Vignettes of the World
My Travel Journal
“Whatever it is that you do in Thailand, just do not criticize the Thai king in any way,” my uncle said to us, “I know the people that will get you out even for a murder, but if you offend the Thai king, nobody can …
It is said that Thailand was the only Southeast Asian country that survived the onslaught of western colonialism, which swept the world between the 15th and 19th centuries. That itself is a provocative food for thought. Thailand also emerged relatively unscathed from World War II, …
This was not the first time in Thailand for me, but surely my first time visiting Bangkok. My last trip to Thailand was more than a decade ago in Phuket. I was quite excited about this trip because it was organized by my uncle with …
The Eikando-ji Temple of Kyoto is a Heian period temple practicing the Jodo school of Buddhism. A view of its beautiful temple grounds in the evening was an amazing experience. During the very crowded fall foliage season, the temples of Kyoto are illuminated for visitors …
The fantastic tour at the Samurai Museum presents visitors with a brief history lesson of feudal Japan. The young and knowledgeable tour guides shed light on the hierarchy of Japan’s ruling power during the Shogunate period, which lasted for roughly 7 centuries between 1192 and …
The fantastic tour at the Samurai Museum presents visitors with a brief history lesson of feudal Japan. The young and knowledgeable tour guides shed light on the hierarchy of Japan’s ruling power during the Shogunate period, which lasted for roughly 7 centuries between 1192 and …
I went to Nishiki Market twice on this trip to Kyoto. The irony is that I went the second time because the first time was not good enough, and I would not rest until I found something fantastic there. Having gone twice and confirmed that …
Nanzen-ji Temple is one of the most important Zen temples in Japan. Nestled in the foothill of the Higashiyama mountains, Nanzen-ji Temple has an enormous temple ground that accommodates many sub-temples, as well as a 19th century aqueduct. This presents tourists the opportunity for a …
Once you’ve had Japanese food in Japan, you can never go back to Japanese food elsewhere. This has been the comment I have heard from many, many people. As this was my first trip ever to Japan, I naturally had high expectations for its food. …
The Gio-ji Temple lies in the quiet of Arashiyama’s back quarters, its petite garden covered in moss. Its humility is deceiving. Unlike the bigger temples, such as Tenryu-ji, Jojakko-ji or the Nison-in Temple, Gio-ji appears, at first glance, to pale significantly in terms of the …