I'm now sitting in Little Rock airport bored senseless due to a 3 hour delay. I was supposed to be back in NYC around 5pm this afternoon but now i'll be lucky to be home before 10pm. Ouch.
I am slightly sad to be leaving Little Rock, it has felt more like a vacation than a business trip. Not too sad as i have scheduled to come back in a month when i here it will be at it's most prettiest with wild flowers and trees fully flush with blossom.
The clients have been wonderful and so grateful for my help, i only wish all my clients could be the same. They've done a great job of showing me Little Rock and in helping me pile on the not needed pounds.
Last night i was treated to a meal at The Flying Fish in Little Rock which was amazing. I had a whole pound of hot boiled succulent shrimp with corn and a new potato paired with a gigantic frozen margarita that a true mexican wouldn't touch with a barge pole.
I should of had the catfish but i am truly done with fried food for a while and the shrimp looked so good. The atmosphere of the place was great although ordering was slightly daunting as they had a huge wall of different fish and combinations. I am not the most decisiive when it comes to picking food as i want it all so it was slightly painful. Otherwise it was just picnic tables and fishing paraphenalia. My personal favorite was a wall full of framed fishing pictures of customers, i wanted that wall for my apt.
It all ended sour though as the paprika that covered the shrimp got into my left eye and then because of my fluffing, the right eye. So i staggered out of there completely blind due to my eyes streaming and nearly got hit by oncoming traffic.
Well, my flight is apparently about to board so goodbye Little Rock. Until next time.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Little Rock, Arkansas
I arrived yesterday after a 9 hour trek from NYC via Cincinnatti. We were stuck at the gate at JFK for an hour while they towed an Air China airbus that was blocking our path out of the way. The winds then changed direction so after taking 20 minutes to reach the runway in one direction, we had to turn around and go back in the other. All in all we were about 2 hours delayed and even the pilot could not hide the embarrassment in his voice.
It was worth it when i embarked at Cincinatti airport though because the first thing i spotted was someone carrying a Chick-Fil-A cup. Chick-Fil-A is the king of all junk foods in my book and the idea of getting a healthy salad and a glass of wine was soon replaced with a Classic Chicken Sandwich, Waffle Fries, 8 nuggets with that delicious Polynesian sauce and a full.fat.coke. Why oh why do we not have this mecca to chicken in NYC?
I'm actually going to put on about 10 pounds in this trip with all the eating i'm doing. After a huge breakfast (Something i rarely have) the clients took me to an award winning, "world champion' bbq house called The Whole Hog Cafe.
I had meat sweats lasting the rest of the day and thought i might die from a meat enduced heart attack.
Tonight is deep fried Catfish. It's a Little Rock specialty and i don't want to disappoint my clients who take great pride in their state and the catfish it deep fries. When will i learn?
I Heart Little Rock. I don't know why but i like all these southern/mid western cities that line the Mississippi. So much space, huge industrial office spaces and wide open streets lined with vacant lots and houses with wrap around porches. They are almost desolate when you comapre them to cities like New York yet you can always find something of interest. For me it's the William J. Clinton Presidential Library (which was very cool) and the food. I'd really like to spend some time here around the national parks, Arkansas has a serious amount of national parks and hiking trails. I have to come back next month so am thinking of scheduling a little R&R on the back of it.
I'm going for a quick run now so i can fit in some biscuits and gravy with my catfish. I am a glutton for punishment i know.
It was worth it when i embarked at Cincinatti airport though because the first thing i spotted was someone carrying a Chick-Fil-A cup. Chick-Fil-A is the king of all junk foods in my book and the idea of getting a healthy salad and a glass of wine was soon replaced with a Classic Chicken Sandwich, Waffle Fries, 8 nuggets with that delicious Polynesian sauce and a full.fat.coke. Why oh why do we not have this mecca to chicken in NYC?
I'm actually going to put on about 10 pounds in this trip with all the eating i'm doing. After a huge breakfast (Something i rarely have) the clients took me to an award winning, "world champion' bbq house called The Whole Hog Cafe.
I had meat sweats lasting the rest of the day and thought i might die from a meat enduced heart attack.
Tonight is deep fried Catfish. It's a Little Rock specialty and i don't want to disappoint my clients who take great pride in their state and the catfish it deep fries. When will i learn?
I Heart Little Rock. I don't know why but i like all these southern/mid western cities that line the Mississippi. So much space, huge industrial office spaces and wide open streets lined with vacant lots and houses with wrap around porches. They are almost desolate when you comapre them to cities like New York yet you can always find something of interest. For me it's the William J. Clinton Presidential Library (which was very cool) and the food. I'd really like to spend some time here around the national parks, Arkansas has a serious amount of national parks and hiking trails. I have to come back next month so am thinking of scheduling a little R&R on the back of it.
I'm going for a quick run now so i can fit in some biscuits and gravy with my catfish. I am a glutton for punishment i know.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Bangkok, Thailand
It's 9.15pm and i should be getting some sleep before my 3.30am wake up call. I am back at Reflections hotel and have a lovely Shitake Mushroom soup and duck with rice waiting for me back in my room..my last meal in Thailand.
It was sad to leave Laos but i was glad i made it in one piece. I had spent the whole time scaring people who were flying Laos airlines because they have a terrible safety record only to find that i had to fly them as Thai Airways back to Bangkok were sold out. The landing was sketchy but all in all it was a good flight.
Ventiane was great. I wish i could of spent more time there. It was very like some European cities but then it has been heavily influenced by French culture. It is a long weekend here so finding a hotel was horrendous, everywhere was booked out but i was saved by an Aussie knight on a motorcycle who carried me off to some plush place for $20 a night. We had dinner but then i was in bed asleep by 10pm being so tired from my kayak trip.
Today i got a tattoo. Not the best timing because i have to sit on my arse for 20 plus hours and that is where it is. I had a tattoo 12 years ago in Indonesia so decided to get it touched up and expanded while back in Asia...it hurts.
So, a quick shopping spree, stuffing my bag with fishermans pants (Lisa i have you covered!) and another Thai massage and now i'm off to bed.
It has been a fantastic trip, much of it i could not write up in here as both you and i will of been at the computer for hours. I shall miss the people i have met both Thais, Laotians and westerners. I will miss the food of both places along with the landscape much of which has been breathtaking. I won't miss the ridiculous money, the Kip especially which is 17,000 to a single pound (the dollar is doing terrible here). I won't misss the language because i find it frustrating and cannot speak a word. Thank you and Hello are even painful for me. I will both miss and be glad to see the back of the tuk-tuk and i won't be eating rice for a good few weeks. I also can't wait to get rid of this Eau De Mekong that has been lingering on my skin the last few days. Goodbye to organic pineapple shakes in the mornings, i will miss thee.
Saying all that i wish i was staying and could easily keep going for months as i'm quite good for this kind of life but reality beckons.
Currently Reading: Out of Africa
It was sad to leave Laos but i was glad i made it in one piece. I had spent the whole time scaring people who were flying Laos airlines because they have a terrible safety record only to find that i had to fly them as Thai Airways back to Bangkok were sold out. The landing was sketchy but all in all it was a good flight.
Ventiane was great. I wish i could of spent more time there. It was very like some European cities but then it has been heavily influenced by French culture. It is a long weekend here so finding a hotel was horrendous, everywhere was booked out but i was saved by an Aussie knight on a motorcycle who carried me off to some plush place for $20 a night. We had dinner but then i was in bed asleep by 10pm being so tired from my kayak trip.
Today i got a tattoo. Not the best timing because i have to sit on my arse for 20 plus hours and that is where it is. I had a tattoo 12 years ago in Indonesia so decided to get it touched up and expanded while back in Asia...it hurts.
So, a quick shopping spree, stuffing my bag with fishermans pants (Lisa i have you covered!) and another Thai massage and now i'm off to bed.
It has been a fantastic trip, much of it i could not write up in here as both you and i will of been at the computer for hours. I shall miss the people i have met both Thais, Laotians and westerners. I will miss the food of both places along with the landscape much of which has been breathtaking. I won't miss the ridiculous money, the Kip especially which is 17,000 to a single pound (the dollar is doing terrible here). I won't misss the language because i find it frustrating and cannot speak a word. Thank you and Hello are even painful for me. I will both miss and be glad to see the back of the tuk-tuk and i won't be eating rice for a good few weeks. I also can't wait to get rid of this Eau De Mekong that has been lingering on my skin the last few days. Goodbye to organic pineapple shakes in the mornings, i will miss thee.
Saying all that i wish i was staying and could easily keep going for months as i'm quite good for this kind of life but reality beckons.
Currently Reading: Out of Africa
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Vientiane, Laos
Today started off quite badly with the only hangover of the trip. Unfortunately it was a HUGE one and i had to Kayak 20 kilometers, jump off a cliff and climb over rocks (many of which i had to puke behind) all in 90 degree heat. It was painful. With no ginger ale or macdonalds in sight, i had to recover cold turkey with just a bottle of water and sticky rice.
Lesson learned: Do not take on the Laos in a drinking contest, they will always win. The owners of our guest house were celebrating National Womens Day with a picnic and crates and crates of Beer Lao. I had baby sat their kid while they ate yesterday so now they have adopted me and invited us to celebrate with them. They did not seem to care or understand that i don't drink beer and not wanting to be rude i didn't want to refuse it...or the Lao Whiskey shots..Brrrrr i feel sick even writing this. It was chaos. I have no idea how the evening went but i woke at 7am with all my clothes on, still drunk. Not funny or clever.
I am now in Vientiane partially recovered and just made the guiness book of records for people on a tuk-tuk. 27 people consisting of 23 Laos, 1 English, 2 Canadians and 1 German. We had someone playing the Melodia, a cat and the german guy carried a massive hearing device for capturing bird sounds (nerd alert!)...it almost sounds like a joke.
Lesson learned: Do not take on the Laos in a drinking contest, they will always win. The owners of our guest house were celebrating National Womens Day with a picnic and crates and crates of Beer Lao. I had baby sat their kid while they ate yesterday so now they have adopted me and invited us to celebrate with them. They did not seem to care or understand that i don't drink beer and not wanting to be rude i didn't want to refuse it...or the Lao Whiskey shots..Brrrrr i feel sick even writing this. It was chaos. I have no idea how the evening went but i woke at 7am with all my clothes on, still drunk. Not funny or clever.
I am now in Vientiane partially recovered and just made the guiness book of records for people on a tuk-tuk. 27 people consisting of 23 Laos, 1 English, 2 Canadians and 1 German. We had someone playing the Melodia, a cat and the german guy carried a massive hearing device for capturing bird sounds (nerd alert!)...it almost sounds like a joke.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Vang Vieng, Laos
I loved Luang Prabang and could of stayed at least a week. I spent my last day walking the rivers, going into more temples and eating eating Laos BBQ. Which is not quite Texas BBQ but tasty all the same. Basically it is a big pot on a wood fire and in the pot you throw chicken stock, veggies, chillis, eggs and garlic and above that is a level for you to grill the meat or fish. Delicious and very healthy, i shall try and get one in my backpack to replace my stolen BBQ in Brooklyn.
I jumped the 7pm bus out of LP and i must say that night buses here are dodgy.
Now he was either a bodyguard to protect us from bandits or he is still on the run from events in Vietnam and no idea the war was over, but the dude in the front seat had a full on semi-automatic machine gun. My fear was that it was the latter and he would have a flash back at any minute and shoot the lot of us. So i stayed awake the whole 7 hours.
So now i am in Vang Vieng 7 hours south. Why was i sad about leaving Luang Prabang for Vang Vieng? If LP is the arts and culture capital, VV is the capital of fun.
I had read about this place on the travel snob blogs and had turned my snobby nose up to it as i read about it being a back packer mecca. That it is, but when the whole area is built for adventure sports and exhessive drinking then you could hardly blame them for coming.
Danger = Tubing + $3 Vodka Buckets + zip lines and river swings.
Surrounded by stunning scenery, nestled between the hills on the banks of several rivers, VV is full of adventure sports like cycling, hiking, rock climbing, kayaking and the most popular, tubing. Yesterday we rented tubes and floated down the river and stopped at various bars on the banks along the way which sold alcoholic drinks like the delicious Mulberry Mojito. I then threw myself down a zip line, somersaulted and landed on my back from a great height, only to tube down to the next place and do the same again. and again. and again. How i did not puke, drown or break something i do not know. I am just glad i drew the line at eating the happy omelettes and magic shakes, especially when i lost my crowd and ended up tube in the pitch black with a bunch of drunken and amorous Swedes.
The parties went on until very late, with DJ's and bonfires. Lots of people very unafraid of touting the no marijuans laws along with the governments 11.00pm curfew. I abided both seeing no future in 6 years in the Lao version of the Bangkok Hilton.
So up early again this morning. I am going to cycle the area and meet up with the gang later. I have some photography to do.
Tomorrow i kayak to the countries capital Vientiene for my last night in Laos. I had planned on leaving Laos early for a 3 day spa in Krabi but Laos is really, really interesting as well as beautiful. Much of what i have learned i haven't written here as it is not a geography lesson but i can't wait to bore you to death when i get back.
Until then, more drunken tubing...YAY!
Currently listening to: Damian Marley - Welcome to Jamrock, M.I.A. - Arular, Manu Chao (All good choices when on a bus at night in the jungle with a machine gun holding dude)
Currently Reading: The Book of Illusions - Paul Auster
I jumped the 7pm bus out of LP and i must say that night buses here are dodgy.
Now he was either a bodyguard to protect us from bandits or he is still on the run from events in Vietnam and no idea the war was over, but the dude in the front seat had a full on semi-automatic machine gun. My fear was that it was the latter and he would have a flash back at any minute and shoot the lot of us. So i stayed awake the whole 7 hours.
So now i am in Vang Vieng 7 hours south. Why was i sad about leaving Luang Prabang for Vang Vieng? If LP is the arts and culture capital, VV is the capital of fun.
I had read about this place on the travel snob blogs and had turned my snobby nose up to it as i read about it being a back packer mecca. That it is, but when the whole area is built for adventure sports and exhessive drinking then you could hardly blame them for coming.
Danger = Tubing + $3 Vodka Buckets + zip lines and river swings.
Surrounded by stunning scenery, nestled between the hills on the banks of several rivers, VV is full of adventure sports like cycling, hiking, rock climbing, kayaking and the most popular, tubing. Yesterday we rented tubes and floated down the river and stopped at various bars on the banks along the way which sold alcoholic drinks like the delicious Mulberry Mojito. I then threw myself down a zip line, somersaulted and landed on my back from a great height, only to tube down to the next place and do the same again. and again. and again. How i did not puke, drown or break something i do not know. I am just glad i drew the line at eating the happy omelettes and magic shakes, especially when i lost my crowd and ended up tube in the pitch black with a bunch of drunken and amorous Swedes.
The parties went on until very late, with DJ's and bonfires. Lots of people very unafraid of touting the no marijuans laws along with the governments 11.00pm curfew. I abided both seeing no future in 6 years in the Lao version of the Bangkok Hilton.
So up early again this morning. I am going to cycle the area and meet up with the gang later. I have some photography to do.
Tomorrow i kayak to the countries capital Vientiene for my last night in Laos. I had planned on leaving Laos early for a 3 day spa in Krabi but Laos is really, really interesting as well as beautiful. Much of what i have learned i haven't written here as it is not a geography lesson but i can't wait to bore you to death when i get back.
Until then, more drunken tubing...YAY!
Currently listening to: Damian Marley - Welcome to Jamrock, M.I.A. - Arular, Manu Chao (All good choices when on a bus at night in the jungle with a machine gun holding dude)
Currently Reading: The Book of Illusions - Paul Auster
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Luang Prabang, Laos
Everybody, every single body should experience a Laos night club once in their life. It was sort of a cabaret place, like The Love Boat but with the Venga Boys and Line Dancing. Being the only westerners there they took much pleasure in our painful dance moves as they flowed between routines and we threw shapes never quite seen before. Unfortunately they have a curfew here so all the lights came on at 11pm and it was all over. I could of line danced my way to the break of dawn.
Another great source of entertainment here in Laos is bowling. 2km out of town and a whole new world opened itself up. We made friends we the group next door to us and bowled ladyboy style for several hours. I came last. I think the lanes were wonky.
Yesterday i was quite productive and went to the The Grand Palace which is now a museum and saw a photography exhibition of the Floating Buddha which was pretty amazing. Luang Prabang really is a great cultural center and there are many great art and dance studios amongst the stunning temples. My plan was to visit most of these but en route to the next temple i was jumped upon by a couple of friends in a Tuk Tuk heading to some waterfalls an hour or so away. Everybody loves a waterfall so off i went and i'm glad i did.They were lovely and unlike all the others i have seen here, you could swim in them. There were jumping ropes and you could dive under the falls to caves at the back...the only con was that i was freezing.
We got back just in time to climb Phu Hu hill to the temple and watch the sunset because everybody loves a sunset. Then dinner which was a Laos fish curry...let's just say that Delhi belly is not only reserved for Delhi.
So, today i will get back to looking around LP and i also have a couple of spa treatments lined up. Yesterday i had a pedicure for $3, today a $10 body scrub so any tan i might have is about to be rubbed off. Tonight i get the bus to Vang Vieng...boo hoo!
Another great source of entertainment here in Laos is bowling. 2km out of town and a whole new world opened itself up. We made friends we the group next door to us and bowled ladyboy style for several hours. I came last. I think the lanes were wonky.
Yesterday i was quite productive and went to the The Grand Palace which is now a museum and saw a photography exhibition of the Floating Buddha which was pretty amazing. Luang Prabang really is a great cultural center and there are many great art and dance studios amongst the stunning temples. My plan was to visit most of these but en route to the next temple i was jumped upon by a couple of friends in a Tuk Tuk heading to some waterfalls an hour or so away. Everybody loves a waterfall so off i went and i'm glad i did.They were lovely and unlike all the others i have seen here, you could swim in them. There were jumping ropes and you could dive under the falls to caves at the back...the only con was that i was freezing.
We got back just in time to climb Phu Hu hill to the temple and watch the sunset because everybody loves a sunset. Then dinner which was a Laos fish curry...let's just say that Delhi belly is not only reserved for Delhi.
So, today i will get back to looking around LP and i also have a couple of spa treatments lined up. Yesterday i had a pedicure for $3, today a $10 body scrub so any tan i might have is about to be rubbed off. Tonight i get the bus to Vang Vieng...boo hoo!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Luang Prabang, Laos
I arrived in Luang Prabang early this evening. On first look it appears to be very lovely, quite sophisticated in a way i was not expecting. The night bizarre's are much more colourful and organised than in Thailand with beautiful handicrafts, and the people seem very friendly. This i am grateful for because so far in terms of people friendliness the Laotians were letting the South East Asia team down.
The slow boat was amazing in terms of scenery, unmatched probably than anywhere else i have ever been in the world. Absolutely gorgeous and untouched by the western world. The first day we punted along for about 7 hours and i did not read one word of my book or listen to a single song on my ipod as i couldn't stop looking at the scenery. Fishermen, women washing, children swimming, rock formations, waterfalls... Occasionally my daydream was rudely interrupted by a loud speed boat loaded with the fools that took the fast boat. Wearing crashing helmets and racing along at dangerous speed it looked stupid and a complete waste of being in Laos, very few people do it and i see why. I was still with Tasha and Frankie the Spanish hairdresser (Peter the dutch cyclist went a different route) and on the boat met a variety of people from Argentina, Australia, Canada and Germany, all really pleasant and laid back. The benches were not the most comfortable and i admit i wish i was one of the people that bought a cushion.
We stopped half way down the river after 7 hours for the night and this is where things got slightly stressful. We were charged by a bunch of kids who jumped on and took our bags, demanding money to get them back./ As you can imagine, this did not wash with me. It was then a break for it to find a bed for the night where many Laotian guest house owners lied about the facilities and tried to bump the price, along with being rude. All quite stressful and the place was a dump, a lot like a border town in Mexico. So bad i have forgotten the name of the town already. A complete disappointment. Still we soon calmed down with a beer and some Laotian curries.
This morning we started over again and this time a stressful start , they tried to put too many people on the boats. They should only hold 80 people and more than 100 were on board and they still tried to fit more people on so we had a mexican stand off and demanded another boat. People fell in the river, bags were thrown....quite the scene.
Eventually, we were on the move and it was much of the same as the day before but different people. Really, really amazing and i would do the trip 10 times over again. This time i sat with a couple of great girls from Brighton, Jenna and Stephanie and a bunch of easy on the eye lads from Argentina.
Now i am in Luang Prabang and after a delicious Lao streetside buffet and a glass of wine (WINE !!), Laos is starting to redeem itself. I look forward to seeing tomorrow why LP was recently named a World Heritage site.
That's after we check out the line dancing at the local disco..i kid you not!
The slow boat was amazing in terms of scenery, unmatched probably than anywhere else i have ever been in the world. Absolutely gorgeous and untouched by the western world. The first day we punted along for about 7 hours and i did not read one word of my book or listen to a single song on my ipod as i couldn't stop looking at the scenery. Fishermen, women washing, children swimming, rock formations, waterfalls... Occasionally my daydream was rudely interrupted by a loud speed boat loaded with the fools that took the fast boat. Wearing crashing helmets and racing along at dangerous speed it looked stupid and a complete waste of being in Laos, very few people do it and i see why. I was still with Tasha and Frankie the Spanish hairdresser (Peter the dutch cyclist went a different route) and on the boat met a variety of people from Argentina, Australia, Canada and Germany, all really pleasant and laid back. The benches were not the most comfortable and i admit i wish i was one of the people that bought a cushion.
We stopped half way down the river after 7 hours for the night and this is where things got slightly stressful. We were charged by a bunch of kids who jumped on and took our bags, demanding money to get them back./ As you can imagine, this did not wash with me. It was then a break for it to find a bed for the night where many Laotian guest house owners lied about the facilities and tried to bump the price, along with being rude. All quite stressful and the place was a dump, a lot like a border town in Mexico. So bad i have forgotten the name of the town already. A complete disappointment. Still we soon calmed down with a beer and some Laotian curries.
This morning we started over again and this time a stressful start , they tried to put too many people on the boats. They should only hold 80 people and more than 100 were on board and they still tried to fit more people on so we had a mexican stand off and demanded another boat. People fell in the river, bags were thrown....quite the scene.
Eventually, we were on the move and it was much of the same as the day before but different people. Really, really amazing and i would do the trip 10 times over again. This time i sat with a couple of great girls from Brighton, Jenna and Stephanie and a bunch of easy on the eye lads from Argentina.
Now i am in Luang Prabang and after a delicious Lao streetside buffet and a glass of wine (WINE !!), Laos is starting to redeem itself. I look forward to seeing tomorrow why LP was recently named a World Heritage site.
That's after we check out the line dancing at the local disco..i kid you not!
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Huay Xai, Laos
I made it to Laos! Quite exciting but the whole border crossing was a little too easy and quite the non event.
My day started badly by me falling on my face in the bus station at 7am. I tripped on the stair and landed front first on the tiles in a station packed with Thai's who just stared blankly at me as i flayed about on the floor before picking myself up. Hugely embarrasing. Huge.
An easy journey by air conditioned bus for 3 plus hours took me to Chiang Rai and i was going to hang around but there was a bus leaving for Chiang Keong 10 minutes after i arrived so i jumped on it. No air con and the bus had definitely seen a few miles but it had character and on both buses i was the only 'farang' (white person) which was nice. The second bus was actually very worse for wear but i was encouraged by the sight of a monk sitting in the first row.
The scenery here is spectacular and so i find that i am not sleeping much as i want to soak up everything so i just sit and watch Thailand pass by out of the window.
Once in Chiang Keong i met an Irish girl outside of a store who asked me where i was staying. What is it about me that attracts the naive and innocent ones? She hadn't a clue where she was going and approached me so i said she could tag along but informed her that i didn't have a clue either but i must be good at pretending as she thought i had an air of confidence about me and knew what i was doing. She also thought i was about 26 or 27 so what does she know! I kid, she's grand as she would say. Her name is Tasha and she's from Dublin, 2 months into a year long trip. She is travelling with friends who flew to Laos and she wanted to go the long way round. Good on her!
Immigration was a booth by the Mekong river, where i simply got a departure stamp and was told to go. nice. We then took a long boat across the river for about $1, it took 5 minutes and we were in Laos! Not officially, they had another booth on the other side which took more paperwork and a whole lot of ink was used in the stamping of the passports which was a ridiculous comedic procedure and then we were official.
We got a cheap room and spent a few hours walking around Huay Xai, finally getting some sun. What with the travel and having to dress so modestly for the temples and the villages i looked like i'd spent the week in my cupboard.
So now i'm in Laos and have picked up a roommate in the process...along with a crazy Spanish hairdresser and dutch cyclist and we are all booked on the slow boat to Luang Prabang tomorrow. Slow because it takes about 8 hours the first day, we stop over night and then another 8 hours the next day, getting there on Tuesday.
We all hung out and drank too many beers as we watched the sunset over Thailand just across the river. It's a good day to be me.
My day started badly by me falling on my face in the bus station at 7am. I tripped on the stair and landed front first on the tiles in a station packed with Thai's who just stared blankly at me as i flayed about on the floor before picking myself up. Hugely embarrasing. Huge.
An easy journey by air conditioned bus for 3 plus hours took me to Chiang Rai and i was going to hang around but there was a bus leaving for Chiang Keong 10 minutes after i arrived so i jumped on it. No air con and the bus had definitely seen a few miles but it had character and on both buses i was the only 'farang' (white person) which was nice. The second bus was actually very worse for wear but i was encouraged by the sight of a monk sitting in the first row.
The scenery here is spectacular and so i find that i am not sleeping much as i want to soak up everything so i just sit and watch Thailand pass by out of the window.
Once in Chiang Keong i met an Irish girl outside of a store who asked me where i was staying. What is it about me that attracts the naive and innocent ones? She hadn't a clue where she was going and approached me so i said she could tag along but informed her that i didn't have a clue either but i must be good at pretending as she thought i had an air of confidence about me and knew what i was doing. She also thought i was about 26 or 27 so what does she know! I kid, she's grand as she would say. Her name is Tasha and she's from Dublin, 2 months into a year long trip. She is travelling with friends who flew to Laos and she wanted to go the long way round. Good on her!
Immigration was a booth by the Mekong river, where i simply got a departure stamp and was told to go. nice. We then took a long boat across the river for about $1, it took 5 minutes and we were in Laos! Not officially, they had another booth on the other side which took more paperwork and a whole lot of ink was used in the stamping of the passports which was a ridiculous comedic procedure and then we were official.
We got a cheap room and spent a few hours walking around Huay Xai, finally getting some sun. What with the travel and having to dress so modestly for the temples and the villages i looked like i'd spent the week in my cupboard.
So now i'm in Laos and have picked up a roommate in the process...along with a crazy Spanish hairdresser and dutch cyclist and we are all booked on the slow boat to Luang Prabang tomorrow. Slow because it takes about 8 hours the first day, we stop over night and then another 8 hours the next day, getting there on Tuesday.
We all hung out and drank too many beers as we watched the sunset over Thailand just across the river. It's a good day to be me.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Chiang Mai, Thailand
So i am back in Chiang Mai. Half a day of flying solo and things start to go a little pear shaped.
I was supposed to be on a bus to Chiang Rai leaving at 5pm and had flown from Mae Hon Song this afternoon to get to the bus on time but the bus was full and so was every bus leaving tonight.
No great shame as i am getting to hang out in Chiang Mai again. I got to see the amazing Lek on guitar but the downside is that it's election night again so no booze. I was absolutely busting for a G&T and heard on the grapevine that there was a possibility of getting one at the night bizarre so i headed back there and low and behold within 5 minutes i had one in hand.
I love travelling solo but the hazard as a woman is unwanted attention and my unwanted attention came in the form of an American wrestler without the muscles but with the head scarf.
There i was innocently sitting at the bar quietly reading and listening to The Eagles (from the bar not on my ipod!) when he came and sat next to me and tried to film me! from about 10 inches away. Asking politely and ignoring him didn't work as he didn't seem to understand (he was German i think)but i found that 'Fuck off!' did.
I spent this morning in Mae Hon Song (you'll notice my spelling has been bad anyway due to odd keyboards but village and town names are spelled differently everywhere so i have no clue on what is the correct version). MHS was very clean and appeared quite wealthy. A complete contrast to Kuhn Yuam and the nearby Karen villages. Stopped off at another Wat, Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu. Slightly different to others we have seen, they are two burmese style Chedis. As with many of the temples there are still parts that women are not allowed to enter. I just don't get this fear of women in religion, even something as 'gentle' as Buddhism, where does it come from and why is it still happening today...
Yesterday we got to go to another Karen village, specifically so that Vicky could look at it's school. Through the trust she has donated a significant sum of money towards the building of some dormitories at the school. The dorms will allow for children of neighbouring villages without schools to attend school as currently many are unable to due difficult roads and long distances.
The village itself was about 45 minutes up a mostly unbuilt road off the main road in the most stunning setting. It's nestled deep into those hills i mentioned before and the school is out of a story book, sparse but utterly delightful, i would skip to school if i went there.
Lucy and i wandered around the village and were the subject of much curiousity. Many villagers hid and looked at us through the windows or behind doors, children ran and giggled as we walked by and they called out Sawadekai (Thai for Hello) or Omouchipah (Karen for Hello both spelled completely incorrectly) We could see no one in front of us but when we looked around there was quite the crowd gathering in the street, it was quite sweet.
The ride back down the hills was quite the adventure. A complete thrill ride as we stood on the back of the flat bed truck as it zoomed down the hills at 80 plus kilometers an hour, turning corners like it was on rails. I know what a windscreen feels like now as so many flies and insects smaked against my face. I wanted to laugh several times as it was so exhilarating but there were many of those insects bouncing of my lips and didn't want to risk it.It felt like i was handgliding with a jet pack attached to me but the views were absolutely magnificent so it was worth it.
In the evening there was a bit of a party for the gap students and teachers as the students go on to work on the water project. Loads of yummy food but poor Lucy missed out on most of it due to projectile vomiting. Not sure if it was heat stroke or dehydration but whatever it was laid her out and after what we ate i didn't envy her having to see that twice.
So now i have a buzz on from my G&T's, a couple of shandys and a steamed grouper with garlic and chilli, i am heading back to my little guest house on the Ping river to the BBC world service.
Tomorrow i have a 7.15am bus to Chiang Rai and then straight on the Chiang Keong and Laos.
Talking of which i had visa pictures taken today and as usual i am pulling a strange face. It's either me or it's pictures taken at certain angle but again i look a little 'simple' and have a lazy eye, no wonder i am attracting guys with bandanas.
Currently Listening to: The Eagles - Lying Eyes
Temperature: A steamy 87 degrees.
I was supposed to be on a bus to Chiang Rai leaving at 5pm and had flown from Mae Hon Song this afternoon to get to the bus on time but the bus was full and so was every bus leaving tonight.
No great shame as i am getting to hang out in Chiang Mai again. I got to see the amazing Lek on guitar but the downside is that it's election night again so no booze. I was absolutely busting for a G&T and heard on the grapevine that there was a possibility of getting one at the night bizarre so i headed back there and low and behold within 5 minutes i had one in hand.
I love travelling solo but the hazard as a woman is unwanted attention and my unwanted attention came in the form of an American wrestler without the muscles but with the head scarf.
There i was innocently sitting at the bar quietly reading and listening to The Eagles (from the bar not on my ipod!) when he came and sat next to me and tried to film me! from about 10 inches away. Asking politely and ignoring him didn't work as he didn't seem to understand (he was German i think)but i found that 'Fuck off!' did.
I spent this morning in Mae Hon Song (you'll notice my spelling has been bad anyway due to odd keyboards but village and town names are spelled differently everywhere so i have no clue on what is the correct version). MHS was very clean and appeared quite wealthy. A complete contrast to Kuhn Yuam and the nearby Karen villages. Stopped off at another Wat, Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu. Slightly different to others we have seen, they are two burmese style Chedis. As with many of the temples there are still parts that women are not allowed to enter. I just don't get this fear of women in religion, even something as 'gentle' as Buddhism, where does it come from and why is it still happening today...
Yesterday we got to go to another Karen village, specifically so that Vicky could look at it's school. Through the trust she has donated a significant sum of money towards the building of some dormitories at the school. The dorms will allow for children of neighbouring villages without schools to attend school as currently many are unable to due difficult roads and long distances.
The village itself was about 45 minutes up a mostly unbuilt road off the main road in the most stunning setting. It's nestled deep into those hills i mentioned before and the school is out of a story book, sparse but utterly delightful, i would skip to school if i went there.
Lucy and i wandered around the village and were the subject of much curiousity. Many villagers hid and looked at us through the windows or behind doors, children ran and giggled as we walked by and they called out Sawadekai (Thai for Hello) or Omouchipah (Karen for Hello both spelled completely incorrectly) We could see no one in front of us but when we looked around there was quite the crowd gathering in the street, it was quite sweet.
The ride back down the hills was quite the adventure. A complete thrill ride as we stood on the back of the flat bed truck as it zoomed down the hills at 80 plus kilometers an hour, turning corners like it was on rails. I know what a windscreen feels like now as so many flies and insects smaked against my face. I wanted to laugh several times as it was so exhilarating but there were many of those insects bouncing of my lips and didn't want to risk it.It felt like i was handgliding with a jet pack attached to me but the views were absolutely magnificent so it was worth it.
In the evening there was a bit of a party for the gap students and teachers as the students go on to work on the water project. Loads of yummy food but poor Lucy missed out on most of it due to projectile vomiting. Not sure if it was heat stroke or dehydration but whatever it was laid her out and after what we ate i didn't envy her having to see that twice.
So now i have a buzz on from my G&T's, a couple of shandys and a steamed grouper with garlic and chilli, i am heading back to my little guest house on the Ping river to the BBC world service.
Tomorrow i have a 7.15am bus to Chiang Rai and then straight on the Chiang Keong and Laos.
Talking of which i had visa pictures taken today and as usual i am pulling a strange face. It's either me or it's pictures taken at certain angle but again i look a little 'simple' and have a lazy eye, no wonder i am attracting guys with bandanas.
Currently Listening to: The Eagles - Lying Eyes
Temperature: A steamy 87 degrees.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Kuhn Yuam, Eastern Province, Thailand
It's been a slightly surreal and grounding couple of days, as we left the well worn track for the much more less travelled one.
I am currently in a very small town North East of Chiang Mai, on the Mae Hon Son loop called Kuhn Yuam. This is where Lucy's mum is based while she works with the nearby Karen people. We drove here Thursday via the Inthanon National Park. Stopping off at waterfalls along the way because everyone loves a waterfall. The roads were extremely windy as we climbed through the hills, quite close to the countries peak Doi Inthanon at over 8,000 feet. The views were breathtaking, with lush, green hills that just seem to fold into each other, lined with the occasional village or rice field.
When we got here we dropped off our bags and headed straight over to a nearby Karen Hilltribe village of Ban Cam Suk to meet some of the children that Vicki has been working with and befriended over the last couple of years. I will leave you to look at the links i have given about the Karen people but Vicky has been working with a specific trust that supplies local schools with teachers, school buses, builds clean water projects and funds the childrens education in schools and universities.
The children we met were wonderful, healthy and happy with huge beaming smiles that completely lit up thier faces. We were extremely lucky to be invited to stay with one of the families overnight and it truly felt like a priviledge as they allowed us to stay in thier home and cooked for us. Last night they made us two types of rice and marrow with a spicy chilli dish..they love thier chilli here and i've definitely upped my tolerance factor. The huts are all wooden built on stilts with cows, chickens, pigs that live below and pens around the house. In our house they even had a monkey hanging out below. We spent the evening playing with the children and a couple of girls who are here with the trust volunteering for thier gap year. The family consisted of a mum and dad both of whom are in their 40's, a 12 year old girl, Dim and 15 month old little Pla who was the cutest kid you have ever seen. It was so interesting how we bonded playing games like Snakes & Ladders as with very little common language between us it was at times difficult to interact. Especially when it came to bedtime, as with such a small living space we were struggling to see how we could change into PJ's and prepare for bed and where we would all sleep. In the end we just slept in our clothes under bundles of blankets they loaded onto us.
I slept extremely well but woke at around 5am this morning to chorus of cockerals, women pounding rice, cows mooing, dogs growling and snoring coming from little Dim. They had cooked us breakfast and i struggle to eat cornflakes at 10am in the morning let alone rice with pumpkin and eggs stewed with tomatos at 6.30am. It was sad to say good bye and i can't imagine how some of these gap year students feel after living with a family in such close proximity for 6 months at a time and then having to leave.
The villages are sparce, littered with cow shit, hay and whatever else but their houses are extremely clean inside and they seem to have everything they need because their needs are very little. It's definitely grounding and spending just one night with them makes one reflect on what one has and very lucky we are.
Currently Reading: Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Currently Watching: Thai Soaps
Temperature: Hot!
I am currently in a very small town North East of Chiang Mai, on the Mae Hon Son loop called Kuhn Yuam. This is where Lucy's mum is based while she works with the nearby Karen people. We drove here Thursday via the Inthanon National Park. Stopping off at waterfalls along the way because everyone loves a waterfall. The roads were extremely windy as we climbed through the hills, quite close to the countries peak Doi Inthanon at over 8,000 feet. The views were breathtaking, with lush, green hills that just seem to fold into each other, lined with the occasional village or rice field.
When we got here we dropped off our bags and headed straight over to a nearby Karen Hilltribe village of Ban Cam Suk to meet some of the children that Vicki has been working with and befriended over the last couple of years. I will leave you to look at the links i have given about the Karen people but Vicky has been working with a specific trust that supplies local schools with teachers, school buses, builds clean water projects and funds the childrens education in schools and universities.
The children we met were wonderful, healthy and happy with huge beaming smiles that completely lit up thier faces. We were extremely lucky to be invited to stay with one of the families overnight and it truly felt like a priviledge as they allowed us to stay in thier home and cooked for us. Last night they made us two types of rice and marrow with a spicy chilli dish..they love thier chilli here and i've definitely upped my tolerance factor. The huts are all wooden built on stilts with cows, chickens, pigs that live below and pens around the house. In our house they even had a monkey hanging out below. We spent the evening playing with the children and a couple of girls who are here with the trust volunteering for thier gap year. The family consisted of a mum and dad both of whom are in their 40's, a 12 year old girl, Dim and 15 month old little Pla who was the cutest kid you have ever seen. It was so interesting how we bonded playing games like Snakes & Ladders as with very little common language between us it was at times difficult to interact. Especially when it came to bedtime, as with such a small living space we were struggling to see how we could change into PJ's and prepare for bed and where we would all sleep. In the end we just slept in our clothes under bundles of blankets they loaded onto us.
I slept extremely well but woke at around 5am this morning to chorus of cockerals, women pounding rice, cows mooing, dogs growling and snoring coming from little Dim. They had cooked us breakfast and i struggle to eat cornflakes at 10am in the morning let alone rice with pumpkin and eggs stewed with tomatos at 6.30am. It was sad to say good bye and i can't imagine how some of these gap year students feel after living with a family in such close proximity for 6 months at a time and then having to leave.
The villages are sparce, littered with cow shit, hay and whatever else but their houses are extremely clean inside and they seem to have everything they need because their needs are very little. It's definitely grounding and spending just one night with them makes one reflect on what one has and very lucky we are.
Currently Reading: Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Currently Watching: Thai Soaps
Temperature: Hot!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Chiang Mai, Thailand
I'll be leaving shortly on a 4 hour drive north to Mae Hon Son and then to a small town close to the Burma/Thailand border where Lucy's mother is living.
It will be sad to leave Chiang Mai as i really like it. It's the countries second captital and so much more chilled out and cleaner than Bangkok. Last night we roamed the night bizarres and ate whole fish with Kaffir leaves and chili's before heading to La Brasserie for a drink. La Brasserie was an excellent recommendation from Bernie who had told me all about the resident guitarist there. Unfortunately i didn't get to see Lek the guitarist, i think it was his night off but no worries as it was located right on the river and as i sipped a gin and tonic with a fantastic serene view, the house band played Coldplay and Red Hot Chilli Pepper covers. To be fair, it wasn't bad, actually they were pretty good if you like covers. They were tight and the singer had a nice voice and his english was good. They sounded better than half the bands you see down The Mercury Lounge on a Wednesday night anyway.
It will be sad to leave Chiang Mai as i really like it. It's the countries second captital and so much more chilled out and cleaner than Bangkok. Last night we roamed the night bizarres and ate whole fish with Kaffir leaves and chili's before heading to La Brasserie for a drink. La Brasserie was an excellent recommendation from Bernie who had told me all about the resident guitarist there. Unfortunately i didn't get to see Lek the guitarist, i think it was his night off but no worries as it was located right on the river and as i sipped a gin and tonic with a fantastic serene view, the house band played Coldplay and Red Hot Chilli Pepper covers. To be fair, it wasn't bad, actually they were pretty good if you like covers. They were tight and the singer had a nice voice and his english was good. They sounded better than half the bands you see down The Mercury Lounge on a Wednesday night anyway.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
A diverse couple of days and it's only going to get more so.
After our swanky evening at The Moon Cafe, Lucy and I took a Tuk Tuk to the Red light district of Patpong. We played Ping Pong Show bingo. In 10 minutes we were asked 17 times if we'd like to see a show, if ping pongs didn't interest us, never fear because they had a menu that included, but was not limited to blowing candles, cutting bananas and darts.
I am just glad Lucy isn't a man, she struggled to spot the lady boys from the real thing. My theory was if they look that good in a thong and sparkly high heels then they are more likely a 15 year old boy than any lady i know.
We flew up to Chiang Mai yesterday and was met by Lucy's mum Vicki who has been out here volunteering for the past few months. She's actually based a few hours outside of here but came in to pick us up. As soon as we got into Chiang Mai, we left it for some silk factories where Lucy and i indulged ourselves with decadent silk undies. I'm sure they will look great underneath my sweats. It was at the silk factory that Lucy hit on the joke of the day. Picking out ties for gifts she asked my opinion, i stated often and loudly how i was an expert on ties, i could pick a great tie, ties were boring...blah,blah blah not realising the lovely Thai assistants were looking at me with quizical (is that a word?) looks. This was nothing to a conversation we had yesterday outside a temple as we debated what act constituted being unfaithful. I said it would be a struggle but i could forgive a kiss but that 'i would be most unhappy if i found out my husband got a blow job. ..'
i said this as a group of teenage tourists walked by and erupted into laughter.
We then headed on to Lamphun about 20k outside of Chiang Mai to stay with a Thai family who are friends with Vicki. Extremely sweet. I particularly like the name of the son that we met, Dear. Named so because he was born on Valentines Day. Love it. Literally across the street from their house is an extremely picturesque temple called Wat Phra That Haripunchai. Another Wat off the list. There seems to be an abundance of monks in this area of Thailand, makes sense as i read that every Thai boy has to be a monk for at least some part of thier lives. It can be for a few days but is usually for a few months. It's quite funny seeing Buddhist monks going about thier business, it seems they go to the 7/11 and rent DVD's too.
All this is well and good but time for the main event. The ELEPHANTS, more specifically the ones that paint. Today we went to see them and i will be bitterly disappointed if i don't get a baby elephant that paints for my birthday this year.
It was great, the place is called the Mae Sae Elephant Training Camp and compared to other elephant establishments and zoos out there, this is pretty cool. The place is exceptionally clean and peaceful and the elephants genuinely seem to be having a good time. Why wouldn't they, they get to throw darts, play football, dance, play the harmonica...all of which i am crap at. The best is the painting though, the trainers seem to use tugs on the elephants ears to guide them as they paint flowers and abstract paintings. I will struggle to make rent this month after splashing out on a couple, the most expensive is the self portrait. An elephant has painted a picture of an elephant. It will be hanging in my apt within the next month for those that want to check it out. It's the best thing ever!
After our swanky evening at The Moon Cafe, Lucy and I took a Tuk Tuk to the Red light district of Patpong. We played Ping Pong Show bingo. In 10 minutes we were asked 17 times if we'd like to see a show, if ping pongs didn't interest us, never fear because they had a menu that included, but was not limited to blowing candles, cutting bananas and darts.
I am just glad Lucy isn't a man, she struggled to spot the lady boys from the real thing. My theory was if they look that good in a thong and sparkly high heels then they are more likely a 15 year old boy than any lady i know.
We flew up to Chiang Mai yesterday and was met by Lucy's mum Vicki who has been out here volunteering for the past few months. She's actually based a few hours outside of here but came in to pick us up. As soon as we got into Chiang Mai, we left it for some silk factories where Lucy and i indulged ourselves with decadent silk undies. I'm sure they will look great underneath my sweats. It was at the silk factory that Lucy hit on the joke of the day. Picking out ties for gifts she asked my opinion, i stated often and loudly how i was an expert on ties, i could pick a great tie, ties were boring...blah,blah blah not realising the lovely Thai assistants were looking at me with quizical (is that a word?) looks. This was nothing to a conversation we had yesterday outside a temple as we debated what act constituted being unfaithful. I said it would be a struggle but i could forgive a kiss but that 'i would be most unhappy if i found out my husband got a blow job. ..'
i said this as a group of teenage tourists walked by and erupted into laughter.
We then headed on to Lamphun about 20k outside of Chiang Mai to stay with a Thai family who are friends with Vicki. Extremely sweet. I particularly like the name of the son that we met, Dear. Named so because he was born on Valentines Day. Love it. Literally across the street from their house is an extremely picturesque temple called Wat Phra That Haripunchai. Another Wat off the list. There seems to be an abundance of monks in this area of Thailand, makes sense as i read that every Thai boy has to be a monk for at least some part of thier lives. It can be for a few days but is usually for a few months. It's quite funny seeing Buddhist monks going about thier business, it seems they go to the 7/11 and rent DVD's too.
All this is well and good but time for the main event. The ELEPHANTS, more specifically the ones that paint. Today we went to see them and i will be bitterly disappointed if i don't get a baby elephant that paints for my birthday this year.
It was great, the place is called the Mae Sae Elephant Training Camp and compared to other elephant establishments and zoos out there, this is pretty cool. The place is exceptionally clean and peaceful and the elephants genuinely seem to be having a good time. Why wouldn't they, they get to throw darts, play football, dance, play the harmonica...all of which i am crap at. The best is the painting though, the trainers seem to use tugs on the elephants ears to guide them as they paint flowers and abstract paintings. I will struggle to make rent this month after splashing out on a couple, the most expensive is the self portrait. An elephant has painted a picture of an elephant. It will be hanging in my apt within the next month for those that want to check it out. It's the best thing ever!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Moon Bar, Bangkok
This place deserves it's own spot in the blog. I think it is fair to say i have stepped into many a bar in my lifetime and it's quite difficult to impress me. This bar blew my cotton socks off.
59 floors above the grime and pollution of downtown Bangkok, The Moon Bar is a completely open air restaurant and cocktail bar with unobstructed 360 views of the city below. It is breathtaking. Quite possibly the most romantic bar i have ever been to, i spent the whole time waiting for Lucy to pull out an engagement ring. It was that smoking that i would of said yes, i'd of screamed it, i would of said yes to any proposal from just about anyone up there in fact.
To top it off i had the most amazing cocktail ' Romance on the Moon' which arrived in a glass bowl on a silver tray with dry ice steaming out from it, orchids, orange and a rose finished it off. Poor Lucy's 'Sex on the Moon' was a non event next to it. Much like real life i guess.
A complete contrast to the rest of Bangkok which we slowly floated back down to.
59 floors above the grime and pollution of downtown Bangkok, The Moon Bar is a completely open air restaurant and cocktail bar with unobstructed 360 views of the city below. It is breathtaking. Quite possibly the most romantic bar i have ever been to, i spent the whole time waiting for Lucy to pull out an engagement ring. It was that smoking that i would of said yes, i'd of screamed it, i would of said yes to any proposal from just about anyone up there in fact.
To top it off i had the most amazing cocktail ' Romance on the Moon' which arrived in a glass bowl on a silver tray with dry ice steaming out from it, orchids, orange and a rose finished it off. Poor Lucy's 'Sex on the Moon' was a non event next to it. Much like real life i guess.
A complete contrast to the rest of Bangkok which we slowly floated back down to.
Bangkok, Thailand
No beer on the Koh San Road last night. It was election day here in Bangkok so no alcohol was allowed to be served from 6pm, which is probably a good idea. We did get the Pad Thai though which was very tasty for $60 cents. We passed on the deep fried crickets and The Ping Pong Show...i hope i don't have to explain what that is.
So with no beers on offer we were at a loss on how to spend the rest of the evening. How sad is that? So we headed home for an early night which was probably for the best as it was an early start this morning. A really early start for me as i woke up at 3am and spent an hour reading in the bathroom so as not to wake Lucy. The four hour nap earlier had screwed me and i was wide awake. Not Lucy though, i am so envious of her ability to sleep any time, any place. Lucy is the queen of naps.
Our 6am start was for the Damnoen Saduak floating market a couple of hours outside of Bangkok. We were well aware that it was going to be a bit of a tourist trap but it was actually quite nice and not as bad as i had imagined, probably because we had got there early and left before it got really busy. As the guide books say, the floating markets are few and far between now and they really only stil exist for the tourists . I enjoyed it though and still felt it was an experience i wouldn't of wanted to miss. Lucy and I sat and watched all the commotion from a river side chair and shared some spring rolls and fresh unrecognisable fruit, delicious but we have no idea what it was.
The day went downhill from there though, we were basically kidnapped and dragged around a bunch of tourists traps that included elephant rides, snakes, mongoose fighting and wood carvings. All of which Lucy and i opted out of.
So after another nap and another movie we are heading off for a much needed beer. This time we are heading downtown to Silom for some food and some roof top bar cocktails.
Tomorrow - Chiang Mai!
Movies Watched: Falling In Love
Currently Listening to: Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
So with no beers on offer we were at a loss on how to spend the rest of the evening. How sad is that? So we headed home for an early night which was probably for the best as it was an early start this morning. A really early start for me as i woke up at 3am and spent an hour reading in the bathroom so as not to wake Lucy. The four hour nap earlier had screwed me and i was wide awake. Not Lucy though, i am so envious of her ability to sleep any time, any place. Lucy is the queen of naps.
Our 6am start was for the Damnoen Saduak floating market a couple of hours outside of Bangkok. We were well aware that it was going to be a bit of a tourist trap but it was actually quite nice and not as bad as i had imagined, probably because we had got there early and left before it got really busy. As the guide books say, the floating markets are few and far between now and they really only stil exist for the tourists . I enjoyed it though and still felt it was an experience i wouldn't of wanted to miss. Lucy and I sat and watched all the commotion from a river side chair and shared some spring rolls and fresh unrecognisable fruit, delicious but we have no idea what it was.
The day went downhill from there though, we were basically kidnapped and dragged around a bunch of tourists traps that included elephant rides, snakes, mongoose fighting and wood carvings. All of which Lucy and i opted out of.
So after another nap and another movie we are heading off for a much needed beer. This time we are heading downtown to Silom for some food and some roof top bar cocktails.
Tomorrow - Chiang Mai!
Movies Watched: Falling In Love
Currently Listening to: Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Bangkok, Thailand
Lucy arrived around 7am this morning which was exciting. I had struggled to sleep all night due to the jet lag, which is fair with Bangkok being 12 hours ahead of NY.
I'd treated myself to a hour long Thai Massage in the afternoon, there was something quite colonial about having some young thai boy climbing all over me, stretching me out but he did a great job and i can't remember feeling so bendy.
I spent the evening with a couple of movies from the hotel and sat down with a pepsi from the fridge which was actually more expensive than my delicious shrimp noodles i ordered from the street vendor outside. A steaming dish of shrimp Pad See Ewe for 60 cents.
I passed out at 9.30pm, woke refreshed at midnight and then was in and out of sleep for the next 7 hours until Lucy got in.
Today we took a public boat to Wat Pho - The Temple of the Reclining Buddha. and then to The Grand Palace. I wasn't appropriately dressed for the latter (wearing cropped pants and a vest) so had to borrow from the dressing room on site. Let's just say i looked very fetching in a rented blouse and skirt. I called the outfit 'Compliant Sam'
Then we napped. For four hours. So we are heading to Khao San Road and the red light district for a couple beers and some Pad Thai.
The question of the day is -
Lucy: I think those Buddhist monks in thier robes look quite sexy. Is that wrong?
Sam: Probably. But then we are not Buddhists so maybe not?
Movies watched: The Secret Lives Of Dentists, Japaneses Story
I'd treated myself to a hour long Thai Massage in the afternoon, there was something quite colonial about having some young thai boy climbing all over me, stretching me out but he did a great job and i can't remember feeling so bendy.
I spent the evening with a couple of movies from the hotel and sat down with a pepsi from the fridge which was actually more expensive than my delicious shrimp noodles i ordered from the street vendor outside. A steaming dish of shrimp Pad See Ewe for 60 cents.
I passed out at 9.30pm, woke refreshed at midnight and then was in and out of sleep for the next 7 hours until Lucy got in.
Today we took a public boat to Wat Pho - The Temple of the Reclining Buddha. and then to The Grand Palace. I wasn't appropriately dressed for the latter (wearing cropped pants and a vest) so had to borrow from the dressing room on site. Let's just say i looked very fetching in a rented blouse and skirt. I called the outfit 'Compliant Sam'
Then we napped. For four hours. So we are heading to Khao San Road and the red light district for a couple beers and some Pad Thai.
The question of the day is -
Lucy: I think those Buddhist monks in thier robes look quite sexy. Is that wrong?
Sam: Probably. But then we are not Buddhists so maybe not?
Movies watched: The Secret Lives Of Dentists, Japaneses Story
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Bangkok, Thailand
I made it into Bangkok around midnight last night. The 7 hour flight from Tokyo was a struggle but i caught a second wind when i jumped into a cab to the hotel. The cab driver was lovely and indulged me by letting me use my Thai phrase book. The poor man just laughed and nodded as i massacred his language.
The hotel is amazing. Owned and run by Thai's and away from backpacker central in Northern Bangkok. It's called Reflections , and doubles as an artist complex.
Each room has been decorated differently by a local 'artist' with different themes. Something went wrong with my booking so i am having to swap rooms every night. Fine by me as i get to stay in 3 different rooms. Last night 204, tonight 202 and then 210 with Lucy. Wait for the pictures on Flickr coming soon.
Lucy arrives tomorrow and i'm really looking forward to seeing her. I love to travel solo but there is nothing like sharing your experiences with someone. Reflections is definitely a place i want to share and can't wait for us to check it out together.
Now i am in an internet cafe after spending the morning at Chatuchak weekend market. It is huge, the largest in the world i think. A mass maze of narrow connecting alleys where you can buy everything from silk wraps to pork belly on a stick. It's around 84 degrees here but in the alleys it feels like 104 with all the food vendors and thousands of people. I was expecting it to be quite touristy but i have only seen a handful of westerners and no sex pests in sight. Well, nobody that looked like one anyway.
Loving to shop as i do it was difficult to walk past so many amazing things but the most difficult part were the animals for sale. I would not call myself an 'Animal Lover' but i like them a lot, enough to not even like pet shops in manhattan. So seeing baby bunny wabbits stacked in mini flourescent cages 10 high had me running for the exit. I know it was much worse further on but i couldn't bare to go see it.
I've been quite overwhelmed all morning by how i feel about Thailand and all the other parts of Asia that i have visited. I absolutely love the place. I love the customs, the people, the food, the culture and the adrenalin rush of being here, travelling on my own again. I was going to say that i am completely out of my comfort zone but i don't think i am. It feels like i've found a piece of me i lost somewhere along the way to being a grown up. This is just what i needed after a shitty few months.
Moves watched: Dan in Real Life
Listening to: The National - All Albums. 3 x over.
The hotel is amazing. Owned and run by Thai's and away from backpacker central in Northern Bangkok. It's called Reflections , and doubles as an artist complex.
Each room has been decorated differently by a local 'artist' with different themes. Something went wrong with my booking so i am having to swap rooms every night. Fine by me as i get to stay in 3 different rooms. Last night 204, tonight 202 and then 210 with Lucy. Wait for the pictures on Flickr coming soon.
Lucy arrives tomorrow and i'm really looking forward to seeing her. I love to travel solo but there is nothing like sharing your experiences with someone. Reflections is definitely a place i want to share and can't wait for us to check it out together.
Now i am in an internet cafe after spending the morning at Chatuchak weekend market. It is huge, the largest in the world i think. A mass maze of narrow connecting alleys where you can buy everything from silk wraps to pork belly on a stick. It's around 84 degrees here but in the alleys it feels like 104 with all the food vendors and thousands of people. I was expecting it to be quite touristy but i have only seen a handful of westerners and no sex pests in sight. Well, nobody that looked like one anyway.
Loving to shop as i do it was difficult to walk past so many amazing things but the most difficult part were the animals for sale. I would not call myself an 'Animal Lover' but i like them a lot, enough to not even like pet shops in manhattan. So seeing baby bunny wabbits stacked in mini flourescent cages 10 high had me running for the exit. I know it was much worse further on but i couldn't bare to go see it.
I've been quite overwhelmed all morning by how i feel about Thailand and all the other parts of Asia that i have visited. I absolutely love the place. I love the customs, the people, the food, the culture and the adrenalin rush of being here, travelling on my own again. I was going to say that i am completely out of my comfort zone but i don't think i am. It feels like i've found a piece of me i lost somewhere along the way to being a grown up. This is just what i needed after a shitty few months.
Moves watched: Dan in Real Life
Listening to: The National - All Albums. 3 x over.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Narita Airport, Tokyo
To be honest i was not excited about the 14 hour flight to Tokyo. I know i do a lot of travelling but it has been 10 years since i've been on a plane for more than 8 hours in one sitting and i was dreading it. How could i possibly sit still for that long and who might i have sitting next to me?
In actual fact the flight was great. Nobody on board. A whole row to myself and Continental have finally gotten around to updating the inflight entertainment center.
I had bought me with some homeopathic sleeping pills but they went out the window as soon as i saw that i had over 300 movies to choose from, 250 albums and about hundred tv shows.
Thanks to the abundance of entertainment at my fingertips (remember i don't have tv) i am now wandering around Tokyo airport with bags under my eyes bigger than what i am carrying. I don't think i slept for 5 minutes.
The food en route to Japan was also great. I decided before i left that i won't be eating any red meat on this trip. I spent a long time in Asia over 10 years ago and ate my fair share of dog and other mystery meats. It was all about the experience back then but now it's all about my health and the fact that eating dog is not cool but actually really gross.
So, i chose the fish and white rice on the plane instead of the steak and got into the spirit by eating with the chop sticks they gave us while the Japanese around me ate with knives and forks. I guess they have nothing to prove.
Narita airport is very cool. Very feng shui. I'd quite like to move in actually. If only for the 'buttock cleansing' that the aiports toilets kindly give you. Unsolicited. Too much information perhaps.
Boarding for Bangkok in 30 minutes. Heading for another trip to the loo. Those 'buttock cleanses' really are that good.
Movies Watched: Taxi Driver, Chocolat, Pillow Talk, Finding Neverland
TV Watched: Law & Order SVU, 30 Days, Entourage
Miles Traveled: 6,732
Currently listening to: Astrud Gilberto - Astrud For Lovers
In actual fact the flight was great. Nobody on board. A whole row to myself and Continental have finally gotten around to updating the inflight entertainment center.
I had bought me with some homeopathic sleeping pills but they went out the window as soon as i saw that i had over 300 movies to choose from, 250 albums and about hundred tv shows.
Thanks to the abundance of entertainment at my fingertips (remember i don't have tv) i am now wandering around Tokyo airport with bags under my eyes bigger than what i am carrying. I don't think i slept for 5 minutes.
The food en route to Japan was also great. I decided before i left that i won't be eating any red meat on this trip. I spent a long time in Asia over 10 years ago and ate my fair share of dog and other mystery meats. It was all about the experience back then but now it's all about my health and the fact that eating dog is not cool but actually really gross.
So, i chose the fish and white rice on the plane instead of the steak and got into the spirit by eating with the chop sticks they gave us while the Japanese around me ate with knives and forks. I guess they have nothing to prove.
Narita airport is very cool. Very feng shui. I'd quite like to move in actually. If only for the 'buttock cleansing' that the aiports toilets kindly give you. Unsolicited. Too much information perhaps.
Boarding for Bangkok in 30 minutes. Heading for another trip to the loo. Those 'buttock cleanses' really are that good.
Movies Watched: Taxi Driver, Chocolat, Pillow Talk, Finding Neverland
TV Watched: Law & Order SVU, 30 Days, Entourage
Miles Traveled: 6,732
Currently listening to: Astrud Gilberto - Astrud For Lovers
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Brooklyn, NY - The Night Before...
So it's 11.29pm. I am all packed and ready to go. This is remarkable as i have done very little in the way of planning and organisation for this trip. Just 3 minutes ago i confirmed my hotel in Bangkok which was about 5 minutes after i looked at my flight details and found that i arrive in Bangkok 6 hours earlier than i first thought.
A slight relief to get the hotel booked because i arrive around 1am Sat Morning and Lucy arrives on Sunday morning. After 20 plus hours of flying i wanted a decent bed to climb into, also because until 3 minutes ago we had no idea where we would be meeting up.
Our hotel in Bangkok is the only fixed part of this trip. The rest of the itinerary is loose but that's the way i roll and luckily for both us Lucy rolls the same way.
So talking of itinerary, this is the general plan.
21st Feb - Leave Brooklyn for Bangkok via 3 hours in Tokyo
22nd Feb/23rd Feb - Arrive Bangkok. Have a looksy around.
25th Feb - Leave Bangkok. Arrive Chiang Mai. Spend next few days several hours north of Chiang Mai living with the Karen people ( A Thai hill tribe on Thai/Burmese border, more details on the Karen people and how we are getting to stay with them nearer the time).
1 March - I'm on my own. Lucy and I part ways. She heads back to Bangkok and home on Sunday. I travel across Northern Thailand into Northern Laos.
1 March to 10th March - Traveling down through Laos and enter into Thailand at some point to catch flight from Bangkok.
10th March -11th March - 24 Hours in Tokyo!
11th March - Flight home.
A slight relief to get the hotel booked because i arrive around 1am Sat Morning and Lucy arrives on Sunday morning. After 20 plus hours of flying i wanted a decent bed to climb into, also because until 3 minutes ago we had no idea where we would be meeting up.
Our hotel in Bangkok is the only fixed part of this trip. The rest of the itinerary is loose but that's the way i roll and luckily for both us Lucy rolls the same way.
So talking of itinerary, this is the general plan.
21st Feb - Leave Brooklyn for Bangkok via 3 hours in Tokyo
22nd Feb/23rd Feb - Arrive Bangkok. Have a looksy around.
25th Feb - Leave Bangkok. Arrive Chiang Mai. Spend next few days several hours north of Chiang Mai living with the Karen people ( A Thai hill tribe on Thai/Burmese border, more details on the Karen people and how we are getting to stay with them nearer the time).
1 March - I'm on my own. Lucy and I part ways. She heads back to Bangkok and home on Sunday. I travel across Northern Thailand into Northern Laos.
1 March to 10th March - Traveling down through Laos and enter into Thailand at some point to catch flight from Bangkok.
10th March -11th March - 24 Hours in Tokyo!
11th March - Flight home.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Fort Wayne, IN
45 minutes from Cleveland and i arrive in Ft Wayne in an airplane the size of a mini van.
Carrying 20 people it is the smallest commercial aircraft i have ever been on. Quite exciting really.
The hotel shuttle hadn't turned up so i took the only taxi outside a completely empty arrival lounge. I had to bang on the window to wake the driver who still had put back his seat and still had a half eaten Arby's lying across his expansive belly.
I'm staying at a Marriott that is the size of a small town and i regretted not bringing my swimsuit as i wandered past the hot tub. I've a nice room with all the trimmings on the concierge level but i didn't care, i was starving and could only think about room service as i hadn't eaten since brunch and it was 10.30pm.
I still haven't eaten since brunch.
As soon as i got in i opened the room service menu, i had 30 minutes before it closed so i acted fast and ordered a grilled chicken pasta, side salad, a glass of wine and a diet coke. She said it would be straight up.
11.30pm and i call down asking her how much longer it would be. Guest services said she'd check and call me back.
She calls back apologetic, all kitchen staff had gone home and she has no idea where my grilled chicken pasta was.
I'm now nibbling on the pillow mints counting down until breakfast.
Currently Reading: Wicked - Gregory Macguire. Love it.
Carrying 20 people it is the smallest commercial aircraft i have ever been on. Quite exciting really.
The hotel shuttle hadn't turned up so i took the only taxi outside a completely empty arrival lounge. I had to bang on the window to wake the driver who still had put back his seat and still had a half eaten Arby's lying across his expansive belly.
I'm staying at a Marriott that is the size of a small town and i regretted not bringing my swimsuit as i wandered past the hot tub. I've a nice room with all the trimmings on the concierge level but i didn't care, i was starving and could only think about room service as i hadn't eaten since brunch and it was 10.30pm.
I still haven't eaten since brunch.
As soon as i got in i opened the room service menu, i had 30 minutes before it closed so i acted fast and ordered a grilled chicken pasta, side salad, a glass of wine and a diet coke. She said it would be straight up.
11.30pm and i call down asking her how much longer it would be. Guest services said she'd check and call me back.
She calls back apologetic, all kitchen staff had gone home and she has no idea where my grilled chicken pasta was.
I'm now nibbling on the pillow mints counting down until breakfast.
Currently Reading: Wicked - Gregory Macguire. Love it.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Milwaukee, WI
For one night only i am in Milwaukee. I arrived pretty late, tired and hungry but i was amused by a billboard i passed on the expressway.
" If you are going to swear
use your own name"
- God
It was almost as amusing as the mullet the bartender was sporting...i wasn't too tired i couldn't throw back a bedtime glass of wine.
Miles Travelled: 756
Currently Listening To: Richard Ashcroft - Album previews for 'Keys to the World' due for release on the 23rd January. Break The Night With Colour and Music is Power are stupendously good.
" If you are going to swear
use your own name"
- God
It was almost as amusing as the mullet the bartender was sporting...i wasn't too tired i couldn't throw back a bedtime glass of wine.
Miles Travelled: 756
Currently Listening To: Richard Ashcroft - Album previews for 'Keys to the World' due for release on the 23rd January. Break The Night With Colour and Music is Power are stupendously good.
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