Thailand is a Southeast Asian country. It’s known for tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins and ornate temples displaying figures of Buddha. In Bangkok, the capital, an ultramodern cityscape rises next to quiet canalside communities and the iconic temples of Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Emerald Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Kaew). Nearby beach resorts include bustling Pattaya and fashionable Hua Hin.
Monthly Archives: January 2021
Morning News Podcast: President Biden’s First Day, Covid Actions & Numbers
President Biden’s top priority is getting the pandemic under control. What do his first executive actions tell us about how he plans to do that? Biden also released a sweeping reform bill to overhaul the U.S. immigration system.
And in 35 states, coronavirus numbers are falling. Researchers believe the U.S. has hit a peak in the pandemic, but some public health officials are skeptical.
Walking Tour: Kitsuki City In Japan (4K Video)
Kitsuki City is located at the southern end of the Kunisaki Peninsula, facing north across Oita City and Beppu Bay. During the Edo period, Matsudaira of Kitsuki clan prospered as a castle town of 32,000 koku of rice, and was the political and economic center of the Kunisaki Peninsula until the abolition of the fief.
Video timeline: 00:00 タイトル（Title） 00:18 番所の坂（Bansho no saka slope） 01:01 勘定場の坂（Kanjoba no saka slope） 03:08 大原邸（Ohara Residence） 04:07 酢屋の坂（Suya no saka slope） 04:35 塩屋の坂（Shioya no saka slope） 06:07 酢屋の坂（Suya no saka slope） 07:14 杵築城 （Kitsuki Castle） 09:27 本丁（Honcyo street） 09:48 一松邸（Ichimatsu Residence） 11:51 商人の町（Merchant Town） 12:09 飴屋の坂（Ameya no saka slope） 13:03 裏丁（Uracyo street） 13:35 寺町（Teramachi street） 13:44 長昌寺（Cyosyoji Temple） 14:54 寺町（Teramachi street） 15:20 天神坂（Tenjin zaka slope） 15:46 天満社（Tenmansha shrine） 16:17 杵築市の夕暮れ（Kitsuki city sunset）
Travel Views: ‘Lake Thun – Switzerland’ (4K Video)
Lake Thun is an Alpine lake in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland region. Its shore is dotted with towns, including Thun, and Romanesque churches. In Thun’s old town, 12th-century Thun Castle houses a museum exhibiting prehistoric and medieval artifacts. To the south, Schadau Park has the Thun Panorama, a 19th-century 360-degree painting of the town. Farther south is Spiez Castle, with furnished 15th-century courtrooms.
Washington DC Walks: Capitol To White House With President Biden
Joe Biden walks to the White House as the new president of the United States.
Technology Podcast: Einstein’s Photons, Lasers And Cheaper Solar Power
How has Einstein’s work on photons ushered in a golden age of light? Oliver Morton, The Economist’s briefings editor, explores why laser’s applications have been spectacular and how solar power became the cheapest source of electricity in many countries.
Also, he talks to the scientists scanning the skies with the largest digital camera in the world.
Wildlife: ‘Amazon Pigmy Geckos – The Unsinkable Lizard’ (BBC Earth Video)
This little pygmy gecko has an amazing superpower, that helps it survive in the wet season.
The Amazon pigmy gecko is a species of lizard in the Sphaerodactylidae family found in northern South America in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Ecuador, and northern Peru.
Train Travel: ‘Kyushu – Southern Japan’ (Video)
Kyushu is said to be the wellspring of Japanese civilization. Yet few tourists visit the southernmost of Japan’s main islands. This documentary contrasts modern Japanese cities with traditional customs in the countryside.
The rail journey begins in Fukuoka – a city with a metro population of 2.5 million – and ends at the southern tip of the island, in the city of Ibusuki. As the train rolls along, it travels through time – and reveals the amazing diversity and contrasts of the most southerly of Japan’s four main islands. The trip provides spectacular landscape views, as well as deep insight into a foreign culture, and its ancient traditions and modern lifestyles. In the West, Kyushu is one of the lesser-known regions in the “Land of the Rising Sun.”
Even for the Japanese, the green, mountainous island is seen mostly as a holiday spot. Europeans rarely visit this part of the country – but there are plenty of restaurants and cafes that have names like “Wolfgang,” “Bavaria,” or “Côte d’Azur.” Travel guides say that these words sound “European” to Japanese.
The family of the emperor, or Tenno, comes from Kyushu as well. This is also where the dynasties of the proud warrior class, the samurai, have their roots. And there are a number of active volcanoes on Kyushu. One of the most famous is Mount Aso. Its caldera – the cauldron-like hollow at the top — has a circumference of about 120 kilometers.
Walks: ‘Baden’ – A Spa Town Near Vienna, Austria (4K)
Baden bei Wien is a spa town southwest of Vienna, the Austrian capital. The focus of its main square is the Trinity Column plague memorial. Narrow surrounding streets are known for their 19th-century Biedermeier architecture. The leafy Kurpark features the Casino Baden, memorials to composers like Beethoven and Mozart, and trails leading to Kalvarienberg, a hill where the park transitions into the Vienna Woods.
Culinary: Pitmaster John Lewis Perfects The ‘Art Of The Barbecue’ (Video)
Pitmaster John Lewis is known not only for his mouthwatering South Carolina brisket, sausages, and ribs, but also for his dedication to “perfecting” the art of barbecue by customizing his own smokers, and getting creative with brining, rubbing, and smoking techniques.
Boomers Daily 