Auberge du Sud
Erg Chebbi
Merzouga
Morocco
April 23, 2013
My Dear Fellow Travelers,
It was a looong van drive from Fes to Merzouga. Here in the desert we are scheduled for a shrt camel ride over the dunes of the Sahara.
A camel ride? Done that a couple of times. Not my favorite activity.
I decided to plant my boots in the sand and admire the scenery from ground level.
Jan
Jakarta
West Java
May 13, 2005
"Ahoy, there!"
North of Kuta ("Old Batavia" as the Dutch called it), my guidebooks recommended Sunda Kelapa, the old port where dozens of large, wooden, colorful, tall-masted/motorized schooners are moored.
Tenasserim Hills
Kanchanaburi Province
Thailand - Myanmar Border
April 7, 2019
Older than the Himalayas, the Tenasserim Hills are a mountain chain that begins in Northern Thailand. They provide a long line of demarcation between Thailand and Myanmar. They form a spine on the Malay Peninsula, and end in the south near Singapore.
The hills are covered with evergreen jungle forests. A large variety of jungle creatures call the hills home.
Apparently, the hills also contain coal, tin and tungsten. And logs.
On the north-south road running parallel to the Tenasserim Hills, Jenjira and I stop at the “rock shops” that feature huge creative carvings and “modern” sculptures.
Tenasserim Hills
Kanchanaburi Province
Thailand
April 6, 2019
On a holiday weekend, the Erawan National Park is a favorite for Thai families and groups of friends. (Erawan is the Thai word that refers to the Hindu myth Airavata or Airawana in Sanskrit.)
Children of all ages swim in the natural pools beneath the many waterfalls, young adults climb the seven levels of the steep walkways to the top of the mountain, and family groups relax and spread out their picnic lunch.
In this life I tried for the third level. Unfortunately, after two and a half, I received signals from my right knee that “enough is enough.” Perhaps in my next life I’ll make it up the seven.
In comparison, it was an easy climb from the parking lot up the steel staircase to the trestle of The Bridge
Nakhon Pathom (50 km west of Bangkok)
Nakhon Pathom Province
Thailand
April 25, 2019
Hello,
My girlfriend Jenjira (Ooy) and I climb the steps to pay our respects to a tall standing Buddha inside the Pathom Ma Chedi. At 120 meters (394 feet), the bell-shaped Chedi or stupa is the tallest stupa in Thailand.
Thai people are here to pray. Young couples pray for fertility. Lovely aromas of lotus flowers and burning incense fill the air.
Kampong Cham City (pop 45,000)
Kampong Cham Province (pop 950,000)
Kingdom of Cambodia or Kampuchea (pop 15 million)
January 30, 2019
I visit two special sites in Central Cambodia.
One ancient, for sure.
One modern, sort of.
