POEM: Ruins

blocks of rubble

corners & edges eroded round

bas reliefs dulled

&

adorned by jagged cracks


once the Earth’s most massive city

in its day London was a hamlet


thriving,

dying,

&

swallowed


infinitely patient arboreal adversaries

claimed the light

drilling down into cracks

making chasms

to set roots


strangler figs, literally,

strangled

figureheads



[National Poetry Month: Poem #8]

5 Awesome Street Foods [You Should Have Already Tried]

5.) Vada Pav (Potato [fritter] on a bun): India

Tip: Try it in Mumbai. While the one’s shown above were fine. The legendary Vada Pav is to be found at a stall across from Flora Fountain in Bombay.

 

4.) Pad Thai (Noodles Thai Style): Thailand

Tip: Vegetarians beware. Fish sauce is a standard ingredient in this dish. So if you order it vegetarian, it’s not just the prawns and / or chicken one needs to be wary about–depending upon how strict one is. Soy sauce is the substitute.

 

3.) Kürtőskalács (Chimney Cake): Hungary

Tip: It can be found at little stands in or near Christmas markets during the winter season. Buy it hot when it’s cold outside, and it will actually steam like smoke rising from a chimney. If  you’re in Hungary during the summer or you want a savory street food, try lángos .

 

2.) Banh Mi: Vietnam

Tip: Try this sandwich on a baguette from Banh Mi 25, a famous cart at 25 Hàng Cá, Hàng Đào, Hoàn Kiếm in Hanoi.

 

1.) Momo (Dumpling): Tibet, Ladakh, and anywhere displaced Tibetans reside.

Tip: Try the spinach and cheese momo of The Wok Tibetan Kitchen on Main Bazaar Road in Leh.

 

Bonus: Masala Dosa: India, particularly in the South

Tip: If you ask for a “Paper Masala Dosa” you’ll probably get something too big to fit on a plate (as shown.) It will be very thin and the potato-based filling will only be in the central part. (So it’s not quite as insane an amount of food as it may appear.)  This one is from Airlines Hotel in Bangalore. Dosa is just the Indian version of a pancake, and it can take many shapes and forms. There are a few varieties, but often it’s a rice & lentil-based rather than wheat-based flour.

 

DAILY PHOTO: Just. Don’t.

Taken on March 9, 2017 in Bangkok

DAILY PHOTO: Victory Monument, Bangkok

Taken on March 5, 2017 in Bangkok

DAILY PHOTO: Shrine Zebras

Taken on March 5, 2017 in Bangkok

DAILY PHOTO: Fight Arena in Monochrome

Taken on February 26, 2017 in Rangsit, Thailand

DAILY PHOTO: Turtles of Dusit Zoo

Pig-nose Turtle at Dusit Zoo in Bangkok; taken on March 5, 2017

 

 

 

DAILY PHOTO: Layers of City

Taken on March 9, 2017 in Bangkok

 

DAILY PHOTO: Erawan Shrine

Taken March 9, 2017 in Bangkok

 

This Hindu shrine to Brahma is located at a prominent intersection in downtown Bangkok.

 

Those who don’t know it as a religious site may be aware of it from the bombing that occurred there in August of 2015. 20 were killed and more than 120 were injured.

 

 

 

DAILY PHOTO: Red

Taken on March 5, 2017 in Bangkok