If you’re a friend or a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed I have a thing about coffee. Well, on my previous trip to Bangkok, I discovered a really cool little coffee shop by total accident. I wrote about that back in November 2015. The place is called FOONG Coffee & Bar. After… Continue reading FOONG Coffee & Bar
Author: todd
hello again, Bangkok
On December 29, we arrived back in Bangkok. Six months ago, I’d never been here. Now, this is my third visit. So I’m getting a lot more comfortable getting around and doing stuff, in general. There was a bit of a surprise as we passed through immigration control. They gave us 30-day tourist visas, as… Continue reading hello again, Bangkok
my Thai massage experience
A little over a year ago, there was a massage therapist named Rachel who shared a room in the back of the Pilates studio where I was a member. She specialized in Thai massage, which I’d never had. So as luck would have it, I entered a contest and won a free Thai massage from… Continue reading my Thai massage experience
Indian gender representation in public places
During our one month in India, I noticed a few things related to men and women in public places. As my friend Glenn would rightfully point out, being here as a tourist for a short time doesn’t somehow make me an expert. But I’m an observant person, and I do want to jot down what I… Continue reading Indian gender representation in public places
Christmas in Rishikesh
Christmas Eve Do you remember what you did on Christmas Eve 2015? Well, we spent about six hours of it in a car, going from Chandigarh to Rishikesh. Getting from New Delhi to Rishikesh is really easy. But getting there from Chandigarh is sort of going “across the grain” of transportation. There’s no way to do it… Continue reading Christmas in Rishikesh
Chandigarh Rock Garden
One of the few touristy things to see in Chandigarh is the Nek Chand’s Rock Garden. Back in 1902, before the city of Chandigarh even existed, the government set aside a bunch of forest near a lake as a conservancy, stating that nothing should ever be built on it. Then, in 1947, Indian partition happened and the… Continue reading Chandigarh Rock Garden
a tale of two movies
Chandigarh is a bit different than the other Indian cities we visited. For one thing, it’s a very modern planned city. The whole thing is laid out in a grid, with major streets at regular intervals separating sections of the city they call “sectors”. It sounds kinda sci-fi, but to tell a taxi driver directions… Continue reading a tale of two movies
reaching Chandigarh
Other than the Wagah border ceremony, the Golden Temple, and Jallianwala Bagh, there wasn’t much touristy we wanted to see in Amritsar. Beth hired a taxi for a day to go on a bird watching trip, and so I went shopping. I wanted to buy a second sweater, in particular a sweater vest. Amritsar was just… Continue reading reaching Chandigarh
Amritsar’s Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) and Jallianwala Bagh
The day after we went to the Wagah border ceremony was December 18, and we decided to go see the Golden Temple. If you read my last post, you’ll remember that Amritsar was a pretty bloody place around the time of partition in 1947. Once the vast majority of the Muslims were relocated across the border… Continue reading Amritsar’s Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) and Jallianwala Bagh
Wagah border ceremony
OK, here’s a different kind of tourist experience, after seeing all these historical sites. After we left Jaipur, India, we flew to Amritsar. Jaipur is known for several tourist attractions, but Amritsar is only known for a small number. And the one that appealed the most to me is the Wagah border ceremony. So that was… Continue reading Wagah border ceremony