Down the Rabbit Hole

Val and I were in Washington, D.C. for a week. Val attended a training course in the city and I was on vacation mode, fresh from boot camp.  Some of the places I visited were about U.S. military history. --- One of the must-sees Val had recommended to me was a visit to Arlington National Cemetery to watch the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I wanted to spend half the day in the cemetery and then visit other places in the afternoon. However, what I didn't realise was that the walk to the cemetery from the Metro station was long; by the time I got to the cemetery's welcome centre, my feet were complaining already! I didn't want to do much more walking so I opted to go on the bus tour (that took tourists to different spots within the cemetery).  Aside from giving my feet some much needed rest, I was glad to have taken the tour because the tour guides provided explanations and context to what we were seeing along the road. The Tomb of

I was in Washington, D.C. for a week. Val was attending a training course in the city and I was on vacation mode, fresh from boot camp. Some of the places I visited were about U.S. military history. --- It was a cold crisp day (yeah, I know, 40 ºF is spring for people in this part of the world... but where I come from, this temperature is winter C-O-L-D) when I arrived in Arlington. My feet were so sore because of all the walking I did previously (my Columbia winter boots have started showing evidence of worn soles) and then I still had to walk from the train station to the cemetery itself!  I was so happy when I finally arrived at the gate. With my feet giving up on me and more walking to be done inside the cemetery, I opted to take the shuttle tour.  (Frankly, I got intimidated by the sight of Arlington House on top of the hill beyond the Women's Memorial... I was not willing to walk all the way up there with my achy feet!) The tour was definitely worth it

Val and I are in Washington, D.C. for a week. Val is attending a training course in the city and I am on vacation mode, fresh from boot camp.  --- One of the fattest checks I've made on my bucket list was visiting the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Its two Asian art galleries are the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. It took me two visits to see the galleries because the collection was so extensive. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see the artwork because I thought that the exhibits would be very similar to what I've seen in Bangkok , in Hyderabad , in Manila , or in San Francisco . My hesitation was noted by the guard, who then encouraged me to talk with one of the docents so that I could find a theme I could focus on while on my self-guided tour of the galleries. I'm so glad that I walked in because I found "Encountering the Buddha" to be a fascinating exhibit. Note that I have almost no understanding about Buddhism and the

Val and I are in Washington, D.C. for a week. Val is attending a training course in the city and I am on vacation mode, fresh from boot camp.   This trip fulfilled one of my biggest dreams: visit the Smithsonian. --- Whenever I think of tolling bells, I think of the lyrics of "Carol of the Bells": Hark how the bells Sweet silver bells All seem to say  Throw cares away But the bells I saw in the Freer | Sackler Art Gallery were not the bells I have been exposed to. In fact, I wouldn't think that they were bells if there was no note that they were bells. According to the galleries' website , bells were among the first metallic objects created in China. They were there even before Jesus was born!  Many of the bells I've seen before are hollow cups with smooth surfaces... and were generally tiny But these ancient Chinese bells (called  bo ) have raised mounds and other intricate designs (dragons or snakes) in bas-relief. The loop on top of ea

Val and I are in Washington, D.C. for a week. Val is attending a training course in the city and I am on vacation mode, fresh from boot camp. I am so thrilled to finally visit the Smithsonian!! --- Ever since I was a kid, I have always wanted to visit the Smithsonian Institution. I think that reading those junior encyclopaedias about dinosaurs, gemstones, scientists, and royalty have made such a mark that this was where I'd like to stop first when I get to visit the U.S. Many years later, I was finally fulfilling that childhood dream! And I have got to thank Val for making this possible. Unfortunately, he couldn't go with me on this walking trip because he's in an econometrics training course very close to the White House.  I've always imagined that the Smithsonian museums are all housed inside one building. However, when I got to the National Mall, I quickly learned that the institute is scattered into different buildings: some housing artwork, others h

Val and I are in Washington, D.C. for a week. Val is attending a training course in the city and I am on vacation mode, fresh from boot camp.  --- Val's workshop in D.C. is well-timed because it falls smack on the first week of the cherry blossom festival. So what was I to do, right? I trooped to the Tidal Basin, prepared to take photos of the cherry blossoms gifted by Yukio Ozaki, Tokyo's mayor in 1912. The traces of pink on the other bank of the Tidal Basin made me hopeful that I'd see cherry blossoms. But as I got closer, I realised that I was actually staring at the buds of cherry blossoms... I arrived way too early! The iconic view of the Thomas Jefferson memorial with the cherry blossoms in the foreground was not what I saw. Instead, I saw trees that still had to wake up from their winter hibernation. Yes, there were trees with green leaves already but there was still a lot of trees that were still to bloom. That doesn't mean that all t