ポカラの大晦日

12月31日（金）快晴

 

ポカラの街の中心はレークサイド。1日10時間停電になるカトマンズと違って清潔で近代的な街。湖畔沿いの1kmの歩行者専用道路の両側に飲食店や土産物屋が並んでいます。今年で10回目になる新年を祝う祭りが盛大に開催され、民族舞踊やヤク舞が繰り広げられます。

 

ポカラ

 

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New year’s Eve in Pokhara

Thu. December 31 : fine

 

The center of Pokhara is Lake Side. Being different from Kathmandu where you have 10-hour blackout every day Pokhara is a clean and modern city. Restaurants and gift shops are lined up both sides of the pedestrianized road that goes along the lake. The 10^th anniversary of New Year celebration will be splendidly held. Folkdance and yak dance will be performed.

 

Pokhara

 

 

 

 

ポカラ

 

12月30日（木）快晴

 

カトマンズから飛行機で30分、ネパール第二の都市・ポカラは湖畔に広がる人口30万人の高原の街。午前中は市内の高原のサランコットまで2時間のトレッキング。午後は日本山妙法寺の平和祈念塔まで4時間のトレッキング。どちらからもヒマラヤの山並みが眺望できます。

何故かテカポを思い出した

テカポ 

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Pokhara

Thu. December 30 : fine

Flying 30 minutes from Kathmandu is Pokhara, the second biggest city in Nepal. It is a highland city beside the lake with the population of 300,000. In the morning we had a 2-hour trekking to the plateau, Sarancot. In the afternoon, we had a 4-hour trekking to World Peace Stupa. You can see Himalayan Mountains from both routes.

somehow I have reminded Tekapo

Tekapo 

ヒンズーの葬式

 

12月29日（水）快晴

 

カトマンズ盆地は沖縄と同緯度のモンスーン気候で農耕に適しています。市内を悠然と犬や牛が歩き回っています。ネパールは多民族、多宗教国家。ガンジス川の支流のバグマティ川の畔にあるヒンズー寺院で火葬が執り行われていました。灰は聖なる川に流されます。墓を作らないのは共感できます。

ヒンズー教とカースト制度

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Hindu funeral

Wed. December 29 : fine

  

Kathmandu basin has the same latitude as Okinawa and its monsoon climate is suitable for farming. You can see dogs and cows leisurely roaming in the city. Nepal is multi-national and multi-religious country. Cremation was being held at the Hindu temple beside Bagmati River, the branch of Ganga. The ash will be scattered in the saint river.

 

Hindu and Caste

スワヤンブナート

12月28日（火）快晴

 

シンガポールから飛行機で5時間、標高1300mのカトマンズは人口100万人の塵埃と騒音と雑踏の街。ネパールの王は15世紀、各地に競って宮殿や仏教・ヒンズー寺院を建設。世界遺産に登録されていますが、急激な都市化により危機遺産の指定も受けています。

 

スワヤンブナート

 

王制廃止は3年前

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Swayambunath

Tue. December 28 : fine

Flying 5 hours from Singapore Kathmandu is located 1,300m above the sea and it has a population of 1M. It is the city of dust, noise and crowd. Kings of Nepal vied for the position building palaces and Buddhist and Hindu temples all over the country during 15^th century. It is registered as the World Heritage and also designated as the endangered Heritage concerning its rapid urbanization.  

  

ラウパサ・フェスティバル・マーケット

12月27日（月）快晴 

 

1890年代の市場を解体した鋳鉄の建材で建設された歴史的建造物。飲食店が100軒以上入ったシンガポール最大のホーカーズ（屋台村）。ホーカーズでは300円で食事ができます。観光客にはニュートン・サーカスが有名ですが、ローカルの人々の人気はこちらが上。

 

ニュートン・サーカス

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Lau Pa Sat Festival Market

Mon. December 27 : fine

This is a historical building built with old cast iron materials from the market in 1890s. It is the biggest hawkers or stalls with more than 100 diners in there. You can have dinner with only $3.8 at hawkers. Newton Circus is popular among tourists but this place is more popular among local people.

 

Newton Circus

 

 

マリーナ・ベイ・サンズ

12月26日（日）曇時々雨

 

「わが国の資源は知性だけだ」と建国の父・リー・クアン・ユ－はインテリジェント国家の建設を目指しました。高さ200mの3本の高層ビルの上に船が載ったインテリジェント（？）建造物の屋上にはプールがありました。3軒のホテルが入り、合計2560室あり、1泊35,000円より。

エレガント建造物

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Marina Bay Sands

Sun. December 26 : cloudy occasionally rainy

  

The founder of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew said “Our country has no resource but intelligence” and he set out to build the intelligent country. Is this an intelligent building? A ship was mounted on three skyscrapers with 300m high each and there is a swimming pool on the roof top. There are three hotels in it with the total of 2,560 rooms. It costs $440 or more per night.

elegant building

シンガポール・フライヤー

 

12月25日（土）快晴

 

今回の宿はビジネス街のマリーナ地区にあるマンダリン・ホテル。地下鉄の2つの駅とショッピング・センターに直結しています。ホテルから徒歩10分のシンガポール・フライヤーは2008年に開業した高さ165mの世界最大の観覧車。1周するのに1800円、30分かかります。

 

タヒチのクリスマス

 

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Singapore Flyer

Sat. December 25 : fine

 

This time we have arranged accommodation at Mandarin Hotel in Marina district in CBD. It is directly connected to two subway stations and a shopping center. Singapore Flyer that is 10-minute walk away from our hotel is the 165 meters high world biggest wheel. It started to operate in 2008. You’ll need to spend $23 and 30 minutes to go one round.

 

Christmas in Tahiti

 

 

 

シンガポールのクリスマス

12月24日（金）快晴

 

ケアンズからシンガポールへは7時間。メインストリートのオーチャードロードでは電飾大会を実施中。優勝には520万円、準優勝には216万円の賞金。日中及び夜間の視覚効果と、省エネ度が審査の基準。観光振興策とは言え、アジア人はクリスマスやネオンと騒音が大好き。

 

シンガポールの宗教

 

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Christmas in Singapore

Fri. December 24 : fine

 

It takes 7 hours by airplane from Cairns to Singapore. Christmas decoration contest is being held on the main street, Orchard Road. The first place prize winner wins $6,500 and the second place, $3,300. They judge the optical effects both during daytime and nighttime and the energy-saving effects. It’s just a tourism stimulation measure but I wonder why Asian people are keen on Christmas, neon and noise so much.

 

religiouns in Singapore

 

 

サンタと記念写真

12月23日（木）快晴

 

景気過熱によるインフレで、今年のサンタ写真は1800円。サンタは「ホウ、ホウ、ホウ」と笑いますが、ホウには「バカ女」という意味があるので豪州では禁止用語。多民族、多宗教国家の豪州ではクリスマスの派手な飾り付けはしません。市内に大型ツリーは1か所だけ。繁華街でもクリスマス・ソングの騒音は流れません。  

 

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Commemorative photograph with Santa Clause

Thu. December 23 : fine

Due to the overheating inflation we have the Santa Clause photo this year is $22. Santa Clause laughs “Ho, ho, ho” but since “ho” means “a foolish woman” in Australia it is prohibited to use it. Showy Christmas decorations are unpopular in this multi-national and multi-religious country, Australia. There is only one big Christmas tree in Cairns. You can’t hear Christmas songs even in downtown. 

Santa Clause last year

 

昨年のサンタ

自動散水装置

12月22日（水）快晴

 

本家の英国同様、豪州は園芸が盛ん。家は道路から一定以上の距離をあけることが法律で義務付けられ、美観を損なうと罰金が科せられます。だからどの家も芝生と植栽と花壇は美しく保たれています。あちこちに自慢の庭を一般公開している家もあります。ＯＺは花苗を植える時には如雨露を使いますが、普段は自動装置で散水します。

 

巨大散水装置

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Automatic sprinkling system

Wed. December 22 : fine

As same as the main family, England gardening is quite popular in Australia. When you build a house you have to keep certain distance from the road by law and if you neglect keeping it clean you will be fined. Therefore every home keeps their lawn, planting and garden clean and beautiful. Some houses open their boasted garden to the public. OZs use watering pots when they plant and they usually use automatic sprinkling system.

 

gigantic splinkling system

螺旋椰子

12月21日（火）快晴

 

十和田の僕の家の芝生にはコケリンドウやネジバナが咲いて、近所の人が珍しがるので、除草剤の使用ができなかった。夢枕獏の「月に呼ばれて海より如来る」はヒマラヤで仲間を失った主人公が、進化の過程で滅びたアンモナイトと生き延びたオウムガイの螺旋について考察。ケアンズのあちこちで見かける螺旋椰子はタコの木の仲間。

 

巨大ネジバナ

 

コケリンドウ

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Spiral Palm

Tue. December 21 : fine

As micro-gentians and spiral flowers bloomed in the lawn at my garden in Towada and they aroused great curiosity of the neighbors I couldn’t sprinkle any weed killers. In “Come from the Sea Inviting by the Moon” written by Baku Yumemakura the hero who loses his friends in an accident on Himalaya studies the differences of the spirals between ammonites that have perished in the process of evolution and nautiluses that have survived. Spiral Palm that you can frequently see in Cairns is in Pandanus family.

 

macro-spiral flower

 

micro-gentians

ゴールデン・シャワー

12月20日（月）快晴

 

東京は最高気温が4度の日もありました。つくばではみぞれも降りました。日本でユニクロ製のヒートテックの下着とコンパクト・ダウンジャケットを2人前調達。来週はネパールに飛ぶ予定です。ケアンズの今日の気温は34度。ゴールデン・シャワーが満開です。インド原産だからシンガポールやネパールにもあるかな？

 

去年の同じ木

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Golden Sower

Mon. December 20 : fine

There was a cold day with 4 degree at maximum in Tokyo. It sleeted in Tsukuba. I bought 2 for each heat-tech under wear and compact down jacket. We are going to Nepal next week. Today’s temperature is 34 degrees in Cairns. Golden Shower is full in bloom. As it is originally from India, can we see it in Singapore and Nepal?

 

the same tree as last year

北風のサーカス・ＺＥＤ

12月19日（日）快晴

 

シルクド・ソレイユ（太陽のサーカス）は、大道芸、サーカス、ロック、オペラの融合体で、動物芸は行いません。ラスベガスに6つの常設館がある外にフロリダやマカオやＴＤＬにも。僕は今回が3度目。ＴＤＬのＺＥＤは2,170席。上演時間90分は物足りません。プレミア席は15,000円。観客は8割の入り。舞浜駅から15分の通路もテント内もひどく寒かった。

 

ＺＥＤ

 

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Circus of North Wind, ZED

Sun. December 19 : fine

 

Cirque de Soleil (Circus of the Sun) is a fusion of street performance, circus, rock and opera. They never let animals to perform. Beside the 6 theaters they have in Las Vegas, there is one in each Florida, Macau and TDL (Tokyo Disney Land). This was the third time for me to see their performance. They have 2,170 seats in ZED at TDL. The show lasts for 90 minutes and it is not quite satisfactory. A ticket for the front and centre seat is ￥15,000. The theatre was 80 % filled. It was very cold in the 15-minute pathway from Maihama station to the tent and inside the tent as well.  

 

ＺＥＤ

ノルウェイの森

12月18日（土）快晴

 

一昨日の夜つくばイーアスで「ノルウェイの森」を見ました。村上春樹の小説には哲学がないし、女性の描き方が極めて粗雑。映画化は、逆に女性の繊細さを描くことでは定評のある「青いパパイヤの香り」のトラン・アン・ユン監督。シニア料金は1,000円。平日とはいえ250人収容可能な映画館に観客は25人だけ。

 

1Q84

 

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Norwegian Wood

Sat. December 18 : fine

 

I saw “Norwegian Wood” at Tsukuba Iias at the night before yesterday. Haruki Murakami’s novels have no philosophy in them and he describes women quite crudely. On the contrary, Tran Anh Hung, the director of this film is famous for his skills of portraying women’s delicacy. He also directed “The scent of Green Papaya”. The entrance fee for a senior is $12. Although it was a weekday, the number of the audience was only 25 at the cinema that accommodates 250 pople.

 

1Q84

   

つくばイーアス

12月17日（金）快晴

 

息子は下北で6年、十和田の小学校に6年、中学・高校の6年間つくばで寮生活、ボストンの大学に8年。現在はつくばのJAXAに勤務して母校のすぐそばに住んでいます。つくば居よいか住みよいか、と1泊2日のつくば探検。昔は人影まばらなガマガエルの巣窟でしたが、研究学園都市駅前に221店舗が入るモールがありました。勤務中の息子を呼び出して一緒に昼食。

 

 

筑波山・1960年

 

茗渓学園

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Tsukuba Iias

Fri. December 17 : fine

My son lived in Shimokita for 6 years, in Towada for another 6 years when he was in the primary school, in Tsukuba for another 6 years in the school dorm when he was in the junior and senior high schools, and in Boston for 8 years when he was in the college in Boston. He is now living in Tsukuba near his high school and works for JAXA. In order to check if Tsukuba is good place to live or not I stayed there for one night and two days and inspected there. Once it was a den of toads with few human habitations but there is a big mall with 221 shops in it just across from Kenkyu-gakuen station. I called my son out of his office and had lunch together. 

 

 

Mt. Tsukuba in 1960

 

Meikei Gakuen high school