The top two items remaining in my Bucket List loom like insurmountable mountain peaks. In fact, one of them is just that: Mount Everest. No, I don’t desire to climb to the summit. My dream is to see the great peak from the ground (flying by seems like cheating). A former co-worker of mine made … Continue reading Making A Dream Come True
Travels
Mooncake Festival in Phuket
Last weekend, I stumbled across Phuket Municipality’s celebration marking the Mid-Autumn Festival (in Thai, Wan Wai Phra Jan -- เทศกาลไหว้พระจันทร์). Also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival), it falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This is the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox when … Continue reading Mooncake Festival in Phuket
The Second Por Tor Parade 2013
The 2013 Por Tor Festival will end tomorrow, 4th September, with celebrations centered around Phuket Town’s main fresh market on Ranong Road and the Por Tor Kong Shrine near the intersection of Kra and Phuket Roads. This past Friday, I once again joined a parade – marching in the procession that started from the Queen … Continue reading The Second Por Tor Parade 2013
Por Tor Festival in Phuket: Day One’s Procession
Today is the first day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar. It is the beginning of the annual fifteen-day period that Thai-Chinese people believe the spirits of their ancestors are released from heaven to visit their relatives. In Thailand, it is popularly known as Ngan Por Tor or the "Hungry Ghost Festival" … Continue reading Por Tor Festival in Phuket: Day One’s Procession
Phuket’s Provincial Hall
Yesterday was a rather rainy holiday in Phuket – the 64th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. A mid-afternoon break in the rain gave me the chance to take a short walk up the tree-lined Narisorn Road in northeastern Phuket Town. This is where most of the province’s government buildings are located and so is … Continue reading Phuket’s Provincial Hall
Postcrossing in Phuket
I recently rejoined Postcrossing, a project which allows users to request addresses in order to exchange postcards with other members. Upon registering, you can request up to five addresses which are assigned randomly. You write a unique identifying number on the postcards that you sent and when a user receives one of those cards, he/she … Continue reading Postcrossing in Phuket
Siam’s First Stamps
The Thailand 2013 World Stamp Exhibition opened at Bangkok's Siam Paragon this past Friday. In part, it marks the 130th anniversary of the Kingdom of Siam's first official postage stamps. The 4th August 1883 release of those first five adhesives came some 43 years following the issuance of the world's first prepaid stamps, Great Britain's … Continue reading Siam’s First Stamps
In Cambodia Part 6: Khmer New Year
I was originally scheduled to return to Thailand on the 14th of April but was having such a good time in Siem Reap that I decided to add another day. This was beneficial as it allowed me to experience a bit of the Khmer New Year, the three days of which began on the 14th … Continue reading In Cambodia Part 6: Khmer New Year
In Cambodia Part 5: The Bayon
Continuing with my accounts of my explorations in Cambodia this past April… The next set of ruins I wanted to explore was the so-called “Temple of a Thousand Faces” (well, there’s really only around 200) – The Bayon. This part of my journey was a bit frustrating, or perhaps I was just overwhelmed with the … Continue reading In Cambodia Part 5: The Bayon
In Cambodia Part 4: Ta Prohm
I left the main Angkor Wat temple complex relatively early in the morning in an effort to beat the crowds to the scenic and shady Ta Prohm. I was successful in this plan as I had the temple relatively to myself during most of my visit. The only other tourists were a few Europeans (some … Continue reading In Cambodia Part 4: Ta Prohm
Mark Joseph Jochim 