Our friends have now all returned to their homes around the globe and we're back to the normal and some final work before leaving for vacation. That doesn't stop us from spending the weekends on the sea. Or to be frankly honest, we're pretty good at finding excuses, and have already cut down work to around 50%.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Weekend Snapshots ~ 6: A Balmy Sunday in the West End
I usually try to do these ‘Weekend Snapshots’ posts on the actual weekend but I wanted to write up my review of the play that we saw last Sunday first. Some of you might have noticed that posting the review didn’t go too well and I had to delete and repost it more than once on Sunday and Tuesday. Sorry, I was just having a momentary case of the blogging blues!!
The West End is what most of you will know as the Centre of London and it has all the shops, theatres and major tourist attractions. It includes Oxford Street, Leicester Square and Covent Garden. I tend to hang out more in the City or Bankside near London Bridge and Waterloo but the area I really want to spend more time in is the Marylebone and Mayfair areas. Because 36 hours a week is evidently not enough, my colleagues and I decided to meet up in Leicester Square last Sunday to watch the football and attend a play.
The Odeon - Leicester Square
One of my favourite places on Leicester Square is the huge Odeon cinema. You see, that is where it all began as that is where I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which was so good that I rushed out and bought the Harry Potter books and that is what started me reading again after about 15 years of nothing but academic texts. I digress…
Ruby Blue Bar - Leicester Square
I met my colleagues at the Ruby Blue Bar in Leicester Square. We had made a booking during the week and were intrigued that they had not asked us for the standard £25 holding deposit so it was no surprise to arrive and find out that not only was there no booking but the restaurant was closed too. Thankfully they were serving bar snacks in the main bar which were so good that we forgave them for their booking mistake.
We all watched the England game and we were one sorry bunch of co-workers when we left the pub after England were slaughtered by Germany. Well, to be honest, they were sorry – I was gleeful! I’m not an England sports fan but I’m sure you won’t hold that against me!!
Leicester Square Station - Charing Cross Road
After the game, we walked on down to St Martins Lane to the Duke of York's Theatre to watch the play Ghost Stories. If you click on the photo above, you can see why I liked that scene so much. I loved the old-fashioned London Underground roundel with the old looking Charing Cross Road sign too.
London Coliseum
Opposite the Duke of York’s Theatre is the London Coliseum which is the home of English National Opera. I just love that globe at the top!
After the play, we made our way down to Trafalgar Square. I’m not sure how evident it is from the photos above but it was hot on Sunday. Nevertheless, my long suffering husband and one of my colleagues indulged me while I took photos of Yinka Shonibare’s “Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle”.
Nelson's Column - Trafalgar Square
Yinka Shonibare’s “Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle”
It was really very hot indeed and there were a lot of really drunk football fans all over the place.
Fans in the Fountain at Trafalgar Square
That included, of course, in the fountains at Trafalgar Square. The police were Not Amused™ but they also seemed a bit scary so I decided against taking their photo!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The Second Kathu Village Culture Festival
Last weekend from the 25th - 27th June our local village had it's second cultural street festival (first one was last August - see here). Using the word "village" in Phuket may sound odd, but there are many small communities in Phuket and remember that Phuket was not always so built up - go back only 20 years and things were much quieter. The villages like Kathu retain a very local way of life with modern attributes like internet, new cars and 4 lane roads (often the 4 lane roads are totally unnecessary). Kathu is one of the 3 districts of Phuket (along with Muang and Thalang) and is then subdivided into subdistricts called Tambon and further into villages (Tesaban and Muban) - it's all rather confusing actually - this website helps with all the terminology.
So the event in Kathu celebrates the culture and history of this part of Phuket, which became the main town in Phuket in the early 19th century thanks to the tin mining boom. Kathu (aka Ket-Ho) was the center of the mining industry and due to the influx of many Chinese at the time, a lot of the people are of Thai-Chinese descent. Same goes for Phuket Town which became the main town after Kathu. There is a lot of history here, and this little festival shows how proud the locals are of their heritage. It's not a tourist show but at least this year I was not the only foreigner there! Must have counted at least 4 others! Well, up to you. I love these local events.
On Friday 25th I took my camera along to watch the opening of the event and a street procession through the village. Traffic was diverted up a dirt back road behind the Chinese temple so the whole village was for pedestrians only. The procession was due to start at 5:30pm so I had time to snap a few photos before they started walking. The feeling I had was that everyone was very happy and enjoying either taking part or watching. OK, maybe a few of the teenagers dressed up in costumes were a bit embarrassed but it was a real fun event for the village. Maybe next year a few more foreigners might turn up and have a look, I promise to promote the dates if I hear about it!
Costumes ranged from elaborate Chinese opera with lots of make up to simpler old style clothes for the ladies of the village and youngsters dressed as miners.
At the head of the procession (after a picture of the King) were important local dignitaries like the mayor and local government representatives and a swathe of older village ladies. Those watching were giving out a lot of wais and Sawadees!
By the way, there are more photos of this festival on Flickr: Kathu Village Festival 2010 and I will probably get around to adding more to that page. I always feel a picture is worth more than words. Colours, faces, smiles, hell you can almost hear the music and smell the food being cooked at the street stalls. The village was full of stalls selling food, clothes, art and more. There were several small stages in the village with music being played and a large stage outside the health center where they had some performances in the evenings that I did not see - will try to see some next year.
Went along on Saturday too, this time with the family. No street procession - this was only on Friday, but there were plenty of people around. Food stalls were selling chicken, rice dishes, noodles, salads... I had a plate of wing-bean salad (Yam Tua Pu), found some chicken and fries for the kids (ah yes, not absolutely 100% everything has to be "traditional"!), then we took a long walk through the village and back.
Down a side street we found a great little demonstration of old tin mining techniques. A raised wooden sluice box was carrying water to a pool where ladies were working with pans. Must have taken a while to build. I reckon this guy might be old enough to have worked as a tin miner in the past...
He was on the sluice box which was meant to trap heavy particles of tin ore while washing water and other lighter material along. Looked like he knew what he was doing. There was a fair crowd of locals watching. They did not have this last year so I think people were keen to see it and learn something about the history of their home town. To find out more you can visit the Phuket Tin Mining Museum.
Meanwhile the ladies were panning for tin in the water, looking for smaller residue not caught by the sluice... of course this was a show, a demonstration, but they did seem to be taking it quite seriously!
I took the opportunity to snap a few portraits of local people as well as the festival. Everyone was happy. This is our local area.. we live about a mile from the street where the procession took place. Sometimes I wonder if the local people are happy to keep these events quiet, don't want too many tourists! The publicity is minimal.. it was mentioned on one Phuket news website, I did mention it a couple of times on Facebook and Twitter... and I did see one sign up at the entrance to Kathu village for a few weeks prior to the event, but it's small wonder I only saw a few other foreigners there. You have to keep your ears to the ground to find out about these things.
I can tell you the next local fair coming up is the Phuket Flower Fair which will be held from July 9 to July 18 at Saphan Hin and will feature pineapple exhibitions - Phuket's pineapples are said to be better than pineapples from other provinces. Some photos here from last year's flower fair.
More photos from the Kathu village festival here on Flickr (slideshow). Kathu, by the way was also where the Phuket Vegetarian festival started - some photos here of the Chinese Shrine and the village at festival time, and here of the main processions.
So the event in Kathu celebrates the culture and history of this part of Phuket, which became the main town in Phuket in the early 19th century thanks to the tin mining boom. Kathu (aka Ket-Ho) was the center of the mining industry and due to the influx of many Chinese at the time, a lot of the people are of Thai-Chinese descent. Same goes for Phuket Town which became the main town after Kathu. There is a lot of history here, and this little festival shows how proud the locals are of their heritage. It's not a tourist show but at least this year I was not the only foreigner there! Must have counted at least 4 others! Well, up to you. I love these local events.
On Friday 25th I took my camera along to watch the opening of the event and a street procession through the village. Traffic was diverted up a dirt back road behind the Chinese temple so the whole village was for pedestrians only. The procession was due to start at 5:30pm so I had time to snap a few photos before they started walking. The feeling I had was that everyone was very happy and enjoying either taking part or watching. OK, maybe a few of the teenagers dressed up in costumes were a bit embarrassed but it was a real fun event for the village. Maybe next year a few more foreigners might turn up and have a look, I promise to promote the dates if I hear about it!
Costumes ranged from elaborate Chinese opera with lots of make up to simpler old style clothes for the ladies of the village and youngsters dressed as miners.
At the head of the procession (after a picture of the King) were important local dignitaries like the mayor and local government representatives and a swathe of older village ladies. Those watching were giving out a lot of wais and Sawadees!
By the way, there are more photos of this festival on Flickr: Kathu Village Festival 2010 and I will probably get around to adding more to that page. I always feel a picture is worth more than words. Colours, faces, smiles, hell you can almost hear the music and smell the food being cooked at the street stalls. The village was full of stalls selling food, clothes, art and more. There were several small stages in the village with music being played and a large stage outside the health center where they had some performances in the evenings that I did not see - will try to see some next year.
Went along on Saturday too, this time with the family. No street procession - this was only on Friday, but there were plenty of people around. Food stalls were selling chicken, rice dishes, noodles, salads... I had a plate of wing-bean salad (Yam Tua Pu), found some chicken and fries for the kids (ah yes, not absolutely 100% everything has to be "traditional"!), then we took a long walk through the village and back.
Down a side street we found a great little demonstration of old tin mining techniques. A raised wooden sluice box was carrying water to a pool where ladies were working with pans. Must have taken a while to build. I reckon this guy might be old enough to have worked as a tin miner in the past...
He was on the sluice box which was meant to trap heavy particles of tin ore while washing water and other lighter material along. Looked like he knew what he was doing. There was a fair crowd of locals watching. They did not have this last year so I think people were keen to see it and learn something about the history of their home town. To find out more you can visit the Phuket Tin Mining Museum.
Meanwhile the ladies were panning for tin in the water, looking for smaller residue not caught by the sluice... of course this was a show, a demonstration, but they did seem to be taking it quite seriously!
I took the opportunity to snap a few portraits of local people as well as the festival. Everyone was happy. This is our local area.. we live about a mile from the street where the procession took place. Sometimes I wonder if the local people are happy to keep these events quiet, don't want too many tourists! The publicity is minimal.. it was mentioned on one Phuket news website, I did mention it a couple of times on Facebook and Twitter... and I did see one sign up at the entrance to Kathu village for a few weeks prior to the event, but it's small wonder I only saw a few other foreigners there. You have to keep your ears to the ground to find out about these things.
I can tell you the next local fair coming up is the Phuket Flower Fair which will be held from July 9 to July 18 at Saphan Hin and will feature pineapple exhibitions - Phuket's pineapples are said to be better than pineapples from other provinces. Some photos here from last year's flower fair.
More photos from the Kathu village festival here on Flickr (slideshow). Kathu, by the way was also where the Phuket Vegetarian festival started - some photos here of the Chinese Shrine and the village at festival time, and here of the main processions.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre
Billed as “a truly terrifying theatrical experience”, Ghost Stories comes to the West End following a sell-out season at the Lyric Hammersmith. Ghost Stories is written by two men who need no introduction in the arena of the dark and macabre: The League of Gentlemen's Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman who is best known as co-creator and director of Derren Brown’s television and stage shows.
The play is narrated by Andy Nyman in his role as Professor Philip Goodman, an expert in parapsychology and a sceptic at heart. He begins by essentially debunking the idea of paranormal phenomena but then intriguingly introduces the idea that not everything is as it may seem. As he gives a mock lecture to the audience he explains that in twenty years of professional experience, he has come across only three cases that have been different enough to warrant his attention. These are the cases that disturb, that keep him up at night. I won’t spoil the play for you by telling you about the three cases but I can tell you there was a lot of screaming, squealing and hiding behind partners on the part of the audience. It is certainly not advisable to hold a drink in your hands whilst watching the show.
One of the best aspects of the show was the design. I had already noticed the dismembered leg in the foyer of the theatre and the main arena was transformed from a stately old theatre into a horror house of sorts. There was police tape and cob-webbed gas lamps to give a truly eerie experience and the overall effect was completed by the seemingly random numbers chalked onto the walls. The stage had a creepy veil as a curtain which had “safety curtain” painted on in red paint and green, slimy paint on the stage itself. The set design was really good too with distorted, angular rooms, creepy forests and corridors of old asylum cells to set the general tone of fear.
Ghost Stories is a lot of fun (if being scared and screaming out loud is your cup of tea) and I did enjoy the show. At times however, the plot did get a little ridiculous or thin and there were certainly times when the audience was laughing or scoffing when they should have been screaming. In a classic coup de théâtre, there is quite a twist at the end of the play and at first I felt a little bit underwhelmed by the ending. As I sat on the train on the way home though, I came to appreciate how cleverly all the pieces fit together as I sifted through the various clues that had been left throughout the play. Having said that, I didn’t feel that it was like watching a live horror film, as one audience member had previously stated and it certainly did not reach the levels of scariness and tension that films do. I can imagine that it is quite difficult to portray that nail-biting, terrifying suspense in front of a live audience and I had always been sceptical about the ability to bring such a story to the stage.
During the play, the one impression that I did have was surprise that they managed to secure a major West End theatre for the glorious summer and early autumn season as in spite of the impressive set design, this is really more of a community theatre production. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a fun and somewhat exhilarating 80 minutes, then I would recommend Ghost Stories. It is not the standard quality we’ve come to expect of West End shows though, so do make sure you’ve seen all of the big ones first.
Ghost Stories also stars Ryan Gage, David Cardy and Nicholas Burns and will run at the Duke of York’s Theatre until 7th November 2010. Tickets range from £22.50 to £47.50.
Article first published as Theatre Review (London): Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre on Blogcritics.
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