On a cloudless day in Tokyo I wandered through the impressive Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices on the way to Shinjuku Station and the shops.
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Christ Church, Raukokore, New Zealand
On a lazy Saturday road trip along the East Cost road (State Highway 35) we stumbled across the beautiful Christ Church in Raukokore. It is open for the local citizenry and passing traveller alike. As a local landmark it comes into and passes out of view over a number of kilometres.
The church is named as one of the region’s “101 must-do” sites by the AA!
Coldplay in Bangkok
First time in 14 years for Coldplay to be back in Thailand. Photos from before (dinner, Roti and cigarette concession stand!), during and after the show. The rain threatened but never materialised, thank goodness, although a water dousing may have been appreciated by those in the pit. I enjoyed Jess Kent more than I did in Auckland, but sad Lianne La Havas was not supporting them again.
As ever Chris Martin declared the audience the best ever. I am sure it is me as he always says that whenever I see them. Still it always comes across as genuine and Coldplay gigs always have a lovely chilled, joy and love vest vibe to them. Nice touch to dedicate a song to the King. Stadium was packed and up for it. Fantastic night! 9/10.
Ride the Rails in Awakeri
The renovated railway line in Awakeri near Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand is a delight. Drive yourself (with up to three friends) a modified golf buggy along about 16Km of track; watch the world go by, feed the fowl, walk in native bush and hear tall stories of wild animal attacks with your friendly Kiwi railway line renovators and tour guides.
Check it out and book here: Awakeri Railway or call 0800 537 4724 if in New Zealand
I was not in the mood for a flashy video but a more chilled overview of the trip can be seen in the video along with photos below:
Kalimba
My sister is an excellent present finder and at Christmas and Birthdays it is always intriguing to see what she has found. This year a Kalimba made in Burkina Faso, although I think she did not travel there to buy it! A quick search and I discovered my version is somewhat on the basic end of the Kalimba scale and made out of a sardine can but lovingly hand crafted. It is a genuine delight to to have. A deluxe Kalimba can be viewed here and the sound of my one can be heard below, I can obviously not play it and it is a little tricky to get a nice tone out of it.
Bongeunsa Temple – Ballons, Pebbles and Buddha
A spare hour in Seoul enabled me to cross the road from the hotel into the Bongeunsa Temple grounds. As is often the case with a temple in the the city it is amazing how the tension of the metropolis evaporates shortly after entering the grounds. Regardless of your religion, faith or lack thereof I find that people wandering the grounds are usually trying to make sense of life, connecting with friends, thiniking and praying for loved ones and family or just wandering around and enjoying nature and beauty. It is certainly a more noble use of time than going to the mall.
I was particularly intrigued by the numerous small stone pebble constructions which maybe were made by temple visitors as some lesson in patience and concentration by their monk guru.
It is amazing to think that this temple was initialed constructed well over a 1,000 years ago and in it’s current form since 1498. Hard to imagine the surroundings back then but it has survived the progress of mankind springing up it all around it with dignity.
Links for more information: Bongeunsa Temple Wiki and Visit Korea Website
Map:
Photos (Canon G5X):
End of year offical photographs
2016 end of year offical cat photographs. Sugar and Nala are siblings, two years old and own an impressive estate east of Bangkok which they graciously share with two humans. They do not like being photographed!
Highway 1083 – Take me to the River
I am writing this post a year after the event after finding it in my WordPress draft folder. Well, this section of road is one of my favourite stretches for enjoyable riding, scenery and clearing one’s head. It is always the part of the trip I feel truly free of Bangkok and heading north into more remote areas. The bridge over the Nan river where the video ends is always a great stop to switch off the bike for a few minutes, take it all in and enjoy the sounds of river and forest.
Brown
Bike by river
Nan
Turn Left
Beware
Nan
Phew
Map of the route:
Ride carefully and always within your ability. The video shows speed (it is not completely accurate and has some inconsistencies), elevation graph, grade, longitude and latitude, time and date, distance along the route and a squiggly line representing the road with a dot showing the current location. This video was shot in December 2015 and roads in Thailand do change over the years, a once pristine section of tarmac can degrade and likewise a bad section can be resurfaced and become as smooth as silk!
Leave a comment if you have an up to date report.
You can find excellent bike reports and information of northland Thailand over at Golden Triangle Riders
Coldplay in Auckland
Always a good evening with Coldplay! End of school year for Tahn before heading back to Bangkok for summer break. She made me go when the gates opened and boy was it a good idea, right at the front, a long wait but so worth it!
Views around Chiang Khan
Heading on the bike up to Chiang Rai from Nong Khai along the Thai-Laos border. I spent the night in Chiang Khan for no other reason that it fell somewhere between Nong Khai and Nan and I did not want to ride too far the first day (out of three), so Chiang Khan it was! What a pleasant suprise that I was not able to fully explore after arriving late afternoon and leaving first thing the next day. The high street is a charm with loads of cafes, market stalls and guest houses along the Mekong with views across to Laos. It has a feel of Pai up north so if you like Pai you will like Chiang Khan.
So here are a just few shots of the Mekong from the cafe I grabbed a late lunch at, sunset around the resort I am staying at and a nearby restaurant with typical Loei ghostly artwork.
I look forward to a longer stay on another trip and more photos.
