Friday, March 26, 2010
tokyo: round 3
Here are the last set of pictures from Tokyo. Adam, Russ and Pierre rejoined me there after their trip to Kyoto and mine to Hiroshima. Without the jetlag that had slowed us down a bit the first couple days, we were able to enjoy Tokyo and it's nightlife a bit more. Highlights included raw horse meat, losing $10 in under 40 seconds at Pachinko, Okonomiyaki (savory pancakes) in Harajuku, a random blues bar where adam played a tune with the bartender, a trip to Shibuya and plenty more food, sake and beer. We really only had a day and a half here before heading North to Hokkaido, but seems like we accomplished what we wanted to.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
hiroshima & miyajima
The trip to Hiroshima was a bit longer than I anticipated – roughly 5 hours of train travel with an hour layover in Osaka. Fortunately the Shinkansen is relatively comfortable and gave me an opportunity to catch up on some sleep. I arrived into town late in the afternoon and after checking into the hostel and cleaning up a bit I went walking around town. Fully reconstructed after WWII, it’s a modern town like any other in Japan. As a result, it doesn’t have a lot of character, but it’s tragic history is certainly thought provoking. After walking around town, snapping some night time pictures of the A-Bomb dome I made my way to an Okonomiyaki restaurant to taste the local specialty. In Hiroshima, the okonomiyaki is made with a variety of ingredients which are cooked independently and then covered with the cooked pancake on either side. It’s essentially one massive savory pancake. Mine had cabbage, udon, squid, shrimp, and a variety of sauces. Very tasty, but way too much food.
The next morning I woke up early and caught a train just south of Hiroshima to Miyajima, where the famous floating tori is located. The orange tori is located on the water just outside the main shrine on the island. With the tide changing the water level as much as two meters daily, the scenery can change dramatically depending on what time you get there. In fact, at low tide, you can walk out to, and under, the gate. I got there just before high tide and snapped a few pictures of the shrine and tori before walking around town. Along the way I enjoyed some of the local specialties, including grilled local oysters (good, but not great), steamed buns filled with eel (not bad), and a small chocolate filled cake like thing (quite tasty).
Since I only had one full day in the area, I made my way back to Hiroshima for the afternoon and toured the Peace Memorial Park, which includes the A-Bomb Dome and the Atomic Bomb museum. It’s all rather depressing and much like the Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh and the Burma Railroad Museum in Katchanaburi, it leaves you with a very uneasy feeling. Well worth visiting though. Though it was almost nightfall, I quickly made my way to the other end of town to visit one of the nicer parks in town. I only had 45 minutes there, but the serene setting was well worth the trip. Nothing quite like a Japanese garden. And so that was it for Hiroshima and Miyajima. One very full day, and some very achy feet, but some great memories. Now back to Tokyo for a couple days before heading north to Hokkaido for some skiing.
The next morning I woke up early and caught a train just south of Hiroshima to Miyajima, where the famous floating tori is located. The orange tori is located on the water just outside the main shrine on the island. With the tide changing the water level as much as two meters daily, the scenery can change dramatically depending on what time you get there. In fact, at low tide, you can walk out to, and under, the gate. I got there just before high tide and snapped a few pictures of the shrine and tori before walking around town. Along the way I enjoyed some of the local specialties, including grilled local oysters (good, but not great), steamed buns filled with eel (not bad), and a small chocolate filled cake like thing (quite tasty).
Since I only had one full day in the area, I made my way back to Hiroshima for the afternoon and toured the Peace Memorial Park, which includes the A-Bomb Dome and the Atomic Bomb museum. It’s all rather depressing and much like the Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh and the Burma Railroad Museum in Katchanaburi, it leaves you with a very uneasy feeling. Well worth visiting though. Though it was almost nightfall, I quickly made my way to the other end of town to visit one of the nicer parks in town. I only had 45 minutes there, but the serene setting was well worth the trip. Nothing quite like a Japanese garden. And so that was it for Hiroshima and Miyajima. One very full day, and some very achy feet, but some great memories. Now back to Tokyo for a couple days before heading north to Hokkaido for some skiing.
tokyo: jetlag
Russ, Adam, and Pierre arrived about when I expected them to on Tuesday evening, claiming they'd found the hotel without any problems. I was rather impressed since my first time in Japan it took me an hour just to figure out how to get out of the airport. However, they were rather exhausted and jetlagged, having not slept one bit on the flight from Chicago. Nevertheless I lead them out to nearby Shinjuku for some dinner and drinks. After walking around a bit, we ducked into a small yakitori spot and were directed to the upstairs room which seated 10 people at most - about the same as downstairs. This place was not big. Fortunately they did have an English menu and so I ordered a variety of skewers to snack on with a couple beers. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, but they were also completely out of it - claiming that the building was rocking back and forth... Not good. After dinner we slowly made our way back to the hotel, stopping for one more beer along the way. Though no one was particularly hungry, we were informed that generally you have to order food with drinks towards the north east, and so we got some fried tofu to keep the wait staff happy.
Wednesday started relatively early. Everyone but me was up and ready to go at 7am. After I reluctantly rolled out of bed, we headed towards Asakusa – a district with one of the nicer temples in Tokyo. Unfortunately, it was currently being renovated, but the brisk breeze and sun made it an enjoyable stroll through the temple grounds. Seeing as we hadn't really eaten much of a breakfast, we then went to a noodle shop for some soba for an early lunch. This was a typical fast food spot, where you order your meal from a vending machine that spits out a ticket with your order. You then take the ticket to the counter where they prepare your order and then call it out for you to pick up when it's ready. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense till you do it, and then you realize that, like all things in Japan, it's relatively efficient.
We then made our way onto the river boat cruise which leaves from the nearby docks and made our way south along the river towards the Hama-rikyu Gardens, which are near Ginza. After a brief stroll through the park we hopped back onto the train and went to straight to Akihabara – Tokyo's noisy electronics district. There we went from store to store exploring the weirder sides of japanese culture. Arcades, comic book stores, hobby stores, huge electronics stores and more, this is certainly one of the more entertaining areas of Tokyo to walk through. Somewhat tired from all the walking, we slowly made our way back to the Hotel, stopping for a beer and a bowl of noodles along the way.
That night we went back to Shinjuku, in the hopes that perhaps this time, everyone would be a little more awake. We started off in another yakitori type place which was rather inviting and had a nice soundtrack of blues to accompany the food and beer. Highlights included pork cheek skewers and a beverage that goes by Hoppy. Apparently (as we found out later) this is a drink for people who can’t afford beer. You get a class of Sochu and then top it off with a extremely lightly flavored beer-like beverage. It wasn’t bad, but also not that great. We continued on into Shinjuku, and popped into an Izikaya next, for a few more beers and a bit more food. This time all ordering occurred on a touchscreen at the table. Luckily, though everything on the screen was in Japanese, it also included a number of pictures, and we were given a paper menu with translations. With all this in hand we were able to order everything we wanted, though not without almost asking for the check before the meal had started. Here we got rice w/ ketchup topped with an omelet and more ketchup, sashimi, potato croquettes, beer & sake. We stayed quite a while before retreating to the hotel in anticipation of the early morning wake up call to get to Tsukiji fish market.
The next morning we woke up relatively early, checked out of the hotel and made our way to Tsukiji fish market. This is one of the most remarkable places in Tokyo, with constant commotion from 5AM to 11AM. We arrived at 7:30ish and took a stroll through the market, dodging the constant stream of carts moving to and fro, taking in all the weird sea creatures, and working up an appetite. By 8:30 we were ready for breakfast sushi and so we made our way to one of the many sushi shops around the market. Adam and Pierre got the sashimi plate, while I got the 10pc tasting. Both were very good, but Pierre and I were both scolded by the owner. Pierre had apparently poured too much soy sauce in his saucer while I was dipping the rice into the soy sauce instead of the fish... oops. Meanwhile Russ who doesn’t eat fish was promptly asked not to sit at the counter since he wasn’t ordering. The sushi was pretty good, but the owner could have been a tad bit nicer. That’s it for Tokyo for now. Next up Hiroshima for me while the others go to Kyoto for a couple days.
Wednesday started relatively early. Everyone but me was up and ready to go at 7am. After I reluctantly rolled out of bed, we headed towards Asakusa – a district with one of the nicer temples in Tokyo. Unfortunately, it was currently being renovated, but the brisk breeze and sun made it an enjoyable stroll through the temple grounds. Seeing as we hadn't really eaten much of a breakfast, we then went to a noodle shop for some soba for an early lunch. This was a typical fast food spot, where you order your meal from a vending machine that spits out a ticket with your order. You then take the ticket to the counter where they prepare your order and then call it out for you to pick up when it's ready. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense till you do it, and then you realize that, like all things in Japan, it's relatively efficient.
We then made our way onto the river boat cruise which leaves from the nearby docks and made our way south along the river towards the Hama-rikyu Gardens, which are near Ginza. After a brief stroll through the park we hopped back onto the train and went to straight to Akihabara – Tokyo's noisy electronics district. There we went from store to store exploring the weirder sides of japanese culture. Arcades, comic book stores, hobby stores, huge electronics stores and more, this is certainly one of the more entertaining areas of Tokyo to walk through. Somewhat tired from all the walking, we slowly made our way back to the Hotel, stopping for a beer and a bowl of noodles along the way.
That night we went back to Shinjuku, in the hopes that perhaps this time, everyone would be a little more awake. We started off in another yakitori type place which was rather inviting and had a nice soundtrack of blues to accompany the food and beer. Highlights included pork cheek skewers and a beverage that goes by Hoppy. Apparently (as we found out later) this is a drink for people who can’t afford beer. You get a class of Sochu and then top it off with a extremely lightly flavored beer-like beverage. It wasn’t bad, but also not that great. We continued on into Shinjuku, and popped into an Izikaya next, for a few more beers and a bit more food. This time all ordering occurred on a touchscreen at the table. Luckily, though everything on the screen was in Japanese, it also included a number of pictures, and we were given a paper menu with translations. With all this in hand we were able to order everything we wanted, though not without almost asking for the check before the meal had started. Here we got rice w/ ketchup topped with an omelet and more ketchup, sashimi, potato croquettes, beer & sake. We stayed quite a while before retreating to the hotel in anticipation of the early morning wake up call to get to Tsukiji fish market.
The next morning we woke up relatively early, checked out of the hotel and made our way to Tsukiji fish market. This is one of the most remarkable places in Tokyo, with constant commotion from 5AM to 11AM. We arrived at 7:30ish and took a stroll through the market, dodging the constant stream of carts moving to and fro, taking in all the weird sea creatures, and working up an appetite. By 8:30 we were ready for breakfast sushi and so we made our way to one of the many sushi shops around the market. Adam and Pierre got the sashimi plate, while I got the 10pc tasting. Both were very good, but Pierre and I were both scolded by the owner. Pierre had apparently poured too much soy sauce in his saucer while I was dipping the rice into the soy sauce instead of the fish... oops. Meanwhile Russ who doesn’t eat fish was promptly asked not to sit at the counter since he wasn’t ordering. The sushi was pretty good, but the owner could have been a tad bit nicer. That’s it for Tokyo for now. Next up Hiroshima for me while the others go to Kyoto for a couple days.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
tokyo: noodles
Well I've been in Tokyo just over 24 hours and already I've already had a great time. I arrived at the hostel right around lunchtime yesterday and before even dropping off my bags, I was asking the receptionist to point me towards the best ramen in the area. This small spot didn't dissapoint - even though there was not a word of english on the menu. I picked what ended up being ramen with thingly sliced fatty pork. What a great way to start the trip. I left full and with a huge grin on my face.
Since Adam, Russ and Pierre weren't in yet, I decided to walk through Rappongi, Hiro-O, and Ebisu, with the ultimate goal of finding the Onitsuka Tiger store which was just west of Ebisu. These are quite affluent neighborhoods and somewhat quiet during the day, so I didn't think we'd be going back with the rest of the crew. Turns out the walk lasted 3-4 solid hours as I repeatedly got lost. I purposely left any maps and addresses back at the hostel, so I was just using the subway station maps and my memory to navigate. Unfortunately each of the maps around town is oriented with the north arrow pointing in completely different directions each time, so that can be rather confusing. I eventually found the Onitsuka store and was rather dissapointed with the rather measly selection of shoes and the exhorbitant prices. oh well, t'was a good little walk anyway.
For dinner I met Neha who was also traveling through Japan, and along with a few of her friends we ate at an Izikaya restaurant in Shinjuku. We ordered way too much food - and yet managed to eat it all. See the pictures of most, but not all of the dishes below. The fried chicken cartilage and chicken skin yakitori were my favorites.
Today I moved to a hotel in Shinjuku where we'll stay for a couple days. For lunch I walked around Shinjuku thinking perhaps I was craving sushi. I've noticed that some of the best food in Tokyo is usually hidden in small alleys or on the 9th floor of buildings. Since going up and down building elevators didn't seem practical I focused on the small alleys. I ended up finding an soba/udon/tempura spot that seemed rather popular. I sat down, pointed at the businessman next to me's bowl of udon with tempura and was promptly served - mine with the addition of a soft boiled egg. I wolfed down the bowl like everyone else around me and once again left very satisfied. 3 for 3 with meals so far. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Shinjuku and the adjoining park snapping pictures of the few trees that were in bloom.
Since Adam, Russ and Pierre weren't in yet, I decided to walk through Rappongi, Hiro-O, and Ebisu, with the ultimate goal of finding the Onitsuka Tiger store which was just west of Ebisu. These are quite affluent neighborhoods and somewhat quiet during the day, so I didn't think we'd be going back with the rest of the crew. Turns out the walk lasted 3-4 solid hours as I repeatedly got lost. I purposely left any maps and addresses back at the hostel, so I was just using the subway station maps and my memory to navigate. Unfortunately each of the maps around town is oriented with the north arrow pointing in completely different directions each time, so that can be rather confusing. I eventually found the Onitsuka store and was rather dissapointed with the rather measly selection of shoes and the exhorbitant prices. oh well, t'was a good little walk anyway.
For dinner I met Neha who was also traveling through Japan, and along with a few of her friends we ate at an Izikaya restaurant in Shinjuku. We ordered way too much food - and yet managed to eat it all. See the pictures of most, but not all of the dishes below. The fried chicken cartilage and chicken skin yakitori were my favorites.
Today I moved to a hotel in Shinjuku where we'll stay for a couple days. For lunch I walked around Shinjuku thinking perhaps I was craving sushi. I've noticed that some of the best food in Tokyo is usually hidden in small alleys or on the 9th floor of buildings. Since going up and down building elevators didn't seem practical I focused on the small alleys. I ended up finding an soba/udon/tempura spot that seemed rather popular. I sat down, pointed at the businessman next to me's bowl of udon with tempura and was promptly served - mine with the addition of a soft boiled egg. I wolfed down the bowl like everyone else around me and once again left very satisfied. 3 for 3 with meals so far. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Shinjuku and the adjoining park snapping pictures of the few trees that were in bloom.
Monday, March 15, 2010
phnom penh
This weekend I went back to Phnom Penh briefly to revisit the city. I had passed through in 2006 and hadn't been particularly impressed. In fact, I'd say I left the city with a pretty negative view of it. Dusty, hot, dirty, full of dirty old men with questionable intentions - it really hadn't seemed like a place to visit. I flew in from Bangkok Friday afternoon and Amity joined me from Siem Reap later that day.
This time I opted to get a slightly nicer hotel so that we would have a pleasant place to retreat if things hadn't changed a whole lot. Fortunately, despite the sweltering heat, things felt quite different this time around. There were more people out and about, it felt a bit cleaner and more orderly, and we stayed away from most of the expat bars where I'd previously come across the aforementioned seedy characters.
Over the weekend, we hit most of the main sites in town - visiting the royal palace, the national museum, Wat Phnom, and the genocide museum, which, other than the genocide museum, I had skipped last time (unclear why I did that). The palace was very stately, and with far fewer tourists than its counterpart in Bangkok, far more enjoyable to walk around. The museum too, was very well put together and had a ton of very well preserved and presented Khmer artifacts. The building itself was also a beautiful dark red and had a great little courtyard inside - very nice. The genocide museum remains about as bleak of a museum as you'll ever go to, and left both Amity and I with the same uneasy feeling when we stepped back out the main door. Nevertheless, we topped off both days with some very tasty food - something else that I somehow didn't run across last time - and a fair number of tasty cocktails at the Foreign Correspondents Club and other bars along the riverfront. And so overall we both really enjoyed visiting the city and I'll certainly have a very different opinion of it going forward. Perhaps not somewhere I'd recommend spending an entire week... but for a couple days, it's a great place to swing through.
Now South East Asia is behind me and I'm in Japan for the last stop of the trip. Adam, Russ and Pierre will join me tomorrow for the beginning of what will likely be two pretty ridiculous weeks of fun. Tokyo, Hiroshima and three days of skiing in Hokkaido! Going out with a bang :)
This time I opted to get a slightly nicer hotel so that we would have a pleasant place to retreat if things hadn't changed a whole lot. Fortunately, despite the sweltering heat, things felt quite different this time around. There were more people out and about, it felt a bit cleaner and more orderly, and we stayed away from most of the expat bars where I'd previously come across the aforementioned seedy characters.
Over the weekend, we hit most of the main sites in town - visiting the royal palace, the national museum, Wat Phnom, and the genocide museum, which, other than the genocide museum, I had skipped last time (unclear why I did that). The palace was very stately, and with far fewer tourists than its counterpart in Bangkok, far more enjoyable to walk around. The museum too, was very well put together and had a ton of very well preserved and presented Khmer artifacts. The building itself was also a beautiful dark red and had a great little courtyard inside - very nice. The genocide museum remains about as bleak of a museum as you'll ever go to, and left both Amity and I with the same uneasy feeling when we stepped back out the main door. Nevertheless, we topped off both days with some very tasty food - something else that I somehow didn't run across last time - and a fair number of tasty cocktails at the Foreign Correspondents Club and other bars along the riverfront. And so overall we both really enjoyed visiting the city and I'll certainly have a very different opinion of it going forward. Perhaps not somewhere I'd recommend spending an entire week... but for a couple days, it's a great place to swing through.
Now South East Asia is behind me and I'm in Japan for the last stop of the trip. Adam, Russ and Pierre will join me tomorrow for the beginning of what will likely be two pretty ridiculous weeks of fun. Tokyo, Hiroshima and three days of skiing in Hokkaido! Going out with a bang :)
Friday, March 12, 2010
taiwan
wow, it's been well over a week since my last post. after my four day scooter adventure in northern Thailand I took it easy for a day in Chiang Rai before making my way to Taipei on Friday. There I met up with Amity, Darren, Chris, Ed and Melinda from the HK and Singapore exchange programs for another weekend of eating. Friday was an early night, with everyone tired from traveling, though I did manage to sneak in a very good scallion pancake with a fried egg while walking around that evening. Saturday we made our way to the National Museum, which is full of Chinese artifacts from the mainland, many of which were brought over to Taiwan when the Kuomingtang fled to Taiwan after WWII. Afterward we made our way north to Beitou, which is full of natural hot springs. We stayed there till all our toes and fingers were completely wrinkled and our suits had a pleasant sulfur smell to them :) After retreating to the hotel for a quick nap we went to check out the Shilin night market followed by a somewhat late night at a seemingly popular nightclub. The market was bursting at the seams with great food and was certainly different than the Thai markets I am accustomed to. Much more food and much less crap to buy - not a bad thing at all...
Sunday we made our way east to Jiufen - a former gold mining town located about an hour east of the capital. Though it was wet and cold all day, we once again manage to eat a ton of food walking down the main street of the village. mushrooms, ice cream burritos, sea snails... the list goes on. We eventually were done in by the rain and we decided to retreat to Taipei for a nice dumpling dinner at one of the more famous spots in town - Din Tai Fung. It pretty much lived up to the hype with some delicious pork and crab soup dumplings. Making me hungry just thinking about it again! The night ended with an epic night of bowling in a random, and decidedly unpopular bowling alley. The lack of customers certainly didn't stop us from staying until they kicked us out at midnight.
Monday morning was spent visiting some of the main sites in and around Taipei. Once again it was rather cold and rainy, but we weren't to be stopped :) Most everyone headed out their own ways that evening, while I stayed back with Ed for a few more days. Once everyone headed to the airport, we caught a high-speed rail train to Sun-Moon Lake. It's the largest lake in Taiwan and is supposed to be known for its picturesque setting, with mountains surrounding the lake. We didn't do much that evening besides locate a place to stay and grab some food, but our plan the next day was to rent scooters and make our way around the lake.
Alas, it was raining once again, and so we scrapped that plan. Instead we took the bus to the other side of the lake to visit the main temple there and get a look at the scenery (through much fog). It cleared up a bit once we made it back to the town we were staying in, so we snapped a few pictures, but overall the weather was rather miserable. So we made our way back to Taipei. That evening, Ed had planned to have dinner with some distant relatives and invited me along. And so there I found myself at a table with half a dozen of Ed's relatives. It was a fantastic meal, with chicken, steak, shrimp, ribs, and much much more. I didn't snap any pictures because of the setting, but it was certainly a great experience.
So that's it. Overall, Taiwan was much more enjoyable than I anticipated. It's chalk full of great street food, the people are very friendly and it's super easy to navigate. Certainly a world apart from mainland China. In fact it almost feels like Japan at times. Definitely recommended. Now I'm in Phnom Penh for the weekend and will be heading to Japan on Sunday for the last leg of the trip.
Sunday we made our way east to Jiufen - a former gold mining town located about an hour east of the capital. Though it was wet and cold all day, we once again manage to eat a ton of food walking down the main street of the village. mushrooms, ice cream burritos, sea snails... the list goes on. We eventually were done in by the rain and we decided to retreat to Taipei for a nice dumpling dinner at one of the more famous spots in town - Din Tai Fung. It pretty much lived up to the hype with some delicious pork and crab soup dumplings. Making me hungry just thinking about it again! The night ended with an epic night of bowling in a random, and decidedly unpopular bowling alley. The lack of customers certainly didn't stop us from staying until they kicked us out at midnight.
Monday morning was spent visiting some of the main sites in and around Taipei. Once again it was rather cold and rainy, but we weren't to be stopped :) Most everyone headed out their own ways that evening, while I stayed back with Ed for a few more days. Once everyone headed to the airport, we caught a high-speed rail train to Sun-Moon Lake. It's the largest lake in Taiwan and is supposed to be known for its picturesque setting, with mountains surrounding the lake. We didn't do much that evening besides locate a place to stay and grab some food, but our plan the next day was to rent scooters and make our way around the lake.
Alas, it was raining once again, and so we scrapped that plan. Instead we took the bus to the other side of the lake to visit the main temple there and get a look at the scenery (through much fog). It cleared up a bit once we made it back to the town we were staying in, so we snapped a few pictures, but overall the weather was rather miserable. So we made our way back to Taipei. That evening, Ed had planned to have dinner with some distant relatives and invited me along. And so there I found myself at a table with half a dozen of Ed's relatives. It was a fantastic meal, with chicken, steak, shrimp, ribs, and much much more. I didn't snap any pictures because of the setting, but it was certainly a great experience.
So that's it. Overall, Taiwan was much more enjoyable than I anticipated. It's chalk full of great street food, the people are very friendly and it's super easy to navigate. Certainly a world apart from mainland China. In fact it almost feels like Japan at times. Definitely recommended. Now I'm in Phnom Penh for the weekend and will be heading to Japan on Sunday for the last leg of the trip.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
motorcycle (...err scooter) diaries: part 2
Day 3
I left the cool air of Mae Salong behind early on day three to make my way towards the town of Fang and Doi Ang Khan. There's nothing particularly interesting about Fang, but Doi Ang Khan is a peak with an agricultural center, which offers the local communities demonstrations on how to farm things other than opium. Opium really isn't produced in Thailand any more, but 20 years ago, this was at the forefront of the battle against the drug.
The road up to Doi Ang Khan was somewhat of an adventure. First I tried going up some small backroads - only to find that they'd been blocked off by the army because of its proximity to Burma. So after accidentally running into a military base I back tracked 20 miles to the main road and went up to the top the standard way. On the way back to the main road, I had a run-in with a snake. Now normally I wouldn't really flinch at the sight of a small snake, but this thing was roughly 12 feet long, basically the width of the road. I didnt have time to stop so I simply rolled right over it and kept going. Definitely gave me a good scare though.
Doi Ang Khan was pretty nice, though since it is the winter, there wasn't much in the way of fruits and veggies, mostly just flowers (hence the pictures below). The way back down wasn't so adventurous, and I spent a quiet night in Fang walking the weekly night market.
Day 4
I decided to head back to Chiang Rai today in order to leave me some time to get a few things done. So I picked out a few points of interest on the way home, not really knowing how nice any of them would be. First up was a waterfall. Turns out this "waterfall" was more like a little stream. I guess it's the dry season - oh well. Next up was Chiang Rai Winery. A little better than the waterfall but not much. There's weren't any vineyards to be seen as this "winery" only produces fruit wines. DOH! I had a small taste of their mangosteen wine and some herbal wine, neither of which I would recommend to anyone. Yuck. I didn't feel bad not buying anything since they didn't even want to give me a tour of their facilities.
Third on the list was a random bakery that was listed in my map. First success of the day. I don't normally care for sweet things much, but I could get used to eating mango pie. Delicious. Final stop on the way back was Wat Rong Khun, a modern temple that's certainly unique in Thailand. It was built in 1997 and unlike all the other temples, it's entirely white and has very non-tradition imagery like the sculpture of reaching arms when you enter the temple.
So... that's it. 4 days, 1 snake, 1 military base, about 300 miles, and a whole lot of interesting things along the way. Next up: Taipei for a long weekend!
I left the cool air of Mae Salong behind early on day three to make my way towards the town of Fang and Doi Ang Khan. There's nothing particularly interesting about Fang, but Doi Ang Khan is a peak with an agricultural center, which offers the local communities demonstrations on how to farm things other than opium. Opium really isn't produced in Thailand any more, but 20 years ago, this was at the forefront of the battle against the drug.
The road up to Doi Ang Khan was somewhat of an adventure. First I tried going up some small backroads - only to find that they'd been blocked off by the army because of its proximity to Burma. So after accidentally running into a military base I back tracked 20 miles to the main road and went up to the top the standard way. On the way back to the main road, I had a run-in with a snake. Now normally I wouldn't really flinch at the sight of a small snake, but this thing was roughly 12 feet long, basically the width of the road. I didnt have time to stop so I simply rolled right over it and kept going. Definitely gave me a good scare though.
Doi Ang Khan was pretty nice, though since it is the winter, there wasn't much in the way of fruits and veggies, mostly just flowers (hence the pictures below). The way back down wasn't so adventurous, and I spent a quiet night in Fang walking the weekly night market.
Day 4
I decided to head back to Chiang Rai today in order to leave me some time to get a few things done. So I picked out a few points of interest on the way home, not really knowing how nice any of them would be. First up was a waterfall. Turns out this "waterfall" was more like a little stream. I guess it's the dry season - oh well. Next up was Chiang Rai Winery. A little better than the waterfall but not much. There's weren't any vineyards to be seen as this "winery" only produces fruit wines. DOH! I had a small taste of their mangosteen wine and some herbal wine, neither of which I would recommend to anyone. Yuck. I didn't feel bad not buying anything since they didn't even want to give me a tour of their facilities.
Third on the list was a random bakery that was listed in my map. First success of the day. I don't normally care for sweet things much, but I could get used to eating mango pie. Delicious. Final stop on the way back was Wat Rong Khun, a modern temple that's certainly unique in Thailand. It was built in 1997 and unlike all the other temples, it's entirely white and has very non-tradition imagery like the sculpture of reaching arms when you enter the temple.
So... that's it. 4 days, 1 snake, 1 military base, about 300 miles, and a whole lot of interesting things along the way. Next up: Taipei for a long weekend!
Monday, March 1, 2010
motorcycle (...err scooter) diaries: part 1
Part of my thinking when I decided to make it back to Thailand so quickly was to get the traveling out of the way, and then have more time to do something interesting once back in Thailand. And so in Chiang Rai I made the decision to rent a scooter for a few days and check out the northernmost part of the country. So I bought a detailed road map of the area (this is a popular place for motorcycle trips, so there isn't a shortage of good maps) and started planning out the trip. I also bought a flight back to Bangkok for Friday night for a mere $60, and so that left me with 5 full days to travel.
Day 1:
I woke up early Sunday morning and found a rental shop that seemed halfway reputable. After copying my passport and leaving a deposit I was quickly on my way with a manual 110cc scooter - a real monster (which I was assured could actually make it up some of the steeper roads in the area). I headed north from Chiang Rai to Chiang Sean. A sleepy border town (with Laos) which had a good midday market - a perfect pit stop for lunch. After a hearty bowl of soup accompanied by plenty of smiles (nice to be back in Thailand), I continued just north to the Golden Triangle. It's where the borders of Laos, Thailand and Burma meet. As it turns out it's about as interesting as any other point along any your average international border - which is to say not very interesting at all. It's actually a giant tourist trap and I was glad I had my own wheels and I could get out quickly. However, just north of there is the Hall of Opium, which is a great exhibit, built by the Thai royal family, which details the history of the opium trade in and around the area.
After the museum visit, I continued onward towards Mae Sai, the border town with two bridges into Burma. The road there was a little better than the first section (which was mostly flat, boring, and under construction). As I followed the Mekong River, I passed through a number of small villages and essentially had the road to myself. I think I almost hit 55mph! When I arrived in Mae Sai, I was greeted by quite a bit of commotion. Turns out this is quite the lively little border town, and so I quickly found a hotel room, parked the scooter and walked around the market area. There wasn't much here I hadn't seen elsewhere in Thailand, so I made my way towards the main bridge into Burma. The border crossing was relatively simple. The Thais stamp your passport and wish you well and then the Burmese, err Myanmar army, takes your passport, gives you a temporary pass with your name on it, and lets you enter the country. You simply give them US$10 and they hold your passport until you leave the country. You aren't permitted to go too much further than the border town (Talichek) without a more formal permit/visa. I'd heard there wasn't really much of anything in Talichek, and that turned out to be pretty much true - not that I looked very hard. I simply went in, walked around the market (which had the same crap as in Thailand, plus some counterfeit cigarettes), found a coffee shop and had a Burmese beer. Overall I'd say it was a successful trip. I only stayed a couple hours, but I got a $10 stamp in my passport, and tried a new beer - what more could you want. Back into Thailand for the evening.
Day 2:
Today promised to have some better roads to scooter along. In fact I made my way up into the mountains and drove in and out of valleys and along ridges all day long. Despite all the smoke from slash&burn agriculture, it really was a beautiful road to travel along. I mostly stayed on very minor roads, most of which were signed in Thai, and so I got lost a few times, but eventually found my way out thanks to the map I got in Chiang Rai. First up was Doi Tung, a peak along the Burmese border with a nice temple, and when it's not so hazy, presumably a good view too. The road I took to get there followed the Burmese border, which apparently means I had to cross three military check points along the way. Each time, the Thai officials smiled at me and waved me along without flinching.
Next stop was Thoed Thai. I think this spot has some historical significance for the Chinese, but I was hungry and so the only significance it had for me was delicious pork fried rice I ate. It really was some of the best I've had in Thailand, though since the town is half Chinese, this isn't much of a surprise. After lunch I proceeded on to my final destination - Mae Salong. This is another Chinese-ish town. It was settled by remnants of the Kuomintang army who moved from Burma to Thailand after the Communist Party consolidated its hold on China. (history lesson thanks to wikitravel). It's a lovely little town up on a ridge lined with tea shops and surrounded by tea plantations. There I found a great little bungalow with internet, Cable TV, hot shower (this isn't always a given), and reasonably comfy beds for just $6. Not bad.
So that's it for now. Two days - roughly 120 twisty miles and everything's still going well. Not sure where I'm headed the next three days, but I will probably stay up in the mountains as I'm really enjoying the cooler air (minus the smokey haze). Stay tuned.
Day 1:
I woke up early Sunday morning and found a rental shop that seemed halfway reputable. After copying my passport and leaving a deposit I was quickly on my way with a manual 110cc scooter - a real monster (which I was assured could actually make it up some of the steeper roads in the area). I headed north from Chiang Rai to Chiang Sean. A sleepy border town (with Laos) which had a good midday market - a perfect pit stop for lunch. After a hearty bowl of soup accompanied by plenty of smiles (nice to be back in Thailand), I continued just north to the Golden Triangle. It's where the borders of Laos, Thailand and Burma meet. As it turns out it's about as interesting as any other point along any your average international border - which is to say not very interesting at all. It's actually a giant tourist trap and I was glad I had my own wheels and I could get out quickly. However, just north of there is the Hall of Opium, which is a great exhibit, built by the Thai royal family, which details the history of the opium trade in and around the area.
After the museum visit, I continued onward towards Mae Sai, the border town with two bridges into Burma. The road there was a little better than the first section (which was mostly flat, boring, and under construction). As I followed the Mekong River, I passed through a number of small villages and essentially had the road to myself. I think I almost hit 55mph! When I arrived in Mae Sai, I was greeted by quite a bit of commotion. Turns out this is quite the lively little border town, and so I quickly found a hotel room, parked the scooter and walked around the market area. There wasn't much here I hadn't seen elsewhere in Thailand, so I made my way towards the main bridge into Burma. The border crossing was relatively simple. The Thais stamp your passport and wish you well and then the Burmese, err Myanmar army, takes your passport, gives you a temporary pass with your name on it, and lets you enter the country. You simply give them US$10 and they hold your passport until you leave the country. You aren't permitted to go too much further than the border town (Talichek) without a more formal permit/visa. I'd heard there wasn't really much of anything in Talichek, and that turned out to be pretty much true - not that I looked very hard. I simply went in, walked around the market (which had the same crap as in Thailand, plus some counterfeit cigarettes), found a coffee shop and had a Burmese beer. Overall I'd say it was a successful trip. I only stayed a couple hours, but I got a $10 stamp in my passport, and tried a new beer - what more could you want. Back into Thailand for the evening.
Day 2:
Today promised to have some better roads to scooter along. In fact I made my way up into the mountains and drove in and out of valleys and along ridges all day long. Despite all the smoke from slash&burn agriculture, it really was a beautiful road to travel along. I mostly stayed on very minor roads, most of which were signed in Thai, and so I got lost a few times, but eventually found my way out thanks to the map I got in Chiang Rai. First up was Doi Tung, a peak along the Burmese border with a nice temple, and when it's not so hazy, presumably a good view too. The road I took to get there followed the Burmese border, which apparently means I had to cross three military check points along the way. Each time, the Thai officials smiled at me and waved me along without flinching.
Next stop was Thoed Thai. I think this spot has some historical significance for the Chinese, but I was hungry and so the only significance it had for me was delicious pork fried rice I ate. It really was some of the best I've had in Thailand, though since the town is half Chinese, this isn't much of a surprise. After lunch I proceeded on to my final destination - Mae Salong. This is another Chinese-ish town. It was settled by remnants of the Kuomintang army who moved from Burma to Thailand after the Communist Party consolidated its hold on China. (history lesson thanks to wikitravel). It's a lovely little town up on a ridge lined with tea shops and surrounded by tea plantations. There I found a great little bungalow with internet, Cable TV, hot shower (this isn't always a given), and reasonably comfy beds for just $6. Not bad.
So that's it for now. Two days - roughly 120 twisty miles and everything's still going well. Not sure where I'm headed the next three days, but I will probably stay up in the mountains as I'm really enjoying the cooler air (minus the smokey haze). Stay tuned.
back to thailand
After my stay in muang ngoi neua, I started on my way back to Thailand. I wasn't sure where I'd end up that night, mainly because I got conflicting information on how long the different legs of the journey took. As it turns out I made it back to Chiang Rai in two days. Here's how:
Day 1:
Leave Muang Ngoi Neua on a crowded long tail boat. This time the engine isn't as loud and next to me are the people I met in the village. Going down river takes only 45 minutes (instead of over an hour upriver) and so despite leaving 30 minutes late I arrive at 10:15 or so in Nong Khiaw. Off to a good start. Cost: 20,000 kip ($2.35)
Next I head back to the bridge/bus station and buy a ticket on the 11am mini-van to Udomxai. I end up sitting next to two American girls, one of whom speaks Thai... (thai and lao are very similar) - so this would be helpful. Three and half hours later, four if you include the usual late departure, I arrive in Udomxai. Road was a bit bumpy but nothing compared to what was coming... Cost 40,000 kip ($4.70)
The mini-van driver offers to take those of us in the van who want to go onward all the way to Luang Nam Tha. He wants 65,000 kip, but we soon realize the local bus only cost 35,000 and leaves at 3PM (giving us an hour to stretch our legs). Local bus it is. After buying my ticket, I promptly lose it, get yelled at by the bus driver, but am allowed to continue. The road is just awful. Under construction, dirt road, dust, potholes, more dust, awful. Thank god for Dramamine. We arrive at nightfall in Luang Nam Tha and get on a shared ride pickup for 10,000 kip into town. For some reason bus stations in Thailand are always 8000 miles away from town centers. Anywho, we (the two american girls and I) find a hotel right where we get dropped off, clean the dust off everything and go grab some dinner. Hotel: 60,000kip, Dinner 45,000kip. Total cost 150,000 kip ($17.65)
Day 2:
I had planned on staying in Luang Nam Tha for a couple days, but the crappy roads, dust and long travel day made me reconsider. Instead I jumped on the earliest bus the next morning to Huay Xai at the Thai border. This road is a bit better for a while but quickly deteriorates as we wind through the mountains. It's also packed full, and at one point the kid sitting in the aisle next to me (and on a bag of rice) turns a shade of green that is never a good sign. I opened the window for him praying that he wouldn't lose his breakfast all over me and apparently the fresh air helped. Five minutes later a few people got out and he moved up to the seat in front of me - where he finally threw up. I had been spared. Three and half hours later (1pm) we arrive at the border. From there we catch another shared ride pickup to the border crossing across the Mekong. I swear I've crossed that river two dozen times now. Total Cost 55,000 kip ($6.50)
After going through the formalities and spending our last kip on some Chips Ahoy and a Coke (that was officially lunch i think), we hop on a long boat to cross the Mekong, arrive on a sandy beach, and go through Thai immigration. Welcome Home. Cost 10,000 kip ($1.20).
The girls are considering making the trek to Chiang Mai - another 5 hours, but I'm only headed to Chiang Rai, a paltry 2 hours away. After a 30 baht tuk tuk ride, I hop on the local bus headed to my final destination. After all this travel, I hardly flinch when I see a school bus that appears to be 40 years old. 2 hours in that thing - no problem. Total cost 95 baht ($3)
After all that, I finally arrive in Chiang Rai (which actually has a bus station near the center of town) and after walking around a bit, find a nice hotel room with everything but wifi. It's only 6PM, but feels like much later. I go grab some Pad Thai(!!!), a passion fruit smoothie, check my email at an internet cafe, and call it a night.
So there you go... 2 days, 15 hours of travel on wonderfully smooth roads and comfortable boats, and about $35 dollars later, I was back in Thailand. Till next time Laos. (sorry for the lack of pics through all this - it's best you use your imagination anyway)
Day 1:
Leave Muang Ngoi Neua on a crowded long tail boat. This time the engine isn't as loud and next to me are the people I met in the village. Going down river takes only 45 minutes (instead of over an hour upriver) and so despite leaving 30 minutes late I arrive at 10:15 or so in Nong Khiaw. Off to a good start. Cost: 20,000 kip ($2.35)
Next I head back to the bridge/bus station and buy a ticket on the 11am mini-van to Udomxai. I end up sitting next to two American girls, one of whom speaks Thai... (thai and lao are very similar) - so this would be helpful. Three and half hours later, four if you include the usual late departure, I arrive in Udomxai. Road was a bit bumpy but nothing compared to what was coming... Cost 40,000 kip ($4.70)
The mini-van driver offers to take those of us in the van who want to go onward all the way to Luang Nam Tha. He wants 65,000 kip, but we soon realize the local bus only cost 35,000 and leaves at 3PM (giving us an hour to stretch our legs). Local bus it is. After buying my ticket, I promptly lose it, get yelled at by the bus driver, but am allowed to continue. The road is just awful. Under construction, dirt road, dust, potholes, more dust, awful. Thank god for Dramamine. We arrive at nightfall in Luang Nam Tha and get on a shared ride pickup for 10,000 kip into town. For some reason bus stations in Thailand are always 8000 miles away from town centers. Anywho, we (the two american girls and I) find a hotel right where we get dropped off, clean the dust off everything and go grab some dinner. Hotel: 60,000kip, Dinner 45,000kip. Total cost 150,000 kip ($17.65)
Day 2:
I had planned on staying in Luang Nam Tha for a couple days, but the crappy roads, dust and long travel day made me reconsider. Instead I jumped on the earliest bus the next morning to Huay Xai at the Thai border. This road is a bit better for a while but quickly deteriorates as we wind through the mountains. It's also packed full, and at one point the kid sitting in the aisle next to me (and on a bag of rice) turns a shade of green that is never a good sign. I opened the window for him praying that he wouldn't lose his breakfast all over me and apparently the fresh air helped. Five minutes later a few people got out and he moved up to the seat in front of me - where he finally threw up. I had been spared. Three and half hours later (1pm) we arrive at the border. From there we catch another shared ride pickup to the border crossing across the Mekong. I swear I've crossed that river two dozen times now. Total Cost 55,000 kip ($6.50)
After going through the formalities and spending our last kip on some Chips Ahoy and a Coke (that was officially lunch i think), we hop on a long boat to cross the Mekong, arrive on a sandy beach, and go through Thai immigration. Welcome Home. Cost 10,000 kip ($1.20).
The girls are considering making the trek to Chiang Mai - another 5 hours, but I'm only headed to Chiang Rai, a paltry 2 hours away. After a 30 baht tuk tuk ride, I hop on the local bus headed to my final destination. After all this travel, I hardly flinch when I see a school bus that appears to be 40 years old. 2 hours in that thing - no problem. Total cost 95 baht ($3)
After all that, I finally arrive in Chiang Rai (which actually has a bus station near the center of town) and after walking around a bit, find a nice hotel room with everything but wifi. It's only 6PM, but feels like much later. I go grab some Pad Thai(!!!), a passion fruit smoothie, check my email at an internet cafe, and call it a night.
So there you go... 2 days, 15 hours of travel on wonderfully smooth roads and comfortable boats, and about $35 dollars later, I was back in Thailand. Till next time Laos. (sorry for the lack of pics through all this - it's best you use your imagination anyway)
Friday, February 26, 2010
muang ngoi neua
One of the reasons I wanted to get to Laos was to get away from everything - even for just a short amount of time. It seemed remote, and until very recently, I really hadn't heard a whole lot about it from friends or even other travelers. During the first ten days of the trip in Laos, I didn't feel especially disconnected from anything. I was traveling with my Kellogg friends and everywhere we went we had western food, internet cafes and well... electricity. I decided to change that this week. With all the Kellogg folks heading their seperate ways to other parts of the continent, I continued on in Laos making my way 4-5 hours north of Luang Prabang to a tiny village called Muang Ngoi Neua. I still don't think I'm pronouncing it right, but I made it here safely and without too much hassle. It started with a quick three-hour bus ride to Nong Khiaw from LP, where I was dropped off on one side of the bridge, litterally. There really wasn't a whole lot else to distinguish this as a bus stop - save perhaps a few other confused westerners and another mini-bus.
Luckily, I quickly found the one tourism company in Nong Khiaw and asked for directions to the "port." This in turn was nothing more than a little hut (where you buy tickets) and cement stairs leading down to the Nam Ou river. There I bought a ticket to Muang Ngoi Neua (which, as I mentioned, I don't know how to pronouce properly) and was informed that the boat left in two hours. This gave me ample time to find Nong Khiaw's finest dining establishment and order some fried noodles. They were good. So what if I got rice instead of noodles.
The boat ride was a bit dodgy as they say in some parts of the world. I'm not convinced that the boat was designed to carry 24 westerners and their oversized backpacks up through rapids, but who am I to say. Sitting in the back, and right next to a wonderfully noisy 4-cylinder Toyota engine, I could see the front of the long tail boat move in every direction but the one the back of the boat was moving in. Amusing really.
Muang Ngoi Neua is everything I hoped it would be. It's basically the little village that time almost forgot - but didn't. While there aren't any phone lines and the only electricity comes from generators which run for but a few hours in the evening, there are a number of guesthouses and bungalows, as well as restaurants, that cater to backpackers and a few adventurous tour groups. A relatively cold Beer Lao is never that far away - neither is the cell tower or the satelite dishes. I even found a place with a warm shower. It's really an easy way to get away from it all for a couple days.
I ended up spending two nights and only one full day there, but I met some wonderful travelers and had a great time exploring the local villages on my own. Locals and tourists alike are quick to point you in the right direction as you're wandering through the dry rice paddy fields behind town, and other than the occasional snake or water buffalo, there really isn't much else to worry about. In the end, it's exactly what I hope Laos would be and if I didn't need to get back to reality sooner, I would happily spend a couple more days here just watching the overfilled long tail boats take tourists in and out of this little village on the Nam Ou River.
Luckily, I quickly found the one tourism company in Nong Khiaw and asked for directions to the "port." This in turn was nothing more than a little hut (where you buy tickets) and cement stairs leading down to the Nam Ou river. There I bought a ticket to Muang Ngoi Neua (which, as I mentioned, I don't know how to pronouce properly) and was informed that the boat left in two hours. This gave me ample time to find Nong Khiaw's finest dining establishment and order some fried noodles. They were good. So what if I got rice instead of noodles.
The boat ride was a bit dodgy as they say in some parts of the world. I'm not convinced that the boat was designed to carry 24 westerners and their oversized backpacks up through rapids, but who am I to say. Sitting in the back, and right next to a wonderfully noisy 4-cylinder Toyota engine, I could see the front of the long tail boat move in every direction but the one the back of the boat was moving in. Amusing really.
Muang Ngoi Neua is everything I hoped it would be. It's basically the little village that time almost forgot - but didn't. While there aren't any phone lines and the only electricity comes from generators which run for but a few hours in the evening, there are a number of guesthouses and bungalows, as well as restaurants, that cater to backpackers and a few adventurous tour groups. A relatively cold Beer Lao is never that far away - neither is the cell tower or the satelite dishes. I even found a place with a warm shower. It's really an easy way to get away from it all for a couple days.
I ended up spending two nights and only one full day there, but I met some wonderful travelers and had a great time exploring the local villages on my own. Locals and tourists alike are quick to point you in the right direction as you're wandering through the dry rice paddy fields behind town, and other than the occasional snake or water buffalo, there really isn't much else to worry about. In the end, it's exactly what I hope Laos would be and if I didn't need to get back to reality sooner, I would happily spend a couple more days here just watching the overfilled long tail boats take tourists in and out of this little village on the Nam Ou River.
luang prabang
Everything I'd heard about the old capital of Laos turned out to be true - right down to the 11pm curfew. It's an extremely picturesque little town, with old french colonial buildings lining the streets and a relaxed atmosphere which slows everyone right down. I spent almost a week there enjoying the easy-going town and a few of the local attractions. I arrived a day earlier than John, Neha, Connie, and Kimberly to meet up with the Hong Kong Kellogg crew who were doing a rapid tour of SE Asia over their Chinese New Year break. After an arduous seven hour drive through endlessly winddy mountain roads from Vang Vieng, I arrived mid afternoon and made my way to the main street to rent a scooter. "$18 for one day - you've gotta be out of your mind!" And so ended my quest to rent a scooter. That evening I met up with Amity, Ashley, Darren, and Chris for some dinner, drinks, a massage, and a stroll through the night market. These activities would be repeated a number of times throughout the week.
Though we had every intention of making it to the local waterfall the next day, the unseasonably cold weather dictated that we find something else to do. And so we did - spending the day sampling the street food on offer, and specifically the pho - or foe as they spell it here. We also made a little trip to the locals market to take in the sights and sounds and this didn't dissapoint - rats, frogs, dogs... you name the animal, it was chopped up and ready to be cooked. I'm not entirely sure what else we accomplished that day - unless you consider the aforementioned - dinner, drinks, massage and stroll through the market an accomplishment. A cold, yet relaxing, day all around.
The next day, with John, Neha, Connie and Kimberly back in the mix, we all rented a long-tail boat (and its driver) and made our way down-river to the waterfall. Now that the weather was once again cooperating, this turned out to be one of the nicer waterfalls yet - even during the dry season. The rest of the day we did what we do best - eat, drink and enjoy a massage :)
We kept up the same routine almost daily for the rest of our stay.mixing in a few other activities including treks up into the local villages and even a tiny little bit of wat-seeing. Overall I really enjoyed Luang Prabang. It's clearly in the midst of a huge tourist boom, and is clearly changing on a daily basis. I would certainly recommend it to anyone traveling through the area, especially if you want to relive a small part of colonial French Indochine.
Though we had every intention of making it to the local waterfall the next day, the unseasonably cold weather dictated that we find something else to do. And so we did - spending the day sampling the street food on offer, and specifically the pho - or foe as they spell it here. We also made a little trip to the locals market to take in the sights and sounds and this didn't dissapoint - rats, frogs, dogs... you name the animal, it was chopped up and ready to be cooked. I'm not entirely sure what else we accomplished that day - unless you consider the aforementioned - dinner, drinks, massage and stroll through the market an accomplishment. A cold, yet relaxing, day all around.
The next day, with John, Neha, Connie and Kimberly back in the mix, we all rented a long-tail boat (and its driver) and made our way down-river to the waterfall. Now that the weather was once again cooperating, this turned out to be one of the nicer waterfalls yet - even during the dry season. The rest of the day we did what we do best - eat, drink and enjoy a massage :)
We kept up the same routine almost daily for the rest of our stay.mixing in a few other activities including treks up into the local villages and even a tiny little bit of wat-seeing. Overall I really enjoyed Luang Prabang. It's clearly in the midst of a huge tourist boom, and is clearly changing on a daily basis. I would certainly recommend it to anyone traveling through the area, especially if you want to relive a small part of colonial French Indochine.
Friday, February 19, 2010
lethargy and debauchery
Someone on wikitravel describes Vang Vieng as "lethargy by day and debauchery by night." This isn't completely true. I'm not sure how to describe this place. On one hand it's nestled in a beautiful valley along a river in what would be a very serene setting if not for the hordes of backpackers that have turned this place into a bizarre world where watching endless American sitcoms and tubing down a river with a bucket of alcohol in hand seem perfectly logical. So first the town. It's two main streets are lined with restaurant/bars where no one talks. Why don't they talk? Cause all the bars show reruns of Friends, The Family Guy, and The Simpsons all day, every day. So basically everyone picks a bar based on what season is showing from one of those three shows (and only those three shows), and just sits around and watches as much as their little hearts desire. Of course they're all drinking large Beer Lao's, but really alcohol is an afterthought here.
On the other hand, along the river, alcohol appears to be a priority. Backpackers have managed to turn this tranquil spot spot into a year round spring break party - you might as well be in Cancun in March. Besides drinking, the activity of choice is tubing. You rent a tube in town and then get dropped off upriver, and proceed to slowly float back south into town, stopping at one of the many bars that line the river. Each bar obviously has various drink specials, but they also have swings, zip-lines, slides and other dangerous ways to launch yourself back into the river. Needless to say, safety does not appear to be anyone's primary concern.
I wish I could tell you I took part in this debauchery, but alas, we were content just tubing down the river watching the 18 year olds doing belly flops and giving themselves whiplash. It was remarkably amusing and just floating didn't wear us out too much - so that we could join them afterward for half a season of friends. One day of all this was enough for me however, so I left Neha, John, Kimberly and Connie behind, and moved north to Luang Prabang. The eight-hour mini-bus ride was, well... long, but certainly worth it. Traveling up Highway 13 in Laos has got to be one of the most picturesque trips you can take. The road is lined with schools, villages and people going about their daily routines. It was surely a fascinating way to see the country. Unfortunately as I was sitting in the middle of the bus, no pictures were taken. Hopefully I'll take some as I continue to travel north. (btw picture uploads are coming... just some minor technical difficulties)
On the other hand, along the river, alcohol appears to be a priority. Backpackers have managed to turn this tranquil spot spot into a year round spring break party - you might as well be in Cancun in March. Besides drinking, the activity of choice is tubing. You rent a tube in town and then get dropped off upriver, and proceed to slowly float back south into town, stopping at one of the many bars that line the river. Each bar obviously has various drink specials, but they also have swings, zip-lines, slides and other dangerous ways to launch yourself back into the river. Needless to say, safety does not appear to be anyone's primary concern.
I wish I could tell you I took part in this debauchery, but alas, we were content just tubing down the river watching the 18 year olds doing belly flops and giving themselves whiplash. It was remarkably amusing and just floating didn't wear us out too much - so that we could join them afterward for half a season of friends. One day of all this was enough for me however, so I left Neha, John, Kimberly and Connie behind, and moved north to Luang Prabang. The eight-hour mini-bus ride was, well... long, but certainly worth it. Traveling up Highway 13 in Laos has got to be one of the most picturesque trips you can take. The road is lined with schools, villages and people going about their daily routines. It was surely a fascinating way to see the country. Unfortunately as I was sitting in the middle of the bus, no pictures were taken. Hopefully I'll take some as I continue to travel north. (btw picture uploads are coming... just some minor technical difficulties)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
onto laos
Back to full time vacationing! This time I’m off to Laos with John, Neha and Kimberly from Kellogg as well as Connie who was also on exchange at Sasin from Cornell. Our trip started at the Bangkok train station where we caught an overnight train to the Laos border. Since the A/C units were all sold out, we settled for fan only 2nd class beds, which turned out not to be as bad as we imagined they might be. It wasn’t that hot at night, but keeping the windows open all night was loud and dusty – and so sleeping was a bit challenging. We arrived in Vientiane, the sleepy Laos capital at 11am, and after securing a hotel room for the night, we followed the Lonely Planet walking tour of the city... err town. With a population barely over 200,000, Vientiane is certainly one of the smaller capitals I’ve ever been to. We walked around rather lethargically, trying to get a quick feel for this new (to us) country. Unfortunately we were exhausted from our train trip, and so our walk, turned into a very lazy stroll through the blistering heat (it was probably 95 degrees and rather sunny). He hit some of the main sites, which were generally rather unimpressive, and so after an early meal, I passed out early for evening on my hotel bed. Somewhat unimpressed with the capital, we decided to move northward towards Vang Vieng, our next destination, four hours north of Vientiane. Overall though, it’s nice to visit a new country, with some new foods to try – including many baguette sandwiches :) There's certainly a strong French influence around town - both in terms of food and architecture. Alright onto Vang Vieng.
last hoorah in bangkok
My last week in Bangkok was somewhat eventful. After a fun, albeit exhausting, weekend in HK, our last week of school at Sasin was predictably full of presentations, papers and finals. Though these weren’t much fun, they weren’t especially stressful and so we still managed to have a pretty good time and fit in a few more Thai meals. Unfortunately halfway through the week I managed to also get my first bout of food poisoning (from a boring red curry at school) and so that slowed my eating for a couple days. Nevertheless we had a great going away seafood dinner on the river. Crab, prawns, various whole fried and steamed fish, goose feet, pork ears, and many other dishes were enjoyed by all (well perhaps not the pigs ear). I will certainly miss all this great food when I leave, and how easy it is to get at any time of the day.
The rest of the week was devoted to shopping. Ten new tailored shirts, two new pairs of pants, various t-shirts, a pair of shorts and plenty of other little trinkets were purchased at the weekend market and around town. The weekend market was somewhat like I remembered it (I hadn’t been back yet on this trip). It’s overwhelming, there’s tons of great food and of course there are endless deals to be had. You can buy everything from fish aquariums to giant brass horses to decorate your lawn. It’s also tremendously hot and crowded. Quite the experience.
Other than shopping and eating, I spent most of my time thinking about how much I’ll miss the conveniences of living in downtown Bangkok. Everything you could possibly need within a ten minute walk through any of the many massive malls and markets nearby, and aside from the traffic and pollution, it’s a pretty great place to live. So there it ends, now I’m off to Laos and beyond for sixth weeks before I return to reality and head back to Evanston.
The rest of the week was devoted to shopping. Ten new tailored shirts, two new pairs of pants, various t-shirts, a pair of shorts and plenty of other little trinkets were purchased at the weekend market and around town. The weekend market was somewhat like I remembered it (I hadn’t been back yet on this trip). It’s overwhelming, there’s tons of great food and of course there are endless deals to be had. You can buy everything from fish aquariums to giant brass horses to decorate your lawn. It’s also tremendously hot and crowded. Quite the experience.
Other than shopping and eating, I spent most of my time thinking about how much I’ll miss the conveniences of living in downtown Bangkok. Everything you could possibly need within a ten minute walk through any of the many massive malls and markets nearby, and aside from the traffic and pollution, it’s a pretty great place to live. So there it ends, now I’m off to Laos and beyond for sixth weeks before I return to reality and head back to Evanston.
hong kong
Hong Kong weekend didn't quite go according to plan. The goal was to eat my way across town. Unfortunately alcohol and rain got in the way of that plan. I flew into Hong Kong on Friday evening after class along with Kimberly, Neha and John and we made our way to Darren's place in Causeway Bay - right in the middle of all the action on Hong Kong Island. It was late, but we didn't waste any time getting our first meal. We went just around the corner to a local beef noodle soup place. Not entirely sure what was in the soup though I think mine was filled with tendon, which I quite enjoy (the texture and flavor is somewhere between meat and fat... delicious!). Afterward we went up to LKF which is full of expat bars, clubs, pubs, etc. I wasn't quite feeling the banker crowd so much that night and neither was John. After a couple beers we called it a night and retreated back to Darren's, though not before stopping at a Chinese diner of sorts and getting noodles, Chinese french toast and various other bizarre concoctions at 3am (still early by HK standards).
Day two started with a stop at a soup dumpling and yellow-noodle soup place that Darren knew of in Kowloon. The soup dumplings were quite delicious as was everything else. The meal was surprisingly filling considering we mostly just had dumplings, potstickers and noodles, and so we went for a walk along Kowloon pier to check out the skyline on the other side of the bay. Unfortunately, it was rainy/foggy/cold (compared to Bangkok) all weekend and so the view left something to be desired, and the wind kept us from hanging around too long. We snapped some pictures and then made our way back into Kowloon so I could go buy a netbook - which I did. $380 for 14hours of battery life - not a bad deal!
After my purchase we made our way back to Darren's to prepare for what would turn out to be a very long night. We had dinner at a BBQ place where Darren decided to order roughly 15 dishes for 8 or so people. You can see everything we ate in the Chow section to the right - but it was a rather impressive spread of food. Duck, pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, and plenty of other animals were consumed. YUMMM! We returned back home for a little beer before attacking LKF street once again. The details after this become a little blurry despite our best attempts to piece them back together the next morning. Let's just say everyone made it home safely at some point between 4AM and 7AM. I did find a receipt for $85 for 12 Miller Lite's at 3AM though. Ooops.
And so that's about where the weekend ends. Sunday and Monday were spent recovering and watching the incessant rain fall over Hong Kong. No more big meals or crazy nights out. In fact we mostly stayed inside and watched movies. I would still chalk this up to a successful weekend - but certainly not how I saw it unfolding when I bought my flight 2 months ago.
Day two started with a stop at a soup dumpling and yellow-noodle soup place that Darren knew of in Kowloon. The soup dumplings were quite delicious as was everything else. The meal was surprisingly filling considering we mostly just had dumplings, potstickers and noodles, and so we went for a walk along Kowloon pier to check out the skyline on the other side of the bay. Unfortunately, it was rainy/foggy/cold (compared to Bangkok) all weekend and so the view left something to be desired, and the wind kept us from hanging around too long. We snapped some pictures and then made our way back into Kowloon so I could go buy a netbook - which I did. $380 for 14hours of battery life - not a bad deal!
After my purchase we made our way back to Darren's to prepare for what would turn out to be a very long night. We had dinner at a BBQ place where Darren decided to order roughly 15 dishes for 8 or so people. You can see everything we ate in the Chow section to the right - but it was a rather impressive spread of food. Duck, pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, and plenty of other animals were consumed. YUMMM! We returned back home for a little beer before attacking LKF street once again. The details after this become a little blurry despite our best attempts to piece them back together the next morning. Let's just say everyone made it home safely at some point between 4AM and 7AM. I did find a receipt for $85 for 12 Miller Lite's at 3AM though. Ooops.
And so that's about where the weekend ends. Sunday and Monday were spent recovering and watching the incessant rain fall over Hong Kong. No more big meals or crazy nights out. In fact we mostly stayed inside and watched movies. I would still chalk this up to a successful weekend - but certainly not how I saw it unfolding when I bought my flight 2 months ago.
Monday, February 1, 2010
boxing and buckets
The pictures below are from a Muay Thai boxing event we attended last week and this past weekend in Ko Pha Ngan. The boxing was rather enjoyable - much more interesting than last time I went in '06. Many of the fights were well contested and the crowd was really into it, which always makes it better. We saw one knock-out out of the ten fights and there were even skirmishes in the crowd... After the fights we made our way to what is supposed to be some of the best Pad Thai in Bangkok. I found it quite delicious, although perhaps not the best ever.
Ko Pha Ngan lived up to the expectations. We arrived early Saturday morning and spent the day relaxing at the hotel in anticipation of the long night that awaited us. After a thunderstorm that had us worried about the evening's plans, we finally made it to the party on Haad Rin beach just after midnight. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but it was an 18-year old's dream come true. And for a 30 year old... it was still rather entertaining to be a part of. Buckets of alcohol, lots of music and Besides the monthly full moon parties, Ko Pha Ngan seems like a beautiful island with long stretches of soft sand and palm trees in every direction. Worth visiting even if you don't attend the parties and it's certainly somewhere someone could decide to drop everything and call home. Not that I would ever think of doing that...
Ko Pha Ngan lived up to the expectations. We arrived early Saturday morning and spent the day relaxing at the hotel in anticipation of the long night that awaited us. After a thunderstorm that had us worried about the evening's plans, we finally made it to the party on Haad Rin beach just after midnight. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but it was an 18-year old's dream come true. And for a 30 year old... it was still rather entertaining to be a part of. Buckets of alcohol, lots of music and Besides the monthly full moon parties, Ko Pha Ngan seems like a beautiful island with long stretches of soft sand and palm trees in every direction. Worth visiting even if you don't attend the parties and it's certainly somewhere someone could decide to drop everything and call home. Not that I would ever think of doing that...
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
chow
I was hoping to have more of a food focus on the blog, but really haven't done that very well to this point. So now, as you may have noticed, I added a little section to the right which will keep track of most of what I eat over the next two months. I'll just keep adding pictures to the slide show so that you just need to check out the last few pictures. Better late than never...
Monday, January 25, 2010
hiking doi chiang dao
This past weekend I opted to head back north to Chiang Mai for a little hiking, some cooler weather and a bit of an adventure. After a long night of drinking with the Kellogg folks Friday evening, we started off the weekend with a day-long Thai massage class on Saturday. Turns out giving a proper Thai massage is rather strenuous. Not ideal when you stay up to the wee hours partying the night before. Nevertheless, it was still a whole lot of fun, though I'm not entirely sure my massage skills have actually improved any.
Sunday, Joud, John and I rented scooters and went north to Chiang Dao for the day. Now this was a bit of an adventure... In general, there isn't much hiking to be dne in Thailand, and unless you're with a guide, there's not too many hints as to where trails might go, or if they even exist. Nevertheless, we wanted to do a hike, didn't want to follow a guide, and only had a day. Doi Chiang Dao, the third highest peak in Thailand, and 80km north of Chiang Mai seemed like a perfect challenge. So with that in mind, we set off at 7am to get an early start on the hike. The only directions we had were from a random blog post I had found on the internet, which claimed that the hike was doable in a day: 3-4 hours up, 2-3 hours down. The vertical was purportedly 3000 ft or so. Besides this post, there wasn't much to be found anywhere online about the hike. All the other information we had from various travel agencies around Chiang Mai claimed that it was a two day hike, and that hiring a guide was a sensible idea. course you all know how I operate by now...
So we got to Chiang Dao at about 8:30 or so and decided to fuel up with some breakfast. Fried rice for John and I and two eggs (including one heart shaped egg) for Joud. A good start. Then we had to find the wildlife sanctuary main office which was mysteriously located at a different spot than where you enter the park. After finally convincing the park ranger that we were capable of doing what she thought was at least a 6-8 hour climb in 3 hours, that our bikes would not be stolen and that we knew what we were doing, she finally sold us an entrance pass for 200baht. Now we had to find the actual trailhead, which of course is not marked. We drove about 12km up a very steep hill, which was rather challenging when you're topping out at 4mph. After stalling a couple times, we eventually found the unmarked trail head (thanks to the blog post we'd printed out), parked and locked our bikes and started up the trail.
The trail was actually easy to follow, since guides to take tourists up and down regularly. The hike was a bit more strenuous than I had anticipated but after 3 hours of straight climbing we had made it to the top... or not. actually john is the only one that made it all the way up. Joud and I essentially quit 20 minutes from the peak. What can I say - you can't win everything. Nevertheless, it was a great hike and certainly doable in a day.
The ride home was a bit of an adventure since we left as the sun was setting. A hour and a half drive on a scooter at night in Thailand is not exactly relaxing. However, the roads were relatively straight, well lit, and well paved, and we carefully made it back safely to Chiang Mai in time for dinner and a well deserved beer. Once I get John's pictures of the peak and the thai massage class I'll post those up too.
Now back in Bangkok for week three of classes and two midterms on Thursday! hooray!
Sunday, Joud, John and I rented scooters and went north to Chiang Dao for the day. Now this was a bit of an adventure... In general, there isn't much hiking to be dne in Thailand, and unless you're with a guide, there's not too many hints as to where trails might go, or if they even exist. Nevertheless, we wanted to do a hike, didn't want to follow a guide, and only had a day. Doi Chiang Dao, the third highest peak in Thailand, and 80km north of Chiang Mai seemed like a perfect challenge. So with that in mind, we set off at 7am to get an early start on the hike. The only directions we had were from a random blog post I had found on the internet, which claimed that the hike was doable in a day: 3-4 hours up, 2-3 hours down. The vertical was purportedly 3000 ft or so. Besides this post, there wasn't much to be found anywhere online about the hike. All the other information we had from various travel agencies around Chiang Mai claimed that it was a two day hike, and that hiring a guide was a sensible idea. course you all know how I operate by now...
So we got to Chiang Dao at about 8:30 or so and decided to fuel up with some breakfast. Fried rice for John and I and two eggs (including one heart shaped egg) for Joud. A good start. Then we had to find the wildlife sanctuary main office which was mysteriously located at a different spot than where you enter the park. After finally convincing the park ranger that we were capable of doing what she thought was at least a 6-8 hour climb in 3 hours, that our bikes would not be stolen and that we knew what we were doing, she finally sold us an entrance pass for 200baht. Now we had to find the actual trailhead, which of course is not marked. We drove about 12km up a very steep hill, which was rather challenging when you're topping out at 4mph. After stalling a couple times, we eventually found the unmarked trail head (thanks to the blog post we'd printed out), parked and locked our bikes and started up the trail.
The trail was actually easy to follow, since guides to take tourists up and down regularly. The hike was a bit more strenuous than I had anticipated but after 3 hours of straight climbing we had made it to the top... or not. actually john is the only one that made it all the way up. Joud and I essentially quit 20 minutes from the peak. What can I say - you can't win everything. Nevertheless, it was a great hike and certainly doable in a day.
The ride home was a bit of an adventure since we left as the sun was setting. A hour and a half drive on a scooter at night in Thailand is not exactly relaxing. However, the roads were relatively straight, well lit, and well paved, and we carefully made it back safely to Chiang Mai in time for dinner and a well deserved beer. Once I get John's pictures of the peak and the thai massage class I'll post those up too.
Now back in Bangkok for week three of classes and two midterms on Thursday! hooray!
Monday, January 18, 2010
vespas and temples
I spent this weekend in and around Bangkok eating, going to markets and temples, and even doing a bit of school work - gasp! Saturday night I visited the Vespa Market, which is a weekly market geared towards Thai hipsters into older scooters. It was actually more of a flea market where you could buy anything from old Vespa parts to retro household items and everything in between. It was actually one of the more interesting markets I've been to in Thailand as the pictures below will hopefully attest to. Sunday I went north to Ayutthaya, the old Thai capital. It's something like a mini-Angkor Wat. Pretty cool, but not really on the same scale as all the temples in Angkor. As for food, yesterday I also discovered the all you can eat, conveyor belt hot pot. You're given a bowl of broth and then little plates of food to cook in the broth pass by in front of you continuously on the conveyor belt. Of course, there's also all the sushi, ice cream, appetizers, fruit and soda you can possibly consume in 80 minutes. All this for $9. Ridiculous.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
life in bangkok
First week of school life in Thailand is going well. Classwork seems far less rigorous than Kellogg, but the classes are generally pretty interesting. I'm currently enrolled in Competitive Strategy, Managing Human Capital in a Global Context and Spreadsheet Modeling. Most of the classes are 3.5 hours long with a 30 minute break in between. So I generally have class from 8:30-12:00 and then 1:00-4:30 every day of the week.
The best part of school by far is the outdoor swimming pool that is adjacent to the cafeteria. We often eat lunch pool side - certainly better than the LSR, and it's nice to go for a swim after class :)
So far the workload has allowed me to continue to explore Bangkok. On Tuesday I went to the Arab quarter for some tasty Lebanese food with a few Kellogg students. I hadn't been to that part of town yet, and after discovering how lively it is and how much great food there appears to be, I'll definitely be heading back. Wednesday we went to the Calypso Cabaret show, which was... interesting. Not sure how to describe it other than a lot of Thai lady-boys dancing for 45 minutes... yikes.
Anyway, here are a few pictures from school and from in and around the city over the last couple days. This weekend I'm sticking around here, hitting up a market or two and perhaps heading north Sunday to the ancient capital of Ayuthaya.
The best part of school by far is the outdoor swimming pool that is adjacent to the cafeteria. We often eat lunch pool side - certainly better than the LSR, and it's nice to go for a swim after class :)
So far the workload has allowed me to continue to explore Bangkok. On Tuesday I went to the Arab quarter for some tasty Lebanese food with a few Kellogg students. I hadn't been to that part of town yet, and after discovering how lively it is and how much great food there appears to be, I'll definitely be heading back. Wednesday we went to the Calypso Cabaret show, which was... interesting. Not sure how to describe it other than a lot of Thai lady-boys dancing for 45 minutes... yikes.
Anyway, here are a few pictures from school and from in and around the city over the last couple days. This weekend I'm sticking around here, hitting up a market or two and perhaps heading north Sunday to the ancient capital of Ayuthaya.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
kanchanaburi and beyond
I spent the weekend in Kanchanaburi province as planned. It's about 120km or about a 3 hour bus ride north of Bangkok. I really had a good time there as there is plenty to do in and around Kanchanaburi, yet it's one of the few places in Thailand that isn't completely overrun by tourists. It's kind of like a mini-Chiang Mai. I got there midday Friday and promptly made my way to the Death Bridge Museum and the adjoining war memorial cemetery. Both commemorate the enormous loss of life during the building the Thailand-Burma railroad at the hands of the Japanese in WWII. It's a rather somber place to visit, but was thoroughly fascinating and well worth it. Once done with that I made my way to the famous Bridge on the River Kwai which was packed with tourist, but with a better understanding of the history behind it, it was worth the detour. Now I I just have to see the movie.
On Saturday, I rented a scooter and drove myself further northwest to Erewan National Park. There I climbed the seven levels of the Erewan Waterfall, which was one of the nicer waterfalls I have ever seen. After couple hours of hiking and bathing in the waterfall pools, I continues another 10km on a dirt road to visit a cool little cave. I was the only one there - benefits of not being part of a tour group - and the park ranger took me around the cave with his pressurized kerosene lantern in hand. Besides the usual stalactites and stalagmites, I also saw the worlds smallest mammal - the bumblebee bat which is 11mm when fully grown. The 100-mile round trip on a small scooter was a bit long, but definitely worth it.
Sunday, I decided to continue exploring the region on my trustee little scooter and headed northwest once again (albeit on a different road) to Hellfire Pass and on to the local hot springs. This trip was a bit longer - about 90 miles each way, and while I'm glad I stopped at Hellfire Pass, I could have passed on the hot springs. Hellfire Pass was also part of the Thailand-Burma railroad, and was considered a particularly difficult stretch to build. The workers essentially dug through 25 meters of solid rock in some spots to build the rail bed. Thousands died in the process. Seeing the mass of rock that needed to be excavated manually was definitely impressive. Meanwhile, the hot springs were overrun with vacationing Thais and busloads of Russians, which made for a not-so-relaxing stop. I decided to go on a little further to the town of Thong Pha Phum simply to see a bit more of the countryside. Overall a great day of exploring.
Now I'm back in Bangkok about to go to school orientation. Not sure what the blog will be like when I'm actually "studying," but I'll try to keep it going.
On Saturday, I rented a scooter and drove myself further northwest to Erewan National Park. There I climbed the seven levels of the Erewan Waterfall, which was one of the nicer waterfalls I have ever seen. After couple hours of hiking and bathing in the waterfall pools, I continues another 10km on a dirt road to visit a cool little cave. I was the only one there - benefits of not being part of a tour group - and the park ranger took me around the cave with his pressurized kerosene lantern in hand. Besides the usual stalactites and stalagmites, I also saw the worlds smallest mammal - the bumblebee bat which is 11mm when fully grown. The 100-mile round trip on a small scooter was a bit long, but definitely worth it.
Sunday, I decided to continue exploring the region on my trustee little scooter and headed northwest once again (albeit on a different road) to Hellfire Pass and on to the local hot springs. This trip was a bit longer - about 90 miles each way, and while I'm glad I stopped at Hellfire Pass, I could have passed on the hot springs. Hellfire Pass was also part of the Thailand-Burma railroad, and was considered a particularly difficult stretch to build. The workers essentially dug through 25 meters of solid rock in some spots to build the rail bed. Thousands died in the process. Seeing the mass of rock that needed to be excavated manually was definitely impressive. Meanwhile, the hot springs were overrun with vacationing Thais and busloads of Russians, which made for a not-so-relaxing stop. I decided to go on a little further to the town of Thong Pha Phum simply to see a bit more of the countryside. Overall a great day of exploring.
Now I'm back in Bangkok about to go to school orientation. Not sure what the blog will be like when I'm actually "studying," but I'll try to keep it going.
Friday, January 8, 2010
mabuhay!
Spent the last week in the Philippines with my sister, Liz. We didn’t a whole lot of time in Manila and instead went south to Lake Taal straight away. There we climbed the world’s smallest active volcano for a peek inside. Not only is it the worlds smalled volcano, but its basically a lake within an island within a lake within an island... Unfortunately there's not much going on volcano-wise besides the small inner lake and a bit of stinky sulfur steam. We only spent a night in the nearby town of Talisay, since there wasn’t much of anything going on - it was actually somewhere between empty and deserted. So we continued south via tricycles (the local variation of the tuk-tuk, though even more rickety and dangerous), jeepneys (extended jeeps that serve as defacto jitneys/buses around the country – also not particularly comfortable), a bus, and a ferry. Eventually we got to White Beach near Puerto Galera, located on the northern end of Mindoro island. There we mostly relaxed, doing a bit of kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, and taking a drive out to see some waterfalls on a scooter. The island is very quiet with most of the activity revolving around scuba diving. Overall the food was pretty mediocre as the island was pretty isolated, so we didn’t really eat anything that was worth writing home about – actually I don’t think we ate veggies for three straight days. Yum! Overall, we only got a brief taste of the Philippines and had a good bit of fun – but it sure seemed disorganized! Now Liz is on her way home and I’m back in Bangkok about to head up to Katchanaburi – of Bridge on the River Kwai fame - for the weekend, before school starts on Monday.
Friday, January 1, 2010
bangkok
I've spent the last few days with the family in Bangkok. It's is a huge, quite exhausting, rather frustrating, very hot, and yet thoroughly fascinating place. The pictures below are from the touristy side of Bangkok. A canal tour along the Chao Praya River, a trip to the Jim Thompson house, a visit to the grand Palace and Wat Po and some good food along the way. Next time I'll try to capture the craziness of the city a bit more, but here are the pics for now. Now Liz and I are off to the Philippines, while the rest of the family heads back to the cold. We'll be heading towards some hopefully not-too-active volcanoes and will try to get some r&r at the beach.
angkor part deux
here's the second round of temples from cambodia. Not quite as prolific as the first day, but some nice temples this time around as well - most notably Ta Prohm, or the "Indiana Jones Temple"
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