It was weeks ago when I found “Hoklee Cafe” at the Dam Nuen Saduak floating market in Ratchaburi province. I was taking my grandma and mom to visit the floating market. However, we arrived there a little bit late in the afternoon and there were not much activities left at the floating market. So we simply looked for a place to just sit and relax. We just found the cafe by coincidence! Those that often travel with elderly people must know how often the elders use the restroom. For my grandma that is 78 years old, she uses the restroom every other hour! Because of that we ran into this awesome cafe the “Hoklee Cafe” at the Lao Tuk Luck, which is a section of the Dum Nuen Saduak floating market.

Based on the information I gathered from chatting with the owner of the cafe; the cafe was a house that was passed down from generations to generations. The house’s foundation and roof has been renovated but the interiors were kept un-touched to preserve its origins as much as possible. Currently the owner has turn the house into a cafe shop for a quick stop off point for the passers-by, either by foot travel or by boat. The owner and the community of Lao Tuk Luck  are trying to rejuvenate the livelihood of the community as it was seen years ago.

Check out the Lao Tuk Luck facebook for more information and photos of the community.

My grandma was really pleased with Hoklee Cafe as it was very peaceful, calm and breezy yet classic and elegant in its own way. Be sure to ask for the Lao Tuk Luck’s community when you visit the floating market.

I Simply want to post the photo of the sunset at Wat Arun. Also, if you look closely at the temple, you can see the people that climbed up to (probably) take pictures.

I haven’t get the time to climb the temple yet. But when I do, I’ll be sure to share the picture of the view from the top of the the building.

A slight problem is… I suffer from a bit of acrophobia!

HOT… REALLY HOT! It’s 36 degree Celsius here in BANGKOK!

A day like this, makes me want to jump into the pool and just be cooled by the water. Or perhaps a nice boat trip in Chao Phra Ya river would be in order. A speed boat trip is one of the MUST DO thing in Bangkok. The trip normally includes visits to many different historical sites along the river. I, too, took the trip once a few years ago and was surprised by the amazing sites.

Really, anyone that comes to Bangkok must at least take a speed boat trip to experience the  city!

Too hot to write any further…

Another visit to Aum Pha Wa months later. The street is busy, the temperature is hot, the river is lively… but what is up with that man?

I just wonder what was he thinking about? Whatever it was, it seemed that the children were wondering as well. This was taken after a break with a nice chicken kebab in Aum Pha Wa during the Thai New Year, Songkran holiday.

Sometime, a day off from the reality is all we need to recharge ourselves and get right back to the reality with a clear mind. Perhaps, that is what the man is doing. He simply just needed a break.

Venice? No. This is better than Venice!

It’s Aum Pha Wa Floating Market, one of the tourist attractions in Thailand. Finally I got to travel again during Songkran Festival (April 13, Traditional Thai New Year) It wasn’t anywhere far, it’s Aum Pha Wa… again! The last time we visited, we didn’t get to take many pictures, nor could we explore much of the market because it was already late.

Second times a charm! We were amazed at how many things were left unexplored the last time we visited. The picture selected today shows some of the interesting lifestyle that is hard to find elsewhere. Down to earth lifestyle or perhaps we can call it down to “canal” lifestyle!

Only later that I found out about the house in the picture is a home stay http://www.ruernsabay.com/ I guess the next time we visit, we should try to stay here. But my concern which is the loud noises in the area. On second thought, just a dinner in front of the house should be enough

Today, we have an honored guest, Dr Pahn Pintu-On to write today’s post. Dr Pahn always goes to Ratchburi, Thailand on the weekends to meet/see patients. She has been wanting to take pictures of this river after work, but due to the nature of her work she haven’t had the time to do so. I, on the other hand, accompanied her to the clinic and had a chance to take the pictures while I was waiting for her to get off work, but I really don’t know much about the place. So Dr Pahn would be the right person for it.

*note: we can visit her photo blog at http://pintuon.multiply.com/

By: Pahn

For all of my life, I hated “waiting”.  I don’t want to wait for anyone or anything because I have too many things to handle in a day. So letting time fly without doing anything is not something for the type of the person I am. That why I always run out of patience when I cannot do anything but wait.

However, sometimes we have to wait and something is worth looking forward to.
Have you ever heard “the right time” or “the perfect moment”? I believe that everything has its own perfect moment; not sooner, not later.  You can’t rush, force or do anything else but to wait and wait with patience. Holding your breath and let it happen on its own.

Like the way Natt took these pictures; the perfect moment to see “the colored pencils” in the river is just after the sunsets. If you want to capture this moment, you have to wait for it, wait for the right time. That why I haven’t had a chance to take pictures like these. Always too early, too late or too tired.

After waiting for an entire day, Natt finally captured “the perfect moment”. Look at these pictures, do you think that it was worth waiting for?

Yes, I think they are!!

Just waiting for a boat

and waiting…
and waiting…..
and waiting……..
and waiting………..
and waiting…………..
and waiting……………..
and waiting…………………
and waiting……………………..
and waiting………………………..
and waiting……………………………

DONE waiting!!!

TAXI!

Simply just want to share a moment while we were waiting for a boat that, after 20 minutes, never show up!
We were waiting at Tha Dian port across from Wat Arun (the glowing temple in the picture) after a full day trip in Bangkok.

Exhausted!

It’s been days, weeks, or even months since I’ve posted a single picture! Life sure is busy here in Thailand. So many places to visit, so many foods to eat, and so many pictures left unprocessed

It took me a month before I got to work on this picture.  This was at Aum Pha Wa, a night floating market just an hour from Bangkok!
Whoops time is up!

I’ll keep trying to update more often

This picture was taken minutes after arriving at Aum Pha Wa floating market just right before the sunset. This framing was spotted while I was driving over a bridge, looking for a parking near by. After 30 minutes of finding parking, we found one! So we walked back to the bridge and snap this picture.

We would like to suggest anyone coming to the market to visit in the afternoon. Because that is when the vendors start to setup their shops.  The market is often populated with the local and tourist in late afternoon as most of the people are waiting for the sun to set so the temperature would be lower. Trust me, it’s just that hot and humid here in Aum Pha Wa.

Welcome to Aum Pha Wa, Thailand.

Last December has brought so much change into my life. The most intriguing part of the last December was a trip with my family, the Muangsiri to Phuket, Thailand. Because I was away for so long from Thailand and family, I couldn’t recognized half of the family members that were on the trip. Well, there were about 120 or so of us on 3 tour buses heading for a trip during Christmas break. The funny part is, Thai don’t celebrate Christmas, but I do! While the other see December 25, 2009 as another day, I see it as the best Christmas I ever had – to be among families (getting to know them and more of them)

This picture was taken at Phang Nga just hour after we have arrived from our 10 hours trip on the tour bus. It was our first stop for breakfast and to wash up, getting ready for the trip of the day – to the islands! before heading to Phuket in the evening.

Happy New Year 2010 to everyone. May this New Year brings everyone success in anything that you do with exuberant joy, health, wealth and most important of all… love!

P.S. Did anyone make a wish under the Blue Moon on New Year eve? Below is an interesting article about making wishes under the Blue Moon that I found just hours before the moonrise. Aside from it being the Blue Moon that only occur once in 20 years! It was also the most beautiful moons I have ever seen in years!

BLUE MOON MAGIC on New Year’s Eve 2009 by Ton Pascal

New Years Eve on December 31, 2009 will be more powerful than a super nova. This vibration will surpass space and time and will be in the seeds of ALL LIFE CREATIONS Be mindful of thoughts, they carry GREAT POWER. Take action, it has power & magic… Those into wishing, WISH BIG ~~~~ Know we are at the seat of our creations!!!

This super novas give us an energetic boost in whatever direction we are pointed…(rephrased by darlene)
Only once in every 20 years, the blue moon appears on New Year’s Eve, as it will this year. On a plain physical level what is happening is that the moon is out of phase with the days. For it to make its complete cycle it’s about 29.5 days. It doesn’t coincide with our month, and that’s why it is out of sync with our Julian calendar. It’s the occurrence of two full moons in one month, which happens every two years, hence the popular quotation “once in a Blue Moon” which means ‘not very often.’ On average, there will be 41 months that have two Full Moons in every century, so you could say that once in a Blue Moon actually means once every two-and-a-half years.

On December 31, 2009, we have a Blue Moon Lunar Eclipse.

On a spiritual level it is as if it asks us to ‘flash forward’ into the next two years to see what we can see. This is the most important New Years Eve we have ever been gifted in a long time. No matter how much you do not believe prophecy from time and earth, it will still affect your energy field and your choices.

This December 31, 2009, Partial Lunar Eclipse is numerically a 7/11 (#9) vibration

Cosmic and personal completion! Entering the next level of love of heart, of soul and service to the planetary evolution through healing self. Free-falling from the height of the nine into the next level of Light. Entry and exits all in the same breath. A quantum leap into unknown gifts comes through the nine. Are you ready to see and be more than you are at this minute of time? Nine is the photo finish on the heavenly line of multiple choices. If you believe you have won, you have. Your New Years resolutions on 12/31/2009 will be more powerful than a super nova. Their vibration will surpass space and time and land at the feet of God.

Be careful what you pray for, as it will come to past.

Much love,

Ton Pascal