Gallery 6
And so it continues...
1. Above: Daisetsuzan, Hokkaido, Japan
The great thing about ropeways in Japan is that they give you majestic views over the most dramatic of landscapes and deposit you in places that would otherwise be off-limits. Asahi-dake in the Daisetsuzan range of mountains in central Hokkaido is a case in point. Over 7,500’ high, it was last active in 1739, but the constant hiss and splutter of the fumaroles would have you believe otherwise. Hardy folk abound everywhere in Japan, ready to exit the gondolas and tackle the highland pathways in any season and in all weathers.
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The great thing about ropeways in Japan is that they give you majestic views over the most dramatic of landscapes and deposit you in places that would otherwise be off-limits. Asahi-dake in the Daisetsuzan range of mountains in central Hokkaido is a case in point. Over 7,500’ high, it was last active in 1739, but the constant hiss and splutter of the fumaroles would have you believe otherwise. Hardy folk abound everywhere in Japan, ready to exit the gondolas and tackle the highland pathways in any season and in all weathers.
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2. Above: Tai Dam, Loei, Thailand
This Black Tai (Tai Dam) community established itself in Loei Province in Thailand in 1905, having migrated from Laos. Ethnic Tai Dam were originally from China but are also to be found in Vietnam and Laos. Their language and traditions are promoted by the local cultural centre. Tour buses arrive ready for a performance of music and dance, with seemingly half the village turning up to put on a show and sell some craftwork. As soon as the buses go, it’s back to regular work.
This Black Tai (Tai Dam) community established itself in Loei Province in Thailand in 1905, having migrated from Laos. Ethnic Tai Dam were originally from China but are also to be found in Vietnam and Laos. Their language and traditions are promoted by the local cultural centre. Tour buses arrive ready for a performance of music and dance, with seemingly half the village turning up to put on a show and sell some craftwork. As soon as the buses go, it’s back to regular work.
3. Above: Dotonbori, Osaka, Japan
Dotonbori in Osaka is known for its restaurants, bars and neon. It gets its name from the canal and the street of the same name. But choosing a restaurant in Japan is often not as simple as it seems, especially if you don’t like sitting near cigarette smoke. You can go from place to place looking for a N/S area that is more than just a table with no ashtray on it. Frustrating. Added to that, ramen and soba are not really a Saturday night meal for me, rather a keep-the-cold-out winter lunch. So, even Dotonbori can be a challenge to find just the dining scene that you have been looking forward to.
Dotonbori in Osaka is known for its restaurants, bars and neon. It gets its name from the canal and the street of the same name. But choosing a restaurant in Japan is often not as simple as it seems, especially if you don’t like sitting near cigarette smoke. You can go from place to place looking for a N/S area that is more than just a table with no ashtray on it. Frustrating. Added to that, ramen and soba are not really a Saturday night meal for me, rather a keep-the-cold-out winter lunch. So, even Dotonbori can be a challenge to find just the dining scene that you have been looking forward to.
4. Above: Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Doi Suthep is a wat just north of Chiang Mai on a hill of the same name. The way to the top is very steep as the road hairpins its way up there. Cyclists actually do go up there just for the thrill of the mega-descent. Donkey’s years ago, I rounded a corner on a motorbike and nearly stalled; revving sharply to try and tackle the slope the front wheel shot up, throwing me and my mate backwards onto the tarmac. Luckily there were no cars following closely. There is also a great view at the top looking down on the airport and watching planes take off, before banking east, all well below you.
Doi Suthep is a wat just north of Chiang Mai on a hill of the same name. The way to the top is very steep as the road hairpins its way up there. Cyclists actually do go up there just for the thrill of the mega-descent. Donkey’s years ago, I rounded a corner on a motorbike and nearly stalled; revving sharply to try and tackle the slope the front wheel shot up, throwing me and my mate backwards onto the tarmac. Luckily there were no cars following closely. There is also a great view at the top looking down on the airport and watching planes take off, before banking east, all well below you.
5. Above: Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto is a magnet for tourists for all the obvious reasons. Google ‘Best things to do in Kyoto’ and 30 options appear rather than the usual ten. What you don’t realise until you are putting your itinerary together is that it is a large city and your chosen highlights may be huge distances apart. Luckily there is a good metro and bus network. Plus, you can hire bikes and cycle on the pavements to circumvent the traffic. Expects hordes on the Philosopher’s Path, not all truth-seekers either. In fact, expect plenty of company full-stop, especially at weekends or during spring or autumn.
Kyoto is a magnet for tourists for all the obvious reasons. Google ‘Best things to do in Kyoto’ and 30 options appear rather than the usual ten. What you don’t realise until you are putting your itinerary together is that it is a large city and your chosen highlights may be huge distances apart. Luckily there is a good metro and bus network. Plus, you can hire bikes and cycle on the pavements to circumvent the traffic. Expects hordes on the Philosopher’s Path, not all truth-seekers either. In fact, expect plenty of company full-stop, especially at weekends or during spring or autumn.
6. Above: Commuting in Japan
Commuting by train in Japan is a staple for the largely urban population, and often a rite of passage even for elementary aged kids. Organising it is a prodigious feat of logistical planning. These figures for Japanese stations are millions of passengers per day: Shinjuku–3.6M; Shibuya–3.0M; Ikebukuro–2.5M; Umeda (Osaka)–2.3M. The list goes on endlessly. There is such a buzz of excitement as you press your Suica card to the automatic gate and join the throng; or do the same to exit before seeing what’s for dinner – whatever’s left in the pre-packed sushi section of Perie supermarket, probably!
Commuting by train in Japan is a staple for the largely urban population, and often a rite of passage even for elementary aged kids. Organising it is a prodigious feat of logistical planning. These figures for Japanese stations are millions of passengers per day: Shinjuku–3.6M; Shibuya–3.0M; Ikebukuro–2.5M; Umeda (Osaka)–2.3M. The list goes on endlessly. There is such a buzz of excitement as you press your Suica card to the automatic gate and join the throng; or do the same to exit before seeing what’s for dinner – whatever’s left in the pre-packed sushi section of Perie supermarket, probably!
7. Above: Phrom Thada, Chiang Mai, Thailand
About 60 kms south of Chiang Mai is an ashram set on a hill overlooking paddy fields. The main chedi looks like the Bodhnath in Kathmandu with the eye on four sides. The ashram is a centre for Buddhist and Hindu learning and also hosts visitors seeking to study meditation. Without the benefit of a guide to explain it all, the shrines around the temple grounds often look strange or just plain weird. Visually it sure makes an impact, especially to the uninformed eye!
8. Above: Nara, Japan
The former capital is home to the world’s largest wooden building. Its various old temples and trading houses ensure that there is a steady flow of tourists ready to feed the deer that roam freely all over the parks. Amazingly, the first time that I was there I was on my bicycle and stopped one night on the way to Koyasan. When someone later said to me, ‘What about all those deer, eh?’ I replied, ‘What deer?’ I never saw a single one. I wonder where they all were? The place is teeming with them - deer-food paper bags are on sale everywhere. A complete mystery!
9. Above: Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
Hakodate is a large city in south-west Hokkaido. One of the ‘must-see’s is the morning fish market. To say that the fare is fresh is understating it rather. In fact, you point to what you want, swimming around in the tank and it’s on your plate within minutes. Watching folks fishing for squid before informing the kitchen how they want it cooked was fascinating (sort of). I even observed folks jabbing at an octopus on their plate with chopsticks as it tried to make a hasty exit.
10. Above: Chanthaburi, Thailand
Chanthaburi town is not far from me - about a three-hour drive which is considered ‘not far’ in Thailand. I had never been there because it just sounds like any old regional centre with nothing of particular note. I was wrong on that count. Not only has it got the old riverside community, but there is also the most colourful collection of wats and shrines, all within walking distance of each other. I particularly liked the one styled after the headgear of King Taksin the Great.
11. Above: Halloween, Japan
Halloween is big in Japan and folks generally need no second invitation to dress up and cavort on the streets. Roppongi in Tokyo is a lively area at the best of times, but if you want to be part of a real buzz, hit the streets there on 31st October, it’s absolutely mad. Also, it isn’t just traditional Halloween ghoul stuff, there are no holds barred in your choice of costume. Literally anything goes, the more bonkers the better.
12. Above: Royal Chan Palace, Phitsanulok, Thailand
The Chan Royal Palace in Phitsanulok dates from when it was the seat of power in the 1300s. I am always a bit non-plussed when visiting a historical site that is comprised of just the foundations or a low wall making a rectangular shape. But here there is an excellent museum as well as restorations which help join up the dots and build a picture of the scope of the site. Situated on the banks of the Nan River, it is a short tuk-tuk ride to nationally famous wats as well.
13. Above: Doi Inthanon, Thailand
Doi Inthanon is the highest point in Thailand at 8,415’. It is quite a drive to get there, assuming that you started out from one of the major towns. There is a lookout point (concrete barriers on the main road) where people assemble to watch the dawn. Given the altitude though, there is a fair chance that all will be shrouded in mist. The consolations are the cloud forest further up and the fact that you may well be looking down on a blanket of clouds at the viewpoint.
14. Above: Wat Phra That Phanom, Thailand
Wat Phra That Phanom in Nakhon Phanom Province is host to a holy relic (the Buddha’s breastbone apparently). This puts it near the top for pilgrim destinations. Devotees come from far and wide to pose in front of the Lao-style chedi. When a wat is as popular as this you can bet that donations are constant, such that the general upkeep leaves the grounds looking immaculate. Photographers in numbered waistcoats lurk in the crowds, as do young girls exhorting you to release a bird for merit. You can have your fortune told too to complete a grand day out.
15. Above: Mae Salong, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand
Up near the Myanmar border in Chiang Mai Province is the tea country of Mae Salong. A community of some 15,000 Kuomintang soldiers and their entourage was established there following the escape from the post-WWII conflict in China. Initially narcotics were grown but the Thai government promoted a switch to alternative cash crops, including tea. The landscape now features plantations with the typical symmetrical rows of tea bushes. You can also try out any number of the tea varieties at the tasting centres.
Up near the Myanmar border in Chiang Mai Province is the tea country of Mae Salong. A community of some 15,000 Kuomintang soldiers and their entourage was established there following the escape from the post-WWII conflict in China. Initially narcotics were grown but the Thai government promoted a switch to alternative cash crops, including tea. The landscape now features plantations with the typical symmetrical rows of tea bushes. You can also try out any number of the tea varieties at the tasting centres.
16. Above: Bagan, Myanmar
Bagan, with its thousands of pagodas, is difficult to do justice to with your camera. At the end of a hot day plying the dusty roads on your e-bike or whatever, you are likely aiming for the taller antiquities to watch the sun set. It is all a bit undignified though as people scramble up the steep stairwells and guard their precious space by clinging to a wall. By far a nicer experience is watching the sun go down over the Irrawaddy River with a cocktail in your hand!
Bagan, with its thousands of pagodas, is difficult to do justice to with your camera. At the end of a hot day plying the dusty roads on your e-bike or whatever, you are likely aiming for the taller antiquities to watch the sun set. It is all a bit undignified though as people scramble up the steep stairwells and guard their precious space by clinging to a wall. By far a nicer experience is watching the sun go down over the Irrawaddy River with a cocktail in your hand!
17. Above: Wat Devaraj Kunchon, Thailand
Wat Devaraj Kunchon is by the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. The interior of the ubosot is exquisitely painted in rich blue and red ochre. On site is also a teak museum with a display of tree-rings going back to the 1500s. Release a fish into the river for extra merit, or just feed them with food from the adjacent market. Huge catfish churn the waters awaiting your best efforts. These wats in old Bangkok are always a bit of a hike to get to from the nearest public transport stop, and invariably leave your shirt soaked with sweat for your troubles. Just dry out in the MRT train air-con on the way back.
Wat Devaraj Kunchon is by the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. The interior of the ubosot is exquisitely painted in rich blue and red ochre. On site is also a teak museum with a display of tree-rings going back to the 1500s. Release a fish into the river for extra merit, or just feed them with food from the adjacent market. Huge catfish churn the waters awaiting your best efforts. These wats in old Bangkok are always a bit of a hike to get to from the nearest public transport stop, and invariably leave your shirt soaked with sweat for your troubles. Just dry out in the MRT train air-con on the way back.
18. Above: Sushi Trains, Japan
Before I went to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for the first time I wondered how they kept count of what you had eaten. I’m glad I didn’t say that one out loud. Of course, the coloured plates each have a value, like ¥100 (yellow plate) or ¥120 (white) etc, depending on what is on the plate. They just stack them up by colour and measure the height with a gradated stick. The hand-held register lets the check-out know your tally before you get there. Great fun ordering from the screen as well, ready for the buzzer as your order trundles alongside your table. Hard to stay away from those places.
Before I went to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for the first time I wondered how they kept count of what you had eaten. I’m glad I didn’t say that one out loud. Of course, the coloured plates each have a value, like ¥100 (yellow plate) or ¥120 (white) etc, depending on what is on the plate. They just stack them up by colour and measure the height with a gradated stick. The hand-held register lets the check-out know your tally before you get there. Great fun ordering from the screen as well, ready for the buzzer as your order trundles alongside your table. Hard to stay away from those places.
19. Above: Wat Yai, Phitsanulok Province, Thailand
Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat also known as Wat Yai is situated in Phitsanulok. It houses the original Phra Phuttha Chinnarat which is the classical gold Buddha with the black background. This is considered to be the most beautiful Buddha statue in Thailand and is much copied elsewhere. One is aware of how reverential the experience is for those kneeling in prayer. The hush is palpable, if that’s possible! I was even told to sit down by an usher as I stood to take a shot.
Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat also known as Wat Yai is situated in Phitsanulok. It houses the original Phra Phuttha Chinnarat which is the classical gold Buddha with the black background. This is considered to be the most beautiful Buddha statue in Thailand and is much copied elsewhere. One is aware of how reverential the experience is for those kneeling in prayer. The hush is palpable, if that’s possible! I was even told to sit down by an usher as I stood to take a shot.
20. Above: Hong Kong
Hong Kong sure knows how to do weather. Hot and humid, windy-typhoon style, foggy, or just plain misty. The latter might fairly be described as ‘filthy’ as low-lying clouds swirl over the cityscape. It is such a glorious shoreline, best seen from the Star Ferry as it chunters back and forth. It feels like you are in a film set, or in an early chapter of Tai-Pan.
Hong Kong sure knows how to do weather. Hot and humid, windy-typhoon style, foggy, or just plain misty. The latter might fairly be described as ‘filthy’ as low-lying clouds swirl over the cityscape. It is such a glorious shoreline, best seen from the Star Ferry as it chunters back and forth. It feels like you are in a film set, or in an early chapter of Tai-Pan.