Hello Friends and Family,

Link to this year's index by clicking here.


Asian Festival, Part 2

Korean Drummers The Japanese are not the only ones with drums — the Koreans have them too. Even though the drums were not as large as the big Japanese ones and the number of drummers was significantly fewer, these three still had great enthusiasm for the music. Go Korea!


Vietnamese Woman Laotian DancerThe performers were not the only ones in native costumes. The striking young woman on the left is Vietnamese and is wearing a traditional costume from her country. She is president of the Vietnamese Organization from the University of Arizona. I saw her several times in Heritage Park and thought about asking if I could take her picture — but was just a bit shy about asking. I gotta get over that. Oh well, a photo behind a mike stand is better than nothing.

The young woman on the right is performing a Laotian dance. I love her costume and especially the ornament in her hair. Very exotic.


Watcher Sometimes the audience is interesting too — like this guy. He was so engrossed in the performances, he did not notice me taking his picture. Unfortunately, he disappeared before I could get his email — I generally try to send people copies of the photos I take.

Thai Folk Dance Here we have a Thai folk dance.

Thai Young Dancers Followed by the kids of Thailand giving their best efforts — and how cute it was.

Thai Solo Dancer Ending with a solo number.

Laotian Flute Laotian DancerHere is something I have never seen before — a Laotian Flute — fabricated from bamboo and accompanied by the lovely lady to the right.

Indonesian Dancer The last performance I watched was this Indonesian dancer. There were a few more performances but I wanted to explore the stands with all kinds of Asian arts and crafts.


Indian Girl As I was browsing I spotted this cute little girl — Indian or Pakistani, I'd guess. And yes, I did ask permission first from her mom. It seems there are some people out there taking photos of young girls for less than noble purposes and I've been told that it is important to get permission first. A sad statement on our society, n'est-pas?

But look at those eyes — such a cutie!


Japanese Dolls Ah, here we have some Japanese dolls elegantly dressed in their kimonos.

Samarai Swords Wow! Look at this collection of Samurai swords! Of course, they are only ornamental but impressive none the less. Ironically, the people who had this stand were Chinese, not Japanese. Do you suppose the swords were outsourced to China? Chinese Samurai swords? Sounds like a cultural faux pas.

Chinese Garments Here we find some silk Chinese garments. Quite pretty but they would rather stand out in our blue jean society.

Classical Guitar And then I found this guy playing classical guitar. I did not get the connection with the Asian theme except he may be Asian (or part-Asian). However, since guitar is the one kind of classical music that I really enjoy, I had to stop and chat and take a few photos (yes, I sent him copies). He was quite good — he had CDs of his performance for sale. I hope he did well.


Food Booths What festival would be complete without food booths? The great thing was that there were foods from many lands in Asia — as well as the hot dog/hamburger variety for the less adventurous. I had the bugolgi from the Korean booth seen here. Quite tasty. If you've never tried it, I recommend you do so whenever you might have the opportunity.

Check MarkGood Food
Check MarkTaiko Drums
Check MarkAsian Dances
Check MarkYoga Exercises
Check MarkLaotian Flute
Check MarkClassical Guitar
Check MarkPhoto of cute little girl (and some cute big girls)
Check MarkPhoto of interesting audience member
Check MarkPhotos of crafts

Okay, I guess I can go home now — my day is complete — and what a satisfying day it was!

 Life is good.

 Aloha,
 B. David