9th Anniversary

I took this photo at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand at the end of my 31st trip to Thailand. There was a ceremonial corner near Departure Gate C. I didn't realized that before I saw this beautiful corner, but it's already been 9 years since Suvarnabhumi International Airport was launched. Back when I went to Thailand for the first time in February 2002, I landed on Don Mueang International Airport. And soon, I became a huge fan of Thailand. I've been revisiting Thailand again and again after that, and spent 335 days in total. I really love Thailand.

Awesome beermats

I'm in Pattaya, Thailand right now and I took this photo in front of a pub on Soi Diana Inn. A lot of beer mats on a tray was put outside to dry. I love this view, it's very Pattaya. I mean a lot of pubs in Pattaya doing so on hot sunny days. I think those beermats are handmade. Some of them look like flowers, some of them look like national flags. Someone has a talent for something that I really don't. Yep, I have no idea how to make beermats from scratch. Well done, Pattaya, well done.

Poor man's coffee? No, it's not.

I'm in Pattaya, Thailand right now and the photo shows a cup of cupuccino from 7/11 on Soi Buakhao. My hotel has a nice restaurant, but it opens at 9:00 am. For me 9:00 am is a little too late for morning coffee, so I just went to 7/11 just to get a hot coffee. Then, I enjoyed sipping coffee in my balcony. Some one told me that drinking a cup of coffee is a cheap option, and he called the coffee as poor man's coffee, but here in Thailand 7/11's coffee is not that cheap, I think. The cup of cupuccino costs 25 THB. Is that still poor man's coffee? What do you think?

Typhoon Vamco

I'm in Pattaya, Thailand right now and I took this photo yesterday at near the T-junction of Pattaya Beach Road and Pattaya central Road. One of the very popular areas, I'd say. The killer typhoon Vamco hit Pattaya last week and flood the city of Pattaya. It seemed the beach was eaten away by the big waves. Yesterday was a normal day in Pattaya, I mean it was very hot and sunny. I walked around Pattaya Beach Road, Central Road, the Second Road, the Third Road, and some Sois in between. Streets were dried up due to the sizzling sun, but still.

I'm in a tropical mood

I flew in to Svarnabhumi International Airport Thailand yesterday. My flight arrived 40 minutes earlier than its scheduled time and it was very very nice to catch a16:00 bus directly to Pattaya from the airport. The booking counter is located on Level 1 Gate 8 and the fare is 122THB per seat. The point is that seats are limited and departure time is once every hour. I really wanted to catch the 16:00 bus, and I made it. I got out of the bus on Pattaya Central drop off point, and made a beeline for my hotel on Soi Buakhao by a motorbike taxi. I took this photo from my balcony this morning.

Sort of a sea view from Naklua Soi 18

I took this photo on Naklua Soi 18 in Pattaya, Thailand. Soi (Thai: ซอย) means tinier street which connects to a high street. High street or main street is called Thanon (Thai: ถนน) in Thailand. Naklua Soi 18 hits Naklua Beach and the photo shows sort of a sea view. When I walked onto Naklua Street before dusk, I found a couple of places that showed signs of Draft Stella Artois. Stella is my favorite beer, so I chose one place and had a pint of Stella Artois, plus a half pint of Stella Artois. It went well with Thai Prawn Crackers and popcorn.

6 days until my trip to Pattaya, Thailand

My next trip will start on Sep 19th. I'm gonna visit Pattaya, Thailand again and stay at a hotel on Soi Buakhao. I've stay at the same hotel once, and I chose the hotel again for the up-coming trip. The photo shows the entrance of the hotel's swimming pool. I love the atmosphere of Soi Buakhao and the other Sois that are connecting with Soi Buakhao. The hotel has a Thai restaurant across from the reception and I'm a big fan of their Jungle Curry (Thai: แกงป่า). Very spicy one. I miss the taste so much and I can't wait to have it again.

Rice and Curry Place on Matara Road

The photo shows a yummy Rice and Curry place on Matara Road, Unawatuna, Sri Lanka. I found this place by coincidence. When I was walking onto Matara Road, a tuk-tuk driver talked to me what I was looking for. I said I was looking for a yummy rice and curry place. He pointed out this place and kindly took me inside. The place was actually right behind me, but I didn't notice. When I went inside, I found out that it was my favorite kind of local Rice and Curry place. It was not a touristic fancy restaurant and the place was packed with locals. The tuk-tuk driver hit the nail on the head. Thanks a lot!

All the colors of the rainbow

I took this photo in Amsterdam, Holland when I was taking a stroll around the city at night. Some areas looked a tad dodgy or maybe too kinky, some areas looked like just having quiet and relaxing atmosphere. I'd say the city had two faces, but the good thing was that I felt quite safe while I was walking on the streets from morning till night. Also, I was in the middle of everything and I loved to be. Lots and lots of bars, cafes, restaurants and shops were spread out all over the map. It was fun to walk around, shop around, eating out and looking at the windows in Amsterdam.

View from Pattaya Hill

I took this photo on so-called Pattaya Hill in Pattaya, Thailand. The hill is known as Pattaya View Point where the place you can enjoy viewing panoramic views of the city from above. A lot of locals and tourists enjoy viewing night view as well. Entrance fee is free, but you need a car or bike to get to the top of the hill. I hopped on a motorbike taxi from right in front of my hotel on Soi BuaKhao and asked the driver for a round trip. I will go back to the same hotel from Sep 19, I can't wait to do a lot of things in my favorite city, Pattaya.

Thai-Isaan place on Central Pattaya Road

I took this photo at one of my favorite Thai-Isaan places on Central Pattaya Road in Pattaya, Thailand. I love this place and had very nice lunch many many times. When I was in Pattaya last time for 30 days, I went to have lunch at this place almost daily. The restaurant is named ช. ชาง ส้มตำยกครก and is famous for its wide variety of Som Tam (a.k.a. Green Papaya Salad, Thai: ส้มตำ), Larb (Thai: ลาบ), and many other Thai local cuisine. You can enjoy local Isaan cuisine (Thai: อาหารอีสาน) there. Oh, dinner is available until 10:00 p.m., I must add that.

Yam Khai Dao: ยำไข่ดาว

The photo shows Yam Khai Dao (Thai: ยำไข่ดาว), one of the very popular Thai dishes. It's kind of like a spicy Thai Salad with over hard eggs. I ordered my favorite Yam Khai Dao with a bottle of cold Singha and the other dish at my favorite restaurant on Central Pattaya Road: Flying Vegetable Restaurant Pattaya Klang Road close to Soi 8 (a.k.a. Puk Boong Loy Fa / Pakboong Loy Fa Central Pattaya Road, Thai: ราชาข้าวต้ม ผักบุ้งลอยฟ้า ที่พัทยากลาง ใกล้ใกล้ ซอย 8). The place opens daily from 17:00 to 04:00. Better place for dinner and mid-night meals in Pattaya, Thailand.

My next trip to Pattaya, Thailand: Sep 19 to 23

I made a flight reservation for my next trip to Thailand. I will go back to Thailand next month and will stay in Pattaya, Thailand from September 19th to 23rd. It'll be sort of a short term vacation, so now I'm thinking about what I really want to do in Pattaya for 5 days. The photo shows one of my favorite restaurants on the Central Road and I will definitely go back to the restaurant at night, probably on the arrival day, but the other than this place, a lot of plans are still up in the air. Maybe, Ice Bar on Walking Street?

Movies shot in Venice reminds me of Venice

I took this photo in Venice, Italy while I was enjoying a gondola ride. I enjoyed to look up historical buildings from my gondola and took a lot of photos just like a lot of tourists do in Venice, Italy. I've watched some movies which were shot in Venice, Italy and Casino Royale 2006 is my favorite. I watched the movie many years later, but the movie reminded me of Venice quite a lot. A lot of Gondolas, a lot of tourists, a lot of locals, complicated narrow streets and the canals of Venice. Good times were killing me in Venice.

Mahmoudiya Moque in Jaffa, Israel

The photo shows a part of Mahmoudiya Mosque in Jaffa, Israel. This is the largest mosque in Tel Aviv-Jaffa and is a must-see of this district. When I went there a tour group with a local guide were standing across from the street and were taking photos of the mosque. After Mahmoudiya Mosque, I continued to walk around the town and visited the Jerusalem Gate (a.k.a. Abu Nabbut Gate) and so on. Also, I took a break at a fresh juice bar and had a glass of yummy healthy carrot orange juice.

Geotagging helps me a lot

The photo shows a daytime view of Frankfurt am Main, Germany from Main Tower. I took this photo by my iPad mini, so its geotagging function still shows where exactly it was in Frankfurt, Germany. It's cool, isn't it? One of my acquaintances said that geotagging function sounded a little too geeky for him and he preferred just a photo without geotagging, though. When I browse through a lot of photos that I've taken somewhere abroad, I rarely feel like I don't remember anything where exactly I took that photo and why. So geotagging helps me a lot.

Bug spray

The photo shows a bug spray. I bought the can of spray at a mom and pop shop in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka on the day of arrival. While I'm traveling around South Asia or Southeast Asia, I always buy a bug spray just in case. In Sri Lanka, I tend to choose a hotel room with mosquito net around the bed, so inside of the net is normally fine, but the other than that are not safe. I mean mosquitoes try to attack me in the balcony, on the lounge chair, and so on. The bug spray like the photo shows works very well in that kind of situation.  I don't think it'll be a good idea carrying a spray bottle on a plane, so at the end of the day in Sri Lanka, I gave the spray bottle to a hotel staff, and took a flight to Bangkok, Thailand. Then, I bought a bug spray in Pattaya, Thailand. Again, but it was needed.