Ok folks, I didn't get a chance to wrap things up in Singapore, so here it goes. So much to tell...
From KL I headed down to Melacca with a group of CouchSurfers for the weekend. There is no doubt we tore that sleepy tourist city up, and I did notice one commonality that links all Asians, Eastern or the brand living in the West, together... photos. The first time we took 15 photos from 15 different cameras of the same thing... well, I brushed it off. "Harty har har," I said to myself. After taking 15 shots from 15 different cameras of 100 different things over the course of a weekend... well, you might say it became a bit tired. Oh well. Other than that the weekend was amazing. I can't tell you how friendly the Malaysians have been to me. My last night there I also got the chance to stay with a gentle tea-expert of a Chinese man named 'Mr. Yee'. We stayed up the last night drinking late night tea (aka: Tiger beer), as he described the philosophical reasons behind drinking tea. It was somewhere between him describing the 8 (yes 8... or maybe 9, I can't remember) senses humans have, and me getting eaten alive by mosquitoes that Mr. Yee lost me in the conversation. Super guy none the less.
The next day, in the midst of a rainstorm, I hopped on an afternoon bus to Singapore... and after 2.5 days in the country, I'll try to summarize as best I can. If you take a futuristic utopia of a society (great public transit, extremely clean, polite... umm... sterile) and throw in a healthy dose of Chinese culture, you have Singapore. It's probably one of the top 3 cleanest places I've ever been, with the only competition being from Switzerland or maybe Germany. (I haven't been to Japan) My host was extremely nice, as I stayed with her, her mother, and her 2 brothers. They cooked for me the night I arrived and her mom was worried that I wouldn't be able to use chopsticks. HA! Little did they know I've been known to catch flies with chopsticks! (in my spare time between waxing my master's car) I really did have a great time in the city/country, and met some amazing locals. I'm just not sure if I could live there long term... especially when there are other options out there.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, brings me to my final destination: HONG KONG. One of the undisputed heavyweights of Asia, Hong Kong is more of an attitude than a city. Anything goes, but not in the Bangkok 'anything goes' kind of way. It's a lot like New York, but it's very different at the same time. On any given MTR (subway) you'll have a mix of hipster teenagers/twenty-somethings wearing their skinniest ties and brand new Chuck Taylors, sharp dressed business men/women on their way to make a million (Hong Kong Dollars), backpackers trying to figure out which stop to get off at... and then me. I suppose I fall in the last category, but who's counting. There's amazing food at every corner, and several friends of mine here in the city took great pride in showing me some of the finest eateries. (once again, as is my reoccurring theme in this blog... I *heart* food) Granted I did have some great hosts/tourguides while here, but I'm really taken by Hong Kong. It's not perfect (Singapore), but it has a certain personality you can't seem to put your finger on. It's real... well... very real. And to be honest, I have a feeling this won't be the last this city will see of me.
Quick note on Macau: I've heard varying things about how it's either bigger, better, worse, etc etc... than Vegas, but here's my take. It's not there yet. Yes they have a Wynn, MGM and the like, but it lacks that certain Vegas personality I'm so accustomed to. Maybe I'm bias since I've been to LV a dozen times, but Macau just didn't do it for me. (granted I was only there for one afternoon, perhaps I'll give it another shot) However, the potential is huge. Las Vegas does bring in more money for the time being, but with 300 million people within a 5 hour flight compared to Macau's 2.9 BILLION... things might change in the near future. Also, Asians love to gamble. (yes stereotype, but oftentimes true) Just don't bet on the number 4.
I honestly can't believe I'll be back in the US tomorrow. It seems almost foreign to me as I'm used to living out of a backpack and moving every 3 days, but I'll be glad to see familia Miller y mi amigos again. For those of you following this blog over the last 4 months, I thank you greatly. (and apologize for typos, mis-information, racial slurs, etc.) I'm going to close this short travel book for the time being, but I have a feeling my passport will once again need some exercise in the near future. I'll keep you all updated.
Much love to everyone.
-d
Monday, July 28, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Stuck in the rain
Since I last left off, I've moved past the organized luxuries of KL, and on to the Cameron Highlands. Apparently Cameron Highlands is where the Brits living in Malaysia decided to vacation a century ago... and for good reason. Much like the Central Highlands of Vietnam, Cameron is elevated to a cool, crisp altitude above the hustle and bustle of big cities. There's only one main drag in the city I stayed (Tanah Rata), so you get to know locals and tourists pretty well. I managed to find myself a nice Indian place to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (yes, sometimes all in the same day... 3 times at the same spot... but for around $1.20USD, how can you not?!?) I wouldn't have found it, however, if it wasn't for a 75 year old English women who was walking around helping the cooks. Let me tell you something about this woman named Elizabeth (fitting eh?). I've probably asked the same tired question 500 times. "So how long have you been traveling?" I've received various responses. '2 weeks holiday'... '1 year around the world'... so on and so forth. But this woman takes the cake. Me: "So you seem to know quite a bit about Malaysia and India. When did you start traveling?" Liz: "1957". Seriously, the lady had been traveling for over 50 years. Not moving from place to place every 3 days mind you, but she would live in Spain for 5 years, Malta for 2, Australia 6 months, South America 3 years, etc. If I happen to say I wanted to visit Madagascar, she's the type to respond "I once fell in love with a man in Madagascar... we sailed the Indian Ocean for 3 years before he came down with a bad case of malaria." No joke though, this woman was fascinating. We basically had a reoccurring dinner date for 3 days. (in hindsight, was I seeing a 75 year old woman...)
One of the 4 days I spent in Cameron I decided to skip the half day tour packages where they shuffle you around to quickly knock out the sights. Instead I walked. And walked. And then walked a bit more since I was bored. In the course of walking upwards of 14km I: held a poisonous scorpion in my hand, chased butterflies through a rose garden, and walked 4km through the most majestic tea plantation I've ever seen. (not that I've seen many tea plantations, but this one is definitely one out of one) Honestly, words can't do justice to this place, so you'll just have to wait for pictures. It seriously looked like a Windows default wallpaper... basically too beautiful to be real. Once at the top, I guided myself through a personal tour of the facilities... All well and good until it started to pour outside. "What shall I do?", I asked myself. After pestering 3 or 4 tour groups for a ride back to town, I came across a Sikh who was interested in my predicament. He was up at the Boh Tea Plantation to measure some electrical readings (along with his team), but since it was raining cats and dogs, they couldn't do much outside. We got to talking, and after a couple 'Yeah, I'm from Texas' and 'Oh I studied in Montreal' he decided it was best to postpone work and have some milk tea. (Teh tarek) 3 milk teas, 1 ride back to town, and 4 hours later, I firmly decided that Malaysia is the friendliest SE Asian culture. Seriously, I've had a number of people go above and beyond what I expected of them. *High five* AND 2 points. And it's only been less than 2 weeks here...
I'm currently in Penang, and will be heading back to KL tomorrow for a day before the big Couchsurfing outing to Melacca. A word on Penang (or several), this place is probably the single most condensed culinary schmorgesbord I've met to date. (at least in Asia) Combine tastes from India, China, Malaysia, and a hint of others... and you've got one happy David (well, David + 10 lbs). It's spectacular. Other than the food, the botanical gardens are amazing as well... especially when you get to hold a 40 pound yellow python on your shoulders.
Like I said, back to KL tomorrow. Next post might be from Singapore. I can't believe I'll be back in the West in less than 2 weeks...
One of the 4 days I spent in Cameron I decided to skip the half day tour packages where they shuffle you around to quickly knock out the sights. Instead I walked. And walked. And then walked a bit more since I was bored. In the course of walking upwards of 14km I: held a poisonous scorpion in my hand, chased butterflies through a rose garden, and walked 4km through the most majestic tea plantation I've ever seen. (not that I've seen many tea plantations, but this one is definitely one out of one) Honestly, words can't do justice to this place, so you'll just have to wait for pictures. It seriously looked like a Windows default wallpaper... basically too beautiful to be real. Once at the top, I guided myself through a personal tour of the facilities... All well and good until it started to pour outside. "What shall I do?", I asked myself. After pestering 3 or 4 tour groups for a ride back to town, I came across a Sikh who was interested in my predicament. He was up at the Boh Tea Plantation to measure some electrical readings (along with his team), but since it was raining cats and dogs, they couldn't do much outside. We got to talking, and after a couple 'Yeah, I'm from Texas' and 'Oh I studied in Montreal' he decided it was best to postpone work and have some milk tea. (Teh tarek) 3 milk teas, 1 ride back to town, and 4 hours later, I firmly decided that Malaysia is the friendliest SE Asian culture. Seriously, I've had a number of people go above and beyond what I expected of them. *High five* AND 2 points. And it's only been less than 2 weeks here...
I'm currently in Penang, and will be heading back to KL tomorrow for a day before the big Couchsurfing outing to Melacca. A word on Penang (or several), this place is probably the single most condensed culinary schmorgesbord I've met to date. (at least in Asia) Combine tastes from India, China, Malaysia, and a hint of others... and you've got one happy David (well, David + 10 lbs). It's spectacular. Other than the food, the botanical gardens are amazing as well... especially when you get to hold a 40 pound yellow python on your shoulders.
Like I said, back to KL tomorrow. Next post might be from Singapore. I can't believe I'll be back in the West in less than 2 weeks...
Monday, July 7, 2008
A long sigh of relief
Ahhhh... a developed city. (KL)
First an update of how I wrapped up Vietnam. For one, spending the 4th of July in Hanoi seemed... well, almost un-American in a way, what with their lack of Shiner Bock beer, fireworks, and burgers the size of my head. None-the-less I spend the day as any good ex-pat should: cooking spring rolls in the morning, and drinking cheap beer with some Vietnamese kids at night. (I half way tried looking around for some Americans, but unfortunately most foreigners in Vietnam are NOT from the US. Go figure.) I didn't really do much the previous 4 days other than relax in Sapa and attempt to transfer that relaxation to Hanoi (to no avail).
The best story I had from Hanoi came when I went to my favorite (cheapest) smoothie place the middle of one hot afternoon. The 60 year old guy running the join was super friendly, and after a few broken English exchanges we came to the topic of where I'm from. "Texas", I replied. He leaned back, thought for a second or two, then answered "Ahhhhhh.... TESAS!!!" while making a cowboy riding a horse pose. I've noticed that when Asians do that, they aren't poking fun, they're actually really interested in the whole cowboy thing. He then proceeded to ask about the spiky things on cowboy boots (spurs). We talked about it, he drew pictures... it was nice. But the funniest part came when he was trying to explain to his friend why we use spurs when riding horses. I hadn't laughed that hard in months before seeing this older Vietnamese guy making a 'cowboy-kicking-horse-with-spur' motion. Needless to say, we struck a bond that day... me and Van. (I don't know what his name really was, but I've concluded that all Vietnamese are named some combination of Nguyen, Van, Thuy, or Phuong.)
On to Malaysia and the sign of relief. I can't tell you how much of a welcome change Kuala Lumpur has been. A temperature drop, lack of motorbike horns, crosswalks, English, and generally very polite people have made KL one of my favorite places to date. Honestly though, this place is more commercialized/developed than many US cities. (you know, a working public transit system, shopping, etc.) I've been staying with my couchsurfing host, a college prof, in the west part of the city. After a couple of days doing Malay stuff (shopping, movies, eating), he's asked me to speak to his class of 72 students about American materialism. I wasn't even aware America had a problem with consuming (although I simply MUST have that new iPhone, Wii, and Lexus E-Class...) Hopefully those business communications classes I took in college will come in handy.
Lastly for this post, I can't believe I'm actually headed back home in 3 weeks. Time's been flying by. (Every time I feel like I wrote a blog post yesterday... I check and it's been a week) In some ways I feel like I'm ready for my triumphant return to the states... in other ways I feel like another change is afoot. Viewers(readers), I'll keep you updated.
Ta ta for now.
Note: amazing Indian food WILL stay with you for the following 8 hours. Fair warning.
First an update of how I wrapped up Vietnam. For one, spending the 4th of July in Hanoi seemed... well, almost un-American in a way, what with their lack of Shiner Bock beer, fireworks, and burgers the size of my head. None-the-less I spend the day as any good ex-pat should: cooking spring rolls in the morning, and drinking cheap beer with some Vietnamese kids at night. (I half way tried looking around for some Americans, but unfortunately most foreigners in Vietnam are NOT from the US. Go figure.) I didn't really do much the previous 4 days other than relax in Sapa and attempt to transfer that relaxation to Hanoi (to no avail).
The best story I had from Hanoi came when I went to my favorite (cheapest) smoothie place the middle of one hot afternoon. The 60 year old guy running the join was super friendly, and after a few broken English exchanges we came to the topic of where I'm from. "Texas", I replied. He leaned back, thought for a second or two, then answered "Ahhhhhh.... TESAS!!!" while making a cowboy riding a horse pose. I've noticed that when Asians do that, they aren't poking fun, they're actually really interested in the whole cowboy thing. He then proceeded to ask about the spiky things on cowboy boots (spurs). We talked about it, he drew pictures... it was nice. But the funniest part came when he was trying to explain to his friend why we use spurs when riding horses. I hadn't laughed that hard in months before seeing this older Vietnamese guy making a 'cowboy-kicking-horse-with-spur' motion. Needless to say, we struck a bond that day... me and Van. (I don't know what his name really was, but I've concluded that all Vietnamese are named some combination of Nguyen, Van, Thuy, or Phuong.)
On to Malaysia and the sign of relief. I can't tell you how much of a welcome change Kuala Lumpur has been. A temperature drop, lack of motorbike horns, crosswalks, English, and generally very polite people have made KL one of my favorite places to date. Honestly though, this place is more commercialized/developed than many US cities. (you know, a working public transit system, shopping, etc.) I've been staying with my couchsurfing host, a college prof, in the west part of the city. After a couple of days doing Malay stuff (shopping, movies, eating), he's asked me to speak to his class of 72 students about American materialism. I wasn't even aware America had a problem with consuming (although I simply MUST have that new iPhone, Wii, and Lexus E-Class...) Hopefully those business communications classes I took in college will come in handy.
Lastly for this post, I can't believe I'm actually headed back home in 3 weeks. Time's been flying by. (Every time I feel like I wrote a blog post yesterday... I check and it's been a week) In some ways I feel like I'm ready for my triumphant return to the states... in other ways I feel like another change is afoot. Viewers(readers), I'll keep you updated.
Ta ta for now.
Note: amazing Indian food WILL stay with you for the following 8 hours. Fair warning.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Today I ate a horse
But before that, let's update! After Hoi An, an American that I met and I took the night train to Hanoi. (15 hours with a connection) The majority of the time was either spent making faces at the chubby Vietnamese kid on the sleeper next to me (or rather he was making faces at me) or sleeping. It was surprisingly one of the best overnight travel experiences I've had, save for the 5am Vietnamese-techno wake-up call.
Hanoi was nice. Well, I suppose it depends on your perspective. Yes it's still huge (4 million +). Yes it's still loud, what with what seemed like 8 million motorbikes and a continuous stream of "hoooonk". But at the same time, it's better than Saigon. The architecture is nicer. Hanoi actually makes scattered attempts at crosswalks and other things American pedestrians take for granted. I spent a solid day and a half in the city, and saw my fair share of Vietnamese history (aka: propaganda). The Hanoi Hilton was littered with all kinds of "oh we kicked the French out but really took care of American POWs. Yay Vietnam!" rhetoric. Apparently the way the photos made it seem, Americans who spent time here were treated better than in their home towns... what with ample space to play basketball, cook the festive Christmas dinner, and read at their leisure. Now I've heard how some Americans described the living conditions, and I know the truth lies somewhere in between... but I'm sure it wasn't as cushy as the Vietnamese would like us to think.
On to the Ho Chi Minh museum! Unfortunately the mausoleum was closed the day we were walking around, so we didn't get to see Uncle Ho's embalmed body (he actually requested to be cremated. Ain't that a b*tch). What was missing there was more than made up for in the museum. Note to the uninformed: did you know Uncle Ho was good at everything? I know, I didn't believe it either, but I saw with my own eyes (through careful photography) that Uncle Ho was not only good at kicking French/American ass, but he's also an expert farmer, weaver, mechanic, poet, and pretty much everything else conceivable. No joke, photo captions read: "Here Uncle Ho shows farmers more productive harvesting techniques. Increases productivity by 45%!" "Here Uncle Ho explains different ways of making silk more durable. Increases efficiency by 75%!"... so on and so forth. You get the idea. Needless to say, I'm sold on Communism.
After having our fill of Hanoi, and a brief flirt with a pickpocket... we were off to Halong Bay. What is commonly regarded as one of the natural wonders of the world, Halong Bay is an immense series of emerald islands off the northeastern coast of Vietnam. Now even though I tend to avoid tour groups like the plague, we booked a 3 day/2 night tour of the joint. (we didn't have much choice as it's pretty much the only way to see the area) After several days accompanying 2 Brits, 4 Aussies, 4 Scandinavians, and a couple of Frenchies (sorry France, but I love the term 'Frenchy' too much to stop using it. You can still take consolation in your bakeries. They are... how you say... magnifique!)... I've determined the following:
-Halong Bay is beautiful, everyone was right
-When you corner a group of tourists on a boat for 3 days, you can charge whatever price you deem appropriate for drinks. (we're talking American prices for water and sodas, ladies and gentlemen)
-Tourists that visit Vietnam are pretty cool. It's not a #1 vacation spot like Thailand, but the people that do come are really open minded and interesting.
Only pictures can come close to the beauty, so you'll have to view for yourself.
Next up to bat: SAPA. After arriving mid-afternoon from our Halong Bay tour, I jumped the night train to Sapa that evening. This town (25k people) is set in the Northwestern highlands/mountains and is considerably more comfortable than it's coastal cousins. The temperature drops probably 20+ degrees as you make the journey up to Sapa. After recovering from a mild cold the first day, I booked myself a motorbike tour to the famed Bac Ha market. Little did I know that the tour would include 6 hours on some of the worst roads I've ever ridden on. (free of charge no less!)
Upon arrival, the first part of my day was spent fending off evil bracelet/hat/blanket sellers... then we came to what I was really interested in... buying a water buffalo! Sure, I tried to haggle, barter, anything that would bring me closer to realizing my dream of owning a water buffalo... but in the end, it didn't matter. They wanted too much money, and I realized I couldn't fit a water buffalo in my backpack. (drat!) I tried to console myself with pigs, horses, you name it... but none of it mattered anymore. The only thing that took my mind off my distinct lack of water buffalo was lunch. And that, boys and girls, brings us to the post title. I wish I could say that I didn't know what it was before I ate it. I wish I could say that the tiny compassionate voice in my head said "David, what on earth are you doing eating a horse? They're beautiful creatures and friends of humans!". Alas, none of it would be true. I asked my tour guide what he wanted for lunch (also adding that I liked everything). He quickly scanned the area and brought me to a giant caldron of horse stew. (less stew, more horse... and every part of the horse immaginable) I also wish I could say it was terrible and no one should ever eat one... but well, it wasn't half bad actually. I prefer the shoulder meat to the various intestines, but I guess some people like chocolate, and some like vanilla. (I guess in this case I like horse)
On that note, I'm back in Sapa soaking in the relatively cool mountain air. I think I'll stay one more day and take the night train back to Hanoi tomorrow night. I still have my Vietnamese cooking class mission, and intend to complete it before I flight out on the 5th. For those of you who need a travel update: I'm flying to Kuala Lumpur on July 5th, doing Malaysia for a bit (can you say tea plantations?!?), heading to Singapore for a few days, then finishing off with some Hong Kong and a side of Macau (and maybe some green tea ice cream for dessert).
Until Malaysia...
Hanoi was nice. Well, I suppose it depends on your perspective. Yes it's still huge (4 million +). Yes it's still loud, what with what seemed like 8 million motorbikes and a continuous stream of "hoooonk". But at the same time, it's better than Saigon. The architecture is nicer. Hanoi actually makes scattered attempts at crosswalks and other things American pedestrians take for granted. I spent a solid day and a half in the city, and saw my fair share of Vietnamese history (aka: propaganda). The Hanoi Hilton was littered with all kinds of "oh we kicked the French out but really took care of American POWs. Yay Vietnam!" rhetoric. Apparently the way the photos made it seem, Americans who spent time here were treated better than in their home towns... what with ample space to play basketball, cook the festive Christmas dinner, and read at their leisure. Now I've heard how some Americans described the living conditions, and I know the truth lies somewhere in between... but I'm sure it wasn't as cushy as the Vietnamese would like us to think.
On to the Ho Chi Minh museum! Unfortunately the mausoleum was closed the day we were walking around, so we didn't get to see Uncle Ho's embalmed body (he actually requested to be cremated. Ain't that a b*tch). What was missing there was more than made up for in the museum. Note to the uninformed: did you know Uncle Ho was good at everything? I know, I didn't believe it either, but I saw with my own eyes (through careful photography) that Uncle Ho was not only good at kicking French/American ass, but he's also an expert farmer, weaver, mechanic, poet, and pretty much everything else conceivable. No joke, photo captions read: "Here Uncle Ho shows farmers more productive harvesting techniques. Increases productivity by 45%!" "Here Uncle Ho explains different ways of making silk more durable. Increases efficiency by 75%!"... so on and so forth. You get the idea. Needless to say, I'm sold on Communism.
After having our fill of Hanoi, and a brief flirt with a pickpocket... we were off to Halong Bay. What is commonly regarded as one of the natural wonders of the world, Halong Bay is an immense series of emerald islands off the northeastern coast of Vietnam. Now even though I tend to avoid tour groups like the plague, we booked a 3 day/2 night tour of the joint. (we didn't have much choice as it's pretty much the only way to see the area) After several days accompanying 2 Brits, 4 Aussies, 4 Scandinavians, and a couple of Frenchies (sorry France, but I love the term 'Frenchy' too much to stop using it. You can still take consolation in your bakeries. They are... how you say... magnifique!)... I've determined the following:
-Halong Bay is beautiful, everyone was right
-When you corner a group of tourists on a boat for 3 days, you can charge whatever price you deem appropriate for drinks. (we're talking American prices for water and sodas, ladies and gentlemen)
-Tourists that visit Vietnam are pretty cool. It's not a #1 vacation spot like Thailand, but the people that do come are really open minded and interesting.
Only pictures can come close to the beauty, so you'll have to view for yourself.
Next up to bat: SAPA. After arriving mid-afternoon from our Halong Bay tour, I jumped the night train to Sapa that evening. This town (25k people) is set in the Northwestern highlands/mountains and is considerably more comfortable than it's coastal cousins. The temperature drops probably 20+ degrees as you make the journey up to Sapa. After recovering from a mild cold the first day, I booked myself a motorbike tour to the famed Bac Ha market. Little did I know that the tour would include 6 hours on some of the worst roads I've ever ridden on. (free of charge no less!)
Upon arrival, the first part of my day was spent fending off evil bracelet/hat/blanket sellers... then we came to what I was really interested in... buying a water buffalo! Sure, I tried to haggle, barter, anything that would bring me closer to realizing my dream of owning a water buffalo... but in the end, it didn't matter. They wanted too much money, and I realized I couldn't fit a water buffalo in my backpack. (drat!) I tried to console myself with pigs, horses, you name it... but none of it mattered anymore. The only thing that took my mind off my distinct lack of water buffalo was lunch. And that, boys and girls, brings us to the post title. I wish I could say that I didn't know what it was before I ate it. I wish I could say that the tiny compassionate voice in my head said "David, what on earth are you doing eating a horse? They're beautiful creatures and friends of humans!". Alas, none of it would be true. I asked my tour guide what he wanted for lunch (also adding that I liked everything). He quickly scanned the area and brought me to a giant caldron of horse stew. (less stew, more horse... and every part of the horse immaginable) I also wish I could say it was terrible and no one should ever eat one... but well, it wasn't half bad actually. I prefer the shoulder meat to the various intestines, but I guess some people like chocolate, and some like vanilla. (I guess in this case I like horse)
On that note, I'm back in Sapa soaking in the relatively cool mountain air. I think I'll stay one more day and take the night train back to Hanoi tomorrow night. I still have my Vietnamese cooking class mission, and intend to complete it before I flight out on the 5th. For those of you who need a travel update: I'm flying to Kuala Lumpur on July 5th, doing Malaysia for a bit (can you say tea plantations?!?), heading to Singapore for a few days, then finishing off with some Hong Kong and a side of Macau (and maybe some green tea ice cream for dessert).
Until Malaysia...
Friday, June 20, 2008
Invading the Central Highlands
So I was right. Dalat DID turn out to be my kind of town. (also highly recommended from other friends) The cool crisp mountain air did me well after Saigon shortened my lifespan by a couple of years. I ended up hooking up with this Vietnamese driver named Bin (pronounced "bean") for a day tour around Dalat. We saw the sites, drank some rice wine, and ate some amazing (cheap) food. A note on the rice wine: apparently it cures everything. "Oh oh this is medicine wine... made from forest roots. Good for stomach." "Oh this also medicine wine... made from herbs. Good for head." Needless to say I had plenty of medicine that day, and since it went so well, myself and a Dutch girl who was also taking a day tour around decided to hire our boys out for a 5 day trip through the Central Highlands... which I had no idea would make me so physically sore. Great trip though... on to the journey!
Dalat-Lak Lake-BMT (I abbreviate because I can't remember, nor can I pronounce the town name)-Kon Tum-Hoi An (present location). Lak Lake was simply amazing, and our arrival conveniently coincided with my big 2-5. (hello not having to pay extra for renting cars!!!) After shooting some of the best photos I've ever shot (to post soon), we proceeded to eat random pig parts (don't ask, but actually not too bad) and get started with the aforementioned medicine. I have no idea how much medicine I actually took... but the next day's ride was a tough one. At least I did get to party with a Canadian, a Dutch, and 2 Vietnamese.
The rest of the trip was spent taking showers in waterfalls (frolicking), seeing elephants, and playing village musical instruments... you know, the normal/usual American type stuff. During the course of the trip I also realized that I am a rock star. Well... maybe not a rock star, but at least a minor celebrity. Seriously, I would walk into some random shoe store looking for flip-flops and people would stare like they'd never seen a white guy before. I had at least 2 girls take my picture, and I was seriously waiting for some 6 year old kid to ask for my autograph. (which unfortunately never happened) I won't lie... I loved the attention. Ever single kid under the age of 12 who we passed waved and shouted at the top of their lungs "HELLO!!!". (the entire 5 days mind you)
Arriving in Hoi An was... well, not exactly the same enthusiastic welcome. Don't get me wrong, it's a great little city, but there is at least 1 Westerner for every 5 Vietnamese here... not to my liking. This city's also known for their 200+ custom tailor shops, each trying to fit you for a new suit, coat... the works. After swearing off spending for the near future, I proceeded to buy 2 suits, 2 dress shirts, 1 t-shirt, a skinny tie, and umm... other unmentionables I can't reveal at the moment. (the "not spending"thing lasted all of 3 days... I have no willpower)
Status: currently living in the Minh Quang guesthouse with 1 Canadian girl, 1 Dutch girl, and 1 American girl. That's right ladies and gentlemen, jackpot. We stay up until 3am every night talking about shopping... I only wish I were kidding.
Note II: Everything in Vietnam is loud. EVERYthing.
Dalat-Lak Lake-BMT (I abbreviate because I can't remember, nor can I pronounce the town name)-Kon Tum-Hoi An (present location). Lak Lake was simply amazing, and our arrival conveniently coincided with my big 2-5. (hello not having to pay extra for renting cars!!!) After shooting some of the best photos I've ever shot (to post soon), we proceeded to eat random pig parts (don't ask, but actually not too bad) and get started with the aforementioned medicine. I have no idea how much medicine I actually took... but the next day's ride was a tough one. At least I did get to party with a Canadian, a Dutch, and 2 Vietnamese.
The rest of the trip was spent taking showers in waterfalls (frolicking), seeing elephants, and playing village musical instruments... you know, the normal/usual American type stuff. During the course of the trip I also realized that I am a rock star. Well... maybe not a rock star, but at least a minor celebrity. Seriously, I would walk into some random shoe store looking for flip-flops and people would stare like they'd never seen a white guy before. I had at least 2 girls take my picture, and I was seriously waiting for some 6 year old kid to ask for my autograph. (which unfortunately never happened) I won't lie... I loved the attention. Ever single kid under the age of 12 who we passed waved and shouted at the top of their lungs "HELLO!!!". (the entire 5 days mind you)
Arriving in Hoi An was... well, not exactly the same enthusiastic welcome. Don't get me wrong, it's a great little city, but there is at least 1 Westerner for every 5 Vietnamese here... not to my liking. This city's also known for their 200+ custom tailor shops, each trying to fit you for a new suit, coat... the works. After swearing off spending for the near future, I proceeded to buy 2 suits, 2 dress shirts, 1 t-shirt, a skinny tie, and umm... other unmentionables I can't reveal at the moment. (the "not spending"thing lasted all of 3 days... I have no willpower)
Status: currently living in the Minh Quang guesthouse with 1 Canadian girl, 1 Dutch girl, and 1 American girl. That's right ladies and gentlemen, jackpot. We stay up until 3am every night talking about shopping... I only wish I were kidding.
Note II: Everything in Vietnam is loud. EVERYthing.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
There's something about Saigon
It's been a fast and furious last 5 days in Saigon. Where to begin...
I guess the best way to describe it would be to say it's a sprawling, chaotic, mess of a city that seems to flow quite nicely. If you get out of the backpacker/touristy areas and pushy motorbike drivers, it lightens up a bit, but there are still heaps of people at every corner at every hour of the day. I was even stopped a few times just to have a conversation. Anytime someone approaches me with "hey man, where you from?", I tend to think they're either selling something or have a magic trick they want to show me (99% of the former, 1% of the latter). But honestly, there have been a couple of conversations where it ended with "oh USA... I have daughter in San Jose. Well, see you later." NOTHING else. They just wanted to talk. I also had several Vietnamese students approach me just to practice their English. (pretty cool)
One of the best stories from the last couple of days was when this 12 year old kid decided to follow me for 30 minutes when I didn't buy the gum he was selling (I already had enough gum!). Since he was persistent, I asked him if he wanted some food. After turning down a couple of Bun places, he took me (or rather I took him) to this little noodle place where we were promptly seated. (in plastic kiddy chairs no less... in true Asia fashion) He then proceeded to walk me back to my hotel, in the process helping me cross the street along the way. For anyone that hasn't been to Saigon... well, let's just say crossing the street is an adventure and a half. Crosswalks mean nothing. There are usually 20-30 motorbikes headed in both directions at all times. (meaning, towards you) The trick is: just walk. Slowly, surely... walk. It's one of those "they'll miss me... I know they'll miss me" moments, and for some reason it seems to work. Being the good Westerner that I am, I tended to look both ways, and try and wait for a good time to cross. My noodle soup friend would have none of it. He deftly grabbed my arm and proceeded to walk ME across the street. (from a distance, it probably looked like I was helping him... little did people know I was the helpless one) One way or the other, we made it.
I also met up with a friend from college who showed me the finer aspects of Saigon nightlife. (aka: the clubs) Who knew Vietnamese get crazier than Americans in the club? One benefit of being a foreigner though, is that I can pretty much get into any club based on the assumption that I'll spend my precious USD. (yay)
Part of me left saying "wow, there sure are a lot of things to do here". The other (and larger part), wanted to get the hell out of Saigon. Don't get me wrong, I met some amazing people there and had a good time, but navigating that traffic day in and day out would probably drive me insane.
I made it to Dalat today, and THIS place seems to be much more my style. It's basically like the Vietnam equivalent of our Aspen. Cool climate, vacationing Vietnamese, and great food everywhere well... makes David a happy man. The fact that it's absolutely gorgeous around here doesn't hurt either.
Side note on Saigon drivers and the use of the horn:
I have to explain this to my Western friends. The horn here is merely a means of communication, not aggression. Someone can be riding your ass in a sea of motorbikes honking his horn the ENTIRE time... and not be upset in the least. In fact, he'll probably pull up next to you and ask "hey, what your name?" with a smile on his face. It's crazy, but they just honk to let you know they exist. HONK HONK= I'm next to you HONK HONK= I'm cutting you off HONK HONK= I'm flirting with you. It's pretty much the universal language of Vietnam. (and most of SE Asia for that matter) Good luck.
Note on Asian gamers:
Well, they're insane. I'm in a gamer internet cafe right now and these kiddos are going nuts over some 1st person shooter game... and this isn't the first I've seen of it in these parts...
I guess the best way to describe it would be to say it's a sprawling, chaotic, mess of a city that seems to flow quite nicely. If you get out of the backpacker/touristy areas and pushy motorbike drivers, it lightens up a bit, but there are still heaps of people at every corner at every hour of the day. I was even stopped a few times just to have a conversation. Anytime someone approaches me with "hey man, where you from?", I tend to think they're either selling something or have a magic trick they want to show me (99% of the former, 1% of the latter). But honestly, there have been a couple of conversations where it ended with "oh USA... I have daughter in San Jose. Well, see you later." NOTHING else. They just wanted to talk. I also had several Vietnamese students approach me just to practice their English. (pretty cool)
One of the best stories from the last couple of days was when this 12 year old kid decided to follow me for 30 minutes when I didn't buy the gum he was selling (I already had enough gum!). Since he was persistent, I asked him if he wanted some food. After turning down a couple of Bun places, he took me (or rather I took him) to this little noodle place where we were promptly seated. (in plastic kiddy chairs no less... in true Asia fashion) He then proceeded to walk me back to my hotel, in the process helping me cross the street along the way. For anyone that hasn't been to Saigon... well, let's just say crossing the street is an adventure and a half. Crosswalks mean nothing. There are usually 20-30 motorbikes headed in both directions at all times. (meaning, towards you) The trick is: just walk. Slowly, surely... walk. It's one of those "they'll miss me... I know they'll miss me" moments, and for some reason it seems to work. Being the good Westerner that I am, I tended to look both ways, and try and wait for a good time to cross. My noodle soup friend would have none of it. He deftly grabbed my arm and proceeded to walk ME across the street. (from a distance, it probably looked like I was helping him... little did people know I was the helpless one) One way or the other, we made it.
I also met up with a friend from college who showed me the finer aspects of Saigon nightlife. (aka: the clubs) Who knew Vietnamese get crazier than Americans in the club? One benefit of being a foreigner though, is that I can pretty much get into any club based on the assumption that I'll spend my precious USD. (yay)
Part of me left saying "wow, there sure are a lot of things to do here". The other (and larger part), wanted to get the hell out of Saigon. Don't get me wrong, I met some amazing people there and had a good time, but navigating that traffic day in and day out would probably drive me insane.
I made it to Dalat today, and THIS place seems to be much more my style. It's basically like the Vietnam equivalent of our Aspen. Cool climate, vacationing Vietnamese, and great food everywhere well... makes David a happy man. The fact that it's absolutely gorgeous around here doesn't hurt either.
Side note on Saigon drivers and the use of the horn:
I have to explain this to my Western friends. The horn here is merely a means of communication, not aggression. Someone can be riding your ass in a sea of motorbikes honking his horn the ENTIRE time... and not be upset in the least. In fact, he'll probably pull up next to you and ask "hey, what your name?" with a smile on his face. It's crazy, but they just honk to let you know they exist. HONK HONK= I'm next to you HONK HONK= I'm cutting you off HONK HONK= I'm flirting with you. It's pretty much the universal language of Vietnam. (and most of SE Asia for that matter) Good luck.
Note on Asian gamers:
Well, they're insane. I'm in a gamer internet cafe right now and these kiddos are going nuts over some 1st person shooter game... and this isn't the first I've seen of it in these parts...
Sunday, June 1, 2008
I will not buy anything else from kids
With the above title being stated... I now own 4 bracelets, 10 postcards, too many t-shirts to count, and a nasty beach massage habit that's going to be hard to kick. (@ $5 a pop, c'mon who wouldn't?) I bargained this one kid in Siem Reap down to $1 for 3 flutes... 3 flutes for a buck I say! Then I realized I had no use for 3 flutes and left. I think I left her a bit disappointed.
Siem Reap was amazing. And after days of saying Cambodia is my favorite country, it finally happened. 2 hours after a nice meal of Lok Lak, my body decided to clear all of it's contents (like a garage sale of my intestines). The result wasn't good, in either direction, but 24 hours of rest and rice later, I was back in action. I actually had the opportunity to help out at this orphanage before I left Siem Reap. I wrestled kids, delivered some rice to a village, and realized how useless I was compared to other people. Good experience none the less.
Phnom Phen was another world. I found a nice (cheap) lakeside guesthouse and randomly met up with a Spanish guy and Italian girl I had traveled with previously. The backpacking scene in Phnom Phen is a crazy cast of characters. From stage right: you have the super nice Cambodians running the guesthouses, the motorbike drivers offering you everything from a ride to heroin to boom-boom, the backpackers who come to basically consume everything in site (read: EVERYthing), and then you have me... somewhere in the middle (right next to the heroin). If you get away from that area you'll finally get to see some of the real city. The S-21 museum is an experience much like what I would expect from Auschwitz. It's the site where the late 70s Cambodian regime tortured and killed countless thousands of people. Then you move on to the killing fields where they've discovered numerous mass graves of rebels, intellectuals, and former affluent citizens. Needless to say these sites make for a long day. You might want a breather at some point. On a brighter note: take a cooking class! Seriously. I took one with the aforementioned pair of backpackers, and it was some of the most fun I've had in weeks. Just wait until you try my Amok fish kiddos, you're in for a treat. (the recipe is actually for "fish amok", not "amok fish kiddos". There are no children in the recipe.)
I decided to tack on Sihanoukville to the trip while the (sneaky) Vietnamese in Phnom Phen sort out my VISA... which has turned out to be a great decision. While the beaches in Thailand are beautiful, the ones here are almost as impressive but with 80% less tourists and 72.5% more personality. Maybe I'm just saying that because I love Cambodians... but it's true. I'm on my 2nd straight grueling day of fruit salads, beach massages, motorbike riding, and fighting off evil bracelet selling children. All have been amazing. I think I might just add on another day or two here before I head back up for my passport and ticket to Saigon.
My next post might be from Vietnam. (*high five* Viet-effin-nam!)
Siem Reap was amazing. And after days of saying Cambodia is my favorite country, it finally happened. 2 hours after a nice meal of Lok Lak, my body decided to clear all of it's contents (like a garage sale of my intestines). The result wasn't good, in either direction, but 24 hours of rest and rice later, I was back in action. I actually had the opportunity to help out at this orphanage before I left Siem Reap. I wrestled kids, delivered some rice to a village, and realized how useless I was compared to other people. Good experience none the less.
Phnom Phen was another world. I found a nice (cheap) lakeside guesthouse and randomly met up with a Spanish guy and Italian girl I had traveled with previously. The backpacking scene in Phnom Phen is a crazy cast of characters. From stage right: you have the super nice Cambodians running the guesthouses, the motorbike drivers offering you everything from a ride to heroin to boom-boom, the backpackers who come to basically consume everything in site (read: EVERYthing), and then you have me... somewhere in the middle (right next to the heroin). If you get away from that area you'll finally get to see some of the real city. The S-21 museum is an experience much like what I would expect from Auschwitz. It's the site where the late 70s Cambodian regime tortured and killed countless thousands of people. Then you move on to the killing fields where they've discovered numerous mass graves of rebels, intellectuals, and former affluent citizens. Needless to say these sites make for a long day. You might want a breather at some point. On a brighter note: take a cooking class! Seriously. I took one with the aforementioned pair of backpackers, and it was some of the most fun I've had in weeks. Just wait until you try my Amok fish kiddos, you're in for a treat. (the recipe is actually for "fish amok", not "amok fish kiddos". There are no children in the recipe.)
I decided to tack on Sihanoukville to the trip while the (sneaky) Vietnamese in Phnom Phen sort out my VISA... which has turned out to be a great decision. While the beaches in Thailand are beautiful, the ones here are almost as impressive but with 80% less tourists and 72.5% more personality. Maybe I'm just saying that because I love Cambodians... but it's true. I'm on my 2nd straight grueling day of fruit salads, beach massages, motorbike riding, and fighting off evil bracelet selling children. All have been amazing. I think I might just add on another day or two here before I head back up for my passport and ticket to Saigon.
My next post might be from Vietnam. (*high five* Viet-effin-nam!)
Saturday, May 24, 2008
A nation run by children
But first, the rest of Laos. I made my way south through the remainder of Laos. The last place I hit was Si Phan Don (literally "4000 islands"). After one of the most memorable Sawngthaew rides I've ever taken plus one rainy water taxi ride, we finally arrived that gray/monsoon afternoon. I have to expand on the ride in however. Picture at least 20 people, sacks of rice, backpacks of the falangs, and one pig... in the back of a modified pick-up truck. (I stepped on the pig TWICE before I realized it was on the step-up for the truck. Basically it went 'oink!'-> 'AH' -> crowd laughing) But we made it. Not much to say about Si Phan Don. We only had power from 6pm-10pm, which made for an early mandatory curfew. 2 days there was enough, especially when we didn't spot any of the alleged dolphins. On to Cambodia!
I'm only a couple of days into my Cambodian escapades... but this is shaping up to be the best country yet. Quick example, after we transferred to our other van in Cambodia from Laos, it took all 15+ tourists 2 hours to realize we had another guy riding on the roof of the vintage (read: old/beat-up) 1970s van. Seriously, the guy got down to tell our driver something like it was no big deal. We all basically looked around, gave the "did you know he was up there?" look, shrugged, and moved on.
Like the post title mentions, this country is a nation run by children. (kind of like 'Kid Nation', but all the kids are Asian) I read that something like 40% of the country's population is under the age of 15. They all speak English, they're all clever, and they're all out to make a buck. I've never seen a better prepared group of salespeople (saleschildren?) then these.
Them: 'Hey mister, you buy my book.'
Me: 'I don't need book.'
Them: 'You buy for your girlfriend.'
Me: 'But I don't have girlfriend.'
Them: 'Because you don't buy my book!'
They have an entire arsenal of them in their back pockets. I seriously think that's what they're teaching them in school.
On to the historic. The main reason any foreigner comes to Siem Reap is for Ankor Wat. I don't know what I expected from it, but it exceeded it. It's the largest religious building in the world, has 900+ years of history behind it, was the center of one of the greatest empires in history, and most importantly... was where they shot Tomb Raider! (Angelina Jolie subsequently adopted a Cambodian child shortly there after) It really is impressive. I made the 8km journey at 5am the first day, hoping I was the only one with the bright idea to shoot Ankor Wat at sunrise. I was met, however, by every other tourist who apparently had the same bright idea... still worth it none the less. We also hit the various other impressive Wats until we finally broken down from Wat-fatigue. (and Japanese/Chinese tourist fatigue. Someone please tell me WHY the tour groups dress alike? And it's not like they're all wearing brown capres and a white top... they're rocking bright aqua blue athletic pants and GIANT visors/hats. I don't get it.) I'll probably be here a couple more days, then on to Phnom Phen. The main reason I'll leave is not because I don't like it, it's because I can't afford to keep buying 'same same' t-shirts, bracelets, and fisherman pants... at least not from the same people. (even though I'd love to spend my 401k two dollars at a time)
Until I'm further east...
I'm only a couple of days into my Cambodian escapades... but this is shaping up to be the best country yet. Quick example, after we transferred to our other van in Cambodia from Laos, it took all 15+ tourists 2 hours to realize we had another guy riding on the roof of the vintage (read: old/beat-up) 1970s van. Seriously, the guy got down to tell our driver something like it was no big deal. We all basically looked around, gave the "did you know he was up there?" look, shrugged, and moved on.
Like the post title mentions, this country is a nation run by children. (kind of like 'Kid Nation', but all the kids are Asian) I read that something like 40% of the country's population is under the age of 15. They all speak English, they're all clever, and they're all out to make a buck. I've never seen a better prepared group of salespeople (saleschildren?) then these.
Them: 'Hey mister, you buy my book.'
Me: 'I don't need book.'
Them: 'You buy for your girlfriend.'
Me: 'But I don't have girlfriend.'
Them: 'Because you don't buy my book!'
They have an entire arsenal of them in their back pockets. I seriously think that's what they're teaching them in school.
On to the historic. The main reason any foreigner comes to Siem Reap is for Ankor Wat. I don't know what I expected from it, but it exceeded it. It's the largest religious building in the world, has 900+ years of history behind it, was the center of one of the greatest empires in history, and most importantly... was where they shot Tomb Raider! (Angelina Jolie subsequently adopted a Cambodian child shortly there after) It really is impressive. I made the 8km journey at 5am the first day, hoping I was the only one with the bright idea to shoot Ankor Wat at sunrise. I was met, however, by every other tourist who apparently had the same bright idea... still worth it none the less. We also hit the various other impressive Wats until we finally broken down from Wat-fatigue. (and Japanese/Chinese tourist fatigue. Someone please tell me WHY the tour groups dress alike? And it's not like they're all wearing brown capres and a white top... they're rocking bright aqua blue athletic pants and GIANT visors/hats. I don't get it.) I'll probably be here a couple more days, then on to Phnom Phen. The main reason I'll leave is not because I don't like it, it's because I can't afford to keep buying 'same same' t-shirts, bracelets, and fisherman pants... at least not from the same people. (even though I'd love to spend my 401k two dollars at a time)
Until I'm further east...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Spring break Vang Vien 2008!
4 days of Vang Vien was... enough. I hadn't expected to find the Panama City Beach FL equivalent in Laos, but low and behold, there it was. Sitting in a nice pit stop location on the way to Vientiene, Vang Vien has earned it's reputation as having completely sold out to falangs. But enough generalizing, let's get to the specifics...
The first couple of days we ended up renting motorbikes and driving out to some of the local caves in the area. One of which was a river cave. Meaning, we rented tubes and floated off into the pitch black with nothing but our flashlight and boyish good looks to defend ourselves. Fortunately, there were no boogy monsters afoot. (I think the tourists scared them off) The last day we were there we went on the notorious floating trip. Now for those of you who have floated in the Austin area... multiply that times 10. There were ridiculous zip lines and swings set up all over the places (all safe and regulation size of course... no jagged rocks underneath. (read: sarcasm))... each with a conveniently attached bar selling not pints, not pitchers, but buckets. (pepsi+ tiger whiskey+ energy drink+ more tiger whiskey= many drunk Brits) I took the day off and had myself 3 or 4 nice fruit shakes... but everyone else seemed to be turning 21 all at the same time. At least everyone in our crew made it back safe and sounds. (sort of) There also seems to be some sort of fascination with 'Friends' bars in the town. By 'Friends' bars I mean exactly that: bars that play Friends on a continuous loop ALL effin day. It's beyond me.
On to the next city: Vientiene. This relatively lazy little capital city sits on the might Mekong bank... and let me tell you something... the Mekong is something else. (and by "something else" I mean muddy and not that impressive. maybe it'll change in Vietnam) The food here has been great, and the people equally nice. I parted ways with one Persian this morning, and in turn opened my arms to the entire nation of Laos! (they just haven't hugged me back yet... apparently they're not a very "hugging" kind of culture) I did have a nice conversation with a pair of young monks on the top of the Patuxai (Lao Champs Ellisee equivalent) this afternoon. Good kids.
Tomorrow I'm off to Savannakhet for a stopping point before 4 thousand islands. Should be a good one.
The first couple of days we ended up renting motorbikes and driving out to some of the local caves in the area. One of which was a river cave. Meaning, we rented tubes and floated off into the pitch black with nothing but our flashlight and boyish good looks to defend ourselves. Fortunately, there were no boogy monsters afoot. (I think the tourists scared them off) The last day we were there we went on the notorious floating trip. Now for those of you who have floated in the Austin area... multiply that times 10. There were ridiculous zip lines and swings set up all over the places (all safe and regulation size of course... no jagged rocks underneath. (read: sarcasm))... each with a conveniently attached bar selling not pints, not pitchers, but buckets. (pepsi+ tiger whiskey+ energy drink+ more tiger whiskey= many drunk Brits) I took the day off and had myself 3 or 4 nice fruit shakes... but everyone else seemed to be turning 21 all at the same time. At least everyone in our crew made it back safe and sounds. (sort of) There also seems to be some sort of fascination with 'Friends' bars in the town. By 'Friends' bars I mean exactly that: bars that play Friends on a continuous loop ALL effin day. It's beyond me.
On to the next city: Vientiene. This relatively lazy little capital city sits on the might Mekong bank... and let me tell you something... the Mekong is something else. (and by "something else" I mean muddy and not that impressive. maybe it'll change in Vietnam) The food here has been great, and the people equally nice. I parted ways with one Persian this morning, and in turn opened my arms to the entire nation of Laos! (they just haven't hugged me back yet... apparently they're not a very "hugging" kind of culture) I did have a nice conversation with a pair of young monks on the top of the Patuxai (Lao Champs Ellisee equivalent) this afternoon. Good kids.
Tomorrow I'm off to Savannakhet for a stopping point before 4 thousand islands. Should be a good one.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Tony Ja ain't got nothin' on me
I am an elephant commander/protector. If that last statement wasn't enough for you, let me expand. 2 days ago in Luang Prabang Arian and myself attended an elephant training camp. (for the elephant's benefit of course, not ours) The follow commands are what I've retained after 8 hours of training:
pai= go
qua= right
sai= left
how= stop
boo= dance
now!= attack!
(** please note the last two were added for dramatic effect. We tried our hardest to get the elephants to attack... but to no avail)
Honestly, elephant camp was one of the best parts of Lao. Other than that, the last 4 days in LP have been awesome. The town's a mix of French architecture, Falangs (foreigners), street vendors, and loud Lao pop music. One of the days we took a 45 minute ride outside of town to visit one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen. I've said it before, but I really didn't expect northern Lao to look like this. I also got into a DragonballZ fight with a 6 year old girl at a tourist office. (which I subsequently lost when she pointed a supersoaker at my forehead)
One last note on Luang Prabang, GO BOWLING. It's the weirdest thing I know, but bowling at midnight on Sunday in LP was crazy. I've never laughed as hard as I did when I saw each and every Lao guy/girl tripping all over themselves to bowl. Not that I was any better, but at least I only fell once in the course of the night. (maybe twice)
Yesterday we left LP headed for Vang Vien... which turned out not being the stated 6 hour bus ride, but rather an all day journey. After an hour of riding our bus (which we paid too much for), we hit a small snag... the engine blew up. Not like a Chuck Norris movie "blow up", but it stopped working none the less. Our crew ended up playing cards with a couple of Swiss guys for 2 or 3 hours while we waited for some other form of transportation to pick us up. After all was said and done, we arrived in Vang Vien around 8 or 9 last night. Quick note on the bus drivers in this country: I'm pretty sure they all have death wishes. I never thought honking your horn while barreling down the road in a crowded village at 60 km/h was good enough... but apparently most people get out of the way. Or I'll put it this way: at least we didn't hit anyone yesterday...
Couple more days here then on to Vientiane...
pai= go
qua= right
sai= left
how= stop
boo= dance
now!= attack!
(** please note the last two were added for dramatic effect. We tried our hardest to get the elephants to attack... but to no avail)
Honestly, elephant camp was one of the best parts of Lao. Other than that, the last 4 days in LP have been awesome. The town's a mix of French architecture, Falangs (foreigners), street vendors, and loud Lao pop music. One of the days we took a 45 minute ride outside of town to visit one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen. I've said it before, but I really didn't expect northern Lao to look like this. I also got into a DragonballZ fight with a 6 year old girl at a tourist office. (which I subsequently lost when she pointed a supersoaker at my forehead)
One last note on Luang Prabang, GO BOWLING. It's the weirdest thing I know, but bowling at midnight on Sunday in LP was crazy. I've never laughed as hard as I did when I saw each and every Lao guy/girl tripping all over themselves to bowl. Not that I was any better, but at least I only fell once in the course of the night. (maybe twice)
Yesterday we left LP headed for Vang Vien... which turned out not being the stated 6 hour bus ride, but rather an all day journey. After an hour of riding our bus (which we paid too much for), we hit a small snag... the engine blew up. Not like a Chuck Norris movie "blow up", but it stopped working none the less. Our crew ended up playing cards with a couple of Swiss guys for 2 or 3 hours while we waited for some other form of transportation to pick us up. After all was said and done, we arrived in Vang Vien around 8 or 9 last night. Quick note on the bus drivers in this country: I'm pretty sure they all have death wishes. I never thought honking your horn while barreling down the road in a crowded village at 60 km/h was good enough... but apparently most people get out of the way. Or I'll put it this way: at least we didn't hit anyone yesterday...
Couple more days here then on to Vientiane...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Lao... no "s"
We've made it across the border (and tricked those sneaky Thai). After crossing at Huay Xai we headed to Luang Nam Tha. Now if the name isn't impressive enough, boy oh boy let me tell you... we had a grand ol time. The day after we got there we were off on one of the most grueling treks I've ever done... and considering I've never really trekked, I'd have to say it was numero uno. After roughly 40 hours of marching, bleeding, and getting muddy/soaked in the northern Lao rain... we successfully felt more like men than we ever thought possible. Our crew consisted of 3 Americans, 2 Aussies, 1 German, 1 Swiss, 1 Canadian, and 4 guides. We spent the majority of both trek days fighting off evil leaches, scaling unscalable muddy cliffs, debating who would win a fight between a bear and a tiger, and feasting on sticky rice and whatever animal flesh was available. One close friend of mine referred to the whole experience as "Man Day". I tend to agree with the label. (for more on Man Day, please see either Wikipedia, or arianimal.blogspot.com, both of which are credible sources)
Since Man Day we've made it as far as Nong Khiaw for some downtime. This cosy little town is tucked in between some of the most beautiful emerald mountains I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect, it's bloody hot. I'm pretty sure I've been in a constant state of sweat over the last 4 weeks... but the scenery is like nothing I could have imagined. The only thing that can put a damper on the experience to and from are the 6-8 hour bus rides down winding (and I mean WINDING) mountains. Let me put this into perspective: winding roads + David's motion sensitive stomach + 2 packages of fish chips/(square root of -1 for good measure)= an interesting experience to say the least. I think I've spent a good 6 hours per travel day with my eyes closed trying not to look at anything moving by. Other than that... beautiful country, super nice people, solid food.
We're back to civilization tomorrow as we travel to Luang Prabang. Some say it's the most beautiful city in SE Asia... but will it compare to the lush beauty and ladyboy shows of Thailand? Only time will tell. So far so good.
I also think I'm adding in Cambodia to the mix, just to keep things interesting.
Since Man Day we've made it as far as Nong Khiaw for some downtime. This cosy little town is tucked in between some of the most beautiful emerald mountains I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect, it's bloody hot. I'm pretty sure I've been in a constant state of sweat over the last 4 weeks... but the scenery is like nothing I could have imagined. The only thing that can put a damper on the experience to and from are the 6-8 hour bus rides down winding (and I mean WINDING) mountains. Let me put this into perspective: winding roads + David's motion sensitive stomach + 2 packages of fish chips/(square root of -1 for good measure)= an interesting experience to say the least. I think I've spent a good 6 hours per travel day with my eyes closed trying not to look at anything moving by. Other than that... beautiful country, super nice people, solid food.
We're back to civilization tomorrow as we travel to Luang Prabang. Some say it's the most beautiful city in SE Asia... but will it compare to the lush beauty and ladyboy shows of Thailand? Only time will tell. So far so good.
I also think I'm adding in Cambodia to the mix, just to keep things interesting.
Friday, May 2, 2008
The little monks room (loo)
Apparently there is more to see in Bangkok. The night before we left we ended up staying at a friend's place in Bangkok (God bless ex-pat sympathy). We then proceeded to the single most condensed area of debauchery in all of Bangkok... Nana. I don't think I'm allowed to disclose all that went on that night, but at least I can say I kept my shirt on... (oh wait, no I didn't)... on a brighter note, I think the girl really liked me. Actually, they ALL really liked me, even the masculine ones. I must look like some kind of celeb in Thailand. I was, however disappointed when all my friends got as much attention as I did. We must be the most attractive folk in Bangkok.
The next day, after a long bout of sleeping in no less, we were off on a night train to Chiang Mai. 2nd class isn't all that bad I must say. I got the top bunk, AND I could swing my lovely feet all over the passenger below me (who happened to be Dan). Chiang Mai has turned out to be a pretty cool spot. It almost reminds me of an Austin/Thailand mix, if there is such a thing. Organic coffee, guesthouses, farangs, and motorbikes everywhere... And let me tell you a thing or two about motorbikes... well, just one thing: they're awesome. Within an hour of renting a couple of the 50cc badboys, we were doubled up driving up the mountain. (we've also picked up another member for our group, an Aussie named Simon, whom I got pretty up close and personal with riding about 2 inches from each other on the bike) I think 350+ pounds of pure man is too much for some of those bikes. Regardless, we made it up a mountain called Doi Suthep, complete with an aptly named temple. The view was amazing. We spent an hour or so walking around, ringing bells and getting water sprinkled on us by possibly the oldest monk I've ever seen. Seriously, this guy must have been 150 years old... but he did tie a string around my wrist which made me feel special. After about completely destroying our brakes on the way back down, we headed out east to the silk factories. These silk ladies (because I'm sure that's what they're called) have it down to an art form. It goes like this: pull the wood thingy, press the peddle thingy, push the plank thingy and PRESTO... you've got yourself a silk tie. (all of the previously stated terms were very technical I know, and I don't expect everyone to understand them)
I'm sure you're all thinking I'd be tuckered out after a long day of motorbiking, silk tie making, and ice cream (oh yeah, forgot to mention, I was pretty much eating desert all day)... but no! We had time to find a nice candlelit curry place next to the market costing 58 baht... total. Yes, we had a dinner for 4 for 58 baht, and it was aroy! (tasty) I won't lie, I love this country.
Off to Chiang Rai in an hour... we'll see how much difference one letter can make in a city.
The next day, after a long bout of sleeping in no less, we were off on a night train to Chiang Mai. 2nd class isn't all that bad I must say. I got the top bunk, AND I could swing my lovely feet all over the passenger below me (who happened to be Dan). Chiang Mai has turned out to be a pretty cool spot. It almost reminds me of an Austin/Thailand mix, if there is such a thing. Organic coffee, guesthouses, farangs, and motorbikes everywhere... And let me tell you a thing or two about motorbikes... well, just one thing: they're awesome. Within an hour of renting a couple of the 50cc badboys, we were doubled up driving up the mountain. (we've also picked up another member for our group, an Aussie named Simon, whom I got pretty up close and personal with riding about 2 inches from each other on the bike) I think 350+ pounds of pure man is too much for some of those bikes. Regardless, we made it up a mountain called Doi Suthep, complete with an aptly named temple. The view was amazing. We spent an hour or so walking around, ringing bells and getting water sprinkled on us by possibly the oldest monk I've ever seen. Seriously, this guy must have been 150 years old... but he did tie a string around my wrist which made me feel special. After about completely destroying our brakes on the way back down, we headed out east to the silk factories. These silk ladies (because I'm sure that's what they're called) have it down to an art form. It goes like this: pull the wood thingy, press the peddle thingy, push the plank thingy and PRESTO... you've got yourself a silk tie. (all of the previously stated terms were very technical I know, and I don't expect everyone to understand them)
I'm sure you're all thinking I'd be tuckered out after a long day of motorbiking, silk tie making, and ice cream (oh yeah, forgot to mention, I was pretty much eating desert all day)... but no! We had time to find a nice candlelit curry place next to the market costing 58 baht... total. Yes, we had a dinner for 4 for 58 baht, and it was aroy! (tasty) I won't lie, I love this country.
Off to Chiang Rai in an hour... we'll see how much difference one letter can make in a city.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Bangkok- sweat, steam, and me (and ladyboys)
Bangkok really is the steamy king of SE Asia. We're staying at this beat up, old hotel called the Muangphol Mansion (it's not too bad actually, safe enough) right next to the biggest, baddest shopping/food experience in the city... MBK. Chalked full of tourists, hormone filled Thai teeny-boppers, and well... me (somewhere in between). I've never had a shortage of food since I've been here, and most meals are under $5 USD.
The past couple of days we've accomplished:
1. Most of the random temples (ohhing and ahhing as most of them look the same, although one or two were impressive)
2. Several of the biggest market areas in Bangkok. The experience consisted of me trying to haggle over 20 bhat (about 70 cents need I remind you) for a t-shirt I wasn't really in love with in the first place... but it's the principle of the matter! Regardless of how much over cost I paid, as long as I get that 20 bhat, I've won. David-1, Thailand-0
3. With that being said we've pretty much been fleeced everywhere we've gone. Doesn't matter how nice you or they are, round eyes pay 4 times Thai prices. Just the way it works.
4. We did see a real live Muay Thai fight last night. Really an amazing experience. 9 bouts of knee rocking, elbow crushing fun. I wanted to jump in the ring and show off my 3 months of classes... but the 105 lb fighters kind of scared me (they're scrappy!).
We haven't quite finished up Bangkok just yet, so there might be more to come in the next day or two. I've traded one Felicia for a Dan with a side of Arian, so now I have 2 traveling compadres for the next couple of weeks. We'll probably end up at an amazing national park in the next day or two, then off to Chiang Mai. I hear CM is really one of the gems of Thailand... should be an amazing experience.
Side note: apparently I've been using my 'hello' and 'thank you' Thai phrases in the wrong gender. Nothing like knowing you're being giggle at every time you open your mouth.
Side note 2: I don't think I'll shave for a while...see what happens
The past couple of days we've accomplished:
1. Most of the random temples (ohhing and ahhing as most of them look the same, although one or two were impressive)
2. Several of the biggest market areas in Bangkok. The experience consisted of me trying to haggle over 20 bhat (about 70 cents need I remind you) for a t-shirt I wasn't really in love with in the first place... but it's the principle of the matter! Regardless of how much over cost I paid, as long as I get that 20 bhat, I've won. David-1, Thailand-0
3. With that being said we've pretty much been fleeced everywhere we've gone. Doesn't matter how nice you or they are, round eyes pay 4 times Thai prices. Just the way it works.
4. We did see a real live Muay Thai fight last night. Really an amazing experience. 9 bouts of knee rocking, elbow crushing fun. I wanted to jump in the ring and show off my 3 months of classes... but the 105 lb fighters kind of scared me (they're scrappy!).
We haven't quite finished up Bangkok just yet, so there might be more to come in the next day or two. I've traded one Felicia for a Dan with a side of Arian, so now I have 2 traveling compadres for the next couple of weeks. We'll probably end up at an amazing national park in the next day or two, then off to Chiang Mai. I hear CM is really one of the gems of Thailand... should be an amazing experience.
Side note: apparently I've been using my 'hello' and 'thank you' Thai phrases in the wrong gender. Nothing like knowing you're being giggle at every time you open your mouth.
Side note 2: I don't think I'll shave for a while...see what happens
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Why not?
As we walked into quite possibly the most American bar we could possibly find on Patong beach (only because they advertised the best: self proclaimed "Rock your ass off"), we were greeted by apparently what epitomises America the best. No, not our contributions to the arts or sciences... not our diverse cultures, dialects, and foods... not even a 4th of July celebration. Nope, apparently what says "I *heart* America" the best is Jackass (the Movie). I can't tell you how proud I became when I saw a fat sumo chasing a midget sumo down some random street in Asia. God bless America.
We landed in Bangkok last Saturday afternoon, and quickly jumped a flight down to Phuket. The first night we spent at the "On On Hotel" in Phuket Town was... umm... interesting. Apparently parts of the movie 'The Beach' were filmed there. While I haven't seen the flick myself, I can say with utmost confidence that none of the good parts of that film were shot there, but hey, what more can you ask for for 300 bhat/night (roughly $9 usd). We quickly booked it to Patong the next day and were greeted by more farangs (tourists) than you could shake a stick at. The motto around these parts thus far has either been "Why not?" (hence the post title) or "same same". Can we find pad see ew at midnight tonight? "Why not!?!" Do you think renting a motorbike is safe? "Why not?" Are tranny shows as fun as everyone says? "Why not?" The "same same" applies to negotiating street markets. Everyones' stuff is apparently just as good or better than their neighbor's, but the one you're currently talking to will obviously give you a much better discount. Oh! I don't know what it is, but everyone around here has been offering me discounts! ("..for you, I give discount. How much you can pay?") Guess I'm just lucky. (shucks) We did find a really nice place 5 min from the beach here in Patong for 650 bhat/night. (seriously, clean and safe... you do the math)
After driving around the island riding elephants and watching monkey shows (the former for Felicia, the latter for myself), we decided to head to the grand-daddy of beautiful islands. Even though it may be small, Phi Phi Island (pronounced "pee pee", kinda cute) is seriously one of the most beautiful places I've seen. We took in the beach area yesterday, and hired our own long-tail boat today to drive us around. We taxied around to some great sites, and dove in some of the clearest blue/green waters ever. (also the warmest natural open water I've ever been in) Attention divers: this is a must see.
Granted everything here is tourist oriented, but even so, all the Thais have been honestly very friendly. They're easy going and very respectful. I'm even getting their bow/sawadee thing down (hello in Thai). Well... maybe I'm not, but it's good of them to humor me. All the women in the bars are really friendly as well. They keep saying "hiiiii" and inviting me in for a drink. (I think they can spot an award winning personality when they see one) I'm sure they want to talk world events or something along those lines. If I wasn't already with a friend, I might have to take them up on it.
Note: Thai massages are very... umm... personal. Not even the shady kind. I'm just talking about your everyday, run of the mill, bring home the bacon massages. With that being said, I think I'm developing a 300 bhat/day massage habit.
Note 2: Durian IS as bad as people say, although the taste still beats the smell. The random durian/garbage/sewer smells kind of balance out the nice Thai food smells. Such is life...
Off to Bangkok tomorrow, then Chiang Mai.
Choc-tee!
We landed in Bangkok last Saturday afternoon, and quickly jumped a flight down to Phuket. The first night we spent at the "On On Hotel" in Phuket Town was... umm... interesting. Apparently parts of the movie 'The Beach' were filmed there. While I haven't seen the flick myself, I can say with utmost confidence that none of the good parts of that film were shot there, but hey, what more can you ask for for 300 bhat/night (roughly $9 usd). We quickly booked it to Patong the next day and were greeted by more farangs (tourists) than you could shake a stick at. The motto around these parts thus far has either been "Why not?" (hence the post title) or "same same". Can we find pad see ew at midnight tonight? "Why not!?!" Do you think renting a motorbike is safe? "Why not?" Are tranny shows as fun as everyone says? "Why not?" The "same same" applies to negotiating street markets. Everyones' stuff is apparently just as good or better than their neighbor's, but the one you're currently talking to will obviously give you a much better discount. Oh! I don't know what it is, but everyone around here has been offering me discounts! ("..for you, I give discount. How much you can pay?") Guess I'm just lucky. (shucks) We did find a really nice place 5 min from the beach here in Patong for 650 bhat/night. (seriously, clean and safe... you do the math)
After driving around the island riding elephants and watching monkey shows (the former for Felicia, the latter for myself), we decided to head to the grand-daddy of beautiful islands. Even though it may be small, Phi Phi Island (pronounced "pee pee", kinda cute) is seriously one of the most beautiful places I've seen. We took in the beach area yesterday, and hired our own long-tail boat today to drive us around. We taxied around to some great sites, and dove in some of the clearest blue/green waters ever. (also the warmest natural open water I've ever been in) Attention divers: this is a must see.
Granted everything here is tourist oriented, but even so, all the Thais have been honestly very friendly. They're easy going and very respectful. I'm even getting their bow/sawadee thing down (hello in Thai). Well... maybe I'm not, but it's good of them to humor me. All the women in the bars are really friendly as well. They keep saying "hiiiii" and inviting me in for a drink. (I think they can spot an award winning personality when they see one) I'm sure they want to talk world events or something along those lines. If I wasn't already with a friend, I might have to take them up on it.
Note: Thai massages are very... umm... personal. Not even the shady kind. I'm just talking about your everyday, run of the mill, bring home the bacon massages. With that being said, I think I'm developing a 300 bhat/day massage habit.
Note 2: Durian IS as bad as people say, although the taste still beats the smell. The random durian/garbage/sewer smells kind of balance out the nice Thai food smells. Such is life...
Off to Bangkok tomorrow, then Chiang Mai.
Choc-tee!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
G'bye dingos, koalas, and kangaroos
So I'm wrapping up my last week in Sydney today. This time tomorrow I'll be mid flight from Sydney to Bangkok. Let's see what else happened this week...
It's been a bit rainy, so that's put a damper on things. I did see the Tarongo Zoo. (took pictures with the kangaroos, koalas, etc.) I also saw the aquarium at Darling Harbor. My aquarium experience was as such: "turtles, check. (5 min.) Platypus, check. (10 min., not sure what God/nature was thinking when they created those things) Crocs, check. (10 min.) Where are the effin sharks?!?" We all know why anyone would go to an aquarium in Australia... sharks. Oh sure, people will stop at the birds, fish, whatever, whatever... but in the end, all roads lead to sharks. For some reason I was expecting great whites to serve cocktails at the end (at least a song and a dance), but then I remembered you can't have great whites in captivity... or they die. (sensitive things for the "nature's perfect killer") Nursing sharks, sting rays, and the rest were a reasonable consolation. Oh, and one note on the zoo: I DON'T think koalas are as cute as everyone makes them out to be. I was more interested in the full sized brown bear eating oranges. Koalas don't do anything! (for the most part, when I was there they were eating bamboo... WOW)
I've also discovered that Thai is the official food of Sydney. I'm not sure what I expected authentic Australian cuisine to be like (kangaroo anyone?), but they seem to have adopted Thai and most any other Asian food as their own. I can't complain. I love the stuff.
My friend Felicia also finished up her triathlon last Sunday morning. (did pretty well at that) Since then she's held off on working out in lieu of... well... cocktails. I approve.
Sydney's been a great city... like I've said, a very livable city. But honestly, I can't wait to get to Thailand. Not only are Australian prices killing my budget (David's budget=don't spend too much money), but this country is just too easy. It's a great segway to the next step, as I do appreciate my English speaking countries, but I'm ready for more.
Until Thailand folks...
choc tee khap!
It's been a bit rainy, so that's put a damper on things. I did see the Tarongo Zoo. (took pictures with the kangaroos, koalas, etc.) I also saw the aquarium at Darling Harbor. My aquarium experience was as such: "turtles, check. (5 min.) Platypus, check. (10 min., not sure what God/nature was thinking when they created those things) Crocs, check. (10 min.) Where are the effin sharks?!?" We all know why anyone would go to an aquarium in Australia... sharks. Oh sure, people will stop at the birds, fish, whatever, whatever... but in the end, all roads lead to sharks. For some reason I was expecting great whites to serve cocktails at the end (at least a song and a dance), but then I remembered you can't have great whites in captivity... or they die. (sensitive things for the "nature's perfect killer") Nursing sharks, sting rays, and the rest were a reasonable consolation. Oh, and one note on the zoo: I DON'T think koalas are as cute as everyone makes them out to be. I was more interested in the full sized brown bear eating oranges. Koalas don't do anything! (for the most part, when I was there they were eating bamboo... WOW)
I've also discovered that Thai is the official food of Sydney. I'm not sure what I expected authentic Australian cuisine to be like (kangaroo anyone?), but they seem to have adopted Thai and most any other Asian food as their own. I can't complain. I love the stuff.
My friend Felicia also finished up her triathlon last Sunday morning. (did pretty well at that) Since then she's held off on working out in lieu of... well... cocktails. I approve.
Sydney's been a great city... like I've said, a very livable city. But honestly, I can't wait to get to Thailand. Not only are Australian prices killing my budget (David's budget=don't spend too much money), but this country is just too easy. It's a great segway to the next step, as I do appreciate my English speaking countries, but I'm ready for more.
Until Thailand folks...
choc tee khap!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Aussie Aussie Aussie... Oi Oi Oi!!
It's true, they do say it here. I asked my friend Felicia upon arrival: "Tell me the Aussie Aussie Aussie thing is real!". As she broke my heart into a thousand pieces with "umm... I've never heard it...", I was redeemed when meeting up with a bunch of her Aussie friends they reaffirmed me. God Bless Australia.
Common American stereotypes of Australia that are (not) true:
-Contrary to popular belief, all of Australia is NOT like Outback Steakhouse (huge disappointment on my part as I was expecting to wow them with my in depth knowledge of "blooming onions" and "Alice Springs chicken"... it was not to be)
-They DO say "mate". IE- "no worries mate"
-They also say "no worries", but I adopted that while I was in the states. Not gonna lie, I'm a fan of the phrase
-Get this, instead of "how you doin'?", here it's "how you goin'?". Seriously. I have no idea how grammatically incorrect that is, but it just doesn't sound right. Probably one saying I will not pick up.
-Instead of "what" or "sorry" when you mishear someone, it's "hey". Not kidding, I was so confused at first, and now I find myself using it.
ex. Me: "I just wrestled a 1 (metric) ton croc!"
(in America) Them "Whaaaaaaa??"
(down under) Them "Hey?"
Does that make sense to you?
-All Australians are ridiculously fit. It's true. They're formidable opponents.
-Apparently not all Australians have pet koalas in their homes. (I AM hoping to sneak a prize fighting kangaroo out of the country somehow, perhaps a baby one)
I've spent the past 5 days mainly wandering around, trying to take in as many "must sees" as possible. Sydney truly is a lovely place, but I didn't realize how much so until this afternoon. After an amazing meal at the fish market (best sashimi EVER, honestly) we walked around the harbor bridge and opera house until sundown. 20 minutes before sunset it seemed like the heavens opened up. A bit dramatic I know, but there we stood with the beautiful city skyline and bridge, set to the backdrop of one of the most pristine skies I've ever seen. I'm hoping my pictures can somewhat do it justice, but I have a feeling they won't. I seriously had a moment where I felt the spirit of Steve Erwin shine down and give me a pat on the back. (ok, a bit of a low blow, but I really did love the guy)
The food thus far has been amazing, and the people super friendly. My only problem so far is... do people realize they're driving on the wrong side of the street here? Maybe someone should report them... or at least let them know...
Common American stereotypes of Australia that are (not) true:
-Contrary to popular belief, all of Australia is NOT like Outback Steakhouse (huge disappointment on my part as I was expecting to wow them with my in depth knowledge of "blooming onions" and "Alice Springs chicken"... it was not to be)
-They DO say "mate". IE- "no worries mate"
-They also say "no worries", but I adopted that while I was in the states. Not gonna lie, I'm a fan of the phrase
-Get this, instead of "how you doin'?", here it's "how you goin'?". Seriously. I have no idea how grammatically incorrect that is, but it just doesn't sound right. Probably one saying I will not pick up.
-Instead of "what" or "sorry" when you mishear someone, it's "hey". Not kidding, I was so confused at first, and now I find myself using it.
ex. Me: "I just wrestled a 1 (metric) ton croc!"
(in America) Them "Whaaaaaaa??"
(down under) Them "Hey?"
Does that make sense to you?
-All Australians are ridiculously fit. It's true. They're formidable opponents.
-Apparently not all Australians have pet koalas in their homes. (I AM hoping to sneak a prize fighting kangaroo out of the country somehow, perhaps a baby one)
I've spent the past 5 days mainly wandering around, trying to take in as many "must sees" as possible. Sydney truly is a lovely place, but I didn't realize how much so until this afternoon. After an amazing meal at the fish market (best sashimi EVER, honestly) we walked around the harbor bridge and opera house until sundown. 20 minutes before sunset it seemed like the heavens opened up. A bit dramatic I know, but there we stood with the beautiful city skyline and bridge, set to the backdrop of one of the most pristine skies I've ever seen. I'm hoping my pictures can somewhat do it justice, but I have a feeling they won't. I seriously had a moment where I felt the spirit of Steve Erwin shine down and give me a pat on the back. (ok, a bit of a low blow, but I really did love the guy)
The food thus far has been amazing, and the people super friendly. My only problem so far is... do people realize they're driving on the wrong side of the street here? Maybe someone should report them... or at least let them know...
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Eat with your hands!
A white guy and a rabbi walk into a South Indian restaurant in the middle of the day... what's the rest of joke?... don't know, but that was me on Sunday (minus the rabbi, just me). I decided to go to the south Indian join down the street from my hotel in Dubai. You know the culture shock is wearing off when as I walk in... EVERYone else is eating with their hands and it doesn't phase me. I calmly find an open seat at one of the tables and ask the man sitting there if he would mind if I sat with him (in hand gestures of course) . He gave me a look like "why are you asking"... and I sat down. Thank God they gave me a fork with my burani. It was probably the lightish tone of my skin that gave away the fact I've never eaten with my hands before.
Later that day I went on a desert safari tour. My SUV ended up being our Jordanian driver/tour guide, 3 Italians, 2 Pakistanis, and 1 David. 6+ hours of sand duning (driving), bbq, belly dancing, and sheesha later... we were back at the hotel. I ended up walking around the waterfront with 2 of the Italians for a couple of hours to finish off the night, and as a result, I'm pretty sure I have a mad hookup in Sicily. Bellissimo!
I arrived in Sydney yesterday morning after my (full) 14 hour flight. There's nothing more comfortable than spending that much time with barely enough room to rotate your foot. (although I much say, international carriers are MUCH better than American ones. High five to Emirates.) Sydney's a beautiful place. Reminds me a lot of Seattle. Green, rolling hills, cool, crisp, and along the harbor/bay/whatever they call it here. I've only been here 36 hours or so... but I think I'm in love.
Cheers mate!
Later that day I went on a desert safari tour. My SUV ended up being our Jordanian driver/tour guide, 3 Italians, 2 Pakistanis, and 1 David. 6+ hours of sand duning (driving), bbq, belly dancing, and sheesha later... we were back at the hotel. I ended up walking around the waterfront with 2 of the Italians for a couple of hours to finish off the night, and as a result, I'm pretty sure I have a mad hookup in Sicily. Bellissimo!
I arrived in Sydney yesterday morning after my (full) 14 hour flight. There's nothing more comfortable than spending that much time with barely enough room to rotate your foot. (although I much say, international carriers are MUCH better than American ones. High five to Emirates.) Sydney's a beautiful place. Reminds me a lot of Seattle. Green, rolling hills, cool, crisp, and along the harbor/bay/whatever they call it here. I've only been here 36 hours or so... but I think I'm in love.
Cheers mate!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Milkshaeks
There's nothing cuter than seeing two dudes in full dishdash and headwear... game faces on (very serious)... sipping iced mochachinos complete with whipped cream and sprinkles. This was the scene at Mall of the Emarites last night. Adorable. I wanted to take a picture, but I didn't think that would go over so well. Oh, and they have an indoor ski slope. Guess I should mention that as well.
Dubai is another world. You have a huge disparity between the Emiraties who own everything, the Westerners who have the white collar jobs and run everything, and the Filipinos/Indians who take care of blue collar business. Apparently there are camps (basically barracks) outside the city where they bus all the workers in to work long hours in construction and maintenance. I've heard the living situation is 8+ per room, so needless to say I think everyone gets pretty cozy.
I've been privileged to drinks at some of the most beautiful bars/restaurants overlooking several of the world's finest hotels (Burg Al Arab)... and I've walked some of the pseudo-slums in the older part of Dubai. It'll be interesting to see how long this city can sustain this kind of growth, and how it will effect the residents. I heard Dubai alone has 70% of the world's cranes employed in the city. At this pace, the Dubai/Paris metroplex should be a lovely place to live in 2020.
On a positive note, I've made friends with some of the guys at the Lebanese bakery across the street. I've had my fare share of kibbeh, baklava, zaatar, etc... but this might be the best. They seriously give me a handfull of free stuff every time I walk in. I end up pointing to anything and it's "you try, please" from the owner... I like.
I've also been practicing my broken English (so I apologize if any seeps in this journal). I can condense a well thought out sentence or two into a handful of key words (like PowerPoint).
ex.
"Pardon me sir, would you happen to know where I could find a nice restaurant that serves roasted chicken? Preferably free range if it's available."
...becomes....
"where I find shawarma?"
It's easy. You try.
Dubai is another world. You have a huge disparity between the Emiraties who own everything, the Westerners who have the white collar jobs and run everything, and the Filipinos/Indians who take care of blue collar business. Apparently there are camps (basically barracks) outside the city where they bus all the workers in to work long hours in construction and maintenance. I've heard the living situation is 8+ per room, so needless to say I think everyone gets pretty cozy.
I've been privileged to drinks at some of the most beautiful bars/restaurants overlooking several of the world's finest hotels (Burg Al Arab)... and I've walked some of the pseudo-slums in the older part of Dubai. It'll be interesting to see how long this city can sustain this kind of growth, and how it will effect the residents. I heard Dubai alone has 70% of the world's cranes employed in the city. At this pace, the Dubai/Paris metroplex should be a lovely place to live in 2020.
On a positive note, I've made friends with some of the guys at the Lebanese bakery across the street. I've had my fare share of kibbeh, baklava, zaatar, etc... but this might be the best. They seriously give me a handfull of free stuff every time I walk in. I end up pointing to anything and it's "you try, please" from the owner... I like.
I've also been practicing my broken English (so I apologize if any seeps in this journal). I can condense a well thought out sentence or two into a handful of key words (like PowerPoint).
ex.
"Pardon me sir, would you happen to know where I could find a nice restaurant that serves roasted chicken? Preferably free range if it's available."
...becomes....
"where I find shawarma?"
It's easy. You try.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
How do you say ‘trabajo’ in Arabic?
Despite working until 7:30 or 8pm every night, Al Ain is a really nice spot. Even calmer than Abu Dhabi or Dubai, the town is like a giant flower pot. It’s been in the 70s (F) at night, making it perfect weather for a bit of hummus and sheesha after work (ok, a lot of hummus and sheesha… and lamb). Last night I ended up lounging outside with my Rx team consisting of a South African, Canadian, Jordanian, Indian... and umm.... me. People outside the states more consistently have a great world perspective. (everyone vacations in all sorts of exotic locations, as opposed to say... Florida)
I’ve heard there’s camel racing around here, but I won’t believe it until I see it.
Today’s also my last day of work. It’s a weird feeling knowing that you’ll no longer be doing what you’ve spent the last 2 ½ + years doing. In any case, I know I’m ready. I thought about giving everyone high-fives on the way out… I’m just not sure how that would go over with the shaeks and princes. (seriously, apparently one of the Emirate princes hangs out with his crew at the cafeteria here at the hospital… I think the food’s good, but not THAT good)
I can’t wait to give away my business casual…
Saturday, March 29, 2008
In-sha Allah
So I learned a new phrase: “In-sha Allah”. It means “ain’t gonna happen”. (literal meaning is “God willing”… but the way it’s used here, it’s like “never gonna happen”) I thought it was funny. People on my project use the phrase quite a bit… needless to say my faith in a near future client conversion isn’t at its’ strongest point… makes for interesting conversation though.
It’s been a full weekend here in Abu Dhabi and I have a few comments. First, Abu Dhabi is as clean, or cleaner than any American city. Seriously, the boardwalk area along the gulf is extremely well manicured. (what they call ‘corniche’) I’ve walked several nights along it, and all I’ve been met with are families pushing strollers or kids playing kick-ball. Speaking of which, my first night walking along the corniche there were a couple of kids playing… and man-oh-man were they talking some smack in Arabic. (they were 8 or 9 mind you) I don’t know exactly what they were saying, but someone’s mother would have probably been mighty upset. Apparently badminton is popular here as well. We explored the nightlife in AD a bit on Thursday night (Friday and Saturday are weekends here), and headed over to Dubai on Friday for a bit of club action. (David puts his game face on) Apparently serving alcohol is technically illegal in UAE, but the hotels have found a way to do it. Therefore all clubs, pubs and the like are located in hotels… which needless to say makes partaking in a festive drink or two (or ten) quite expensive. We ended up at a shisha place until 6 or 6:30am, with an hour and a half drive back to Abu Dhabi ahead of us. At least we were able to find a cab (AND the sunrise was pretty amazing).
One other amazing little spot was the ‘Grand Mosque’ in Abu Dhabi. I was able to spend 30 or 45 minutes there on Friday and it was well worth the trip. Apparently it’s the 2nd largest mosque in the world, only smaller than the one in Mecca. (friggin Saudis) I was walking around the place taking pictures when this Indian family asked if I’d like them to take one of me. The picture wasn’t very memorable, but the chubby 10 year old Indian who kept saying “good fo-to” was. (while giving a thumbs up… he was basically the equivalent of me when I was 10, minus the Indian part)
Tomorrow we’re off to Al Ain to work from there Sun-Thurs. I wanted to rent a camel to drive around town… but apparently they prefer a Peugeot to a cigarette mascot. (or are they one in the same?... friggin French)
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
And.... I'm in
Made it safe and sound last night into Dubai. I have to say, just from the drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.... Dubai is one of the most impressive places I've ever seen. Ever time I found myself comparing it to a familiar skyline, it just kept going. "Oh, those buildings remind me of Dallas, and New York, and Seattle.... x 10". I'll definitely get back over there this weekend. My driver was an Egyptian named Bob (so his name wasn't Bob, but he looked like a Bob and his english was... how you say.... not so good). One of the first things Bob did when I got in the car was offer me gum. Not the "whiten your teeth minty fresh kind" mind you... we're talking the Arabic equivalent of Bubblelicious. I suppose everyone thinks Americans just walk around playing baseball and chewing gum all day. ANYWAYs, after a fast and furious drive over, averaging no less than 160km per hour (fast) all the while listening to the rockin beats of Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, and Elton John... I arrived at the Millennium hotel in Abu Dhabi just minutes from the boardwalk area. Abu Dhabi is the slightly less developed little cousin of Dubai (only in comparison to Dubai could I say that). The hotel is right classy, although I feel a bit out of place with business men and Armani sporting tourists walking about... and I show up with a t-shirt and my giant pack. Oh well.
Katrina ended up taking me to a jazz club in the Hilton last night. I don't think you could have asked for a more diverse set of partiers than what we had. There were no less than 20 different languages being spoken at that club in any one time. AND, the band spent most of the night covering Bob Marley.
After my amazing breakfast at the hotel, I decided to walk the city a bit. What I didn't know was that it would be a sunny 90+ degress (F) by midday. Hence, I am inside at the moment. Abu Dhabi is an odd mix of very conservative Muslim culture (women in full Hijab) and good ol' fashion American materialism. I've seen more Audis, Jaguars, BMWs, etc. than I ever did in Beverly Hills or New York. Woman can be covered in all black (other than there eyes) and still shop extensively for gold jewelry. Which begs the question: where would you WEAR the jewelry? Is it enough knowing it's under the clothing? How can you show off the giant 8 oz gold dollar sign you bought to hang around your neck if you've been mandated to dress as such? Bling bling hhkkomies.
Off to work in Al Ain tomorrow (aka "the desert"). I'm picturing the 2pac video for "California Love"...
Katrina ended up taking me to a jazz club in the Hilton last night. I don't think you could have asked for a more diverse set of partiers than what we had. There were no less than 20 different languages being spoken at that club in any one time. AND, the band spent most of the night covering Bob Marley.
After my amazing breakfast at the hotel, I decided to walk the city a bit. What I didn't know was that it would be a sunny 90+ degress (F) by midday. Hence, I am inside at the moment. Abu Dhabi is an odd mix of very conservative Muslim culture (women in full Hijab) and good ol' fashion American materialism. I've seen more Audis, Jaguars, BMWs, etc. than I ever did in Beverly Hills or New York. Woman can be covered in all black (other than there eyes) and still shop extensively for gold jewelry. Which begs the question: where would you WEAR the jewelry? Is it enough knowing it's under the clothing? How can you show off the giant 8 oz gold dollar sign you bought to hang around your neck if you've been mandated to dress as such? Bling bling hhkkomies.
Off to work in Al Ain tomorrow (aka "the desert"). I'm picturing the 2pac video for "California Love"...
Monday, March 24, 2008
T minus...
Flight's at 3:10pm. It's a weird mix of feelings right about now. I'm used to taking Monday flights, just not ones with no return planned. As of right now, it's looking like 3 or 4 months 'til I'm back stateside... hopefully with a pocketful of good stories and a small tattoo of some Thai symbols meaning "white warrior".
I have almost a 3 hour layover in Houston, which will be well spent spending UAE money on a decent meal. Then I'm off to board what will be the longest flight of my life thus far. 15 1/2 hours of economy bliss... although I hear Emirates does roll out the red carpet. We shall soon see. I'll be in Dubai at 7:20pm tomorrow night, then hop a cab over to Abu Dhabi. I'm expecting the stereotypical Arabian character from Disney cartoons to pick me up (then subsequently try and steal my money bag full of gold--> $$)... but alas, it's probably not to be.
Until I'm in Dubai...
I have almost a 3 hour layover in Houston, which will be well spent spending UAE money on a decent meal. Then I'm off to board what will be the longest flight of my life thus far. 15 1/2 hours of economy bliss... although I hear Emirates does roll out the red carpet. We shall soon see. I'll be in Dubai at 7:20pm tomorrow night, then hop a cab over to Abu Dhabi. I'm expecting the stereotypical Arabian character from Disney cartoons to pick me up (then subsequently try and steal my money bag full of gold--> $$)... but alas, it's probably not to be.
Until I'm in Dubai...
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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