A's Adventures in Asia

Indian Impressions

2009-05-01T04:47:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Calcutta (Kolkata) yesterday morning to being my Indian adventure. I want to keep this quick so I'm just going to bullet point my impressions/things I've seen:

1. Indians fly with A LOT of things--compressed bags of clothes (about 5 per person). I was one of 6 non-Indians on the plane and waiting at baggage claim, I learned how Indians get there electronics--there were about 3-4 HUGE flatscreen TVs (26-45") per Indian passenger. I have never seen so many TVs and DVD players in my life, it was like an import-export business! After waiting 40 minutes for all the TVs and bags of clothing to come out, my backpack finally surfaced.

2. It's not nearly as dirty or gross or culturally-shocking as I expected...yet. Kolkata was lovely and lush and green and our cab driver was friendly and chatty. No one tried to rip us off either. However, I did witness some shocking things:

2 crows eating apart--feasting on--another crow
Slums on the outskirts of Calcutta with naked children
A mother deserting her child on the sidewalk so she could get money (she was some yards away trying to get people to leave money

3. Apparently I'm somewhat Indian--although I threw up a few times from the food, I was asked to not "spit" on the flower bed (Indians spit everywhere, but the man didnt realize I was vomiting). I also did not get very hot in Kolkata even though it was 40+ degrees celsius and apparently, I'm comfortable bribing people? I have yet to master the head bobble.

So, that was Kolkata. We left Kolkata last night and took a prive van overnight to Darjeerling (the trains were taken) and in total, it was about a 16 hr journey? On the way over, we:

Drove through Indian backroads and villages and we at one point 59 km from Bangladesh
Drove over Asia's largest dam
Passed through the town where the Hare Krishna sect(?) started

Anyway, it was an amazing drive with breathtaking views of little hillstations, fog-covered mountains, lush greenery, and colorful villages along the way. We spent the day walking around, sampling the chai (delish!), Tibetan food, and shopping (beautiful handicrafts and silk). Darjeerling feels like no other place I've been before, I dont even feel like I'm in India! Prayer flags and wheels adorn the hilly streets and the fog moves in and out, changing the climate and visibility every minute!

Tomorrow we'll be taking the historic UNESCO toy train "joy ride," rising at 4am to see the sunrise over Tiger Hill (praying for a clear morning, if so, we'll be able to see Mt. EVEREST!), and checking out the monasteries.

Stay tuned for more

Love
A

The beginning of the end with some adventures thrown in

2009-04-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and friends,

The past month has been a whirlwind--I got in a minor motorbike accident, I traveled to Northern Vietnam for a week (and came back with a stomach bug), went for my second to last time down south (to Koh Lanta) and have had a total of 5 visitors. And, last but not least, my last day of work is today, April 29th.

There have been 2 major Thai holidays (including the Thai New Year), which have given me a total of 4 days off from work this month. There have been nation-wide water fights (aka Songkran, which I experienced in the quaint beach town of Koh Lanta), anti-government protests that disrupted entire traffic patterns in Bangkok, and even Tiesto, the world's "most famous DJ" came by last week for an all-night rager.

In amidst of all this tumultuous activity, I've been preparing to wind down my Bangkok life and am getting ready to head home. With only half a suitcase full of personal belongings left and as my friends here also begin to trickle out, my return to the US is getting closer and closer. I am already so behind on my updates and blogging, but I will do my best to set things straight and good news, have finally acquired a working external hard drive so that I can upload photos again!

But, I digress, back to my impending departure. As many of you know, I would never leave without a big bang and so, tomorrow I'm headed off on a 17 adventure to India. I'm ecstatic and am anticipating great things. I'm going with 3 friends and our itinerary starts off in Calcutta, continues on to Darjeerling (taking the toy train, holla!), Varansi, Agra, Delhi, Jodhpur, Udaipur and then down south to Kerala before returing to Bangkok (with a 4 day stint in Penang, Malaysia first!).

Post-India adventure, I'll be back in Bangkok co-producing and co-directing one last play, Oleanna, before heading back to NY.

Keep eyes peeled for updates and photos.

Love
A

I love Hong Kong

2009-03-25T02:27:00.001-07:00

So, I'll admit that Thailand is a really easy place to live and I'm certainly not "roughing" it in Bangkok. In many ways BKK is very Western, but it's still Asia, I can still get sick from food, fall in a sewer or trip on a sidewalk, feel the pollution, not talk to some people, etc. After living here for 9 months, I thought it would be nice to have a taste of Western living and spend my (golden) birthday inHong Kong. Also, the V-Day show was opening up the next weekend so I wanted to get out of town before a week of non-stop work.

I'd been to HK with my family about 12 years ago--we went for two weeks and it was my first big trip abroad and in Asia so I have very vivid memories of it and was obviously excited to go back.Hong Kong exceeded all my expectations--it is absolutely incredible! Even flying over the city on our way in--I could see the famous skyline, lit up, and the hills throughout the island and peninsula--the city amazed me.

I flew in with Julia and Amelia; Meg and Lindsay were going to meet us the next night. The three of us checked into our adorable hotel right inSoHo and then went out to dinner on one of the main streets in SoHo, filled with charming little restaurants, stylish boutiques and neighborhoody yet chic bars--I felt like I was in NY! Except the weather and hills and the general feel of the city is more like San Francisco.

After dinner we explored some of the nightlife, but wanted to head home early so that we could get some sleep for the rest of the weekend. Our first peak at the nightlife though astounded us. There's this area right night toSoHo called LKF (Lai Kwai Fong) that's basically 1 long street of bars and clubs, teeming with people--they're so packed that people spill onto and fill the street (a pedestrian street, no cars). And there were so many Westerners who weren't backpackers (those are the only kinds we see really inBKK )! It was all so overwhelming and was a bit of a culture shock (in the best way of course) at first--I felt like I was back in America. More on the nightlife later...

The next day the three of us walked around and did some sightseeing--we walked through SoHo and saw some of the amazing art and antique galleries in SoHo, the Man Po Temple near our hotel, and shopped in the cute SoHo boutiques that carried brands I recognized in sizes I could fit into. We walked all around Central, the downtown part of Hong Kong Island which is like the business district. The streets were so clean and the skyscrapers were so large and tall, just like in the States, it was such a novelty and all felt so familiar! Then we went to The Peak (Victoria Peak), one of the main tourist attractions inHK . It's this peak that overlooks all of Central, has a park up top and also is one of the most expensive residential area. We went up by tram to the top of the peak and even though it was incredibly hazy, we got great views of theHK harbor, Kowloon and HK Island. We also walked around the part and it felt like an early autumn day--crisp, fresh air, 60 degrees and sunny.

After the Peak, we caught a bus to take us to Stanley, a more residential area of HK about one-hour outside of Central. The bus took us through Repulse Bay and a bunch of other beach communities; it was one of the most beautiful bus rides I've been on, I kept wanting to snap photos! I felt like I was inSausalito , CA or Manly Beach in Sydney, driving along the edge of big green cliffs at the edge of an emerald-colored bay flooded with sunlight and the beaches looked nice too. I didn't realizeHK had this kind of natural beauty, I was stunned. People were sailing in the bay, others were barbecuing, there were cute houses steeped into the green cliffs; it was completely picturesque.

Once we got to Stanley, we walked around along the boardwalk, checked out some of the stores and found a quaint little restaurant for lunch. It was this small Parisian-style cafe overlooking the Bay with beautiful views and lots of sunlight. After we explored the Stanley market and headed back on our glorious bus ride to head back to Central. Once in Central, Julia and I continued walking around and shopping inSoHo while Amelia went to meet up with family friends.

Later, Julia and I took the famous Star Ferry over to the Kowloon side for dinner. The ferry had postcard views of the HK skyline. At night, the buildings are lit up and there are so many different colors, but it's not jarring like the visual pollution in Times Square (NY); for some reason, the colors and lights all seems to go together and fit well together. There were other boats in the harbor too, including some of the famous HK junk boats. Once on the Kowloon side, we headed to the Peninsula Hotel where we had a reservation at Felix, the Philippe Starck-designed restaurant on the 20-somethingth floor with stellar views of the skyline. The food was incredible, but subtle and the decor was nothing special except for the elevator pods and bathrooms (coolest bathrooms ever!).

Post dinner, we walked along Nathan Road (very sleazy, kind of gross, avoid!) up to the Temple Night Market. Compared to Bangkok's markets, this one was nothing special, except for all of the sex toys they sold, kind of strange--our markets certainly DO NOT carry those (they're illegal). After the market, we headed back to theHK side via MTR (subway) to meet up with Amelia, Meg and Lindsay to begin our night out.

So back to the nightlife and here I'll digress. Bangkok is a lot of fun. I have an awesome time, I have great friends, I really do love it here. However, there are a few things working against having fun "out": 1. Everything closes at 2am and my NYC programmed night schedule says things get started at around...1? 2. White women are kind of like lepers here so when you go out, it's more like you go out to dance and hang out with your girl friends. There isn't that element ofexcitement like, "What will happen tonight? Who will I meet?" 3. The clubs here aren't the clubs westerners are used to--there's only one of those and it's BedSupperclub . Don't get me wrong, I love Bed, but you can't go there all the time. So, needless to say, the nightlife is limited in certain respect.

Now, take HK. There are chic clubs galore: Dragon-i (the "in" club of the moment that "epitomizes" HK clubbing--models, cool kids, randoms), Drop, Volar (too many models...), Insomnia (live band, great 80s covers, feels like a college party) Lotus (chic lounge, good cocktails, older crowd), and many many others. Then there are fun bars that take you back to college days, serve jello shots, play top 40 and 80s hits, etc. Lastly, there are lots and lots and lots of Westerners--it's so easy to blend in, not stand out, have people look at you for reasons other than to gawk! Basically, we all were in heaven. We had a thorough night of late night partying till 5am and stumbled back to our hotel where we realized we had 3 twin beds for 5 girls...oops. Only inHK (real estate is too expensive!)

The next day we treated ourselves--High Tea at the Peninsula which is apparently "the tea" to do, guess there are still remnants of British high-culture, and then more shopping, walking and exploring. We decided to celebrate my birthday that night so we ate lavishly atNobu at the Intercontinental Hotel, another restaurant on the Kowloon side with great skyline views. The food was delicate and utterly delicious and the sea urchin ceiling decor was kind of cool too. I was surprised with a birthday dessert and singing and then another fun night out on the town; I even got to meet up with Princeton friends living inHK! All round fun times.

The next day was our last day in HK. We had a dim sum brunch--dim sum is a HK "must" so even though I hate Chinese food, I succumbed. They didn't really understand "vegetarian" though; to them, vegetarian means you just don't eat pork (they all eat pork, all of Asia!), butchicken and beef are okay. Needless to say, it was a light lunch for me, but I'm glad I experienced HK dim sum; I've since tried the dim sum restaurant in The Conrad connected to my office building and it was amazing, but probably not as authentic, but hey, I gave it another chance.

For our last hours, we took the hydrofoil to Macau. Tired, hung over and a bit rundown, we opted not to explore the tourist sights, but just explore The Venetian. Not that there are any tourist sights inMacau--I mean, I'm sure there are, but to me, Macau or seemed like Las Vegas 10-15 years ago--nothing but a few hotels, a lot of huge developmets in the works (so many cranes!!!) and nothing else nearby, but maybe I didn't see the right part. The Venetian though was incredible, it's just like the Venetian in Vegas, but bigger! You didn't think it could be any bigger, could you?! There was also a Four Seasons and a few other big hotels, but the Venetian seemed like the main player. We walked around the Canal Shoppes and eventually made our way to Morton's Steakhouse for a hearty dinner (no steak for me, just salad, still amazing and not easily found in Thailand) before boarding the plane home.

The trip as a whole was so so SO fun--one of my best weekends in Asia and one of the best birthdays I've had too, even though it wasn't my actual birthday. So yeah, I lovedHK, I think it's one of my favorite cities.

My actual birthday was spent with my cast in rehearsal and a big pink vagina birthday cake they made me, can you get anything more unique and memorable?!

Me and my vagina birthday cake...I think she's cutting the lip, clitoris still intact...

Phnom Phen: A city without waste management

2009-03-13T03:11:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Phnom Phen a little bedraggled early Saturday morning after a big V-day club party the night before. Nonetheless, I made my flight, slept on the plane and was ready for a full day of sightseeing after meeting Julia at the hotel and dropping off my small bag. My ride from the airport was definitely interesting--Phnom Phen was nothing like what I expected it to be! It was a big, spread out city; I expected it to be small and quaint like Vientiane or even small like Luang Prabang, I guess because my impressions of Siem Reap were that it was small and quaint.

Phnom Phem was much different--there were many big street and traffic, but none of the roads were paved and the entire city seemed light brown, like the dusty clay road. There were huge piles of waste everywhere and as we turned onto my street, there was a street side barber shop, which was really 5 chairs of men getting their hair cut, the hair falling to the ground on the road.
Our street was very quiet and the hotel turned out to be very quaint--it was painted all in blue and white, making it have a French seaside feel. It was called "The Billabong" and had a lovely little pool and cafe for breakfast right by its side.

Julia had already been there for a day and had gone to see the Royal Palace, so I would do that Sunday when she left and we decided to go to the Tol Sulong Memorial Museum for those killed under the Khmer Rouge, and the Killing Fields. We had my taxi driver take us first to the museum. On the drive to the museum, we passed through a gorgeous neighborhood with big houses, lots of trees, nicer roads; it felt like we were in a totally different city! But I guess that's a developing nation for you, huge, astounding disparities in wealth, though I think the people who lived in these houses were government officials too.

The museum was a children's elementary school before it was converted into a prison. The barbed wire was still up and a lot of the cells were intact. There were photos, torture devices, chains--it was all very numbing and chilling. I learned a lot about the Khmer Rouge--for example, I didn't know that Pol Pot ruled for only 4 years, but the terrors continued through the early 1990s; I'd assumed Pol Pot was in charge the entire time. I also didn't know about The Khmer Rouge's hatred of Communist Vietnam (even though the Khmer Rouge was communist too) and their many clashes with them; nor did I know about the UN and the US's backing of the Cambodian government, or about the kinds of people the Khmer Rouge killed (intellectuals, urban city-dwellers, women, men, children) or why they killed them.

It's so sad that many people don't know about the extent of the atrocities; I know it was a very eye-opening experience for me. It's also sad to see the difference between Phnom Phen, the capital of Cambodia, and Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, it's neighboring country. The museum said that Phnom Phen was in a period of prosperity before the Khmer Rouge; looks where it could have been (something like Bangkok) versus the state it's in now (it's lawless feel with people peeing on the streets that aren't even paved).

Next we were off to the killing fields, the place where prisoners were taken to be shot and killed. For me, this wasn't as powerful as the museum, though it was shocking. About 10km outside the city, it's a big countryside area where there are huge pits--pit after pit--where bodies were put. The bodies have been removed so now all you can see are the pits, which are huge. It's daunting to think of how many bodies could fit in there (the Khmer Rouge killed about 1.7 million people). The only evidence of bodies is the huge glass-encased tower of skulls that stands tall in the center of all the pits. Julia and I each lit incense and made a small donation in memory of the victims.

After the killing fields, we had our driver take us back to town where we stopped quickly at Wat Phnom, the biggest temple in the city, and then headed to lunch, where we parted with our driver. The place we went to lunch was one of the many NGO restaurants in town; Phnom Phen is filled with NGO workers and NGOs (definitely a good sign I think) and many of them make money by running restaurants for tourists, this is like the famous Cabbages and Condoms in Bangkok. The famous one in PP is called "Friends," but we went to the smaller, sister restaurant which served Khmer food; all of the money went to a Cambodian NGO that takes children off the street and educates them, teaching them useful skills and also gives them hospitality training in the restaurants. I forget its name, but it was adorable--it was decorated all in Cambodian textiles and art and it had a light and airy feel to it. The food was also incredible; I remember thinking in Siem Reap that Khmer food wasn't anything special, just a plainer, less spicy version of Thai food, but I loved it! And not just at this restaurant, but also where we went for lunch on Sunday too, a small Khmer restaurant by the Tonle Sap River. I had some sort of curry called "amoke" served in a banana leaf, one time with vegetables, the next with fish, but both times and it was incredible and different at each place.

After lunch, Julia and I took a tuk tuk back to our hotel, admiring the French colonial architecture which stood in stark contrast to some of the shacks and piles of trash. We then walked to the Central Market and were amazed by the number of motorbikes, they were everywhere! Sometimes it was difficult to walk because we were in a sea of bikes! The market though was a shoppers treat and so cheap; I got a watch, sunglasses, glasses frames, a pretty glass bracelet and a few other small things.

For dinner that night, we headed to the Raffles Hotel for a happy hour cocktail--it's certainly a lux hotel that has the feeling of colonial life and leisure. We took a few photos in the well manicured garden and elegantly decorated bar. After we headed to a riverside restaurant near the Palace for dinner. In the tuk tuk, I definitely understood why so many people call PP a "lawless" city because it certainly has that feel--like I said, people peeing on the streets, no waste management, but you also get the sense that it's probably not safe, all the dark alleys make you wonder.

Near the restaurant was the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC), a big expat hub. Next door was a cute little shop where Julia and I each bought some nice jewelry (a necklace for me). After we went to the "Heart of Darkness Bar," one of the big nightlife hubs of the city. We got "searched" before going in and this is where the lawlessness trickled back--my breasts, backside and ribs were all touched a little too much, and it made me uncomfortable; I was only wearing a cotton sundress, where was I going to hide a gun?! The bar had a bit of a tribal feel and we ended up not staying for too long.

The next morning after breakfast, I went to the National Museum which was very interesting--it was filled with Cambodian art and history about the Khmer empire and the previous empires. I tried to go to the Palace but it was closed because the King was in town!! Just my luck; it did look lovely. Instead, I went to Wat Ounamoun, the country's most sacred Wat. At the temple, there was a small man guarding the gate who opened it up for me to enter. I had to duck my head to go into the space where the shrine and Buddha statue was. He performed a ritual that involved blessing me and splashing my face with water; being in that small cave-like shrine was very peaceful and it did have a spiritual feel, minus the neon lights over the Buddha's head which made it look somewhat 70's-era Hare Krishna.

After Wat Ounamoun, I went back to meet Julia for lunch and then headed off to the airport, just in time to make my evening rehearsal for V-day after an interesting and unexpected Cambodian weekend. As I left, I was perplexed by Cambodia--many people often become obsessed with it or absorbed by its history, but Laos still remained my SE Asian favorite. I guess different strokes for different folks, but I'm happy I went all the same.

"Amazing Thailand"

2009-03-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

In Thailand, they run these tourism ad campaigns with the slogan, "Amazing Thailand." To be honest, as much as I love Thailand, I have yet to be "amazed" by any of the natural setting; I'm probably just spoiled by New Zealand scenery. Granted, I've loved the ruins of Ayutthaya, the charm and culture of the North--especially Chiang Rai--the sweeping green hills of Khao Yai, but there was no nature that "stunned" me. That changed when I went to Khao Lak, the Similan Islands and the Phang-Nga Bay last month.

I went with Julia for 3 days to Khao Lak, a small resort town about 1 hour way from Phuket. Khao Lak was heavily hit by the tsunami in 2004 and it's been slower to rebound than Phi Phi and Phuket and other places, which was actually better for us. It wasn't flooded with tourists or overrun with backpacker hostels or huge hotel developments; it was very peaceful and serene. "Khao" in Thai means mountain, and that's what Khao Lak is, a gorgeously covered mountain, perched at the edge of the Andaman Sea. The mountain is very green and tropical and wonderfully intact; there's a national park just outside of the town with some great hiking paths that Julia and I did that lead you through the forest, right to the edge overlooking the water.

We got in late Friday night, took a car to our hotel, which was totally adorable and lined with palm trees with big wide leaves, was nestled at the foot of the mountain and our room had a lovely view looking out on it. We walked through the small town, mainly just one very nicely paved street, along which there were various restaurants, shops and a number of diving stores, all advertising trips to the Similan Islands, a national park and one of the world's top 10 dive spots. We had dinner and our waitress was a very nice Thai woman who had lived in the US so her English was great. She was excited to talk to us because she said that Khao Lak rarely got American tourists, they were mainly European, especially Scandinavian or German. She told us about the area and also about the Six Senses Spa that I'd read about in BK Magazine as one of Thailand's top spas and getaways. She said that is would take about 1.5 hrs to get there but that it was beautiful, so if we wanted to treat ourselves, it was the place.

So, the next morning, after an early morning hiking in the national park (we didn't get to see the waterfalls though, alas), and booking our Sunday and Monday excursions (more later), Julia and I set out for our adventure to Koh Yao (Koh means "island"), one of the many small islands in the picturesque Andaman Sea. First we took a bus, headed towards Phuket. We were told the bus was 1 hour, but it was actually 2, surprise surprise. It dropped us off in some random location at the side of a road, close to the Phuket pier where we could catch our ferry to Koh Yao (we had the woman at our hotel write our stop in Thai to give to the driver). We thought we could walk--we were told it was only 1km or so, but when I asked the motorbike drivers in Thai, they told me it was very far. After much haggling, we negotiated a decent rate and BOTH boarded the back of the motorbike--that's right, the TWO of us were on the back of the same bike, so this small little moped was carrying 3 full-size adults. It turned out that the pier was actually quite far (again, surprise surprise) and there was NO way we could have walked, it must have been about 4-5 miles. After dropping us off, we bought our ferry tickets and waited for the ferry.

Our ferry came and it was loaded with miscellaneous items and foodstuffs to bring to the island. Julia and I decided to sit outside to enjoy the views. Let me tell you, despite the strong sun, this was a brilliant idea because the scenery was incredible--it was like the Samui archipelago and the boat trip was in and of itself an excursion. The water was a gorgeous blue and there were so many small islands and limestone towers. After 1.5 hrs on the boat, we finally arrived in Koh Yao, only to board a tuk tuk to take us to Six Senses--in total it was about 4.5 hours to get there!

It was certainly a pristine little hideaway though, the kind of place you go when you don't want anyone to bother you at all, or even know where you are, but it was still luxurious, or rather, "rustic chic." All we had time for was a 50-minute treatment--I got the signature massage--but it was incredible! One of the best I've had, so I guess the 4 hr journey by bus, motorbike, boat, tuk tuk and hotel buggy (i.e., golf cart) was worth it :) We drank up the ginger tea and took apples for the road and headed back on our long journey to Khao Lak.

The next day was my favorite and certainly one of the most memorable and not just because of our katoey (ladyboy) tour guide, "Nancy," but because we spent a full day snorkeling in the Similan Islands. There are nine islands and are all preserved as a national park;our trip was going to take us to four of them. There are no hotels on any of the islands, all you can do is camp on a few of the select islands. They are also a prime spot for sea-turtle breeding, so there are some islands you can't go to at certain times of the year when the turtles lay their eggs on the beach.

The boat out to the islands was a bumpy speedboat, but Julia and I were happy to be outside. We got to our first island and I was totally taken aback. The sand was a pure white and so smooth and easy to walk on, I'd never been on a beach with such silky sand. When we started snorkeling, it was incredible, I couldn't believe how clear the water was! You could see 30m down and still see the ripples of the sand on the ocean floor in perfect detail. The fish were bright and colorful and the coral was also impressive; I could see why the Thai government wanted to preserve it. Nancy asked if we liked the first island and when she sensed my enthusiasm, she told me to sit tight, the next ones were even better--I couldn't believe it. But she was right, the next two islands--the coral and fish around them really--were even more dazzling, and I even saw a few sea turtles!

The clarity and the diversity, in my mind, makes this a far better snorkeling spot than even the great barrier reef! Although, I do think that the GBR has some nicer coral, but the Similans have such vibrant fish, it's fantastic! Sometimes I tire of snorkeling and want to go back to the boat early, but I think this time I was always the last person back on the boat--it was just so pleasant and truly enjoyable. We spent the entire day outside and in the water and I ended up with a mild sunburn on my back (Julia didn't fare as well, she got a full-body burn), but I didn't mind so much because the day was so great. At dinner, Julia and I were in such good moods and so hungry that we treated ourselves to good ol'fashioned ice cream Sundays.

The next day we headed off to our last planned excursion, a trip into the famous Phang-Nga Bay. We took a long tail boat in the bay and passed by one limestone tower/mountain after another; some had huge stalactites and many were covered in shrubbery--it was sublime. This was the first time after being in New Zealand's Milford Sound, that I was totally in awe of nature; it reminded me of a tropical version of the Milford Sound. I had my camera out the entire time, I couldn't peel myself away from it or dare to put it back--everything we passed had a grandeur about it that's difficult to describe. Sadly, my camera ran out of batteries once we arrived at James Bond Island, one of the touristy destinations in the Bay, but Julia took photos.

At the island, we got to go in sea kayaks and be taken around the bay by a guide. Our guide took us through a huge mangrove forest and we were right next to the huge roots that anchor the mangroves in the water. He took us through the limestone caves and grottoes and at times we were so close to the stone that we had to lie back--this provided a very interesting view of all those stalactites. There were some limestone islands that had interesting trees sprouting out of them too.

We were in the bay for about 4 hours, and then taken back on our long tail boats to the pier. We were then taken to a cave with a big reclining Buddha, which was interesting, but nothing like the rest of the trip had been. We were tired, a little sick of the sun, and ready to go home after a most memorable trip. I now see why people say Thailand has the best beaches in the world and why so many people flock to the South. I didn't understand before, even though I'd been to many Thai beaches, but this one most certainly takes the cake.

My oh my, how does the time fly...

2009-03-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

After a one and a half month hiatus, my life has finally returned back to normal. February was a hectic month to say the least. I plan to write a blog entry for each of my travels, but here's the brief overview:

-I produced and directed my first play. The first night was a bit of a bomb, but thankfully, the next two shows were a huge success and everyone forgot about opening night...

-I oversaw 2 big events that also were a success, but one of them took a hell of a lot of time and planning

-I was away every weekend before the show, mainly to get away and keep my sanity. It was really special too because Julia, my good friend from college was going a big Asia trip so we got to meet up every weekend and she also came to BKK and saw the show

-I celebrated my golden birthday--23 on the 23rd. I spent the weekend before celebrating big in Hong Kong and then on Monday, my actual birthday, I was with my cast at rehearsal. They baked me a big pink vagina cake with a piece of chocolate as the clitoris...gosh that's a memory, don't think I can forget this birthday!

-Summary: I didn't have one free day in February (aside from my weekend travels), not one. Here's to sleep and a personal life in the month of March and beyond...

Stay tuned for travel updates and notes on Bangkok...

Catching up--December, January

2009-01-20T00:25:00.000-08:00

The last two months have been hectic to say the least. I didn't even get to expound upon a big Thai holiday back in the end of November, Loy Krathong, the Theravada Buddhist day of repentance where Thais take "Krathongs," small votives with flowers, incense and sometimes foods, and set them out to sail on the Chao Praya River as an act of repenting for their sins and starting afresh. So, here goes my best effort to catch up on my travel and cultural reports--I'll be uploading pictures in the next few days that were taken from my new digital SLR camera, my Christmas present from the States!

What I've been doing with my time....

First off, my efforts to organize the Bangkok V-Day campaign, both directing and producing the show, "The Vagina Monologues," has taken up the majority of my time in the past few months. My co-producer, Chris, decided to go back to the States, leaving me to head up the campaign alone. To make sure the production didn't fall apart, I recruited a team to run all aspects of the production--outreach and local partnerships, PR and marketing (Thai and English), merchandise, University campaigns and post-performance events, and events and fundraising. As a production team, we selected a venue (we looked at about 7 in total), solidified our charity (Emergency Home, see vdaybkk.blogspot.com), set up 4 fundraising events: 1 networking party, 1 happy hour, 1 club party and 1 VIP fundraising dinner; got a ticket vendor (like ticketmaster) to take care of ticket sales; recruited local celebrities and supporters; manufactured all of our merchandise; designed all of our print material; applied for gender-based violence grants and solicited for corporate sponsorship, and many other things. Thankfully, after about two months of hard work, the production is on track and things are progressing nicely. All of the events should be a success (we had our first one last week) especially our VIP dinner which will include an auction with really spectacular items, including two piece of art from two of Thailand's most prestigious artists. Tickets are on sale and the PR has been great--our show will be featured on radio, in magazines and on TV this month and next, and things are going along smoothly.

Then, I also had to make sure the production was on track, attending rehearsals about 3-4 times a week this month and next (Feb), and getting the production details in order--thankfully, I have a phenomenal stage manager, Eff, who's been pulling a large amount of the actual production weight, getting all the technical parts of the show set up, checking over the Thai scrip to finalize the translations, organizing costume fittings with our costume designer, Marisa Baratelli, a lovely designer who makes clothes for women using only Thai silk--she will be donating all of the costumes. We had fittings this past Sunday and they look wonderful. So, the show should be a hit and we have about a month left to finalize everything and make all of the monologues even stronger. So, as you can all see, this has been the major part of my time.

Borneo, Bangkok and Luang Prabang: my mom and Mark

Next, on to other topics. My mom and Mark came to visit for Christmas and New Years and we had a wonderful time--it was so great to see them both in my new home environment, though I must admit, it made me miss them and all my friends, family and life back in the US a lot. We started off the trip in Luang Prabang, Laos, in the Mekong Delta. Luang Prabang was magical, and one of my favorite places I've been to in Asia so far--the mountains and the river made for a gorgeous natural setting, the French and French-Asian fusion food was absolutely delicious, the town was quaint and relaxed, the people were lovely,our hotel was adorable and everything we did was just perfect.

We took a long-tail boat up the river to the Pak Ou caves, which are filled with Buddhas and small shires. The trip up the river was very slow and the only unpleasant thing was the weather--it rained (even though it's not rainy season) and it was very cold. We rode elephants through the forest and got to feed them afterwards--they eat bananas without taking the peel off! I started to peel a banana when the elephant caretaker told me I could feed them with the peels on--the elephant truck deftly took the banana from my hand, as if it were a hand. We explored the many temples in the town--some of the artwork and glass mosaics were incredible. The colors were still vibrant and intact too. We enjoyed the Laotian massages and frequented the night market, which had many beautiful handy crafts, including paintings on natural paper.

Luang Prabang is a very holy city and you can see monks everywhere. Many of the paintings by the local artists featured monks as their subjects--all of them barefoot, dresses in yellow robes, some carrying umbrellas to guard from the sun. One morning, I woke up at 5AM to give alms to the monks. This consisted of going into town and sitting on the ground, on a lower level than the monks, and giving them sticky rice in their begging bowl. The monk have to use all of the alms they get and ration it out during the day. Giving alms though, isn't as easy as it sounds. The monks move at a very rapid pace, and sorting out the sticky rice in small handfuls to put in each monk's bowl is more challenging than it seems when they move so fast. There were some I wasn't quick enough to get, and then I would feel bad. I had to move so fast that I ended up giving much bigger chunks of rice and ran out of rice at the end...I'm sure the monks were fine though.

After three lovely days in Luang Prabang, we headed back to Bangkok where I could show off my new home. I took my mom to see Wat Pho and Wat Arun, my favorite wat in Bangkok. We took the river boat up so she could experience that. I was amazed how much she loved the river. She loved it so much that later, we even did a klong (canal) tour--Mark loved this too. It's funny, most people complain about the river and the klongs in Bangkok--how dirty and smelly they are, but they loved it, so this made me happy. I also showed them Siam and the vast sea of malls; the BTS--it's funny, they both love the subway in NY but hated the BTS because of all the stairs! They also didn't really understand the traffic problem....

On their second day in Bangkok, my mom and Mark came to my humble abode and saw my apartment for the first time (I have yet to post photos of it, I know, I'm on it). I also took them to my office, my favorite Thai restaurant, Kalaprapruek (pronounced "gal-a-pra-prook") and introduced them to some of my good friends and co-workers. It was fun for me to get to introduce them to people I tell them about, for them to put a face to a name. It was also fun to see them devour Thai food. The constant refrain of the two days in Bangkok were, "We can't find this kind of Thai food in New York! It's never this good!" Dinner was at another traditional Thai restaurant, of course--they couldn't get enough of it. Their last meal before they left to go home (one day stop over after their private vacation to Krabi) was also at a lovely traditional Thai restaurant with a gorgeous garden.

After two whirlwind days in Bangkok, we all set off for the last stop on my trip with them, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, in Borneo (they still had Krabi after). I was incredibly excited to go to Kota Kinabalu, but also nervous that it wouldn't live up to its expectations after Laos and Bangkok. I was expecting Borneo to be a mixture of things--rain forest meets ocean; exotic flora and fauna and opportunities for snorkeling, rain forest walks, relaxation and warm weather, kind of like northern Australia. It wasn't exactly like this, but it was still a fun time. The resort we stayed at was lovely, but it did have a very resort-y feel and was very big.

The island itself wasn't tropical--it was mountainous and hilly and filled with forests, not tropical rain forest; it was very intact though and not cut down and depressing like parts of Bali. We spent our New Years at the resort, but got to spend NYC New Years, 13 hours behind, on Mount Kinabalu, the 3rd tallest mountain in SE Asia. We also did get to do a canopy walk, but it certainly was not for the faint of heart. The hike up to the canopy was long and steep and misty; the canopy itself didn't feel so sturdy and it felt like I was walking on a tightrope suspended in a forest.

We also flew to Sandakahn, another part of Sabah, to see the orangutans and monkeys at the Sepilok Reserve and Rehabilitation Center. All of the orangutans there have been rescued, either from homes as pets or animals for show, and brought there to try and re-learn their natural survival instincts. The monkeys and orangutans were spectacular--they came right up to you and would stand so close, even to touch you. Some of the monkeys were a bit frightening and loud, others were really sweet and gentle, scared of us--these were mainly the baby orangutans. I'd never seen wildlife in this kind of setting before, so open and in their home (their natural habitat which is preserved), as opposed to at a zoo; it was a fun time and I got some fantastic photos. Other than that, we simply relaxed by the pool, read, dipped our toes in the South China Sea, something not many can say they've done; it was surprisingly warm with a strong undertow! It was a great trip, the only downside though was getting there--no direct flight so we had to have a four-hour layover in the KL airport, which is perhaps the worst airport I've seen.

After Borneo, my mom and Mark continued on to Krabi, one of the most famous beaches in Thailand, it's "jewel." They had a wonderful time filled with limestone craters, picturesque sunsets, blue waters and quiet beaches, and luxury five-star accommodations. I'm glad they had a chance to relax since the rest of the trip was very jam-packed and a bit hectic. When they came back to Bangkok for their last night, I got to see pictures from their trip, and show them a few more of my Bangkok favorites--the night market, Suan Lum Night Bazaar and then off to one last Thai meal. Saying goodbye was hard, but I only have a little over 5 months left--it's all gone by so quickly!

"The North:" Pre-Christmas trip to Chiang Rai, Thailand

I should back-track to highlight one of my other trips I took before my mom and Mark visited, my trip up to Chiang Rai, Thailand to visit my friend Theresa. This was another one of my favorite, memorable trips. I was incredibly stressed about all the V-day events things to do, but my visit to chilly northern Thailand was just what I needed to de-stress me. Chiang Rai is an adorable town that's not too developed and it was great to see some of the northern highlights with Theresa.

In Chiang Rai town, I saw some temples, the day market that sells just about everything and also the night market, where I bought a gorgeous hill tribe embroidered bag. After a day of exploring the city, Theresa took me back to her apartment and brought me to her friend Rachel's house, and when I say a house, it really was an incredible, 3-bedroom house, with a full kitchen and everything! It felt so nice and homey, and it cost a fraction of price of my entire 2-bedroom apartment in Bangkok.

My favorite part about my night at Rachel's house was that Rachel and Theresa were holding a Holiday Party for their students, so I got to meet them and talk to them. Most of the PiA posts are teaching posts, but mine isn't so my only Thai friends are those I meet through work or V-day, so not students. It was really interesting to get a glimpse into what they learn about, what they are interested in, to hear about their experiences. I think this was one of my favorite parts of my trip to Chiang Rai and I learned a lot from them. Some were a bit shy, but others were chatty and interested in me too, and Christmas and US traditions. It was nice to see this other side of an expat experience in Thailand, as a teacher.

On Saturday, we journeyed outside of town, first to Doi Tung, the agricultural and alternative livelihoods project by the Princess Mother's Royal Foundation, Mae Fah Luang, to combat opium production--it is famous in Thailand and has been used as a template by the UN for combating drug production and poverty. At Doi Tung, I got to visit the Princess Mother's house, a Swiss-style chalet with Thai astrology mixed in on the ceilings, and her royal gardens, which were in peak season in December after just blooming.

After some time in the gardens, Theresa and I continued in our rented songtaew on our hot spots of northern Thailand tour to Mae Sai, the town on the border of Burma (Myanmar). Mae Sai is a town made for shopping--jewelry, trinkets, clothing, electronics--it's overwhelming. I did buy a stunning, Thai-style ruby ring made from high quality Burmese rubies; I just hope that the rubies aren't "blood rubies" so to speak. The man who sold me my ring also gave me some phone bling, aka, a phone charm to hang on my cell phone. I feel very Thai with it now. Also at Mae Sai, I stood at the northern-most point of Thailand, saw over to the other side of the border. You can cross the border into Burma for 500B to shop to your heart's content--apparently the Burmese town is loaded with DVDs, CDs, bags, you name it. Theresa and I didn't journey over the boarder, but I am trying to plan a trip to actually journey into Burma, but that is for another time

The last stop on our tour was the "Golden Triangle," the point at which Laos, Burma and Thailand all meet. I thought this would be a pretty cool sight as I'm into borders, but it was a bit of a let down; there was a very interesting gold Buddha though. After the Golden Triangle, we continued home with our goods in tow, ready for a good meal and for some night market shopping.

On my last day in Chiang Rai, Theresa and I met up with Rachel to see the White Temple, a newly constructed temple that is entirely white with mirror pieces as mosaics. Inside the temple is a very political and controversial wall painting. The artist got the idea to build the temple from a dream he had and donated it to the people of Chiang Rai, financing it all on his own. It's quite a sight, and very different from any of the old Thai temples, in either the Siam or Khmer styles. After the white temple, we headed into one of the national parks for a short hike to a waterfall. The air was so fresh and crisp and it was really nice to be back in nature again.

The thing we were planning to do while I was in Chiang Rai was to visit and ostrich farm where visitors, for just 60B (less than $2) can ride an ostrich while wearing a SWAT vest!! Theresa had done it before and when I heard about it, I desperately wanted to ride one--who rides ostriches?! After driving and searching for the farm for over two hours, we decided to give up, head to Rachel's, bake some cookies, and curl up to watch The Tudors and later a movie. All in all, the weekend was just what I needed, and got me rested and ready for my big trip with my parents.

Coming up...

I think that that, in short, takes care of the past two months. In a few days, I'm expecting visitors--first a good friend from Princeton who will be passing through for two days, then my friend and little Kappa sister, Davion, will be in Bangkok for about 10 days (trip to Ayutthaya and Samet!) and then my friend and and big Kappa sister, Julia, will be hitting BKK to start off her grand Asia tour and we'll journey down to Khao Lak together for some R&R before V-day crunch time sets in.

Pictures coming soon!

A

Euro(work) trip--Barcelona

2008-12-01T23:14:00.000-08:00

My time in Barcelona was absolutely fantastic--the weather was ideal and it was always sunny; the Spanish food and wine were a pleasure for the palette; I was able to speak the local language and enjoy engaging in good conversation with locals (I loved speaking Spanish again!); and, on my tiny bit of free time, I was able to walk the city, and, just as in Amsterdam, take it all in.

Although I loved the architecture in Amsterdam, there is something very special about Barcelona--it is a breathtaking city. Architecturally, I think Barcelona is my favorite city and reminded me of Paris. I think the reason Barcelona is so special and unique is it's palpable Mediterranean feel, with the water and beach right there. Also, all of Gaudi's architecture really is inspired by nature, so you feel more connected to it than you do in other urban spaces where you can forget nature exists at all. There are also an incredible amount of green spaces where you can actually forget you're in a city. Montjuic, where a lot of the Olympic facilities are is like this; as is the Parc Ciutadella. In addition, the Parc Guell feels like a Mediterranean escape, like you're actually in the country-side of Greece, not in urban Barcelona.

Like Amsterdam, Barcelona has hundreds of little streets and alleyways to explore; cafes to try, sweets to taste and fashionable shops to indulge in--I bought a gorgeous pair of leather boots. I did as much as I could when I wasn't working, though this was difficult. Running in the morning was a great way for me to explore the different neighborhoods and much more enjoyable than running on a treadmill in Bangkok.

The conference I attended was incredibly interesting, covered an array of topics in conservation like water, eco-tourism, sustainable agriculture, and also topics in energy, sustainable development (poverty alleviation) and scientific studies in biology, zoology, chemistry, economics and many many other fields. I met an amazingly diverse group of people from places like Jordan, South Africa, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Zimbabwe, the US, UK, the list goes on.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience, both personally and professionally. Here are some snapshots from my trip, enjoy!

The community space outside the conference center, "El Forum"

The reflective walls of the conference building at night

Ted Turner speaking at the conference in an ecotourism seminar--he ended up sitting right in front of me!

Sign of the conference that I attended (IUCN World Conservation Congress)

Interior of the modern, environmentally-friendly conference center, "El Forum," where I spent most of my time

Barceloneta (the beach) with a view of the Olympic Stadium statue

Boats in the harbor by Barceloneta

Building art in El Raval

Walking around in El Raval

Inside the Museum of Contemporary Art

At the end of Las Ramblas leading into Colon square near the water

The famous lizard statue at the entrance of the Parc Guell

Gaudi-style bench in the Parc Guell

Inside the Parc Guell

View from atop the Parc Guell

The Casa Mila, another Gaudi work

Looking up at the Sagrada Familia

Inside the Sagrada Familia

The stained glass in the Sagrada Familia

The whole view of the Sagrada Familia

City living in Barcelona

Las Ramblas

Interior of the Barcelona Cathedral

Gaudi architecture in L'Eixample

Euro(work) trip--Amsterdam

2008-12-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

While working in Amsterdam, I was able to walk around the city and explore at night after work or in the early morning before my work started. Here are some snapshots from my time there. Overall, I think Amsterdam was an absolutely adorable and pleasant city that, quite frankly, I fell in love with. I certainly think I would be content and happy living there.

Although the weather was a bit of a downer, it was nice to feel the freshness of fall after hot, steamy Thailand. The food was delicious, the fashion was great, the people friendly, open and diverse. I met an incredible array of interesting people and people were willing to talk to me--a Spanish bartender approached me in Spanish; a group of Dutch women in a yoga class I was in invited me to dinner with them--people were incredibly approachable and interested to meet and talk to me, I never felt lonely even though I was traveling and spent most of my time alone.

What's also great is that Amsterdam is small enough that you can walk just about anywhere in the city--it feels like a small village. I didn't ride a bicycle because of the heavy rains, but chose to walk. It was quite refreshing, walking around a city--looking at things, taking in all in; you can't really walk in Bangkok because the sidewalks can kill and it's often too hot that you'd get sweaty. I took a tram to work, which was about 20 minutes away by tram, but each day I walked home, taking different routes, exploring different squares--Rembranstplein, Leidseplein--and neighborhoods.

Amsterdam is also incredibly beautiful--the architecture, the canals, the reflections and alleyways, tucked-away niches and cafes. It's certainly an inspiring city--an artist's oyster. Hope you all enjoy my snapshots!

Early morning sale of flowers

Canal at night

Street in the old city at night

In the Centrum by the train station

Canal by the Red Light District

The Wag

More picturesque canals

Graffiti art in the Centrum

Cafe in the Centrum

Famous Amsterdam coffee shops in the Centrum

Canals in and around the centrum

Street in the old city

Updates updates!

2008-12-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

1. I've gotten a lot of very concerned emails and calls from friends and family about the increasingly volatile political situation in Thailand. I'm okay, everyone I know in Bangkok is okay but it has certainly caused quite the disturbance--airports are closed, people are taking ridiculous, multi-destination routes to get back into the country or to leave, but hopefully things will be resolved soon. I don't know anything other than what's on the news so can't really provide any insightful information.....

2. I have plenty of updates in other areas of my life and will be posting information shortly, including:

Photos from my work trip to Amsterdam and Barcelona
A brief narrative of the recent Thai holiday, Loy Krathong!
Snapshots of Bangkok Thanksgiving!
Progress of the V-Day campaign and "The Vagina Monologues"

That's it for now. I hope you're all well and are enjoying this holiday season!

xx
A

V-Day BKK: Check out our blog!

2008-11-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

http://vdaybkk.blogspot.com/

We will soon be posting:

1. Cast notifications (after auditions next week)
2. Ticket and venue information
3. Ways to donate to our V-Day BKK Campaign
4. Information on V-Day BKK Merchandise

You can also check out our V-Day web page for more information: http://events.vday.org/2009/Community/Bangkok_(TVM)

Pinch Me, Take 2: Bali

2008-11-12T18:37:00.001-08:00

My good friend from college, Christina, just came to visit me. For her visit, we planned to take a fun beach vacation. As we were brainstorming on gchat (as all good brainstorming is done), Christina suggested Bali. I was down and have always been a bit curious about Bali myself--it's one of those heavily mythologized places as an oasis of luxury and relaxation, I feel--so I thought, why not, and we booked our tickets.

Unfortunately, the start of our oasis escape wasn't so relaxing. We messed up the time of our tickets AND almost got in a very scary car accident that we missed our flight, which was definitely a bummer. It was the last flight going to Jakarta, so we would miss our early AM connection in Bali. We were so crazed in racing to the airport, getting new tickets and then collapsing in my apartment for what turned out to only be a short "nap" before our new flight (we had to leave for the airport at 3 am), that the whole episode quickly became incredibly amusing--we were two disheveled, hot messes.

Christina, disheveled, appropriately consoling herself with an ice cream

So, when we finally did make our flight to Jakarta, we rushed out of the airport to change terminals to try and catch an earlier flight to Bali--one that would only put us 5-6 hours back from our original flight instead of 10-11. Miraculously, we were able to get on the earlier flight, which was a bit delayed, so we even got Javanese massages at the airport for a totally relaxed arrival in Bali.

Our luck only got better once we landed in Bali. We hadn't arranged for a driver to pick us up from the airport to take us to our hotel and we were very nervous about getting ripped off or scammed, but thankfully, the rates to each hotel were pre-fixed, so we could rest easy. We had decided to stay at the Ritz Carlton in Jimbaran because, compared to any other Ritz in the world, this place was a bargain! Only $200 a night for a regular room! We checked in, were "laid" with gorgeous, fragrant frangipani flowers and were served a tasty tropical welcome beverage. The receptionist soon informed us that because of overbooking, we had been upgraded to a PRIVATE VILLA with a private pool, and hopefully that would be okay. We were ecstatic! We could not have gotten any luckier and thought that perhaps if we hadn't missed our flight, we would just gotten a regular hotel room.

Lay and welcome beverage--still not looking so great after the long and arduous journey

A buggy (gold cart) then took us to our villa which was absolutely stunning--not as over the top as the Four Seasons in Samui, but certainly top notch. We had a private pool, with a little pavilion and lounge chairs; we had a great bedroom with the most comfortable down pillows and comforters (the turn down service was also great and we were left the best dark chocolate in little gold Ritz Carlton wrappers); our bathroom was incredible and the bathtub was filled with rose petals and also had a great view of our surrounding garden; the living room was also lovely and stocked with fresh, local fruits that we feasted on for breakfast.

Our pool and little pavilion

Christina lounging in the pavilion

Our bedroom

View from the Bathroom

Rose petal bath

Our living room

The rest of the Ritz compound, as Christina liked to call it, was also mind-blowingly impressive. Everything was perfectly decorated with ornate Balinese statues; the flowers were in full bloom in all colors; the three pools were all exquisite--the ocean beach pool was my favorite, an infinity pool looking out over the beach; the lower pool with the water flowing from the upper pool, and with a view of the aquarium was also pretty spectacular. The restaurants were absolutely delicious--we had dinner there our first night as a treat to begin the vacation. The spa and gym was also lovely. The Ritz spa is famous for its aquatonic pool that's used for water-based massaged and relaxation. I really wanted to try the pool, but it was closed for renovation, alas. The hotel was also perfectly suited for couples and newlyweds--there was a marriage pavilion to hold weddings and also two different areas where you could have a private, candlelight dinner.

On the Ritz grounds

Flowers along one of the staircases

The lower pool

The ocean beach infinity pool

Me overlooking the beach in the infinity pool

View on the way down to the ocean beach pool

One of the fountain-statues

Me and Christina at dinner on our first night

After relaxing and hanging around the pools on our first day, we decided to take a short snorkeling trip on our second day, and in the evening, try to see the Uluwatu temple. So, after sleeping in and lounging by our villa pool, we went to make arrangements for snorkeling. I'd read that Blue Lagoon was a great place to snorkel, but the hotel suggested Nusa Dua since we only wanted a short snorkel trip; the other offering was a full-day and we didn't have time. So, we went to Nusa Dua, about 30 minutes away to snorkel. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best experience and it was our first glimpse into the environmental degradation and exploitation of natural resources that is occurring now in Bali.

Our little boat took us in very shallow waters, right over reefs--something you're not supposed to do--and we could see the boat was leaking fuel into the waters. A lot of the waters were dirty and the first spot was so bad that we insisted he take us somewhere else. We did get to a nicer spot where we saw some interesting fish and some pretty coral; I also saw a number of beautiful starfish. Even at this spot though, there was some trash in the water and there were so many boats in such a small area. It made me very sad that the people were so poor that they exploited their only means of income--snorkeling, a tourism activity. A friend of mine did go to the Blue Lagoon on a full day trip and said it was absolutely marvelous--the waters were clear and the visibility was great and the biodiversity was extraordinary. Perhaps if I go back, I'll try it out.

We returned to the hotel to relax a bit before the driver we'd arranged would pick us up to take us to see Uluwatu temple, a 1000-year old Hind temple. When our driver arrived, he actually had a guide with him too, which was great. Our driver's name was Coman and our guide's name was Made, pronounced "mah-deh." He was a very nice man and his English was very good. He told us how in Bali, the first child is always called "Wayan," the second is "Made," and the third is "Coman," so Coman, our driver was his younger brother!

Made also told us a little bit about Balinese culture, and how different is was from the rest of Indonesia. First off, the Balinese are Hindu, not Muslim like the rest of Indonesia. Also, they speak Balinese, their own language, which is very different from Bahasa Indonesian. As Made spoke, we could tell that the Balinese really identify more as "Balinese" than Indonesian, but that this was also true of the Javanese, the people of Java, and the Sulawesi, the people who live in the Indonesian part of Borneo, and people from Sumatra, etc. It was interesting because we saw many Indonesian flags, but no one said anything about being Indonesia, but more about being Javanese or Balinese etc, identifying more with their own local culture, which they believe is very different from others.

Coman and Made took us to Uluwatu just before the sunset. He warned us that we had to put all our things--sunglasses, jewelry, etc--in our bags or else the monkeys roaming the ruins would take them! He told us that the Balinese love monkeys, but that these were mischievous monkeys so we should be very careful, also with our cameras since they'd been known to steal cameras too. He also told us that if either of us were in our "female cycle," we couldn't come in the temple.

Monkey at Uluwatu

When we got to the temple, Made wrapped us in sarongs and sashes, the traditional Balinese way to go into a temple. The temple was perched on top of a huge cliff, with gorgeous views of the limestone rocks and cliffs below, and the crystal blue water. The monkeys were indeed very naughty, I saw a few playing with women's' hair clips they'd stolen or other little things. They would come out of no where and jump right next to you, startling you an throwing you off guard, but it was all part of the experience.

Overlooking the cliffs at Uluwatu

Uluwatu in the sun

1000 year old stone art at Uluwatu

As we watched the sunset, Made told us that we could watch a Cecak (pronounced ke-chak) dance, a traditional Balinese dance performed by about 80 men who act as a vocal orchestra of sorts, with a flame in the center which has a symbolic meaning, and actors who perform an old Balinese folk tale; the performance lasts for about an hour. It was interesting and certainly like nothing I'd ever seen before. The sounds the men make are very different, it sounds like a mix of a chu-chu kind of sound and heavy breathing.

Sunset at Uluwatu

More sunset

Cecak performance with the flame in the center

After the Cecak dance, Made took us to Jimbaran Bay to a fresh seafood restaurant right on the beach. It was a very nice, atmospheric place; it was actually one of many little restaurants along the beach. The restaurant was cool too because all of the fish were live and you got to pick which fish you wanted; since it was my first time eating fish, Christina kindly picked our fish and it was delicious! We also got serenaded by a cute little Balinese four-man band. They played Oasis, U2--exactly the kind of music popular over here.

Me and Christina serenaded by the Balinese beach band

The next day, Christina and I just lounged around the Ritz, soaking up our last bit of time there. In the late afternoon, we went to Kuta Beach, where we'd stay for only one night, since we heard the only reason people went to Kuta was to party and surf. When we got there, we were shocked with what we saw--it was totally overrun with people and way too overdeveloped. The traffic made Bangkok's traffic look mild and the amount of motorcycles everywhere was ridiculous. It was really sad actually, because a lot of the people in Kuta, we later learned from Made, were from Java and came to make money. As a result, a lot of the people were very aggressive, trying to sell us stuff and even touch us as we walked by to get us to go into their stores. We walked around for a bit, but thought we'd rather just go to a nice dinner and go out after.

Gasoline sold in Absolute Vodka bottles

So, we went to the Sentosa Hotel in Seminyak, which was recommended to me by a friend. Seminyak had a totally different vibe than Kuta, which just seemed like a trashier version of Cancun where 18-year olds Spring break; Seminyak was classier, still developed but not as overwhelming, and it still had an air of sophistication and class. The hotel we went to was amazing--it was designed so interestingly and the food was also very good.

The lobby of the Sentosa Hotel in Seminyak

After dinner, we decided to give Kuta a chance and head to some of the bars my friend recommended. At night, Kuta was even worse. We went to this one roof bar which was okay--it had a view of the Kuta "strip" and was filled mainly with Australians. We decided to walk around a bit to at least enjoy or make fun of some of the ridiculousness. We walked by a reggae bar which had some good live music, but was empty. Then, we walked into this absolutely ridiculous club called "The Bounty," it was out of a movie. The bottom floor had pool tables, crazy lighting, an area that would later turn into a foam party, animal prints everywhere and old wood and the waitors were dressed up as sailors. Then, we moved onto the next part of the club, upstairs and into a huge wooden ship that opened up to a dance floor, complete with a disco ball and small Indonesian men "battle break-dancing;" it was quite the scene.

Part of the dizzying Kuta strip at night

We decided to leave Kuta to head back to Seminyak after being chatted up by a group of 20-year olds and we realized we were clearly the oldest people there (granted, I'm only 22 and Christina is 24, but there's a wave of difference between a 20-year old, college partying traveler and a working young adult). The clubs in Seminyak were nicer and right on the beach, which made for a night atmosphere. One club was so old though, which was odd.

To get a cab back, we were majorly ripped off by cab drivers that band together and keep the rates high after midnight. It wasn't even that late, only about 12:30, and the drivers refused to take us for anything lower than 100,000 rupiahs (about $10) when the meter far was only 12-18,000 rupiahs. We gave our driver 50,000 and he yelled at us but we thought it was generous since the meter was only at 15,000; Christina got so sad she made us go into a German restaurant to eat a pretzel until he was gone. So, needless to say, our fore into Kuta wasn't too successful if you go to Bali, avoid it!

The next morning we had a delicious traditional breakfast provided by our hotel--a banana pancake sprinkled with lime and honey, and fresh fruit--and waited for Made and Coman to pick us up to take us to Gunang Kawi, ancient ruins up in the rice paddies of central Bali; Telalangang, the area with rolling, famous rice terraces; and to Ubud where we would end our trip.

The whole day trip was amazing. It was the first day I felt like we were in the mythic island paradise that I'd always thought Bali was. Driving up to Ubud, through the island, we passed a number of villages, including one Batik and wood carving village and another village, Celuk, where the people were metal workers, making beautiful gold jewelry (much of it was very expensive). On the drive up though, before we got into the heart of the island, we did pass many villages where again we saw signs of environmental exploitation--huge piles of wood, piled 5 feet high along hundreds of meter of road. Made told us that most of the wood came from Java, not Bali, but it was still deforested from somewhere...

Our first stop on the day trip were the ruins of Gunung Kawi, also over 1000 years old, which were awesome, with these enormous stone carvings set into huge rock slabs. Our guidebook said that it was rumored that these carvings were done in a day, but it just didn't seem possible. Gunung Kawi was also a temple. We had to climb a good number of steps to get down to it--it was situated in this valley with a river running through it, surrounded by rice terraces, where the local people farmed, but did not live because it is a protected area. The temple was so quiet and peaceful, it was a very enjoyable experience.

Our guide, Made and Christina on the way down to Gunung Kawi

Me and Christina by the stone carvings at Gunung Kawi--you can tell how big they are!

After leaving the temple, we went into Telalangang, not too far away to go to a few stopping points. Made let us out at two lovely points where he told us to go and sit and "meditate." It was very relaxing looking at the terraces, but looking at them, your eyes would get lost, unable to look at just one. The sad part about this part of our day was that the viewpoints we were taken to were in tiny, extremely poor villages and many children and women would crowd around us trying to sell us postcards or little crafts; it was often hard to walk around them, to move them out of the way, which was definitely overwhelming, the amount of poverty that caused them to be so aggresive.

Rice terraces in Telalangang

One of the men working in the rice terraces in Telalangang selling palm hats

After the rice terraces, we headed into Ubud towards our hotel. Ubud was honestly the most adorbale town I've seen in all of Asia. It had tons of art shops, artsy boutiques, adorable cafes, spas and hippy-venues like palm or chakra reading. Before dropping us at our hotel, Made took us to the Monkey Forest, which is a forest filled with more monkeys! Made told us these monkeys were nicer, though they were certainly fiesty! The jumped on some people, posed for pictures, ate bananas with their hands, and put on shows for the tourists.

Art in Ubud

Entertaining monkeys in Monkey Forest

As the day was coming to a close in the late afternoon, Made and Coman dropped us off at our hotel and we bid them farewell. They were both so nice and definitely made our trip to Bali very special. We gave them a generous trip because Made was trying to start a family and Coman's wife was about to give birth to their second child!

Our hotel in Ubud was adorable--it was very authentic, situated IN a rice paddy and it had two nice pools overlooking the paddies, one freshwater and one saltwater, which was also built in the infinity pool style. Our bungalow was also very cute with an ornately decorated Balinese Batik door and a nice fountain in front.

Our bungalow in Ubud

We settled in, got some dinner, and wandered around the town and later had dessert before heading in at about 8pm for a swim in the saltwater pool. Ubud is incredibly quiet and relaxing, and everything shuts down between 10 and 11pm, so it's a great place for a getaway or a yoga retreat. In fact, there are many yoga and spa retreats in Ubud (this is where the author of "Eat Pray Love" went in Bali). And, before going to bed, we made spa appointments for the morning before leaving, definitely something to look forward to.

Cute cafe in Ubud

The next morning, we headed to the spa at our hotel for two-hour treatments. First I had a 15-minute foot reflexology which was interesting, then I had a 45 minute Balinese massage, which was amazing, not nearly as hard as a Thai massage. After that I had a body scrub, following by a milk bath treatment. Then, I got to soak in a flower bath for about 20 minutes and then sit in a jacuzzi for another 20 while I sipped sweet ginger tea. The entire package was $40...damn good deal!

So, thoroughly relaxed, we headed back to the airport to begin our journey back to Bangkok! It was a great vacation, the longest one I've taken while here (5 days) and it was the first trip that really felt like a vacation, not just trekking around to see interesting things. I think part of that was because we stayed at nicer places than I usually stay in. All in all, it was a great trip and I would go back (just not to Kuta!); I still didn't get to see the volcano at Mount Batur, the floating temple, or some of the other things, so perhaps one day!

Hotel Heaven

2008-11-11T19:01:00.000-08:00

After over a week without a real meal, I decided, why not go all out and treat myself to something special? So, on a lovely Sunday morning, I headed to The Sukhothai's Sunday Jazz Brunch with my friend Meg. The Sukhothai is one of the top, 5-star hotels in Bangkok, famous for its brunch and Thai restaurant, Celadon.

The pond outside the brunch room at the Sukhothai

When we got to brunch, we had no idea what we were in for, let alone that it was a three-hour affair. We got there, ordered bellinis and water, and headed to check out the brunch spread. There was a sushi bar, a pasta station, a meat-carving station, crudite with an array of interesting dips, stuffed vegetables, steamed vegetables, a cheese board with over 20 cheeses paired with honey and dried fruit, dim sum, tempura, a salad station, prepared Indian dishes, breads galore, lobster, crab, shrimp, oysters, I could go on and on. There was also a separate dessert room, which included a chocolate fondue station, with a selection of different chocolates for dipping and fruits and dried fruits to dip. I had a five-course meal, it was incredible.

After our marathon of a brunch, we walked around the Sukhothai compound. Unlike other luxury hotels, this one has a distinct Thai mark and feels like it's an urban getaway. We checked out the spa, which we had received a 500B gift voucher for from brunch--they had quite the array of treatments. We also checked out the silk gift shop, Almeta. The silks are some of the finest I've seen--I'd love to buy some of the bedding (the duvets are filled with pieces of silk!) and place settings. The man who works in the store was so nice, and as I talked about Gigi (there was an adorable dog bed I wish I could have gotten for her), he told me about his 15 dogs.

Having fully explored the Sukhothai, we moved on to our next destination, The Oriental. The New York Times and everybody else says that of all the top-notch hotels in Bangkok, this is the place to stay, and let me tell you, all of these people are right. Granted, I didn't see any of the rooms, but even before you enter the hotel itself, you can smell the gardenias, an immediate sign that you've arrived at an oasis, escaping the city, with its strong , unavoidable and often jarring smells.

The feeling of an oasis away from the city at The Oriental

Meg and I walked around the grounds--the pool is lovely and the seating area, right on the river is a prime spot to watch the sunset. We had tried to have tea in the famous Oriental Tea Room, right off a beautiful garden, but it was closed for a private party, so we opted for the seating by the river. Sitting there on the veranda, snacking lightly and watching the sunset go by, we were both so relaxed and at peace, completely forgetting that we were in Bangkok.

The pool at the Oriental

The veranda at the Oriental with a view of the Chao Praya River

After the sunset, we headed on the Oriental's shuttle boat across the river to check out the spa and the hotel's Thai restaurant, Sala Rim Naam. The restaurant, which is lovely and has Thai dancing, has a very authentic feel and also has gorgeous views of the river; the ambiance is only enhanced with candles and lotus flowers. The spa was also one-of-a-kind, even though we didn't have any of the treatments, we browsed the menu. The offerings sounded spectacular. The spa even has a survey and will interview you to determine the optimal treatments for you, the best oils to use, and other specifications that should be made, just for you. They also offered us a tea that was very tasty.

Still in awe of the Oriental, we decided to head next door to the Peninsula, which is on the other side of the river in Nonthaburi--although the Oriental's spa and restaurant is on the other side, the hotel portion is on the main side of the river. The entrance to the Peninsula is far grander, but the rest of the hotel doesn't feel as Thai as the Oriental or as grand, but still a lovely hotel. We walked around it for a bit, but were limited to only a small portion since there was a wedding going in. Seeing a hi-so (high-society) Thai wedding was certainly interesting, even from afar. The wedding portrait of the couple was done in the style of the portraits of the Royal family, and the photos were all taken in front of this huge orchid wall.

The tall Peninsula Tower at night

So, after seeing this whole other side of Bangkok, that I don't ever see, I returned on the Skytrain to my apartment, very content with my day of luxury.

The Vagina Monologues, Part I

2008-11-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

My plan to start and direct the first official production of "The Vagina Monologues" here in Bangkok is finally happening. In the past week, so much has happened that the production doesn't seem like a daydream, but a real future event. Chris, my co-producer, and I found a venue that we intend to book. We received the news that MTV's EXIT campaign here in Thailand, www.mtvexit.org, is going to be one of our official partners and will help us with large-scale fundraisers for the production. We scheduled and publicized auditions which will be held next week. And, we've found two additional partners, the Foundation for Women, www.womenthai.org, and Pavena Foundation, www.pavena.thai.com, who will be the recipient of our fundraising efforts.

This past Sturday, I attended the Foundation for Women's 24th Anniversary event. Chris and I attended the first seminar on what the Foundation has achieved over the past 24 years. A number of women in the Foundation spoke about their work and experience. The session was in Thai but we had a wonderful translator. We learned that the organization worked to provide legal support and representation to women who had been trafficked and forced to do sex work. The Foundation also helped protect these women in government shelters and also gave them counseling and money so that they could return to their home countries. Some of the women who spoke from the audience cried when they talked about how the organization had changed their life and helped them. These women are so brave and progressive for their time, since a strict social hierarchy routinely marginalized women, particularly poor and uneducated women here in Thailand. Additionally, the police do not take rape or violence seriously and leave it unreported.

As wonderful as the Foundation for Women is, the Pavena Foundation is truly extraordinary and my visit there really effected me. Pavena is an extraordinary woman who was a Member of Parliament here--she went to Thailand's top university and has two masters degrees--and became passionate about helping women and children who are victims of violence, rape, trafficking, abduction, etc. We went to her headquarters, in a small village off of a main highway in a countryside province about an hour and a half outside of Thailand. I'd heard from a friend who's grown up here in Thailand that she really helps women. She has a help hotline, a four-digit number that's known throughout Thailand, and cabs around the country know where she is. But I only realized how much she helps when she took us around her organization.

In a small one room building, Pavena takes hundreds of cases a month and is a safe haven for women and children, in a country where there aren't many. She showed me the thick binders containing just how many cases she gets each month. In the building, she shows me photos of women she's helped--how badly they've been beaten, abused, and some hospitalized. She works with the police, since she has a lot of credibility, to remove women from these toxic and harmful environments, and then to catch and punish the responsible men.

I saw her two safe houses--each a small house, with 5 beds and a small bathroom. I met the young girls living in these houses. One girl, at only 15, was raped by 7 of her classmates, who videotaped the incident and put it on the internet. She now lives in the safe house, goes to school down the road, and has a good life until she is ready to leave, to go to school or get married. Another girl, just 10 years old, was raped by her teacher in the North of Thailand. She too, lives in the safe house. Another girl, 17 and pregnant from her rape, was in the hospital giving birth; she also live in the house. I met a women and her one-year old son, her husband beat her and she showed me her bruises, it was very difficult to look.

I felt a bit strange there, being introduced to all these women and girls, who were so polite and respectful, one even thanked me even though I'd done nothing for her. I told her I was so happy that she'd come to a place where she could get help, and though I'm pretty sure she didn't understand my words, she understood the sentiment.

I talked to Pavena about what the funds could be used for--I'd asked if she wanted to build another safe house; she told me of course she would like another safe house, and an activities center--she has too many cases, but not enough space for all of the women and children. So, we tentatively decided to aim to raise enough money for Pavena to build a new safe house and activities center.

So the journey begins. Auditions, fundraising, and a whole lot more ahead, so stay tuned.

I encourage all those interested to visit their websites to learn more about these organizations. If you would like to contribute to our V-Day campaign to raise money for Pavena's new safe house and activities center, please email me at vdaybkk@gmail.com.

The Hospital

2008-11-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

I've become very familiar with Thai hospitals, well, one in particular: Bumrungrad. This is a hospital like no other. You can ask me anything, and I'd probably know the answer. Is is clean? Do they speak English well? What floor is women's medicine on? And what about digestive diseases (very important place living in Thailand), or the wellness center? How is the ER?

I've spent the past week in and out of the hospital and quite a place it is. I've experienced an abundance of its services, in both the new wing and the old wing, though an ordinary Bangkokian probably wouldn't know the difference, I know. Don't worry, I'm fine and all is well...now. I'm usually not this public about my health, but I feel that I must explain my absence and lack of responsiveness to my friends and family, but I'd also like to blog about the experience because it was very revealing. I'll start from the beginning.

Upon returning home from Europe, Thailand just seemed so happy to have me. First, I collapsed on the subway--either from exhaustion or dehydration or maybe just not eating enough? I was taken to the first-aid room by a very kind woman, who also bought me an orange juice from a local vendor, and awoken with Thai sniffing balms--they love them here. A woman rubbed my temples with the balm to calm me, and gave me juice and a Thai cure-all medicine. I was so touched about how concerned all the women were, hoping that I was okay. I don't think anyone anywhere in the US would be this concerned and caring to a stranger. I tried to pay the woman for the juice, or the skytrain workers for the balms and medicine, but they all refused. That's not the Thai way.

Three days later, I fell into a sewer. I was in a food market waiting for Kate to get her bubble tea when I walked over it and fell in. The sewer gave and I hurt my shin--a scrape and a bone bruise on my shin that still hurts. Just as I yelled out in pain how I hated Thailand--poor sidewalks and infrastructure here do bother me--a crowd of vendors, security guards and strangers from the market rushed over to help me, it was quite a scene. A girl gave me band-aids for my cuts, a guard brought out some antibacterial spays, and a woman even offered me a beer; I kindly declined and explained I had to go back to work. I was overwhelmed again, by the number of people who wanted to help me, and who refused to let me give them something for it--to pay the girl, who was clearly very poor, for the band-aids, for example. I wanted to take back the thing I said about hating Thailand as I was falling in, crying in pain. I love Thailand, and I loved the people.

But I digress, on to the hospital. After coming back from Bali when Christina left, I got sick. Very sick. My health certainly seems to be off this month. I went out to lunch with my office at a Vietnamese restaurant and four hours later, I was uncontrollably vomiting. I was in so much pain and I tried to go home. Luckily, the traffic in Bangkok worked in my favor, for once, and the cabbie refused to take me because of the traffic. So, I got out of the cab, barely able to stand up, and right in front of the US Ambassador's gorgeous house complex (it has a moat), I vomited. And I kept vomiting and people were staring. I knew I had to get back to my office building, across the street to get into the bathroom. I rushed to the bathroom, where I could be sick in peace, oxymoron, I know, until I passed out on the floor.

Soon after, a Thai woman who worked at Au Bon Pain right on the ground floor of our office building came in and found me, tried to wake me with her sniffers, and went to get help. I was in so much pain, I could not move. She brought in a security guard, tried to get me to go to the hospital, but I thought I just had a bad bout of food poisoning (episode 5 in 4 months!) so I didn't want to go. Eventually she got me up, took me to a back couch in ABP, and let me rest, gave me a plastic bag for emergencies and came in every 5 minutes or so to check on me.

It soon became apparent that I needed to go to the hospital, so Amelia (my roommate), came to pick me up and bring me to the hospital. She was amazing and talked to the doctors, since I clearly couldn't. I was taken into the ER in a wheelchair from the taxi and serviced immediately--no wait, nothing. I was treated by a nurse and doctor quickly, who told me I needed an IV and needed to stay overnight. I was given a chart to select my room--they give you different options with corresponding prices. Did I want a room to myself for 6,000B a night? Or to share a room for 3,000B? Or a four bed room, or a six bed room? It was as if I was checking into a medical hotel.

I was taken to my room and my misery began. I developed a fever. My IV swelled my entire wrist and hand. I was woken up every two hours for my temperature and blood pressure. But, I was given pain medication, which it didn't work incredibly well, and the service was great. And I had an all-in-one remote was attached to my bed: it controlled the bed, the TV, the lights and called the nurses. Basically, my body continued to leak for about 24 hours.

When I finally left the hospital--I begged to be discharged early, even though the doctor wanted me to stay another day and night--I was weak and worn and had no energy. I couldn't sit up without being dizzy and I could barely eat. I've never felt so drained and lifeless before, ever. But, I began on my road to recovery, with my 3 medicines, electrolyte packets and restricted diet. They were still trying to figure out what caused my severe episode, but would have an answer shortly.

A few days later, just as I was able to walk and leave my apartment and eat simple foods, I started to feel pain again. I called my doctor and it turned out that I didn't have a parasite or a bacterial infection--I had nothing at all, according to the tests he did. I had to come in and see my doctor.

I went back to the hospital and waited. The digestive diseases center was filled exclusively with Arab people--women in burqas and men in traditional or conservative wear. In my deranged state, I started to wonder if Arab people had bad particularly bad stomachs and if I was in fact part Arab. This clearly wasn't the case, but does speak to the hospital's main demographic, as I've mentioned before--wealthy oil men and their families who come from the Middle East to Bumrungrad, the best hospital in Thailand for elite treatment.

Indeed, the care is superb. I like my doctor here better than my gastroenterologist in NY. He's incredibly smart and thorough, and knows his stuff. When I came in and he felt around for my pain, he was able to identify specific areas where he thought my problems were, and suggested I take the next steps to determine my illness.

Needless to say, I had two very unpleasant procedures that I won't discuss here. The procedures themselves weren't unpleasant since I was asleep under local anesthesia, but the preparation and after-effects were quite awful. But, they were the right thing to do and did lead to a diagnosis and treatment--I'm fine, nothing serious, everything I have is controllable and can be monitored--and I am much, much happier now.

But, these rocky experiences this month showed me a lot about the Thai people and have really made me love Thailand, oddly, even though I seem to be allergic to it. They've also made me feel lucky because as bad as this was for me, I know that not only was I able to afford top treatment, but also I know that some people here go untreated and would experience worse in terms of their health and wellness. I'm reminded of this everyday on the street when I see blind people singing for money, or burn victims begging, or people with terrible deformities living on the street. I'm also reminded of this through my work for "The Vagina Monologues" here, when visiting our local partners and the women they help--seeing women who have been beaten or raped--I know that what I experienced, though jarring, especially in a place far away from home, cannot even compare to what some of the people face here.

I recognize that this seems to be a bit of a tangent and doesn't seem to relate, but my experiences this past month have made me value my own health, something I take for granted, and my situation in life, with access to health care and help, something that many do not have. I've come out of this rocky month with a renewed sense of purpose here in Thailand, and hope that I can give back to the community that has so willingly helped me when I needed it. Will keep you posted on how I do...

Something Strange about Singapore...

2008-11-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

I went to Singapore about a month ago, and the place still irks me. When I arrived, my immigration and customs experience couldn't have gone more smoothly, but right after I stepped past the customs booth, I saw a soldier carrying a huge machine gun (it looked like one, though it was probably not). My friend Jay met me at the airport and took me to his apartment in a cab as he started to explain the city to me, the good and the bad--there is a very small gap between the rich and the poor (there are no bums in Singapore, god forbid!), prostitution is legal and registered, most of the housing is government-owned and each building upholds racial quotas to ensure mixing...the list goes on.

As we were driving along the highway, I noticed the perfectly manicured trees and felt like I was in some sort of jungle oasis, but in a city. We passed the Singapore skyline, which is lovely, and headed toward's Jay's apartment--which isn't government owned, but owned by the ministry of education since he is a teacher. After settling in a bit, we went down to Clarke Quay-- the harbor area where the major clubs, restaurants and bars are located, there's even a bungy-esque adventure contraption--for dinner, drinks and a fun night out.

Partial view of the Skyline and the Durian building

Perfect streets

Out in Singapore was also quite the experience. The expat community is older and the clubs are filled with a lot more Caucasian people, unlike Thailand. The clubs also tried to be a little glitzier and more exclusive than some of the ones in Bangkok. I guess this fits in with the whole intensely materialistic culture that reigns in Singapore. Like Bangkok, Singapore has tons, and tons, and TONS of malls, but shopping in Singapore seems to be a more ritualized activity than in Bangkok.

The next day, Saturday, Jay took me downtown to see some of the major sights--the government buildings, the Durian building and the Merlion fountain--definitely one of my faves--the Raffles Hotel, the colonial-era hotel famous for their Singapore Slings. We also went to the Fullerton, a 6-star hotel--to be honest, the Raffles, a lowly 5-star hotel, seemed just as nice to me, though the Fullerton was definitely more modern.

Jay, Kate and the Merlion

The Raffles Hotel

Then we continued on in the heat to the air-conditioned malls of Orchard street where I experienced Singaporean shopping and style. I got a great pair of jeans on sale which I love. It's funny, even though these jeans fit me, they were the largest size this store offered, a size 28. In the US, jeans run usually size 24-32, with most women falling between a 27 and a 30. And, amusingly, the jeans I bought, an American brand, were considered to run large, whereas in the US, this brand is considered to run small, as the brand is called "Rich and Skinny." Oh Asia.

After shopping, we returned to Jay's apartment for a nap and to get ready for another night out. We first went to Chinatown to see the famous temple with the Golden Buddha Tooth, had Foot massages, and then headed to dinner at an Indian-Asian fusion restaurant, just on the outskirts. Chinatown was okay, but it didn't feel incredibly authentic or special, I prefer the Chinatown in SF or NY. We continued our night at a bar called Helipad, which was an interesting concept-bar overlooking Clarke Quay and the bungy-like contraption.

Lights at night in Chinatown

The next day we headed to the Zoo, which was by far, my favorite thing in Singapore. The animals were great and the surroundings, while perfectly manicured in true Singapore-style, were open-air and natural for the animals. For the remainder of the day, we went to Little India and the Little Arabia. There was a cool market in Little India, but the intense incense everywhere made it impossible for me to walk around outside for long without sneezing. We then headed to Little Arabia, which was my favorite of the "Little" ethnic neighborhoods. The mosque was very pretty and there was an alley of very hipster boutiques and restaurants made for lounging and hookah reveling; the mosque was also quite pretty.

Monkeys at the zoo

Artwork on a temple in Little India

Flower offerings and incense in Little India

Hipster hangout in Little Arabia

Mosque in Little Arabia

What's strange about all the ehtnic neighborhoods is that they're fairly interchangeable with each other, you just have to change the writing on the signs from Chinese, to Tamil to Arabic--the Singaporean government tries to celebrate the diversity of it's population by delineating these spaces as "Indian" or "Chinese," and uses the same flags and markings to mark them. Little Arabia did have a more distinct personality--they each had distinct personalities, but there was still a common thread.

Overall, here are my thoughts on Singapore:

It's a strange place, but I could never figure out how to articulate why it's so odd. Everything is perfect and well-run--the sidewalks, subways, signage--but something is off. Perhaps it's because everything is too forced. Just like Singapore tries to highlight it's diversity by highlighting cultural differences, you miss the point of diversity in the first place, and it all starts to look the same.

The government sounds.....I probably shouldn't say. There are serial numbers on doctors notes, which you need to get a sick day. There is intense censorship. No gum....but prostitution is legal?

There is some great architecture in Singapore, there's even a building that looks like the Gotham Building from Bathman. And hey, it all looks new. That's because the Singapore government tears down buildings more than 20 years old....

For a city that's remarkably clean, I've never had worse environmental allergies in my life, I could not stop sneezing. And, for a city that tries to sterilize everything and gives grades to each of its restaurants--even street food vendors, which are kept off the streets and put in centers called "hawker centers," have grades--I somehow contracted a terrible bout of food poisoning that hit me on the plane home....

That's all I've got. I'm glad I went and experienced the oddities for myself....

Apologies

2008-10-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry friends and fam for my tardiness. After returning from Singapore, I had a huge turnaround, went to Europe for two weeks and got back last week. I will be posting a short blog on Singapore, another one on my time in Amsterdam and Barcelona, and then another blog on my time back in Thailand, which has been quite eventful on its own, separate from the current protests outside my office. Stay tuned!

Feel the burn

2008-09-17T01:55:00.000-07:00

So I finally did it, I took an exercise class...in Thai. It was quite the experience, so funny that I had to write about it. In Bangkok, I'm a member of the gym "Fitness World," which is conveniently right across the street from my house and also right next to the BTS. The walls are all glass, so anyone walking out of the BTS can see you running and sweating, quite the set-up.

Every time I go to the gym, before getting to the treadmills, I always pass the little spinning studio, the small black room that is always suspiciously empty. Yesterday, I decided to venture into the little black room and spin my heart out. As it turns out, the spin room doesn't stay black and dark all day. No, it doesn't have windows, it has a multi-color disco ball. The disco ball spins round and round, flashing different colors, creating the ultimate party...I mean, spinning atmosphere.

I walked in 5 minutes before the class started, but somehow I was late. The instructor in the front, wearing a towel on his head, was barking out instructions that I did not understand; I can only imagine they were to encourage the other spinners to go faster?I felt like I was in boot camp but didn't really feel the pressure of it all since I couldn't understand a thing.

My ability to follow the class relied on my peripheral vision, doing the glance to the left and right to see what other people were doing. Do I turn the resistance knob up, down? I navigated my way through the class as best as I could, but it was a bit difficult because it was all too amusing--the Thai electro-pop, the lighting, the towel-headed instructor all made it a bit difficult to focus.

After 35 minutes of spinning, I left the class to find Kate so we could grab some dinner. Much to my surprise, I found Kate on the couch outside of the "dance" studio, totally mesmerized, transfixed by the Thai dance students. Curious, I joined her on the couch to see what it was all about--it was a "hip-hop" class, with not one farang in the mix. I'm not really sure what kind of hip-hop this instructor was familiar with, but it certainly didn't look like anything I'd seen before--there were birdlike arm gesticulations, slides out of a 1970s movie, and weird stretching.

Amused and entertained, Kate and I went to dinner, contemplating what our next Thai exercise class experience might be....

Bangkok Brief: Neighborhoods, Nightlife and an Overdue City-Orientation

2008-09-09T02:16:00.000-07:00

I've realized that I've left out a lot about Bangkok in this blog, which seems to just cover my travels. To remedy that, I thought I'd give you a brief overview of Bangkok's neighborhoods and places I frequent, and a general overview of the city layout.

In Bangkok, there are main street which are arteries of the city--some of these are "Sukhumvit" (the biggest street in Bangkok, where the skytrain runs along), "Phahonyothin" (where I live), "Phetchaburi" (where Bumrungrad, the main hospital is), etc. Off of these streets are smaller streets, usually labeled with numbers: Sukhumvit Soi 1, 2, 3, etc. The even sois are on one side of the street and the odds are on another. Off of the main roads, i.e., Sukhumvit Soi 4, are smaller, but still big roads with names--every few sois is a big street. For example, Sukhumvit Soi 63 is called Soi Ekkamai, and Sukhumvit Soi 55 is also called Soi Thong Lor, but the sois in between aren't main roads. However, the nearby sois are considered part of the Thong Lor neighborhood. So, Sukhumvit 55, 53, 51, 57 are all considered part of the "Thong Lor" neighborhood. Off of these roids (soi Thong Lo, etc) are smaller sub-sois: Thong Lor Soi 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. This is the city planning of Bangkok, definitely not a grid, but a more "organic" way to plan a city, or so one of my friends here says.

Of the neighborhoods I know and am familiar with, most are along the Skytrain, so I'm going to give my overview as if you were looking at a skytrain map:

The main Skytrain line is the Sukhumvit line, which connects the famous Chatuchak market in the northern part of Bangkok to the Eastern neighborhoods like Thong Lor and Ekkamai.

So, starting from the eastern most: Thong Lor and Ekkamai are cool, more upmarket areas that are mixed with Thais (wealthy) and expats--there are a lot of bars in this area and the majority of the "cool" and trendy Thai clubs are in this area. Soi 38 is in Thong Lor, which is famous for having delicous street food into the wee hours of the night/morning, it's fantastic. Almost like a 24-hour diner in NY, but not exactly.

Farther west is Nana is one of the "red light" areas (crazy that it's not THE red light district?!) but it's also where many Indian restaurants, the big clubs (soi 11), and Little Arabia (Soi 3, where my favorite middle Eastern restaurant with Dave the waiter, is) all are. A tad more west is Phloen Chit is where I work, 1 stop away from Nana; I work right across the street from the US embassy and about a 10 minute walk from the Nigh Baazar (2nd best but still damn-good market in Bangkok) and Lumpini park, one of Bangkok's main parks where runners and aerobic enthusiasts (yes, they have park aerobics classes, it's hilarious) gather like clock-work at 5 AM and PM.

2 stops west of Phloen Chit is Siam, the center of Bangkok. As a center of Bangkok, it is obviously where all of Bangkok's enormous malls are (Thais LOVE to shop, it's like a sport here): Central World (the biggest), Siam Paragon (the most luxuious), Siam Discovery, Siam Tower, MBK (electronics galore), and Central Chidlom (department store where FoodLoft is, one of my favorite eating destinations; technically not a mall, and also technically a 5-minute walk away form Siam). Siam is a major stop in the Skytrain as and is where you can change trains to go south towards the Chao Praya river at Saphan Taksin, where all the nice hotels are, the Oriental, Shangri-La, etc, and where you can catch a boat up the river to Bangkok's main tourist sits like the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun and the famous backpacker paradise, Khao San Road. You can also take this Skytrain line, the "Silom Line," to Patpong, Bangkok's other famous red-light district where you can find ladyboy shows, alternative "entertainment," a night market, my favorite Mexican restaurant, and yes, more shopping (the Silom Shopping Complex and some other shopping complex).

If you were to stay on the Sukhumvit line and continue north from Siam, you would reach Victory Monument (I still don't know what the victory was). Victory Monument is a teenybopper's paradise and it's where many of the school kids gather after school. It also has, yet again, great shopping, food, and bars (my favorite jazz bar, Saxophone, and another rooftop hipster/jazz bar/restaurant). Also, one of the better night clubs, Club Culture, isn't too far from Victory Monument.

Farther north from Victory Monument is Ari, my neighborhood. Ari is a quiet, Thai-farang area (again, wealthy Thais). It's filled with cute restaurants, and a few low-key, cute bars that I enjoy frequenting. Then, just a bit farther north from Ari is JJ (Chatuchak Market), the largest open-air market in the world where you can find anything from clothing to home decor to art (I've bought many paintings and photographs) to leather goods to pets (dogs, cats, bunnies to rare pets like squirrels and other rodents, usually dressed in weird outfits which are meant to be cute).

I have ventured off of the Sukhumvit skytrain line, though many of the restaurants, bars and clubs I go to regularly are in these areas. Some other areas to mention though are RCA, a closed-off street, lined with big nightclubs which are Thai-farang mixed; Phra Athit in Banglampu, the bohemian area of Bangkok, not far from Khao San Road, filled with amazingly delicious and inexpensive restaurants, including my favorite Thai restaurant, Hemlock; and Sarasin/Ratchadamri, near Lumpini Park, where there are some cute bars and great restaurants, though to be fair, this area is BTS-accessible.

Hope this helps all of you who were starting to wonder more about where I live (and the heart of the current Thai political turmoil)!

Chiang Mai, oh my! A Hippie Haven in the Thai Mountains

2008-09-08T02:13:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a lovely weekend sojourn to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. In fact, this was the first trip I went on where, when I left, I didn't feel "ready" to leave. Some of my preconceptions of Chiang Mai were indeed correct, while, yet again, I was very surprised by other parts of Chiang Mai. I was expecting a cute city surrounded by some nice scenery--sweeping green mountains and rice paddy valleys, but a city without much character due to its status as a tourist hotbed. Tourist hotbed, it was--treks were plentiful on every street, offering a smattering of options from elephant riding, ox cart rides, and bamboo rafting, to hill tribe village immersions (more like cultural tourism or "ogling"), to visits to butterfly farms or tiger kingdoms--but despite the large tourism presence in Chiang Mai, it was amazing to me how laid-back it is. Chiang Mai is completely different from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok--it's a small, livable and easily navigable city (albeit sans public transport), in fact, by the end of my weekend there, I even began to recognize where I was and where things were situated in relation to places I'd been and wanted to go to.

In terms of it's personality, Chiang Mai, Thailand's second largest city, is more like Berkeley, California-- as my friend told me, it's filled with hippie expats who are into organic, vegetarian food and yoga (though of a more spiritual nature, not necessarily yoga as exercise) --this was readily apparent in my first few hours in Chiang Mai as I'd seen more vegetarian restaurants in those hours than in all of Bangkok.

And, not only are the expats different (or the expat stereotype: hippy or English teacher versus sexpat or business person), but the Thai people who live there seem very different as well, and the Thai community seems much more accessible to expats than it does in Bangkok. When we went out at night, we met my friends' Thai friends and students; I'd never been around this many young Thais before! Clearly, Thais and farangs seemed to mix more than they do in Bangkok where bars and other venues are usually "Thai" or "farang," though many of the farang bars do have Thai girls (not men and women). At one of the bars we went to, we saw two local Thai bands--one alternative rock cover band, one Thai hip-hop band--which was pretty cool. Maybe it was the place we were, but overall, the young Thais in Chiang Mai seemed more alternative and dressed like hipsters. Granted, I have seen Thai hipsters in Bangkok, but not this many and it they certainly weren't this pervasive (hipster was the dominant look amongst young Thais I saw). The Thais also seemed more interested and eager to be friends with farangs like us--they were friendlier and a few even came up to talk to us. Despite this Thai-farang mix, there still are "farang" bars in Chiang Mai; we went to one, but there was still a small handful of Thai locals, mainly male, who were just chilling out, talking to the farangs. Also, my friends there spoke much more Thai than I expected (my Thai is limited to key words and phrases) and the Thais seemed exciting and willing to respond to them in Thai; in Bangkok, most people want to respond or speak in English.

The Thai hip-hop band we saw

Now, on to the things I did in Chiang Mai. One day, I rented a car with my friends and we drove to this national park, Doi Suthep Park, right outside of Chiang Mai. We drove up the hill, stopping at view points along the way for views of the city, until we reached Wat Doi Suthep, the famous Chiang Mai wat with gorgeous views of the city and the park. We climbed the 306 steep, serpent-lined (artistic serpents, not real ones!) steps up to the temple from the car park. Unfortunately, it was raining by the time we got to the top, so we didn't get the best views and didn't get to spend too much time in the temple.

Me driving our car on the other side of the road

View of Chiang Mai after a downpour

The 306-step naga staircase

The nagas (Buddhist serpents)

After the temple, we continued driving up the mountain and drove off of the main road (it was quite a drive, tiny road filled with potholes along the edge of the mountain!) to the Hmong hill tribe village (the Hmongs are not the famous long-necked hill tribe for those who may be curious, those are the Karen). The village was surprisingly pleasant--none of us wanted to just stare at the hill tribe people amidst a sea of tourists, which is what we were expecting. However, this village didn't have many tourists at all, we were one of maybe 3 small groups. We passed through the village market, which sold mainly embroidered clothes and crafts, and went to the maintained stepped garden, where there was also a nice waterfall. It was very peaceful and serene and we didn't have any people haggling us to buy things. We were approached by an adorable little girl dressed in the traditional Hmong costume who offered to have her picture taken with us for the bargain price of 10 baht (about 30 cents). We, of course, consented, she was just too cute. After our token hill tribe photo, we headed out of the garden, through the village and back to our car to start heading down the mountain, hoping to catch a hiking trail before leaving. We did get to one trail which was short, but nice. There was a waterfall, a river and a bouldered area. After the hike, we headed back to the city for, what else, amazing organic vegetarian food! Delicious. Oh, and did I mention that I had vegetarian street food too?? For dinner. Twice. At this cute little night food market in the old city. The street food in Chiang Mai was delicious.

The terraced garden in the Hmong village

One of the statues by the waterfall in the village

Our 10 B photo with the Hmong girl

An interesting tree that we came upon during our hike

The night food market by Chiang Mai gate in the Old City of Chiang Mai

Day 2 in Chiang Mai was also lovely and relaxing--it consisted of a 2-hour yoga class, which, as aforementioned, was spiritually, rather than cardiovascularly bent. After yoga, we had an amazing, again, vegetarian lunch, though this time it was all Indian food. Not as good as the Indian in Bangkok, but half the price and so therefore wonderful. My day of luxury and relaxation continued with a massage and then shopping at a weekend "walking" market, a market along a street closed off from cars. I think I'm spoiled by Chatuchak market (the largest outdoor market in the world where you can get anything!) right outside my doorstep, so by comparison, this market was okay. I bought some pretty awesome, hipster-y sneakers and a scarf.

The Sunday walking market

The nice thing, however, about the Sunday market, was that it was in the heart of the Old City in Chiang Mai and therefore surrounded by temples. Chiang Mai is a fraction of the size of Bangkok, but has just as many temples as all of Bangkok. Just from my few hours in this area, I definitely got a taste of the Chiang Mai temples of fame.

Outside a temple at night time

People making offerings

A large Buddha in one of the temples

Another temple

Overall, Chiang Mai was fantastic, and I definitely plan to go back, if only for a culinary tour. Or perhaps I should just start blogging about food...

Stay tuned for more updates and stories

Vietnam: The Bomb.com

2008-08-28T01:52:00.000-07:00

My recent trip to Vietnam wasn't necessarily motivated by cultural interest, but to see my friend Thu. Don't get me wrong, I was and still am incredibly interested in Vietnam, but my interests were mostly centered around Northern Vietnam--to visit Hanoi, Sapa, Halong Bay, and Hue in Central Vietnam, as opposed to visiting Saigon, which prior to my visit, I'd heard was very similar to Bangkok. However, my trip to Vietnam surprised me, in more ways than one.

First of all, Saigon is nothing like Bangkok--I'm not sure who told me that, but I definitely would have to disagree based on my two days there. Saigon isn't nearly as developed as BKK: the buildings don't even come close to being as tall, the streets are wide, tree-lined boulevards, there are barely any cars, mostly motorbikes--that was definitely overwhelming, it's impossible to cross the street! You just have to step out into the street and allow the motorbikes to go around you and trust that they won't hit you; this I definitely could not get used to. It's also funny because everyone wears a helmet, unlike in Bangkok, because it's against the law not to, so they've tried to make helmets attractive or "fashionable;" there were all these stores selling helmets that were disguised as different types of hats, it was hilarious.

Motorbikes flooding the streets in Saigon

But back to how Saigon was different from Bangkok, in general, Saigon isn't nearly as busy and bustling--it is by Vietnamese standards, but not compared to Thailand. Next, I was surprised by how developed Vietnam was; I knew it was developing very quickly but had still been told how poor it was. I guess poverty has become relative now--from what people told me, I was expecting it to be so poor, as poor as Laos or Cambodia, but this was not the case at all. Ironically, despite its rapid state of development, there is not one 7-Eleven in Saigon, maybe even in all of Vietnam, whereas Thailand is littered with them. There's a saying that if you can't see at least two 7-Eleven's in your view, well, then you're not in Bangkok, or Thailand for that matter. They're so pervasive in Thailand that I just assumed there'd be one in Saigon. When I got off the plane, I needed to top-up my cell phone and I asked one of the women I'd met on the plane where the nearest 7-Eleven was so that I could to purchase more minutes. She chuckled, shook her head and said, "Ha, you're not in Thailand anymore!," meaning that I had to figure out another way to get minutes on my phone.

A small alley in Saigon

Sickle and Hammer

I was also surprised by how much I liked Vietnam--I'm dying to go back and I just got home! I was also surprised by how much I truly fell in love with the food--oh, the food! It was so fresh, light and flavorful, I could honestly eat it all the time. When I got back to Bangkok, I was so repulsed by all of the fried foods and just wanted to run to FoodLoft, a restaurant in one of the department stores, where I know they would have Vietnamese food. Thankfully, I had pho (pronounced "fa;" it's a Vietnamese noodle soup) for dinner last night and I feel a little better, still craving it though. I felt so lucky to have Thu show me all of her favorite things; sometimes I felt like a culinary tourist because sometimes the main sites were the food! In Saigon, we didn't really see too many of the tourist sites, but mostly walked all around the city.

Fresh fruit sold everywhere

So, to start on the foods I had there: I had pho--the noodle soup that I mentioned--at a famous jai (vegetarian) pho shop, and the pho there had the most interesting varieties of tofu I've had, it was amazing! Also, Vietnamese people throw fresh basil, corriander (I left this one out, I hate the stuff!), lettuce, bean sprouts and chilli peppers into everything, it's fantastic, so this was definitely included in the pho. I had santoh, fruit smoothies, which were made from the most unique and delicious fruits I've ever had--Thu and I were on a mission to find another one in a particular flavor, but alas, we couldn't find it; sugar cane juice, which is really refreshing; ban mi, a special Vietnamese sandwhich in a baguette (yes, they too have bread and pastries! gotta love the French) filled with specially-made eggs (I don't know what they do, but I certainly have never had eggs like this, they were great); another noodle soup with a different kind of noodles; rice porridge which is really a misnomer because that name makes it sound bland and unappetizing, but in fact, it's delicious; and a cold-noodle breakfast specialty that is mixed with scallions and dry onions and is flavored, it's a pleasure to the palatte, but I'm blanking on the name! Then, I also has laou, a hotpot. This, by far, was my favorite gastronomical treat. There is a big hotpot which is set over a burner on the table, and is filled with a spiced broth which contains greens, tomatoes, onions, scallions, and other ingredients. Everyone at the table then throws in seafood, fish, vegetables (also pineapple!) and meat to cook in the hotpot (because I'm a vegetarian, we had a separate veggie-only pot). All the ingredients cool in the pot and you then serve yourself a portion of the mixture, which you pour over thin raw noodles in your bowl. The noodles then get cooked and you eat everything together. I couldn't get enough of the stuff, it was so incredible and I wish I could re-create it. I've never tasted anything that good and satisfying that was also so healthy at the same time. At that moment, I was ready to declare Vietnamese food as one of my new favorite cuisines.

Other than the food, it was wonderful to see and hang out with Thu and also to meet her family, who are a very interesting bunch--some are French, others are Vietnamese and she's American (with Vietnamese parents). I also enjoyed how relaxing it was. We went with her family to Mui Ne, which is a small beach town 4 hours northeast of Saigon. We were driven up by her cousin's private driver, which was certainly much nicer than transportation by bus. Driving though, in Vietnam is crazy, it's a bit of a free-for-all and no one really pays attention to the lane demarcations, I guess they're there for show? Also, on the narrower roads, people didn't really pay attention to directions either, but somehow, I never felt endangered in the car.

In Mui Ne, we stayed at a very nice beach front resort which was certainly nicer than anywhere I would stay while on vacation with friends in BKK (it was pretty pricey). The resort has beach access and a private pool. At the resort, Thu and I didn't do too much--we lounged, swam quite a bit and relaxed. The beach itself was okay; the countryside on either side of the beach though, did make me feel like I was in the south of France, not Vietnam (forgetting that I was in Vietnam actually happend a couple of other times as well). Our first night in Mui Ne, we took the hotel bikes and rode towards the main part of the "town" (it was basically a row that was lined with resorts) to get a late dinner before going to bed. We found a very local beach-side barbecue of sorts--it was basically all the Vietnamese people who work in the hotels and go to eat after they're done with work, it was pretty cool to be in such a local setting.

Our resort and the pool

The beach at our resort

By the beach at the resort

Down the beach from our resort

On Sunday morning, we took the bikes out again and biked about 5 miles uphill to the red sanddunes. We got up really early, while it was still dark, so that we could see the sun rise over the sanddunes. It was beautiful and we got there just in time for surise (it took us a little longer to bike up there than we thought it would).

Approaching the sunrise on the way to the sand dunes

Thu in the red sand dunes

Tourists at the sand dunes, all wearing matching red hats

Sunrise

A portion of the fishing village we biked by on the way back

I know I didn't really "do" too much, but I really enjoyed myself and still felt that I got to see and experience a lot, even though none of it was touristy. Through Thu, I felt that I learned a lot about Vietnamese culture, far beyond the cuisine: I learned about Vietnamese family norms and values; the Vietnamese language (it's the most tonal language in the world, but they do use the Roman alphabet!); habits of the Vietnamese youth and trends in the youth culture (apparently they're obsessed with Japan and romance!); religious ceremonies, including the upcoming autumn festival where all these little mooncake shops pop up to sell mooncakes for the festival; traditional Vietnamese clothing to be worn at special times (Thu had 2 tailored while I was with her); social and gender norms (women don't drink, smoke; most men and women marry at around 25, etc); the educational system (Thu was teaching for the summer, first in a university at Danang and then at a university in Can Tho); conceptions and standards of beauty; ideas about foreigners, and many other things.

One of the only touristy things I did: rid in the Vietnamese version of a rickshaw. This used to be the main mode of transportation for Vietnamese people but now motorbikes are; Thu's cousin insisted that I ride in one

I would thoroughly recommend trip to Vietnam; it is a fascinating place with a rich cultural heritage, an amazin cuisine, and wonderful people. Of course, my perception was probably skewed a bit because I was with my friend who is Vietnamese and spoke the language, but I think it's still accessible for anyone, without someone Vietnamese.

A Word on the Bangkok Protests

2008-08-28T01:05:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a number of emails from concerned friends about the current political situation in Bangkok and about the protests that have been going on. For those of you who don't know, there have been large-scale protests (about 10,000 people gathered on Tuesday) against the current government. On Tuesday, protesters actually stormed and broke into the Prime Minister's residential compound.

Quite honestly, it's hard to even know that there have been such huge protests, and I live here. The only reason that I'm aware of the protests is because the Thai press is covering it and there have been photos on the front of newspapers; otherwise, I might never have known. No one in my office talks about it, the city functions as usual and the protests and activity have been isolated to one area of the city, near Democracy monument where all the government buildings are (ironically, this area isn't too far from Khao San Road, the hippy-backpacker haven of fame). There hasn't been a feeling of tension or increased security--it's as if everything is normal and today is just another day.

It's somewhat unnerving how laid back everyone is here about this--if protesters broke into the White House, shut down a TV station for a portion of the day and effected the government's function for a portion of the day, I think that most people would be talking about it and that citizens all over the US would be up in arms. My friends and I speak so casually, wondering, "is there going to be a coup?," but that's the laid-back attitude many people have here. It's really "mai ben lai," a Thai mantra meaning the equivalent of "no worries," and surprisingly, I guess this applies to governmental protests as well--well, maybe the protesters don't feel this way, but it seems like the city as a whole does.

For a bit of background, the protesters don't like the current Prime Minister, Samak, and accuse him of being Thaksin's pawn in office, that he's just continuing in Thaksin's place. Thaksin is the previous PM who was deposed; he's currently in exile in London, but he faces possible emprisonment for charges of corruption if he ever returns to Thailand, and other charges too, I believe. The protesters are part of a group called "The People's Allicance for Democracy," which is actually a bit of a misnomer because they don't want Thailand to be a democracy at all--they believe that the democracies in Thailand have led to corruption. They are in favor of a military government with appointed officials.

Anyway, moral of the story is that I'm fine, I've been unaffected by the protests, though I hope for the sake of Thailand and the Thai people that this gets resolved soon.

Amusing Anecdotes

2008-08-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post some funny occurrences, especially those that only seems to happen in Bangkok:

I spent last night with my cousins Beth, Andy, Jenna, Hallie, Owen and their aunt Susan and cousin Evan--we went to a market, dinner, and then, after dinner, I took them all, minus a few, to Patpong, the red light district in Bangkok (men walk around with "pussy menus," displaying all the types of "shows" you can see), but which also happens to hve a decent night market and is a particularly good place to find handbags. We were on a mission to find a nice bag for Jenna and also a tasteful ladyboy show (I guess this seems like an oxymoron). Trying to find a show was fairly amusing. One man came up to me and said, "Ladyboy show?" I said, "Yes, but I would like the ladyboys to be in costumes (I'd seen one where they were in costumes and it was cabaret style, very campy, very entertaining). Are they in costumes? Are they wearing clothes?" "Yes, yes" he assured me and led me to where his venue was. I climbed up the stairs into what seems to be a strip club, only to find ladyboys stripping, clearly not what I wanted. I started to head to the place I'd been to before when yet another man approached me and said, "Ladyboys with clothes;" he'd clearly heard me speaking to the other man. I tried to clarify again, pointing to my dress, and tugging at it for emphasis. He said, "Yes, yes, clothes, clothes," so I tried one more time, following this man to his questionable venue. I went up the stairs and all I could see this time were naked ladyboys, and I just turned running, signaling to my cousins to turn around immediately.
Finally, we made it to the place where I'd seen a show and I asked the maitre de of sorts if there was going to be a performance tonight. He told me, much to my dismay, that "the drag queens are all on vacation! they're all out of the country! not in Thailand! The show has to take a break and wait until they come back." How was I supposed to know that all the drag queens in Thailand take a vacation at the same time (or together)?! It was pretty hilarious when he said it, as if it was a totally normal thing to say. He told me to come back when they're back, and was actually quite flattered that I love his show. He asked me which number was my favorite, and I told him the Madonna number. "Ohhhh! (In an excited, high-pitched voice) 'Give it to me!' That's not me but another guy. I'm Rihanna now (which he stressed because he was clearly so proud of this, it was so cute!) Come see me!!" I told him I would and went on my merry way.

After this outing, I went home in a taxi since the BTS was already closed. My taxi driver, who I'd addressed in Thai, then asked me in English where I was from, what I did here and we started chatting. Then, he asks me if I like American Football, it's his favorite! Now, while this may be normal in the States, it is not normal in Thailand. People don't even talk about it, I haven't heard the NFL mentioned once and the only time I've heard anyone utter the word "football," it's in reference to soccer--so you can imagine how shocked I was. And then he went on and on and on, "I LOVE football! The Patiuts (Patriots)! I love the Patriots! Tom Bady (Tom Brady)! Quat-uh-bak (Quarterback)! Best position!" I was so amused, "No! Not the Patriots! The Giants! I'm from NY so I love the Giants! We're better than the Patriots! We won the superbowl." I also told him that if I played football I would want to be a linebacker and he laughed so hard, not really sure why. "I would be a quarterback but I'm too small! I would run and catch the ball, run since I'm fast!"
He then asked me about all the players on the Patriots line-up--"Who is that man with black skin (he points to his arm)? He so fast!!!" "Randy Moss?" I responded. "Yeessss!!! Rady Moss (Randy Moss)!!! So fast so fast!" After some other player discussions (he also loves the Texas Longhorns as a college team!), he then told me he watches American Football on his cable box (I don't even have this?!) and that he has 3 NFL DVDs he watches. Needless to say, I never thought I'd be talking about American football to a small Thai taxi driver. So amusing.

Anyway, thought those moments were post-worthy. Stay tuned for a post on my trip to Vietnam coming soon!

Pinch Me?

2008-08-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, actually, please do. This past weekend, I went with a few girlfriends to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. Although the infamous Full Moon Party was supposed to be the highlight and focal point of the weekend, another completely unexpected experience overshadowed the supposedly "epic" beach party--a 24-hour stay at the luxurious Four Seasons Estates in Samui. A friend from NY invited me and a friend (I brought Kate) to stay with her and her friend in their hotel room they had gotten for the weekend, so that we could all go together to the Full Moon Party. But before I explain the shock I was in for, let me begin with how I got to the Four Seasons Estates, because the contrast, in retrospect, is too hilarious.

Kate and I took an overnight train departing Friday night down to Surat Thani, a major hub town for travelers going to Koh Tao, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. When we made our train arrangements, we were told that we would get beds to sleep on on the train--the ability to be completely horizontal at night was one of our main reasons for taking the train down as opposed to the VIP bus which we'd taken to Nongkhai. However, once we got on the train and were escorted to our places, we were shocked to find that they weren't beds, but normal train seats. We immediately started freaking --how were we going to sleep on seats that didn't even recline! Here we were thinking we were so smart to get beds! The woman seated across from Kate saw we were clearly distressed and to try and make matters better for us, she offered Kate a wing from her KFC dinner (?!). After Kate kindly declined, she then explained to Kate that the train staff makes the beds at about 8pm--our seats would be transformed into bottom bunks and an upper bunk would be pulled down from above. Thankfully, we did get beds and were able to sleep comfortably, curtained off from the train passageway. It was a bit noisy, though this didn't disturb my sleep nearly as much as the elderly woman who pulled back my curtain and woke me up at 4:45 AM, barking at me, in what seemed to be a very concerned tone, in Thai (she'd had clearly lost her memory). After I patiently told her that I did not speak Thai, and close my curtain to fall back asleep, she wouldn't take no for an answer--she opened my curtain again, tried to talk to me, again, and I tried the same tactic, to tell her that I didn't speak Thai and shut my curtain. This went on for about 3 or 4 more rounds until finally she woke up the KFC woman who spoke to her in Thai and I could finally go back to bed. In the morning, the KFC woman told me she was an old woman who'd lost her mental faculties. Other than the noise and the early morning visitor (albeit humorous after the fact), the train, overall, was a great way to travel.

After the train arrived, 2 hours late, in Surat Thani, Kate and I boarded a double-decker bus to take us to the ferry where we would cross from the Surat Thani pier (40 km away from the train station) to Samui. The bus was packed to the GILLS with backpackers--old, young, European, Australian, American, hippies, punks, yogis--I've truly never seen such an interesting mix of Westerners in my life. Kate and I immediately knew that we were on the "Full Moon Express" and that the majority of these people would be heading to the Party. The bus attendant asked Kate and me where in Samui we would be staying so he could recommend an appropriate mode of transportation. When we told him, "The Four Seasons," he just stared at us blankly for a moment, to make sure we were serious, repeated what we'd said, and after a nod of agreement, he told us, still in disbelief, where on the island the hotel was and how much we should expect to pay to get there.

After about an hour on the bus, we were dropped off at the pier to board the ferry to Samui, which was the first stop; the ferry continued on to Phangan after. The ferry, which was also packed with people headed to the Party, traveled through the Samui archipelago for about 1.5 hours in some of the most beautiful seas I've ever seen--we passed gorgeous mountainous islands emerging from the crystal-clear waters, which varied in shade--sometimes blue, and other times turquoise or aqua. Upon arrival in Samui, Kate and I took the most memorable motorbike ride ever--two of us on the back of one bike, with our backpacks stored up in front of the driver. The bike strained under the stress of our weight as we climbed up the island on our way to the hotel.

View from the ferry

We finally made it to the hotel and took a seat in the reception. I think the concierge was just as surprised as Kate and I were--what were two young backpacking girls doing here?!?! Kate and I looked out and we really did have to pinch each other; this wasn't a hotel, but a collection of villas steeped into the luscious green mountain, overlooking a breath-taking view of the ocean. We were given a complimentary welcome beverage, which we sipped, still stunned by the beauty and elegance of the resort, as we filled out our arrival forms, becoming actual guests in the hotel. After the registration, we were taken in a golf cart to our home for the night and two days. We passed different "villas" until the cart stopped in front of a residence with the sign "Estate 10;" we weren't staying in a hotel room, or even a villa, we were staying in an estate.

Views from the Four Seasons

We entered the building, which then opened up into a dining room, living room and I could tell there was a pool. It turns out, the estate was a collection of four villas, each a separate building--3 for sleeping, and 1 for entertainment; there was also a dining pavilion, 2 private pools (each the size of any respectable hotel pool), heaps of outdoor lounging space, and a downstairs living space, as if the main, upstairs living space wasn't enough. In total, we had 9,000 square feet of indoor space, let alone the outdoor space which included 2 outdoor showers, 2 pools, the dining pavilion, significant reclining space around the pool, and massive day-bed like pieces of furniture for outdoor resting and reclining. There were 2 floors, 4 marble bath tubs, 3 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, 1 dining room and many gorgeous bathrooms (I did not count). The pool was perched on the edge of our estate grounds, overlooking the water from a few thousand meters above sea level; the pool was also connected to the dining pavilion to facilitate extreme laziness, and there were two stone gargoyle fountains at the edge that were amusing, though their Gothic-like presence did seem a bit out of place. We also had a private butler, Chai, who was on-call 24-hours a day. He was such a nice man, who could anticipate any possible need or desire you can fathom.

The main living area

One of the three baths

One of the outdoor lounging areas

View of the main building, the pool and the food pavilion

The food pavilion and the fountains

One of the smaller residence villas

Residing in such luxury (there must be an even more powerful word for this...maybe they've invented one in Dubai) also comes with incredible food and service. All weekend, we had food brought to us by the pool at our beck and call, and we could order just about anything. The alcohol, top shelf of course, was also freely flowing and available on demand. For lunch after our arrival, we had caprese salad, sandwiches, and hummus and pita by the pool. For dinner, we ate at the hotel's beach-side restaurant, which on Saturday nights was a buffet-style barbecue complete with fire-dancers for entertainment; we had a lovely meal.

Kate and me hanging out by the pool

Kate, me and Gill at our beach-side dinner

Before arriving at the Four Seasons, Kate and I assumed that we were invited by my friend's friend, paid for either by her or her family. It turns out all of this was provided by, not my friend's friend and her family, but two of her friends (my friend's friend's friends) who were both investment bankers in Hong Kong. They were the nicest guys, and welcomed me and Kate as a part of their Samui weekend. For most of the time, we all ate, drank, swam in the pool and relaxed. The other girls and the two guys got a number of spa treatments and also went on a private elephant trek, which we heard was amazing. It was extreme relaxation and indulgence.

Drinks by the pool

We decided that we would all go to the Full Moon Party together and the guys had arranged a private boat transfer ahead of time to take us to the party and back. After dinner, we were taken in a mini-van to the pier, where we were surprised yet again. We weren't in just any old boat, but a new yacht. It took us very quickly across the sea to Phangnan for the Party; it was only a 20 minute ride.

Gill and Kate caught in the wind on our speedy yacht

We got to the island and I can honestly say that I'd never seen anything like this in my life--the beach was jam-packed, a sea of people dancing the night away to all sorts of music. There were 20-25,000 people on the beach for the party; the August party is usually the largest because it is peak season. People had bright lights like at a rave; others were painted with neon paint (at the end I got a Danish flag on my cheek); others were half-naked. I saw men urinating in the water; trash strewn about everywhere; girls mooning and flashing people; people dancing on top of unsturdy wooden structures (I won't even justify them with the word "table"); people grabbed my butt, breasts and stomach--it was a huge free-for-all. But it was funny, because on one part of the beach, you might be dancing to hip-hop music and that section of the beach would be its own micro-party where you couldn't hear any other music, but then, 100 meters down, people might be dancing to trance or classic rock, but the sounds would never mix or overlap, they were totally contained units! Kate and I got a standard-size sangsom (whiskey) bucket, but there were super-sized buckets too, like the size of buckets painters use! I felt as though I didn't really have the typical "full moon experience" since I wasn't with backpackers, I arrived and left on a private yacht, and we left at about 2:30 and not 5 or 6 AM since that's as long as the boat could wait for us--I'm not complaining at all, I prefer the luxury and brief encounter any day, I'm just saying that my perception and experience may be different from others'. However, I can't deny that it was a crazy party.

Me, Kate and our sangsom bucket

A sea of Full Moon Party-goers

Our full-moon group: Me, Kate, Gino, Sarah, Gill and Wai

A beach-side bar snapshot and lights galore

Face paint

On the boat back, we hopped the line to our boat and heard people asking, "what color is their sticker?!" It was a pretty sick exit, if I do say so. When we arrived back at our estate, we had late-night food and champagne waiting--we had pad thai (some of the best I've had), margarita pizza, french fries, hummus and pita and a cheeseburger (for the guys)--all warm and ready to be eaten in the food pavilion. We went to bed full and satisfied.

In the morning, Chai woke us all up with breakfast ready--fresh mango, pineapple and other fruits; bagels, smoked salmon, capers and freshly sliced tomatoes and onions; scrambled eggs with mushrooms and other items were featured at the meal. The rest of the day was pretty much the same as the day before until we had to leave in the early afternoon to catch our flight (yes! flying, an appropriate mode of transportation after a luxury stay) home. We took the ferry, then the bus and then song-taew to the airport; then a short flight and a taxi ride and I was back at home, back in reality, though this is certainly a weekend I won't forget.

Farewell to my sublet

2008-08-18T11:30:00.001-07:00

Urban paradise from the my pool

Take 2

My oasis for a month

Life or Death and then Baguettes in Laos

2008-08-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a four-day vacation in Vang Vieng and Vientane, Laos. This past Tuesday was Mother's Day (i.e., the Queen's birthday, replete with the traditional Royal, nation-wide televised procession), so I had a long weekend. Kate and I took an overnight bus on Friday night went through immigration, and then passed over the "Friendship bridge," the bridge linking Thailand and Laos, which crosses over the Mekong River. In Thai, the literal translation of "Friendship Bridge," is "bridge which connects Thailand country with Laos country," so not sure where the "Friendship" came from, seeing that almost every south east asian country seems to dislike Thais and Thailand. Anyway, we went over the bridge, paid a slew of entry fees, and then took a short taxi into Vientiane.
Even in the taxi, before we reached any destination, I could immediately feel that Laos was different from Thailand--much calmer and laid back, not as heavily developed; overall it had a more relaxed feel. We got to the bus station in Vientiane, met Chris and Phil, and immediately got tickets and boarded a bus which would take us three and a half hours north to Vang Vieng, our first stop. Our bus was a "VIP bus," just as our overnight bus was, but this bus seemed to be out of 1970's Japan--it had plastic seat covers a la the Bradys, with interesting Japanese writing. Regardless, it got us, through windy mountain roads steeped in incredible scenery, to Vang Vieng, and actually dropped us off right in front of our hotel, which was basically a main building and a cluster of bungalows. Our little bungalow was adorable, much nicer than the one we stayed in at Samet. It was perched right on a river with views of giant mist-covered mountains. It was also clean, had a bathroom with a flushing toilet (!!), and a nice mosiquito-net over our bed which made us feel like little princesses out of "The Secret Garden."

View from our bungalow

Kate in our bungalow modeling with the mosquito net

Starving, we decided to head into town for a quick lunch. The "town" was basically one road with a few small streets off of it, but overall it was very cute. It was filled with internet cafes, a few massages parlors, street vendors serving sandwiches and crepes (!! so different from my Thai street vendors where bread does not exist!) and lots of little restaurants, all seemingly showing old episodes of "Friends," (no joke), advertising pizza and other types of pizza: "pizza contains...", "happy pizza," pizza with "other stuff;" most of these restaurants were playing Bob Marley or Jack Johnson in the background. So that was funny. After lunch, we went on a hunt in town to go tubing.

The main street in Vang Vieng

A small shop in Vang Vieng

Apparently, Vang Vieng is the tubing capital of the WORLD. Yes, that's what the ads say. We'd read about this before we came. The catch though, in Vang Vieng, is that the tubing experience includes drinking: as you tube down the river, there are little bars that you're supposed to stop at. So, Chris, Phil, Kate and I rented our tubes, and headed to the river. Our driver drove us about 200m from the river entry point and left us to walk the rest of the way. Normally, wlking 200 m would not be a problem, BUT, we had no shoes since the tubing company took them and told us to go barefoot, AND, the reason our driver left us so far away was because the mud was too thick and deep that his tuk-tuk could have gotten stuck in the mud if he tried to move. So, we were left to walk 200m barefoot, in the gross Laos mud. It was truly a disgusting experience. Chris then taunted me and Kate that we'd get hookworm from this--I'm seriously hoping that we don't.

Me and Kate walking barefoot in Laos mud

Anyway, after the mud debacle, we finally got in our tubes into the river, which was a lovely shade of poo-brown, and after a few strong paddles, we were headed on our merry way, awaiting our first bar stop. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long--within a minute of our almost peaceful floating, we heard loud bar music--"Paradise City" to be exact, and within second the bar was in site. The bar was like a little alternative universe, filled with wasted, mud-covered farang (white foreigners; from mud-wrestling of course), and was complete with a zip-line into the river. We got to the bar, zip-lined some, but were just not in the state as the others were, so we left after 20 minutes or so, onto the next bar. However, as we were leaving, there was a mass exodus and people started to frantically grab tubes. Someone took mine and sailed off with it, so I ran and got the last tube left at the bar. Some clearly too-drunk girl, who could barely stand, yelled a feeble "bitch" at me, since she was left without a tube. However, karma seemed to catch up with me pretty quickly, since right after I got into the river, I was pushed by a very strong current into a tree, and then a pole which supported the zip-line, which, unfortunately for me, had a big hook which cauht the tube and quickly deflated it, leaving me bobbing in the water under strong currents, trying to hold onto anything that came my way for dear life. After a very scary current-ridden minute or so, I came upon the next bar, was thrown a lifesaving tube to be pulled into the bar, got to the bar, stole someone's tube there to replace my long-gone deflated one, and then headed out to the river again with my group. We relaxed for a bit--my fast-beating heart needed it--deciding not to stop at the more rowdy bars and opted for a calmer, more empty one.

Kate and I enjoying a bucket-beverage at one of the

Chris, Kate and Phil--calm tubing

View along the river

This was our last stop before the last bar, which marked the end of the tubing experience. We were pulled in by young children, literally about 7 or 8 years old--it was kind of sad that they risked their lives (for a small fee) in strong currents to get us safely onto land. To return the tubes, we all had to walk barefoot and practically naked in our swimsuits, with our tubes, through town to return them. I came to the conclusion while tubing that although this was an awesome concept, the only reason it probably existed in Laos (and almost no where else) was because of the lack of an insurance industry.

The next day, Chris and Phil went back to Vientiane and Kate and I decided to go on a day-long trek called "The Secret Eden." Let me just say from the get-go, someone's eden is certainly someone else's hell (perhaps hell is too strong though). To sum up the trek/hike experience, Kate and I scaled two mountains--went up and then down both of them; were ankle deep in mud though covered in mud up to our knees; bitten alive by possibly malaria and dengue mosquitos (don't worry, we're fine); rcok-climbed up huge rocks; hiked up through three caves; used our hands and knees to hiked up and down the steep, muddy mountain terrain; and waded through 3 rivers and swam through rapids, all in 8 or so hours, without helmets, harnesses, or any of the Western gear probably mandated by a Western insurance company (again, not in Laos). The pictures, all though amazing and show some sublime views, cannot really illustrate what we went through on this hike/trek. All I had to show for my experience were two matching leech bites on the backs of my heels, mosquito bites galore, and a very sore body in need of a Laos massage.

Scenery on the way to the mountain

On our hike/trek, we were accompanied by our really lovely guide, Lay, (who completed the hike/trek/caving in flip flops or barefoot at times, while Kate and I, in our Wester sneakers, slipped and had some very scary falls about 8-10 times) who taught us about the Laos people, and Laos culture and history. My favorite anecdote was when he told us that to determine if children are ready to go to school, teachers make the children raise their arm up and try to touch their opposite ear (if use right arm, try to go over the head and touch your left ear). Most children can't do this until about 8, so that's when most start school. It was pretty funny.
Anyway, overall, the hike/trek was a great experience, I'm glad I did it, but would want to wait awhile before doing it again. About 6 hours into the hike, I became paniced that we would be stuck in the forest because there seemed to be no end in sight, and it was getting dark and all the mosquitos were out. So, for the last two hours, all I could think about were the following three things:

1. I'm never getting off this mountain, what if I can't get out. Would a helicopter know how to airlift me out of this mountain if I broke my legs??
2. This would never, never happen in the U.S. No one in their right mind would go on this trek--I had no idea what I was getting myself into. What is this company thinking, that people over the age of 30/35 would actually do this? When ICE does ecotourism, it better not be anything like this or we won't make a damn penny.
3. I now completely and totally understand why the U.S. lost the Vietnam war.
After the hike was over, Kate and I took much-needed showers, got a lovely Western meal, and amazing, amazing Laos massages for half the price they are in Thailand (as if they couldn't get any cheaper).

Kate and our guide Lay

A view of one of the TWO mountains we scaled

Little boys in one of the villages we passed in the valley between the two mountains we hiked

Monday morning we headed back on the bus to Vientiane to do some relaxing, sightseeing and shopping before heading back to Thailand. When we got there, we checked into our hotel which was so lovely and clean, comparable to the $45 hotels in Thailand, but was half the price for the two of us (definitely better hotel value in Laos). We walked pretty much all of Vientiane in two hours and saw the major temples, other sites, and Vientiane's own version of the Arc du Triumph, which they themselves diminish and degrade. Walking in Vientiane though, I really didn't feel like I was in Asia, or not the Asia I knew in Bangkok. The streets were wide and nicely paved and weren't croweded to the max (I could actually walk!); there were tons of little bakeries and cute cafes; the overall pace was slow and sleepy; the people were warm and friendly; there was interesting architecture, a lot of green, and, there were pedestrian crosswalks, truly a novelty; Vientiane definitely had a colonial feel. I was also so surprised by the number of farang in Vientiane, I hadn't seen so many in a long time, probably not since my July 4th celebration thrown by the American Chamber of Commerce, or on my visit to Khao San Road in Bangkok.

A monk sitting in the Wat Si Saket complex

The food was also incredible in Vientiane, my stomach finally felt at home again. I got cheap wine, cheese, delicious baguette, baked goods, and salads (truly a rarity). Kate and I ate at an adorable little French restaurant one night and the next morning went to the Scandinavian Bakery for breakfast. Overall, Vientiane was a much-needed culinary retreat.

Sky in Vientiane

After some market-shopping (minus famous Laos silk scarves since we'd gotten those in Vang Vieng) and last minute purchases, we relaxed and made our way back over the border, into Nong Khai for dinner with Chris and Phil at a Vietnamese restaurant on the Mekong and then back on the overnight bus back home to Bangkok. It was perfect timing since the Mekong was starting to flood in Vientiane and as we left, people were furiously sand-bagging by the river to prevent flooding damage. Our taxi driver said the flooding hadn't been that bad since 2002.

The morning market under the stress of rain

Flooding in Vientiane, the worst since 1966 actually

Boys playing in the flood

Volunteers sandbagging

Stay tuned for more stories coming up from Samui.....

Addendum: As I'm sure my family would like to know, I was able to meet up with my cousins Beth, Andy, Jenna, Hallie and Owen for dinner upon their arrival in Vientiane; they were kind enough to bring me a few items from the states! After about two weeks of intrepid traveling, they will be in Bangkok where we can meet up again for another lovely evening!

Feelin' at Home--wine, cheese and 80s parties galore

2008-07-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

Now that I've been in Bangkok for over a month, I can call it my home. It's certainly different than my home in NY or in Princeton, but a home nonetheless. However, given that I have to move out of my first Bangkok home and into a new one at the end of this week, I wanted to have a housewarming/goodbye party for my apartment, and bring a little piece of my home in NY to my new home in Bangkok. So, what did I do? Have a wine and cheese party of course--showcasing two of my favorite foods.
In order to throw a proper wine and cheese party, I had to go to an upscale, more Western food market, so I went to Central Chitlom's food hall. This place was incredible; I felt right at home. After purchasing four bottles of wine, I wound my way through the store gawking at the amazing variety of fruits, breads, prepared foods--I felt like I was back in the States, it felt great. I tried almost all of the samples I could find, and came out feeling like I didn't even need to eat lunch! After 2 hours of perusing, I came out with a blue stilton, a brie, a manchego and an herb goat cheese; french baguette and onion-herb focaccia; grapes, dried apples and crackers; and six wine glasses, a cheese board and some knives. I was so happy and felt like I'd never spent my money better.

My cheese spread

The party itself went swimmingly. All of my friends were great and brought little things too--crackers, sweets, extra wine glasses, etc. It was a lovely night, everyone went home a little tipsy and happy from the wine, and all of the food was eaten.

Katie and Chris enjoying wine and good conversation

Then, to bring a little bit of Princeton (or college life in general) to Bangkok, my friend and I threw an 80s-themed boat Journey (get it?!) on the Chao Praya river. We had a boat of 30 people or so (all kind of random--a group of Princeton Review tutors; another group of Japanese flight attendants; another group of college girls studying abroad here; a couple traveling through Asia; the PiA crew; my boss and his wife....it goes on), all dressed in 80s duds, and blasted 80s tunes for four fabulous hours. It was an awesome party and despite being on a boat, I certainly felt like I was out at Princeton again.

80s snapshots

Me, Kate and Katie with Wat Arun in the background

Other than that, life in Bangkok is good, stay tuned for more updates on travel, work and life in general.

Fun and Sun in Samet

2008-07-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, I went with some friends to Koh Samet, an island destination about 3.5 hours outside of Bangkok. We took an early morning bus (6AM) and then a typical Thai ferry (think fumes, old wood and cracking paint, and a precarious boarding dock) to the island, where we finally arrived at around 10AM. All 7 of us piled into a Song-tau, a large truck with an open back for seating, to get to the beach where we planned to stay for the next four days.\

Boats at the dock by the ferry

We arrived at Ao Pudsa (Pudsa Beach) and, seeing that we didn't book accomodation ahead of time, set out to find rooms so that we weren't stuck to fend for ourselves in a tent on the beach (Kate was very concerned that this would happen). Thankfully, we found a few little bungalows to call our own for our time there; each bungalow was a bargain at only $20 per night. Kate and I got a the only blue bungalow in a complex of wood-only bungalows; we fondly called ours "little blue," since "big blue" wasn't the most fitting name. Our bungalow consisted of a bed that took up 90% of the space in the room, and then a bathroom which was both our shower and toilet. There was no drain, water just seeped out of a hold on the floor, and we used a water bucket to flush our toilet since there was no flush. As rustic as this may seem, it worked well for our time there and we really came to appreciate our little cabin. Needless to say, we were ready to leave once the time came.

Kate and Big/little Blue

The beach itself was lovely--gorgeous white sand, pretty greenery, not too touristy--everything you'd want for a weekend getaway. There was also a great nightlife--a Reggae Bob-Marley inspired Karaoke bar; a big, sweaty gay club that definitely played the YMCA more than once; and a few empty bars that we could just take over and dance in--and we also saw a fire-dancing show on our last night (2 men dancing with fire-lit poles). The beach also had a nice range of restaurants with very good food, including American breakfasts, which are rare in Thailand. However, I did get sick on our last night there from something I ate; it was the first time I got sick from food since moving to Asia.

The beach at sunset

The beach at night

Fire dancing show

The sun, however, was devastatingly strong. We got back about 8 days ago and my feeling JUST ended yesterday. However, I did get a nice tan after the burn went away; thankfully, my face wasn't burnt at all, just my stomach and a bit of my chest. And then there was my under-arm burn--I fell asleep with my arms above my head so my under-arms, which never see the light of day, turned a lovely pinkish red.

Chris, Kate and me--sunburned as hell (minus chris)

Overall, a great trip!

Bangkok brief

2008-07-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

So I thought I'd give those of you who are textually phobic some short blurbs of my faves thus far, in no particular order:

1. Som Tam--a spicy papaya salad that's eaten with sticky rice (which you use your hands to eat). So delicious, has tomatoes, peanuts, chili peppers and other delicious things in it

2. The Skytrain--I LOVE the skytrain, if only for showing the Madonna, "Give it to me" video as entertainment for my daily commute. There are also the Axe commercials, classic.

3. Street food--cheap, delicious. Some of my faves are Thai iced tea and iced coffee, freshly sliced mango, and Thai rice crispy treats

4. My street, neighborhood and pool--My street is quiet and green; it has this adorable little garden restaurant with lanterns and incense under the tables where I've become a "regular;" they cook my special vegetarian dishes which is great and they know what I like. The bar next to my building, Flow, is really laid back and they're so nice to me as well (free drinks on occasion). And then there's my pool, it's this little oasis that makes you forget you live in a city and is surrounded by palm trees, has a fountain and the steam room and gym are right nearby!

5. The smell of sweet dessert waffles near every BTS stop (skytrain)

6. The 3-minute motorbike ride from my apartment to the BTS stop: at first I was petrified of riding on a motorbike, but now I love it.

7. The ease of travel: Bangkok is so close to so many incredible destinations, outside of Thailand let alone those in the country! Flights are cheap and Bangkok is THE hub of South East Asia, making it easy to fly just about anywhere....tempting. I've already planned trips to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand; Bali; Southern Vietman and am in the process of arranging trips to Singapore and Malaysia, among other places.

8. Cheap DVDs--helps me catch up on so many movies!

9. Newness--new places, people, job. Getting to know it all is a constant discovery. Sounds cheesy, I know, but it's true.

10. Cultural differences. Sometimes they test my patience but ultimately, it's kind of fun.

1984

2008-07-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

For the past week, I've been immersing myself in Thai culture, learning the lay of the land now that I'm all settled. Last week, I took a crash course in King Veneration 101. My education began last weekend when I was walking through Chatuchak Park on a Sunday afternoon, and all of a sudden, at 6 PM, a song started playing over the loudspeaker. I continued on my merry way but my friend reached out and grabbed me to stop me from moving. Then I realized that the entire park was completely still--no one was moving. After the song was over, my friend explained to me that that was the king's song, which gets played at 8AM and 6PM everyday, and everyone stops and listens until the song is over. The song also gets played before movies and everyone in the theater must stand out of respect.

Then, on Monday, as I took the skytrain to work, I noticed that the vast majority of people were wearing yellow shirts. Thinking this was a weird coincidence, I didn't say anything. Then, on Tuesday, everyone was wearing a pink shirt. At this point, I realized there was probably something that I was missing so I asked my friend, the same friend who stopped me in the park, thinking that she would know. It turns out, as she informed me, that there is a set clothing schedule that people follow to honor the King: Monday is yellow, the king's color; Tuesday is pink because when the King was in the hospital a while ago, he came out wearing a pink shirt and pink shirts flew off the shelves and now it has its own day. I'm not sure what the rest of the days are, they're a bit more ambiguous, Monday and Tuesday are the most important ones . People also apparently talk about the Royal Family frequently, though usually in hushed conversations--seeing as my Thai still consists of only a few words (I don't eat meat, hello, thank you), I can't really verify this.

In addition to this cultural rendevouz, I had another interesting experience at Bumrungrad Hospital, the premier Thai hospital where all the oil magnates from the Middle East go for treatment and surgery--the surgery is cheap and then they fly to the beaches like Phuket for recovery. Anyway, this meant that at the hospital, there were a ton of women in burqas--I know I've mentioned women in burqas before, but this was on a scale I've never seen. I'd also never seen the burqa that has a little piece of fabric between the eyes too, just in case you get a glimmer of their nose; some of the womens' glasses were larger than the slits for their eyes so that the glasses actually went over some portions of the burqa. This was just an anecdote that made my hospital trip memorable, no real comments on it, just don't think I'll ever forget being in that waiting room.

That's all for now. Stay tuned

Moving day, July 4th celebrations and marketeering

2008-07-06T03:43:00.000-07:00

So I moved into my sublet apartment yesterday and it's absolutely wonderful. I love it and the neighborhood, Aree, is fantastic. The sublet is actually in the same neighborhood as my next apartment, only one block away. I'm going to be living here for one month until my apartment for the year is ready, though I can already tell I'm going to be sad to leave. The building is a lovely new construction with great amenities, a gym, steam room and incredible pool. The pool is this little oasis away from the city; it's on the fifth floor and has palm trees and wooden lounging chairs; it's very quiet and the pool itself is beautiful.

I also inadvertently made use of the steam room today as well. Having finally unpacked all of my belongings, everything I owned was wrinkled and needed steaming or ironing. So, after trekking all of my clothes around the neighborhoods trying to get them steamed, I remembered that I had a steam room! So, I took all of my clothes on hangers into the steam room. After about four separate trips, I was dripping with sweat (I went in my clothes), but my clothes were all perfectly de-wrinkled! I felt very resourceful and didn't have to spend a penny. Pretty productive day thus far...

Yesterday was also quite an interesting day. After moving into my apartment, I went to Jatujak Market, the biggest open-air market in the world, which is conveniently 2 skytrain stops from my apartment. At the market I got some great buys--shoes, earrings, t-shirts; I can't wait to decorate my permanent apartment with furnishings from the home decor section. However, I did have an interesting market "experience." Following my mother's "personal safety" mantra, I alway carry my purse directly under my arm and cover it with one hand. However, at the market, I felt a tug on the back of my purse and pulled over into a small stall. Turns out, the back of my bag, the only four inches that my arm wasn't guarding, was clashed--it was cut clean, with about a 7-inch incision. Luckily, nothing fell out before I noticed; in fact, the only way I realized it was cut was because my wallet fell out inside the stall! I ended up getting a plastic bag for all of my things (I had the bag sewn later to repair it, though it will never look the same) and purchased a gorgeous, sturdy leather bag (actually a vintage Marni bag) to replace it. The new bag rests very close under my arm--the straps are much shorter--so hopefully that will never happen again.

After the market, I went with some friends to a fourth of July bash held by the American Chamber of Commerce and co-sponsored by Democrats Abroad. It was fun--I had my fill of tacos, American beer (the tried to enforce the 21 drinking law too!), and other yummy things (the pecan pie was abysmal but the apple pie was good). There were things like a moon bounce and other inflatable fun things that I didn't partake in; fireworks which weren't half bad; activities like an egg toss, which I missed the first part of; and a band with good 'ol American classics. I must say, this was the most "traditional" celebration of July 4th that I've yet to experience; maybe we only do these "traditional" things when we're not in the US. It was amazing how many Americans were there, I was astounded. I kept asking myself, "What do all these people do here??" Anyway, it was a good time, I met some nice people and think I had my dose of being surrounded by other Americans.

The night was fun too--went out with some people to the famous Khao San Road. All in all, a great weekend. Off to watch the Wimbledon finals, Go RAFA!!!

And the rainy season has begun

2008-07-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Photo of the first storm approaching, taken by my colleague Austin

So, as you can see, those are some pretty intense clouds, showing that indeed, rainy season has begun. The first rain spurt was actually a day before, on June 30th. I had just gotten an apartment (finally! it's great), I was walking on the street about to get on the BTS to join a gym near my new home, and all of a sudden, as if without warning because it was already dark, it started to rain. And then it started to pour. It pours for about 30 minutes to a hour and then stops. The streets become huge contiguous puddles and no one moves. It's pretty nice though because it really cools down quite a bit. The weather's been really cool and lovely lately.

Also while on my way to the BTS, I saw an elephant on my street--my first elephant sighting. I was shocked and amazed, I thought it was a novelty. I told me friend who then told me I would get used to it, and that they just bring them into the streets for tourists. I saw an adult and baby elephant together last night, and I started to feel bad for them, since they really shouldn't be in urban settings. Anyway, they are beautiful creatures and I can't wait to see them in their natural habitat.

Elephant walking and greeting tourists

Other than the rain and the elephant sightings, I'm starting to really like Bangkok. I've met some really nice people and my job seems like it's going to be very interesting. I'd really like to learn Thai because I still get very frustrated by the communication barrier; hopefully I'll be starting Thai lessons soon. I did go to a very interesting party on Tuesday night with some friends. It was at one year anniversary party for a small "art gallery;" I put art gallery in quotations because it was more like a hovel. There was some interesting performance "art" (again with the quotations) and there were some very good illustrations and drawings. The party was filled with Thai hipsters and a few internationals. It's funny how the hipster culture totally translates across oceans and countries.

Anyway, trying to make these short but will post more soon!

Bangkok: First Impressions

2008-06-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

I've been in Bangkok for about 5 days now and am starting to get used to it. I didn't really have any culture shock per se, things just bothered me. As everyone says, Bangkok is pretty damn polluted. It's not necessarily carbon pollution (in fact, most taxis and buses run on natural gas), it's particulate matter--there's tons of dust and other stuff in the air that's noticeable. Bangkok doesn't really have the best sidewalks and there's always construction so the amount of particles in the air is sizable.

And then there's the smells. Bangkok is filled with tons and tons and tons of smells--sweet smells, nasty smells, sewage smells, fried meat, seafood, and smells from things you don't think you should ever eat--they all smell. I guess that's one of Bangkok's "charms" because certainly no other city I've been to has this abundance of smells. Along with its numerous smells are Bangkok's incredible amounts of food--street food, restaurants, cafes--you certainly won't go hungry in this city. There's even Mexican food (I had it last night), Italian, Japanese, Korean, and a lot of Middle Eastern food. There's a large middle eastern community that resides in walking distance from my hotel, and it's not uncommon to see women in burqas.

Next there are the sexpats--gross, old (and often fat) white men who walk around with girlfriends who look like their daughters. I went into a go-go bar at about 6pm before the "action" starts, just to see what it was all about. Katie, the outgoing PiA fellow at my post, told me what I saw was "tepid" but a good introduction. Sexpats and their ladyfriends aren't everywhere--they're certainly avoidable in some respect--but let's just say that the hotel I'm currently staying is nearby sexpat central. Enough on this subject. There are also Bangkok's famous ladyboys. I've seen a few; I had one as a waiter. Nothing really to say about them, whatever makes them comfortable.

Lastly, it's become clear to me that I'm not from Thailand--I'm a farang. I'm also an amazon lady here, so I get some stares. Because I'm white, people assume that I have money, lots of it, and they're ready to ask for it (at least I'm not a man, then they'd treat me like a sex tourist and want to sell me sex or "pussy"). Hopefully when I start learning Thai, I'll be able to not seem so Western and get taken advantage of (though I must admit, I put up a pretty good fight). What breaks my heart are the beggars near my hotel, who are either women with small children, or men with mutilated feet, hands, or without eyes. It's so hard to walk past them without feeling guilty.

I must admit that I wanted to cry and go home my first day (and maybe a little on my second). A lot of things, especially the language barrier, tested my patience to the max. However, I'm getting more settled (though I still don't have a home; I'm apartment hunting right now which is absolutely miserable) and the city is starting to grow on me. I've met some really nice people and think I will be just fine (fingers crossed). I start work on Tuesday so that should be good too.

Stay tuned for more soon, hopefully I'll have a new home!

My feet have only just recovered: 4 days of Olympic-worthy touring in Japan

2008-06-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

I loved Japan, it was simply a wonderful trip. Sure, I had a few qualms--taxis were expensive (I spent $110 on two taxi rides); the subways close at midnight, and I didn't understand people, but even that couldn't get me down because Japan was such an incredible host to me. I use the word host because I really did feel like an honored guest many times. Rather than receiving dismissive directions or haphazard hand signals when trying to navigate my way, on multiple occasions, I was physically walked to my destination, even if it was a bit out of that person's way--never have I felt before people going out of their way to help a lost stranger like myself.

Japan's hospitality to me was even more remarkable: while at dinner in Tokyo with two friends, we were befriended by a lovely early-middle-aged couple, Toru and Misa. We ended up spending the rest of our evening with the two of them as they escorted us to 3 different nightlife hotspots, while also paying for all of our drinks (including amazing wines) and making sure we were happy and having a fun time. This memorable night out was my first night in Japan, but also my friends' last night; for the rest of my time in Japan, I would be traveling alone. Toru and Misa refused to let me be alone on my second night in Tokyo and took me to not one, but two of Tokyo's finest restaurants for two deliciously fresh and flavorful meals. They catered to my vegetarianism AND my random cucumber allergy! I will never forget them--their generosity and kindness to me made my first trip to Japan unforgettable.

Toru, Misa, Jon, Jocelyn and Me on our night out

Toru, me, Misa and one of the chefs at the second restaurant

Aside from the hospitality experienced, Japan was amazing in its own right. Japan is a country of contrasts, where modernity and history co-exist. Urban living in Tokyo is modern and sleek, and the youth culture is experimental and liberal (which is one reason for Tokyo's flourishing art and music scene), while older Japanese are more conservative. Additionally, despite the formidable presence of this youth culture, Japan is the fastest aging society in the world, with an average life expectancy of 85, which is also quite surprising given the number of people who smoke. Smoking is quite cheap, with cigarettes at only $3 a pack; you'd think that their government would change this given the large public health costs that smoking leads to, even more since all Japanese citizens receive health care from the government.

Now, for a little spotlight on each of the places I went, Tokyo is unlike an city I've ever been to. It has one of the finest subway systems in the world, taking you just about everywhere, and unlike in New York, you usually don't have to walk too far from the station; it's also quite clean, which is an added bonus. My only complaint about their transportation is that the subways close at around midnight, which puts an obvious dent in one's night time plans, as cabs are incredibly expensive, which I've already mentioned. This is also unfortunate given Tokyo's booming nightlife, which offers a variety of scenes in areas like Roppongi and Shibuya, two areas that I went to. To solve this problem, a whole industry of specialized "love hotels" has developed to cater to Tokyo's night owls. In these hotels, check-in is always after 9pm and you leave in the morning; it is often cheaper than an expensive cab ride.

Typical sign for a love hotel

Sex shop next to a love hotel

Advertisement next to the sex shop

Tokyo is also a remarkably green city, with numerous parks and green spots. Although there are many, I was only able to go to Ueno Park, where the Tokyo National Museum is; the Meiji Shrine park area, which is right next to Harajuku, the Japanese teenybopper cultural haven; Shinjuku Park, where the famous Park Hyatt of "Lost in Translation" is; and Hama Raiyu Gardens.

Tidbits of Teenybopper culture

In terms of religious or historical sites, I thought Tokyo's sites were not as strong as those in Kyoto; the Senso-ji temple in Asakusa was very crowded and not as easy to enjoy as the temples in Kyoto, which were often in a natural environment; however, the Meiji shrine was very nice and peaceful.

Some of the touristy activities are also not Tokyo's strongest points: the Sumida river cruise I took was nice, but the weather made it difficult to enjoy; the Asakusa area were Senso-ji was crowded; the Tsujiki Fish Market was interesting to see but 20 minutes is enough; and the Ginza shopping area is equivalent to New York's fifth avenue.

Some findings at the Fish Market

The things that I liked most were a bit less touristy: the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills has a great modern art exhibition and was very well curated; I really enjoyed it. I also liked walking around Shibuya and seeing Shibuya crossing (the largest crossing in the world, the area is like the Japanese equivalent of Times Square); I've never seen so many people cross a street at one time that it was very cool to watch! I found a small independent record store (think High Fidelity) in Shibuya where I bought some great Japanese rap and house music (from a popular local DJ); I also enjoyed going into all the shops to see the latest Japanese fashion trends, which are heavily influenced by anime. Seeing all the anime was also quite a site--at video arcades too! I even think I stumbled upon some anime porn....I would say Tokyo's strongest point overall is it's unique cultural blend--of conservative business-like people; people who dress impeccably in all designer wear; the middle class who are a little more nondescript; and the young people, who are heavily influenced by art and visual media. In general, Tokyo's youth culture is like none other; you could easily identify a young Japanese person as Japanese just by the way they dress and put themselves together.

Anime everywhere

I also really enjoyed the food I ate, pretty much all over Japan; it was cheap and delicious. At the Tsujiki Fish market, I will never forget my breakfast--a curry noodle soup--that I ate at a local joint, filled with fisherman in their tall rubber boots; I was the only foreigner.

Kyoto and Nara were completely different; Kyoto was Japan's old capital and cultural center, and now the center of Japan's rich history. I arrived to Kyoto in the morning by the bullet train (Shinkansen), which only took about 2.5 hours from Tokyo. In order to take advantage of a full day's worth of sight-seeing, I checked my bags in a locker at Kyoto station (which is kind of a site on it's own and where young people go on dates!) and developed a nice touring route, hoping to hit all the major sites that day.

On the bus to my first stop, the Golden Pavillion (Kinakuji; ji means temple), I met Dan, an American doing a language immersion home-stay program in Japan, and his host brother, Koji. Koji was a university student at a Kyoto University (which I got to see!) and Dan was a senior at Stonybrook in NY. It was great to go around with both of them because they both spoke English and Japanese; Koji also knew his way around so we could just follow him all of the time, making my transportation much easier and my likelihood of getting lost much lower. They were both incredibly nice and made my day in Kyoto so pleasant. Dan, who has been studying Japanese culture for about 5 years, knew a copious amount of interesting facts about Japanese culture so I also felt that I learned a lot about the traditional culture from him.

Dan and Koji at the Heian Shrine in Kyoto

Of the sites I saw in Kyoto, my favorites were the Ryoanji zen rock garden, the Nijo Castle (the first Shogun's castle), and the Kiyomizu Temple (Kyoto's most famous temple). The rock garden was just very peaceful and have lovely landscaping. The Castle was enormous and contained some beautiful art and also some lovely gardens. I liked how the nightingale floors were made to intentionally squeak, so that the shogun could always know if someone was coming. The Kiyomizu temple was my favorite temple that I saw in all of Japan--it is on top of a hill, with the main hall perched on a cliff; the whole temple is actually built into a forest. The views of the city from the top of the temple are breathtaking and the surrounding temple seems to be an ideal place for meditation and contemplation. To get to the temple, you walk through the middle of Higashimaya, the oldest district in Kyoto, filled with wood houses, artisans, and even geishas that pass through the streets.

Part of the entrance to Kiyomizu Temple

The Golden Pavilion (Kinakuji)

Geishas in Higashimaya

Also in Kyoto is the Toji Temple, which has the tallest pagoda in all of Japan in its complex. This temple was also peaceful with a lovely garden, but I was a bit tired and templed-out by the time I got to see it. Lastly, not too far from Kyoto is the Fushiminari, which is a Shinto shirne, steeped in a misty forest. To go through the shrine, you walk through hundreds of orange Shinto gates (shrines) one after the other, uphill and into the forest; it's quite spooky and I got a bit scared that I would get lost in the forest. Unfortunately it started to pour about 30 minutes into my walk so I had to turn around and go back. I did see the other big attractions in Kyoto, but I've limited my blogging to these, which I feel were the most worthy of attention.

The Pagoda in the Toji Temple Complex
Part of the Fushiminari

The food in Kyoto was also quite good. Dan and Koji took me to a "tofu cafe," which are popular in Kyoto; they serve all sorts of delectable tofu dishes that I'd never had before. My favorite was yuba, which was a soft tofu that had an indescribable texture. While also with Dan and Koji, I went to an izakaya, a place that serves both food and alcohol, and had another memorable meal (Dan had a blue beer which was cool), while sitting on the floor with a traditional Japanese table.

In term of having a traditional Japanese experience, I did stay at a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn where you sleep on a tatami mat; my Ryokan also had a little Japanese garden in front. I had a very enjoyable experience and was able to sleep quite well; I found the mats surprisingly comfortable.

Lastly, I spent half a day in Nara, Japan's ancient capital. I got there by train early in the morning to see Nara's three main attractions: the Todaiji temple with the giant Daibutsu (large Buddha); the Kokufuji temple and the Kasuga Shrine. Horyuji temple (Japan's first World Heritage Site) is also quite famous, about 40 minutes from Nara but it was very difficult to get to, and I would not recommend it (It took a lot of time out of my day and wasn't as memorable). All of the sites are in Nara park, where there are hundreds and hundreds of deer. They sell deer cookies everywhere so that you can feed them--they come right up to you to eat it from your hand, or even if you don't have food.

One of the many deer

Of the sites I saw, my favorite was the Todaiji temple with the giant Daibutsu. I went very early in the morning before all the large tourist buses came and found it to be very peaceful, beautiful and awe-inspiring; you really do feel as if you're in the presence of something greater, which is quite a unique feeling. In the temples you can also pay for a fortune; I did this and received one that indicated the second highest level of luck, so I hope this comes true!

The giant Daibutsu

The Kasuga shrine was also one of the more unique sites that I saw: leading up to the shrine are hundreds of stone lanterns and in the shrine are hundreds of bronze lanterns. There's also one room where the lanterns are lit and the rooms are dark; I stayed in this room alone for a bit just because it had a magical presence.

Me amidst the stone lanterns
Some of the lit lanterns

Overall, my trip to Japan was completely unforgettable--I have a wonderful experience all around and couldn't recommend the country more. I learned about Japan's incredible history and saw its historical sights, got a view into modern Tokyo culture, and also got to see a good portion of the countryside, which has topiary and greenery unlike anywhere I've seen, it's very distinct.

More updates will come from Bangkok, my new hometown for the upcoming year!