A breakfast is never wrong specially together with some old friends! And sorry guys, we speak Swedish here but with some English subtitles.

​Benjakitti Forest Park is a 72-hectare urban park in the Khlong Toei District of Bangkok, Thailand. It was opened in 1992 on the site of a former tobacco factory. The park features four lakes, wetlands, forests, and a variety of recreational activities, including walking, jogging, cycling, and boating. It is a popular destination for both locals and tourists.

​Some hotels don't offer breakfast and in that case a budget friendly way to get your breakfast is to go to 7/11 and buy it. As a bonus Seven Eleven have nice coffee. When I got back to the hotel I was immediately approached by the friendly hotel cat.

I met him at our camp in Masai Mara National Park, Kenya. He was surprisingly fluent in English so of course we started talking. When the sun was about to set he asked me if I wanted to join him to his village. I asked him how far it was but he assured me it wasn’t far... so why not? What can possibly go wrong alone in the darkness in the middle of Masai Mara??

We sat off. After 30 min walking I asked him how much left it was to walk. It had become dark and we heard the lions in the distance. Not far now he said, so no worries Mr Patrik. After additional 15 min we finally reached the village. He gave me a tour around it and I was invited to his hut. Sorry to say it was now too dark to take any photos.

When the time came to go back it had become pitch black. It was amazing to cross the plain, just me, him and the stars in the sky. We heard the unmistakable sounds of the lions, they were much closer now. I asked him what he actually could do if a lion would show up. He stopped and looked at me and smiled. No worries Mr Patrik I have my “rungu”. He showed it to me. No more explanations needed, obviously it was self explanatory. He had his “rungu”...

I insisted, what if there are two lions...? He just looked at me with pity and said “hakuna matata” Mr Patrik and he shook his “rungu” and started walking again. But then he added, three or more lions Mr Patrik then we have problem! He gave me a big assuring smile and the only thing I saw in the darkness was his white teeth.

A “rungu” is a wooden throwing club or baton. It‘s especially associated with Masai morans (male warriors) who have traditionally used it in warfare and for hunting. And “hakuna matata” means “no problem” in Swahili.

Hard boiled egg on a slice of bread and kaviar on top is a Swedish favourite for breakfast. For me, as long as I remember I grew up with this combo. And yes, I love this type of sandwich together with a cup of coffee for breakfast. But the question is, for someone who never tasted kaviar before, will they like it?

I decided to put my friends for the ultimate test. Of course they had eaten toast with egg before but never together with Swedish kaviar. Here I let them try it with "Rågrut", which is crisp bread, another Swedish delicacy. Well, lets see their reaction!

Bangkok is a dazzling city which has so much to offer both day and night. So here are some snapshots of an amazing day in Bangkok. 

This day I practiced what you can call street photographing. All images are from Cebu city around Climaco street and in the area of Colon street. 

My mom was clearly the strong and independent type of woman. She always chose her own path in life no matter what.

At the time when she was young it wasn’t that common for girls to strive for a proper education. But she did. She realized in order to be independent she needed to educate herself. So she went to Anders Beckman’s school and became a fashion illustrator.

In the end of the 40:es and beginning of the 50:es it wasn’t that common to travel abroad. Probably under wild and loudly protests from her parents she did travel in early age. One of the first trips she did was hitchhiking from Sweden to France, through a war-torn Europe.

By this time the ideal here in Sweden was to have a secure source of income at a good stable employer. But not my mom. Once again she chose her independence over a stable and secure life. She became her own boss in the competitive and tough but on the other hand, highly creative fashion industry.

Against all odds she bought a house and raised her only spoiled son (me) to be a good boy. She did this all by herself since my dad died way too early. She was a good mom but a bit unusual compared to other moms. She made me open my eyes with the wonderful to travel and also never to say no to new exciting dishes to eat.

In later years she was diagnosed with the Alzheimer’s disease. She really hated what that this terrible sickness did to her independence and integrity. When the years passed by and the sickness relentlessly got worse she got more and more dependent of help. She hated it by all her heart.

She made the life a hell for all the helpers including her only spoiled son (me) who was coming there trying to do their best helping her. It was not that she was evil but she wanted her independency back and to take control of her own life again.

I know she hated the thought of moving to the home for elderly. I deliberately waited as long as possible but the inevitable came and I had to take the decision for her to move. I like to think she made up her mind there. “Fuck this world, I am 92 years old and this is enough!” So maybe she did the only thing she had control over, stopped eating and drinking so she could make her last trip as soon as possible. So at 12.40 PM today she peacefully transferrd to a better universe.

Autumn in Sweden is from September to October/November. It's generally windy and rainy, to put it simple it's the sign of the upcoming cold winter. But it's also the season of colors, when all the leafs turns to yellow, orange and red before they eventually fall off the treas. So what can be better than a walk in the park this beautiful autumn day?

​Other posts from Stockholm, this one included.

Before you go hiking you need to eat a real breakfast, right? So this morning Danica went out and bought the breakfast... I usually advised her not to buy so much food, but as usual it was more than we could finish. For just around P100 we got noodles, chicken livers, vegetables, some kind of pork meat, soup and of course the mandatory rice! 

One of the starting points for the hike is the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary. We had decided to make a combo, first visit the Tarsier Sanctuary and then do the hike since the hiking trail starts just behind the sanctuary. As usual we were assigned a guide who took us along some narrow trails around the sanctuary. Despite the dense vegetation I was able to spot several of the shy tarsiers and I regretted deeply that I had been lazy and hadn't brought my big camera with me. Grrr... 

Our main objective this day was the hiking. We easily found the beginning of the trail behind the actual sanctuary but after a couple hundred meters into the rainforest the trail wasn't that that clear to follow. We had been told it was easy to "just follow" but suddenly it didn't feel obvious. Danica was more concerned of the potential "monsters" hiding in the rainforest but I was afraid to get lost.

Soaked in sweat with empty water bottles we finally came up to the viewing deck one. The view was breathtaking! We had almost a 360 degrees view over Bohol. It was worth all the blood sweat and tears to come here. A perfect spot to take photos from or having a romantic picnic or why not do both! Maybe even stay here overnight to experience the most awesome sunset and the sunrise... in that case I guess I have to convince Danica that there are no monsters hiding in the bushes beneath... 

It's about 13 km going to Corella from Tagbilaran City.
Via public transport: From Sikatuna Jeepney Terminal, (This is right infront of Island City Mall) get into a jeepney bound to Sikatuna via Corella. This jeepney drops you off at Philippine Tarsier Foundation. Fare is P17.00. Tell the driver of the jeepney that you are headed to Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella. Upon arrival there is a huge signage and rough road, take it and walk for 300 meters to the research building. 
Going back, just take a jeepney headed to Tagbilaran. And yes it is safe to hitch hike here. Fare is P15.00 for jeepney.
If you have your own motorcycle it's very easy to go there, just follow Google maps. 

You can start your hike either at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary or at the Sikatuna Tree Park. There are two viewing decks to visit and the hiking trail connects the Tarsier Sanctuary with the Tree Park. Just follow the signs. Viewing deck one is closer to the Tree Park and the viewing deck two is more close the the Tarsier Sanctuary. Hiking from the Tarsier Sanctuary, visiting both viewing decks and end up at the Tree Park should take around 2-4 hours depending on your fitness level.

Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, it can be very slippery. Bring lot's of water. Plan ahead so you will be out from the rainforest before it gets dark, unless you intend to spend the night there. When it's dark it will be very hard to negotiate the trail.

If you begin your hike at the Tarsier Sanctuary you should take the opportunity to visit the sanctuary itself. The entrance fee to the sanctuary is P60. If you just go for the hike, it's free of charge whether you start from the Tarsier Sanctuary or the Tree Park.

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