The sharper edge to traveling in Asia

Archive for the 'Museums & Art Galleries' Category

A media giant flees Bangkok: farewell to photographer Nick Nostitz

Thailand, and Bangkok in particular, isn’t always an easy place for the working press. The latest to depart the Land of Smiles is noted documentary still photographer Nick Nostitz, who was recently roughed up by thugs associated with the PDRC (People’s Democratic Reform Committee). He was rescued from that fracas by Thai police, but has […]

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WoWasis museum and book review: Quito Ecuador’s Pre-Columbian Casa Del Alabado

Ecuador’s capital of Quito boasts a number of interesting things to see, but we here at WoWasis found none more fascinating than the fascinating pre-Columbian museum, Casa Del Alabado. The guide book is something you’ll probably want to have, but more on that later. The strength of the museum is in its ceramics collection of […]

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WoWasis tours Bogota’s Museo Del Oro, the Gold Museum of Colombia

Bogota, Colombia is a city of 14 million people, and frankly, doesn’t have much going for it, in terms of the international traveler. It’s tough to get around during rush hour (try to find a taxi), so you really do need to head back to your hotel around 3 pm. Some of the downtown areas […]

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WoWasis visits Ecuador’s largest medical museum, in the city of Cuenca

Veteran WoWasis readers know we love medical museums (read our review of Bangkok’s grisly Siriraj Medical Museum). In South America, we stumbled on a terrific one in the colonial city of Cuenca, Ecuador. After Quito and the Galapagos, Cuenca is the most visited spot in Ecuador, but if you’re looking to enjoy a medical museum […]

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WoWasis art review: street murals in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is notable for its wall graffiti and subway art, but unless you’re in the San Telmo neighborhood or taking the subte, you may miss the best examples. Not so the street murals, which grace much of the city, in particular the Microcentro area in the heart of the city. These murals are lovingly […]

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WoWasis art review: Ceramic murals in Buenos Aires’ subte subway stations

Buenos Aires is notable for its street murals and wall graffiti art, but some of the finest ceramic art can be found in her subway, or subte (for subterráneo) stations. Begun in 1913, the system comprises 6 lines and 83 stations, and rides cost five pesos (62 cents USD). While nearly all stations have art, […]

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WoWasis art review: Buenos Aires graffiti wall art

Buenos Aires is notable for its street murals and subway art, and this artistic consciousness has spread to her graffiti-covered walls, especially in the streets of the San Telmo neighborhood, south of Avenida de Mayo. This ad hoc art is not always welcomed, but every blank wall is fodder for artists and amateurs alike. What’s […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Painted in the Tropics,’ the life of painter Theo Meier, by Harold Stephens

If you’re like us, you weren’t prepared to find that the Indonesia’s island of Bali hosted a number of extraordinary expat painters. Balinese museums and private collections are full of their work, and the viewer is left wanting to know more about these extraordinary artists. Noted expat Asian author Harold Stephens provides many important details […]

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Bangkok’s grisly museum of death: WoWasis revisits the Siriraj Medical Museum

What may very well be the world’s grisliest museum isn’t all that hard to get to, as long as you know where it is and what you’re in store for. But if you’re not a medical professional, you might need a strong stomach to get through it. We here at WoWasis first visited here in […]

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WoWasis visits Sumiya, a historical restaurant and entertainment architectural museum in Kyoto, Japan

Sumiya is a wonderful, ancient traditional restaurant and entertainment venue, originally built in 1641, that’s now a museum of sorts, primarily involved in the architectural preservation of the building and interior. It’s considered to be the finest example of Edo-period ageya (restaurant and entertainment venue) architecture in urban Japan. Here is where lavish meals were […]

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