Random Thoughts - Going Analogue during Vacations

By -

As digital technologies and devices continue to take over our daily lives and habits, I now try to "digitally detox" myself whenever I travel. While my work dictates that I cannot fully rid myself of my digital communications channels even when I am on vacations, I have tried to limit time spent on my digital devices in my recent trips. And I will continue to do so in the future.

Work aside, I believe we had all spent a fair bit of time reading news, checking in on social media and even doing some online shopping while we were traveling. Besides, what was there to do if we happened to be chilling out in a cafe in a nice Tokyo suburb or dining at an eatery by a picturesque riverside along the Mekong River?

Enough of that, for me at least. I have decided that books and journals are the way to go when I travel. Conversations with people around me; with my travel partners, fellow travelers, folks working at the cafes or the locals. Through conversations, I discovered whole new worlds. I got to know people of different cultures, interests and perspectives. It widened my views on life and the world around me.

And on days when I do not feel like talking to anyone, there were always my journals where I could pen down my thoughts; conversations with myself. And I meant hardcopy journals on which I physically wrote with a pen or pencil. Not the digital versions. No batteries required.

Coffee at a cafe, Miyajima (Itsukushima), Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan (2019)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Japan, Takayama - Dining on Wasakana

By -
Image
The city of Takayama is also known as Hida-Takayama and is located in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture in Japan. A popular dish in Takayama is Wasakana or river fish. There are many species of river fishes in Takayama but the ones that are regularly served as part of the local cuisines are Ayu ( Plecoglossus altivelis , ) a.k.a sweetfish and Iwana ( Salvelinus leucomaenis ), a species of river trout.  Wasakana (River Fish). This fish was pickled and then grilled. I am not sure of the species of this fish which was caught in the river behind the Ryokan where I resided during my stay in the mountains. Takayama, Gifu, Japan (2014) The fishes are usually marinated with sea salt and grilled. This method of cooking the river fishes is most popularly shown in pictures or on travel documentaries. During my visit to Takayama in October 2014, I finally got to savor the delicious tastes of the Wasakana prepared in authentic local styles by the locals....
Read more

Singapore, Horsburgh - Deep Sea Fishing

By -
Image
Horsburgh Lighthouse (or Horsburgh) is located on an outlying small island (a.k.a Pedra Branca meaning "White Rock" in Portuguese) near the entrance to the east of the Straits of Singapore. The lighthouse was named after Cpt James Horsburgh, who was a hydrographer with the then East India Company. Horsburgh is located about 54km (34 miles) east of Singapore. It was raining in the morning as we set off for the long anticipated trip which was planned as far back as 3 months ago in August 1998. There were four of us; YK, Kenneth, CC and myself.  
 Soon, we were on our way to the suppossedly rich fishing grounds near Horsburgh Lighthouse. This locale is considered a good fishing ground for recreational fishing because commercial trawling is supposedly not permitted.  
 We reached our first fishing spot at exactly 5.00 pm local time. Looking around, we couldn't see actually any lighthouse but who cares, it was the fishing that we were coming for, not a visit to so...
Read more

Estonia, Tallinn - Palace of Ungern-Sternberg

By -
Image
I was awestruck by the grandness and magnificence of this building during my walking tour of the Old Town of Tallinn. While there, I had no opportunity to enter the building itself. Thus, admiring its facade and photographing its structure as I walked around its perimeter had to suffice.  The  Palace of Ungern-Sternberg, Tallinn, Estonia (2017) Without knowing what this building was, its history and its name, the photographs I took allowed me to conduct basic research on it after the trip.  Based on my rudimentary research into the building long after my trip to Tallinn, I was to discover that it was built in the year 1865 by the German architect, Martin Gropius. Also known as the Palace of Ungern-Sternberg, the building is today the home of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. The Academy is a group of scientists whose aim is to promote research & development and scientific cooperation as well as knowledge dissemination.  The main build...
Read more