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Dallas Smith's Blog

Ayutthaya, Thailand's Ancient Capital

Photos from Ayutthaya

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Ayutthaya lies about a two hour's drive north of Bangkok.  It was Thailand's capital for approximately four hundred years, founded in 1351.  It was burned by Burmese invaders in 1767, which resulted in its abandonment and the establishment of Bangkok which remains Thailand's current capital.  

Below is one of the oldest Stupas, built in the 14th century, in the same era as the construction of Cambodia's Angkor Wat, the world's largest UNESCO world heritage site.  Stupas are Buddhist cylindrical structures containing the ashes, bones, or remains of religious figures, and are intended to function as pilgrimage sites for worship and meditation.

 

Paradise Near Seattle: Whidbey Island

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The Magical Kingdom of Bhutan

March, 2016

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How much can a tourist learn about a country in five days? First impressions count. One can draw conclusions from even a short visit that merit more research perhaps through a future visit. Having just spent five days in Bhutan. . .

Report from Jordan and Israel

February, 2019

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This blog describes a visit to ancient Petra and a conference of Middle East Nurses United in Human Caring.

Entering Israel from Jordan

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The difference between the Israeli and Jordanian sides of the Jordan Valley is striking.  The Jordan side has relatively poor villages surrounded by fields of vegetables, fruits, and olive trees.  The Israeli side looks more like California’s central valley…large lush fields not showing any lack of irrigation resources.  The residences visible from the road were more “middle class” in quality compared with the simple Jordanian residences. . .

Beppu and Usa

Ancient Temples and Hot Springs

10/26/2023By Dallas Smith0Travel: Seven Japanese Cities Visited on the Viking Cruise
 This gallery has a blog post attached
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Malaga, Spain Blog

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Malaga, Spain, has been called “the Florida of Spain.”  It is an ancient city (second in age only to Cadiz) founded by the Phoenicians almost three thousand years ago.

Turkey: Religion and Politics

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Our Turkish tour guide, Mehmet, has a college degree in English literature.  He spent his military service working as a translator.  Obviously, his English language skills are outstanding.  Having been a tourist guide for twenty years, he has visited these Turkish historical sites hundreds of times.  Thus, he has refined his narratives over the years to be immensely content-rich, historically informative, and culturally aware.  Therefore, besides my own reading and observations, much of the information I will recount in this blog is derived from what I've learned from Mehmet's daily cultural and historical descriptions.

Cadiz, Spain

March 2022 - World Cruise

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Until today’s port visit, Cadiz was just a name I had encountered sometime in the past.  I didn’t know anything at all about it.  Now at the end of the day, I feel enriched by learning about this city, as well as having visited an historic village named Vejer de la Frontera.