Taken in December 2013 in Kuala Lumpur
In Kuala Lumpur’s City Gallery there’s a model of the city that is part of a video presentation on the city. They darken the hall, play a film, and there are lights to highlight certain buildings or roadways as mentioned in the video.
It’s nifty and it’s free. The City Gallery is adjacent the famous “I♥KL” sign, near Independence Square and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (Offices of the Ministry of Information, Communications, and Culture.)
Taken in January of 2014 on Patong Beach.
This little bird was going all Daniel-san, reading itself to lay a boot to the head.
Taken in January of 2014 at Wat Chalong on Phuket in Thailand.
This tower houses the Buddha relic (a bone fragment) for which Wat Chalong is renowned. Below the chedi housing the relic there are many golden Buddha statues.
Visiting tip: Wear ear protection. They have a little kiln across from the main temple in which they regularly set off a huge amount of fireworks. It can be a bit deafening.
Taken in December of 2013 in Kuala Lumpur.
In Kuala Lumpur we came across this little wooded area to the side of an office tower. Planted among the trees were these curvy, ornately painted benches.
As I’ve mentioned before, being a weary traveler on occasion, I’m frequently dismayed by artists who take up valuable and precious bench space with their bronze creations. This on the other hand, was a magnificent find, art that one could sit down on and rest one’s feet. As you can see, the benches were quite popular.
Taken on January 26, 2014 at Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens in Bangalore.
This looks like a waterless fountain, a fountain bursting with flowers.
Taken in December of 2013 at Baan Krating in Phuket
If you’re looking for a nice quiet place to stay on Phuket, Baan Krating offers a good option. It’s on the southwest tip of the island down by Nai Harn Beach. This is taken on the footpath to a quiet section of beach it shares with an adjacent property. It does have another–even quieter–private section of beach, but that is even more rock strewn with razor-sharp shells and conical barnacle casings.
Taken in January of 2014 in Phuket Town.
While it may sound like sacrilege to some, if you’re like me you reach the point when it’s enough already with the beach. That raises the question of what there is to do on Phuket if you need a day away from having sand in every bodily crevice and feeling punished by the sun. One should definitely assign a day to Phuket Town. A lot of your Phuket Town day will rightly be spent admiring the many Chinese shrines in the area (there are about five big ones.) [This, too, can be a break if your Thai travels have left you burnt out on the gleaming, golden Theravadan Buddhist temples.] However, Phuket Town also has interesting secular architecture–some of it run down, but much of it nicely restored.
Taken January 26, 2014 at Lal Bagh Gardens.
There were many beautiful coxcombs at the 2014 Republic Day Flower Show, but this one looked eerily like a brain.
Taken January 26, 2014 at Lal Bagh Gardens in Bangalore.
The Crystal Palace at Lal Bagh gardens, which is normally roped off and empty, has been packed brimming with flowers for the annual Republic Day Flower Show that ends today.
It would be slightly more enjoyable if security wasn’t threatening to wallop one with a stick if one loiters for a second. You can see it as many times as you can fit in a day, but you must keep moving along. It’s a one way flow, so if you don’t have the desire to go through twice (once on either side) I’d recommend going on the south side (farthest from the main entrance.) For some reason the crowd was about half on that side (probably because no one anticipated the layout would make you do two half loops instead of one full loop.) Why they did it, I have no idea, but the flowers were pretty.
Taken December 2013 in Kuala Lumpur.
In 1888 this wasn’t a tourist market, but a run-of-the-mill city market. Now it’s a crafts market selling gee-gaws, tchotchkes, knick-knacks, as well as expensive artworks to foreign visitors.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 