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Seeking Nirvana in Bodhgaya – Where the Buddha attained enlightenment

Written by James Clark on May 2, 2011 · 9 Comments

India has three of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world, with the fourth being in Nepal. That is an impressive heritage for a country that counts less than one percent of its population as Buddhist (though ask any business man and most would take 1% of billion any time). Out of those four sites, Bodhgaya is the most important. This is the place where Buddha attained Enlightenment.

The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya marks the place where Siddhārtha Gautama sat under a Bodhi tree for 49 days of meditation. Not content with having just attained enlightenment, the Buddha then spent a week in front of the tree, gazing with unblinking eyes in gratitude.

[Mahabodhi Temple]

Behind the main temple is Bodhi tree where Buddha sat. Actually it is not the original tree but a descendent of. The original was cut down, but not before a seed was taken to Sri Lanka, which was then able to later supply a replacement tree.

For some reason I had visions of an open garden and the tree just there for all to enjoy. I envisaged that I was going to give the tree a big hug and have some of that nirvana rub off upon me. Of course the reality was different, and the tree is behind a high enclosure. Fair enough. With approximately 350 million Buddhists worldwide, imagine if they all came and gave the tree a hug – it would be worn out in no time.

And don’t even think of trying to take a leaf as a souvenir. All the branches are well above reaching/jumping level . While I didn’t count, I’m sure there was less than 350 million leaves on the tree (though there were some hawkers out the front who will try and sell you a leaf from a Bodhi tree, perhaps the original one ). Anyway, there is no such thing as instant enlightenment. I knew that.

[Bodhi Tree at Mahabodhi Temple]

It is pretty impressive to stand by this tree and think of the history. Over 2500 years ago a man sat under this tree as a Prince, and left as the Supreme Buddha.

Bodhgaya is a small city of around 30000 people. Around the city there are Buddhist temples and monasteries representing all the major Buddhist countries of the world. I was happy to see the unmistakable architectural style of a Thai Buddhist Wat.

[Thai Monastery - Bodhgaya]

While Bodhgaya is a small city, it has an airport with services to Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, which are mostly seasonal for pilgrimage travel. The easiest way to get there is to get the train to the nearby Gaya, which is on the Dehli to Kolkata line.

Ornamental street signs of Thailand

Written by James Clark on January 26, 2011 · 8 Comments

I am a fan of making functional items beautiful. From fire hydrants in Tokyo to seats in the south of France, I pay attention to small details that adds a bit of beauty to the world.

In Thailand many cities across the nation decorate their street signs with icons associated with the city. Here are some that I have seen over the years in my travels in Thailand.

[Patong Beach]

Patong Beach in Phuket with a dolphin street sign.

[Krabi Town]

Krabi Town with a sword wielding elephant. Of course.

[Maeklong]

Maeklong is best known as the place where the train goes through a market. The city logo happens to be a drum, so sadly no trains decorate the street signs here.

[Chiang Mai]

Chiang Mai is a city full of wats, and the signs here look like they try and fit as many temples on the top of the sign as possible.

[Chiang Rai]

Chiang Rai, not to be confused with Chiang Mai, have broken with the Thai standard black and blue signs by going gold. Maybe they got tired of being confused with Chiang Mai.

[Chiang Khong]

Chiang Khong is a border town sitting on the Mekong opposite Laos. Their sign features the soon to be extinct Irrawaddy dolphin.

[Ubon Ratchathani]

Ubon Ratchathani in the south-east of the Isan region is best known for its annual Candle Festival.

[Songkhla]

Songkhla in the deep south of Thailand is famous for the Golden Mermaid, and she is the town logo as well.

[Pattaya]

If you had of asked me what I thought would be on the Pattaya street sign, I would have guessed a go-go girl pole dancing, but no, Pattaya have honoured is maritime heritage with a ship’s wheel.

[Mahachai]

Nothing fancy here. I’ve just added this one to illustrate what an every day street sign looks like in Thailand.

These are just places I have been to, or remembered to take photos of. I know there are more. If you have a photo of a ornamental street sign in Thailand, send it to me and I will add it to the list.

In Pictures: Pulau Pangkor – Malaysia

Written by James Clark on September 14, 2010 · 7 Comments

Pulau Pangkor (Pangkor Island) is on the West Coast of Peninsula Malaysia. It’s close enough to Kuala Lumpur to make it an accessable stopover destination. This was how I ended up here. I had a week in KL enroute to China. The beaches of the East Coast would have left me rushing to get there and back, so Pangkor was the best option.

- Pasir Bogak Beach: Pulau Pangkor -

Beaches

When people talk about the beaches of Malaysia, it’s the islands of the Peninsula East Coast that rate the highest. If that is the case then I have got to get over there one day. I mean have a look at this “average” West Coast beach.

- Teluk Nipah Beach -

Pangkor is half a day from KL, so it can get busy on weekends and public holidays. This was a public holiday crowd.

- Pasir Bogak Beach Crowd -

Wildlife

Pangkor’s most famous wildlife residents are the Hornbill Birds. It’s quite common to see them swooshing around, they they make a great squawk, which is what I want to hear in a tropical paradise. Some of the guesthouse owners feed them so it is not uncommon to see them sitting around populated areas.

- Hornbills -

Monitor Lizards are common as well.

- Monitor Lizard -

The island interior is a jungle, and no jungle in Asia is complete without monkeys. Fortunately you don’t have to go into the jungle to find them.

- Monkeys -

The island also has beach goats. Of course.

- Beach Goats -

Accommodation

Most of the budget/backpacker style places are around Teluk Nipah, which happens to have the best beach. It’s not a big scene at Teluk Nipah, as most backpackers head to the Perhentian Islands or Thailand before coming here.

There is a good range of accommodation options in Pangkor – from budget guesthouses to resort style hotels. As I was just passing through the region I wanted to stay in an honest-to-goodness Southeast Asian guesthouse. One with an outside bathroom and cold water shower, and Geckos on the ceiling. I found what I was looking for at Nazri Nipah.

- A-Frame Accommodation -

Stopover

If you have already been to the islands and beaches of Thailand then you aren’t going to see anything new here. Most visitors here are day tripping locals. I met some British travellers here who were holed up on Pangkor for a week while their Visa to India was being processed in KL. If you only have a few days in Malaysia or you waiting around KL and you want to rest your heels in some sand, then Pangkor is a ideal option.

Walking the length of Broadway, New York

Written by James Clark on August 4, 2010 · 22 Comments

New York’s Broadway is a road that runs the entire length of the island of Manhattan (and continues through to the Bronx). Everyone has heard of Broadway, but before I first visited New York I just assumed it was the name of the theatre district.

View Larger Map

Ever since I discovered this geographic curiosity I have often thought about walking from top to bottom. When I was in Newport I casually told my hosts Kevin and Brigitte of my idea while we were pouring over the legendary New York Subway map. Far from thinking I was crazy, they thought is was a worthy challenge and wanted to come as well.

Being that it was summer we got started at 6am. It is already light at this time of year in New York and it was ideal walking weather.

We arrived at 210th St station to begin the walk. It turns out we should have started at 225th station as that is just next to the Broadway Bridge on the Bronx side of the river.

James at 225th St
At 225th St on the Bronx side of the Broadway Bridge.

On the subway there was a man with a bum bag in walking shoes who didn’t look like he had any business getting the train to the Bronx at 5.45 in the morning. He got out with us and started walking down Broadway as well, so I am not alone in wanting to walk Broadway. A quick search on google shows plenty of other Broadway walkers out there. I wonder how many people a day do this walk?

The walk took 6 hours and 45 minutes, which included breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks along the way. We had no time limit on our walk so we could stop as often as we wanted. Our only rule was that we had to stay on Broadway, so any enticing shop off Broadway would have to be noted and visited some other time.

Before this walk I had never been higher than 130th St. Seeing the grand parks and buildings in the 200′s was unexpected for me and it was interesting to see such a varied cross section of neighborhoods across the island. Walking Broadway is a great way to experience Manhattan.

Walking Broadway Photo Gallery

Montmartre or Manhattan? Isham Park in Inwood.

Fort Tryon Park.

125th St Station.

Tom’s Restaurant (as seen on Seinfeld)

Grand apartment blocks of the Upper West Side (Ansonia Building).

Street piano project at Times Square.

The Flatiron building looks even flatter when you look straight down Broadway.

Broadway and Broome in SoHo.

James at Number 1 Broadway
Finishing up at Number 1 Broadway.

Apocalypse Wow! Judgement day frescoes at the Rila Monastery – Bulgaria

Written by James Clark on July 10, 2010 · 5 Comments

The Rila Monastery in Bulgaria is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and perhaps the most well known structure in the country. When you enter the monastery it just looks like an old fort and it doesn’t prepare you for the view that is inside.

The monastery is famous for its frescoes by Bulgarian artist Zahari Zograf. The external porch walls of the main church is covered in colourful religious imagery.

Much of the subject matter is of apocalyptic last judgement images. Bat-winged demons and gruesome death scenes are prominent. There are so many little details, so spending some time looking over every detail of each panel reveals some pretty bizarre interpretations of what the apocalypse would look like.

The Rila Monastery is an easy day trip from Sofia. There are tours that go there but the cheapest way is to get a local bus which will take you straight there in 2 and a half hours.

Notes on Miami: The Capital of the Americas

Written by James Clark on June 5, 2010 · 7 Comments

Going To Miami

It wasn’t my original plan to visit Miami on this trip to the USA. I was planning to road trip from Chicago back to Newport, RI, where I have based myself. It turns out that there is hardly a hostel between Chicago and Newport, so my accommodation budget was facing a blowout of epic proportions.

Instead I found a cheap flight to Miami – where budget accommodation is plentiful – so this detour was a no-brainer. As soon as I got off the plane and sucked in a breath of that sub-tropical air I knew I had made the right choice.

South Beach

Rows of neon lit Art Deco hotels is the world famous image of Miami, and they can be found on South Beach. I knew Miami was famous for Art Deco, but I thought it might have been a dozen or so key buildings that survived the wrecker’s ball. South Beach in fact has over 700 Art Deco buildings, making it the undisputed Art Deco capital of the world.

Collins Ave Art Deco Hotels – South Beach Miami

South Beach seems to be the place to stay in Miami. I stayed the the Jazz on South Beach Hostel, which is one of the best hostels I have stayed at in the US. There are plenty of accommodation options in South Beach and it is easy to walk around. If you tire of walking there is a 25 cent local bus that runs a loop around South Beach. Then of course there is the beach, which is of the white sand and warm water variety.

Downtown Miami

South Beach is part of the Barrier Island of Miami Beach, and downtown Miami is on the mainland.

View Larger Map

The downtown area looks as though it’s going through an urban renewal. It is mostly made up of new apartment blocks and the financial district, and there is not much in the way of shops there yet.

Freedom Tower – One of the few remaining old buildings of Downtown Miami.

Biscayne Bay

Of course you don’t come to Miami for its downtown. It the beaches and waterways that make Miami famous.

Separating Miami and Miami Beach is Biscayne Bay. This waterway is sprinkled with man made islands and super yachts. I took a cruise of Biscayne Bay, which takes you past the homes of the rich and famous and gives you a better feel for the geography of Miami.

Al Capone’s Former Mansion.

This is the Miami I had in my mind’s eye. Perhaps my perception of Miami was influenced by Will Smith.

¿Hablas inglés?

One thing you will notice about Miami is that Spanish is spoken everywhere. The Organization of American States may be headquartered in Washington, DC, but surely Miami is the true capital of the Americas. All of the nations of the Western Hemisphere are represented here. Walking around and listening to the accents from the region made me want to head south. I don’t have time to do that on this trip, but I will come back to Miami again to use it as a hub for Caribbean and Central American travels. If you can’t travel to Latin America, Miami is the next best thing.

Trip Notes: Thanks to Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and Island Queen Cruises.

Meaty T-shirts spotted around Harajuku, Tokyo

Written by James Clark on January 6, 2010 · 2 Comments

I did a 5 day stop-over in Tokyo in 2007 en route to London from Australia. One thing I really wanted to see was the Harajuku girls and associated sub-culture. What I didn’t know until I got there was that all the cool stuff at Harajuku happens on the weekend. I was in Tokyo from Monday to Friday, so I missed out. This just gives me another excuse to return to Tokyo (not that I need one).

Even if you are there during the week Harajuku is worth checking out for the shopping. Lot’s of unique stuff you can get so when people ask where you got that special something, you can give your coolest look and say “I got this in Tokyo”.

I saw this T-shirt which made me laugh. I’m not laughing at Big Bird copping it in the neck, it’s the maniacal faces of Ernie and Bert that does it for me.

The Last Supper

For my vegetarian friends here is a more sombre collection of meat on the table T-shirts.

Dinner Table Animals

Coffee of the day: The Troubadour, London – UK

Written by James Clark on December 4, 2009 · Leave a Comment

When I’m in London I usually stay around the Earl’s Court/Gloucester Rd area. It’s in well to do leafy West London and has good transport connections. It is also home to one of my favourite cafe’s – the Troubadour.

Troubadour Cafe - London

The Troubadour has been around since 1954 and it was a famous music venue in the 60′s. Musicians who have played there include Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Sammy Davis jnr, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

The cafe is worth visiting just to see the collection of intruments hanging from the ceiling. For me, I like coming here knowing that Led Zeppelin once graced these rooms.

Notes on Belgrade: A curious mix of Classical and Commie Europe

Written by James Clark on November 5, 2009 · 3 Comments

Visiting Belgrade
When I was growing up Belgrade was one of those cities that I had only heard of on the news. Just like the other Bel -Belfast – whenever you would hear about Belgrade it was always for all the wrong reasons.

Belgrade has emerged from the troubled breakup of Yugoslavia, and is now even making good news. In 2008 Belgrade made world headlines when it hosted the Eurovision Song Contest (though some might argue that that is making the news for the wrong reasons as well).

Hotel Moscow

Even with the years of stability and the “good news” of Eurovision, I still got some funny looks from people when I mentioned that I was going to Belgrade. Actually it was a similar look I got from people when I told them I was going to Belfast.

The great thing about travel though is that when people go somewhere with a dubious reputation, they come back and tell their friends how it really is. I had two friends of mine go to Begrade in 2007, and their description of what it was like really made me curious to go myself.

I know many of my readers who are seasoned travellers will be thinking what’s the big deal about visiting Belgrade – it’s not like I went to Mogadishu. If you step outside your circle of travel friends though you will be surprised of the reactions you get.

About Belgrade
Belgrade was built around a citadel which sits on a rock of land at the strategic junction of the Sava and Danube rivers. The old city is a mix of grand public buildings and apartment blocks like you would see in any classical European city, sitting beside communist style buildings.

The city makes its way up a hill to meet the citadel, with the pedestrian shopping street Knez Mihailova serving as the main thoroughfare.

Knez Mihailova

Belgrade is known for its cafe and bar scene, but it should also be known for its bakeries. There is a bakery of some kind on every street, and the size of the pastries would make any American bakehouse kneel on the ground and chant “we’re not worthy”.

Another big portion of food is the Pljeskavica, the Serbian hamburger. There are BBQ grills everywhere serving this and the meat patties are huge.

Speaking of big, worth checking out is St Sava Cathedral, the worlds largest Orthodox Church.

St Sava Cathedral - The world

Getting To Belgrade
Getting to Belgrade is easy enough if you are in the region as there are direct trains from all of the neighbouring countries. From Belgrade station there are direct train services to Budapest, Munich, Zurich, Zagreb, Sofia, Bucharest, Thessaloniki and Istanbul. (What an exotic roll call of city names – I love being able to say you can get a train to Istanbul).

There are only a few low cost airlines flying into Belgrade, but you can still find reasonably priced flights from London if you plan in advance.

Once the likes of easyJet and Ryanair start flying to Belgrade, the city will become a hotspot for European short breaks and the troubles of the past will be a distant memory.

Borobudur – The biggest Buddhist temple in the world

Written by James Clark on June 11, 2009 · 1 Comment

Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Temple is the biggest Buddhist temple in the world, which is impressive considering that it’s not in a Buddhist country but in Central Java, Indonesia.

[Borobudur Temple]

It’s a temple that ranks with Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and Myanmar’s Bagan as one of the great religious monuments of Southeast Asia.

What is more remarkable is that it doesn’t seem to rank highly on the things to see in Southeast Asia. You’ll always meet someone in a guesthouse in Thailand who has been or is going to Angkor. Less people make the journey to Java.

The temple is estimated to be built around 750-850 AD. It was eventualy abandoned as Islam spread through Java and then it was buried under volcanic ash.

It was not until 1815, when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles was Governor of Java, that the site was cleared. Restoration began in the time of Dutch rule in the early 20th century, and a full restoration was undertaken from 1973 to 1983.

The temple sits on a 123m x 123m base and consists of 6 square terraces and 3 circular ones, rising up like a pyramid.

When I arrived at the temple I wasn’t expecting it to be so big. Once you get up close to the temple it’s the detail of the carvings that overwhelms. After walking the first level, taking in both the size and attention to detail in all the carved panels, you really understand that this is one of the worlds great temples.

[Fifth Level Third Gallery]

You enter the temple from the east gate and walk around each terrace in a clockwise direction (as you do in a Buddhist temple). Each terrace is lined with carved galleries of fantastic detail.

[Second Gallery Relief]

Upon completing the 6 square terraces you ascend to the first of the 3 circular terraces, where you will find over 500 Buddha images. There are 72 Buddha images contained inside latticed stupa’s, and some of the stupa’s are exposed to reveal the Buddha within.

[Exposed Buddha in Lattice Dagob]

The temple is capped with one large stupa, bringing the temple to a height of 35 metres.

[Main Stupa and Smaller Stupas]

At the top you can comtemplate the valley below and the volcanoes Sundoro Sumbing and Merbabu Merapi in the distance.

[Lattice Dagobs]

Getting To Borobudur
The most convenient way to visit Borobudur is by a day tour from Yogyakarta, which is 42km away. A day tour will also include other activities, such as a visit to the Prambanan Temple complex. If you wish to make your own way, there is a local bus from Yogyakarta which takes 90 minutes.

It is also possible to stay at Borobudur town at guesthouses nearby the temple.

Another popular way to get to Borobudur is via a tour arranged from Bali. seeing that Bali gets more visitors than anywhere in Indonesia, there of plenty of tour companies offering air or bus tours from Bali to Java. If you are planning a trip to Bali it would be worth considering putting aside a few days to do a side trip to Yogyakarta.

Yogyakarta Resources
Tourism Indonesia: Visit Indonesia.
Grand Quality Hotel Yogyakarta: Hotel in Yogyakarta.