Granville St in Vancouver BC is a great street to walk.  From the area of the Pan Pacific Hotel on one end to the ferry dock for Granville Island at the other, there is a lot to see.  Near the Pan Pacific end is Gas Town with its historic buildings.  But try walking up the hill along the Granville St route.  You won’t be disappointed.

Central HK

Central HK

Causeway Bay is one of my favorite districts in Hong Kong.  It has shopping for everyone’s budget.   As a result it’s a great place for people watching.  But it’s also a great venue for landscapes.  Walking from the heart of Causeway Bay shopping district to the waterfront takes about 10-15 minutes.  As you can see, there’s a great view in every direction.  These photos were taken at sunrise.

Kowloon side

Kowloon side

Step off

Step off

Exercise

Exercise

Take a walk

Take a walk

Jatujak Weekend Market is one of the world’s biggest “flea markets”. It is huge with a variety of merchandise unrivaled in the world.  From clothing to house plants to accessories to on and on, you can spend days looking around.  And buying.  The best time to go is early, maybe around 9am, as it does get crowded and hot.  Don’t miss it.

Shall we buy?

Shall we buy?

In the way

In the way

One of my favorite Japanese restaurants on Thonglor is Zen.  Although the restaurant is not a high-end, I find the food quite good.  The menu is extensive, one of the largest I’ve seen.  The offerings run the gamut from the stereotypical sushi, tempura and teriyaki to other dishes that definitely have a local slant.  Like the  spicy seafood salad, a dish I consider one of their best.  And the prices are some of the lowest in Thailand.

The restaurant is located in the 55th Building which also houses several other Japanese restaurants, a Sizzler and a See Fah Chinese Restaurant.

Please come in

Please come in

Have a seat

Have a seat

A couple of months ago I was interviewed by US “Men’s Health” magazine re “Yakiniku” (Japanese BBQ).  Well glad to say that the short interview made it to print!  There is one typo.  The Japanese sauce is called “tare” not “pare”.

Living here in Bangkok we are lucky in that there is Yakiniku everywhere!  My favorite is Iroha off of Thonglor.

FYI, I also went to an all-you-can-eat Yakiniku restaurant in Vancouver Canada last Tuesday night and it was also very good.  Not at good as Iroha but not bad.

Shopping for ...?

Shopping for ...?

There aren’t very many shops in the transit area.  In the airport itself, there are lots of shops.  Inside the transit area there are a few designer boutiques.  However the most interesting is the Akihibara store.  The store has lots of electronics, watches, cosmetics etc.  The shops at Bangkok and Singapore airports are much better for variety and sheer number of stores.  Nevertheless, it’s still interesting.

A crowd looking for gifts

A crowd looking for gifts

Nearby

Nearby

Sunny day

Sunny day

Sitting here having a light breakfast and I have to say that the lounge is quite nice.  Spacious with good sightlines in all directions.  At this time of day there are hardly any customers so that makes it even nicer.

The blob

The blob

The curve

The curve

While I was walking around Granville Island munching on a muffin and drinking cafe latte I ran across this little kid feeding the pigeons.  Believe she was around two years old.  Had no fear of the birds at all.

Line up please

Line up please

And mom

And mom

More please

More please

Vancouver is a cruise ship hub for Alaska.  From what I’ve heard, this season’s travel is soon to end.  The terminal at Canada Place is across the street from my hotel and there is a constant flow of people traveling to and from Alaska.

The cruise ships are spectacular, as the photo shows.

Sea cruise

Sea cruise

To the sea

To the sea

The public market is one of the highlights of any visit to Vancouver.  Not only is it a great place to buy food, there are many restaurants, shops and other attractions.  You can spend the entire day just lounging around.  Drinking coffee and eating a muffin for breakfast, having salmon for lunch, and crab for dinner.  And shopping or people-watching in between.  And the view of the sea and the mountains is unrivaled.

Sign of the times

Sign of the times

Makes you hungry

Makes you hungry

More

More

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