"Buy a flower, miss?" "Yes, please" The flower seller from Viet Nam reminded me of the conversation from My Fair Lady. Although I couldn't get the exact line and had to check the Internet.
The Counter at "Cafe Copains", where my little art show is now being held. クイナ通り展、昨日より開催中です。カフェの雰囲気に合うのか、うまく飾れるか、いろいろ心配していましたが、なんとか15点+色紙2枚を展示できました。 今日は、たくさんのご来場、どうもありがとうございました。感激です~!
I would like to write more about the Viet Nam trip but before that, let me show you a sketch from Hanamaki in Iwate prefecture. After I came back to Japan, I went straight to Iwate to join the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of Japan.
Hanamaki castle just before the sunset. 生態学会帰りに花巻と平泉を訪ねた。城も寺も跡地が多く、ただその「場所」が残されていて、看板がひっそりと立っているのが印象的だった。それでも花巻城は、本丸跡が高台の上に、唯一残る円城寺門や復元された西御門などが高台の端っこに位置しているのがわかり、地形を生かしたつくりなのが手に取るようにわかった。こうした丘陵地を利用し、周辺に堀を設けたものを平山城というらしい。 ちょうど花巻城時鐘のところにたどり着いたのが午後6時で、警備員が鐘を6回鳴らすところがみられた。
Silver-breasted Broadbill(ギンムネヒロハシ) The one with white necklace is a female. When I was in Bangkok some years ago, I got the Bangkok Post calendar of Thai birds and this Broadbill was in its August page. So I've been wanted to see it since then.
Two couples were chasing each other just like "A Midsummer Night's Dream"'s Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius along the forest road. In the rain forest, trees are so tall and dense that it is easier to see birds along the roads than inside of the forest.
Of course, I watched birds in Viet Nam too. We went to Cuc Phuong national park, which is three hours drive from Hanoi. We didn't have neither a guide nor a vietnamese birds guidebook. But Thai birds' book was really useful.
Black-creasted Bulbul(エボシヒヨドリ) One of the most common birds in Cuc Phuong. We kept saying that "No more Black-crested Bulbul nor Red-whiskered Bulbul!" Because there were so many of them. But once back in Japan, I want to see them again... タイでもおなじみのエボシヒヨドリだけれど、何度見てもかわいい。うちにいるトトロの人形"ととみー"のような目をしているので、ととみー鳥と呼んでいる。クックフーン国立公園であんなにたくさん見たのに、やっぱり母の一番のお気に入りはこいつなのだそうだ。
This time I made a short trip to Viet Nam from Thailand. At first I was planning to go to Cambodia but I changed my mind because my Thai friend asked me to go to Hanoi together with zero baht ticket by Air Asia. I shold go when I have a chance! ベトナムでは、空港についた瞬間からサプライズの連続だった。ハノイ市内は道を渡るのが命がけ、というほどバイクと車がとめどなく右へ左へと走っていて、ひっきりなしにクラクションがなっている。夜は12時過ぎまで、朝は5時から、クラクションとおしゃべりの騒音が続いた。バンコクが静かで平和に思えるほどだ。
Fruits in condensed milk with clashed ice. Somehow every chair and table of street stands in Hanoi was really low. "They probably made two chairs out of the same amount of plastic to make one nomal sized one" my mother said...
Black-capped Kingfisher We went to Chatuchak market and watched birds in the adjacent Chatuchak park also. When I was watching a Coppersmith Barbet(ムネアカゴシキドリ), a guy told me that Queen Sirikit Park across the street is much better. He was true. Although we didn't have enough time to walk around the whole area, we saw almost all the birds we had expected to see in Bangkok city, such as Indian Roller(インドブッポウソウ), Common Koel(オニカッコウ), Asian Pied Starling(ホオジロムクドリ) and this Black-capped Kingfisher. This park seems to have good botanical garden so next time I need to try that. (My mother said that we went there already with my father but I don't remember)