Bangkok

Thailand

1 March 2013

Dear Friends,

Miriam  and Zev, my newly married friends, came to Thailand for their honeymoon.  Before returning to their home in Tzfat, Israel we spent a couple of days together here in Bangkok.  Most of their holiday was in the south of Thailand on the islands and on the beach.   Who can blame them?

Zev provided me with undersea photos of his SCUBA dive in the Andaman Sea.  One huge turtle, and was that a shark?!

For some reason, I was reminded of another set of photos that until now I have not posted.  The photos were taken by my Dutch friend Roel when we were on a road trip together in the north of Thailand, almost six years ago! 

Roel took photos of an unusual rock formation that we found by accident on a “road not taken.”  Like Roel, I prefer the roads less traveled, and I love rocks.

Not to be outdone by Zev and Roel, I decided on my own photo shoot just today.  Guided by my Thai friend (of Chinese descent), Pung and I wandered through the long narrow crowded alleys of the Chinese food market in Chinatown. 

Some of the food items were so exotic that even Pung could not identify them, but she could read the Chinese signs.  And even with my limited Thai, I had a brief chat with the vendors.  Some very strange sea food on display; and was that a pig stomach?

Markets, anywhere and everywhere, are my favorite attractions.   As are unusual geologic formations.

But diving?  A new career for me?  Hey, you never know!

Cheers,

Mr. Jan

My young friend Pung (Bee) likes to address me as “Mr. Jan.”  After my brief explanation, she understood the English quip, “You can call me anything you like; just don’t call me late for breakfast.”