Nara
(pop 369,000)
Kansai
Japan
The Daibutsu beckons the pilgrim to Nara.
Daibutsu or Great Buddha sits quietly in the Todai-ji Temple, his right hand raised in the position of protection, reassurance and blessing,
The Buddha is surrounded by respectful throngs of travelers, tour groups and children who converge on Nara – a large city about thirty minutes by train from Kyoto.
Lijiang
Yunnan Province
People’s Republic of China
Elevation 2400m 7900 ft.
June 2, 2014
Dear Friends and Fellow Travelers,
I can never resist a market. Can you? Always lively, colorful and surprising, the market is a core element of daily life. What is more essential than food, clothing and household goods? And what is more fun?
So after our early morning stroll through the Old Town of Lijiang that included an invitation to a tea ceremony, my guide Illian and I head over to the main market. I took about “a thousand” photos, and finally stocked up on a half kilo of fresh, sweet green plums for the ride ahead.
Shaxi
Yunnan Province
China
June 6, 2014
Dear Friends,
During my brief visit to the livestock market in Shaxi, I recalled the ditty “Mules” that I learned at Boy Scout Camp. As I trod the grounds among horses, cows, bulls and other assorted browsers, I paid strict attention to the lyric.*
Shaxi is an historic town along the Ancient Tea Horse Road that connects China to Burma to Tibet to India. But Shaxi is unlike Lijiang, another caravan stop to the northth. Lijiang boasts an airport that dismounts herds of visitors. Shaxi retains an “ancient” atmosphere.
Bangkok
Thailand
June 20, 2014
Today I participated in the “Punk Rock Girl Shoot.”
Along with eight other amateur photographers and our leader, professional photographer Dennie Cody, we spent three hours this afternoon photographing the unique model Tanya, the Punk Rock Girl. *
The shoot took place at a vacant lot/playground/graffiti park at Ratchathewi in downtown Bangkok.
Tanya changed her outfit four times. She was creative, emotional and beautiful.
Please see for yourself.
Jan
Salaspils
Latvia
August 25, 2014
Dear Family and Friends
“Is it a mitzvah to recite the Kaddish?”
Here’s why I ask:
Twenty kilometers southeast of Riga, off the main highway, at the end of a narrow road, I park my car in an empty lot.
A dense forest of tall silent trees lines both sides of a broad gravel walkway. Except for an elderly couple off in the woods gathering mushrooms, I am alone as I make my way down the long path to the distant monument.
An enormous recumbent slab of grey stone marks the dramatic entrance. It appears to have fallen on its side to an angular position. The black inscription reads, “AIZ SIEM VARTIEM VAID ZEME.” I walk under the slab and enter the site.
