Monsters in Bangkok
Bangkok. The airplane window is so sweaty that anything is barely visible outside. The feeling is as in a Turkish bath – steamy and sticky. Perfect conditions for my hard-to-tame hair. A promise for an adventure! We arrive during a dengue fever outbreak. Despite that we religiously apply and reapply a mosquito repellent throughout the day and wear long sleeves in the evening, we get our first bites from gigantic mosquitos. They bite through the clothes! While I wait for the agonizing symptoms, we get bitten a few more times until we stop counting the red skin swellings. It turns out not every mosquito carries the disease and even during…
Ode to the orchid
Orchids are my favorite flowers. I chose them for one of the most special days in my life, I enjoy orchid bouquets and having orchids at home. Orchids are the world’s largest family of plants. The variety of these flowers is amazing: there are over 25 000 different species. Vanilla is also a type of orchid. In Thailand, often called the land of the orchids, the flowers are everywhere – at the airport, at hotels, in temples, on the street. Orchids in ”Barbie doll” boxes are available to buy at the airport. Labels assure that they have passed an agricultural inspection. Orchids immortalized in resin, orchid jewelry, and other eye-catching…
Shabbat in Jerusalem
Shabbat is not any Friday. It is every Friday from sunset until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday evening. It is a day of rest when everything stands still and time stops. Everything is closed with the exception of a few restaurants; there is no public transportation and even airports close down. It is such a special celebration that everyone ”receives an additional soul every Shabbat”. What a better way to celebrate the upcoming weekend than with a good conversation over a festive family dinner dressed in your finest garments? I choose a non-revealing black dress for our Shabbat dining experience. Me and E., my partner…
