Cherry Orchard Wild Flowers It's definitely spring in the Columbia Gorge, at least the far eastern part near The Dalles. On Sunday, I hiked the Cherry Orchard trail near Lyle on the Washington side of the river. It's a little early yet, but the bright sunflower-yellow balsamroots were already in full bloom.
Wat Thong Noppakhun Windows In case you weren't aware, I lived in Bangkok, Thailand for over 20 years. The city had a seemingly endless supply of surprises around every corner. Tiny temples tucked away full of intricate details. One of those is Wat Thong Noppakhun on the Thonburi side of the Chaophraya River.
Magnolia More flowers are breaking out in Washington park. This singular magnolia is one of my favorites, with its vivd magenta blooms. There's a whole section of magnolias a short distance away in Hoyt Arboretum, but I don't think it includes this spectacular specimen.
Trillium Like many in the Pacific Northwest, I keep a lookout along the trails for trillium. The little plants that sprout from the forest floor are widely viewed as a harbinger of spring. This dense patch of small plants was spotted in the Cloud Forest section of Washington Park.
Kuala Lumpur Bird Park The KL Bird Park claims to have the world's largest free-flight aviary. It's sort of like an open zoo. With a few exceptions, the birds aren't in cages and are free to fly about the large net 'tent'. You're then free to walk around among them and get as close as they will let you, which is often pretty close.
Buddha Park, Vientiane Outside of the Lao captial of Vientiane, east of town, sf the “Buddha Park.” The name is fitting. Scattered around a large grassy yard on the banks of the river are dozens of concrete statues. There are Buddha images, as would expect, but also depictions of many deities from the Hindu-Buddhist pantheon, as well as many mythical creatures.
Wat Pa Pai, Luang Prabang Moving on to Laos in my trip down memory lane. I visited Luang Prabang many times over the years I lived in Bangkok. Owing to its protected status as a UNESCO World Heritage site, it's one of the best preserved French Colonial cities in Indochina.
Bat Island My first trip to the islands around Komodo was in 2009, not long after I got my Advanced Open Water certificate as a diver. To be honest, scuba diving this area is not really a good idea for an inexperienced diver, but there were only five divers on the boat and the dive master was forgiving of my inexperience.
Pulau Weh Among the places I've been scuba diving, Pulau Weh is perhaps one of the most off-the-radar destinations. The island sits just off the coast of Banda Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra, the very center of the 2004 tsunami that devastated a large area of Southeast Asia.
Abandoned Olympic Pool Complex Given my penchant for ancient ruins, it's no surprise that I'm also fascinated by more modern abandoned places. Near the top of the hill that separates Machico from the airport, in the town of Agua de Pena, there's an abandoned swimming pool complex with an Olympic sized pool complete with diving towers.