Photos from Phuket.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14173&l=56575&id=573182167
Thursday, January 31, 2008
I'm skipping ahead a bit, but today something happened.
I went to Section 21. This is a museum which used to be a prison/torture complex for the Khmer Rouge which used to be a school for Khmer kids. I walked through this place, and the rooms grew progressively worse. I saw torture rooms which were once classrooms. Then cells made when brick walls were thrown in to divide classrooms into tiny pieces. Then I saw cells made where wooden walls were set up into about 5 square feet for cells.
Also, I saw gallows. And skulls. And clothes that were left over. Not to mention mugshots.
Pictures are forthcoming.
T
I went to Section 21. This is a museum which used to be a prison/torture complex for the Khmer Rouge which used to be a school for Khmer kids. I walked through this place, and the rooms grew progressively worse. I saw torture rooms which were once classrooms. Then cells made when brick walls were thrown in to divide classrooms into tiny pieces. Then I saw cells made where wooden walls were set up into about 5 square feet for cells.
Also, I saw gallows. And skulls. And clothes that were left over. Not to mention mugshots.
Pictures are forthcoming.
T
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
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
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
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
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