downtown

enjoying a cold one at an outdoor cafe near the city - a resourceful waiter collected a handful of sunglasses from nearby patrons to observe the solar eclipse

an exuberant fan of street fairs shows off his bone

graffiti art partially blocked by a couple of port-o-toilets

a crowd of young attention seekers dancing to the hypnotic beat of club dance music

a talented musician performing for pedestrians on a busy sidewalk 

late winter trip to asia

it is the end of winter with temperatures hovering about the freezing point - a dreary view of residential rooftops near the high-rise business district

the high-rise business district at the end of a long workday

a cool jazz bar provides a warm setting for conversation drink and live music

a traditional dance performance for tourists and locals at a dinner-theater venue at the foothills of nam-san

a different day and a different city - the location should be obvious from the iconic night skyline

took a trek to one of the most remote spots outside of this city where a rather large statue resides on a hill top

the spot is in an undeveloped and surprisingly peaceful locale

meanwhile closer to the center of town a new high-end shopping mall has sprung up and seems to be thriving in this monied economy

one simple pleasure is the ferry ride - offering a 10 minute respite from the perils of city life

a wet fish shop setting up for the day

a roadside restaurant serving spicy crabs where tables have overflowed into the street forcing loyal patrons to eat while keeping a wary eye out for fast-moving cars

enjoying a nice cold one in a bar with a view of this growing metropolis

the city view from my hotel room

fresh sliced and garnished beef being prepared at a yakiniku restaurant that has a distinct local signature

a video is included here for posterity

in the woods behind the house

there are trees that stand tall in eerie circles

moss that grow thick on waist-high stone walls

and tree tops that seem to reach higher than the moon

back in the southland for the holidays

driving through downtown - opened the moon roof - and looked up

a large list of specials scribbled in chalk at a japanese-italian restaurant

a short-staffed restaurant kitchen crew working on a holiday weekend

a store sells all manners of mexican wrestling masks to anyone with ten dollars and a dream

a city in south east asia

in a sprawling metropolis as far as the eye can see

the city is a mix of old and new

i seemed to have chosen a hotel in the more developed part of town

where costs for luxuries can rival anywhere in the first world

a nice martini on this rooftop bar commands first world prices

but the nice breeze in the tropical weather and the view of the early christmas shopping is a nice perk

there are french colonialization influences - here the central post office offers tourists and post users a reason to visit

notre dame church in the high-rent district stands out amongst the newer glass and steel structures

the food is tasty and comforting in this part of the world

fish for sale at a local market - perhaps sorted by geneology ....

this is the center of the back-packer district - where cafes and restaurants place their customers facing the entertainment provided by the cacophony of passing scooters and street hawkers

an impromptu sunday morning concert by a flamenco troupe creates a jam of moped music-lovers who stop in the middle of the large intersection to listen for a while

passed a small family on a moped in the countryside just outside the city

an old man cycling along the dirt road pulling his cargo of plant matter

a father and son sharing a moment on the streets near the main marketplace

everywhere i go - there are always brides and grooms posing for wedding photos alongside municipal parks and monuments

not the most aerodynamic form of transportation - someone should have told him that there was a rather large bundle of helium-filled balloons attached to his bike

half the local people wear face-masks to ward off some of the larger particulates in the air but the air pollution is quite severe and unavoidable

i think the city is named after this man

i think i had walked past him earlier in the day by the market

happened upon a calendar photo session where i snapped a couple of photos myself

passed a row of shops with artisans that make the most amazing model sailing boats

a photo of a photo on exhibit at the war remnants museum -

a picture from times past

bowling, occupy oakland, food

took off a few hours in the afternoon for beer and bowling

a scene from the encampment of civil protesters in front of city hall

with a smile hard working volunteers serve hot meals to protesters and the homeless

a narrow building downtown

a rather large bowl of cut noodles at a very reasonable price

pork belly and spinach salad with a ginger soy-sauce dressing

taro balls wrapped in bacon and charcoal grilled

salmon sashimi posed on a chiso leaf

rice salmon pickles seaweed and wasabe in green tea