Sorry, friends, that I've been away. Actually, I'm not that sorry, because one has to live adventures before one can tell about them. Anyway, I'm still in Bangkok. I leave and go to Phnom Penh, Cambodia tomorrow morning pretty early.
I'm trying to write all this stuff and keep it on my laptop, but I'm not able to get on the wireless here for whatever reason, and I don't want to do a poor job with pictues and whatnot. And I have to pay for the main computer that belongs to the hotel, and that's dumb.
So you will wait some more.
I did ride an elephant and dip in the Indian Ocean. And see some tigers and a million Buddhas. There's your update.
T
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Today was day one in Thailand and day one of two in Phuket. It started a bit late in the morning for me, at least, because I was dog tired from traveling yesterday. I finally got up and showered and dressed around 10:30, and we set out. The Professor and I walked around Phuket Town looking for food. We stumbled upon a place called Circle Cafe, and we ate some Thai food there for brunch.
Really just an early lunch. Mine was good, some seafood in a broth of coconut milk, lemon grass, garlic stalks, and seaweed, and it was served with some sweet-tasting white rice. I know that sounds really weird, but it was delicious. The cafe itself was open on the front to the street, and we were able to sit comfortably in there with just a fan overhead and the shade of being inside.
After brunch we looked around town a little on foot. We went in a store that sells Thai stuff, and looked but didn't buy. We looked up and down different streets in the town, and I took all kinds of pictures. Some things struck me. For instance, there are small altars everywhere here. Like, every home and business has at least a small altar. Some of them are quite elaborate.
I noticed that most of them have offerings of fruit and incense. One had beer, as well. I guess the people want their god to be either especially lenient or especially forgetful. I dig the ingenuity if nothing else.
Later we bought a few things to remind us of Phuket. Then we found a guy to drive us to the cape at the south tip of the island. We wanted beach, but really, it was better. It was the perfect spot to hike around and take sunset pictures. My point of reference for pretty islands is the beginning of Jurassic Park, which, I know, is lame. But even so, I think this place was prettier than that. Check out the sailboat.
On the way to the beach, we stopped the driver to take some pictures of boats at low tide. Apparently the boats are just kind of pulled up close to the beach. When the tide goes out, they are beached like whales. The only sad thing about the sunset was that a bit of fog rolled in and blocked the sun itself, and made things a bit hazy for the setting. It was still beautiful, and I stood there alone and amazed.
Apparently Blogger doesn't want me to upload any more pictures right now, but I have lots. I hope those will do for now, though.
So far, this is what Thailand seems to me:
Take a slice of India, mix it with a good and hearty sprinkle of China. Then dominate it with Portugal for a while. All of this should be super-imposed on some Malay peoples. Elephants, characters, a confusing alphabet, Old World architecture, and good ol' fashioned poorness. Thailand, the land of a million Buddhas.
T
Really just an early lunch. Mine was good, some seafood in a broth of coconut milk, lemon grass, garlic stalks, and seaweed, and it was served with some sweet-tasting white rice. I know that sounds really weird, but it was delicious. The cafe itself was open on the front to the street, and we were able to sit comfortably in there with just a fan overhead and the shade of being inside.
After brunch we looked around town a little on foot. We went in a store that sells Thai stuff, and looked but didn't buy. We looked up and down different streets in the town, and I took all kinds of pictures. Some things struck me. For instance, there are small altars everywhere here. Like, every home and business has at least a small altar. Some of them are quite elaborate.
I noticed that most of them have offerings of fruit and incense. One had beer, as well. I guess the people want their god to be either especially lenient or especially forgetful. I dig the ingenuity if nothing else.
Later we bought a few things to remind us of Phuket. Then we found a guy to drive us to the cape at the south tip of the island. We wanted beach, but really, it was better. It was the perfect spot to hike around and take sunset pictures. My point of reference for pretty islands is the beginning of Jurassic Park, which, I know, is lame. But even so, I think this place was prettier than that. Check out the sailboat.
On the way to the beach, we stopped the driver to take some pictures of boats at low tide. Apparently the boats are just kind of pulled up close to the beach. When the tide goes out, they are beached like whales. The only sad thing about the sunset was that a bit of fog rolled in and blocked the sun itself, and made things a bit hazy for the setting. It was still beautiful, and I stood there alone and amazed.
Apparently Blogger doesn't want me to upload any more pictures right now, but I have lots. I hope those will do for now, though.
So far, this is what Thailand seems to me:
Take a slice of India, mix it with a good and hearty sprinkle of China. Then dominate it with Portugal for a while. All of this should be super-imposed on some Malay peoples. Elephants, characters, a confusing alphabet, Old World architecture, and good ol' fashioned poorness. Thailand, the land of a million Buddhas.
T
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
I made it safe and sound to Phuket, Thailand.
Actually, a tad better than safe. The flight that the Professor and I took from Beijing to Bangkok was overbooked. Kind of. So we got bumped... up to first class. That's right, people. We paid economy and flew first class for about 5 hours. They offered us drinks before takeoff. We had a menu with more than two options (and an hours d'ouvre option). Basically the Professor and I peed our pants every hour on the hour and twice during take off and landing. It was fantastic. There was so much room. I finished reading The Horse and His Boy on the plane. I took a fully-reclined nap. It was a nice, nice way to travel. I highly recommend flying a crappy airline to a stop-over in Southeast Asia. Only, make sure it's over full, and then make sure to tell them you must get on because you have a connecting flight.
Speaking of which, we had to wait in a terribly long queue to get through immigration in Bangkok. Fortunately that is now behind us, and we're in. The process itself was quite easy, just the waiting took forever. Note to the European Union: If you could please make the passports of your citizens say their country more clearly, it would really make my nosiness/espionage a bit less tedious. It took me a full 10 minutes to be absolutely certain the people in front of me were German. Come on! Back to business, we got our luggage, checked in in the other side of the airport, and hurried to run and sit at the terminal.
In Phuket we were picked up by a guy working for the hostel. He brought us to the place we're staying in his very pimpin' (no lie) Civic. He was nice, and his name is Rong.
Today we socialized with people from the following places:
-Spain
-New York
-Australia
-UK
-(and Rong from Phuket)
-Norway
-China
Adventure has commenced.
By the by, a ton of people going to Phuket from Bangkok were Chinese, and I know what they were saying. Hahaha! I'm a spy.
T
Actually, a tad better than safe. The flight that the Professor and I took from Beijing to Bangkok was overbooked. Kind of. So we got bumped... up to first class. That's right, people. We paid economy and flew first class for about 5 hours. They offered us drinks before takeoff. We had a menu with more than two options (and an hours d'ouvre option). Basically the Professor and I peed our pants every hour on the hour and twice during take off and landing. It was fantastic. There was so much room. I finished reading The Horse and His Boy on the plane. I took a fully-reclined nap. It was a nice, nice way to travel. I highly recommend flying a crappy airline to a stop-over in Southeast Asia. Only, make sure it's over full, and then make sure to tell them you must get on because you have a connecting flight.
Speaking of which, we had to wait in a terribly long queue to get through immigration in Bangkok. Fortunately that is now behind us, and we're in. The process itself was quite easy, just the waiting took forever. Note to the European Union: If you could please make the passports of your citizens say their country more clearly, it would really make my nosiness/espionage a bit less tedious. It took me a full 10 minutes to be absolutely certain the people in front of me were German. Come on! Back to business, we got our luggage, checked in in the other side of the airport, and hurried to run and sit at the terminal.
In Phuket we were picked up by a guy working for the hostel. He brought us to the place we're staying in his very pimpin' (no lie) Civic. He was nice, and his name is Rong.
Today we socialized with people from the following places:
-Spain
-New York
-Australia
-UK
-(and Rong from Phuket)
-Norway
-China
Adventure has commenced.
By the by, a ton of people going to Phuket from Bangkok were Chinese, and I know what they were saying. Hahaha! I'm a spy.
T
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Notes
I wanted to jot a few things before I forget them:
-Chinese characters are more like music than words. They stand for stuff, and you probably can't tell by looking what they will sound like. However, once you know what they sound like, they flow. Also, each character is a piece of a thought. It could be a combinable piece to make a word, like "天" in "明天." The first part is ming, which in this case is next or upcoming. The second part is tian, which is day or sky. So next + day = Tomorrow. Glad you followed along. Each character is an idea, not a letter in a word, and generally each one is only one syllable. Not so in Japanese (those dirty rotten scoundrels!), and thankfully I don't speak much Japanese at all, so it's really not my ball of wax.
-I got hit in the face by a chunk of wind with sand in it tonight whilst riding my bike. (The Chinglish there would be "Qizi-ing my xingche" and that's only funny to me.) It was gross and reminds me why I think China is dirty. Also, I am pushed to wonder where the wind originates, because within less than a half hour I rode to an ATM and then back the direct other way home. The wind was against me both times. Is this a conspiracy? Is it because I'm white?
-Which brings us to the segment I like to call "Ease on down, ease on down the 马路." The Professor and I were in Zhongguoncun area yesterday doing some shopping for electronics-y stuff. I was a big spender and bought some headphones, because mine broke a week or so ago. Anyway, we wanted to head from there to dinner at friends' house right along the Fourth Ring. This was at about 5 p.m. and so traffic was beginning to pick up. We tried and tried to hail taxis, but none wanted to 1.) take us to the right place or 2.) stop for a couple of young white guys. Now I wouldn't normally jump to this conclusion, but it's fairly evident when the cars slow down, look at you, pass by, and stop 50 meters down for Asians that there is discrimination going on. It's cool, I'm a minority. Finally, after I argued with one poor soul who did pull over, a Chinese man with his family who spoke English helped us. He wrote out exactly what we wanted to do on a paper in Chinese, and then he, too tried to hail taxis for us. He was very polite and even suggested that all the drivers were wanting to go to dinner at that exact moment. Dubious. Finally someone who realized it is, indeed, his job to take people places pulled over. Our godsend friend talked to the driver for us, and away we went. At least 8 taxis later.
-Now I totally understand the movie The Wiz. Well, I mean, except for why Michael Jackson is in it, and why the Twin Towers change colors while people dance around them.
-As I was riding against that solid wind, I kept reminding myself "Tomorrow Thailand, Tomorrow Thailand" and ignoring the numbness in my fingers. Currently we're seeing Beijing 21 degrees, Bangkok 88. You do that math, please.
-T
-Chinese characters are more like music than words. They stand for stuff, and you probably can't tell by looking what they will sound like. However, once you know what they sound like, they flow. Also, each character is a piece of a thought. It could be a combinable piece to make a word, like "天" in "明天." The first part is ming, which in this case is next or upcoming. The second part is tian, which is day or sky. So next + day = Tomorrow. Glad you followed along. Each character is an idea, not a letter in a word, and generally each one is only one syllable. Not so in Japanese (those dirty rotten scoundrels!), and thankfully I don't speak much Japanese at all, so it's really not my ball of wax.
-I got hit in the face by a chunk of wind with sand in it tonight whilst riding my bike. (The Chinglish there would be "Qizi-ing my xingche" and that's only funny to me.) It was gross and reminds me why I think China is dirty. Also, I am pushed to wonder where the wind originates, because within less than a half hour I rode to an ATM and then back the direct other way home. The wind was against me both times. Is this a conspiracy? Is it because I'm white?
-Which brings us to the segment I like to call "Ease on down, ease on down the 马路." The Professor and I were in Zhongguoncun area yesterday doing some shopping for electronics-y stuff. I was a big spender and bought some headphones, because mine broke a week or so ago. Anyway, we wanted to head from there to dinner at friends' house right along the Fourth Ring. This was at about 5 p.m. and so traffic was beginning to pick up. We tried and tried to hail taxis, but none wanted to 1.) take us to the right place or 2.) stop for a couple of young white guys. Now I wouldn't normally jump to this conclusion, but it's fairly evident when the cars slow down, look at you, pass by, and stop 50 meters down for Asians that there is discrimination going on. It's cool, I'm a minority. Finally, after I argued with one poor soul who did pull over, a Chinese man with his family who spoke English helped us. He wrote out exactly what we wanted to do on a paper in Chinese, and then he, too tried to hail taxis for us. He was very polite and even suggested that all the drivers were wanting to go to dinner at that exact moment. Dubious. Finally someone who realized it is, indeed, his job to take people places pulled over. Our godsend friend talked to the driver for us, and away we went. At least 8 taxis later.
-Now I totally understand the movie The Wiz. Well, I mean, except for why Michael Jackson is in it, and why the Twin Towers change colors while people dance around them.
-As I was riding against that solid wind, I kept reminding myself "Tomorrow Thailand, Tomorrow Thailand" and ignoring the numbness in my fingers. Currently we're seeing Beijing 21 degrees, Bangkok 88. You do that math, please.
-T
Monday, January 21, 2008
Dear American Economy,
Please snap the heck out of it! The US Dollar needs to kindly stabilize before I get any poorer. I just checked the exchange rate against the Chinese RMB. ¥100 used to be right at $13. Now it's almost $14. This is exchange rate moving in the bad-for-me direction. Now, I understand that I'm only here for 6 months more and that it ought to be ok. But my rent is staying the same in RMB. The number of dollars that comes out to is changing. I'm going to be paying about $40 more in rent this time around. Swell job, economy. Just swell.
-------
I leave for the adventure of a lifetime (subset 3, part A) tomorrow! Phuket, here I come! The Professor and I are hoping to learn enough Khmer to get around, since we'll be there a few weeks. Of course we won't be conversational, but at least we can learn the number system and greetings and "how much" and "too expensive!" and "no, please don't touch me" and other useful things. The top things on my excitement list are as follows (in semi-chronological order):
-Phuket's beach
-the floating market in Bangkok
-Angkor Wat (including the boat rides there and back...)
-the medical relief work (pending)
-Hanoi's old city
All that said, I need to get packed and ready. Tonight a few people are coming over, as per usual, and I need to mop the entry way of the muck from the snow/salt/sludge from our shoes over the past few days. Fortunately I've gotten most of our laundry washed and dried already, so we're pretty good to go. I'm not looking forward to the trip from here to the airport tomorrow. It's gonna be cold, since I'm not taking a heavy coat to the tropics. Weird, I know. I think a hoodie'll do me.
Mmm... this time tomorrow, 88 degrees and sunny in Bangkok. Hooray! Actually, this time tomorrow I'll be somewhere flying over central China. Whatever. Don't spoil my fantasy.
I'll be in touch.
T
Please snap the heck out of it! The US Dollar needs to kindly stabilize before I get any poorer. I just checked the exchange rate against the Chinese RMB. ¥100 used to be right at $13. Now it's almost $14. This is exchange rate moving in the bad-for-me direction. Now, I understand that I'm only here for 6 months more and that it ought to be ok. But my rent is staying the same in RMB. The number of dollars that comes out to is changing. I'm going to be paying about $40 more in rent this time around. Swell job, economy. Just swell.
-------
I leave for the adventure of a lifetime (subset 3, part A) tomorrow! Phuket, here I come! The Professor and I are hoping to learn enough Khmer to get around, since we'll be there a few weeks. Of course we won't be conversational, but at least we can learn the number system and greetings and "how much" and "too expensive!" and "no, please don't touch me" and other useful things. The top things on my excitement list are as follows (in semi-chronological order):
-Phuket's beach
-the floating market in Bangkok
-Angkor Wat (including the boat rides there and back...)
-the medical relief work (pending)
-Hanoi's old city
All that said, I need to get packed and ready. Tonight a few people are coming over, as per usual, and I need to mop the entry way of the muck from the snow/salt/sludge from our shoes over the past few days. Fortunately I've gotten most of our laundry washed and dried already, so we're pretty good to go. I'm not looking forward to the trip from here to the airport tomorrow. It's gonna be cold, since I'm not taking a heavy coat to the tropics. Weird, I know. I think a hoodie'll do me.
Mmm... this time tomorrow, 88 degrees and sunny in Bangkok. Hooray! Actually, this time tomorrow I'll be somewhere flying over central China. Whatever. Don't spoil my fantasy.
I'll be in touch.
T
Friday, January 18, 2008
This is a video I found on trusty ol' YouTube. It's the Chinese burrito I've been telling you about. It's actually called jianbing.
That's the crepe batter. Then an egg. Then sesame seeds. Then cilantro and green onion. Flip. Plum sauce. Hot sauce. Then the wafer, and the close. It's served (always) in the little cheap clear plastic bag. You pay either 2.5 or 3 kuai, which is between $.35 and $.42. It makes a tasty lunch, I guarantee. Actually, it's what I had today.
Today was a bitter, nasty cold. I went to the grocery store, though. And I bought some stuff in the outdoor fruit market. Turns out you can still sell fruit, even when it's been outside long enough to freeze solid. I found rambutan! Party! As soon as it thaws out. Seriously, they were frozen together inside the little packaging. I pulled the poor babies apart.
I have visas for the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam now, ready and waiting in my passport. Thailand is also a "Kingdom of...", by the way. It never occurred to me that Vietnam is a Socialist Republic. I guess I've never before given any real thought to what happened after those pretty helicopters flew out of Saigon back before my parents were married. And parents. Since we lost that war, I suppose what we didn't really want to happen happened. Why didn't anyone ever tell me? Thanks, public school. Oh, and good job, France. I find them somehow culpable.
On a bright note, though, I get to go to my first kingdoms this month. Hooray!
This vacation is entitled The Buddha Tour '08, by the by. We intend to go to some super-cool looking temples and generally learn about a way of life including the religious soup of Buddhism and the envelopment of local deities. Also, we're going to the beach, and I have a bit of a Buddha belly, so it works out. (Actually, Buddha almost starved to death, so I have a Chinese-Buddhist-monk belly. Just what I wanted.)
----------
In a side-note so unrelated I actually drew a line, do you know they sell Sonic the Hedgehog video-game to be played on iPods now on iTunes? It's the original Sega Genesis Sonic game. You had better believe that I downloaded that baby for $4.99 and will be playing some mad mad mad Sonic while on trains and planes down south. Thanks, Dad, for the iTunes credit! I recall playing Sonic many years ago at Dave and Janie's house... the house with the weird upstairs room thing. Holy cow, I feel old. I was little back then, and now I'm not.
That game was released in 1991. It beats the pants off of solitaire.
T
That's the crepe batter. Then an egg. Then sesame seeds. Then cilantro and green onion. Flip. Plum sauce. Hot sauce. Then the wafer, and the close. It's served (always) in the little cheap clear plastic bag. You pay either 2.5 or 3 kuai, which is between $.35 and $.42. It makes a tasty lunch, I guarantee. Actually, it's what I had today.
Today was a bitter, nasty cold. I went to the grocery store, though. And I bought some stuff in the outdoor fruit market. Turns out you can still sell fruit, even when it's been outside long enough to freeze solid. I found rambutan! Party! As soon as it thaws out. Seriously, they were frozen together inside the little packaging. I pulled the poor babies apart.
I have visas for the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam now, ready and waiting in my passport. Thailand is also a "Kingdom of...", by the way. It never occurred to me that Vietnam is a Socialist Republic. I guess I've never before given any real thought to what happened after those pretty helicopters flew out of Saigon back before my parents were married. And parents. Since we lost that war, I suppose what we didn't really want to happen happened. Why didn't anyone ever tell me? Thanks, public school. Oh, and good job, France. I find them somehow culpable.
On a bright note, though, I get to go to my first kingdoms this month. Hooray!
This vacation is entitled The Buddha Tour '08, by the by. We intend to go to some super-cool looking temples and generally learn about a way of life including the religious soup of Buddhism and the envelopment of local deities. Also, we're going to the beach, and I have a bit of a Buddha belly, so it works out. (Actually, Buddha almost starved to death, so I have a Chinese-Buddhist-monk belly. Just what I wanted.)
----------
In a side-note so unrelated I actually drew a line, do you know they sell Sonic the Hedgehog video-game to be played on iPods now on iTunes? It's the original Sega Genesis Sonic game. You had better believe that I downloaded that baby for $4.99 and will be playing some mad mad mad Sonic while on trains and planes down south. Thanks, Dad, for the iTunes credit! I recall playing Sonic many years ago at Dave and Janie's house... the house with the weird upstairs room thing. Holy cow, I feel old. I was little back then, and now I'm not.
That game was released in 1991. It beats the pants off of solitaire.
T
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