Bangkok's official name is actually Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (I'm thinking of you all trying to pronounce that right now!) which means city of angels. It has some similarities to LA, its got a lot of sprawl (nearly 15 million people), not so much a city skyline, and waterfront (all right, its got a river). It doesn't have Hollywood, but is a bit Venice beach-esque. Lots and Lots and Lots of street vendors some smelling good, some not (gag gag gag). And I will give the one up to the Eastern city for its plethra of massage parlors (not that kind, boys). I do love a footie reflexology massage, especially at $6 an hour. It also has some wonderfully cheap beer (not losing weight yet). But something you won't see as much of in Cali: Buddha.
That's right, Buddha Buddha Buddha rockin everywhere! He's in your tuk tuk, the biggest buildings downtown are dedicated to his holiness, there are streets lining with statues of him. Wait, I see him now, in my Internet cafe. He is an ever present figure here. Watching everything you do. I'm getting used to it and will probably miss his presence when we leave. Jeff is a bit jaded. His reaction to my constant pointing out Buddha is "Great. Another Buddha. Let's go." I made the mistake of wearing a sleeveless dress to a temple the other day. I was promptly given a shawl to borrow and told to cover it up! Evidently my shoulders are scandalous! Never mind the Karma Sutra on the walls or the half naked monks.
I was warned by nearly everyone we met how "AWFUL" Bangkok was. "Why are you staying so long??? Can't you leave sooner???" "It smells, is awful!" In all fairness, it does smell a bit. But I like this place. It's got flavor. Its not awful at all, its a big city but colorful and a little funny at times. Every place we have been has had good and bad points. Its about balance. And maybe its Buddha, but this place has a nice balance.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The Kingdom of Cambodia
My biggest regret thus far in the trip is that we did not have more time in this amazing country. In trying to fit in certain dates/countries we had to cut out Phnom Pehn, the capital. This left us with just 4 days in Siem Reap, the tourist capital and home of the city of Angkor.
The most famous Angkorian temples is Angkor Wat, which at first sight takes your breath away and is at once magnificent, ancient, and harmonious. We spend nearly 2 days exploring the temples which stretch across the landscape hidden among a jungle of foliage and we barely scratch the surface. We climb, we sweat, we drink gallons of water, and by the end of the day we can barely stand. Seeing Angkor is not for the weak or out of shape. But if can, go. Seriously, stop reading and go book your ticket right now. You will never see such amazing things in your entire life. The Khmer architecture is so different and awe-inspiring we literally walked around slack jawed and eyes bulging at every turn. There are temples that are falling in on themselves, some that were covered in giant trees, others that had faces 2 stories high....and everywhere there are Buddhas, people saying prayers and lighting incense. The incense lends a smell of sweetness to the old, falling in buildings giving it not only an air of ancient but of holiness. At a moment of weakness I sit alone high on top of a temple in a doorway feeling the cool breeze and watch as Buddhist monks draped in their saffron robes walk down a forgotten dirt road into the forest. The quiet power of this place is something I can't explain with any fineness.
Angkor is not the only thing beautiful in Siem Reap. It's people, food and colorful nature belie it's brutal past. The locals are overly kind, open, warm, inviting, giving. Our favorite tuk tuk driver, Ken, gives us a special look into life in Cambodia which we find fascinating but melancholy. Here is man who works almost every single day just to feed his wife and two kids. Lives in a hut with no electricity or water. He was forced to quit university 2 years ago while studying English, Japanese and business because he couldn't foot the $450 a year tuition. At 26 is more knowledgeable than most people twice his age, able to discuss world politics and speak perfect English. Yet, he does not fret the circumstances, never complaining. Choosing instead to work hard, do what needs to be done, appreciating what he has and smiling. As we talk, I think I am blessed, I am blessed, I am blessed....
The most famous Angkorian temples is Angkor Wat, which at first sight takes your breath away and is at once magnificent, ancient, and harmonious. We spend nearly 2 days exploring the temples which stretch across the landscape hidden among a jungle of foliage and we barely scratch the surface. We climb, we sweat, we drink gallons of water, and by the end of the day we can barely stand. Seeing Angkor is not for the weak or out of shape. But if can, go. Seriously, stop reading and go book your ticket right now. You will never see such amazing things in your entire life. The Khmer architecture is so different and awe-inspiring we literally walked around slack jawed and eyes bulging at every turn. There are temples that are falling in on themselves, some that were covered in giant trees, others that had faces 2 stories high....and everywhere there are Buddhas, people saying prayers and lighting incense. The incense lends a smell of sweetness to the old, falling in buildings giving it not only an air of ancient but of holiness. At a moment of weakness I sit alone high on top of a temple in a doorway feeling the cool breeze and watch as Buddhist monks draped in their saffron robes walk down a forgotten dirt road into the forest. The quiet power of this place is something I can't explain with any fineness.
Angkor is not the only thing beautiful in Siem Reap. It's people, food and colorful nature belie it's brutal past. The locals are overly kind, open, warm, inviting, giving. Our favorite tuk tuk driver, Ken, gives us a special look into life in Cambodia which we find fascinating but melancholy. Here is man who works almost every single day just to feed his wife and two kids. Lives in a hut with no electricity or water. He was forced to quit university 2 years ago while studying English, Japanese and business because he couldn't foot the $450 a year tuition. At 26 is more knowledgeable than most people twice his age, able to discuss world politics and speak perfect English. Yet, he does not fret the circumstances, never complaining. Choosing instead to work hard, do what needs to be done, appreciating what he has and smiling. As we talk, I think I am blessed, I am blessed, I am blessed....
Friday, July 25, 2008
By The Numbers...
SINCE JUNE 12, 2008 up to today, July 26:
Passport Stamps: 15
Visas: 3
Flights taken: 19
Flights missed: 1
Countries: 9
Times in Kuala Lumpur's airport: 3 (we never made it out of the airport!)
Hotels: 10
Hostels: 2
Dorms: 1
Friends House: 1
Airport Floor: 1
Bags sent to US: 2
Pictures taken: 572
Hours of Video: 3.75
Dinners on top of buildings: 4
Games Mollie has won at UNO: 32 out of 40!
Games Jeff has won at Rummy: 23 out of 36!
Trash magazines read: 1 (over and over)
Books read: 4
English TV stations at our hotel in Beijing: 0
Eurail tickets missing: 1 set (or $1300)
Days since we left US: 45
Days until we return to US: 55
Arrests: 0
Passport Stamps: 15
Visas: 3
Flights taken: 19
Flights missed: 1
Countries: 9
Times in Kuala Lumpur's airport: 3 (we never made it out of the airport!)
Hotels: 10
Hostels: 2
Dorms: 1
Friends House: 1
Airport Floor: 1
Bags sent to US: 2
Pictures taken: 572
Hours of Video: 3.75
Dinners on top of buildings: 4
Games Mollie has won at UNO: 32 out of 40!
Games Jeff has won at Rummy: 23 out of 36!
Trash magazines read: 1 (over and over)
Books read: 4
English TV stations at our hotel in Beijing: 0
Eurail tickets missing: 1 set (or $1300)
Days since we left US: 45
Days until we return to US: 55
Arrests: 0
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Full Moon = Crazy Thailand
Well we finally made it to Koh Phangan after one missed flight in Penang (not our fault) and extra night in Malaysia (thanks KY) and a brief stop in Bangkok (thanks Bangkok Air!) and expensive speed boat ride from Koh Samui. But, alas, it was totally worth it. I felt like I was a crazy college kid again, at least on the inside. Even though we were not the sexiest things on the beach we know how to shake our thing and hold our liquor. Things that can only come with age. We also managed to keep our flip flops on all night, a rarity it appeared. But I'm getting ahead of myself...The party of a lifetime begins at sundown and goes well into the next day...they were still getting down around 10am! The drink of choice is served in a bucket (picture the colorful ones you used to play with on the beach) add one pint booze, one can mixer and a shot of red bull and enjoy! Drink quick...it doesn't taste good warm. The whole of the small beach is lined with speakers blaring techno, bucket stands, and neon body paint stations. And everyone is wearing neon body paint...some people ONLY neon body paint. It is pure chaos...fire throwing, flames, laterns up to the sky....my goodness was it great. And literally hundreds of people just going crazy (literally...I'm very sure that more than 1 visited the "mushroom hut" on the hill). And judging from the aftermath we found in the morning, many people were missing shoes, wallets, luggage, etc. And this was day 1.....We stayed on Koh Phangan 4 nights, and everynight there was a party at one resort or another. Our days were filled eating, drinking, watching conterfeit movies at restaurants (the Hulk wasn't bad), and laying on the beach. Sounds terrible, huh? Oh, woe is me it was awful....awful leaving.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Sing Sing Singapore and the Real Penang
Singpore...it even sounds like a song. The city/island/country is less tourism and more realism. The concrete is mixed with tall beautiful trees, a city landscape. Our taxi driver tells us that the foliage was planted by a former king who loved gardens 30 years ago. Its like driving through a garden with skyscrapers. Its such a new country....none of this was here 50 years ago, just rice paddies....so with no major landmarks to see it was just relaxation. And my oh my how nice the locals are! I give Singapore the friendliest country in the world (thus far) award. People just love to stop you on the street and tell you about their amazing city, before you know it you're looking at pictures of their kids and laughing about the Germans. When the sun goes down is when Singapore truly shines. From the rooftop of your hotel you can watch the water taxis wind their way through the city, the freighters light up the harbor, cranes reach up to the stars and the skyline is all around. Its a colorful, bright, friendly city, and if you listen hard enough you can hear it sing to you.
Penang...in all its rawness is an oyster waiting to be opened and discovered, offering up jewels for you to enjoy. We were lucky enough to get a wonderful rural tour by our dear friend, KY, a lifelong local. Now a city boy, he gave us the highlights of town (and Singapore's Tiger beer) as well as his own history, in the country. We went for a swim in a waterfall, the only people there, and for a treetop walk with the wild monkeys. Yes, we really did that. We also met KY's school teacher and saw where his home used to stand. There were cows on the streets and goats in the grass....he says he is lucky to have come so far, to have moved to the city, to go to school, work with a good company, to know us. KY is also my resident philospher, a man of many facets...too many to list. He will joke with you one moment and in the next say something deep and profound, in essence a wonderful guide to the true Penang, the real Malaysia. Can you really understand a person or country without understanding their past? Walking here, eating here, listening here I begin to have the smallest mustard seed of understanding of what it is like.
Penang...in all its rawness is an oyster waiting to be opened and discovered, offering up jewels for you to enjoy. We were lucky enough to get a wonderful rural tour by our dear friend, KY, a lifelong local. Now a city boy, he gave us the highlights of town (and Singapore's Tiger beer) as well as his own history, in the country. We went for a swim in a waterfall, the only people there, and for a treetop walk with the wild monkeys. Yes, we really did that. We also met KY's school teacher and saw where his home used to stand. There were cows on the streets and goats in the grass....he says he is lucky to have come so far, to have moved to the city, to go to school, work with a good company, to know us. KY is also my resident philospher, a man of many facets...too many to list. He will joke with you one moment and in the next say something deep and profound, in essence a wonderful guide to the true Penang, the real Malaysia. Can you really understand a person or country without understanding their past? Walking here, eating here, listening here I begin to have the smallest mustard seed of understanding of what it is like.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Goodbye Aussies!
Well we have finally departed from the long, cold Australian winter. We did have a last few adventures outside Melbourne which were very memorable. First, we went on a bus tour of the great ocean road. Its similar to the pacific coast hwy, but with kangaroos and koalas. We made quite a few stops at the landmarks, including the twelve apostles, london bridge, and shipwrecked coves. It was very beautiful and truly a highlight of the trip. Unfortunately for me, it was a long and winding road. Which means the motion sickness was in full effect. More than once I was keeled over staring at the fish and chips from hours before....taking in the beauty of the place. Other than that, it was a lot of fun and breathtaking. In addition to being beautiful, the road is actually quite historic. It was built by WWI veterans returning home to find the economy in the gutter in addition to their psychological scars. The road took 30 years to complete with pick axes and wheelbarrows. They worked in groups that we comprised of their original regiment. When the road was finished, the economy had recovered and their minds were in a better place. The road was a path to healing.
We also took off for a day in Sydney. Which happens to be the ONLY sunny day we had in Australia. Sydney was great! Jeff and I layed in the soft warm grassy sunshine of the Botanical Gardens near the waterfront taking in the view of opera house and bridge. I could have stayed in that moment forever. But it was off to the aquarium at Darling Harbour. Which was super fun and full of sharks. We spent much of the day just wandering and enjoying the scenery. Our night ended on our hostel balcony with a bottle of Champagne....tres magnific! Luckily we made it out of the city early in the am, just before they shut down the city for the Pope's first visit to Australia. It was a long day on to Singapore....
We also took off for a day in Sydney. Which happens to be the ONLY sunny day we had in Australia. Sydney was great! Jeff and I layed in the soft warm grassy sunshine of the Botanical Gardens near the waterfront taking in the view of opera house and bridge. I could have stayed in that moment forever. But it was off to the aquarium at Darling Harbour. Which was super fun and full of sharks. We spent much of the day just wandering and enjoying the scenery. Our night ended on our hostel balcony with a bottle of Champagne....tres magnific! Luckily we made it out of the city early in the am, just before they shut down the city for the Pope's first visit to Australia. It was a long day on to Singapore....
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Melbourne in the Winter
Good Day Mates! As I sit here writing this, I'm wearing two long sleeve shirts, a jacket, a hat, two pairs of pants and a couple pairs of socks. And I'm still a bit chilly. Being cold in July isn't something that I'm very accustomed to. It has definitely forced me to understand the public transportation system here quickly. I've been tramming and busing my way through the city to see the wonderful things here. I've all ready hit both National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) International and Australian. Both buildings were amazing works of art in of themselves. The architecture here is just phenomenal. They are on the very cutting edge of design, yet still manage to keep up the old buildings. It's this juxtapose of old and new sharing the same sidewalk that give the city a unique edge. While my days have been comprised of amazing museums and city exploration, poor Jeff has been doing his time in a classroom. We did have a fun weekend together, though.
The ASU/University of Melbourne group went on a couple of tours. Saturday we trekked out of the city in search of wildlife. We hit up an Australian petting zoo, the wallabies and kangaroos were especially cute and friendly. The llama was bit aggressive (bad llama!) and definitely don't go near the emu's (they will snap off one of your fingers and maybe an eye!). After that quick stop, we headed over to Philip island and sat on the beach til our butts froze off. It was all to watch the smallest penguins in the world come in from sea and get back to their little burrows on the land. It was actually much more interesting than I make it sound. In fact, the signs boast that it is an award winning experience. I wonder what the award looks like?? In any case, that place was packed! Hundreds of people from all over the world just watching these little penguins do their thing. Sunday was a bit more up my alley. We headed out to the Yarra Valley which is famous for wine! We only had the chance to hit up a few places but it was so beautiful! In fact, I'm not sure which was better the wine or the scenery. Our first stop at Chandon was FAB-U-LOS! Nothing like a bit of champagne in the morning (right Leslie?), I wish I could start every day this way and not just Sundays!
Now, for what you really want to know.....does the water swirl down the toilet in a different direction when flushed? The answer is: I have no clue! All the WC's here have no swirl effect. They just throw out water (you should be careful) and suck it back at the same rate, so no swirly. Very disappointing! Also, I should let you all know that I am the least fashionably dressed lady in this city. Seriously. They are big big big on the knee high boots (I'm a fan) and everyone and I mean everyone is sporting them. Grandmas on the tram tsk tsk my unflattering tennis shoes. As for the boys, I don't know how they get those jeans on. Not that I am complaining. In the States the pants are so baggy I see half the undies, they're practically spray painted on here. Very Pete Wentz. And if you are planning a visit, bust out that wallet! A matinee at the movies is $16 a person. I saw an 18 pack of coke ON SALE for $22. And beer? Don't even think about it! A case of Corona or similar will set you back $60.
Well my fingers are freezing up so I've got to end this. We're heading to Sydney for the weekend so I'll update you then!
The ASU/University of Melbourne group went on a couple of tours. Saturday we trekked out of the city in search of wildlife. We hit up an Australian petting zoo, the wallabies and kangaroos were especially cute and friendly. The llama was bit aggressive (bad llama!) and definitely don't go near the emu's (they will snap off one of your fingers and maybe an eye!). After that quick stop, we headed over to Philip island and sat on the beach til our butts froze off. It was all to watch the smallest penguins in the world come in from sea and get back to their little burrows on the land. It was actually much more interesting than I make it sound. In fact, the signs boast that it is an award winning experience. I wonder what the award looks like?? In any case, that place was packed! Hundreds of people from all over the world just watching these little penguins do their thing. Sunday was a bit more up my alley. We headed out to the Yarra Valley which is famous for wine! We only had the chance to hit up a few places but it was so beautiful! In fact, I'm not sure which was better the wine or the scenery. Our first stop at Chandon was FAB-U-LOS! Nothing like a bit of champagne in the morning (right Leslie?), I wish I could start every day this way and not just Sundays!
Now, for what you really want to know.....does the water swirl down the toilet in a different direction when flushed? The answer is: I have no clue! All the WC's here have no swirl effect. They just throw out water (you should be careful) and suck it back at the same rate, so no swirly. Very disappointing! Also, I should let you all know that I am the least fashionably dressed lady in this city. Seriously. They are big big big on the knee high boots (I'm a fan) and everyone and I mean everyone is sporting them. Grandmas on the tram tsk tsk my unflattering tennis shoes. As for the boys, I don't know how they get those jeans on. Not that I am complaining. In the States the pants are so baggy I see half the undies, they're practically spray painted on here. Very Pete Wentz. And if you are planning a visit, bust out that wallet! A matinee at the movies is $16 a person. I saw an 18 pack of coke ON SALE for $22. And beer? Don't even think about it! A case of Corona or similar will set you back $60.
Well my fingers are freezing up so I've got to end this. We're heading to Sydney for the weekend so I'll update you then!
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