Indian Impressions

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

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

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

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"

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...

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

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