Dozens of Beer Lao

I found a lot of Beer Lao on a street in Vientiane, Laos. A fantastic view for beer guzzlers. When I took this picture, I was just thinking how long do I need to stay in Laos to drink these dozens of bottles of Beer Lao. Dreamy. Asian Beer are too addictive for me and Beer Lao is one of them. Also, I love Laotian cuisine. For breakfast, I love to eat Khao Piak Sen. It's kind of like a Laotian rice noodles. For lunch, it'll be a good choice to eat Laotian fried rice and start drinking Beer Lao. For dinner, there are a wide variety of tasty Laotian food, and I often wonder what to eat. My favorite is Laab (sometimes it's spelled Larb or Laap). It's kind of like a spicy salad, but it has your chosen meat in it, and it goes well with sticky rice. I never forget to drink Beer Lao while I'm having dinner in Laos. National dish goes well with national beer, just my two cents.

Lisbon Cathedral

The photo shows a view of Lisbon, Portugal with Lisbon Cathedral (a.k.a. the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Mary Major, Portuguese: Sé de Lisboa or Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa) and a flowering tree. Lisbon Cathedral is known as the oldest church of Lisbon. After I visited the Rua Augusta Arch (Portuguese: Acro Da Rua Augusta) and the statue of King José I on the Commerce square in Baixa district, I walked along the Tagus river for a while, and after that I took this picture, then, I continued walking. It was so nice.

Mai Tai @ a swim up bar

I took this picture at my favorite hotel in Pattaya, Thailand. At a nice swim up bar, I had Mai Tai. Mai Tai is kind of like a rum based tropical cocktail. A bit sweet, and a very fruity one. Generally, I drink Beer Singha, Beer Chang, Beer Leo in Thailand, but that day, I ordered a cocktail for a change of pace. After lunch, after bottles of Singha, I still had plenty of time and I didn't back to my room. Then I looked at a menu and ordered Mai Tai. After enjoying the cocktail, I went to my room and had a nap. The nap is a preparation for night life in Pattaya.

At the Eastern end of the Himalayas

The photo shows Paro Dzong (a.k.a. Rinpung Dzong) from above. It's located in Paro, Bhutan. Dzong is kind of like an important Bhutanese fortress and I've visited some of them; such as Thimphu Dzong (a.k.a. Tashichho Dzong), Punakha Dzong (a.k.a. Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong), Wangdue Phodrang Dzong. My pictures of these Dzong are categorized into Labels of "Bhutan". Paro has the only international airport of Bhutan, but the city itself is very quiet and relaxing. The Kingdom of Bhutan is located at the Eastern end of the Himalayas. That's how it is.

Heldenplatz

The photo shows Heroes' Square (a.k.a. Heldenplatz) with the statue of Archduke Charles in Vienna, Austria. Heldenplatz is a large square in front of the Hofburg Palace. The Hofburg Palace was the winter residence of the House of Habsburg (a.k.a. House of Austria), but nowadays this place is the official residence of the President of Austria. Come to think of it, some short while later of visiting Heldenplatz, I visited Heroes' Square (Hungarian: Hősök tere) in Budapest, Hungary. I posted a picture of Hungarian Heroes' Square on February 13, 2011.

Take a picture at a unique angle

The photo shows one of the decorative buildings in Madrid, Spain; The Metropolis Building (Spanish: Edificio Metrópolis). It's a tall office building on the corner of the Gran Vía and Calle de Alcalá, but when I looked up the building from this angle, it looked like a huge cake made of dairy cream or something like that. A very beautiful, eye-catching one. I like it. I found this stunning building on the way to the Plaza de Cibeles from Plaza del Sol to see the beautiful Cibeles Palace; the beautiful city hall and a landmark of Madrid.

That's weired

I took this picture at a world-famous Buddhist pilgrimage, Lumbini, Nepal. Lumbini is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the birthplace of Gautama Buddha. The photo shows a part of Lumbini Garden. A spacious clean place. By the way, I stayed in Lumbini for a night. My hotel room decorated in Japanese style. I mean there were Futons on Tatami flooring and the Futon situated in between Shoji doors and a low table. On the table there was a Japanese styled tea set. The bath room had a touch of Japan as well. There was sort of a tiny, but deep bathtub =) Weird.

Zurich to Frankfurt by ICE

Right before leaving Zurich, Switzerland, I had dinner at an Italian place and had a nice Pasta Arrabiata with a glass of Ruffino Rose Wine. Arrabiata sauce is one of my favorite pasta sauces which means angry in English. The sauce is tomato based red sauce and kinda garlicky, also it's kinda spicy because of chili. I think Pasta Arrabiata is a good choice for dinner. I went to Zurich as a one-day excursion from Frankfurt, Germany, so after the dinner in Zurich, I took a super high-speed ICE train (a.k.a. the Intercity-Express) and returned to Frankfurt.

I don't mean to exaggerate

The photo shows a view of Budapest, Hungary with the beautiful Hungarian Parliament Building and the River Danube (Hungarian: Duna, German: Donau). Budapest has two different parts separated by the River Danube. The Hungarian Parliament Building is in flat Pest side. I crossed the Chain Bridge and took this picture from hilly Buda side. Breathtaking view. Personally, I believe that the Hungarian Parliament Building is the most beautiful Parliament building in the world. I haven't seen all of them, though.

Make a second trip, make a third trip and then some

The photo shows Wehart Chamrunt (Thai: พระที่นั่งเวหาศจำรูญ). This Chinese-style building is one of the gorgeous buildings of the Summer Palace in Bang Pa-In district, Ayutthaya, Thailand. The Summer Palace is also known as Bang Pa-In Royal Palace (Thai: พระราชวังบางปะอิน). I went there from Bangkok by car. Ayutthaya, Thailand has a lot to see. Ayutthaya Historical Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Summer Palace has a relaxing atmosphere. I've been to Ayutthaya twice, but I feel like I wanna go there again some time.

Try one's luck @ Il Porcellino

The photo shows Il Porcellino in Florence, Italy. It's also known as a wild boar fountain and is located in very close to Piazza della Signoria. Before I went to Florence, one of my Italian acquaintances told me about Il Porcelino and a couple of romantic myths. One of the myths is rubbing the boar's nose to hope my wish come true; mostly the wish means return to Florence one day. That's why the nose is getting gold. The other myth is putting a coin in the boar's jaw and push, then let the coin fall through a hole around boar's feet to try one's luck. My coin fell through a hole.

The fog's so thick you could cut it with a knife

I took this photo in Copenhagen, Denmark. The city was enveloped in a night fog. It was freezing night. The fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Back when I was in Barcelona, Spain, I bought a purple winter coat. There were two reasons. The reason one was night time temperature. It was a bit colder than I expected. The reason two was I just wanted to buy something special as a memento of the very pleasant days in Spain. The coat was quite thicker than other my jackets and came in handy in Copenhagen, Denmark as well. Lucky me.

Dine out under the stars

The photo shows my dinner in Negombo, Sri Lanka. Rice and Curry Chicken. A very good one. Tastes like haven. I took the dinner at my oceanfront hotel's restaurant. The hotel was on the shore, so when I went down the short stairs, I was on the beach, on the white sands. All rooms of the hotel were ocean view, and the restaurant as well. Additionally, there were no windows or doors between the beach and the dining space, so I was able to feel like I was having a dinner on the beach with a lot of stars and the sound of waves.

On a line

I'm just thinking how come Prague, the Czech Republic looked so beautiful for me. Probably, it was not only the colors of buildings and its decoration. These facts impressed me a lot, though. I think the photo shows three different buildings, but they look similar. Curiously thing, these three buildings are the same in height and in a perfect array. They're very well organized. I think this is one of the intriguing points of beautiful Prague. It was very fun to walk, really nice to look around, and truly interesting to take a lot of pictures.

Imprint the city on my memory

The photo shows a narrow street in Jerusalem, Israel. When I went inside of the walls through the New Gate, I walked around aimlessly and I took this picture somewhere not too far from the New Gate. Back then I took this picture, I was spending last few hours in Jerusalem. I wanted to imprint a lot of places in Jerusalem on my memory as much as possible. In the afternoon, I arrived Tel Aviv by sherut. The city has a long white sandy beach and great scenery. Two cities are just one and a half hours away by car, but they are totally different.

H*WOOD

My second visit to the United States was Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. First, I flew in to Los Angeles from Bangkok Thailand by Thai Airways International. Then I spent for a couple of nights in Los Angeles and flew in to Las Vegas. After having amazing six nights in Sin City, I returned to Los Angeles and spent for a couple of nights. Then after that I returned to Bangkok, Thailand. In Los Angeles I joined city tour once, and the rest I visited Hollywood Boulevard and many other places. The photo shows Hollywood. A sign.

Why don't we hop on?

I took this photo at Wat Phra Yai (Thai: วัดพระใหญ่, a.k.a. Big Buddha Temple) in Pattaya, Thailand. One day, I hired a motorbike taxi and looked around the city. By the way, motorbike taxis are the most common public transportation in Thailand. Drivers are waring colorful vests and waiting customers almost everywhere. I don't often see motorbike taxies in many other countries, but it's easy to take a motorbike taxi in Thailand. First, tell your destination and negotiate a price for ride. Next, borrow a helmet. Then, hop on a backseat. Pretty simple, huh?

Beer Lao Factory

When I went to Vientiane, Laos for the first time, I hired a tuk-tuk in Thai language and looked around the city. I've been to That Luang, Patuxai (a.k.a. Anousawari), Buddha Park (a.k.a. Wat Xieng Khuan), and so on. Actually, Patuxai was within walking distance from my hotel, but it was on the way to other sites in a way. Also during the day, I saw a lot of intriguing sites from the backseat of tuk-tuk. The photo shows one of them; Beer Lao Factory. It's on the outskirts of Vientiane. My favorite Beer Lao is from here.

At the drop of a hat

I took this photo from the outside of Park Güel in Barcelona, Spain. This is one of the Antoni Gaudí's great works, and also a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site. That morning, I visited the Sagrada Família for the first time. First of all, I needed to get in line for 40 minutes to buy an entrance ticket. Then, I went inside of the Sagrada Família. After spending a long time at the Sagrada Família, I headed toward Park Güel on foot. It wasn't really close, but it was fun to walk in Barcelona. When I was able to see a part of Park Güel, I started to take pictures at the drop of a hat.

Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace is where most tourists visiting Vienna, Austria go to at least once. A very stunning Unesco World Heritage Site. I personally believe that Schönbrunn Palace is a symbol of wealth and glory of the House of Habsburg. It's a humongous architecture and has 1400 rooms in it. When I heard about the quantity of rooms, my jaw hit the ground. The photo shows just a tiny part of the entrance court of Schönbrunn Palace. The palace is huge and its garden is wide, so I should have taken a panoramic photograph as well.

Copenhagen - Malmö - Copenhagen

My last trip was to Scandinavian countries. First, I flew in to Copenhagen, Denmark from Bangkok, Thailand. During a week, I visited Malmö, Sweden as a half-day excursion. Come to think of it, at the immigration of Copenhagen airport, I was asked only one question that if I would like to visit Denmark or Sweden. It was sort of an unexpected question, but because of that, I guessed that a lot of people headed to Sweden from Copenhagen. The photo shows a street view of Malmö, Sweden. A very beautiful place.

You are what you eat

I took this picture at my favorite hotel in Pattaya, Thailand during breakfast. Generally, I eat a lot of spicy food in Thailand, but after the main meal of breakfast some hotels serve a lot of fruits exactly like the photo shows; such as watermelons, papayas, pineapples and so on. Also, fruits are very common there. A wide variety of fruits are available to make frozen drink in Thailand and my favorite is watermelon shakes. It's called Tengmo Pan or Nam Tengmo Pan in Thai (Thai: แตงโมปั่น or นำ้แตงโมปั่น). Tengmo (Thai: แตงโม) means watermelon. A picture of a glass full of watermelon shake is in a previous post at January 26, 2011.

My bad

The photo shows a part of Golden Lane (czech: Zlatá ulička) in Prague, the Czech Republic. Golden Lane is famous for the former house of Franz Kafka. Yep, I went there to take a picture of the house, but actually I didn't know well about Kafka and the house where he lived for a year or so. I took a picture of a house on Golden Lane, but it wasn't Franz Kafka's house, actually. My bad. Later, I heard that Franz Kafka's house is kinda small and it's painted in blue. Well, apparently, I took a picture of a neighboring house of Franz Kafka's. This is what happens when I don't carry at least one guidebook in my bag. I don't mean to make an excuse, but I don't usually carry guidebooks when I take a stroll around, because books are big and sometimes heavy. So, generally, I just mark the location of must-see sights on a map and keep the paper in a pocket.

Coined phrase

The photo shows a street view of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. The town is in a Southern district of Germany and a part of so-called "the Romantic Road (Germany: Romantische Straße)". I've heard that "the Romantic Road" is a coined phrase or something like that, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I think that the naming is fit to the beautiful area and its scenery, though. Let's say for example, after Rothenburg ob der Tauber, I visited Füssen by coach. On the road, I saw a lot of lovely architectures and those buildings made me feel romantic.

Make me feel special

I took this photo on the top of Mt. Pilatus near Lucern (German: Luzern), Switzerland. This is actually my hotel's garden. There were a lot of lounge chairs and enough space to have a snowball fight or something like that. Sitting on a lounge chair and looking at the great views of the Swiss Alps was just awesome. I'd say fantastic views like that make people feel special. I didn't try hard to climb the mountain, I used gondola lifts to get to the top of Mt. Pilatus, but still. You know what I mean. It was too good for words.

Grab some beer with a view of Kandy

The photo shows a view of Kandy, Sri Lanka from my hotel. Before dinner, after sightseeing and a nap, I had wanted to I wanted to grab a bite to eat with some Sri Lankan beer; Lion. There were a table and some chairs in a corridor, so I was able to grab some beer with this fabulous view of Kandy. Kandy is known as a cultural capital of Sri Lanka and has the Temple of the Tooth. It is considered one of the most important and venerable places for Buddhist. Because of that, Kandy is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Hair of the dog that bit one

The photo shows my first beer in Athens, Greece. Before I got there, I was in Pattaya, Thailand. 10 hours before my departure, I met a Swedish guy at my hotel's swim up bar and we drank too much of Singha while we were talking. When I headed to the airport by a cab, my whole body was still full of Singha. So unusually, I didn't take any more beer at the airport and on the airplane due to a touch of hangover. However, I was all better in Athens and had the first beer and graceful lunch at Taverna near Omonoia Square. It's often said that have a hair of the dog that bit you.

Unnerving effect

I took this picture on the way to Downtown Cairo from the Cairo Tower in Egypt. My hotel was located just a stone's throw away from the Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square and such. I mean my hotel was in city center. So, around the hotel, there were a lot of eateries, places to buy some bottles of water, airline company's offices, and everything. I thought it was very convenient, that's why I chose the hotel, but somehow a hotel's receptionist always strongly recommended to me to hire a driver and a car to get around. Of course, I walked, though.

Without question

The photo shows an outside view of my hotel in Thimphu, Bhutan. The location was quite nice and I loved the restaurant. I enjoyed Bhutanese cuisine such as Ema Datsi and red rice. There were also common international cuisine, but I didn't care about familiar tastes, so I chose Bhutanese cuisine without question. Bhutanese red rice was awesome. I still remember that when I get out of the airport, a lot of people who were waiting somebody else at outside of the airport said "Kuzu Zangpo" "Kuzu Zangpo" next person, next person. They meant "Hello". Very welcoming atmosphere. Do you know any other countries just like that?

Run way behind schedule

I took this picture somewhere in between Lumbini and Pokhara, Nepal. I hired a car in the capital Kathmandu and headed to Pokhara via Chitwan National Park and Lumbini. Some parts of the way was unsurfaced exactly like the photo shows, so from my point of view, people need to allow enough time for traveling around Nepal by a land route. I planned to enjoy an elephant back safari in Chitwan and stay there for a night, but I needed to refine my plan. I ran way behind schedule due to damaged roads and landslides. Fortunately, I had enough water, though. I ended up decided to stay in Chitwan one more night, then I was able to enjoy the activities a lot more than my expectations.

The land of smiles

The photo shows a view of Bangkok, Thailand from my hotel in Pratunam (Thai: ประตูนำ้) area. When I see Bangkok from above exactly like the photo shows, I reaffirm that Bangkok is a huge Asian metropolis. There are a lot of super-high-rise buildings, so many cars, busses and such. I couldn't stop seeing. By the way, around the hotel was the largest clothing market of Thailand. The market is gigantic. Check it out the smiles of mannequins. Remember, Thailand is known as the land of smiles.

Enjoy Tapas @ Spanish bar

I went to Spain to have a lot of authentic Spanish cuisine and the photo shows one of them; Shrimp tapas. I took this photo at a very nice bar on La Rambla. When I was looking for a place for beer and food, a cute lady who was handing out flyers on La Rambla took me to the bar. It was awesome choice. Cool lively staff and amusing atmosphere. Actually, this tapas was my first dish in Spain. It truly went well with the cold draft beer. Tapas is kind of like appetizers in Spanish cuisine and can be find a wide variety of tastes and ingredients such as mushrooms, olives, cheese, and so on.

The Tagus

This is a view of the Tagus in Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal. The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula and which is 625 miles long. I took this photo while I was walking toward Belém Tower from Padrão dos Descobrimentos (a.k.a. Monument to the Discoveries). An UNESCO World Heritage Site Belém Tower is situated on the bank of the Tagus. Come to think of it, before visiting Portugal, I was in Cairo, Egypt and cruised the longest river on earth; the Nile, which is 4,132 miles in length.

Hindsight is better than foresight

This beautiful huge building is a post office of Lucerne (German: Luzern), Switzerland. I sent a postcard from Liechtenstein on the day before, so I didn't send anything from Switzerland, but I just took a picture for my memory of stunning Lucerne. Back then I was there, I thought that sending e-mails two days in a row sounds normal, but sending postcards two days in a row sounds like an emergency or something like that. Looking back, I should have sent at least one. Hindsight is always better than foresight, though.

Topnotch

When I took a stroll around Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills, California, I found a corner which was crowded with people. Everyone was piled outside of a fancy shop, and there was a car stopped on the street. A huge crowd formed around the car, and all of them taking pictures of the car. I had no idea about the car, but I went along for the ride and took a couple of pictures of the car. Later, I learned that the car is Bugatti Veyron, the fastest car in the world. I didn't know that, but better late than never. It was topnotch.

Can you tell me how to get to Piazza San Marco?

The photo shows a part of Venice, Italy. When I was exploring narrow streets, and looked down the canal from a tiny bridge, a couple asked me how to get to Piazza San Marco. They were in a hurry, and they had a map in one hand, but they couldn't find the correct way to Piazza San Marco. I had enough time and I knew the way to the famous square, so I took them to there. I always get asked for directions; in Bangkok, Pattaya, Athens, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Barcelona, Copenhagen, and then some. It happens all the time. I don't know why.

Variety is charming

The photo shows rice and curry lunch at my hotel in Negombo, Sri Lanka. I had rice and curry lunch at my hotel many many times, but it had a wide variety of tastes and ingredients, so I'd say it was always new for me. I checked my note and I realized that actually this lunch was the second curry of the day, and I had curry for dinner as well. The day before was the same, and the day next was the same, but tastes and ingredients were different. I enjoyed every curry dish in Sri Lanka and I wanna have it right now.

I love Budapest

The photo shows my hotel room in Budapest, Hungary. The lamp looked like a paper lantern and it reminded me of Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand. I booked this place at the airport and I got there by a share taxi. Come to think of it, I had an interesting memory at the airport in Budapest. My suitcase appeared on the baggage claim before anybody else's suitcase. I was not a first-class passenger, so I don't know why, but probably some stickers on my suitcase paid off for that. The stickers said "I LOVE BUDAPEST, HUNGARY".

A cute street sign in Copenhagen, Denmark

I found this cute street sign on a street in Copenhagen, Denmark near Tivoli Gardens. I think the sign indicates pedestrian corridor or something like that, because there are so many bicycles in Copenhagen. Anyway, I walked on the lane. If I was there in summer, I definitely rent a bicycle to explore. I've heard that people able to rent bicycles at self-service stands which spread out all over the city and leave the bicycles at any stands they like. It sounds awesome, right? I wanted to try, but I was there in mid-winter and it too cold for me to ride an bicycle.

Memoir of Simchat Torah

The photo shows my breakfast on the last day in Jerusalem, Israel. I really loved the hotel's buffet breakfast, so I didn't want to leave, but I already had a hotel reservation in Tel Aviv, so sometimes you hafta do what you hafta do. I planed in advanced, but I didn't know that the day was Simchat Torah (a.k.a. Simhath Torah, or Simkhes Toreh) which means there's no buses from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. So, I took a Sherut to get to Tel Aviv. Sherut is kind of like a share taxi in Israel. Sherut drivers don't start their vehicles until 10th customer comes in. I was the first customer at the time, so I needed to wait 9 more people.

Onomatopoeia

The photo shows a street view of Vientiane, Laos. What particularly catches one's eye in Vientiane was a lot of tuk-tuks. Tuk-tuk is a motor vehicle and it has been giving a wide variety of names to describe it. Someone calls it tuk-tuk; it's an onomatopoeic word coz when the vehicle runs, it makes funny sound tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk. Someone calls it three-wheeler; coz the vehicle has three wheels. Someone calls it auto rickshaw; coz the vehicle is a car that runs on a motor. I'd rather call the vehicle tuk-tuk. That explains a lot.

Look like a prop from a movie

The photo shows one of the street views of Prague old town, the Czech Republic. I took this photo somewhere close to the Powder Tower. Every building looked like fit into the atmosphere of other buildings, so the old town looked really organized, but also seemed to be having appealing decorations on each buildings. From my point of view, the street and its buildings, street lamps, and so on looked like a prop from a movie. Prague old town looked so nice I wanted to walk and walk and walk aimlessly.

Kudos goes to things whatever you want to give

The photo shows one of the famous buildings in Vienna, Austria; The Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper). I'd say this one of the beautiful buildings of stunning Vienna city, I'd also say it can be epitome of beautiful Austria. I don't know much about music, opera and such, so for me just kudos went to the building. I don't know why architectures in Vienna, Austria were such eye-catching and impressive. Almost all buildings I've seen in Vienna were just gorgeous, high-quality and never looked tacky, I must admit.

It was a long day

The photo shows the last stop of Thai railways; Nong Khai station. Nong Khai (Thai: หนองคาย) is a cosy city in Northern Isaan (or sometimes it's spelled Isan, Thai: อีสาน) district of Thailand and the city is on the border with Laos. I took this picture while I was killing time to wait my train bound for Bangkok Central Railway Station (Thai: สถานีรถไฟกรุงเทพ). The train was red-eye, and I chose a ticket for the 2nd class sleeper, upper berth. I was able to sleep for a long time and the next morning I arrived to Bangkok. I had breakfast at Bangkok Central Railway Station. After that, I caught a metro and BTS to Eastern Bus Terminal to get to Pattaya by bus.

Not my forte

The photo shows a long-distance view of beautiful Prague, the Czech Republic including the National Theatre (Czech: Národní divadlo) and surrounding buildings. The National Theatre is famous for opera and also known as the national monument of their history and arts. Unfortunately, opera and art are not my forte, though. Anyway, I could enjoyed great breathtaking scenery of Prague, the Czech Republic and took a lot of pictures and this is one of them. I don't have any specific skills of taking pictures, but still. My photos reminds me of Prague a lot.

A sunset in Negombo, Sri Lanka

The photo shows an amazing view from my ocean front hotel's balcony in Negombo, Sri Lanka. A sunset over the Indian Ocean. The hotel has a lot of rooms and a nice restaurant. The hotel is on the seashore and all rooms are ocean view. I stayed in this cosy hotel for more than 30 nights in total and during my stay I enjoyed this beautiful views every sunny evening sometimes with beer in one hand. It was fantastic. After the sunset, after dinner, when the beach was getting dark, I loved to lied down on the beach and looked up a lot of stars.

Spicy chicken dish with rice

When I was in Thonburi (or can be written Thon buri, Thai: ธนบุรี) district, Thailand, I chose a world-popular chicken restaurant for lunch and had a nice spicy dish exactly like the photo shows. Thonburi is an area adjacent to the current capital Bangkok, but Thonburi was actually a capital during the era of King Taksin more than a couple of centuries ago and is located just cross Chao Phraya River from Bangkok, and has interesting sites to see. I've stayed there for a few weeks, but I think I still have a lot of things to see in Thonburi district.

Universal languages v. Gestures

When I took a stroll around Malmö, Sweden, I found this place. The menus on the walls were written in English, but eye-catching large letter said COFFEE BEER FOOD in English. I've been to 26 countries and a lot of countries had own national language(s), but from my point of view, coffee, beer, food are like one of the universal languages. Plus, I'd say pictures and gestures come in very handy sometimes. Speaking of gestures, when I was on a Thai Airways flight, a couple next to me didn't speak anything in English or Thai. When a flight attendant asked them something to drink, the husband just pointed a finger at my can of SINGHA beer, then pointed the finger at himself. He meant to give him the same thing.

Like an oasis

The photo shows one of the beach side hotels in Negombo Sri Lanka. The dining space and its pool. On my Back when my third visit to Sri Lanka, I flew in from Bangkok, Thailand during mid might, then I headed to this hotel directly by a tuk-tuk. There are a lot of accommodations in Negombo, so I stayed in this hotel only three nights, but I enjoyed this relaxing dining space and its atmosphere. It was like an oasis. After three-night stay in Negombo, I went to Unawatuna for a week to celebrate my birthday and after that I returned to Negombo and spent another 16 days.

อย่าเห็นแก่ตัว

When I walked on the skywalk in between BTS Siam station and Chidlom station in Bangkok, Thailand, I found this Buddhist image. The shape of the Buddhist image made by a phrase written in Thai letters "อย่าเห็นแก่ตัว" which means to not be selfish or to live without being self-serving or something like that. Can be pronounce Yaa-Hen-Ke-Tua. Yaa (Thai: อย่า) means don't, don't do that. By the way, the skywalk is awesome. Passersby able to feel nice breeze on the skywalk and able to stay away from kinda bustling of the busy streets in the heart of huge SE Asian metropolitan, Bangkok. The area near Siam is always packed. A lot of cars, tuk-tuks, motorbikes, passersby, and all. A lot to see, though. To sum up, from my point of view, the skywalk is very well done.