THANKSGIVING 2005

Really, what's Thanksgiving without an Elephant?! I saw this elephant as I was walking home from Thanksgiving dinner (a phrase I can't believe I just typed...) and had to grab a shot. His owner walks him around the city and accepts money for pictures and to pet him. Right before this was taken, I was standing next to the elephant in the back, and he kicked me! Who knew elephants could kick to the side??

Elephants, the national symbol of Thailand, are of immense importance in Thai culture and the Thai way of life. Elephants in Thailand have always been a symbol of both power and peace. They are smart land mammals and hard-working beasts, providing transportation for mankind. At times of war, elephants played an indispensable role in the war machine of Thailand and other Asian countries. The elephant appears in many Thai proverbs and sayings and is an emblem on regalia of national importance such as prior national flags of Thailand, royal emblems, and royal decorations. The elephant holds pride of place as the national symbol of the Kingdom of Thailand, and they have always been well loved.

UB IN BANGKOK

Of all the places to catch up with my friend Bill....here we are on Thanksgiving night at his friend's restaurant in Thailand, American Rib. I love the cusine here in Asia, but sometimes the food does resemble something from an episode of Fear Factor. It was great to have some delicious American food, and they had a full traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It was great catching up with Bill!

This statue of Buddha sits on the corner of a busy street here in Bangkok. People can be seen all day here leaving offerings of flowers and incense for Buddha for their transgressions during the day. The smell of incense is slightly spicey and sweet, and can be smelled half way down the block. The sidewalk approaching Buddha is lined with carts selling the flowers and incense, and the sidewalk space is "rented" out by the corrupt police force.

MERLION

The Merlion is a symbol to welcome all visitors to Singapore. With its fish-like body riding the waves of the sea, it is symbolic of the ancient city of Temasek (In ancient times, Singapore was known as Temasek which is Javanese for the sea.) At the same time, its majestic head recalls the legend of the discovery of Singapore by Prince Nila Utama in the 11th century, when Singapore received its present name. On seeing a strange beast (which he later learned was a lion) upon his landing he named the island Singapura which is a Sanskrit word for Lion (Singa) City (Pura). I think the prince must have seen a sick lion, because it looks like the lion is puking!

INDO SIDE TRIP...

With a true day off today, I took a ferry to an Indonesian island about 45 minutes away from Singapore. With thoughts of undeveloped sugar-sand beaches and cold Tiger beers, I set off in search of a relaxing day. I found something entirely different, and an interesting experience to add to my travel log.

The island I went to is called Batam. It is what I imagine Central America to be like, although I've never been there. The economy was on an upswing recently, due to gambling resorts on Batam. A few years ago, the government outlawed gambling on the island, and the economy took a nose dive. Skeletons of unfinished buildings are not an uncommon site, looking like they stopped working the day the heard the news. Although they call it a tourist destination, I didn't see too many.

So I found no beaches, but used my hired taxi to stop wherever I asked to take pictures. The best part of the trip was talking to the people. As you can see from some of my favorite photos from the day, smiles were everywhere. I did not see another westerner the entire day on the island, and was probably a bit of a novelty.

Indo Shakas

Never underestimate the power of the shaka. It's a universally cherished gesture!

Doing the math to for the 1 hour time difference gets tricky sometimes! If they didn't post these clocks, I would have been totally lost!! Mind you, the clocks are at the gate leading to the ferry, one floor down from customs. If you made the mistake, you were not going anywhere for the next hour!