Posts from ThorstenCologne

Drinking and driving in Phnom Penh

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:01:08 +0000

I’m confused. I always thought you weren’t supposed to drink and drive. But then what’s the message these traffic cops in Phnom Penh are sending out? ... more: http://tocologne.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/drinking-and-driving-in-phnom-penh

Oktoberfest in Phnom Penh – it’s Munich on the Mekong

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:44:52 +0000

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I’ve never been to Munich’s Oktoberfest. Somehow the combination of binge drinking, oom-pah music and big-busted waitresses in dirndl-dresses always failed to intrigue me. So I was unprepared for what I experienced last night, when I attended the Oktoberfest in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh – of all places. ... more: http://tocologne.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/oktoberfest-in-phnom-penh-its-munich-on-the-mekong

Knai Bang Chatt – Pure Luxury in Cambodia

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:22:06 +0000

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Want to get away from it all? Come to Kep in southern Cambodia and check in to Knai Bang Chatt resort. Knai Bang Chatt is a name that needs explaining. It means ‘rainbow around the sun’. In Buddhist symbolism, this rainbow is the halo around Buddha’s head. more: http://tocologne.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/knai-bang-chatt-pure-luxury-in-cambodia/

Things I keep forgetting about the US

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:58:58 +0000

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There are so many banal facts everyone knows about the United States, but when you’re here, you’re still taken by surprise. At least I was on this trip to America. ... more tocologne.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/things-i-keep-forgetting-about-the-us

Macau's Venetian Hotel is Venice on steroids

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:43:51 +0000

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Macau’s Venetian Hotel isn’t your quiet little neighborhood Bed and Breakfast. With its 40 stories, 3000 suites and 980 000 square meters, it’s the fourth largest building in the world by area. ... more tocologne.wordpress.com/2009/05/18/macaus-venetian-hotel-is-venice-on-steroids

Beijing bric à brac

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 02:31:36 +0000

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When grandpa Zhang in Beijng cleans out his attic, he’s likely to find different stuff than Mr. Smith in Smalltown, USA. ... more: tocologne.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/beijing-bric-a-brac

Behind the scenes at the Tsechu

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:08:08 +0000

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This weekend, we got a chance to look behind the scenes of a Tsechu. This three-day religious festival includes masked dances performed by Buddhist monks. It’s held once a year in each disctrict or dzongkhag in Bhutan. For the Bhutanese, the Tsechu is the highlight of the year. Some of them walk for days from their remote Himalayan villages to be part of it. ... more tocologne.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/behind-the-scenes-at-the-tsechu

Buddhist worshippers don’t have to fend off tourists

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:44:39 +0000

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In Bhutan’s capital Thimphu, the locals have the holy sites almost to themselves. What you see at the city’s National Memorial Chorten, for instance, is devout Buddhists going round and round the holy stupa, but hardly any tourists.... more tocologne.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/buddhist-worshippers-dont-have-to-fend-off-tourists

Saying good-bye to mom and dad

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:14:05 +0000

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My parents are well into their seventies. They live pretty far away from me and I see them about twice a year. Every time we visit, I notice how they’re getting older. ... more http://tocologne.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/saying-good-bye-to-mom-and-dad

The North Korean dinner show

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:45:44 +0000

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I saw the most unusual dinner show the other day. It was at a North Korean restaurant in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh. ... more: tocologne.wordpress.com/2008/12/18/the-north-korean-dinner-show

Christmas in Cambodia

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:01:02 +0000

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Christmas isn’t exactly a traditional holiday in Cambodia. 95 % of the people here are Buddhists. Only a very small minority are Christians. But just like the people in many other Asian countries, Cambodians love Christmas lights and decorations, giving gifts and throwing Christmas parties. ... more: tocologne.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/christmas-in-cambodia

Welcome to paradise

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:24:55 +0000

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Serendipity Beach in the southern Cambodian city of Sihanoukville is a backpackers’ paradise. Dive shops, a tattoo artist and a couple of massage places line the unpaved road from the town down to the beach. ... more: http://tocologne.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/welcome-to-paradise/

Snakes on a bus

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:07:07 +0000

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When I left Phnom Penh this morning on a bus to Cambodia’s southern beaches, I was looking forward to a quiet, relaxing ride through the Cambodian countryside. I’d neglected to take the on-board entertainment on such buses into consideration... more

Too late for the fun

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 04:57:51 +0000

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When I arrived in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on Friday, I was exactly one day late for one of the city’s greatest festivities. The Water Festival 2008 - or Bon Om Tuk, as it’s called in Khmer - concluded on Thursday night with boat races and spectacular fireworks. ... more

Feels like fall

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:28:28 +0000

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It’s strange to be back in Europe after six weeks in Asia. No more heat and humidity, like in Thailand. Instead, it’s autumn in Germany. more

Lifestyles of the rich and famous on a budget

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:21:40 +0000

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One of the nice things about being in Asia is that prices are so much lower here than at home. You can treat yourself to a really nice hotel, to great restaurants and all sorts of other luxurious indulgences that won’t bust your vacation budget. ... more

Of monks and masks

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:15:08 +0000

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Witnessing a tsechu in Bhutan is an experience that is hard to describe and impossible to forget. ... more http://tocologne.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/of-monks-and-masks/

Miss Bhutan 2008

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:11:57 +0000

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The Miss Bhutan 2008 Beauty Pageant this weekend was the first beauty pageant I’ve attended. And it was probably the last. ... more http://tocologne.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/miss-bhutan-2008/

When will the officer turn green?

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:15:03 +0000

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Thimphu is the world’s only capital city without a single stop light. ... more http://tocologne.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/when-will-the-officer-turn-green/

The Divine Madman's phallus

nobody@ipernity.com (ThorstenCologne) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:14:24 +0000

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WARNING: If you feel offended by the folkloristic depiction of male genitalia, do not continue reading this article and do not look at the pictures. ... more: http://tocologne.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/the-divine-madmans-phallus/