Happy Lunar New Year 2014: สวัสดีปีใหม่ ๒๕๕๗

Happy Lunar New Year 2014 from Nakhon Ratchasima (a.k.a. Korat), Thailand. I took this photo near the Statue of Thao Suranari yesterday: on the day of the Lunar New Year's Eve. I uploaded a photo of this area yesterday which was still being preparation for the upcoming New Year's events. This is a photo of after that. Since the Lunar New Year is also known as the Chinese New Year, they put this much tall picture images on each metal frame to add a touch of China to this area. This is an image of Avatar Hallelujah Mountain (formerly known as the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park), isn't it? Well done, the artists, well done.

Today is the Lunar New Year's Eve

I took this photo near the Statue of Thao Suranari in Nakhon Ratchasima (a.k.a Korat), Thailand the day before yesterday. So many paper lanterns were hanging on wires as a preparation for the upcoming Lunar New Year's Day. Since today is the Lunar New Year's Eve, when I took a stroll around the heart of Nakhon Ratchasima this morning, I saw lots and lots of so-called "Burning Bowl Ceremonies" by the locals to move on to the Lunar New Year of the horse.

The Mall Nakhon Ratchasima

I went to the Mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand yesterday. The Mall Nakhon Ratchasima is the biggest shopping centre in North-Eastern Thailand. Not only shopping, but there are so many places to eat and drink in the Mall include a lot of franchise restaurants such as Mickey D's. There's also a large cinema and several movies are showing now. The movies include Hollywood movies and I want to see one of them, but it's dubbed in Thai. My Thai is functional in daily simple situations, but it seems like the plot of the movie is too complicated to understand everything in Thai, so I went to plan B and got a haircut.

Wat Boon Night Bazzar: ตลาดไนท์บาซ่าร์ วัดบูรพ์

One of the good points of my current accommodation in Nakhon Ratchasima (a.k.a. Korat), Thailand is the location. Like I wrote a few days ago, the apartment is only a five-minute walk from the Ponlaan Gate (Thai: ประตูพลล้าน). The pretty famous Wat Boon Night Bazaar (Thai: ตลาดไนท์บาซ่าร์ วัดบูรพ์) starts only a block away from the Ponlaan Gate and ends at the next intersection where the photo shows. I've been having very very yummy Thai food every night because of this fabulous night bazaar. It's already half past six, so it's about time to go there.

A dry period was over, back to the grind

As I wrote in a previous post, due to the early voting in Thailand on the 26th January, selling or buying alcoholic drinks were banned since 25th January to make citizen choose wisely. The dry period was over on the 26th January at 24:00, but there's also a law of daily ban on sale of alcohol which means the dry period was legally over at 11:00am today: 27th. The photo shows my today's lunch. I got some baked chicken seekh and sticky rice at a street stall and had them in my apartment with fabulous cold Thai beer.

The Ponlaan Gate: ประตูพลล้าน

The photo shows the Ponlaan Gate (Thai: ประตูพลล้าน) which is the nearest gate from my current accommodation in Nakhon Ratchasima (a.k.a. Korat), Thailand. There's a motorbike taxi stand under the gate and is very convenient when I want to hit the road to somewhere far away places; like the Mall, Nakhon Ratchasima Bus Terminal 1 or 2, Nakhon Ratchasima Railway Station and so on. By the way, today is the day of early voting (advance voting) in Thailand. Since yesterday: 25th January, it is not allowed to sell and to buy alcoholic drinks until 24:00 on the 26th January to make citizen choose wisely.

The Chumphon Gate: ประตูชุมพล

The photo shows the Chumphon Gate (Thai: ประตูชุมพล) in Nakhon Ratchasima (a.k.a. Korat), Thailand. The gate is located right behind the Statue of Thao Suranari. When I visited Nakhon Ratchasima for the first time, and also for the second time, my hotel was about a five-minute walk from the Chumphon Gate. My current accommodation is about a five-minute walk from the Ponlaan Gate (Thai: ประตูพลล้าน), but I've been visiting the Chumphon Gate at least once a day since I arrived in Nakhon Ratchasima five days ago. The lay of the land is very simple here in Korat city centre. I just go straight from the Ponlaan Gate, then will reach the Chumphon Gate.

A road name sign in Phimai has a touch of Khmer

I took this photo in Phimai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand the day before yesterday. It may look like a low-key photo of a road name sign and an amber light, but look carefully. The road name sign has a miniature version of Khmer temples in the Phimai Historical Park. When I realised that, the sign looked super cool and I took a photo of it. By the way, if you take a bus from Nakhon Ratchasima Bus Terminal 2 (Thai: สถานีขนส่งผู้โดยสารจังหวัด นครราชสีมา แห่งที่ 2) to get to the Phimai Historical Park (Thai: ปราสาทหินพิมาย), you will get out of the bus on this road: Buchayan Road (Thai: ถนนบูชายันต์). The ancient Khmer temples are a few-minute walk from the bus stop. When you want to return to Korat city, you can catch your bus on the other side of the road from your arrival bus stop. There's an illustrated sign of a bus stop in front of stalls. Remember, busses may not stop at exactly in front of the bus stop, so if you see a bus which says Ratchasima on its side, just walk toward the bus and say "Korat" then get on and have a seat. Shortly after you take a seat, a person in charge will come to your seat to sell a ticket. In Korat, you can get out of the bus at any bus stop, so you don't have to sit in a bus to the Bus Terminal. In my case, Nakhon Ratchasima Bus Terminals are not within walking distance from my current accommodation, so I got out of the bus near a gate and returned to my apartment on foot.

The Phimai Historical Park: ปราสาทหินพิมาย

Yesterday: on the 22nd of January, I took a bus from Nakhon Ratchasima Bus Terminal 2 (Thai: สถานีขนส่งผู้โดยสารจังหวัด นครราชสีมา แห่งที่ 2) at 11:00 and visited the Phimai Historical Park (Thai: ปราสาทหินพิมาย) where you can see one of the most important Khmer temples of Thailand. Nakhon Ratchasima Bus Terminal 2 is known as the new bus terminal and is located in the Korat city centre near BigC supermarket. Getting Phimai is about an hour drive from there.

A statue of Thao Suranari

The photo shows a statue of Thao Suranari (Thai: ท้าวสุรนารี) which is situated next to the Chumphon Gate (Thai: ประตูชุมพล) in the heart of Nakhon Ratchasima (a.k.a. Korat), North Eastern Thailand. I took this photo about a couple hours ago before having a lunch break. She was born in 1771. After she grew up she got married with a vice-governor of Nakhon Ratchasima, and the rest is history. Thao Suranari is the title which was given to her by the King Rama III. To make a long story short, she had more balls than any man he knew.

I'm in Nakhon Ratchasima safe and sound

I took a train from Bangkok, Thailand at 10:05 this morning and arrived in Nakhon Ratchasima (a.k.a. Korat) in North Eastern Thailand around 15:15. It took more than five hours to get here from the capital Bangkok, but I'm finally here safe and sound. This is my third time to stay in Nakhon Ratchasima and this time I chose a different type of accommodation in different area for the first time. The photo shows my pretty nice current room. The dark brown door is a bathroom, and the pinkish box next to the bed is a middle-sized fridge. There's also a flat TV, a huge wardrobe, a mirror covered toiletry shelf, and a side table. The room costs 400 THB per night and I will spend 20 nights in this accommodation. Hooray!

Lunar New Year is coming

I took this photo nearby my current accommodation in Chinatown, Bangkok. There's a Chinese temple. By the way, Chinese New Year (often referred as Lunar New Year) is coming. It's on the January 31st this year. On the day of Chinese New Year, I'll be in Nakhon Ratchasima (commonly known as Korat). I will leave Bangkok tomorrow and will spend in Korat for 20 nights. To get there, I will take a train from Hua Lamphong Railway Station. I've already scored a ticket for a second class AC car.

Here you go!

I took this photo last night at a river view restaurant in Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand while I was waiting my third meal: Stir fried mixed vegetable. It's called Pad Pak Ruam Mit (Thai: ผัดผักรวมมิตร) and is one of my favourites. Stunning fireworks burst in the night sky over the Chao Phraya River. They really came from left field, so everybody in the restaurant said like 'Wow!' and started to take photos of them. Yep, I did the same and this is one of my results. It is hard to publish a photo of fireworks, but I think this photo looks okay, so here you go!

Bought them around 10 past 17:00 at 7-Eleven

I'm in Bangkok, Thailand right now, and it's hot as always. I've been keeping a lot of Thai beer in a fridge. Yesterday, I took a photo like this. In Thailand, there's a law of daily ban on sale of alcohol, so we can't buy alcoholic drinks all day long at convenience stores, supermarkets, and so on. They sale alcoholic drinks in between 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to midnight. Other than that, you know it's illegal. Also, we can't buy alcoholic drinks on the Election Days (includes the day before the Election Day), early voting days (and its the day before), and some specific holidays (e.g. Buddha's birthday).

River view restaurant in Chinatown, Bangkok

The photo shows morning view from my current accommodation's restaurant in Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand. I took this photo several minutes ago. The restaurant is located on the 8th floor of the building and is able to provide the "worth paying" view with the Chao Phraya River exactly like the photo shows. To be honest, compare to a lot of yummy street stalls nearby my hotel, the river view restaurant's food prices are extremely expensive, but if I don't go there, I'll miss the view. So I paid for today's breakfast four to six times as much as street level stalls, but I think it was worth paying.

A gateway to Bangkok

I flew in Bangkok, Thailand yesterday on the 14th around 05:10 am. It was still too early to do everything, but first of all I took a commuter train (a.k.a. City Line) of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link to Makkasan City Air Terminal Station to get to Phetchaburi station of MRT (Bangkok metro) Blue Line. This route is called Subway Link. In between Makkasan Station and Petchaburi Station has an organized sky walk, so a lot of passengers who carry big suitcases are able to reach both stations without any difficulties. They provide barrier-free service like elevators, escalators, smooth surface of  hallways and so on. The photo shows an elevator.

"Hello, this is for you" scam

I'm in Milan, Northern Italy right now. It's a nice warm day today.  I will have to leave Milan tomorrow afternoon, so today I just walked around the city to ingrain Milan in my mind. The photo shows the central tower of Sforza Castle (Italian: Castello Sforzesco). The tower is also known as Filarete Tower or Clock Tower. There is a beautiful fountain in front of the tower and so many people taking pictures around there. Beware of "Hello, this is for you" scam around here or there or everywhere. If you don't want to have what they want to give you, you should just refuse absolutely. Don't worry, it is definitely not just for you. You don't have to be nice to con artists, do you? They are spreading out all over the map to catch victims. Be on your guard.

Cenacolo Vinciano

I'm in Milan, Italy right now and today I've done one of the most important things in my bucket list. I saw The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. The original of ultra-famous painting was drawn on a wall of a dining hall in a church named Santa Maria delle Grazie in the late 15th-century and the place is now called Cenacolo Vinciano. To save the world-famous art from aging, they strictly control the flow of people and entry is allowed up to 30 people every 15 minutes. Of course, taking photos or videos are banned in the ancient dining hall. So no photo for this post, but the ticket. I almost cried seeing The Last Supper with my own eyes. It was in front of me about six hours ago. Mille Grazie. God bless Milano, Italia.

The world's oldest shopping mall

Tonight I visited so-called "the world's oldest shopping mall" in Milan Italy and took a photo of the famous glass dome from below. The shopping mall is named the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and is located next to Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo Di Milano). Isn't it beautiful? By the way, last night I flew in Milan, Italy from Frankfurt, Germany via Vienna Austria by Austrian Airlines. Everything in Vienna International Airport was streamlined and it was very easy to get to my connecting flight. It was less than 10 minute-walk getting to my boarding gate.

One of the results; the world's happiest country

I took this photo in the city of Luxembourg (a.k.a. Luxembourg city), Luxembourg yesterday. One of my American acquaintances had ever told me that somehow he googled about the world's happiest country and found out that Luxembourgers enjoy the world's highest GDP or something. After I heard about it, I had been very curious to see Luxembourg with my own eyes. That was the reason I visited Luxembourg from Frankfurt, Germany as a one day excursion yesterday. By the way, I'm in kinda complicated schedule right now. From Las Vegas, the States I took a plane to Frankfurt, Germany and the following day I went on a day return trip to Luxembourg by train. Then I will fly in Milan, Italy via Vienna, Austria tonight.

Frankfurt, Germany to Luxembourg by train

Today on the 7th of January, I visited Luxembourg from Frankfurt, Germany as a day return trip by train. I purchased an Europa-Spezial ticket on the 17th of December 2013 at DB ticket office in Frankfurt am Main station. It cost 43 Eur to go and come back (Note: This is a second class train ticket without seat reservations. Normal price of this ticket costs 132.40 Eur). I departed Frankfurt (Main) Hbf at 06:38 by IC 2310, then transferred to RE trains at Koblenz Hbf and Trier Hbf then arrived in Luxembourg at 10:49. I caught a return RE train at 16:19 and transferred to IC 2229 at Koblenz Hbf then arrived in Frankfurt (Main) Hbf at 20:13.

An astronomical clock in the Goethe House

I flew in Frankfurt, Germany around 13:00 on the 6th. After checked in to my hotel and dropped off my luggage in my room, I visited the Goethe House (German: Goethe Haus) again to see a fantastic astronomical clock on the second floor. The moving rings on the top clearly indicate the current day, so it said 6th January 2014 when I visited. It's amazing, isn't it? Can you imagine how old this astronomical clock is? It is said that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had gotten a strong imprettion on this clock when he was young. He was born on the 28th August 1749. I was in awe of the accuracy of the astronomical clock. Outstanding.

Neon lightning makes me excited

It's already been 17days in Las Vegas, NV, USA. I've been having a lot of fun here in Vegas, but I will have to leave tomorrow. My flight will depart from McCarran International Airport at 16:55 directly to Frankfurt, Germany. It will take about 11 hours or so. One of my Californian acquaintances has ever told me that when she has a vacation in Vegas, her stay won't be any longer than a couple of nights. She said if she has to stay in Vegas for several days, it will make her sick. She loves beaches, and I love neon lightning. Each to their own. I love beachs too, but when I'm in Vegas, I don't think about beaches. By the way, I took this photo in the Fremont street Experience in downtown Las Vegas at night. I might go there tonight again.

Viva Vision of the FSE

Last night I visited the Fremont Street Experience (a.k.a. FSE) in Downtown Las Vegas, NV, USA to see the world largest Light and Sound shows. The epic light shows are displayed on a barrel vault canopy called Viva Vision over the huge pedestrian mall. The fantastic sound is coming from more than 200 speakers which are spread out all over the mall. The shows are held every night hourly until midnight starting at dusk. The actual start time changes depending on when the sun sets. Right before each show, all of the casinos and shops turning off the light. They turning on the light again right after each show. I took this photo minutes before the first show started.

Dusk view of the Las Vegas strip from level 108

I took this photo on level 108 of Stratosphere Tower Las Vegas at dusk. It was breathtaking and I took photos like hell. Speaking of taking photos, on the 26th of December, 2013, I was asked if I could take a picture for her / him / them five times a day. I'm always asked to do something from total strangers like to give directions, to take their picture, to tell how to use a vending ticket machine or something like that, but five times a day was my record. I hope they could keep in memory the time they spent with me for a minute as well as a little talk.

Happy New Year from Fabulous Las Vegas

It was about 7 hours ago, vibrant fireworks marked new year here in Las Vegas, NV, USA. To be honest, I wanted to use a photo of stunning fireworks for my first post in 2014, but it's hard without Photoshop, so I chose this low-key photo to welcome a brand new year 2014. The shiny golden balloon says HAPPY NEW YEAR! So far, one of the biggest differences for me is a room rate. My room for December 31st to January 1st cost 10 times as much as a normal weekday fee.