They come in a variety of shapes, styles and colors.
Some of them are very large.
And if you look carefully, you'll notice that the main snakes are coming out of another snakes mouth. Kind of like in the movie Alien.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Six Shots of Snakes Guarding Buddha
95% of Thais are Buddhists. In Thailand, there are lots of Wats, which are Buddhist temples. One of the features that they almost all have, and that Justin finds very interesting, is creatures guarding the Buddha statues at the bottom of the steps. We're still trying to figure out whether they are snakes or dragons, but they all look pretty incredible!
They come in a variety of shapes, styles and colors.
Some of them are very large.
And if you look carefully, you'll notice that the main snakes are coming out of another snakes mouth. Kind of like in the movie Alien.
They come in a variety of shapes, styles and colors.
Some of them are very large.
And if you look carefully, you'll notice that the main snakes are coming out of another snakes mouth. Kind of like in the movie Alien.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Dinner, with a special guest!
We went out and had ourselves a little buffet.
But not your average buffet, because at this buffet...
...you cook your own food! You can make soup with vegetables, meat, and noodles.
Yum! We just ate and ate and ate.
Wait a second. Waiter, I don't remember ordering this in my soup!
It's Dumbo! He just stopped by to say hello.
He also wanted to make sure everything tasted good.
What a dinner!
But not your average buffet, because at this buffet...
...you cook your own food! You can make soup with vegetables, meat, and noodles.
Yum! We just ate and ate and ate.
Wait a second. Waiter, I don't remember ordering this in my soup!
It's Dumbo! He just stopped by to say hello.
He also wanted to make sure everything tasted good.
What a dinner!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Let's go Shopping!
Here are a few sights from the markets in Chiang Mai...
These little light globes are for sale everywhere. In fact, if you go to Lonely Planet - Chiang Mai, they have their own photo.
Bunny on the loose! The tan one kept trying to escape to see Jessica, or at least that's what she kept saying.
Even if you don't find anything you want to buy, you can always donate to the local street performers.
Looking for a fake Chanel purse? How about a Coach bag? If that's not your style, they also have North Face backpacks for sale.
Somehow I don't think that when a women says, "I want something in a little blue box," this is what she has in mind.
Tired of all that shopping? Take a seat, get a rub-down and you'll be buying again in no time.
Plenty of food as well. If you love bean sprouts, this is the place to be. That pile is actually bigger then it looks.
Quail eggs anyone? Not sure where they get them, but they must have a quail farm somewhere.
Also plenty of crafts by hand. This gentleman is making miniature Tuk-Tuks out of soda can scraps, wire and buttons.
Take soap, carve and dye. Then sell to tourists. Dove never looked so good.
Uh-oh, Diane. Looks like you might have some competition...
These little light globes are for sale everywhere. In fact, if you go to Lonely Planet - Chiang Mai, they have their own photo.
Bunny on the loose! The tan one kept trying to escape to see Jessica, or at least that's what she kept saying.
Even if you don't find anything you want to buy, you can always donate to the local street performers.
Looking for a fake Chanel purse? How about a Coach bag? If that's not your style, they also have North Face backpacks for sale.
Somehow I don't think that when a women says, "I want something in a little blue box," this is what she has in mind.
Tired of all that shopping? Take a seat, get a rub-down and you'll be buying again in no time.
Plenty of food as well. If you love bean sprouts, this is the place to be. That pile is actually bigger then it looks.
Quail eggs anyone? Not sure where they get them, but they must have a quail farm somewhere.
Also plenty of crafts by hand. This gentleman is making miniature Tuk-Tuks out of soda can scraps, wire and buttons.
Take soap, carve and dye. Then sell to tourists. Dove never looked so good.
Uh-oh, Diane. Looks like you might have some competition...
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A Piece of Chiang Mai
This is our bathroom. Many of the hostels in Thailand have community bathrooms, so we lucked out. Also, due to the set-up, it is very easy to multitask in the morning.
This is a Tuk-Tuk. It's like a moped that's been turned into a three wheeler. If you hear someone honking at you, they're not looking for date, they're a Tuk-Tuk driver trying to get you to pay for a ride. As of yet, we have not dared ride a Tuk-Tuk anywhere, but not for a lack of offers.
This is lunch. We had soup, Pad-thai, green curry, juice and iced coffee. Total, just under $6. And it was all good!
This was a snack option available in the market. We think. Jessica said she'd try anything once, but she didn't stop long enough to find out if they were offering samples...
In Thailand, a massage is not a luxury, but an important part of one's well being. And when a 30 minute foot message costs less then $4 for two people, you really can't argue. But doesn't it seem that the masseuse on the right got the short end of the deal, seeing as she has to do the same job on twice the foot?
Monday, January 19, 2009
Dim Suming it up!
Wandering the streets of Hong Kong, we knew that there was one thing we needed to find: dim sum. For those of you unfamiliar with dim sum, it is a type of traditional Chinese food usually eaten either during breakfast or lunch. For more details, read here (got to love Wikipedia!). Anyways, we were wandering the streets of Hong Kong in search of a restaurant we had read about in our Lonely Planet guidebook. The guidebook provides an overview map, and then gives more detailed maps of certain areas. Well, the problem was that the restaurant is on one of the detailed maps, but when you flip between the maps, they don’t correspond. On the big map, north is on the top of the page, where on the little map, north is on the left side. So we’re constantly backtracking, trying to get our bearings, and the whole time the buildings seem to be falling in on us because they’re tall and so close together and there are so many signs, none of which are in English.
So we’re walking and walking, and slowly any hope of ever finding this place is slipping away when we come across a bakery with the same name. We figure this has got to be the place, except there are no tables, only a stairway leading up to the second floor. So up the stairs we go, and we find ourselves in a large room that more resembles more a department store then a restaurant. All the water pipes and wires are exposed in the ceiling, the floor is tile made for easy cleaning, and the lighting was harsh florescent lighting.
And it is packed. There doesn’t appear to be more then a handful of empty seats. A gentleman at the top of the stairs stands up from his table to greet us in broken English before pointing us towards a table somewhere across the room. As we walk across the room, we become acutely aware that (A) there is something that is gathering everyone’s attention and (B) we were the attraction. I guess they’d never seen such an attractive couple before.
Somehow we find an empty table that seats four, and as soon as we sat down a gentleman sits down across from us. Before we have a chance to question him, the waiter arrives, throwing down a teapot, along with a bowl and other dishes. He fills the teapot and bowl with hot water, purposefully placing a teacup in the bowl, and then walks off. Uncertain of what to do, we watch the gentleman sitting across from us. He took his dishes, dipping them in his bowl of water while rubbing the rim of each dish. Just in case the dishwasher had missed a spot.
The waiter then brought over two sheets with different squares, one for us and one for the gentleman across the table. As we sat there, a lady with a cart came by with round wooden containers containing the dim sum. She opened one up and offered us the dish inside. Not knowing exactly what it was, we accepted. She gave us the dish, then pulled out our sheet and stamped one of the many squares with a Chinese character. About that time a lady joined us at the table, conversing with the gentleman. We assumed they were together. But no time to ask, as another women with a cart came by. As she attended to the table across from us, other people walked up to the cart and started looking in her different containers. One woman found the dish she was looking for, and showed us as she passed.
“Lotus seed bun. Very good here. Very famous,” she said. Taking it as some friendly advice, Justin asked the cart lady for our own buns, which she gladly provided us after stamping our card. After she left, the lady across the table decided to inform us that the lotus seed bun is sweet, generally eaten as a desert. Live and learn right?
Now that the secret was out, and we knew someone else spoke English, we started grilling her like a stuck goose. Which is what she recommended – the goose that is. So we ordered a noodle soup with goose. She also informed us that the selection was a little smaller then earlier in the day because we had arrived after the lunch rush, but on the plus side everything was cheaper because they wanted to make sure and sell it all. She did her fair share of questioning as well. She wanted to know where we were from, and was surprised to hear the United States. Apparently she thought Americas were rounder, so she had pegged us as European. She also asked if we were newlyweds. Justin said, “Why, because we’re still smiling?” to which she replied, “No, because of your shiny rings.”
About that time the gentleman at our table departed and was replaced by a woman. She, unlike our other table guest, did not speak English. Yet she did try to teach us a few words. She kept saying a phrase and then expecting Justin to repeat, and seemed to get a great deal of joy out of hearing his attempts to repeat her phrases. Either because they were so bad or because he was saying, “I’m a silly white boy.” Either way, she was also very generous with her tea, repeatedly filling our glasses. It seems that the tea leafs have an excellent re-brewing ability. No sooner would a pot be empty of water then a waiter would come along and pour in more hot water. Except in the case of our generous tablemate. Our table was located right next to the waiter station, so she would just reach over from her chair, grab a pot of hot water and refill her teapot herself.
By the time we’d finished, we’d had 5 different dim sum dishes, the goose noodle soup, and all the tea we could manage, all for 104HK$, which, at about 7.7 HK$ to one US$, made the whole meal about $13.50. And they didn’t even charge for the best part, the experience.
So we’re walking and walking, and slowly any hope of ever finding this place is slipping away when we come across a bakery with the same name. We figure this has got to be the place, except there are no tables, only a stairway leading up to the second floor. So up the stairs we go, and we find ourselves in a large room that more resembles more a department store then a restaurant. All the water pipes and wires are exposed in the ceiling, the floor is tile made for easy cleaning, and the lighting was harsh florescent lighting.
And it is packed. There doesn’t appear to be more then a handful of empty seats. A gentleman at the top of the stairs stands up from his table to greet us in broken English before pointing us towards a table somewhere across the room. As we walk across the room, we become acutely aware that (A) there is something that is gathering everyone’s attention and (B) we were the attraction. I guess they’d never seen such an attractive couple before.
Somehow we find an empty table that seats four, and as soon as we sat down a gentleman sits down across from us. Before we have a chance to question him, the waiter arrives, throwing down a teapot, along with a bowl and other dishes. He fills the teapot and bowl with hot water, purposefully placing a teacup in the bowl, and then walks off. Uncertain of what to do, we watch the gentleman sitting across from us. He took his dishes, dipping them in his bowl of water while rubbing the rim of each dish. Just in case the dishwasher had missed a spot.
The waiter then brought over two sheets with different squares, one for us and one for the gentleman across the table. As we sat there, a lady with a cart came by with round wooden containers containing the dim sum. She opened one up and offered us the dish inside. Not knowing exactly what it was, we accepted. She gave us the dish, then pulled out our sheet and stamped one of the many squares with a Chinese character. About that time a lady joined us at the table, conversing with the gentleman. We assumed they were together. But no time to ask, as another women with a cart came by. As she attended to the table across from us, other people walked up to the cart and started looking in her different containers. One woman found the dish she was looking for, and showed us as she passed.
“Lotus seed bun. Very good here. Very famous,” she said. Taking it as some friendly advice, Justin asked the cart lady for our own buns, which she gladly provided us after stamping our card. After she left, the lady across the table decided to inform us that the lotus seed bun is sweet, generally eaten as a desert. Live and learn right?
Now that the secret was out, and we knew someone else spoke English, we started grilling her like a stuck goose. Which is what she recommended – the goose that is. So we ordered a noodle soup with goose. She also informed us that the selection was a little smaller then earlier in the day because we had arrived after the lunch rush, but on the plus side everything was cheaper because they wanted to make sure and sell it all. She did her fair share of questioning as well. She wanted to know where we were from, and was surprised to hear the United States. Apparently she thought Americas were rounder, so she had pegged us as European. She also asked if we were newlyweds. Justin said, “Why, because we’re still smiling?” to which she replied, “No, because of your shiny rings.”
About that time the gentleman at our table departed and was replaced by a woman. She, unlike our other table guest, did not speak English. Yet she did try to teach us a few words. She kept saying a phrase and then expecting Justin to repeat, and seemed to get a great deal of joy out of hearing his attempts to repeat her phrases. Either because they were so bad or because he was saying, “I’m a silly white boy.” Either way, she was also very generous with her tea, repeatedly filling our glasses. It seems that the tea leafs have an excellent re-brewing ability. No sooner would a pot be empty of water then a waiter would come along and pour in more hot water. Except in the case of our generous tablemate. Our table was located right next to the waiter station, so she would just reach over from her chair, grab a pot of hot water and refill her teapot herself.
By the time we’d finished, we’d had 5 different dim sum dishes, the goose noodle soup, and all the tea we could manage, all for 104HK$, which, at about 7.7 HK$ to one US$, made the whole meal about $13.50. And they didn’t even charge for the best part, the experience.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Hong Kong in Pictures
We took this picture while taking the Star Ferry to cross the harbor. We spent most of our time exploring the Central district of Hong Kong, which contains most of the banks and other financial businesses in the city.
Many of the shops were selling decorations for Chinese New Year.
A shot of Central at night.
The city at night, taken from the deck of the Star Ferry.
We came across an impromptu performance on one of the street corners. You could hear the drums several blocks away!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The First Few Days...
The trip actually started on January 9th, when we flew out to San Francisco. I’m not sure what people complain about because the weather was beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky or any fog in the bay. First stop was the Golden Gate Bridge.
A nice gentleman with a rather large Digital SLR camera of his own offered to take our picture. We figured, “Surely, he doesn’t need any advice…”
Well, your name probably isn’t Shirley, and generally in photos growths out of people’s heads are to be avoided.
We met up with Christopher a little later, along with his girlfriend Emma, and his friend from high school, Tobie. We just hung out near Pier 39, checking out the sights.
Then it was off to Hong Kong. As previously mentioned, it was a long flight. Interestingly enough, we actually flew closer to Alaska then to Hawaii, due to the world being round. Also, due to a headwind, we had to refuel in Taipei, adding an extra hour to the journey. But let me tell you, there is a lot to say about flying international airlines. We got little toiletry kits with a toothbrush, toothpaste, mints and socks. Every seat had a personal TV, with 80 different movies in English, new and old, countless TV shows, a music player where you could create your own playlist, and several video games. Plus, they gave out wine, free of charge, with their beverages. Granted, leg room was still tight and the flight seemed understaffed, but overall the positives out weighed the negatives and the flight felt much shorter for it.
Upon arriving in Hong Kong, we got to ride a double-decker bus. Just like England. We are staying with Eve, a friend of a family friend, who was kind enough to put us up for the week. Then Justin had to make the difficult decision of whether he should get up at 2am Hong Kong time to watch the New York Giants play (he made the right choice and stayed in bed).
The next day we wandered around Hong Kong a little.
And then caught the sunset before making an early night of it.
Oh, and for any men out there looking to do something special for their lady this Valentine’s Day, we recommend you check out this store:
We hear they offer a nice beard trim. Goodnight everybody!
A nice gentleman with a rather large Digital SLR camera of his own offered to take our picture. We figured, “Surely, he doesn’t need any advice…”
Well, your name probably isn’t Shirley, and generally in photos growths out of people’s heads are to be avoided.
We met up with Christopher a little later, along with his girlfriend Emma, and his friend from high school, Tobie. We just hung out near Pier 39, checking out the sights.
Then it was off to Hong Kong. As previously mentioned, it was a long flight. Interestingly enough, we actually flew closer to Alaska then to Hawaii, due to the world being round. Also, due to a headwind, we had to refuel in Taipei, adding an extra hour to the journey. But let me tell you, there is a lot to say about flying international airlines. We got little toiletry kits with a toothbrush, toothpaste, mints and socks. Every seat had a personal TV, with 80 different movies in English, new and old, countless TV shows, a music player where you could create your own playlist, and several video games. Plus, they gave out wine, free of charge, with their beverages. Granted, leg room was still tight and the flight seemed understaffed, but overall the positives out weighed the negatives and the flight felt much shorter for it.
Upon arriving in Hong Kong, we got to ride a double-decker bus. Just like England. We are staying with Eve, a friend of a family friend, who was kind enough to put us up for the week. Then Justin had to make the difficult decision of whether he should get up at 2am Hong Kong time to watch the New York Giants play (he made the right choice and stayed in bed).
The next day we wandered around Hong Kong a little.
And then caught the sunset before making an early night of it.
Oh, and for any men out there looking to do something special for their lady this Valentine’s Day, we recommend you check out this store:
We hear they offer a nice beard trim. Goodnight everybody!
Monday, January 12, 2009
We made it!
We're in Hong Kong. We left at noon on Saturday and arrived at 8pm on Sunday, but we are here. Diane, please don't call the embassy! Pictures to follow soon.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Pfun with Pfauna in Pflugerville!
It's true. Even in Pflugerville, you can go on a nature safari!
What? What's that sound? Will it attack? Where's it coming from?
LOOK! Up there! On the roof. Could it be? SANTA! Wait, no, no... A burglar maybe? Or a small child?
It's an owl! Thanks for playing along. Make sure to come back next week for more pfun!
What? What's that sound? Will it attack? Where's it coming from?
LOOK! Up there! On the roof. Could it be? SANTA! Wait, no, no... A burglar maybe? Or a small child?
It's an owl! Thanks for playing along. Make sure to come back next week for more pfun!
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