BANGKOK, THAILAND: Buddhist Temples, the Flower Market and More, Guest Post by Cynthia Watters

Bangkok, Thailand.  Temple.

In April, my friend Cynthia Watters and her husband Chris took a trip to China and Thailand.  While their visit to Bangkok turned out not to be exactly what they planned, it ended up being a good end to a full and exciting trip.  Here is Cynthia's report:

Ariyasom Villa Hotel, Bangkok

Following a great 17-day Viking River Cruises trip to China, we were to spend a week in Thailand and Cambodia with a guide plus car and driver through Kensington Tours.  By the time we flew into Bangkok, I was feeling under the weather with cough and sniffles and regretting the decision to see more of Asia while we had the opportunity.  We were met by our lovely guide Pukki and driven to the Ariyasom Villa Hotel in Bangkok.  The hotel was delightful—24 rooms in villas situated in lush palm tree gardens with a lovely pool and an excellent indoor/outdoor restaurant with a charming, attentive staff. 

Bangkok.  Temple.

The next morning we embarked on a full-day tour of Bangkok with Pukki and the driver.  We saw Buddhist temples, the flower market, had lunch in a boat on the river followed by a river tour in a smaller boat, and ended with a massage.  In the evening we attended a dinner theater with traditional Thai dance.  All lovely, but I was tired. 

When Pukki arrived the following morning, she recommended a trip to the hospital rather than the day’s tour.  It seemed our hotel was one block from what she said was the best hospital in southeast Asia, the Bumrungrad International Hospital.  Add medical tourism to our itinerary.  The clinic at Bumrungrad was fantastic: excellent, courteous care and relatively inexpensive fees, all from very competent Thai staff: a little over $400 for two sets of visits, involving a generalist and a kidney specialist (I had low sodium), chest x-rays and two rounds of blood tests (I had bronchitis).  The waiting rooms were filled with international patients.

Our guide, Pukki.

To reach the hospital we walked the short distance along a narrow street with vendors or driveways along both sides, which reduced navigation to one lane, with autos and motor scooter or motorcycle taxis weaving in and out.  Along the way, our route took a shortcut through the parking area for an overhead hospital dormitory, in which an outdoor “restaurant” was preparing and serving noodle meals for staff for about $1. The aromas were wonderful!

Pool and outdoor restaurant, Arivasom Villa Hotel

Since the doctor wanted to see me back in two days, we cancelled our scheduled flight to Cambodia, where we had intended to spend two nights and visit Angkor Wat, the extensive temple complex.  Instead, we relaxed at our wonderful hotel, with staff asking solicitously how ‘Madam’ was feeling and the owner recommending what I might eat (a lovely vegetable soup—on the third night I actually had the version with prawns added!)

Dining room, Ariyasom Villa Hotel

It was a lovely time despite my illness.  Now we need to go back to see Angkor Wat and more of Thailand as well as to luxuriate again (in good health) at the Ariyasom Villa Hotel!

NEPAL, Shrines, Temples and Breathtaking Mountains: Guest Post by Owen Floody

Nepal. Machhapuchhare Sunset

In March, our friend Owen Floody went to Nepal.  We have known Owen ever since he and Art were graduate students at Rockefeller University in New York.  Owen recently retired from a career of teaching and research at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. Here is a short reflection on his trip to Nepal and a few of his amazing photographs. 

Buddhist Stupa at Boudnath

Owen's post: I've been celebrating my recent retirement with a flurry of exotic trips.  On most, I've either assembled or joined a group of like-minded travelers, the latter by signing onto a trek advertised by a well-known specialist in all things outdoors.  Heading into one of these, one can worry about the group being too large and the experience too impersonal.  But is it possible to experience the opposite, to be overdosed with individual attention in an overly small group?

From L to R, Annapurna South, Annapurna Fang, Annapurna One

My most recent trip, an early-March camping trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary, in Nepal, certainly put this possibility to the test.  This was advertised as a group effort, but I was the only one to sign on and the outfitter generously elected to run it anyway.  So it was just me and my entourage of 7 (no sedan chair or gun bearer, but 1 guide, 1 cook, 2 kitchen boys, and 3 porters) hiking up and down the trails on the way to and from the Machhapuchhare (at an elevation of 3700m) and Annapurna (4100m) base camps.  Now there were advantages to this arrangement: If the pace or anything else wasn't to my liking, I had only myself to blame.  At the same time, I found it to be a peculiarly isolating experience and more than a bit anachronistic--not the happy medium that I will shoot for in the future.

Rhododendron of the season

The weather on my trek was a bit of a mix. It generally was clear in the mornings, so that it was then that I had my best mountain views.  On most days, it was cloudy much of the rest of the day and rained and/or hailed for at least part of the afternoon.  Not surprisingly, it was cold at the highest altitudes--39 and 34 degrees F at night, and that was inside of the "teahouse" rooms they put me in when snow at the base camps prevented camping.  The early spring weather also affected the rhododendron crop.  I had timed my trip partly to see these, but did not realize that the different colors bloom sequentially.  So rather than the array of different colors that I had hoped for, I saw pretty much only the deep red that is pictured.  It's great, to be sure, but perhaps not absolutely ideal for the color-vision-limited.

Durbar Square, Kathmandu

Of course the high point of this trip was the mountain views, especially of Machhapuchhare and several of the Annapurnas.  More of a surprise to me was my enjoyment of my walking tours, some guided and others self-guided, in Kathmandu and other former royal cities or attractions in the Kathmandu valley.  Each city's Durbar (royal) Square was chock-a-block with temples, as might be expected. 

Buddhist shrine encountered on walking tour of Kathmandu

But throughout at least the older parts of these cities, it seemed impossible to walk for more than a few yards without stumbling across a Buddhist or Hindu shrine or temple, all still in use, many very attractive, some also very old. If and when you visit Nepal, I'm sure that no one will have to tell you to seek out and enjoy the mountains.  But also spend some time walking the streets of old Kathmandu, and enjoying the shrines, temples and other buildings.

You can find out more about Owen's recent travels and see more of his amazing photos in his May 6, 2012 post about his trip to northern Tanzania.

HAWAII’S BIG ISLAND: The Kona Side

Kona, Hawaii, King Kamekameha Heiau

A little over a year ago, in April, I was in Hawaii with Art, who was attending a conference.  The conference was in Kona, on the Big Island (Hawaii), and while Art was at his meetings, I spent part of each day doing my own work, and part enjoying the local sights. This was our third visit to Kona and I was looking forward to its more relaxed pace of life.  Most people think of Kona as a jumping off place for trips to the volcanoes or the luxury resorts up the coast, but I find that the town has its own charm.

The main street of Kona, along the waterfront, is full of shops for tourists, but it also has several spots of historical interest including the first church in Hawaii, founded by Christian missionaries.  I love the museum across the street from the church where you can learn the history of the island both before and after Captain Cook.  On a previous visit I happened to be at the museum when a docent was giving a tour.  Afterward, when I went outside, a group of little girls were having a hula lesson on the front lawn.  This time there were no dancers, but I noticed that the palm trees had signs warning tourists to “Watch Out for Falling Coconuts”!

We were staying at the King Kamekameha Hotel and from the balcony of our room on the fifth floor I could see the ocean peeking though the palms of the courtyard below.  On a small island just beyond the hotel was a traditional Hawaiian structure, honoring King Kamekameha.. In front of the hotel, colorful canoes were stacked up by the beach and in the late afternoon each day I watched local rowing teams take the long canoes out into the bay to practice their racing skills.

We always wake up early when we go to Hawaii because of the time difference, so our routine was to get breakfast at our favorite eatery, Buns in the Sun (located in the nearby shopping mall and selling delicious sticky buns), and then take a walk in the old airport park.

Community Garden at Old Airport, Kona

Some years ago, the airport for Kona was enlarged and  relocated several miles to the north.  The old airport, along the beach just at the edge of town, has become a park with picnic tables on the beach side of the former runway (now a parking lot), and a walking/jogging trail on the other.  The land along the walking trail has become a community garden and half the fun is admiring all the different plots and the variety of plants. The other entertainment is watching the cats.  The park is filled with feral cats, all looking quite happy and healthy because of the “cat ladies” who bring food every day. 

Kona Farmer's Market

When I am in Kona I also enjoy walking along the waterfront, doing a little bird watching, and sometimes catching sight of dolphins in the bay.  The other wildlife seen all over the island are the mongooses.  Brought to Hawaii originally to prey on rats in the sugarcane fields, they have proliferated and become pests. On one of my afternoon walks I went the farmer’s market where people sell locally grown coffee, macadamia nuts, papayas and other tropical fruits, homegrown vegetables, exotic looking plants, and souvenirs.  That evening we at at Jackie Rey's, a local restaurant recommended by a Hawaiian friend, where we had a delicious meal.

On one of Art's free afternoons we treated ourselves to a game of golf--the challenge being to avoid hitting the ball into the ocean or piles of lava. When the conference was over we headed back to Los Angeles.  I had enjoyed my third visit to Kona.  To read about what we did in Hilo at the beginning of this trip, go to my April 30, 2012 post, Hawaii’s Big Island: The Hilo Side.

TANZANIA, African Wildlife Up Close, Guest Post by Owen Floody

Playful lion cubs, Lobo area of Serengeti National Park

In December 2012, our friend Owen Floody went to northern Tanzania, traveling with his wife, several friends, and a guide.  They stayed in tent camps and lodges and visited Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, the Seronera and Lobo regions of Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and the Ndutu region of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, going out each day to view the scenery and wildlife.  Owen’s photographs of the trip are superb—he is more than lucky—he is a talented photographer.  In 1971, when Owen and my husband Art were graduate students studying animal behavior, they were partners in a field research project studying Uganda kob (a kind of antelope) in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. (See my post for May 16, 2011.)  Owen has been back to Africa several times since then. Here is a short reflection on his most recent trip and a few of his amazing photographs. 

Elephant calves playing in the mud, Tarangire National Park

Owen's post:  In my opinion, a worthy goal on wildlife-oriented trips is to be grateful for what you're given, the latter being something that will never be completely under your control.  But it is nice to have the luck required to eliminate any suspense regarding your success.  On our most recent trip to northern Tanzania, in East Africa, we were so lucky that even our bad luck turned good.  

Stormy skies over the African savannah, Lobo area of Serengeti NP

I had timed this trip to avoid the rains, but this was not to be: We had some rain on most days, sometimes turning park tracks into what looked more like canals.  Fortunately, this did not faze our vehicle or guide, who somehow managed to keep us moving through everything but the aardvark burrow.  And in return for those rains we got two unexpected benefits.  One was the wonderful stormy skies that help to set off some of my favorite landscape photos. The other was the absence of potentially choking dust.  Initially, we greeted a short stretch of dry days with pleasure.  Quickly, however, we noticed the tracks becoming dustier and dustier, and found ourselves wishing for a return of the rains.  In moderation, of course.

Yawning hippo, Ndutu area of Serengeti National Park

Our luck also was good in all of the more obvious ways.  We saw great sights, including leopards lounging in trees, elephant calves and lion cubs at play (not with each other, unfortunately), lions and vultures cleaning up a kill, and hippos defending their spaces.  In some cases, we even were the first to come upon these sights, and so had them completely to ourselves for part or all of the time.

Cantankerous vultures, Ndutu area of Serengeti National Park

Though I speak of luck, I know that part of this is skill--mainly on the part of our guide--and another part attitude.  The broader your interests, the "luckier" you will be.  We were happy to see members of the "big five" (lions, leopards, elephant, buffalo and rhino--deemed to the top of the list for most tourists) but were as delighted to see attractive birds and vegetation. 

Lounging leopard, Seronera area of Serengeti National Park

Fortunately for us and others like us, there are lots of great birds out there, and you're likely to see many of them if you make the effort.  And the vegetation is least likely of all to get away from you (and surest to benefit from any rain).  Sometimes you'll even find small creatures hiding in or near it. 

I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities and plan your own safari.  Be sure to make at least some of your own luck. 

Baobab tree with giraffe in distance, Tarangire National Park

Owen's trip began and ended in the town of Arusha, in northern Tanzania.  The group stayed in three places during the two week trip:  Lobo Wildlife Lodge in Serengeti National Park; Ndutu Safari Lodge in the southwestern Serengeti area near Olduvai Gorge; and Ngorongoro Farm House in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

ALASKA IN WINTER: Anchorage and Valdez

Anchorage, Alaska.  View from jogging trail

Most people don’t go to Alaska in the winter unless they are into winter sports, are fans of the Ititarod, or, in my case, attending a conference.  But, if you do go to Alaska in the winter time, the scenery is spectacular and there is plenty to do both inside and out.  I spent a week in Alaska at the end of March–going to Valdez for a library conference and then spending several days in Anchorage afterwards.  I enjoyed the chance to see Alaska in the snow and was reminded of my childhood winters in Minnesota when snow and cold weather were just a normal part of daily life.  I actually arrived in Anchorage on the first calendar day of spring, and although warm weather doesn’t arrive until much later, the days during my visit were twelve hours long just as they are on the equinox in the rest of the world.

Frozen Waterfall, near Valdez

From Anchorage I flew to Valdez, a tiny town at the head of a narrow fiord in Prince William Sound. It was a crystal clear day and as the plane threaded its way through the mountains I could see every detail, including the oil terminal on the shore just outside of town.  The next morning, however, it began to snow and didn’t stop for the next three days. (Valdez is famous for being the snowiest place in Alaska.  The record, set in 1989/90, is 560.7 inches–that’s 46 feet!)  Not surprisingly, all flights in and out of Valdez were cancelled, and my trip back to Anchorage was by bus, a seven hour journey over the Thompson pass, past frozen waterfalls and beautiful snow covered valleys.

Fly an hour or walk a week!  100 years of aviation in Alaska

In Anchorage I stayed at the historic Anchorage Hotel, which is in the heart of downtown and within walking distance of shops, restaurants, art galleries, and the Anchorage Museum.  The museum is huge and I spent the better part of a day there, first taking the elevator up to the fourth floor, which is a gallery of contemporary Alaskan art and has windows looking out to the Chugach Mountains that surround the city.  On the third floor, I found a group of school children exploring the exhibit Arctic Flight: A Century of Alaskan Aviation, which chronicles the importance of the airplane in almost every aspect of Alaskan life.

Inupiaq artifacts including Aqlitiik (dance mittens)

The second floor of the museum has two parts, a huge Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center with exhibits about the many native groups that live in Alaska with displays of clothing, tools, masks, and other items; and the Alaska history gallery which includes everything from Alaska’s prehistoric history to the present day.  The large atrium of this wing of the museum is surrounded by a gallery which happened to have displays of the most amazing art by children in Alaska’s schools.  I ate lunch in the Muse Café at the front of the museum, which has excellent food and a view onto the plaza.

Model of Troodon dinosaur at the Alaska Science Museum

I also visited the Alaska Museum of Science and Nature in Anchorage.  This smaller, privately funded museum, is away from downtown (I took a bus) and has a wide assortment of displays, but specializes in geology and fossils, especially Alaskan dinosaurs.  I was delighted to find many of the dinosaurs I had written about in my book Global Warming and the Dinosaurs:  Fossil Discoveries at the Poles.

Alaska railroad terminal in Anchorage

My last day in Anchorage was as sunny and beautiful as the first, except that the city now had a new blanket of snow.  My hotel was not far from the bicycle/walking trail that goes along Cook Bay.  I walked down the trail part way and was passed by a cross-country skier–definitely the best way to go!  My trip to Alaska was a taste of winter. I had brought warm clothes and sturdy boots so I was comfortable in the outdoors.  I have been to Alaska one other time–in July–so I was glad to have the chance to see it in a different season.

To find out more about the conference I went to in Valdez and my library visits in Wasilla and Anchorage go to my April 10th post at Caroline Arnold Art and Books.

Along the road between Valdez and Anchorage

Patrick Blanc's Vertical Gardens, London

Athenaeum Hotel, London. More than 12,000 plants cover its walls.

On the front of the Athenaeum Hotel in London, a giant wall of plants climbs to the sky, forming a green tapestry of ferns, moss, flowers and thousands of other plants ten stories high.  This vertical garden was created by Frenchman, Patrick Blanc who has turned the idea of gardening on its side.  While most people put plants in the ground, Patrick Blanc’s gardens go up in the air.  In cities all over the world he has created colorful carpets of plants climbing the walls of homes, shopping centers, hotels, museums, and other buildings, bringing nature’s beauty to crowded cities. Earth Day seems the the perfect day to celebrate Patrick Blanc's vertical gardens, which are helping to beautify urban spaces around the world.

On a recent trip to London, I got the chance to see two of Patrick Blanc’s amazing gardens, one on the Athenaeum Hotel and the other on the upper stories of The Driver, a pub near King’s Cross.

Patrick Blanc’s vertical gardens are like giant leafy paintings.

No Dirt!
Patrick Blanc is a botanist at the French National Center for Scientific research.  In 1972, when he was a university student, Patrick Blanc took his first trip to Southeast Asia, where he saw ferns growing high in the trees, orchids hanging over waterfalls, and plants clinging to cliffs and other places with no soil.  The trees and rocks supported the roots and stems of the plants.  Patrick realized then that plants do not need dirt to grow and started to experiment with dirtless gardens at his home in Paris.
        For his first vertical gardens, Patrick Blanc used wood for the frame.  Now, he uses metal. Then he attaches a layer of PVC plastic to the frame to make the structure rigid and waterproof.  Finally, he glues a layer of synthetic felt to the plastic. Water and fertilizer drip onto the felt through holes in pipes at the top of the structure. The plants absorb what they need and, as the roots grow, they penetrate the felt and the plants soon become securely fastened to the structure. Patrick Blanc initially attaches plants to the garden structure with staples, using about thirty plants for every square yard.  As the plants begin to grow, the spaces fill in.  Then the whole surface becomes a living carpet.

The Driver, Kings Cross, London

Living Tapestries
Like a painter, Patrick Blanc chooses the colors and shapes of the plants carefully to make a pleasing design.  He must also pick plants that are best for the location of the garden.  On tall buildings, plants that need more light are at the top.  Shade loving plants go at the bottom. For indoor gardens, he uses tropical plants.  For outdoor gardens, he chooses plants that grow in similar climates. In cities such as London or Paris, he chooses plants that come from cooler parts of the world. On the January day we went to see the gardens on The Driver, it had snowed the night before and the north facing wall still had patches of snow on the leaves.  But the vines that covered the wall seemed to tolerate the cold and thrive.

Patrick Blanc’s vertical gardens keep buildings cool in summer and warm in winter by providing a layer of natural insulation. The plants also help keep the air fresh by taking in carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen as they grow. In 1996, Patrick Blanc began to work with French architect Jean Nouvel.  Together they have designed projects in Seoul, Barcelona, Paris, and elsewhere. Patrick Blanc has created vertical gardens at more than 100 public sites and in many private homes. His largest garden covers an apartment building in Paris on the Rue de Alsace where diagonal bands of leafy plants fill 15,000 square feet of surface space!

At the Athenaeum Hotel, London

Some of Patrick Blanc’s garden designs have been created for garden shows and other temporary exhibits.  But most are intended to be permanent. They are worth going out of your way to see.  If you are in London, take a stroll down Piccadilly Road across from Green Park, and gaze up at the amazing wall of plants that grace the elegant Athenaeum Hotel. You will be amazed!   

In French, the vertical garden is called “Le Mur Vegetal”, a name created by Patrick Blanc.

Here are some places around the world where you can see Patrick Blanc’s vertical gardens:
French Embassy, New Delhi, India
Market and Parking Garage, Avignon, France
Parliament, Brussels, Belgium
Apartment Facades, Rue d’Alsace, Paris
Nave Italia Aquarium, Genoa, Italy
Quai Branly Museum, Paris, France
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan
Caixa Forum Museum, Madrid, Spain
Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan
Museum of Natural History, Toulouse, France
Girbaud Boutique, New York, New York
Emporium Shopping Center, Bangkok, Thailand
Phyto Universe, New York, New York
Qantas Lounge, Sydney, Australia
Lan Restaurant, Shanghai, China

For beautiful photos and a history of the evolution of Patrick Blanc’s vertical garden concept, read this book:  The Vertical Garden, From Nature to the City by Patrick Blanc (W.W. Norton and Company, NY, 2008.  You can also see a photo of Patrick Blanc's vertical garden in Madrid is the July 2012 National Geographic in the Now/City Solutions section at the front of the magazine.
Patrick Blanc’s website:  www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com

Edinburgh and Dunkeld, Scotland: Castles, Georgian homes, and Macbeth

Entrance to Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

(This is an excerpt from my diary of our London trip in the fall of 1998 when we did a short trip to Edinburgh, Scotland.)

On Thursday morning we took the train to Edinburgh.  The five-hour trip is a pleasant ride through the English countryside and, in Scotland, along the coast facing the North Sea.  Art had been invited to give a talk at the Roslyn Institute (the place where Dolly the cloned sheep was produced) and I went along for the ride.  Art gave his talk on Thursday afternoon and I took advantage of the beautiful sunny weather to visit the Edinburgh Castle.  The castle, which sits on top of a huge rock outcrop and dominates the landscape, was the heart of the original medieval city.  It is still a military post and continues the tradition of firing a cannon at 1:00 each day so people can set their watches. 

View of Edinburgh from Castle

On Friday I met a friend for lunch and a visit to a restored Georgian house on Charlotte Square.  (It was good that we had indoor activities planned for Friday because the weather was rainy and cold, making me glad that I had purchased a hat and tartan wool scarf the day before.)  Edinburgh, which apparently was once known as the Athens of the North, had a burst of development in the early 19th century when many wealthy people built elegant homes there.  I didn't realize that many of the homes in Edinburgh were designed by the same architect who had done the houses in Bath (I don't know if it as the father or son.)   The home we visited is now owned by the National Trust and had volunteers in each room to answer questions such as, why were there pockets in the drape just above the pillows on the bed?  For your pocket watch, of course, because if the watch were laid flat it would stop ticking! In the dining room was a double layered gravy dish.  You put hot water in the bottom portion and the gravy in the top, and the hot water keeps the gravy from getting cold. Afterward, we had lunch at a pub in what used to be an elegant bank.

Dunkeld, Scotland

On Saturday morning we rented a car in Edinburgh and drove about an hour and half north to a little town called Birnam by Dunkeld where we had a reservation at a bed and breakfast.  Both Birnam and Dunkeld are nestled in the hills alongside the river Tay, which is your typical Scottish river with cold rushing water and fly fishermen casting for salmon. This is Macbeth country and Birnam is the same Birnam wood mentioned by Shakespeare’s witches who predict that Macbeth shall remain king until “Birnam Wood shall come to Dunsinane.”  (In real life soldiers apparently cut branches of the trees in Birnam wood and carried them as camouflage as they approached the castle at Dunsinane.)  Along the river we saw a giant oak with a sign claiming that it has been there since Shakespeare’s time.

Walk to a lake near Dunkeld

At the tourist information office we picked up a map of various walks from Dunkeld and Birnam and chose one that went through a forest to a small lake, or loch as they say in Scotland.  We were lucky to have a sunny, beautiful day.