Noah's Ark

I wonder where my next holiday destination would be. One place I would love to go would definitely be to Schagen, Netherlands - to see Noah's Ark.

Dutch creationist Johan Huibers built a replica of the blibical Ark, drawing a crowd of curious pilgrims and townsfolk to behold the wonder. Associated Press reported 29 Apr that reckoning by the old biblical measurements, Johan's fully functional ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide. That's two-thirds the length of a football field and as high as a three-story house.

Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other animals greet visitors as they arrive in the main hold. Huibers did the work mostly with his own hands, using modern tools and occasional help from his son Roy. Construction began in May 2005.

On the uncovered top deck -- not quite ready in time for the opening -- will come a petting zoo, with baby lambs and chickens, and goats. And one camel. Visitors on the first day were stunned by its size. In fact, Noah's Ark as described in the Bible was five times larger than Johan's Ark. But that still leaves enough space near the keel for a 50-seat film theater, where kids can watch the segment of the Disney film "Fantasia" that tells the story of Noah. Another exhibit shows water cascading down on a model of the ark. Exhibits on the third level show ancient tools and old-fashioned barrels, exotic stuffed animals, and a wax model of an exhausted Noah reclining on a bed in the forecastle.

Perhaps it was only logical that the replica project would be the brainchild of a Dutchman: Fear of flooding is ingrained in the country's collective consciousness by its water-drenched history.
With the threat of global warming and rising sea levels, having the ark would be meaningful in the middle of Holland. Huibers said he hopes the project will renew interest in Christianity in the Netherlands, where churchgoing has fallen dramatically in the past 50 years. He also plans to visit major cities in Belgium and Germany.

Florence's Gate of Paradise

I remember going to Italy right after I finished my MBBS exams with Johnathon. One of the places I went to was Florence. The beautiful Duomo (cathedral) in Florence was a place I will always remember, as I had climbed up its double dome to the top, where a fantastic view of Florence lay before us.

CNN reported 28 Apr that the conservation effort of 3 panels on the doors of the Baptistery of the Duomo (now known as the "Gates of Paradise") is coming to a close after 25 years -- just two years less than it took to make the work itself. The doors, with 10 gilt panels are twenty feet tall and weigh three tons. This single work is considered the gateway to the Italian Renaissance, an upheaval so fundamental to how we see our world and think of ourselves that centuries later no Western culture is left untouched by it.

Legend has it that Michelangelo himself is the one who dubbed these doors the "Gates of Paradise." The 3 panels -- depicting the biblical stories of "Adam and Eve", "Jacob and Esau", and "David and Goliath" -- will be moved back to Florence to be reassembled in the original doorway for permanent, hermetically sealed display at the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo after completing a tour at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta Georgia, the Chicago Institute of Art and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Exhibition curator Gary Radke of Syracuse University says that the special alloy of bronze developed in the 15th-century workshop of Lorenzo Ghiberti for the doors had resulted in a corrosion that had dulled the dull surfaces of the square relief-sculptures and other gilt ornaments on the doors. The danger in trying to reclaim such works, of course, is that chemical treatments can damage the bond between the gold and bronze and take away more priceless, irreplaceable material.

So it's thanks to a specially developed laser-and-distilled-water technique that what you now can see on display is not a restoration -- not new gold leaf added, or reconstructed bronze modeling -- but the same metals Ghiberti worked with himself.

Ghiberti is, in a way, the artist behind the masters. Born in 1378, he won a competition to create the north doors of the Baptistery at a time when Radke says Florence was spending more money on its cultural expansion than its military endeavors. By the time that commission had led to the "Gates of Paradise" job, Ghiberti's workshop had become the place in which Donatello, Masolino, Uccello and other key artists of the era would be trained. Ghiberti died in 1455 -- 20 years before the birth of Michelangelo.

Getaway Shopping in Bangkok

A few places for great deals:

1. Pratunam - Baiyoke 2

There are a few shopping centres in the area. Baiyoke 2 is known for its fashionable clothes on Levels 4 and B1. Great clothes for guys and gals. Wholesale prices for 3 pieces or more. Also the place to go for cheap towels, sheets etc.




2. Platinum Mall

The airconditioned version of the weekend market. Lots of stall owners from the weekend market have small stalls here. 5 floors of leisurely shopping in comfort. Many of the stalls have wholesale prices, so do ask. Cafes at the basement.




3. Chatuchak Weekend Market

Find everything you want at the best prices in Bangkok. Huge but all shops have a lane number. Clothes and accessories, souvenirs, tableware, handicraft, life animals, plants, art just to name some. There are a few small restaurants and bars between the shops, plus banks for currency exchange in the middle.



4. Suan Lum Night Bazaar

This market is opens every evening. Things are pricier then the weekend market, but less crowded and definitely cleaner. There are food stalls in the middle, with a nightly show consisting of song and dance for free. A good place to sit down after shopping. *Scheduled to close somewhere in 2007, so check before you go.

5. Mah Boon Krong (MBK)

Reasonably cheap (but fashionable) and medium expensive clothes, shoes, watches, mobile phones and accessories, DVD's, VCD's and sunglasses in huge quantities. BOOTS here as well, so top up your toiletries supplies.



6. Siam Square

Opposite MBK. Lots of trendy clothing stalls, shoes and accessories (sunglasses, watches) for reasonable prices. Local upcoming designers keep shop here. Remember to stop by Centre Point, where Thai teenagers parade the latest fashions. Dunkin'Donuts here!




7. Khao San

This is the backpackers "paradise". Cheap Tees, trousers, souvenirs, tapes, CDs and second-hand books and travel guides. Also a sellers market (camping gear, watches, camera's) for travellers desperate for money. Very happening during Songkran (Water Festival). Remember to bring your super soakers.







8. Chinatown (Sampeng market)

Chinese foods, fabric, tools, household wares, artificial flowers, all lined up on both sides of this narrow lane. Lots of people, pushcarts everywhere, very hectic but good shopping. Chinatown is also famous for birds nest and sharksfin.








9. Panthip Plaza

For electronic goods like computers, hardware and software, legal and illegal, music CDs, digital cameras. 7% VAT refund possible. Remember to ask them to fill up the yellow VAT refund form once you buy beyond 2000 baht. At the airport, refund only if total more than 5000 baht. Verify forms before check-in, then cash refund near boarding gates at both ends.


10. Pinky Tailors

Behind Mahatun Building at Phloenchit BTS. Good worksmanship on tailored clothes. They can deliver to your hotel.

Bangkok International Airport (Suvarnabhumi)

Experience at Taxi stand

Having been to Bangkok several times, I have recently realised on my last trip (5-8 Apr 07) that there are two different public taxi queues. They are managed by different companies (as evidenced by the different forms at the counters). The one on the left go by the meter and you should expect to pay between 300-400 baht for your taxi fare.

The one on the right however is rather dishonest. The taxi drivers tell you that they go by the meter, but when you get into the taxi, they will say that the meter is spoiled and ask for at least 500 baht. Does anyone else have this experience?