Visions of AsiaSeeing things differently.
The journal / Visions of Asia
Being a Catholic country, obviously, Easter in the Philippines is something special. With great fervor and intensity, Filipinos are known to celebrate the Holy Week to a higher degree then elsewhere. Most people have heard about the crucifixions and other shows made around people who impersonate Christ on the cross. Such practices, however, are really […]
Over the past five years, I managed to see a number of celebrations of Chinese new year in Bangkok. While similar to some degree to the traditional Chinese festival, they differ too. Indeed, the Thai version has a more marked Buddhist flavor to it. Of course, this goes together with the Thai syncretism and the […]
When in Seoul, an obligatory part of your visit as a first-timer, should be the traditional village of Bukchon Hanok and Gyeongbok, the old Korean Royal Palace. With the majestic background of the Bukhansan mountain, this palace is in a magnificent position. The Blue House, the presidential palace is also located in the same area, […]
After coming back from the Art 2 pier, I visited the local bookstore, also called “Eslite”. Located on the 17th floor of the mall FE21, this bookstore impressed me by its width. It also impressed me as being a lovely concept of a bookstore as a place to live in Kaohsiung. One of the biggest […]
Breakfast : finding a place After arriving the day before, I decided to do some hiking for my first day in Kaohsiung. The goal was to visit the Shoushan national park. Despite my desire of getting out early and filling my day with activities, I only got out of the hotel towards 9 AM. Of […]
This week-end, Loy Krathong took place in Thailand amidst a slew of restrictions by the Thai Junta. In recent years, Loy Krathong evolved from a spiritual festival to a Thai Valentine day. Origins of Loy Krathong As many things in Thai history, the origins of Loy Krathong are murky at best. It is a festival […]
The famous Sai Yeung Choi Street where performers show off karaoke performance and which is also known as Mongkok’s “karaoke street” came through as exploding the decibels. To counteract the noise level from the performers trying to outdo each other with louder volume, a shop decided to put a “noise barrier” on the street. City […]
People start a business, then try to make it instagram-worthy. Nahim cafe started the other way around. It was originally an instagram handicraft business, before becoming the Nahim café: an instagram cafe in Bangkok. The decoration and the handicraft exposed in the café alone, do justify a visit, and while the food and coffee are […]
As yesterday was a full moon day, it was also the occasion of heading to the New Territories to see the mid-autumn festival activities. In this case, I headed to see the mid-autumn festival in Shatin Park. Shatin being a relatively new development on the outskirts of Hong Kong has a quite young population. At […]
In a previous post, I talked about Wat Sanam Chai, in the province of Suphanburi. When you are there or in Ayutthaya, it does not take much time, to go to Ekkarat drum manufacturing village. This village is unique in that there are a number of traditional drum-making craft shops which still go on making […]