Dubrovnik (pop 42,615)
Croatia
June 9, 2015
Hello,
The crowds in Dubrovnik are overwhelming.
(If you’ve been here, you know what I’m talking about.)
Wikipedia says, “Dubrovnik is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic Sea.”
The Old Town is swarming with tourists and passengers on an excursion from their cruise ships. (Yes, ships! Every day, ships!)
Once again I employ my “Split Strategy.”
Henningsvær
Lofoten Archipelago
Norway
I love taking photos at this fishing village. (Population 440).
The sun is bright. The colorful buildings along the inlet seem to be admiring themselves in an aquatic mirror.
Henningsvær is part of the Lofoten Islands chain. A good place to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Bukhara, Uzbekistan
June 2, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
On my last day in Bukhara I visited several medressas and mosques well as The Ark - the remains of a town within a town.
The Ulugbek Medressa (1417) is Central Asia's oldest medressa and a model for other large projects. Ulugbek, a mathematician and astronomer, was Genghis Khan's grandson.
The Ark is the oldest structure in Bukhara, occupied from the 5th Century until 1920 when it was bombed by the Red Army. The town is mostly in ruins now, but the protective walls are impressive. The royal quarters are used as museums. The Ark is swarming with visitors.
Beside a pool, opposite the Ark's gate is the Bolo-Hauz Mosque, the emir's official place of worship built in 1718. Here it's quiet, cool and refreshing.
The Abdulla Khan Medressa is named for the great Shaybanid ruler. Just opposite lies the Modari Khan Medressa, named for the Khan's mother. On the sun-blasted plaza between these two huge structures is an equally powerful minaret. The plaza is adjacent to Samani Park.
It is the park that provided the unexpected today.
Bangkok
Thailand
December 20, 2010
Dear Family and Friends,
(Have any of you lunatics conjured up the connection between Chanthaburi and bunny rabbits?)
Across the waters of the Gulf of Siam, about a forty minute ferry ride from Koh Chang, lies the city of Trat. North of Trat is the city of Chanthaburi.
In Chanthaburi I took my usual stroll, but this time I had a destination in mind - the Holy Mary Catholic Church. The largest Catholic Church in Thailand was built by the French during their occupation of Trat and Chanthaburi Provinces from 1893 to 1905. This area borders Cambodia - part of colonial French Indochina.
Udon Thani
Udon Thani Province
Thailand
January 2, 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
“Mr. Jan, where you go cown dow?” A Thai friend asked me this question just after Christmas. I was stumped. I was puzzled. It took me a few minutes to unravel the mystery.
Bangkok
Thailand
26 March 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
March has been my own mad month - of visits and visitors: Ngoc Vi and Thao My; Moon and Kevin; Mai and Mark; Luisa and Dolly; DeeDee and Richard.
Ngoc Vi came to Thailand on a four-day tour with her daughter Thao My. They live near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
I met Ngoc Vi seven years ago near the cathedral in HCMC (Saigon). After a brief chat, she invited me to her sister's wedding the next day.
Ngoc Vi is a specialist in agricultural productivity. She has worked as a consultant to Vietnamese farmers. This year she left her job and is enrolled as a full-time student. She expects to earn a Master's degree in Business Administration.
Thao My is an energetic, talkative, irrepressible four-year-old girl. Her goal was to ride an elephant here in Thailand. She did just that, all alone, according to her mother, at an elephant park south of Bangkok.
