So things have been pretty chill here. I spent yesterday exploring some of Chinatown and after about 1 hour of roaming (as much "roaming" one can do with 2 ft of walking space, tons of people, and 3 lanes of traffic...) I needed a rest and grabbed some thai iced tea for a bit. I forgot that the Thais put cream into the iced tea so it was much more of a treat than I anticipated...yum!
The days have been nice and restful, I've taken to hanging out by the pool in my hotel each day and swimming laps for a bit. I saw another movie last night, "Red Cliff Part I". The problem with it was that it was really really good and now I need to make sure that I can see Part II in the states! It's a Chinese action/drama about the last clan battles before the end of the Han dynasty in China. For anyone interested in the history the movie does a really good job of showing what really went on but they also throw in some fantastic sword and spear choreography. It was great! The only problem with the late movie was the I waited an hour for the bus, got bitten like crazy my mosquitos and finally relented to a taxi. I didn't get home until after 1am! By then I was 1) hungry again since I'd eaten dinner at 6:30 and 2) really awake. Good thing I had a kashi bar waiting for me and some terrible movie on the Hallmark channel (lame I know). But I don't like going out on my own too late here. It's fun early in the night but it's no fun walking around on your own when there are lots of drunken back-packers floating around. So I opted for the bad movie and the kashi bar...
Today was a good one, I went to bed really late last night so I slept in until 10. I then did the usual long breakfast of many cups of coffee and the Bangkok Post. I also watched our President give his speech here in Bangkok live! I of course didn't get to go see it, however I saw it live on BBC with a great commentary afterward. I must say, President Bush is not my favorite but he did a really great job with the speech and I am proud of the things he said about Asian relations with the US and his commentary on China. Well done!
It was a day of spa stuff otherwise. I did a bit of shopping for gifts and such things and then went in for a great afternoon of waxing and mani-pedi fun. The woman who was helping me did everything from my nails to my waxing, wow! She was really great especially since with each pull of hair I squeked and flinched...she was extremely patient and kept trying to make sure I was okay. she'd bring me magazines to distract me, it was great! After the better part of 3 hours I headed out for some lunch, lots of fruit and my favorite Phad See-Ew with Chicken. Then it was the usual pool time with a bit of reading and some swimming. I'm off now to see the premier (yes yes it opens tonight) of a movie called, "Where the Miracle Happens" it's a Thai film starring one of the crown princesses. it could stink but the reviews were all good, they had to be we all know how the Thais feel about their royals! Anyways this theatre is only 80 baht (which is about $2.50) for a movie. Great evening activity if you ask me. Oh and next door to the theatre is a frozen yogurt place that piles on fresh fruits, yummy!!!
Alright, off to the film. I'll post again tomorrow and Jason arrives tomorrow night (hurray!)!!!!!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The wheels on the bus
go round and round! My day is nothing exciting compared to what Debra had to say about hers...woah. I did however discover publi transort here. Not the sky train, not the subway, nmot the boat taxis...the public bus! it costs the equivalent of about 20 cents, sort of it depends if there's a person collecting money on the bus or not and the busses go literally everywhere! They also special bus lanes so that the traffic doesn't interfere too much.
I began the day with a nice long breakfast while reading a new of the newspapers here. I then proceeded to sit by the pool and swim around for the better part of 4 hours. There was a huge Sweedish family in the pool with kids ranging from about 5 months to 12 years. They were a blast. Kids have so much fun at the pool. Eventually though I did need to move around and go pick up my laundry. So headed out for some food with fruit being the appetizer I walked of course. I hit up the watermelon again and dug into an entire pineapple...yum. After some wandering and trying to find a place where I wanted to eat I settled down for some rice with stir-fried veggies mmmm, and this place put a lot of chilis in as well so I downed about 3 bottles of water along with the food.
Oh speaking of spicy, I did find some good curry last night. Really good. I went to a restaurant on the street and parked myself in one of the small child sized chairs at the child sized tables. This very large woman then sits at the table with me, we begin chatting she's an art teacher in London! I have ordered my curry "not very spicy" and I even used the Thai phrasing to make sure! She ordered an entire fish and a plate of noodles, woah. I decide to have a beer with my meal in case I need it to cut the spice a bit. The "not so spicy" curry took me through not 1, not 2, but 3 bottles of beer!!!! I wasn't sweating like a do with Jason's chili but man oh man I felt like my mouth was on fire. I almost ran to the river on many occasions...good thing for the beer because the river is nasty!
Today's food has been a bit more tame:-) I am currently in the main down-town area called Siam Square. I am seeing a move in a few minutes called "Female Agents," it's a French film. there are a lot of goof movies there than look good, and they only cost $3 so I may see some more before Jason arrives.
Off to grab some junk food to snack on before the film starts!
I began the day with a nice long breakfast while reading a new of the newspapers here. I then proceeded to sit by the pool and swim around for the better part of 4 hours. There was a huge Sweedish family in the pool with kids ranging from about 5 months to 12 years. They were a blast. Kids have so much fun at the pool. Eventually though I did need to move around and go pick up my laundry. So headed out for some food with fruit being the appetizer I walked of course. I hit up the watermelon again and dug into an entire pineapple...yum. After some wandering and trying to find a place where I wanted to eat I settled down for some rice with stir-fried veggies mmmm, and this place put a lot of chilis in as well so I downed about 3 bottles of water along with the food.
Oh speaking of spicy, I did find some good curry last night. Really good. I went to a restaurant on the street and parked myself in one of the small child sized chairs at the child sized tables. This very large woman then sits at the table with me, we begin chatting she's an art teacher in London! I have ordered my curry "not very spicy" and I even used the Thai phrasing to make sure! She ordered an entire fish and a plate of noodles, woah. I decide to have a beer with my meal in case I need it to cut the spice a bit. The "not so spicy" curry took me through not 1, not 2, but 3 bottles of beer!!!! I wasn't sweating like a do with Jason's chili but man oh man I felt like my mouth was on fire. I almost ran to the river on many occasions...good thing for the beer because the river is nasty!
Today's food has been a bit more tame:-) I am currently in the main down-town area called Siam Square. I am seeing a move in a few minutes called "Female Agents," it's a French film. there are a lot of goof movies there than look good, and they only cost $3 so I may see some more before Jason arrives.
Off to grab some junk food to snack on before the film starts!
Japan Hates Me...
Sooo....funny story. I'm writing this blog from the Tokyo airport killing a bit of time before my flight to JFK. Since I had a 12 hour layover I decided to journey into Tokyo (about an hour and a half away) for the day. I walked around, did a bit of sightseeing, ate AMAZING sushi, wondered why Japanese people are so weird, and then decided to head back to the airport a bit early because I was worried about getting back for my flight (my flight is at 6pm, needed to be at the airport by 4pm, its like an hour to an hour and a half away). So at 1:15 (Im crazy remember...) I get in line to buy a ticket on the Narita Express (the high speed train that connects Tokyo and the airport). What do I discover...the train isn't working because of the weather. I flipped out, obviously. This nice young Japanese guy (with amazing English) helps me figure out another way to get to the airport - taking the subway to an above ground train (a slow train but its fine because I had enough time,..). So I get off the subway at the stop to transfer to the train (heart pounding because I'm convinced this isn't going to work and I am going to be stranded in Tokyo). I go to the ticket counter to buy the ticket and I didn't have enough yen on me...and the wouldn't accept credit cards. So I run around the station looking for an ATM and the only ATM they have doesn't accept foreign cards. So I leave the station in frantic search for an ATM. I find one...and again it wont accept foreign cards. I was literally on the verge of exploding into tears (the train for the airport was leaving in 8 minutes at this point and I still didn't have the money to buy a ticket) when this nice Japanese guy tries to communicate and help me. He also cant get the ATM to work. But, since he is perhaps the nicest person ever and my guardian angel, he hands me the 2000 yen for the train ticket and I hand him $20 (yup, that's right, he took my dollars for his yen...and the trade was not such a great one for him either...). Running up the escalator (in a country where people don't run let alone cut lines) I bought the ticket at lightening speed and literally jumped on the train about 2 seconds before it pulled out of the station. After catching my breathe I sat down and chatted with a super nice Japanese woman who also was running late for her flight because of the Narita Express not working. So, moral of the story....Japan hates me but the people are very nice. And there is some really nice Japanese guy walking around with $20 in his wallet. I hope its at least a little bit useful for him...
For the record...I arrived at the Airport 1 1/2 hours before my flight after all of that insanity, with just enough time to write this blog post.
For the record...I arrived at the Airport 1 1/2 hours before my flight after all of that insanity, with just enough time to write this blog post.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Bangkok days 1 and 2
People say Bangkok is dirty, but compared to Cambodia I could eat off of the street here.
What an incredible city. There is everything you could ever want here. Bustling traffic, huge markets selling everything from shampoo, underwear, beer, snacks, massages, and cocktails to live animals, fake IDs (even diplomas I should totally get a masters this week...heehee), there are also quiet streets with family restaurants by the river and serene parks where you can sit for hours.
When Debra left yesterday I was very sad. I decided to pretend that she was around anyways, got some funny looks from the passersby though...
I promptly did some walking around, sat for a while at a cafe, bought a giant 2 gallon sized bottle of water to keep in my hotel room, and then shopped like a rockstar. I found a dress for our friend Rachel that has been like the quest for the holy grail, yay! I bought a bra for about $2.50 and it's the best fitting one I've ever bought. I'm going back to get more before coming back home. And I succombed and bought jeans.
The jeans were worth the story behind buying them though. I'm all sweaty, of course, and shopping in the street market stalls. I find jeans and the size number is too big and the lady helping me explained (using hand motions and a few phrasebook words) that the sizes are different there, I should just try them on. Got it. Okay so I'm in the middle of a large crowd...how do I try these on? Right under my skirt with the help of the saleswoman. I'm really sweaty so we are both attempting to keep my skirt from getting inapproriately high up while also trying to pull the jeans up my sweaty legs. There was lots of laughing, pulling, jumping, and she even zipped me up. How could I not buy these? They also fit like a dream and of course since it's Asia they were the right length!! Love it. Oh they also cost me $18, even better.
The rest of the day was spent reading, napping, and then going out for dinner and beer while people watching. I sat for dinner with an odd group. A guy and a girl from the really far northern areas of Canada, the girl however currently lives in Shanghai, and two guys from Italy. A fun group, lots of political chats, and discussions. A fun evening. I got into bed around 10pm and watched some British murder mystery series until it was time to sleep.
This morning I woke up bright and early and instead of hopping out of bed (since it was 7am) I spent some time watching Autralian soap operas and BBC World. I must say the soaps are great and I might make them part of my AM routine....The morning was spent taking my laundry in (thank goodness a bra and dress were bought yesterday I was able to take everything else to the wash..which cost me a whopping $1.50 for all 3 kilos of clothes I took in).
I then went for a long stroll around the northern part of the city. I walked along a few rivers, saw the slums, went to the national library, walked through what looked at first like a sit in protest, people with tents and banners etc. but it was an "I love the king and I love Thailand" thing...wonder why a sit in is necessary. They all LOVE the king. I also went to the zoo here. A cooking show was being filmed there so I got to enjoy watching a woman in full leopard print clothing do a demo, so fun. I also saw an elephant performance. Man oh man the things those animals do. They dance! and have rhythm, wow is all I can say. I did some more walking and
just a few minutes ago I bought half of a watermelon (which the woman cut up for me) and a custard apple (actually tastes like apple custard inside, it's rivaling my love for persimmons at the moment) all for a total of 20 baht. That price translated to roughly 60 cents. Perfect.
The rest of the day will involve, some swimming (my hotel has a great pool), maybe a nap, some postcard writing and people watching, and a foot massage. I think dinner will be at the food stalls down by the river. I've had sooo much pad thai and pad see-ew that tonight might be a fun curry night:-) I'll prepare my taste-buds and have a beer on hand to tone down the spice!
Until tomorrow...
What an incredible city. There is everything you could ever want here. Bustling traffic, huge markets selling everything from shampoo, underwear, beer, snacks, massages, and cocktails to live animals, fake IDs (even diplomas I should totally get a masters this week...heehee), there are also quiet streets with family restaurants by the river and serene parks where you can sit for hours.
When Debra left yesterday I was very sad. I decided to pretend that she was around anyways, got some funny looks from the passersby though...
I promptly did some walking around, sat for a while at a cafe, bought a giant 2 gallon sized bottle of water to keep in my hotel room, and then shopped like a rockstar. I found a dress for our friend Rachel that has been like the quest for the holy grail, yay! I bought a bra for about $2.50 and it's the best fitting one I've ever bought. I'm going back to get more before coming back home. And I succombed and bought jeans.
The jeans were worth the story behind buying them though. I'm all sweaty, of course, and shopping in the street market stalls. I find jeans and the size number is too big and the lady helping me explained (using hand motions and a few phrasebook words) that the sizes are different there, I should just try them on. Got it. Okay so I'm in the middle of a large crowd...how do I try these on? Right under my skirt with the help of the saleswoman. I'm really sweaty so we are both attempting to keep my skirt from getting inapproriately high up while also trying to pull the jeans up my sweaty legs. There was lots of laughing, pulling, jumping, and she even zipped me up. How could I not buy these? They also fit like a dream and of course since it's Asia they were the right length!! Love it. Oh they also cost me $18, even better.
The rest of the day was spent reading, napping, and then going out for dinner and beer while people watching. I sat for dinner with an odd group. A guy and a girl from the really far northern areas of Canada, the girl however currently lives in Shanghai, and two guys from Italy. A fun group, lots of political chats, and discussions. A fun evening. I got into bed around 10pm and watched some British murder mystery series until it was time to sleep.
This morning I woke up bright and early and instead of hopping out of bed (since it was 7am) I spent some time watching Autralian soap operas and BBC World. I must say the soaps are great and I might make them part of my AM routine....The morning was spent taking my laundry in (thank goodness a bra and dress were bought yesterday I was able to take everything else to the wash..which cost me a whopping $1.50 for all 3 kilos of clothes I took in).
I then went for a long stroll around the northern part of the city. I walked along a few rivers, saw the slums, went to the national library, walked through what looked at first like a sit in protest, people with tents and banners etc. but it was an "I love the king and I love Thailand" thing...wonder why a sit in is necessary. They all LOVE the king. I also went to the zoo here. A cooking show was being filmed there so I got to enjoy watching a woman in full leopard print clothing do a demo, so fun. I also saw an elephant performance. Man oh man the things those animals do. They dance! and have rhythm, wow is all I can say. I did some more walking and
just a few minutes ago I bought half of a watermelon (which the woman cut up for me) and a custard apple (actually tastes like apple custard inside, it's rivaling my love for persimmons at the moment) all for a total of 20 baht. That price translated to roughly 60 cents. Perfect.
The rest of the day will involve, some swimming (my hotel has a great pool), maybe a nap, some postcard writing and people watching, and a foot massage. I think dinner will be at the food stalls down by the river. I've had sooo much pad thai and pad see-ew that tonight might be a fun curry night:-) I'll prepare my taste-buds and have a beer on hand to tone down the spice!
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Homeward Bound: Top 10 List
Although Colby still has 2 1/2 weeks of traveling in Thailand still left, I have begun my travels homeward -and I'm rather sad about it :(
But although I do desperately want to stay and play and travel forever, there are definitely some plus sides of things I am looking forward to. Here's my "Top 10" List of things I am excited about when I get home:
1. Hot Showers
2. Not eating rice for breakfast
3. Not eating rice for lunch
4. Not eating rice for snacks
5. Not eating rice for dinner
6. MEAT!!!! (I would kill someone for a hamburger right about now...)
7. Lines (I HATE that Asians don't believe in lines...ugh!)
8. Having clean clothes
9. Having clothes to wear that aren't the same 3 things I have been wearing for the past 4 weeks
10. Western style bathrooms that have toilet paper
But although I do desperately want to stay and play and travel forever, there are definitely some plus sides of things I am looking forward to. Here's my "Top 10" List of things I am excited about when I get home:
1. Hot Showers
2. Not eating rice for breakfast
3. Not eating rice for lunch
4. Not eating rice for snacks
5. Not eating rice for dinner
6. MEAT!!!! (I would kill someone for a hamburger right about now...)
7. Lines (I HATE that Asians don't believe in lines...ugh!)
8. Having clean clothes
9. Having clothes to wear that aren't the same 3 things I have been wearing for the past 4 weeks
10. Western style bathrooms that have toilet paper
Angkor Wat
Temples temples everywhere! And no, I am not talking about the type that we go to on the High Holidays...
Our voyages in Cambodia brought us to Angkor Wat, a place that probably means nothing in the minds of 98% of Americans (maybe more...), but should. To get a better history that the 2 seconds shpiel I'm going to write here, you should wiki it. Angkor Wat was long the capitol of the strong (and huge!) Angkorian Empire. With hundreds of temples abounding all built between the 10th and 14th centuries, it is a haven of architectural beauty, craftsmanship that words cant even describe, and history that is palpable. Pictures and descriptions don't do this wondrous place justice; a place that has yet to truly become victim to the horrors of being a tourist trap for Westerns. A place where you can literally climbs all over the crumbling ruins as if it were a playground and you were 5 years old (except these are the most ancient ruins in SE Asia and you are 24...)
Cambodians are INCREDIBLY proud of Angkor. It is everywhere - on their signs, on the beer, on their shirts, on their flag, on their passport, etc. Angkor, to them, is a reminder that in the past things were good. In the past, Cambodia and the Angkorian / Khmere Kingdom were successful and respected in the world. Angkor was the height of their success and respect, a time that Cambodians would desperately like to return to. But, alas, Angkor fell centuries ago and the wealth of Angkor is something that Cambodians cant even comprehend for the time being. So, for now, Angkor remains a desire and an aspiration for all Cambodians - a hope that one day they will rise to prominence again. In the mean time, the beauty of Angkor is a pretty good consolation.
Our voyages in Cambodia brought us to Angkor Wat, a place that probably means nothing in the minds of 98% of Americans (maybe more...), but should. To get a better history that the 2 seconds shpiel I'm going to write here, you should wiki it. Angkor Wat was long the capitol of the strong (and huge!) Angkorian Empire. With hundreds of temples abounding all built between the 10th and 14th centuries, it is a haven of architectural beauty, craftsmanship that words cant even describe, and history that is palpable. Pictures and descriptions don't do this wondrous place justice; a place that has yet to truly become victim to the horrors of being a tourist trap for Westerns. A place where you can literally climbs all over the crumbling ruins as if it were a playground and you were 5 years old (except these are the most ancient ruins in SE Asia and you are 24...)
Cambodians are INCREDIBLY proud of Angkor. It is everywhere - on their signs, on the beer, on their shirts, on their flag, on their passport, etc. Angkor, to them, is a reminder that in the past things were good. In the past, Cambodia and the Angkorian / Khmere Kingdom were successful and respected in the world. Angkor was the height of their success and respect, a time that Cambodians would desperately like to return to. But, alas, Angkor fell centuries ago and the wealth of Angkor is something that Cambodians cant even comprehend for the time being. So, for now, Angkor remains a desire and an aspiration for all Cambodians - a hope that one day they will rise to prominence again. In the mean time, the beauty of Angkor is a pretty good consolation.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Ruminations on Cambodia
We have only been in Cambodia for about 3 days now, but already I feel like I have much to say about this place. A cursory look around will reveal that this is indeed one of the poorest countries in the world: houses are made out of straw and wood, people on every street corner and begging, and basic amenities do not exist. There are no - count them, zero - social welfar programs in the entire country. Either you have a lot, or you have nothing. There is no middle class, nothing inbetween the extremes. But despite the destitue nature of the country, there is an optomistic hope in the air. This is a country that 30 years ago was a "no go" zone - ruled by a genocidal dictator who killed millions of his own people, Cambodia is in a state of renewal and redefinition. In a country where things are changing (mostly for the better) rapidly on a daily basis, its a country that is standing at a cross-roads and is deeply confused as to what its destiny holds. On the street you will see oxen strolling down and behind them what looks like a new hotel going up. You can only look at Cambodians with awe - a truely resilent people, they have emerged victorious from a bloody and grusome past and are trying to build a new future. With nothing to keep them going, they still smile and work towards reclaiming a country they can be proud of.
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