ニューハーフショー/ Cabaret shows featuring transvestites and transgender performers

バンコク観光の定番の一つニューハーフショーを鑑賞、出演者の美しさと徹底したエンターティメントに時間を忘れて楽んだ。 １５年ほど前に来た時は、ホテルのバンケットルームのようなところだったが、今は専用の劇場になり、観客との間の距離が出来て少し寂しい気もしたが、その分スケールアップしてエンターティメント性を高めた感じ。ショーが終わるとお気に入りの出演者との記念写真も、気持ち分のチップも忘れずに。

I visited a popular cabaret shows featuring transvestites and transgender performers and enjoyed watching beautiful and professional performance. This is first time about fifteen years and I remember last time I enjoyed the show at the theater or banquet room in the hotel. This time it has been performed in much bigger permanent theater. I felt a little bit unsatisfactory since the distance between performers and audience is a little bit widened, however scale of the show is enhanced and sophisticated. After the show, you can take pictures with your favorite performers, but please do not forget a chip with your appreciation.

ソフトシェルクラブのから揚げ/Deep flied soft shell crab

脱皮したての渡りがにのから揚げ。こちらのシーフードレストランでも見かけるが、マナオ（タイのライム）をさっとかけて、ごま塩を少しつけて食べる、この日本料理屋のスタイルが、ビールのツマミに最高。
依然住んでいた金沢では脱皮したてのズワイガニは水ガニといって味噌汁の出汁にしかならない、最低ランクだったが、同じ蟹でもこちらのソフトシェルこんなに違うなんてと思ってしまう。そういえば金沢ではもうすぐにカニ解禁の季節だなあ。

Deep flied soft shell crab; blue crab or swimming crab which is just shed her shell. I can find similar dishes at sea-food restaurant in here Bangkok sometimes. But I prefer simplest style to eat it with salt and black sesame after squeezing manaao; Thai rime, I enjoy it in the Japanese restaurant.
One of the best dish for cold draft beer.
In Kanazawa city which I used to live, soft-shell crab of Snow crab has no appreciation since it has poor meat inside, so useful only for soup stock for miso soup. Poor soft shell crab of snow crab.
I wonder it would be crab season in Kanazawa soon.

チャオプラヤ川からのエメラルド寺院（ワットプラケオ）/ Emerald temple (Wat Phra Kaew) from Chao Phraya river

チャオプラヤ川からのエメラルド寺院（ワットプラケオ）/ Emerald temple (Wat Phra Kaew) from Chao Phraya river

チャオプラヤ川から見るワットプラケオの景色は、川岸にそそり立つワットアルンに比べると少し地味。境内のきらびやかさに比べると、外からの景色は少し控えめだが、でも十分に華麗。

Scene of Emerald temple (Wat Phra Kaew) from Chao Phraya river is not overwhelming comparing with Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) which is standing just river side. Appearance from the liver looks modest comparing glitter future inside of the temple, however still atrractive.

巨大蝦蛄（シャコ）の姿寿司/Boiled gigantic mantis-shrimp on Sushi style

こちらの蝦蛄は日本とは比べものにならないほど巨大。こちらではガーリックフライにして食べることが多いが、ある日本料理屋で見かけたメニュー。i-Phoneと見比べて頂ければ大きさが分かると思う。約３００バーツ（８００円弱）で少々高いが、一度試してみる価値は十分あると思う。

A mantis-shrimp of here in Bangkok is remarkably big, much much bigger than Japanese one. You can enjoy it deep flied with garlic usually in Bangkok. I can find it at menu in Japanese restaurant. You can see size comparing my i-Phone. Price of THB 300 is not cheap but I can recommend you try to taste.

菜食祭（齋食；ギン・ジェー)/ Vegetarian festival (Gin Jey)

毎年旧暦9月1日から9日（今年は10月15日～10月23日）、タイでは齋食（ギン・ジェー)と呼ばれる菜食祭が行われる。中国系タイ人は、この期間、肉や魚を食べずに、野菜や豆腐等植物を材料とする料理しか食べないベジタリアンになる。屋台や食堂では、ジェーを表わす、黄色地に赤色の齋の字を書いた三角の旗が掲げられる。コンビニの商品も調理食品やスナック菓子、カップめんにも齋の漢字が印刷されている。

From 1st to 9th of September on Lunatic calendar every year (15th to 23th of October of this year), Vegetarian festival called Gin Jey is organized in Thailand. Chinese Thai people celebrate vegetarian festival by refraining to eat all meats and fishes. Yellow triangle frags with red Chinese letter written “Jey” are displayed everywhere in the restaurant and on the street venders. Even ready to eat meals, snacks and cup noodles shelved in convenient store shows Chinese letter “Jey”.

快晴のバンコク/ Very fine weather in Bangkok

この週末はずっといい天気。 いよいよ雨季も終わったようだ。スモッグがかかっていて少し白っぽいのが残念。

It is very fine wehther in Bangkok in this weekend. It seems monsoon season is over!　It is a little bit regrettable sky color looks whitish because of air pollution.

街角のATM /ATM on the street

バンコクの街角のあちこちには、銀行のATMが２４時間営業で設置されていてとても便利。でも路上でお金をおろす時には周りに気をつけて。

You can easily find ATMs (automated teller machine) everywhere such as, shopping malls, BTS stations and even on the streets, operated 24/7. It is very convenient but please watch out when you use particularly on the streets.

ナイトバザールの綿菓子/ Cotton candy in night bazzar

２ヶ月ほど前にグランドオープンしたナイトバザールというにはお洒落すぎるナイトバザールのフードコートの一角の綿菓子屋さん。しっかり砂糖を入れてくれて、大きいうえに、湿度が高いからか、しっかり硬く出来ていて、これで２０バーツは結構お得感。

I found a street vender who sells cotton candy at the corner of food court in a night bazaar which was recently reconstructed and fully operated from around two months ago. This night bazaar is too cool and fashionable to call as a night bazaar. A young shopkeeper generously put a plenty of sugar into a machine, so the cotton candy was very big and solid, may be partly because of high humidity. I feel THB 20 was a very good shopping.

室内サーフィン/ Surfing in a room

最近オープンしたバンコク市内のショッピングモールで見つけた屋内サーフィン場。サーフィン好きにはたまらない施設なんだろうと思う。爽快さでは大自然の中よりは劣るだろうが、皆の前で自慢の腕前を見せられるのも気分がいいだろう。昔嗅いだようなバブルの香りが少しした。

Recently, I found a facility for surfing in a building of a shopping mall in Bangkok. It could be very attractive place for surfing freaks. It could be good place for show-off surfers who can enjoy playing in front of spectators, however refreshing felling might be inferior than in the nature. I can feel something like same feeling that I felt more than twenty years ago in Japan as before bubble had been broken.

王室御座船パレードのリハーサル /Rehearsal of Royal Barge parade

チャオプラヤ川沿いのバス停近くで観光客から、突然声をかけられる。チャオプラヤエクスプレス（水上バス）に乗ろうと思ったら、午後は運休で、バスに乗れと言われたという。ところが、教えられたバスがなかなか来ないので、本当にバスは来るのかと言う。
そうか今日は12月5日の国王誕生日に行われる王室御座船パレードのリハーサルの日だったのだ。本番まで、リハーサル中は川の交通を全て遮断してまだ数回行われるという。
来ないバスを不安な気持ちで待つ彼を、少し可哀想に思ったが、予定変更も旅の醍醐味の一つと、まったりとリハーサルを見るのも一興かもと思った。
ただ、突然のスコールで結局リハーサルが行われたのは、それから2時間以上経っていたから、あまり余計なことを言わないで良かったと思う。

I was called　at bus stop near Chao Phraya river. He was told he should take a bus since Chao Phraya express boat was canceled in the afternoon. However he was waiting the bus more than thirty minutes, so he was anxious to know whether the bus would come truly.
Today is the one of the rehearsal day for Royal Barge parade which will be held on the birthday of King, 5th of December. Such rehearsal would be operated several times until 5 December with all traffic stopped in the Chao Phraya river.
I felt a little pity for his uneasy feeling for waiting unknown bus so long time since he would be forced to change his original plan. But same time, I wondered it would be also lucky happening since he could have good opportunity to watch the rehearsal with easy feeling.
As a result, the rehearsal seemed to be delayed by sudden shower, so, I realized it was right thing I did not say unnecessary words.

夕闇迫るワットアルンのシルエット（暁の寺）/

通勤途中の船上から、夕闇迫るワットアルンを眺める。雲の形が刻々と変わり、彩雲が見られないかと期待するが、そうそう見られるものではない。雨季もそろそろ終わりに近づき、こういった景色もそろそろ終わりかも。

I glanced a silhouette of Wat Arun; Temple of dawn, from a boat on my way back home from my office. The shape of clouds was changing time by time in sunset. I hoped to see iridescence cloud, but it was so ambitious. Now the monsoon season would be nearly finished, so such scene might be also nearly end.

バンコクのスーパー銭湯/ Public hot spa in Bangkok

最近、バンコクにできた日本式温泉（正確にはスーパー銭湯）に行ってきた。館内は日本の温泉と全く同じ、タイ国内で有名な（らしい）ラノーン県の霊泉を運んできて天然温泉にしている。他にも、ジェット風呂、ソーダ風呂、露天風風呂、桶風呂にサウナがあり、日本にいると錯覚してしまう。湯上りに、枝豆とビールで極楽、極楽。入浴料は、大人450バーツ、子供250バーツ。

I visited today a Japanese style spa which are opened recently. In the spa, it looks completely same as Japanese spa. Hot spring spa water which is transported from very famous natural spa in Ranong district. Besides, you can enjoy a jet bath, a soda bath; very tiny babble in hot water, also quasi open air bath and barrel bath which are very similar Japanese public bath. After taking bath, of cause, you can enjoy cold beer with boiled green soy bean. You can feel very very relaxed. The fee of bath is 450 THB for adult and THB 250 for child.

アユタヤの涅槃仏/ Reclining Buddha in Ayutthaya

ワットロカヤスータの涅槃仏、さすがに野ざらしでは仏様に悪いと思って僧衣を着せたのかと思ったら、僧衣を纏っていない時もあるらしい。遺跡の中で山吹色の僧衣を纏って悠然と寝ている仏像は、やはり何か印象的。

A reclining Buddha in Wat LokayaSutha, I wonder the robe is covered by religious Buddhist who fell uneasy to see it without a roof. However, sometimes it lay down without robe. It looks very impressive the Buddha with golden yellow robe reclining calmly in ruin. 　

バンランプー郵便局/BANGLUMPOO Post Office

世界中からバックパーカーが集まるカオサン通りにも近いバンランプー郵便局 。いろんな人が持ち込んだ荷物で雑然としており少し不安になるが、場所柄、係員も英語が通じるし、日本に出した葉書も無事ついているようだ。

BANGLUMPOO Post Office near the Khaosan road where many back-packers coming from all over the world. Once you can see many packages put on the floor so messy, you might feel a little bit uneasy, but you can use English clerks at the counter. Also it seems postcards I sent to Japan were safely delivered until now.

マンゴーの木の上のリス/ Squirrel on a Mango branch

オフィスの窓の下のマンゴーの枝には時々リスが現れ走り回っている。いつか写真をとってやろうと思っていたが、いつも動きが早くて撮れないでいた。夕方、仕事がひと段落してふと見ると、直ぐ下の枝で、動かずに何かを無心に食べているリスを発見、急いでiPhoneで撮るが、やはり良く撮れない。今は実もすっかり落ちてしまったが、いつかは、マンゴーの実とリスのツーショットを撮ってやろうかと密かに心に思う。

I sometimes find squirrels run on branches of Mango tree just under a window of my office. I am always thinking I would take a good shoot of them in sometime, but I cannot it because they run so quickly. This evening I found one squirrel that eating something on a branch without moving when I glanced outside just after I finished today's task. I rushed to take a photo with my iPhone, but it was not so good. Now all mango fruits have already fell down, but I wonder I would take a good shot of a squirrels with mango fruit in someday.