many times this time I specifically wanted to go one place I hadn’t been before and that was to Courtroom 600 the site of the “Nuremberg Trials” and the place that war criminals were held to account for their actions for the very first time . It is a stark reminder of what man is capable of doing to each other and how people excuse terror in the name of politics . It is also a reminder that the rule of law and justice has moral basis. Sadly the very day I sat here I read that our President , despite objections from our own military pardoned the war crimes of one of our own. Apparently some lessons are never learned .