Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Airport Blues
I am currently sitting in the Bangkok Airways lounge. It isn't too bad actually. Some snacks, OJ, a couch, that's all I really need to be happy :) Anyway, I am on my way to Cambodia where I will spend 15 days with my grandpa in a hotel! A hotel!! I don't think Ive ever been so excited to have a nice bed, my own shower and yes... have somebody other than me clean. It is going to be glorious. I had to wake up at 4:30 to get a taxi to the airport. Luckily no problems with getting through to the plane :) I'll update again about Cambodia soon!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Speed Update
Ok so it has been over a week since I posted... sorry! I'll give you a summery of everything though.
1. I met Achara's (my grandpa's nurse) daughter Ai. She is 18 and very nice. I'm glad a found somebody my age to hang out with. But she goes to school so we can only hang out on the weekends.
2. I WENT TO THE ZOO!! I rode an elephant which was really fun and only a little scary. I also took pictures with an adult tiger and a baby albino tiger. There was also a Croc show where performers stuck their heads into the mouth of a croc.
3. I met a fellow American on the train!
4. I went to Siam Ocean World and did the Fish Bath where tiny fish nibbled on my feet.
5. I saw the reclining Buddha. It was very beautiful and not too crowded so I was happy with that.
6. I climbed Wat Arun. It is located on the west band of Chao Phraya River. I got a lot of great sunset shots here.
7. I went to Mansion 7 which is like a haunted mall. I went through the haunted house with Ai and she pretty much peed her pants. haha just joking. But it was kind of scary because actors kept jumping out from behind us and scaring us.
8. First club!! Ai and I went to the club at around midnight. Nobody checked her ID or anything. We entered to find a dark, very loud, and crowded room. We were allowed one free drink so we both got one and sat down. We got hit on a ton, we danced a little, we sang the whole time and had a lot of fun. We left around 3am, took a taxi to Ai's dorm and crashed.
9. Dinner at Thailand's Tallest Tower. I had a revolving observation deck that we went up to. Very beautiful view.
10. Finally, I got a Thai oil massage. It was relaxing but it was hard to tell the woman what I wanted because she spoke no English.
Whooo, that was a lot of updating. So today I am going to the store to buy supplies to make no bake cookies because its the only cookie I know how to make without an oven. Also I fly to Cambodia on the 28th.
Thanks for reading!
1. I met Achara's (my grandpa's nurse) daughter Ai. She is 18 and very nice. I'm glad a found somebody my age to hang out with. But she goes to school so we can only hang out on the weekends.
2. I WENT TO THE ZOO!! I rode an elephant which was really fun and only a little scary. I also took pictures with an adult tiger and a baby albino tiger. There was also a Croc show where performers stuck their heads into the mouth of a croc.
3. I met a fellow American on the train!
4. I went to Siam Ocean World and did the Fish Bath where tiny fish nibbled on my feet.
5. I saw the reclining Buddha. It was very beautiful and not too crowded so I was happy with that.
6. I climbed Wat Arun. It is located on the west band of Chao Phraya River. I got a lot of great sunset shots here.
7. I went to Mansion 7 which is like a haunted mall. I went through the haunted house with Ai and she pretty much peed her pants. haha just joking. But it was kind of scary because actors kept jumping out from behind us and scaring us.
8. First club!! Ai and I went to the club at around midnight. Nobody checked her ID or anything. We entered to find a dark, very loud, and crowded room. We were allowed one free drink so we both got one and sat down. We got hit on a ton, we danced a little, we sang the whole time and had a lot of fun. We left around 3am, took a taxi to Ai's dorm and crashed.
9. Dinner at Thailand's Tallest Tower. I had a revolving observation deck that we went up to. Very beautiful view.
10. Finally, I got a Thai oil massage. It was relaxing but it was hard to tell the woman what I wanted because she spoke no English.
Whooo, that was a lot of updating. So today I am going to the store to buy supplies to make no bake cookies because its the only cookie I know how to make without an oven. Also I fly to Cambodia on the 28th.
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Big. Elephant.
So today I went to the Erawan Museum in Samut Prakan. It is a HUGE elephant sculpture. It weighs around 250 tons and is completely covered in bronze. It is without a doubt the most beautiful man made thing I have ever seen in my life. The detail that went into every nook and cranny is insane! The museum's three separate floors symbolise the universe and are designed in accordance with the three-tiered cosmology of the Hindu-Thai Buddhist concept of Tribhumi.
The basement level represents the underworld. Alongside rare artifacts from furniture to ceramics and pottery, large display boards detail the history and construction of the Erawan Museum.
Moving up to the next level, depicting the human world, the exquisite interior decoration inside the dome-shaped architecture reflects a harmonious blend of Eastern and Western art. Highlights include the splendid stained glass ceiling on which a world map and zodiac are illustrated.All these decorative stuccos are enhanced with countless pieces of crusted Bencharong ceramics.The finely embellished venue is supported by four embossed tin pillars on which are depicted religious tales. These standing columns portray the four Buddhist principles of virtue that help bring authentic peace to the heart of mankind and sustain the world.
A narrow spiral staircase passing through the right hind leg of the elephant leads to Tavatimsa Heaven, deep inside the elephant's belly.This eye-catching room on the top of the museum marks the second heaven where Indra resides, and houses two superb Buddha images, glistening with gold. Portions of relics of the Lord Buddha are placed inside the walking Buddha statue below a replica of the Phra Phuttha Sihing.
!!!! READ HERE !!!!
Ok if that last bit didn't really sound like me its because I copied it from Wikipedia, I know BAD BLOGGER, BAD! But it described it really well and honestly that structure left me speechless. Anyway I have tons of photos and a video on my facebook so please check it out! More on my adventures later!
-Nicole
-Nicole
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Rambling
First of all, thanks to everybody who has been telling me that they are reading!
Second, today is my last day in Japan! Arrrh! I was just getting used to this stuff! Oh well. Tomorrow I have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn at like 2am so I can be showered and ready to travel at around 3:30. Yeah I spent my last day pretty lamely. Grandpa had to go to the dentist and I didn't really wanna hang in a waiting room for hours so I decided to wait at the house alone for a few hours! Yeah, not really a good decision either way. But yeah I watched some cartoons (in English thank god he had a stash of old DVDs).
For Thailand I'm really hoping to find some young people because there were pretty much none here.
I did make a friend though. Her name is Chieko. She teaches English at a middle school so she understood most of what I said. We went shopping in Hiroshima which was wonderful. Normally I am awful at shopping because I get really bored and frustrated but I had a lot of fun. There were some cool shops and I actually bought something! I got a dress, a purse, some shoes, and a couple gift things. Anyway, she was a sweetheart.
I am still unsure of how long I will be staying once I get to Thailand. I want to be home before Christmas. I have lots of things that I want to do once I get to Thailand. Riding elephants, going shopping, visiting Wats (temples) and traveling in a tuktuk. No nerves about travel tomorrow. I did fine without anybody guiding me from the USA to Japan so I figure that having a guide to Thailand should make things even easier.
Wish me luck. I'll update on living situations as soon as I'm situated.
-Nicole
Second, today is my last day in Japan! Arrrh! I was just getting used to this stuff! Oh well. Tomorrow I have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn at like 2am so I can be showered and ready to travel at around 3:30. Yeah I spent my last day pretty lamely. Grandpa had to go to the dentist and I didn't really wanna hang in a waiting room for hours so I decided to wait at the house alone for a few hours! Yeah, not really a good decision either way. But yeah I watched some cartoons (in English thank god he had a stash of old DVDs).
For Thailand I'm really hoping to find some young people because there were pretty much none here.
I did make a friend though. Her name is Chieko. She teaches English at a middle school so she understood most of what I said. We went shopping in Hiroshima which was wonderful. Normally I am awful at shopping because I get really bored and frustrated but I had a lot of fun. There were some cool shops and I actually bought something! I got a dress, a purse, some shoes, and a couple gift things. Anyway, she was a sweetheart.
I am still unsure of how long I will be staying once I get to Thailand. I want to be home before Christmas. I have lots of things that I want to do once I get to Thailand. Riding elephants, going shopping, visiting Wats (temples) and traveling in a tuktuk. No nerves about travel tomorrow. I did fine without anybody guiding me from the USA to Japan so I figure that having a guide to Thailand should make things even easier.
Wish me luck. I'll update on living situations as soon as I'm situated.
-Nicole
Saturday, September 3, 2011
A bomb museum
Warning: This post has mildly disturbing descriptions of what is housed in the Atomic bomb museum.
The memorial museum was good but gave me very mixed feelings. When you first arrive you can choose to rent a headset that is a narration of the artifacts and stories throughout the museum. The beginning had models of the city before and after the bomb, videos of it exploding, and pictures of the Japanese people. But slowly as the museum went on the images got more and more graphic. Pictures of people crying, fleeing, and then charred laying on the street under the rubble. Close ups of images taken of the victims with faces unrecognizable. There were stone steps that had been in the blast. On it was a large black stain where a person had actually been disintegrated. There were also lots of blood stained clothes and books from the children killed.
Stories of mothers that searched for their children for weeks to no avail. A letter from an older sister who's back had been turned to the blast. She had her baby brother on a sling behind her. He was completely burned to death, saving her life. But she killed herself two years later from the guilt. A story of a father who went to his daughters school to find her things after she died. In the gym were piles of bones bound together in cloth. He picked a random collection and took it home, treating it like his daughter.
But most disturbing were the actual remains. Bones, charred hands and feet in preserves. Even a life sized model of two children fleeing the city. They were back lit with a terrible red light. The kids had horrified faces and their skin was melting off their bones.
Although all these images were horrifying and humbling, the museum also made me very angry. It never mentioned Pearl Harbor, not once. It actually said that the USA had bombed Japan because it had spent billions on research for the A bomb and the countries citizens were eager to see what their taxes had paid for in a demonstration. I know that some countries, including my own, shift history to make themselves look better but what this museum was a lie. It acted as though the act was totally and utterly unprovoked. It also failed to mention that Hiroshima was only chosen because it was the largest military base in Japan at the time.
All in all I'm not sure what to think. But I know I will not be returning.
The memorial museum was good but gave me very mixed feelings. When you first arrive you can choose to rent a headset that is a narration of the artifacts and stories throughout the museum. The beginning had models of the city before and after the bomb, videos of it exploding, and pictures of the Japanese people. But slowly as the museum went on the images got more and more graphic. Pictures of people crying, fleeing, and then charred laying on the street under the rubble. Close ups of images taken of the victims with faces unrecognizable. There were stone steps that had been in the blast. On it was a large black stain where a person had actually been disintegrated. There were also lots of blood stained clothes and books from the children killed.
Stories of mothers that searched for their children for weeks to no avail. A letter from an older sister who's back had been turned to the blast. She had her baby brother on a sling behind her. He was completely burned to death, saving her life. But she killed herself two years later from the guilt. A story of a father who went to his daughters school to find her things after she died. In the gym were piles of bones bound together in cloth. He picked a random collection and took it home, treating it like his daughter.
But most disturbing were the actual remains. Bones, charred hands and feet in preserves. Even a life sized model of two children fleeing the city. They were back lit with a terrible red light. The kids had horrified faces and their skin was melting off their bones.
Although all these images were horrifying and humbling, the museum also made me very angry. It never mentioned Pearl Harbor, not once. It actually said that the USA had bombed Japan because it had spent billions on research for the A bomb and the countries citizens were eager to see what their taxes had paid for in a demonstration. I know that some countries, including my own, shift history to make themselves look better but what this museum was a lie. It acted as though the act was totally and utterly unprovoked. It also failed to mention that Hiroshima was only chosen because it was the largest military base in Japan at the time.
All in all I'm not sure what to think. But I know I will not be returning.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)