It is well documented how much I hate the cold. I believe that anything below 65 degrees is just unnecessary. Anything below freezing, sheer lunacy. Yet, here I was in Bozeman, Montana for a long weekend in February. I was not exactly upset. This is an unspeakably beautiful state and one of the remaining four I'd yet to visit. I just wish they'd show a bit more self-control when it comes to Winter. Why does it have to snow so much, even during a year when locals were complaining that there was not enough snow? They don't even blink at 20 below zero, an actual temperature that we experienced. It's simply too much! Cold or no cold, I was not about to pass up the opportunity to visit the country's first national park, because of course I wasn't. The plot twist is that now that I have, I am firmly convinced this is the best possible time to visit. I can even give you five solid reasons why. 1. It's cheaper. The park, which covers almost 3,500 square miles a
My last day in Bangkok was spent wandering around the labyrinth that is Chinatown. I went there for two reasons. One: this is one of the few areas of the city that I had not devoted any time to and Two: I had to check out the Hell Money. I had read in my guidebook about an alley named Soi Itsaranuphap in the heart of Chinatown where you find a line of shops selling fake money, issued from the Bank of Hades and household goods made of paper. Chinese Buddhists will purchase these, take them to the temples and burn them so that their loved ones who have passed on can receive them in the afterlife. As far as unusual religious practices go, you've got to admit, this one is a doozy. What I found in that alley was even better than I could have hoped for. Not only did they have cash in just about every denomination, size and color, they had every comfort and luxury items you could think of. You could get a Mercedes (with a driver, of course), a computer (PC only, somehow Steve Jobs has not expanded his empire to the afterworld), shirts with matching ties, cigarettes (warning labels no longer required), rotating fans (which anyone who has walked around in the heat and humidity of Bangkok would think to buy for their loved ones), airline tickets, passports, credit cards, helicopters, personal planes (charter: it's the way to go in the afterlife as well), makeup, jewelry....you name it, you can find it in this quirky little alley. If only finding that alley had been so easy....
Hi Berti,
ReplyDeleteSome great capturing of the local ambiance of the Buddhist culture in Bangkok. Have you ever considered becoming a "Travel Contributor" to one of any numerous of travel magazines? Since you have the wit to match your journal log of pictures. :)
Ciao, Ivan.