Tag: #folksytravel

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The Smoking Hot Pot

Yesterday I bought a small hot pot to heat water for some hot beverages in the hotel room. It cost around US$9. I plugged it in, let it heat up the water and the area around the electric plug started smoking. I thought it might be just some new material that was not cleaned off when it was put in the box for sale so I tried it again. The second time it started smoking and smelling like some kind of plastic material burning. I looked more closely at it and it was the plastic bottom just above the electric outlet on the pot. The plastic was also starting to bubble which indicates it was getting way too hot.

I took it back to the shop and they pointed to the little sticker on the side of the pot that said that the electric connector to the pot has to be pulled out at a certain time or the pot will start smoking which is not a problem. But another problem was that the pot was making a popping sound as well which indicates that the plastic was burning. So I told him I didn’t want it because it was actually dangerous and after giving them another US$3 I got a more advanced hot pot which doesn’t smoke.

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Italian Encounter in Patong

Last night with Kung (EBI-chan, 海老ちゃん）we sat and ordered at an Italian owned restaurant. The owner, an Italian woman, was totally drunk, taking our orders; coffee for Kung and garlic bread and deep fried squid for me. Kung got his coffee and bread and I got baby octopus legs with no batter and tough as a tire. The owner, still sloshed, came to talk to us. I used some of my very spotty Italian to explain Kung and I used to work together 26 years ago in the diving business, etc. She explained she was from Modena and I mentioned Ferrari. She said she is wearing a Ferrari red blouse because she is from Maranello, the HQ of Ferrari and the Ferrari racetrack. I mentioned Ristorante Montana and their famous tortellini. She was so happy to hear someone knew about her wonderful home town. I was there with a friend this last June.

Then she mentioned she was stocking up on food because “you don’t know what is happening tomorrow”. Then she mentioned her son and started to weep. I was not sure if she was referring to something happening here in Phuket or something in her home town in Northern Italy that is suffering terribly from the virus. I felt sorry for her.

So, I didn’t complain about the food, paid and thanked them. We need to be flexible, especially now, not knowing what others might be going through.

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A “Stuck” Beijing Couple

Walking on the beach I came across a Beijing couple playing with a dog and turns out the husband studied in England for several years and was a very good English speaker. We chatted about (I listened mostly) his negative feelings concerning the conduct of the current communist party cadre. The have a Thai friend to house them, have been her a month and got permission from the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok to stay another month and then from Thai immigration due to the current Covid related problems. He and his wife want to stay here since he can do his internet business anywhere. If they go back there is a good chance they will taken to a hotel somewhere and locked up for 2 weeks. Being in Patong is preferable (hahaha, of course).

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Churches – Modena and Bologna

Modena il duomo. What you find in front of most of the main cathedrals in each city is a large public square or piazza. People will gather just for fun, have a Vance and around the piazza there are many places to go shopping
Of course you nowadays have to have a Twitter link
Inside Modena il duomo. Notice the brick type construction that is very typical of the 13th century construction. Not much marble used here
It would be interesting to spend enough time here to be able to listen to the choir music they have presented in this cathedral
Modena cathedral
Cathedral in Italian is il duomo or cattredale. This one in Modena as you can see is mostly marble. Evidently the most prized marble from the north of Italy is white so Leonardo da Vinci used the white marble from northern Italian mountains to create many of his sculptures.
Bologna main cathedral is called Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Pietro
Main Cathedral in Bologna
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Bologna – An Old, Literary, Italian Town

This is not the best view of the Neptune statue but I like it because of the young girls standing next to it
This is a better view especially with the Italian flag on the left
In 1926 Maserati decided to use the Neptune Trident from the statue for a specific car logo and then later decided to use it as the corporate Mark. Of course the noble family of Maserati is from the Bologna area
Council entrance
The counselors, or consigliere entered the city office on their horses. So these steps are made for their mounted entrance. You might be able to see some little pins in front of the next step up. These were to hold the lines that held the red carpet down.
The council chambers. We entered when they were being used for a discussion with some of the residents and one of the counselors
The children also came to study their city history
The counselors desks are many hundred years old
They slid toward the counselor to uncover a place for the pen and ink. Now, of course, they hide electric outlets and wired communication links.
some big shot
Beauty everywhere!
A room name was changed
An old Hercules statue
City council building
Basilica di San Petronio was purposely done with marble below and brick on top. A lot of the marble came from southern Italy, in the mountainous areas so marble was expensive and had to travel north past the pope. It seems the Saint Peter group who built this church went out of favor with the Vatican and they stopped funding the church. The supporters decided to finish it but in a much cheaper and locally produced fashion.
Le due Torri: Garisenda e degli Asinelli (2 towers) were used for religious purposes. One of the two Towers was used for calling religious students and the other one was used for public bell ringing to call people to service. They both lean.
All of the towers in Bologna are leaning, as they are in Pisa. So you don’t need to go to Pisa to see leaning Towers if you have already been to Bologna. But the one in Pisa Might show more prevalence of the lean.
Ordinary city life in the Local shopping area
Heaven shows its face
The bread to go with this was under the tray with the meat. This is my heaven.
This is in the entrance to the University of Bologna which is the oldest university in the world. As you can see, the slogan is translated from Latin roughly as Bologna is the mother of study. Sorry, my Latin is very rusty. But you can see the Latin name for a Bologna is Bononia.
He was the founder of the University in Bologna and focused studies primarily on Law and Justice. Later the university divided into two disciplines and also two entrances. The second one was the study of science and especially anatomy. Here is a link to Irnervis…. http://www.hetwebsite.net/het/profiles/irnerius.htm
Puccini‘s unfinished opera. We only stayed for two Acts. Our stay was also unfinished, in tribute to Puccini.
Practice your Italian
Must be strange watching from the 5th floor.
Of course you know this is the ceiling. Going back to the opera, The interesting thing about this presentation was there was a big screen in the background that showed some very supernatural and esoteric videos while the opera was going on and also showing some futuristic costumes and scenery. It was a little strange and the story was hard to follow since the costuming and backgrounds did not really represent what the story was all about. It was more of a interesting multi disciplined demonstration to entice young people to the opera house. There was a screen above the stage which showed the Italian singing and the English translation. That was very helpful. I have been to two operas now in Italy and they both have been very interesting experiences. If you go to Italy I would suggest never shying away from going to the opera because you think you may not understand what it’s all about. Whatever they do it is interesting and enjoyable despite the language difference.
And, of course, another meal. Chicken salad, squid and Tortellini Bolognese
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Sforza Castle (Milano) – allies of Medici, fought against France, lost much of the castle to WWII bombing.

A good defense against the French. Sfortz were the power in Milano
Rescued from The bombing
One of the original spires
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Milano – Da Vinci, design, French back and forth

Many electric trams.
The red and white survived WWII
The old courthouse. These black and white marble designs are common among cathedrasl (duomo) but never saw on government buildings
In the center spin around 3 times and…TRUE LOVE
Black truffles on beef tartar
Strawberry gelato. Made the prevalence of pickpockets a minor pleasure
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Maranello – Ristorante Montana and Mama Rossella’s Tortellini (world famous)

Mama’s spinach soufflé
Tortellini soup. Fantastic
Chicken salad in aceto balsamico (balsamic vinegar – local)
Mama Rossella’s restaurant is where all the Ferrari racers and executives eat
Customer parking. Notice the make of cars. Almost all Ferraris. This is the Ferrari town.
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Da Vinci in Milano

Milano was about 22 degrees as opposed to Modena’s 32 and Bologna’s 27. Hey, Americano, get out your metric calculator to know what these temps mean.

Cena is “supper” in Italian.
The Last Supper mural is in the former cafeteria in Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milano)
This is IT!
The opposite wall is the Crucifixion fresco by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano. Only these 2 walls of this room were saved from WWII areal bombing.
Another side of the chapel.
handsome guys including Leonardo. I am wearing my new Borsalino.
With our Japanese guide, Miho who knew where to have a great lunch, gelato and chocolate, salami and prosciutto to bring home.
Michelangelo’s last sculpture, unfinished.
Michelangelo’s face, most probably. I appologize to both these greats for putting them on the same page. They both would hate me for doing it.