OUT AND ABOUT

Myanmar impressions

Thorsten — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:29:44 +0000

I love South-East Asia and I’ve been fortunate enough to travel extensively in this part of the world. But nothing prepared me for the splendors of Myanmar. I was totally amazed when I visited there earlier this year: wonderful people, beautiful landscapes and stunning pagodas.

Feels like fall (2012 edition)

Thorsten — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:43:21 +0000

This year’s autumn has been spectacular in Germany. The weather has been perfect and we’ve seen some amazing fall foliage.

The pictures in this slide show were taken in different places: near the Rhine and along the Sieg river in the west of the country, and in Bad Brückenau in the southern federal state of Bavaria.

Btw: a few years ago, I posted another autumn slide show here on this blog and called it “Feels like fall“. That slide show was created on slide.com and then embedded here in this wordpress blog.

Unfortunately, slide.com no longer exists. If you go to their website, you’ll see a notice “Slide.com closed its doors on March 6, 2012 and is no longer available.”

So when you read my original 2008 wordpress post “Feels like fall” today, all you see is the text. The slide show is gone forever. So that really does feel like fall…

Visiting Kuala Lumpur’s Chinese and Indian districts

Thorsten — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:56:57 +0000

I was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last month and strolled around the city’s Chinese and Indian quarters. Even though I’d been to KL before, I’d never been to some of the streets and temples I stumbled upon this time.

I visited the Hindu temple Sri Mahamariamman, for example. Amazingly colorful. A feast for the eye. The Chinese shrines were somewhat more serene. Strong smell of incense.

All of these places of worship, as well as the streets of Chinatown and Little India were amazing. An exotic mix of smells and sounds. Strange and wonderful to the Western eye.

Strolling through these multi-cultural streets of Kuala Lumpur, you understand the truth in Malaysia’s old tourism slogan: Malaysia, truly Asia.

Music: Last Affair & Gita Lulin Maung Ko Ko with his Studio Ensemble featuring Yadana Oou – Zega Wa (UKoKo) (Film Music 1978 “Popa Phuza”)

Wat Pho through my eyes

Thorsten — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 16:25:46 +0000

Wat Pho is one of the most-visited temples in Bangkok and it’s one of the most photographed. So when I returned to the temple last weekend, I deliberately tried to stay clear of the crowds as far as that was possible and explored some of the quieter corners of the complex.

Click to view slideshow.

Seagull statues in Helsinki

Thorsten — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 11:32:08 +0000

One of the nicest things about the people of Finland is their love of animals. In the Finnish capital Helsinki, for instance, they’ve erected a number of statues to celebrate the strong bond between man and seagull.

Click to view slideshow.

Now who ever said that dog was man’s best friend?

Baroque splendor at Dresden’s Pillnitz Castle

Thorsten — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:23:11 +0000

If you take a boat up the Elbe river from Dresden, you’ll see the baroque-style Pillnitz Castle on your left. The castle and surrounding buildings display some decorative Chinese elements. These “Chinoiseries” were fashionable in Europe in the 18th century, when the castle was built.

Click to view slideshow.

In the castle gardens, one of the prime attractions is a camellia tree that is more than 230 years old. It was planted in this spot in 1801 and has grown to a height of almost nine meters (more than 29 feet). A special glass house was built around the plant to protect it from the cold of winter. Every spring, this old camellia tree is covered with some 35.000 red blossoms.

My sister was a gardener

Thorsten — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:32:46 +0000

My sister lived in Portugal, where she worked as a gardener. She died earlier this year. This was her garden.

Click to view slideshow.

Good bye, sis. I miss you.

Thailand’s dusty treasures

Thorsten — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:03:17 +0000

I like going to museums. But Thailand’s National Museum in Bangkok is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s like one of those fairy tale places that have fallen under a spell and are asleep for a hundred years.

Click to view slideshow.The museum is housed in a number of former palace building, but also comprises a Buddhist pagoda and some “newer” buildings from the 1960′s.

The strange thing is that hardly anyone in Bangkok seems to be aware of the National Museum. My taxi driver didn’t even know where it was and had to ask for directions on the way.

The museum is a very quiet place. Fallen out of time. There were hardly any other visitors at the museum the Sunday I was there. Almost the only life you saw were middle-aged Thai ladies placed in every exhibition room as museum guards – more softly snoozing than supervising the visitors.

The museum’s collection is eclectic. Everything from golden Buddhas to royal porcelain and a shell collection. From doll houses to the royal funeral chariots and a collection of shadow puppets.

All exhibits all seem a little dusty, like someone put the together fifty years ago and then forgot about them. But all in all very charming and just the place to go if you’re looking for a little quiet time in Bangkok.

A Minsk November Day

Thorsten — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:31:09 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

The noodle maker

Thorsten — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 07:49:43 +0000

La Mien noodles are the signature dish at Phnom Penh’s Noodle House. The chef makes them from scratch every time someone orders this dish.

Click to view slideshow.
Even though it’s great fun to watch how these noodles are made, the dish itself tastes a little bland. It clearly needs some more spices or sauce.

What I recommend instead are the vegetarian Dim Sum at $ 2.50 and the Red Peanut Curry at $ 3.50 at Noodle House. Both of these are excellent.