The journal / Visions of Asia

Tag: Buddhism

Chinatown girls

Chinese New Year in Bangkok

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 […]

3 Buddhas

Wat Sanam Chai – An unknown ruin of Thai history

Wat Sanam Chai, a temple in ruins in the city of Suphanburi, is an interesting visit, far from the throngs of tourists in the neighboring Ayutthaya. Suphanburi is a city of historical significance as it is located on the direct pathway for invading armies from Burma. That’s why a number of battles were fought on […]

Nong Ping incense

The Giant Buddha of Hong Kong

A big curiosity of Lantau is the Giant Buddha of Nong Ping (also called Tian Tan Buddha). A famous landmark in Hong Kong, it is a place especially frequented by Asian visitors (Westerners do it more because it is a “must do”). How to get there? The most convenient (and expensive!): the cable car Situated […]

monk shoots sunset

Thailand today: a monk, a smartphone and a flag

A man taking a picture of the sunset on his smartphone with a Thai flag blowing in the wind. Nothing unusual, except that man is a Buddhist monk holding a smartphone when he should not be owning anything according to the precepts of Buddhism. A visual summary of Thailand In a way, this picture summarizes […]

Ayutthaya and its marvels

One of my preferred cities in Thailand was Ayutthaya. About one hour drive from Bangkok, it exuded history at every angle. Although a very touristy place, it is also a place which contains an extraordinary calm and peacefulness, far from the bustling Bangkok, for example. Contributing to that feeling is probably the numerous ruins that […]