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retrospective: lisbon in instagrams

At the time of writing this, we are living in truly weird times. There is a global pandemic ravaging the world, causing a lot of sadness and grief but also turning our lives upside down. As someone who travels a lot, both for leisure and for work, the closure of the borders is a significant change in my life. I had a lot of plans for travel and also for this website, which are canceled or on hold for now. But you have to see the upsides as well. There is a feeling of change in the air, of reflection and rethinking. Now we have the time to ask ourselves: What is essential, and what do we truly need? The future seems more uncertain than ever before.

A good time for a retrospection. For many years, I was pretty active on Instagram, and I liked the very distinct square format. Intentionally, I kept it very separate from this website because I didn’t think the shots were fitting for desktop screens. But having time at home, I am sorting my library, and I like the Instagram format for some shots, so I decided to do some collections. Let’s start with a country and city which is very close to me. Selected impressions of Lisbon, Portugal, in 2014.

The Golden Palace

The Golden Palace is actually the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the former seat of the Thai kings, and it is situated in the center of the city. Today, the king resides in another palace in Bangkok, and the Grand Palace is open to visitors. If you happen to visit Bangkok, it is definitely worth seeing; the buildings are rich in art and covered in gold. There are a lot of people, and you don’t have it for yourself. Also, the entrance fee is relatively high, but nonetheless, a must-see.

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Streets of Bangkok

The streets of Bangkok are busy. The law of the strongest applies here, and it does not favor pedestrians. Basically, you just have to cross the street and hope for the best. The same applies to Tuk Tuks, small, basically self-made Taxis. There is a saying in Bangkok: “If you aren’t able to pass your driving exam, you drive Tuk Tuk!”. Still, it’s part of the experience and definitely an excellent way to get to know the city. Usually, you have a Tuk Tuk for a whole day, and it brings you to the major sights, just be careful if it seems too cheap (20 Bat), because then some drivers like to bring you to suit shops first to cash in some commission.

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Spiritual Thailand

Thailand is a deeply spiritual country. Most of the inhabitants are Buddhists, though there is a significant Muslim population in the south of the country close to the border with Malaysia. Bangkok in particular is a fascinating place to discover Thai Buddhist temples, also called Wat. There are many forms of Buddha statues, as well as depictions of demons and a lot of gold and color in general.

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