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Showing posts with the label Festivals

Hogmanay: Bringing in the New Year in Edinburgh

Looking back over the years, my New Year’s celebrations have been mostly low-key, largely unexceptional.  Oh, I’ve had some good ones — my Bangkok New Year’s was so much fun, and I’ve had a few memorable nights in Boston — but most of the time the night hasn’t lived up to the hype.  It’s hard to top anticipation like that. My visits to Edinburgh, however — and there have been FIVE in the past fifteen months! — have always been exceptional.  There’s just something about Edinburgh that has drawn me back again and again.  I once told Kash that returning to Edinburgh felt like getting a hug by a good friend wearing a fuzzy sweater.  It’s familiar and comforting, yet you know you’re about to have an amazing time. And in that vein, I gladly accepted an invitation to join #Blogmanay — a Hogmanay celebration for 21 travel bloggers. On this trip, we experienced the best of Hogmanay — and the best of Ed...

Photos: The Best of Songkran in Bangkok

Celebrating Songkran in Bangkok was one of my favorite adventures during my six months in Southeast Asia. And while it’s incredibly hard to get good photographs while everyone is throwing water at you, I managed to get a few good shots.  Here are my favorites. Flowered shirts, water guns and the back of a pickup truck — the ideal way to celebrate Songkran! It wasn’t so bad getting drenched with the warm water hose at Wild Orchid Villa!  Ste attacks here. Think the water fights are off-limits indoors?  Think again.  (And Darren, you really do give us the best poses.) Thanon Rambuttri — one street over from Khao San Road — is filled with thousands of people, as are the surrounding streets. This little boy was the tiniest Songkran participant I saw, and absolutely adorable with his little water gun! Taking a tuk-tuk?  You might as well be painting a bull’s eye on yourself. ...