There is something in its name that isn’t quite right. Yes, it is a lake of 2.5 square kilometres in dimension. But the lotuses are not exactly red but pink. In fact, they are not lotuses at all but water lilies. Yet the entire lake is so gorgeous – a vast patchwork of vivid pink colour of stunning beauty. Everywhere I look, there is an abundance of pink water lilies floating on the water. They satisfy my eyes and gave me a wonderful feeling of being grateful for life itself. 


This lake is called Talee Bua Daeng or The Red Lotus Lake. It is located in Udon Thani province, Northern Thailand. Some 3 kilometres away from the town centre, I started the journey by road at dawn. I had to get there by 6 as I wanted to see the sunrise. Also, the tour boats only run until 10 when the beautiful pink lilies are in full bloom. By noon, the flowers close. 

I hopped onto the hired boat for a two hours ride and was gently transported to a very pleasant, tranquil place. The weather was very nice. Fresh, cool air was touching my face but not cold. To see the sun slowly rising on the background was stunning and utterly breathtaking. To watch the morning breaking softly surrounded by beauty was such an unforgettable moment. I can hear the birds singing sweetly from a distant. The sound of the water breaking swiftly as the boat moves forward gave a feeling of peace. 


It was said that this lake is known for an ancient love story with a very sad ending. But it is hard to know which ancient love story it is. There are many ancient love stories centred around a lake with tragic finale. In fact, I can’t find more information about this lake. I wanted to know more about its history but there were no tourist guides to tell me its story. I didn’t find anyone around the area who can tell me either, not even the men who guide the boats around the lake. There were no tourist information to be found. 

But probably the wonderful scenery speaks for itself. The lake with all its beauty was telling me and everyone else there that indeed it is the most beautiful place on earth!

Twelve Sunflowers in a Vase, 1888

If you have been to Chiang Mai already and you like this sort of thing, you’ve been here for sure. I saw tons of photos from this place and each of them was looking quite fun. So why not see it for myself. I didn’t have any regrets. I quite enjoyed my time with Vincent Van Gogh. 

Self – Portrait with Pipe And Bandaged Ear, 1889

Starry Night Over the Rhone (1888)

Though the road getting there was a bit too narrow and scary I would say, I recommend staying at Pataleban Vineyard Resort if you want to wake up every morning with a spectacular view. It’s an hour drive from the centre of Kathmandu. Here locals come for a weekend picnic or just to take photo. The staff are friendly and I learned from the manager that I can’t look like a Nepalese because I don’t have a mountain nose. 

Walking up at 5:00 in the morning was necessary to make it to the mountain flight to see the Himalayas and the Mt. Everest. Fortunately, it was a clear morning. The skies were blue and the pilots allowed me to the cockpit to take this photo. I also had the whole backseat of the plane. So I moved freely to the left and to the right. It was one of the best experiences I had in life. It was amazingly beautiful! 

I’m not so convinced but perhaps Rudyard Kipling had some influence why Mandalay is famous all over the world. In 1890 when he was 24 years old, he wrote the poem Mandalay. The poem colourfully illustrates the nostalgia and longing of a British Empire soldier for the exotic Asia.

Mandalay is the second largest city and the last royal capital of Myanmar. Located around 700 km north of Rangoon on the East bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of over a million. It is considered the centre of Burmese culture.

Personally, the most attractive feature of Mandalay is not the numerous religious sites to visit or the Mandalay Hill for a spectacular spot to watch the sunset but the friendliness of the city. While walking on the road, people will take the time to stop and ask if they could be of help, if direction is needed for a certain place. I haven’t seen so friendly and helpful hotel staff such as in Mandalay that it was so spontaneous and contagious. Hotel guests coming from different parts of the world were so much friendlier than usual that it was quite hard to not engage in conversations. So it’s not really the place if you would rather have some peace and quiet.

(Photo taken at the Mandalay Central Train Station)

Located in Amarapura on the outskirts of Mandalay, the 1.2 kilometre U Bein bridge built around 1850 is believed to be the longest and oldest teak bridge in the world. The bridge itself is made almost completely of teak planks mounted on pilings from an ancient palace. It’s rather rickety and uneven with no railings. One boy almost fell when I was there. Hand on my heart, I was scared for him.

The area is a very popular place to view sunset. Many boat operators offer their service to take people to the middle of the lake to see the sun setting. It is highly recommended as the view from the boat is just the most magnificent.

It’s the most beautiful feeling to be in the beach at dawn to feel the cool breeze touching my face and the sand between my toes. Facing the sea and waiting for the sun to rise, I could only hope that this is my daily scenery.

Located some 200 kilometres from Bangkok, Ko Samet is one of the eastern islands of Thailand. It says that the island consists of lush hills covered with evergreen and that 80% of its total area is covered by forest. But I didn’t really get that far in exploring the island.

There is a coffee house in the resort where I stayed. The coffee was good but the barista was quite distracted by the TV. He gets a bit annoyed every time someone places an order. Looking all surprise with a heavy frown on his face, he could have easily forgotten that he works there.

I did consider buying a genuine Venetian mask. But it’s very costly and after all, I’m not going to any Venetian carnival. Masks have always been the main feature of the Venetian carnival. They can be made of leather, porcelain or with the original glass technique. The original masks were simple in design with symbolic functions. Nowadays, most of Venetian masks are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are hand-painted using gems and natural feathers. The use of masks in Venice can be traced back as far as the 13th century. But in the past, these masks were also associated with rebellion. They can be a cover and a disguise when committing forbidden acts. There was a time when the wearing of masks in normal daily life was severely restricted. The mask I was trying here cost 150 Euros.