I had a fabulous time in Thailand! Bangkok is a great place
to visit, a major destination for tourists from all over the
world. I spent a week there - a few days working with my musician
friends, and several days exploring the city and learning about a
culture on the other side of the world. It was a great experience
and I'd like to go back and see more of the country someday.
—recording—
Chappell in a recording studio with musicians Ryuko Mizutani,
Noriko Tsuboi, Shoko Hikage, Masayo Ishigure (koto players), Hiromu
Motonaga (shakuhachi player), and Oh (engineer). We recorded five
of my arrangements: "My Favorite Things", "Take Five/Blue Rondo
à la Turk", "Sakura", "Je Te Veux" (Satie), and "Adios Nonino"
(Piazzolla). The CD will also include traditional Japanese music - I'll let you all know when it's available!
—palace—
—river—
With Timi, Mark, and Bud Smith.
—art—
These images are from the
2000-foot mural on the walls of the Grand Palace illustrating the
complete Ramayien epic. An astounding piece of work, to say the
least! Reminds me of the fantastical imagination of Hieronymous Bosch.
It's good to be da king.
—shopping—
I spent a good amount of time at
Chatuchak Market, an overwhelming conglomeration of six thousand
vendors selling everything you could want. Putting up fifty photos of
the market still wouldn't show you near everything that's there, but
here are a few highlights.
An internet café with 75-cent kiwi slushies - only in Bangkok!
—zoo—
Yes, we are up-close and personal with some dangerous wild animals. No, I can't believe it either.
The dark side of the zoo...at least American zoos don't feed you the animals that you've just seen!
This particular mahout, Lek, was a real clown - and he seemed to be
under the impression that I share the elephant's love for "grass"...
Elephants kick ass.
—surprises—
An embarassingly patronizing Ronald McDonald aping a Thai gesture of
thanks. Thanks for letting us barge into your country to feed you
terrible food!
I have seen it with my own eyes - Harry Potter has actually conquered
the world. But unlike Ronald, he's got something good to offer.