Turkish tea

Turkey is one of these countries where one is not limited to coffee to get a nice boost of energy. Even though I am fan of Turkish coffee, traditionally served Turkish tea matches the caffeine effect. Or maybe I just like sitting outside in February and enjoying a nice cup while watching people rush by?

I tried my best to get blurry background effect with the iPhone, but, alas, no camera app seems to have direct control over aperture. Oh well, doesn't matter, the tea was great!

iPhone 5s, macro mode

Isaan morning

Nikon 7100, 75mm, 1/50s @ f/16, iso 500

Something always has drawn me to Isaan, the eastern part of Thailand, where people speak a mix of Thai and Lao. Maybe it was the influence of my first Thai teacher? Maybe it is because possibly every Isaan-born person I met was extremely nice and always cheerful?

Indeed, when I was planning my trip around Laos, my first idea was to cross from Vientiane to Udon Thani and explore this part of the country from there. Well, it turned out I enjoyed Laos so much that I ended up going all the way to the south. And that's where I crossed back to Thailand, only not to Udon, but Ubon.

And Isaan did not disappoint me. Great people, awesome food and sights like this one. Next year I may be working from there!

A dry fire hydrant

Nikon 5100, 50mm, 1/100s @ f/4.0, iso 100