Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Massage Class: Day 2
Our second day of class went relatively well. During the first hour Mos showed us a new group of postures and the rest of the day we practiced on each other. Classes only run from 9:00 to 4:00 with a one our lunch break. Six hours of class is certainly enough for one day. It's interesting to note how many of the new postures seem to resemble torture techniques. This is sure a different type of massage from the usual ones back home. At least we get to keep our clothes on. Still, several times we though how we would gladly trade an article or two of clothing for a little bit easier massage. Nevertheless, it is still engaging and we are learning a lot. We are taking copious notes and already making a list of people that we can't wait to try this out on - so beware, haha!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Massage Class: Day 1
We started our classes today at The Fine Art of Thai Massage. The school is located in a narrow 5 story building in the heart of the old city. Mos, our instructor, is a 30 yr. old Thai man who has been in and around Thai massage his entire life. He and his brother Mac learned early on from his parents who were also both Thai massage instructors. There are only four students in the class so there is a lot of personal attention. The two other students, Ainoa, a young lady from Spain, and Georges, a young man from Greece, are both in their third week and just practicing this week so Mos has more time to focus on us. Thai massage is not necessarily relaxing, and there are a lot of positions that use pressure points, bending, pushing, pulling and twisting, and they can be uncomfortable. After the first day we are still excited about the class but a little uncertain about all the positions to learn. It looks like it will be a lot of work but we are excited and ready for the challenge.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Night Bazaar
The priority for our first full day in Chiang Mai was to find a place to stay. We left the Peppermint House, moved to the Prince Hotel for one night, then visited the Santitham Guest House. The Santitham was the place we were hoping for, and we were excited to get moved in as quickly as possible.
Our afternoon task was to locate the Thai Massage school. It was smack dab in the middle of the old city on Rachamanka Road, which is one of the primary streets in that area. Still having a little trouble with the language, we started giving things our own names and using mnemonics to help us remember important words and phrases. Rachamanka Road we fondly renamed Rachmaninoff. Hello in Thai is 'Sawadee Khrap', or our much easier Americanized version 'sweaty cup'. Useful to know here in this laid back culture is the phrase for 'never mind', 'Mai Pan Wri', or our simpler version, 'my pen writes'. We have finally learned Thai for 'Thank You' well enough to be understood but still foreign sounding enough to get a few laughs, although we fail to see what's so funny about our version, 'cop's coon crap'.
The evening turned out to be rather bizarre, a night bazaar in fact. Every Sunday night a portion of the old city streets are closed to vehicles and come alive with hundreds of food and merchandise vendors. The market is popular with both the tourists and the locals because of the good quality products and food sold at very low prices. The 'walking market' as it is also called, is promoted by the city as a way for locals to sell their handcrafted products, and as a way to showcase the area's culture, food and entertainment. We found the prices to be lower and the selection of goods larger than most of the other shopping areas we've seen, and the food was amazing, although much of it unrecognizable. Our recurring dialogue went something along the lines of "What in the World is that? We'll take two."
The walking market is hard to describe, and something that must be experienced. Huge masses of people visit the market, and they are often shoulder to shoulder - or stomach to back - and all trying to maneuver around each other. The best thing to relate it to is a weekend at Times Square, Burbon Street on Fat Tuesday, or when the doors open at WalMart on Black Friday. It is interesting to note that in spite of the mobs of people, everyone flows through the streets in an orderly and polite fashion. The people seem to follow similar patters when they drive. Watching the traffic here for the first time is almost terrifying, but after some experience we found that drivers are quite orderly and much more aware of what's going on around them than Americans driving at home while on their cell phones.
Most of the entertainment at the Walking Market is provided by underprivileged groups such as blind singers, crippled or elderly musicians, and also performances by local school kids and small children performing in traditional Thai costumes. We observed a demonstration by Thai monks, although we never did figure out what they were doing.
Our favorite part has to be the food. We had a plate of ten pieces of assorted sushi for about $3, real fruit smoothies for less than a $1 each, and bowls of noodles with 'mystery stuff' in them for less than 50¢. Not to mention lots of other things that we shouldn't mention because we wouldn't know how to mention them, such as the green squishy things with the white goopy stuff on top. The one thing we do know is that the prices are very low and the selection is enormous. We are already looking forward to returning next weekend.
Our afternoon task was to locate the Thai Massage school. It was smack dab in the middle of the old city on Rachamanka Road, which is one of the primary streets in that area. Still having a little trouble with the language, we started giving things our own names and using mnemonics to help us remember important words and phrases. Rachamanka Road we fondly renamed Rachmaninoff. Hello in Thai is 'Sawadee Khrap', or our much easier Americanized version 'sweaty cup'. Useful to know here in this laid back culture is the phrase for 'never mind', 'Mai Pan Wri', or our simpler version, 'my pen writes'. We have finally learned Thai for 'Thank You' well enough to be understood but still foreign sounding enough to get a few laughs, although we fail to see what's so funny about our version, 'cop's coon crap'.
The evening turned out to be rather bizarre, a night bazaar in fact. Every Sunday night a portion of the old city streets are closed to vehicles and come alive with hundreds of food and merchandise vendors. The market is popular with both the tourists and the locals because of the good quality products and food sold at very low prices. The 'walking market' as it is also called, is promoted by the city as a way for locals to sell their handcrafted products, and as a way to showcase the area's culture, food and entertainment. We found the prices to be lower and the selection of goods larger than most of the other shopping areas we've seen, and the food was amazing, although much of it unrecognizable. Our recurring dialogue went something along the lines of "What in the World is that? We'll take two."
The walking market is hard to describe, and something that must be experienced. Huge masses of people visit the market, and they are often shoulder to shoulder - or stomach to back - and all trying to maneuver around each other. The best thing to relate it to is a weekend at Times Square, Burbon Street on Fat Tuesday, or when the doors open at WalMart on Black Friday. It is interesting to note that in spite of the mobs of people, everyone flows through the streets in an orderly and polite fashion. The people seem to follow similar patters when they drive. Watching the traffic here for the first time is almost terrifying, but after some experience we found that drivers are quite orderly and much more aware of what's going on around them than Americans driving at home while on their cell phones.
Most of the entertainment at the Walking Market is provided by underprivileged groups such as blind singers, crippled or elderly musicians, and also performances by local school kids and small children performing in traditional Thai costumes. We observed a demonstration by Thai monks, although we never did figure out what they were doing.
Our favorite part has to be the food. We had a plate of ten pieces of assorted sushi for about $3, real fruit smoothies for less than a $1 each, and bowls of noodles with 'mystery stuff' in them for less than 50¢. Not to mention lots of other things that we shouldn't mention because we wouldn't know how to mention them, such as the green squishy things with the white goopy stuff on top. The one thing we do know is that the prices are very low and the selection is enormous. We are already looking forward to returning next weekend.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Hotel Hop
The Peppermint Guest House is in a prime location in the old city and close to all 'the action' (whatever that is), and for $14 a night we couldn't go wrong, right?
Our room was on the third floor of the narrow building and was about the size of a small bedroom with a tiny adjoining bathroom. The bathroom was a 'onesey' like our last hotel in Bangkok where the whole area was basically a shower with a sink and toilet in it. The room was so small we couldn't shower without rubbing against the toilet, which was a very unpleasant feeling, plus the entire room was wet afterwards. There is no good way to explain the room. There was only one very old lumpy bed with only a bottom fitted sheet and a thin comforter, and nothing in between. The pillows were about 6 inches high and felt like sandbags that wouldn't bend or form to the head. We figured they were probably acquired cheaply after all the recent flooding receded. There was a large window with very thin drapes that did a disastrous job of blocking out the city lights (which happened to be shining directly at our window) making it bright enough to read all through the night. The concrete floor was sticky, there was only one electric socket, and an army of ants had already staked their claim for most of the room. We slept in our clothes. Not surprisingly, the little bit we did sleep we both had bizarre dreams concerning things such as prison camps and tar babies. Needless to say we were checked out as soon as we could get our stuff together in the morning. Lesson learned: for $14 a night, you can't go right.
Having just cancelled our two weeks of respite at the Peppermint, we were officially homeless once again. Looking online earlier we had seen a hotel which fit our budget, and with a name like Prince Hotel we couldn't go wrong, right?
The room at the Prince was definitely an improvement, and was more than twice the size of the previous place. The bathroom was larger and with more of a western feel and had a real bathtub. The bedding was softer with bottom AND top sheets. The sandbag pillows were back but only about 3 inches high this time, so they were a little easier on the neck. However improved, it still didn't feel clean. The carpet felt dirty so we hated to remove our shoes, and the bathroom looked like it was host to a middle school biology project and in dire need of remodeling. A night or two was no problem but two weeks wasn't going to work. The Prince hotel turned out to be more of a Pauper place so we were back in the market for lodging.
Next on our list was the Santitham Guest House, located just outside the old city. We stumbled upon it by running searches on the Internet. It turned out to be by far the nicest and homiest place we've stayed in the entire trip. The guest house is actually a complex of small rooms and apartments in several buildings. The whole place is surrounded by a wall which separates it from the havoc and confusion of the surrounding city. The grounds are exquisite and covered with lush vegetation, flowers, trees and water features, and has many beautiful and serene areas for reflection and relaxation. It is an oasis to say the least, and is reminiscent of an upscale home in the Santa Barbara hills.
The other guests we've met so far are quite pleasant, and what is even more delightful is that everyone (for the most part) speaks English. Getting by on smiling and pointing is fine for a while, but some of that down home talk sho' is refreshin'. The owner, Noland, is a North Carolina native and has been quite cordial and available to help us get acquainted with the city. He even keeps bicycles on the premises at no charge for those bold and/or crazy enough to brave the streets. The rooms are comfortable, the beds and pillows are clean and soft, and the entire facility is impeccably clean. The room also includes a breakfast of fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, rolls and granola. For a weekly rate of only $23 a night, we finally found our home, and home sweet home it is!
Our room was on the third floor of the narrow building and was about the size of a small bedroom with a tiny adjoining bathroom. The bathroom was a 'onesey' like our last hotel in Bangkok where the whole area was basically a shower with a sink and toilet in it. The room was so small we couldn't shower without rubbing against the toilet, which was a very unpleasant feeling, plus the entire room was wet afterwards. There is no good way to explain the room. There was only one very old lumpy bed with only a bottom fitted sheet and a thin comforter, and nothing in between. The pillows were about 6 inches high and felt like sandbags that wouldn't bend or form to the head. We figured they were probably acquired cheaply after all the recent flooding receded. There was a large window with very thin drapes that did a disastrous job of blocking out the city lights (which happened to be shining directly at our window) making it bright enough to read all through the night. The concrete floor was sticky, there was only one electric socket, and an army of ants had already staked their claim for most of the room. We slept in our clothes. Not surprisingly, the little bit we did sleep we both had bizarre dreams concerning things such as prison camps and tar babies. Needless to say we were checked out as soon as we could get our stuff together in the morning. Lesson learned: for $14 a night, you can't go right.
Having just cancelled our two weeks of respite at the Peppermint, we were officially homeless once again. Looking online earlier we had seen a hotel which fit our budget, and with a name like Prince Hotel we couldn't go wrong, right?
The room at the Prince was definitely an improvement, and was more than twice the size of the previous place. The bathroom was larger and with more of a western feel and had a real bathtub. The bedding was softer with bottom AND top sheets. The sandbag pillows were back but only about 3 inches high this time, so they were a little easier on the neck. However improved, it still didn't feel clean. The carpet felt dirty so we hated to remove our shoes, and the bathroom looked like it was host to a middle school biology project and in dire need of remodeling. A night or two was no problem but two weeks wasn't going to work. The Prince hotel turned out to be more of a Pauper place so we were back in the market for lodging.
Next on our list was the Santitham Guest House, located just outside the old city. We stumbled upon it by running searches on the Internet. It turned out to be by far the nicest and homiest place we've stayed in the entire trip. The guest house is actually a complex of small rooms and apartments in several buildings. The whole place is surrounded by a wall which separates it from the havoc and confusion of the surrounding city. The grounds are exquisite and covered with lush vegetation, flowers, trees and water features, and has many beautiful and serene areas for reflection and relaxation. It is an oasis to say the least, and is reminiscent of an upscale home in the Santa Barbara hills.
The other guests we've met so far are quite pleasant, and what is even more delightful is that everyone (for the most part) speaks English. Getting by on smiling and pointing is fine for a while, but some of that down home talk sho' is refreshin'. The owner, Noland, is a North Carolina native and has been quite cordial and available to help us get acquainted with the city. He even keeps bicycles on the premises at no charge for those bold and/or crazy enough to brave the streets. The rooms are comfortable, the beds and pillows are clean and soft, and the entire facility is impeccably clean. The room also includes a breakfast of fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, rolls and granola. For a weekly rate of only $23 a night, we finally found our home, and home sweet home it is!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
My My Chiang Mai
Air was not our first choice in travel. We originally thought we would take a train from Phuket (in the South) to Chiang Mai (in the North) but a travel agent convinced us otherwise. The distance turned out to be 970 miles, but it looked so close on the map!
Air travel turned out to be similar to flying in the US. The airport was clean and modern, the flight was fast and easy and the price was reasonable for the distance covered. It was certainly a good bargain saving us two days of travel.
Chiang Mai’s rich history stretches back 700 years to the time of King Mengrai - the founder of the royal capital of the Lanna Kingdom (millions of rice fields). Chiang Mai means the “new city” and is located in Northern Thailand, about 720 km from Bangkok. Although "new" it has a small old city that is surrounded entirely by a moat. It also used to have a massive wall that surrounded it but most of the wall is now gone. The old city is a landmark packed full of shopping, temples and restaurants. Chiang Mai is blessed with magnificent mountains and a pristine landscape, covering an area of approximately 20,000 square km and is home to over 1.5 million people.
Although there is a large population here, it feels completely different than Bangkok. Describing Bangkok in terms of cooking it is like a pressure cooker. Chiang Mai is more like a campfire.
We arrived at the Chiang Mai airport and easily found a taxi to take us to our accommodations for the next two weeks. We had confirmed reservations to take classes at a local Thai Massage school, and it was refreshing knowing that we were not going to be moving again for the next two weeks.
Air travel turned out to be similar to flying in the US. The airport was clean and modern, the flight was fast and easy and the price was reasonable for the distance covered. It was certainly a good bargain saving us two days of travel.
Chiang Mai’s rich history stretches back 700 years to the time of King Mengrai - the founder of the royal capital of the Lanna Kingdom (millions of rice fields). Chiang Mai means the “new city” and is located in Northern Thailand, about 720 km from Bangkok. Although "new" it has a small old city that is surrounded entirely by a moat. It also used to have a massive wall that surrounded it but most of the wall is now gone. The old city is a landmark packed full of shopping, temples and restaurants. Chiang Mai is blessed with magnificent mountains and a pristine landscape, covering an area of approximately 20,000 square km and is home to over 1.5 million people.
Although there is a large population here, it feels completely different than Bangkok. Describing Bangkok in terms of cooking it is like a pressure cooker. Chiang Mai is more like a campfire.
We arrived at the Chiang Mai airport and easily found a taxi to take us to our accommodations for the next two weeks. We had confirmed reservations to take classes at a local Thai Massage school, and it was refreshing knowing that we were not going to be moving again for the next two weeks.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Foot Massage
Our last day in Phuket was quiet and relatively uneventful. Moving slowly as not to aggravate our sunburns, we were out of the hotel by noon. We planned to fly to our final destination of Chaing Mai from Phuket since it would have been a two day trip by train. Our ride to the airport wasn't scheduled to arrive till 5:00 pm, so we had a few hours left for last minute sightseeing.
We started the afternoon being a little adventurous and decided to try our luck at true local cuisine. We found a little place that had a long table paralleling the sidewalk with several large pots of unidentifiable items cooking inside them. The lady tending the table knew no English, but pointed at the pots as if we were supposed to figure out the contents by the number of wags her finger made over each pot. After giving us a good looking over, she pointed at two different pots and then pointed at each of us as if to say "You take this one and you take this one". We just smiled and nodded in agreement.
We found our way to a little table and in a moment we were served two plates of rice and two bowls with the contents of the pots she had recommended. We identified our respective dish and started eating.
As we were wrapping up our meal some local workers came in to eat and it was by watching them that we discovered what we should have done. They also were given large bowls of different items, but they ate 'family style'. Each scooped what they wanted out of the different bowls. Oh well, whatever it was we enjoyed it.
Our next stop for the day was the spa. We planned to take Thai Massage classes once in Chiang Mai, but neither of us had really ever had a real Thai massage. We thought it would be good to know what we were getting into. Here in Thailand there are more massage parlors than gas stations and churches combined back home. Literally every block has at least one and sometimes two or three. A full body massage here averages about $10-$12 an hour, and a foot massage is even less. We opted for just a foot massage.
The setting was serene and calming with soft music, and the two lady therapists seemed friendly and professional. One thing to note for those not familiar with Thai Massage Therapists, they are first cousins to Chiropractors. They do great work and can often do miracles, but they get there through pain and torture. The youngest of the two therapists would pull, push and crack something in my foot and then laugh as I would writhe in pain. The more I groaned the harder she pushed and the deeper she laughed. She twisted, yanked and pried and with every little whimper she became more tickled. As my feet turned numb and were no longer any fun to work on, she decided to abandon them and work her way up. Next thing I knew she was twisting my arms over my head and cracking my back. This was the oddest foot massage ever. When the hour was up we paid the bill and went back to the hotel. We still had time left before our ride to the airport so I curled up on a bench to try and recover.
We started the afternoon being a little adventurous and decided to try our luck at true local cuisine. We found a little place that had a long table paralleling the sidewalk with several large pots of unidentifiable items cooking inside them. The lady tending the table knew no English, but pointed at the pots as if we were supposed to figure out the contents by the number of wags her finger made over each pot. After giving us a good looking over, she pointed at two different pots and then pointed at each of us as if to say "You take this one and you take this one". We just smiled and nodded in agreement.
We found our way to a little table and in a moment we were served two plates of rice and two bowls with the contents of the pots she had recommended. We identified our respective dish and started eating.
As we were wrapping up our meal some local workers came in to eat and it was by watching them that we discovered what we should have done. They also were given large bowls of different items, but they ate 'family style'. Each scooped what they wanted out of the different bowls. Oh well, whatever it was we enjoyed it.
Our next stop for the day was the spa. We planned to take Thai Massage classes once in Chiang Mai, but neither of us had really ever had a real Thai massage. We thought it would be good to know what we were getting into. Here in Thailand there are more massage parlors than gas stations and churches combined back home. Literally every block has at least one and sometimes two or three. A full body massage here averages about $10-$12 an hour, and a foot massage is even less. We opted for just a foot massage.
The setting was serene and calming with soft music, and the two lady therapists seemed friendly and professional. One thing to note for those not familiar with Thai Massage Therapists, they are first cousins to Chiropractors. They do great work and can often do miracles, but they get there through pain and torture. The youngest of the two therapists would pull, push and crack something in my foot and then laugh as I would writhe in pain. The more I groaned the harder she pushed and the deeper she laughed. She twisted, yanked and pried and with every little whimper she became more tickled. As my feet turned numb and were no longer any fun to work on, she decided to abandon them and work her way up. Next thing I knew she was twisting my arms over my head and cracking my back. This was the oddest foot massage ever. When the hour was up we paid the bill and went back to the hotel. We still had time left before our ride to the airport so I curled up on a bench to try and recover.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Simon Cabaret
"Since opening in October 18, 1991, Phuket Simon Cabaret has established itself as a market leader of professional entertainment venue. For sheer entertainment, Our set designs are outstanding, costume extravagant and the performers glamorous! In the exclusive , luxurious and intimate theatre with hi-tech sound and lighting equipment." - Simon Cabaret Website
We heard about Simon Cabaret many times in route to and around Phuket. It was apparently THE show in town to see. It had a pretty heavy reputation to uphold and it held to every bit of it and more. The show was stunning, absolutely spectacular.
So why a Cabaret? That was our question too. The only thing we knew of a cabaret was the musical by the same name which mostly included scantily clad women singing risqué numbers in dark smokey rooms. But the Simon Cabaret was certainly not that, in fact it is a family oriented Las Vegas style show. While certain numbers may show a little extra skin, most numbers are full of dazzling costumes, fantastic sets and breathtaking pageantry, along with great music and comedy.
We were lucky enough to get third row seats and there wasn't an empty chair in the place. There are two and sometimes three nightly shows. Since they opened in 1991, there have only been two nights without a show, the day the queen died and the day the tsunami hit in 2004.
Why blog about the Simon Cabaret? I guess it was just for our sake since we couldn't stop talking about it after it was over. We were trying to summarize the show in a word or two and we gave up. It can't be done. It's like viewing an amazing outdoor nature scene of breathtaking beauty and then trying to capture the same feeling in word or picture.
A slide show of some of the numbers can be seen on their website at:
http://www.phuket-simoncabaret.com/show_list.php.
We heard about Simon Cabaret many times in route to and around Phuket. It was apparently THE show in town to see. It had a pretty heavy reputation to uphold and it held to every bit of it and more. The show was stunning, absolutely spectacular.
So why a Cabaret? That was our question too. The only thing we knew of a cabaret was the musical by the same name which mostly included scantily clad women singing risqué numbers in dark smokey rooms. But the Simon Cabaret was certainly not that, in fact it is a family oriented Las Vegas style show. While certain numbers may show a little extra skin, most numbers are full of dazzling costumes, fantastic sets and breathtaking pageantry, along with great music and comedy.
We were lucky enough to get third row seats and there wasn't an empty chair in the place. There are two and sometimes three nightly shows. Since they opened in 1991, there have only been two nights without a show, the day the queen died and the day the tsunami hit in 2004.
Why blog about the Simon Cabaret? I guess it was just for our sake since we couldn't stop talking about it after it was over. We were trying to summarize the show in a word or two and we gave up. It can't be done. It's like viewing an amazing outdoor nature scene of breathtaking beauty and then trying to capture the same feeling in word or picture.
A slide show of some of the numbers can be seen on their website at:
http://www.phuket-simoncabaret.com/show_list.php.
Gender Identity
Many languages include different forms for words based on the gender of the object referred to or who is speaking to whom. Most familiar to us is Spanish where even inanimate objects, such as a door or a book, are assigned a gender and words referring to it are translated as either male or female. English is probably in the minority of languages that don't change forms of words depending on gender. Thai also has different forms of words based on gender but in Thai the form is changed based on the speaker, not who is being spoken to. For example, 'thank you' in Thai ends with 'krup' if a male is speaking and ends with 'ka' if a female is speaking, regardless of who is being spoken to.
The point of the little language lesson is because here in Thailand they have a third gender of sorts, the 'ladyboy'. The 'ladyboy' is a transgender, or a person that started out as a male but has become a female with the assistance of surgery and/or hormones. In the USA, transgender people are still rather rare although we know they exist. In Thailand they are well known and while still somewhat of an entertainment to many, they are well accepted and integrated into society. In fact, the captain from the boat trip we took in Phuket told us that they even have their own gender ending for words. For example, when using the Thai word for 'thank you' a transgender would not use the male ending 'krup' or the female ending 'ka' but they end the word saying 'ha'. The boat captain said the reason is not to create a third gender but because they often look so convincing as as woman, it lets people know otherwise.
The point of the little language lesson is because here in Thailand they have a third gender of sorts, the 'ladyboy'. The 'ladyboy' is a transgender, or a person that started out as a male but has become a female with the assistance of surgery and/or hormones. In the USA, transgender people are still rather rare although we know they exist. In Thailand they are well known and while still somewhat of an entertainment to many, they are well accepted and integrated into society. In fact, the captain from the boat trip we took in Phuket told us that they even have their own gender ending for words. For example, when using the Thai word for 'thank you' a transgender would not use the male ending 'krup' or the female ending 'ka' but they end the word saying 'ha'. The boat captain said the reason is not to create a third gender but because they often look so convincing as as woman, it lets people know otherwise.
Monday, January 23, 2012
King Ping
Ever play Slug Bug when you were a kid? If you aren't familiar, it's a driving game - the first one to spot a Volkswagen Beetle says 'Slug Bug' and punches the other players on the arm.
In Thailand, there is a great national appreciation for their king. There are shrines and images of him everywhere, and on many are the words in English "Long Live the King". We created our own version of Slug Bug and call it King Ping. Every time we see an image of the king, we 'ping' each other on the arm, hence 'King Ping'! We started this little game while on a short road trip but when we got back inside Bangkok was had to stop. There were pictures of the king everywhere: on bridges, on buildings, in the mediums, on poles and at intersections. Had we not stopped our arms would have been bleeding by sundown.
Another interesting note about their patriotism - every day at 8:00am and 6:00pm their national anthem (the Phleng Chat Thai) is played on all TV and radio stations, all public places such as bus stations, sky train stations, schools and public markets. The Thai people all stop what they are doing and face the flag if near one, and all business stops until the song is through playing. Its not like in the USA when the National Anthem plays. While many people face the flag with hand over heart, many do not and to others its still business as usual. But in Thailand its almost like someone hits a giant pause button and literally everyone and everything stops. Immediately after the song finishes, it's back to business as usual. It is quite a moving experience to behold.
In Thailand, there is a great national appreciation for their king. There are shrines and images of him everywhere, and on many are the words in English "Long Live the King". We created our own version of Slug Bug and call it King Ping. Every time we see an image of the king, we 'ping' each other on the arm, hence 'King Ping'! We started this little game while on a short road trip but when we got back inside Bangkok was had to stop. There were pictures of the king everywhere: on bridges, on buildings, in the mediums, on poles and at intersections. Had we not stopped our arms would have been bleeding by sundown.
Another interesting note about their patriotism - every day at 8:00am and 6:00pm their national anthem (the Phleng Chat Thai) is played on all TV and radio stations, all public places such as bus stations, sky train stations, schools and public markets. The Thai people all stop what they are doing and face the flag if near one, and all business stops until the song is through playing. Its not like in the USA when the National Anthem plays. While many people face the flag with hand over heart, many do not and to others its still business as usual. But in Thailand its almost like someone hits a giant pause button and literally everyone and everything stops. Immediately after the song finishes, it's back to business as usual. It is quite a moving experience to behold.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Pink Phuket
We woke early and were the first to the breakfast area. Keeping with our other experiences so far, the breakfast did not disappoint. The minivan ride to the beach was a true cultural experience in itself. The first group was an older trio from Italy. The next group consisted of four young Israeli guys. The third group was a couple of scroungy looking Americans from Arkansas. The fourth group was a French couple and the last group to board was a Japanese couple with their young son. The multicultural trip lasted about an hour and resembled a tour bus in New York City.
We unloaded and merged with other groups, each with even more countries represented, at the tour office for Amazing Canoe Trips. The name instilled immediate concern. The tour guide suggested that we use the restroom before departing so we followed the arrows on the signs for "Amazing Toilets" and the name didn't disappoint either. We were amazed that we would be directed to the 'Amazing Toilets' only to find that all four stalls had "Out of Order" signs.
Thankfully we did not spend the 5 hr tour in canoes. The passengers were divided onto several large two level sightseeing boats. Our female captain was friendly and informative but spoke English with such a thick Thai accent it was difficult to understand her. Still, her voice sounded familiar - I was certain I had talked to her before on an AT&T technical support call.
Our first stop was James Bond Island. This spot was made famous when James Bond (Roger Moore) faced off with his enemy 'The man with the golden gun' (Christopher Lee). This tiny Island is marked with a highly recognizable landmark, a round stone jutting out of the water not far from the shoreline. It stands approximately 66 ft tall with a diameter of 13 feet at water level and 26 feet at the top. The island is perhaps more recognizable now by the abundance of booths and vendors selling James Bond Island and other local merchandise. Without deviation to the rule: A captive audience = sales.
The second stop on the trip we did use canoes. Passengers were divided into groups of two or three and assigned a 'canoe captain'. Later we found out that 'canoe captain' is a native Thai term which translates to 'Local among foreigners that collects tips'. The 'canoe captain' paddled us around a cove and through a short tunnel and then back around to the main boat.
Our next stop was yet another canoe ride with our same 'canoe captain' from the prior island. This time the destination was a bit more exciting. We were transported to the shoreline and let out at the mouth of a small cave which wasn't visible from the main boat. We were led though a winding passageway by our guide with flashlight in hand. He made sure to point out several 'features' of the cave, such as bats waiting to attach themselves to the young Chinese women in the group, or so these ladies thought based on their reactions. Water in the cave was knee hight at one point and at times the ceiling was too low to walk upright. The passage gave way to a hidden courtyard in the mountain, only accessible though the obscure path in which we came. The place looked like a scene from 'Land of the Lost' with tropical trees and odd protruding rock formations and made a memorable impression. Sunlight filtered down between gnarled vines and leaves from tree tops high above, and eerie sounds of birds echoed between the narrow walls. At high tide the entire area would be submerged, but for now it was an adventure. The only thing this secluded area was missing was a few vendors.
Back on the boat we had a very nice lunch and an afternoon swim in the Indian Ocean. After the swim, onboard dancing commenced among some of the passengers, and then we were given a short show by one of the local 'ladyboys' (a transgender person for which Thailand is well known). After returning to the dock, we headed back to our hotel to end an enjoyable day at sea. And if there is any curiosity as to why this entry is titled "Pink Phuket", it's because that's the way we looked at the end of the day.
We unloaded and merged with other groups, each with even more countries represented, at the tour office for Amazing Canoe Trips. The name instilled immediate concern. The tour guide suggested that we use the restroom before departing so we followed the arrows on the signs for "Amazing Toilets" and the name didn't disappoint either. We were amazed that we would be directed to the 'Amazing Toilets' only to find that all four stalls had "Out of Order" signs.
Thankfully we did not spend the 5 hr tour in canoes. The passengers were divided onto several large two level sightseeing boats. Our female captain was friendly and informative but spoke English with such a thick Thai accent it was difficult to understand her. Still, her voice sounded familiar - I was certain I had talked to her before on an AT&T technical support call.
Our first stop was James Bond Island. This spot was made famous when James Bond (Roger Moore) faced off with his enemy 'The man with the golden gun' (Christopher Lee). This tiny Island is marked with a highly recognizable landmark, a round stone jutting out of the water not far from the shoreline. It stands approximately 66 ft tall with a diameter of 13 feet at water level and 26 feet at the top. The island is perhaps more recognizable now by the abundance of booths and vendors selling James Bond Island and other local merchandise. Without deviation to the rule: A captive audience = sales.
The second stop on the trip we did use canoes. Passengers were divided into groups of two or three and assigned a 'canoe captain'. Later we found out that 'canoe captain' is a native Thai term which translates to 'Local among foreigners that collects tips'. The 'canoe captain' paddled us around a cove and through a short tunnel and then back around to the main boat.
Our next stop was yet another canoe ride with our same 'canoe captain' from the prior island. This time the destination was a bit more exciting. We were transported to the shoreline and let out at the mouth of a small cave which wasn't visible from the main boat. We were led though a winding passageway by our guide with flashlight in hand. He made sure to point out several 'features' of the cave, such as bats waiting to attach themselves to the young Chinese women in the group, or so these ladies thought based on their reactions. Water in the cave was knee hight at one point and at times the ceiling was too low to walk upright. The passage gave way to a hidden courtyard in the mountain, only accessible though the obscure path in which we came. The place looked like a scene from 'Land of the Lost' with tropical trees and odd protruding rock formations and made a memorable impression. Sunlight filtered down between gnarled vines and leaves from tree tops high above, and eerie sounds of birds echoed between the narrow walls. At high tide the entire area would be submerged, but for now it was an adventure. The only thing this secluded area was missing was a few vendors.
Back on the boat we had a very nice lunch and an afternoon swim in the Indian Ocean. After the swim, onboard dancing commenced among some of the passengers, and then we were given a short show by one of the local 'ladyboys' (a transgender person for which Thailand is well known). After returning to the dock, we headed back to our hotel to end an enjoyable day at sea. And if there is any curiosity as to why this entry is titled "Pink Phuket", it's because that's the way we looked at the end of the day.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Phuket by Bus
Several busses were lined up beside the train station. One of the train conductors pointed us in the direction of the last bus where we joined in the long line of tourists waiting to board. While the driver took his time loading bags belonging to waiting passengers we decided to satisfy our uncertainty by verifying our destination with a different driver. Turns out we were in the wrong line and the bus we were supposed to take had just pulled away. The man hollered down the road for someone to stop the bus and via relay it reached someone close enough to flag the bus to a stop. We ran and jumped on, wiping sweat from our brows, and away we went.
The drive to Phuket was another four hours. The bus was completely packed and for a short time we weren't seated together. I claimed the window seat next to a young woman from Europe. This was not the kind of woman you find modeling in classy Victoria Secret advertisements, this was one of the long lost European-Amazon women from the bush country, the kind that refrains from bathing and using those 'awful chemicals' such as deodorants and perfumes that they claim are bad for the body. Well they aren't bad for MY body, in fact my body was craving a healthy dose of chemicals right then, something more along the lines of Pine-Sol or perhaps a few refreshing cups of ammonia. I squeezed ever closer to the window, searching in vain for even the slightest crack in the glass that might grant me a wisp of fresh air and a short reprieve. I started digging furiously in my backpack for a more pleasant scent to mask the pervasive fumes. Old squished bananas, dirty crusty socks and even four day old underpants didn't do the trick. The bus stopped, a couple people exited, and I politely slipped out of my seat to claim one of the newly vacated ones. The young girl remarked as I slipped past, "Leaving so soon?" I was secretly wishing I had left my old underwear on the seat beside her.
The scenery started out like the other areas we've seen before, and slowly the mountains started poking their way out of the landscape. On the final hour of the bus ride, towering rock formations were lingering overhead. Phuket is Thailand's largest island and a favorite vacation destination. Its famed cliffs and unique rock formations gained international attention in the 1974 Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun". These famed formations remain a favorite spot on Asian travel calendars and promotional materials.
We had one final transition from bus to taxi before arriving at our hotel for the next two nights: the Seeka Boutique Resort on Patong beach. The facilities were beautiful and included a nice restaurant and pool. Our room was exceptional and the decor added to the beach island theme. We walked through town, had a nice but simple Thai dinner, and booked our following days' tour of the world renowned islands.
The drive to Phuket was another four hours. The bus was completely packed and for a short time we weren't seated together. I claimed the window seat next to a young woman from Europe. This was not the kind of woman you find modeling in classy Victoria Secret advertisements, this was one of the long lost European-Amazon women from the bush country, the kind that refrains from bathing and using those 'awful chemicals' such as deodorants and perfumes that they claim are bad for the body. Well they aren't bad for MY body, in fact my body was craving a healthy dose of chemicals right then, something more along the lines of Pine-Sol or perhaps a few refreshing cups of ammonia. I squeezed ever closer to the window, searching in vain for even the slightest crack in the glass that might grant me a wisp of fresh air and a short reprieve. I started digging furiously in my backpack for a more pleasant scent to mask the pervasive fumes. Old squished bananas, dirty crusty socks and even four day old underpants didn't do the trick. The bus stopped, a couple people exited, and I politely slipped out of my seat to claim one of the newly vacated ones. The young girl remarked as I slipped past, "Leaving so soon?" I was secretly wishing I had left my old underwear on the seat beside her.
The scenery started out like the other areas we've seen before, and slowly the mountains started poking their way out of the landscape. On the final hour of the bus ride, towering rock formations were lingering overhead. Phuket is Thailand's largest island and a favorite vacation destination. Its famed cliffs and unique rock formations gained international attention in the 1974 Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun". These famed formations remain a favorite spot on Asian travel calendars and promotional materials.
We had one final transition from bus to taxi before arriving at our hotel for the next two nights: the Seeka Boutique Resort on Patong beach. The facilities were beautiful and included a nice restaurant and pool. Our room was exceptional and the decor added to the beach island theme. We walked through town, had a nice but simple Thai dinner, and booked our following days' tour of the world renowned islands.
Traveling by Train
When we boarded our train we were expecting a sleeper car but there were no beds visible. We staked our claim on a couple seats and hoped we were in the right place. Soon every seat was taken by other travelers from all over the World; The US, Israel, France, the UK, Germany... the list goes on. The train departed exactly at the time scheduled and we slowly made our way through Bangkok. Looking out the windows we could peer into the homes of some of the poorest locals we've seen yet; those who can only afford to live next to busy train tracks. These were truly shacks, obviously pieced together by what could be salvaged and standing due to being precariously affixed to the adjoining shanties. Whole families could be seen together inside their small room sharing an evening meal, talking or working on crafts to be peddled on the street the following day.
One of our biggest concerns about such a long trip was the bathroom facilities. It's not unlike a single toilet among throngs of tourists to become stopped up and unusable thus making the trip uncomfortable. We were in luck as these toilets used fail safe plumbing- a large hole. Unlike the previous squatty-potties which also employed a hole, this potty provided in use entertainment watching the tracks pass by underneath. The hole was large enought not to miss, and we couldn't help but wonder what animals may have made their way onto the train from here and even worse how many small children may have slipped through during use.
As is the custom with any captive audience, vendors made their way back and forth through the aisles selling food and drink. While we declined immediate snacks, we did prepay for a breakfast.
Soon the lights of the city faded and glassy eyes and yawns started appearing on weary travelers. An attendant also appeared and started the rapid transformation of the seating area into two full sized twin beds which included clean sheets and pillow. We nestled into our respective compartments and awoke the next day as dawn began carving the landscape from the darkness.
One of our biggest concerns about such a long trip was the bathroom facilities. It's not unlike a single toilet among throngs of tourists to become stopped up and unusable thus making the trip uncomfortable. We were in luck as these toilets used fail safe plumbing- a large hole. Unlike the previous squatty-potties which also employed a hole, this potty provided in use entertainment watching the tracks pass by underneath. The hole was large enought not to miss, and we couldn't help but wonder what animals may have made their way onto the train from here and even worse how many small children may have slipped through during use.
As is the custom with any captive audience, vendors made their way back and forth through the aisles selling food and drink. While we declined immediate snacks, we did prepay for a breakfast.
Soon the lights of the city faded and glassy eyes and yawns started appearing on weary travelers. An attendant also appeared and started the rapid transformation of the seating area into two full sized twin beds which included clean sheets and pillow. We nestled into our respective compartments and awoke the next day as dawn began carving the landscape from the darkness.
Passport problems
We overnighted at the Swan Hotel near the river in Bangkok. The room was standard but offered a perfect view of the Sirocco tower, a skyscraper that received worldwide attention in the movie 'Hangover II'. The bathroom in our latest room only needed one visit for all your hygiene needs. It was basically a large shower with toilet and sink in it. It gave new meaning to shaving in the shower. Two things we haven't quite figured out: First, how to keep the toilet paper dry when showering (maybe that's not a problem if we stick to the butt washer) and secondly, once showered and dressed, how do we re-enter the bathroom without getting our feet wet. If barefoot then we track water through the room, if in socks then they need to be changed and if wearing shoes it tracks dirt from the soles all over the room.
Breakfast here was complimentary with the room and was the best yet with eggs prepared to your choice, fresh fruit, juices, toast and several dishes like noodles, chicken pasta and salads.
Tonight we catch the sleeper train to Phuket in the south of Thailand. Until then we have to try and resolve a problem with our visas. When we flew into the country we were given a 30 day maximum stay and we planned to fly out on the day our visas were to expire. What we didn't realize is that when a tourist enters the country by air they get a 30 day stay but when they enter by land, as we did yesterday from Cambodia, they are only given a 15 day stay. Our flight is still 8 days after that.
We checked out of the hotel and caught a cab to the government complex. The stop where the cab dropped us off was across the street from the government complex so we needed to cross the highway on a walking bridge. Each entrance to the bridge had two armed soldiers. When they saw us they held us back for a moment and then told us to run. They spoke Thai of course so we really didn't know what they said, but they were waving and flailing their arms letting us know to hurry. When we reached the top of the stairs I only thought it appropriate to stop and take a picture, but much to my dismay it set off the guards at all four places, yelling and screaming and jumping and waving? They were moving their arms furiously and yelling, the ones behind us were waving GO GO GO and the ones in front of us were signaling COME COME COME. They way they were carrying on we were apprehensive about coming out the other side expecting a chewing out, but the soldiers looked happy and relieved when we exited the bridge and waved us on. Last week there was a travel alert issued by the US dept of defense concerning tourists in Bangkok due to some kind of terrorist threat. Travelers were encouraged to avoid public areas and apparently us meandering on a walkway way up high in the open was making us a target. We decided to find another way back to the hotel.
Safe after crossing the highway we found out we were not at the correct building and two motorbike drivers offered to take us to the correct place. There are four primary forms of transportation here; public (sky train, subway and bus), automobile, tuktuk and motorbike and perhaps there are more of the latter than anything else. They are small and cheap and fast and maneuver easily in and out of the harrowing traffic. Imagine a wild and crazy tuktuk running on granny's moonshine only on 2 wheels instead of 3. We held on for dear life zooming in and around cars like characters in a 3D movie. Parked car in road? No problem, WHOOSH! Cars too slow? No problem again, WHOOSH! No room between cars? No problem, sidewalk free, WHOOSH! All of a sudden we found ourselves praying for a TukTuk. Thankfully we didn't have far to go which was fortunate, much longer and we both our seats would have been wet.
The government building was massive and looked like it could easily house a football field in the interior courtyard. It was 8 stories up and at least one visible court below full of restaurants and stores. We went through a lengthy and frustrating series of different offices and lines before finally being told that since we will be staying in Chaing Mai for the next two weeks we would need to file the papers at the Chaing Mai office.
We caught a cab directly to the train station, safely avoiding the walking bridge, where we stowed our bags and went to see the river. We sat at a restaurant, had a drink and watched the boats going back and forth up and down the waterway. After returning to the train station we ate a quick meal at KFC and boarded our train to the South.
Breakfast here was complimentary with the room and was the best yet with eggs prepared to your choice, fresh fruit, juices, toast and several dishes like noodles, chicken pasta and salads.
Tonight we catch the sleeper train to Phuket in the south of Thailand. Until then we have to try and resolve a problem with our visas. When we flew into the country we were given a 30 day maximum stay and we planned to fly out on the day our visas were to expire. What we didn't realize is that when a tourist enters the country by air they get a 30 day stay but when they enter by land, as we did yesterday from Cambodia, they are only given a 15 day stay. Our flight is still 8 days after that.
We checked out of the hotel and caught a cab to the government complex. The stop where the cab dropped us off was across the street from the government complex so we needed to cross the highway on a walking bridge. Each entrance to the bridge had two armed soldiers. When they saw us they held us back for a moment and then told us to run. They spoke Thai of course so we really didn't know what they said, but they were waving and flailing their arms letting us know to hurry. When we reached the top of the stairs I only thought it appropriate to stop and take a picture, but much to my dismay it set off the guards at all four places, yelling and screaming and jumping and waving? They were moving their arms furiously and yelling, the ones behind us were waving GO GO GO and the ones in front of us were signaling COME COME COME. They way they were carrying on we were apprehensive about coming out the other side expecting a chewing out, but the soldiers looked happy and relieved when we exited the bridge and waved us on. Last week there was a travel alert issued by the US dept of defense concerning tourists in Bangkok due to some kind of terrorist threat. Travelers were encouraged to avoid public areas and apparently us meandering on a walkway way up high in the open was making us a target. We decided to find another way back to the hotel.
Safe after crossing the highway we found out we were not at the correct building and two motorbike drivers offered to take us to the correct place. There are four primary forms of transportation here; public (sky train, subway and bus), automobile, tuktuk and motorbike and perhaps there are more of the latter than anything else. They are small and cheap and fast and maneuver easily in and out of the harrowing traffic. Imagine a wild and crazy tuktuk running on granny's moonshine only on 2 wheels instead of 3. We held on for dear life zooming in and around cars like characters in a 3D movie. Parked car in road? No problem, WHOOSH! Cars too slow? No problem again, WHOOSH! No room between cars? No problem, sidewalk free, WHOOSH! All of a sudden we found ourselves praying for a TukTuk. Thankfully we didn't have far to go which was fortunate, much longer and we both our seats would have been wet.
The government building was massive and looked like it could easily house a football field in the interior courtyard. It was 8 stories up and at least one visible court below full of restaurants and stores. We went through a lengthy and frustrating series of different offices and lines before finally being told that since we will be staying in Chaing Mai for the next two weeks we would need to file the papers at the Chaing Mai office.
We caught a cab directly to the train station, safely avoiding the walking bridge, where we stowed our bags and went to see the river. We sat at a restaurant, had a drink and watched the boats going back and forth up and down the waterway. After returning to the train station we ate a quick meal at KFC and boarded our train to the South.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Back to Bangkok
Awaking early, we cleaned, blogged and packed for our return to Bangkok. We were ahead of schedule and had a full 30 min wait before our ride was scheduled to pick us up, so we decided to indulge on our free American Breakfast. Not so. Immediately after finding a place to sit between motorbikes, our driver showed up. We left our final remaining Riel to tip the hotel staff and were on our way ... or so we thought. We were dropped off at a pickup spot packed with travelers heading to Thailand. When the place could hold no more, we were corralled to a large bus and then just before getting on we were directed into a waiting cab. We picked up one other passenger at an upscale looking hotel (no motorbikes in dining room) and at last we were back on the road.
Two hours later we arrived at the border. The process back to Thailand was much easier and faster than when we crossed into Cambodia, and we found ourselves an hour ahead of schedule. We passed the time at a small restaurant between the two borders watching people pull their carts back and forth in front of the casinos. Sitting outside, we ordered a light meal and had a delightful visit with the young lady that rode with us in the cab from Siem Reap. Julie was returning to Bangkok where she currently lives with her family. Being an ex-flight attendant, she spoke Thai, Hindi and nearly perfect English with only a slight Indian accent which grew noticeably thicker as she spoke to her Indian friends and family over the phone. Julie was a charming young lady and talk flowed easily on a variety of topics. Once in Bangkok she directed us to the proper train, instructed us where to get off and even paid our fare. Our meeting was truly one of those serendipitous connections to remind us that even people halfway across the world can share the common bond of humanity and goodwill.
We found our hotel with little effort, had chicken teriyaki and a corn pie at McDonalds and had an early night's sleep after a long day of travel.
Two hours later we arrived at the border. The process back to Thailand was much easier and faster than when we crossed into Cambodia, and we found ourselves an hour ahead of schedule. We passed the time at a small restaurant between the two borders watching people pull their carts back and forth in front of the casinos. Sitting outside, we ordered a light meal and had a delightful visit with the young lady that rode with us in the cab from Siem Reap. Julie was returning to Bangkok where she currently lives with her family. Being an ex-flight attendant, she spoke Thai, Hindi and nearly perfect English with only a slight Indian accent which grew noticeably thicker as she spoke to her Indian friends and family over the phone. Julie was a charming young lady and talk flowed easily on a variety of topics. Once in Bangkok she directed us to the proper train, instructed us where to get off and even paid our fare. Our meeting was truly one of those serendipitous connections to remind us that even people halfway across the world can share the common bond of humanity and goodwill.
We found our hotel with little effort, had chicken teriyaki and a corn pie at McDonalds and had an early night's sleep after a long day of travel.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Timeless Temples
Angkor Wat was still waiting for us when we returned this morning. This time the grounds were filled with tourists walking through the ruins; a completely different experience from the night before, yet the ruins and the fascination remained. Built in the early 12th century over a period of 40 years, it is the world's largest religious building. The temple has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat is completely surrounded by a moat and covers over 200 sq. acres. The outer wall is 2.2 miles long. Uncle Joe had mentioned that a picture of a stegosaurus was reportedly carved on one of the walls. We walked thought what seemed like endless passageways and corridors and just about every square inch was carved with images. We never found the dinosaur but did notice that there were thousands of identically carved images from one end to the other. The meticulous uniformity of so many carvings in such a massive complex was astounding considering the many different people that were necessary to create them.
Our next temple was Bayon, the temple of four faces, named so because the center spire has a face on each side facing the four directions. This temple is much less intact than Angkor, and piles of stones sometimes 15 ft high encase the perimeter. These stone blocks are from collapsed areas that have yet to be reconstructed - if that is even possible. The part of the temple that remains erect resembles a giant ant hill made of stone. Passageways wind in and around multiple levels; every turn revealing yet more tunnels and stairways. Add a little suspenseful music and Angelina Jolie and you have a scene from the movie Tomb Raider. We learned later that part of the movie was in fact filmed there, although what part of which temple we aren't sure.
Our third and final temple for the day was Thomamnomm. While the previous temple looked like a scene from Tomb Raider, this one was straight out of The Jungle Book. Giant gnarled trees wound their way through and around the crumbling structures. This temple is a true testimony of the power the jungle has to reclaim its own. Massive tree trunks could be seen perched on top of roofs, their large roots like tentacles enveloping entire walls. Fallen archways and leaning spires show decades of neglect, and narrow tunnels snake in and out between tree roots that matured when only wild animals were left to tend the once majestic structures.
Our evening consisted of a meal in a local restaurant and packing for the return trip to Thailand. Our entry to this country was marked with stress and trepidation, but our exit was with a new awareness of our insignificance. We consider ourselves advanced because of our modern conveniences and technology; but here was an ancient race of people that with nothing but their own hands, ingenuity and willpower, were able to accomplish unspeakable feats that still astound the world today.
Our next temple was Bayon, the temple of four faces, named so because the center spire has a face on each side facing the four directions. This temple is much less intact than Angkor, and piles of stones sometimes 15 ft high encase the perimeter. These stone blocks are from collapsed areas that have yet to be reconstructed - if that is even possible. The part of the temple that remains erect resembles a giant ant hill made of stone. Passageways wind in and around multiple levels; every turn revealing yet more tunnels and stairways. Add a little suspenseful music and Angelina Jolie and you have a scene from the movie Tomb Raider. We learned later that part of the movie was in fact filmed there, although what part of which temple we aren't sure.
Our third and final temple for the day was Thomamnomm. While the previous temple looked like a scene from Tomb Raider, this one was straight out of The Jungle Book. Giant gnarled trees wound their way through and around the crumbling structures. This temple is a true testimony of the power the jungle has to reclaim its own. Massive tree trunks could be seen perched on top of roofs, their large roots like tentacles enveloping entire walls. Fallen archways and leaning spires show decades of neglect, and narrow tunnels snake in and out between tree roots that matured when only wild animals were left to tend the once majestic structures.
Our evening consisted of a meal in a local restaurant and packing for the return trip to Thailand. Our entry to this country was marked with stress and trepidation, but our exit was with a new awareness of our insignificance. We consider ourselves advanced because of our modern conveniences and technology; but here was an ancient race of people that with nothing but their own hands, ingenuity and willpower, were able to accomplish unspeakable feats that still astound the world today.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Sundown in Siem Reap
Our second evening in Siem Reap was much more pleasant than the first.
Having an English speaking tour guide and having gained a grasp of the Cambodian currency, we felt like we could function again.
Wan took us to get tickets for the next day at the temple area and we caught our first glance at the ominous Angkor Wat.
Having arrived shortly before sundown the tourists were thinning out fast which gave us a clear run through of the enormous temple. The temple area covered many acres and at one time was the center of a community of about a million people. For some unknown reason the area vacated and the city was reclaimed by the jungle; the magnificent temples became the playground of wild animals and monkeys.
We climbed as high as we could and watched the sun set beyond the ancient spires of the famed temple. The grounds were empty now and almost deathly silent as darkness crept in. Shadows from the pointed towers grew increasingly long and the only sounds were the eerie chirping of bats stirring within the crumbling ruins of the temple peaks. A thick feeling of reverence descended as if the massive stone walls were releasing the mystical chants of ancient monks busy with their evening prayers from a time long forgotten. We sat in silence overwhelmed with a feeling of gratefulness and wonder, thankful that we endured the trials of the Cambodian border to witness this amazing event.
Wan took us on a tour of the town before returning us to our hotel. The night was alive with activity and street vendors were plentiful pleading with weary travelers to buy their wares. We did buy a couple of T-shirts which only attracted more vendors. Children surrounded us showing us magnets, books, trinkets and many other souvenirs. One kept putting a small flute in my pocket and then thanked me for the $1 purchase. To them it was a game and we played along with them for awhile before moving on.
We smelled cannabis driving through the downtown market area and asked the TukTuk driver about it. He said its illegal here but they don't usually bother the tourists that have it. He also told us about a place called "Happy Pizza" that puts it in the pizza but said it can make you crazy for days. We decided to stick to our boring rat sandwiches.
We ate dinner at the night market and returned to our room excited about the next day's return to the temples.
Having an English speaking tour guide and having gained a grasp of the Cambodian currency, we felt like we could function again.
Wan took us to get tickets for the next day at the temple area and we caught our first glance at the ominous Angkor Wat.
Having arrived shortly before sundown the tourists were thinning out fast which gave us a clear run through of the enormous temple. The temple area covered many acres and at one time was the center of a community of about a million people. For some unknown reason the area vacated and the city was reclaimed by the jungle; the magnificent temples became the playground of wild animals and monkeys.
We climbed as high as we could and watched the sun set beyond the ancient spires of the famed temple. The grounds were empty now and almost deathly silent as darkness crept in. Shadows from the pointed towers grew increasingly long and the only sounds were the eerie chirping of bats stirring within the crumbling ruins of the temple peaks. A thick feeling of reverence descended as if the massive stone walls were releasing the mystical chants of ancient monks busy with their evening prayers from a time long forgotten. We sat in silence overwhelmed with a feeling of gratefulness and wonder, thankful that we endured the trials of the Cambodian border to witness this amazing event.
Wan took us on a tour of the town before returning us to our hotel. The night was alive with activity and street vendors were plentiful pleading with weary travelers to buy their wares. We did buy a couple of T-shirts which only attracted more vendors. Children surrounded us showing us magnets, books, trinkets and many other souvenirs. One kept putting a small flute in my pocket and then thanked me for the $1 purchase. To them it was a game and we played along with them for awhile before moving on.
We smelled cannabis driving through the downtown market area and asked the TukTuk driver about it. He said its illegal here but they don't usually bother the tourists that have it. He also told us about a place called "Happy Pizza" that puts it in the pizza but said it can make you crazy for days. We decided to stick to our boring rat sandwiches.
We ate dinner at the night market and returned to our room excited about the next day's return to the temples.
Planting a Pump
We have a strong habit in the USA of using tap water for any and everything. Brush your teeth, rinse your mouth, rinse your toothbrush no problem. When in this part of the world, bottled water must be used for EVERYTHING that may come in contact with your mouth. In many hotels bottled water is provided daily; our first hotel even had instructions in the room not to drink the tap water. Not drinking from the tap is easy but brushing teeth using bottled water is a little different. It works at first, but let you mind wander for just a second when the habit to rinse your brush kicks in, Oops! Dysentery dysentery stay away!
Fresh water is truly a commodity here and many people don't have easy access to any running water much less potable water. Returning from the floating village, we went back through the area of rustic homes and noticed children in some of the yards getting water or bathing around manual 'old fashioned' water pumps. The pumps all had large clear signs posted by the pumps with donor names. In this area where the water is far away, dirty and undrinkable, these pumps provide much needed drinking water.
We asked our TukTuk driver about them and he told us of an organization in Duluth, MN, that places pumps in these impoverished areas. He said for $250 they go to an impoverished area, dig a well, place a pump and pour a concrete slab around it. These pumps literally save lives and help whole communities in a way that will change their way of living permanently. We got the contact information for the office in Deluth and are strongly considering donating. Your pump will be clearly marked so you know where your money is going.
The organization is:
Minnesota Veterans for Progress,
Cambodian Water Well Project,
PO Box 3106, Deluth, MN 55803
http://mnvetsforprogress.com
Fresh water is truly a commodity here and many people don't have easy access to any running water much less potable water. Returning from the floating village, we went back through the area of rustic homes and noticed children in some of the yards getting water or bathing around manual 'old fashioned' water pumps. The pumps all had large clear signs posted by the pumps with donor names. In this area where the water is far away, dirty and undrinkable, these pumps provide much needed drinking water.
We asked our TukTuk driver about them and he told us of an organization in Duluth, MN, that places pumps in these impoverished areas. He said for $250 they go to an impoverished area, dig a well, place a pump and pour a concrete slab around it. These pumps literally save lives and help whole communities in a way that will change their way of living permanently. We got the contact information for the office in Deluth and are strongly considering donating. Your pump will be clearly marked so you know where your money is going.
The organization is:
Minnesota Veterans for Progress,
Cambodian Water Well Project,
PO Box 3106, Deluth, MN 55803
http://mnvetsforprogress.com
Floating Village
Angkor Wat is the primary draw for tourists to this area, and many Asian tourists come just for the weekend. Being Sunday, our Tuktuk driver, Wan, encouraged us to wait till Monday for Angkor Wat and he would take us to the Floating Village today. OH NO! We were both alarmed at the thought of being captive in another expensive market place. But this was the Floating VILLAGE, not the market, and all fees were presented up front. We consented and were so glad we did.
The dirt road to the floating village was lined with homes. All shacks of different sizes and shapes, most up on poles and very impoverished. The houses ended at a muddy area with a shallow inlet which contained rows of long narrow boats. We boarded and quickly found ourselves in a line of boats with gawking tourists slowly maneuvering through the muddy channel. Our captain was a boy that looked no more than 16, barefoot, and thin like the boat itself. He controlled it using a complex looking combination of various pedals, ropes and poles.
The small channel opened into a large river and soon little homes started popping up along the water, and not on the banks, for there were no visible banks. The homes were built high on stilts about 20 feet above the current water level. The water was about 10 feet deep at the time and was expected to drop even more during the dry season.
Many homes were as primitive as possible, made from poles, straw and perhaps sheet metal. Others were nicer with real wooden walls and plaster. All were reached by narrow ladders or rough looking steps. We stared as a tiny old woman with a hunched back struggled to pull herself up a crude pole ladder. Little floating wooden platforms were everywhere forming boat docks, places to dry and store firewood and for holding caged animals.
Our young driver showed us his home as we floated by. It was one of many so clumped together it was hard to distinguish one from the other. He said the population of this village was about 3000 and extremely poor. Most of them made their living from people like us who came to stare in amazement at their way of life. During the rainy season, the water rises almost to the floors of the homes which at this point towered overhead.
We docked temporarily at a small floating platform that housed a restaurant. We decided to take an optional $5 excursion through the flooded Mangrove trees. We clambered onto a tiny old boat barely large enough for the two of us, and a young girl sat in the front and paddled us thought the trees. She appeared to be about 12 yrs old and very timid; her voice was soft spoken and we never could make out her name although we think it started with either an S or a V, or maybe it was an A.
At the conclusion of the small trek thought the trees we had a very tasty meal at the restaurant, and then we were back on the first boat. We followed the river past the remainder of the homes and into what appeared to be an ocean, except it was strangely quiet. The only bank visible was the one we just came from, and that consisted only of densely populated Mangrove trees.
The trip back thought the village and then back to our waiting TukTuk was silent and somber. We reflected on the lives of these people and thought how grateful we are to live in a land where our water is controlled by a faucet and knowing that if we fell out of bed we would only hit the floor.
The dirt road to the floating village was lined with homes. All shacks of different sizes and shapes, most up on poles and very impoverished. The houses ended at a muddy area with a shallow inlet which contained rows of long narrow boats. We boarded and quickly found ourselves in a line of boats with gawking tourists slowly maneuvering through the muddy channel. Our captain was a boy that looked no more than 16, barefoot, and thin like the boat itself. He controlled it using a complex looking combination of various pedals, ropes and poles.
The small channel opened into a large river and soon little homes started popping up along the water, and not on the banks, for there were no visible banks. The homes were built high on stilts about 20 feet above the current water level. The water was about 10 feet deep at the time and was expected to drop even more during the dry season.
Many homes were as primitive as possible, made from poles, straw and perhaps sheet metal. Others were nicer with real wooden walls and plaster. All were reached by narrow ladders or rough looking steps. We stared as a tiny old woman with a hunched back struggled to pull herself up a crude pole ladder. Little floating wooden platforms were everywhere forming boat docks, places to dry and store firewood and for holding caged animals.
Our young driver showed us his home as we floated by. It was one of many so clumped together it was hard to distinguish one from the other. He said the population of this village was about 3000 and extremely poor. Most of them made their living from people like us who came to stare in amazement at their way of life. During the rainy season, the water rises almost to the floors of the homes which at this point towered overhead.
We docked temporarily at a small floating platform that housed a restaurant. We decided to take an optional $5 excursion through the flooded Mangrove trees. We clambered onto a tiny old boat barely large enough for the two of us, and a young girl sat in the front and paddled us thought the trees. She appeared to be about 12 yrs old and very timid; her voice was soft spoken and we never could make out her name although we think it started with either an S or a V, or maybe it was an A.
At the conclusion of the small trek thought the trees we had a very tasty meal at the restaurant, and then we were back on the first boat. We followed the river past the remainder of the homes and into what appeared to be an ocean, except it was strangely quiet. The only bank visible was the one we just came from, and that consisted only of densely populated Mangrove trees.
The trip back thought the village and then back to our waiting TukTuk was silent and somber. We reflected on the lives of these people and thought how grateful we are to live in a land where our water is controlled by a faucet and knowing that if we fell out of bed we would only hit the floor.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Breakfast
The morning couldn't come early enough, and yet it was still too early. We both had troubling dreams stemming from our ordeal crossing the Cambodian border. While I was ecstatic to find out I wasn't really being kidnapped by an Arab policeman at the Saudi airport, the day was still full of uncertainty and challenges. We had been told back in Thailand that our room would include breakfast. We showed up at the reception desk only to be ushered into a side room. The room was dark and we were alone. Looking around, we wondered if the clerk directed us to the correct place. There was a sign on the door marked "American Breakfast" but the motorbikes in the middle of the dimly lit room weren't exactly appetizing. After a short wait a small man appeared, bowing to us as he set down some toast and then he scurried off again. We wondered if that was it, and as the little guy didn't return for some time we started in on the bread. He did return with some butter and jam, and even later with some juice, and once again with a cup of some kind of hot beverage. His final return provided a plate of fried eggs. Not so bad after all. We left what we thought was an appropriate tip and went to meet our TukTuk driver from the previous day.
International High Finance
For anyone interested in international travel, it literally pays to be informed. Our dear friends at the credit card companies are more than happy to offer cash advances from foreign ATMs for a foreign transaction fee of 3% of the amount withdrawn, or $10, whichever is greater, PLUS the fees the ATM company charges. On top of that, the credit card companies start charging around 25% interest on the money from the time of withdrawal. Even using a standard credit card for regular purchases of food, goods or services-- without the cash advances-- is subject to the 3% or $10 minimum charge per transaction. This is certainly NOT an economical way to finance a trip.
The best solution we found was to use our bank debit card, which is good anywhere a Visa card is accepted. Using the debit card gives access to funds already in the bank, bypassing immediate interest accumulation and the foreign transaction fees. Arvest bank charges $2 per transaction, with no foreign transaction fees or interest (since the money is already ours). That seems to be a much better solution than carrying a wad of cash, or paying the insane fees to credit card companies.
When we arrived at the Thailand airport, we were able to retrieve the local currency from an ATM. We knew the current exchange rate was basically 30 Thai Baht per dollar. While we relied on the help of calculators to get through some of the more complex purchases, it didn't take very long to get used to the conversion. However our feelings of accomplishment were short lived - enter Cambodia!
We were advised different things by different people at different points. We were told that Cambodian money (Riel) could not be used inThailand so don't get much at one time. The man who was guiding us across the border advised us of the dangers of pickpockets and to hold tightly to our passports. He told us we'd need to convert our currency at the border because Thai money wasn't used and although American money is accepted, it is best to use their own currency. At the crossing we converted 8000 Thai Baht (about $260) into Cambodian currency and got over 800000 Riel. It was a huge wad of bills and they were quite nasty compared to the pretty and clean Thai baht. It took a while for us to acclimate to the new currency value because when we tried to tip the TukTuk driver 500 Riel he said it was worth about a dime. Oops! After that, our first few meals and transactions had us furiously calculating these huge numbers that had so little value. Whew!
We also soon found out that American money is preferred over thier own currency, and most everything is Priced in American dollars. Many shops will not take their own currency if it is dirty or torn, and of course much of the money given to us at the crossing was filthy. Live and learn.
The best solution we found was to use our bank debit card, which is good anywhere a Visa card is accepted. Using the debit card gives access to funds already in the bank, bypassing immediate interest accumulation and the foreign transaction fees. Arvest bank charges $2 per transaction, with no foreign transaction fees or interest (since the money is already ours). That seems to be a much better solution than carrying a wad of cash, or paying the insane fees to credit card companies.
When we arrived at the Thailand airport, we were able to retrieve the local currency from an ATM. We knew the current exchange rate was basically 30 Thai Baht per dollar. While we relied on the help of calculators to get through some of the more complex purchases, it didn't take very long to get used to the conversion. However our feelings of accomplishment were short lived - enter Cambodia!
We were advised different things by different people at different points. We were told that Cambodian money (Riel) could not be used inThailand so don't get much at one time. The man who was guiding us across the border advised us of the dangers of pickpockets and to hold tightly to our passports. He told us we'd need to convert our currency at the border because Thai money wasn't used and although American money is accepted, it is best to use their own currency. At the crossing we converted 8000 Thai Baht (about $260) into Cambodian currency and got over 800000 Riel. It was a huge wad of bills and they were quite nasty compared to the pretty and clean Thai baht. It took a while for us to acclimate to the new currency value because when we tried to tip the TukTuk driver 500 Riel he said it was worth about a dime. Oops! After that, our first few meals and transactions had us furiously calculating these huge numbers that had so little value. Whew!
We also soon found out that American money is preferred over thier own currency, and most everything is Priced in American dollars. Many shops will not take their own currency if it is dirty or torn, and of course much of the money given to us at the crossing was filthy. Live and learn.
First impressions-Cambodia
The Cambodia countryside looks basically like driving through interior rural Mexico. Homes are mostly shacks, some a little nicer with stone and plaster, and some just sticks and straw. Many are built up on stilts to protect them during the rainy season; the lower areas serving as an open air place to cook, get out of the heat, and nap in their hammocks.
The wayside rest stops are much more impoverished. Bathrooms are just a hole in the ground and parking areas are crowded with little kids selling their crafts for Wun dalla', Wun dalla'. At one stop I gathered the courage to enter the store and see if there was anything appetizing. I spied a small bottle with brown liquid containing a real baby cobra with a large black scorpion in its mouth. The clerk gave me a price, he say it very good whiskey but drink only little bit very strong. I passed on it and headed right back to the van.
We've been drinking nothing but bottled water since we arrived, with the exception of juice in the morning and the occasional cup of hot tea. Just can't work up the desire to eat anything from a street vendor and certainly not at this little road stop. A woman walked up to the van with some snacks. What is that? A fried bat on a stick? I'd rather eat a rat sandwich. Wait. That IS a rat sandwich.
We reached the outskirts of Siem Ream and got off the minivan in what appeared to be an old abandoned shed used to hold kidnapped tourists. Oh goody, there were several TukTuk drivers there to meet us. They divided up our belongings and off we went to our hotel. Our TukTuk driver spoke excellent English and was the first person we met that did. That was the first reassuring thing that happened up to that point. Not wanting to let him get away, we negotiated a time for him to pick us up the following day.
Inside the hotel no one knew but the tiniest bit of English. Our room here was quite different than the one we had in Bangkok. It was a very simple, no frills room, tile floors, two short and firm (yet only one step above straw) beds, and a stark bathroom, all white, all tile, simple fixtures. While it did have a toilet, it came with the standard butt faucet. The bathtub had the only hot water in the room through a hot water on demand device that was about the size an American would use for hot tea in their kitchen. The water heater was connected to a hand held shower hose and of course no shower curtain. We both very successfully managed to wet the entire room in each bathing.
It was too late to return to Thailand or to change hotels, we had prepaid. Having passed on all the snack opportunities during the commute, we were hungry and hoped that a good meal would make the trials of the day seem better. Again, no one spoke English although the menus were in English. Using the Point-and-Smile system we managed to order and had a very tasty meal. The bill came to 36,800 Cambodian Riel (their currency).
The wayside rest stops are much more impoverished. Bathrooms are just a hole in the ground and parking areas are crowded with little kids selling their crafts for Wun dalla', Wun dalla'. At one stop I gathered the courage to enter the store and see if there was anything appetizing. I spied a small bottle with brown liquid containing a real baby cobra with a large black scorpion in its mouth. The clerk gave me a price, he say it very good whiskey but drink only little bit very strong. I passed on it and headed right back to the van.
We've been drinking nothing but bottled water since we arrived, with the exception of juice in the morning and the occasional cup of hot tea. Just can't work up the desire to eat anything from a street vendor and certainly not at this little road stop. A woman walked up to the van with some snacks. What is that? A fried bat on a stick? I'd rather eat a rat sandwich. Wait. That IS a rat sandwich.
We reached the outskirts of Siem Ream and got off the minivan in what appeared to be an old abandoned shed used to hold kidnapped tourists. Oh goody, there were several TukTuk drivers there to meet us. They divided up our belongings and off we went to our hotel. Our TukTuk driver spoke excellent English and was the first person we met that did. That was the first reassuring thing that happened up to that point. Not wanting to let him get away, we negotiated a time for him to pick us up the following day.
Inside the hotel no one knew but the tiniest bit of English. Our room here was quite different than the one we had in Bangkok. It was a very simple, no frills room, tile floors, two short and firm (yet only one step above straw) beds, and a stark bathroom, all white, all tile, simple fixtures. While it did have a toilet, it came with the standard butt faucet. The bathtub had the only hot water in the room through a hot water on demand device that was about the size an American would use for hot tea in their kitchen. The water heater was connected to a hand held shower hose and of course no shower curtain. We both very successfully managed to wet the entire room in each bathing.
It was too late to return to Thailand or to change hotels, we had prepaid. Having passed on all the snack opportunities during the commute, we were hungry and hoped that a good meal would make the trials of the day seem better. Again, no one spoke English although the menus were in English. Using the Point-and-Smile system we managed to order and had a very tasty meal. The bill came to 36,800 Cambodian Riel (their currency).
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Border Crossing
The Cambodian border offered a stark contrast to Thailand. We went from a city that has a penalty of jail time for littering to what looked like the outskirts of the city dump. The process through immigration was grueling and nerve racking to say the least and the entire process took 2 hours. There were several check points to cross and we still aren't sure how many stamps we received.
The waiting areas were hot and crowded and standing room only. The unfamiliarity and tension of the moment mixed with flashbacks of Americans being arrested on false charges for bribes created more stress. I watched outside a window as a local looking fellow bypassed the lines and the entry checkpoint and was met by a border guard. The guard took his passport, walked around the corner, removed some money from the passport, then returned it to the man and waved him across the border. Watching that sure didn't dispel any of our worries.
As we stood in the long lines, we watched groves of locals entering and exiting. This was truly a third world county and made Thailand look like a resort area. The people were mostly dressed in old tattered clothing that looked as if they would need a can opener to undress, and most of them were either pulling or pushing old rickety looking carts. The images today are just like pictures or old movies that depict people with carts piled so high with stuff that you wonder if it's real. Well it is. Sometimes a little hand drawn cart would have 20 feet of stuff piled up and bundled with ropes and perhaps a child sitting on top. One cart was packed 5 feet high of bags of ginger root.
The border town on the Cambodia side had several casinos, and being the weekend, Thai people were pouring in to try their luck. This provided another interesting contrast. Casino employees here are dressed as they would be in the states- well groomed, clean and very well dressed, but they may ride up on the back of a struggling old moped driven by a tattered farmer.
We left immigration with great relief and started the two hour ride in another minivan to Siem Reap, the gateway town to the national treasure, and our destination of Angkor Wat.
The waiting areas were hot and crowded and standing room only. The unfamiliarity and tension of the moment mixed with flashbacks of Americans being arrested on false charges for bribes created more stress. I watched outside a window as a local looking fellow bypassed the lines and the entry checkpoint and was met by a border guard. The guard took his passport, walked around the corner, removed some money from the passport, then returned it to the man and waved him across the border. Watching that sure didn't dispel any of our worries.
As we stood in the long lines, we watched groves of locals entering and exiting. This was truly a third world county and made Thailand look like a resort area. The people were mostly dressed in old tattered clothing that looked as if they would need a can opener to undress, and most of them were either pulling or pushing old rickety looking carts. The images today are just like pictures or old movies that depict people with carts piled so high with stuff that you wonder if it's real. Well it is. Sometimes a little hand drawn cart would have 20 feet of stuff piled up and bundled with ropes and perhaps a child sitting on top. One cart was packed 5 feet high of bags of ginger root.
The border town on the Cambodia side had several casinos, and being the weekend, Thai people were pouring in to try their luck. This provided another interesting contrast. Casino employees here are dressed as they would be in the states- well groomed, clean and very well dressed, but they may ride up on the back of a struggling old moped driven by a tattered farmer.
We left immigration with great relief and started the two hour ride in another minivan to Siem Reap, the gateway town to the national treasure, and our destination of Angkor Wat.
Bye Bye Bangkok
5:50 am for some reason didn't come near as early as it does in the States. By 7:40 we were checked out of the hotel and in a mini van on the way to Cambodia. Hello? Does anyone out there know anything about Cambodia? If you do and didn't warn us then you're in for trouble when we return!
I had expected today to be a quiet day with not much to journal but that shows what a dumb American I am. On the ride to the border we were traveling with 3 people from the UK, 3 from Italy and 2 from Idaho. It was a quiet restful 5 hr drive. The countryside looked remarkably like rural Arkansas. Rice fields were plentiful and little stands could be seen along the highway selling mountains of bags of rice for cheap. There were corn fields, hay fields and sugar cane fields and familiar looking trees and woods in between. There were two stops to refuel, use the bathroom and stretch. In both places the men's room consisted of a row of urinals along the backside of a wall; ONE wall. While it was a bit of a shock, the landscaping was pretty.
We unloaded at our final stop before the border at 12:30 pm and waited at an outdoor restaurant while men hurriedly gathered our passports, travel and hotel information. We each paid them one fee of about $50 for their services and that included the one month visa for Cambodia. We wondered if that was too high but soon we changed our minds and decided it was quite the bargain.
After about an hour we piled back in the van and unloaded a few minutes later at the border to Cambodia...
I had expected today to be a quiet day with not much to journal but that shows what a dumb American I am. On the ride to the border we were traveling with 3 people from the UK, 3 from Italy and 2 from Idaho. It was a quiet restful 5 hr drive. The countryside looked remarkably like rural Arkansas. Rice fields were plentiful and little stands could be seen along the highway selling mountains of bags of rice for cheap. There were corn fields, hay fields and sugar cane fields and familiar looking trees and woods in between. There were two stops to refuel, use the bathroom and stretch. In both places the men's room consisted of a row of urinals along the backside of a wall; ONE wall. While it was a bit of a shock, the landscaping was pretty.
We unloaded at our final stop before the border at 12:30 pm and waited at an outdoor restaurant while men hurriedly gathered our passports, travel and hotel information. We each paid them one fee of about $50 for their services and that included the one month visa for Cambodia. We wondered if that was too high but soon we changed our minds and decided it was quite the bargain.
After about an hour we piled back in the van and unloaded a few minutes later at the border to Cambodia...
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Temple Tours
After our proven inability to pick good drivers, we left our next pick to the hotel concierge. 'Tony' arrived at 8:30 to take us on a tour of some of the more well known local temples. Tony spoke English fairly well so already the day was off to a better start.
Our first stop was Wat Pho, the temple of the Reclining Buddha, a massive 140 foot long golden statue of Buddha reclining on his side. The walls of the building were painted from top to bottom with murals and the constant ringing of clinking metal filled the room giving the impression of metallic popcorn popping. As we rounded the long statue we could see small bronze bowls along the full length of the back wall. For a small charge patrons could purchase a small bowl of tiny coins to be dropped one at a time in each of the larger bowl along the wall creating the sound we were hearing. The complex was a maze of intricately designed buildings and smaller temples containing over a thousand statues of Buddha. At every turn was a donation box to keep Buddha and his grounds cleaned and well groomed.
Next stop was the Grand Palace, a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925 when they moved but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. There were several large temples on the complex and people were lined up offering gifts to the Buddha and other statues. What struck me the most was in one certain offering area there were a choice of several things, such as flowers, incense and various foods, that could be purchased and then immediately laid on the altar. To keep piles from accumulating a caretaker would remove them allowing more to be offered. It was a never ending cycle. I thought it odd to pay money for something as an offering and then watch it being removed and tossed into a box. It seemed rather pointless.
Our final temple was Wat Arun, Temple of the Dawn. It is well known for its unique look, and is the temple that makes the background for our blog. To get to it we had to pass through 1000 street venders and take a ferry across the river. The river itself is a hive of activity. Boats of every size and shape make their way up and down the channel and although it is very large, it's like playing the video game frogger to get from one side to the next.
The Wat Arun temple basically consists of five tall spires. The middle one is the largest and the only one that can be climbed, at least by tourists. The ascent was extremely steep and climbing from one level to the next was like an aerobic workout. My shoes were about 3" longer than the depth of the step and they must have been about 12" high. The upper level, for those brave enough to risk it, was half way up the spire and offered an amazing view of the river and the Bangkok skyline. The descent was precarious and downright scary. It was quite amusing watching others expressing their alarm when attempting to go down. I watched as one middle aged Chinese lady was walking along chatting to a friend in Chinese, and when they got to the stairs and looked down, her face went pale as she exclaimed in English "Oh My God!" Has that phrase become a universal expression of alarm? Haha!
After we reached the bottom, our driver took us to a local restaurant. It was cheap and tasty. Before heading back to the hotel we again had to maneuver through the sea of vendors. We kept spying items that we thought so and so back home would like but at this point our bags were so packed we couldn't manage anything else. But it was fun to bring our friends and family with us on our trip if only in thought and conversation. Our driver was better than could be hoped for. He was helpful, informative and interesting. It was a good day but oh were our feet tired from all the walking and climbing. I can't help but wonder why so many of the statues of Buddha depict him as being fat with all those stairs to climb.
Our first stop was Wat Pho, the temple of the Reclining Buddha, a massive 140 foot long golden statue of Buddha reclining on his side. The walls of the building were painted from top to bottom with murals and the constant ringing of clinking metal filled the room giving the impression of metallic popcorn popping. As we rounded the long statue we could see small bronze bowls along the full length of the back wall. For a small charge patrons could purchase a small bowl of tiny coins to be dropped one at a time in each of the larger bowl along the wall creating the sound we were hearing. The complex was a maze of intricately designed buildings and smaller temples containing over a thousand statues of Buddha. At every turn was a donation box to keep Buddha and his grounds cleaned and well groomed.
Next stop was the Grand Palace, a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925 when they moved but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. There were several large temples on the complex and people were lined up offering gifts to the Buddha and other statues. What struck me the most was in one certain offering area there were a choice of several things, such as flowers, incense and various foods, that could be purchased and then immediately laid on the altar. To keep piles from accumulating a caretaker would remove them allowing more to be offered. It was a never ending cycle. I thought it odd to pay money for something as an offering and then watch it being removed and tossed into a box. It seemed rather pointless.
Our final temple was Wat Arun, Temple of the Dawn. It is well known for its unique look, and is the temple that makes the background for our blog. To get to it we had to pass through 1000 street venders and take a ferry across the river. The river itself is a hive of activity. Boats of every size and shape make their way up and down the channel and although it is very large, it's like playing the video game frogger to get from one side to the next.
The Wat Arun temple basically consists of five tall spires. The middle one is the largest and the only one that can be climbed, at least by tourists. The ascent was extremely steep and climbing from one level to the next was like an aerobic workout. My shoes were about 3" longer than the depth of the step and they must have been about 12" high. The upper level, for those brave enough to risk it, was half way up the spire and offered an amazing view of the river and the Bangkok skyline. The descent was precarious and downright scary. It was quite amusing watching others expressing their alarm when attempting to go down. I watched as one middle aged Chinese lady was walking along chatting to a friend in Chinese, and when they got to the stairs and looked down, her face went pale as she exclaimed in English "Oh My God!" Has that phrase become a universal expression of alarm? Haha!
After we reached the bottom, our driver took us to a local restaurant. It was cheap and tasty. Before heading back to the hotel we again had to maneuver through the sea of vendors. We kept spying items that we thought so and so back home would like but at this point our bags were so packed we couldn't manage anything else. But it was fun to bring our friends and family with us on our trip if only in thought and conversation. Our driver was better than could be hoped for. He was helpful, informative and interesting. It was a good day but oh were our feet tired from all the walking and climbing. I can't help but wonder why so many of the statues of Buddha depict him as being fat with all those stairs to climb.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Siam Niramit
I love Broadway! So when I found out there was a Broadway style live stage show here it immediately became high priority. The name of the show is Siam Niramit and is performed on a gigantic stage listed in the Guinness World Records! Prior to the show was a buffet dinner and self guided tour of their ancient Siam village. There were dancers performing, shops to explore and even elephant rides. Between the two of us we've been to over 50 shows on Broadway and yet this show often left us with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Several numbers were performed among and involving the audience and at one point a full sized elephant came lumbering right by us. It truly was a must-see spectacular show. The show features over 100 performers, lavish costumes and stunning set designs. There were enhanced special effects and advanced technology used to produce a very realistic, stimulating and inspiring experience. Information about the show and more pictures can be viewed at their web site: www.siamniramit.com/show.php
Floating Market
After our earlier experience with the TukTuk we were apprehensive about taking one again but the price was certainly right. We agreed for the driver to pick us up the next day for a visit to the Floating Market. At $3 an hour we figured we could endure a few other sales pitches for the cheap ride and driver. Cheap ended up being the magic word of the day, mostly since the word was never used again that day.
We met the driver at 10:30 for our trip only it wasn't who we were expecting. A different man met us, Mr. Thom with a message from our expected driver that he was busy and to go with this guy, and the best part is and he had a real car, even better for $3 an hour. We climbed in and off we went.
The first thing to note is that this driver barely knew any English, so conversation was difficult. Then he was heading out of the city which turned out to be a 1 1/2 hr drive to the Floating Market. This $3 was stretching farther by the minute.
We stopped for gas along the way and the station had attendants that took some odd nozzle looking thing and plugged it into a pipe under the hood of the car. It turned out that the car didn't use liquid gasoline but ran on natural gas. The process was very similar to recharging a propane tank. I'd love to know what kind of mileage it got.
During the 90 minute drive we discussed why we were going to a market anyway. We didn't want to shop and we weren't even sure how we got signed up for a 3 hr round trip ride to buy something we didn't want. Oh well, we figured the worst case scenario would be 4 hrs of time for the driver so we were getting a $12 tour of the country side. Still not too shabby.
When we arrived at the parking area where we board the boats we were greeted with free drinks and information about the trip, including a monkey show and elephant rides. By this time we were getting nervous. This wasn't our first sales pitch. One thing we discovered was a free drink is usually followed by a hit to the wallet. We were right. Come to find out this free little boat trip through the market place to buy something we didn't want was supposed to cost $160 each! We declined! A price was offered without the monkeys for $145 each. We declined! Subtract the elephant rides, $130 each. We declined! We had budgeted a big ZERO for this boat ride and we sure weren't paying that kind of money. The price dropped to $ 100 each. We got up to leave. We went to our driver with the salesman in tow. And the bargaining continued. We were told how the company had to pay the drivers gas and time and toll fees. Aha!! We suspected as much! Finally the price was down to $50 and we decided to go on the float trip.
We begrudgingly got in the boat and started down the canal. We were in a network of canals with primitive homes and shops all nestled among the banks and water. The canals were barely wide enough at points for two very narrow long tail boats to squeeze by each other, and they networked back and forth like city streets. The closest thing we could relate to it was riding a log flume at an amusement park. But this was real life; people lived here and the smells proved it was no Six Flags. We both thought at first it was a sewage drain of sorts. As we rounded the first bend there was a booth on the edge of the canal that the boat floated up next to and the sales pitch began. Scented fans, wooden chop sticks and refrigerator magnets were but a few of the hundreds of little items for sale. No, No, No, No we kept responding trying to hold back the frustration of having just paid someone to put us smack dab in the middle of a market place. Now we were a true captive audience as the boat stopped over and over and the endless shops along the banks. Calendars, monkey carved coconuts, place mats; the items just kept coming and the booths never stopped.
We arrived at what they called a coconut sugar plant. We got out of the boat to see a table with some small coconut patties on it drying. So much for the factory tour, took about 30 seconds, but conveniently on the way back to the boat we got to pass through more shops. Pictures, incense, hats and sandals. Sandals?? Wait a minute, I had planned to buy some in Thailand anyway and found some I couldn't do without. I paid $10 and hurried back to the boat. We couldn't waste any time-there were more shops to see. Shirts, pouches, toys and jewelry. Does this place ever stop at night? These people were like piranhas eating on the captive 'flesh' of paper in our wallets.
The waterways finally broadened and then the floating vendors appeared. People floating in their boats with the freedom to paddle right up to offer you all their valuable treasures. Purses, kitchen supplies, postcards and food. Food huh? Well you got me again finally. We bought two things that are rarely ever found in the US. First was a sliced Pomello, which resembles a giant grapefruit but bigger and without the bitter taste. The second fruit was bright and had a similar taste and texture of an apple. The best I can remember the name was a Champu (sounds like shampoo) and I only remember that because I joked about it being used to wash our hair. No time to joke now, there is shopping ahead. Straw hats, dolls, wall hangings and statues. No, No, No lets go!
We reached a point where there was an old temple of sorts. We disembarked to take a few pictures then back to the canals and back toward the starting point, which of course meant passing all the same shops again. Leather goods, sunglasses, food and drinks. This time through we received less attention from the sellers so we could pay more attention to the environment. There were hundreds of small homes along the canals. Little kids were playing in the water or along the rickety walkways and women were washing clothes in the same water that smelled like their sewage. People were also washing themselves, and little baskets of toiletries including toothbrushes were sitting on the edge of the canal waiting to be used. One even contained a bottle of Oil of Olay. The trip back was entirely different as a whole world emerged along the banks of a nasty canal. These people were born here, lived here and died here. It was an unforgettable experience on many levels.
Back at the base we piled into the car and headed back to the big city.
Our moments of somber reflection were short lived as the driver was back to his old tricks and dropped us off at a shop in downtown Bangkok which we thought was a place to buy T-shirts. We were met at the door with beautiful young women in silk gowns offering free drinks! We looked at each other and both thought the same thing, RUN! It turned out to be an upper class jewelry store and we made it clear that we were not staying and walked out. We were back in the car before the driver could even collect his customer fee and were headed back to the hotel. We were so ready to get back to the hotel and away from sneaky drivers and sellers. Then we hit our final wall. At the hotel the drivers gave us his bill, $100. Of course that didn't go over well. We got the concierge at the hotel in on it and we debated back and forth and finally settled on $75. We were done with shopping, we were done with TukTuks and done with drivers and trips and about done with Bangkok altogether. Good thing we only have 28 more days to go. *sigh*
We met the driver at 10:30 for our trip only it wasn't who we were expecting. A different man met us, Mr. Thom with a message from our expected driver that he was busy and to go with this guy, and the best part is and he had a real car, even better for $3 an hour. We climbed in and off we went.
The first thing to note is that this driver barely knew any English, so conversation was difficult. Then he was heading out of the city which turned out to be a 1 1/2 hr drive to the Floating Market. This $3 was stretching farther by the minute.
We stopped for gas along the way and the station had attendants that took some odd nozzle looking thing and plugged it into a pipe under the hood of the car. It turned out that the car didn't use liquid gasoline but ran on natural gas. The process was very similar to recharging a propane tank. I'd love to know what kind of mileage it got.
During the 90 minute drive we discussed why we were going to a market anyway. We didn't want to shop and we weren't even sure how we got signed up for a 3 hr round trip ride to buy something we didn't want. Oh well, we figured the worst case scenario would be 4 hrs of time for the driver so we were getting a $12 tour of the country side. Still not too shabby.
When we arrived at the parking area where we board the boats we were greeted with free drinks and information about the trip, including a monkey show and elephant rides. By this time we were getting nervous. This wasn't our first sales pitch. One thing we discovered was a free drink is usually followed by a hit to the wallet. We were right. Come to find out this free little boat trip through the market place to buy something we didn't want was supposed to cost $160 each! We declined! A price was offered without the monkeys for $145 each. We declined! Subtract the elephant rides, $130 each. We declined! We had budgeted a big ZERO for this boat ride and we sure weren't paying that kind of money. The price dropped to $ 100 each. We got up to leave. We went to our driver with the salesman in tow. And the bargaining continued. We were told how the company had to pay the drivers gas and time and toll fees. Aha!! We suspected as much! Finally the price was down to $50 and we decided to go on the float trip.
We begrudgingly got in the boat and started down the canal. We were in a network of canals with primitive homes and shops all nestled among the banks and water. The canals were barely wide enough at points for two very narrow long tail boats to squeeze by each other, and they networked back and forth like city streets. The closest thing we could relate to it was riding a log flume at an amusement park. But this was real life; people lived here and the smells proved it was no Six Flags. We both thought at first it was a sewage drain of sorts. As we rounded the first bend there was a booth on the edge of the canal that the boat floated up next to and the sales pitch began. Scented fans, wooden chop sticks and refrigerator magnets were but a few of the hundreds of little items for sale. No, No, No, No we kept responding trying to hold back the frustration of having just paid someone to put us smack dab in the middle of a market place. Now we were a true captive audience as the boat stopped over and over and the endless shops along the banks. Calendars, monkey carved coconuts, place mats; the items just kept coming and the booths never stopped.
We arrived at what they called a coconut sugar plant. We got out of the boat to see a table with some small coconut patties on it drying. So much for the factory tour, took about 30 seconds, but conveniently on the way back to the boat we got to pass through more shops. Pictures, incense, hats and sandals. Sandals?? Wait a minute, I had planned to buy some in Thailand anyway and found some I couldn't do without. I paid $10 and hurried back to the boat. We couldn't waste any time-there were more shops to see. Shirts, pouches, toys and jewelry. Does this place ever stop at night? These people were like piranhas eating on the captive 'flesh' of paper in our wallets.
The waterways finally broadened and then the floating vendors appeared. People floating in their boats with the freedom to paddle right up to offer you all their valuable treasures. Purses, kitchen supplies, postcards and food. Food huh? Well you got me again finally. We bought two things that are rarely ever found in the US. First was a sliced Pomello, which resembles a giant grapefruit but bigger and without the bitter taste. The second fruit was bright and had a similar taste and texture of an apple. The best I can remember the name was a Champu (sounds like shampoo) and I only remember that because I joked about it being used to wash our hair. No time to joke now, there is shopping ahead. Straw hats, dolls, wall hangings and statues. No, No, No lets go!
We reached a point where there was an old temple of sorts. We disembarked to take a few pictures then back to the canals and back toward the starting point, which of course meant passing all the same shops again. Leather goods, sunglasses, food and drinks. This time through we received less attention from the sellers so we could pay more attention to the environment. There were hundreds of small homes along the canals. Little kids were playing in the water or along the rickety walkways and women were washing clothes in the same water that smelled like their sewage. People were also washing themselves, and little baskets of toiletries including toothbrushes were sitting on the edge of the canal waiting to be used. One even contained a bottle of Oil of Olay. The trip back was entirely different as a whole world emerged along the banks of a nasty canal. These people were born here, lived here and died here. It was an unforgettable experience on many levels.
Back at the base we piled into the car and headed back to the big city.
Our moments of somber reflection were short lived as the driver was back to his old tricks and dropped us off at a shop in downtown Bangkok which we thought was a place to buy T-shirts. We were met at the door with beautiful young women in silk gowns offering free drinks! We looked at each other and both thought the same thing, RUN! It turned out to be an upper class jewelry store and we made it clear that we were not staying and walked out. We were back in the car before the driver could even collect his customer fee and were headed back to the hotel. We were so ready to get back to the hotel and away from sneaky drivers and sellers. Then we hit our final wall. At the hotel the drivers gave us his bill, $100. Of course that didn't go over well. We got the concierge at the hotel in on it and we debated back and forth and finally settled on $75. We were done with shopping, we were done with TukTuks and done with drivers and trips and about done with Bangkok altogether. Good thing we only have 28 more days to go. *sigh*
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Took a TukTuk
TukTuks are small little vehicles that resemble a glorified golf cart on steroids. They run up and down all over the city causing great alarm to unsuspecting tourists. One guy was pursuing us with great vigor to enjoy his 'sight seeing tour' for 100 baht, approximately $3 an hour. Having been warned first by our friend and Bangkok expert Ellis (you were right-on Ellis, thanks!) we had a lapsed moment of judgement and took Mr Net up on his offer.
Five minutes later we knew we were in big trouble. We learned a lot about city driving in Bangkok in the next few fleeting moments, such as the lines in the road are more of a suggestion than a law. Also, while stop lights do their job, no one likes them so speed limits are non existent. It was amazing how multiple vehicles shared the same lanes. A typical two lane street could have three cars, 2 tuktuks and 4 motorcycles (amid all the busses and delivery trucks!) all abreast and all vying for the number one spot. We dodged in and out like a cockroach in a pinball machine with two balls in play at the same time. How there were no accidents we'll never know, but we managed to survive-still breathing-and found that our knuckles regained their normal color after only about 5 minutes. It was probably the most exciting $3 adventure we could experience on our trip. And again as Ellis warned, our TukTuk managed to stop at every store owned by Mr Net's family and associates. We were shown custom tailored suites, silk shirts and ties, jewelry and ended up at a travel agency. The latter turned out to have been a blessing since we booked the rest of our visit in Thailand all in one sitting. The return trip to the hotel again proved to test our stamina and strengthen our prayer life.
Five minutes later we knew we were in big trouble. We learned a lot about city driving in Bangkok in the next few fleeting moments, such as the lines in the road are more of a suggestion than a law. Also, while stop lights do their job, no one likes them so speed limits are non existent. It was amazing how multiple vehicles shared the same lanes. A typical two lane street could have three cars, 2 tuktuks and 4 motorcycles (amid all the busses and delivery trucks!) all abreast and all vying for the number one spot. We dodged in and out like a cockroach in a pinball machine with two balls in play at the same time. How there were no accidents we'll never know, but we managed to survive-still breathing-and found that our knuckles regained their normal color after only about 5 minutes. It was probably the most exciting $3 adventure we could experience on our trip. And again as Ellis warned, our TukTuk managed to stop at every store owned by Mr Net's family and associates. We were shown custom tailored suites, silk shirts and ties, jewelry and ended up at a travel agency. The latter turned out to have been a blessing since we booked the rest of our visit in Thailand all in one sitting. The return trip to the hotel again proved to test our stamina and strengthen our prayer life.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Bangkok Begins
The entire trip from first take off till last touchdown was 28 hrs. Let there be no mistake, we were ready for bed! By the time we arrived at our hotel and got situated it was 2:AM. We put out the Do Not Disturb sign so if we slept till noon the maid wouldn't bother us. 4 1/2 hrs later we were staring at the ceiling so we decided to get up and checkout breakfast. Breakfast consisted of various breads, jams, sweet rolls, cereal, several kinds of meat, juices and scrambled eggs. That confirmed it! This was the best $35 a night hotel I've ever stayed in.
Back at the room we answered emails and read the AR news then hit the streets.
We made some smaller change and got some good advice from the hotel concierge, Paen, and started down the street. This part of the city was a mixture of old and new. A 100 yr old shanty of a building was right next to a modern multimillion dollar structure. People and cars were everywhere, zooming in and out of traffic. It was nerve-racking to watch. Street vendors lined the sidewalks with a wide variety of food, clothing and souvenirs. A whole sidewalk in one area was full of vendors who were deaf. Since I (Trevor) am an interpreter back in the States I immediately tried to strike up a conversation. I found that many signs were the same or similar to American Sign Language and enough that we were able to communicate, although not without obvious and often humorous error. We did buy two pair of shorts from them.
We visited a shopping area called Times Square, bought wonderful fresh fruit smoothies for $1 each and passed hundreds of unsanitary looking food venders with all sorts of unrecognizable 'goodies'.
The streets were packed with people and motorists veering back and forth and in and out like Nascar drivers after a New Years eve brawl. Amidst it all one thing we both noticed was how clean the streets were, not without hundreds of years of wear and tear, but no litter. Later we found a notice that anyone littering will be arrested. Wow, that's one way to handle a trash problem.
Finally it was lunch time and we settled on an authentic Indian restaurant. It was very yummy and reasonably priced but very spicy. It was a treat that we could enjoy twice since it burned going in and later burned coming back out.
Back at the room we answered emails and read the AR news then hit the streets.
We made some smaller change and got some good advice from the hotel concierge, Paen, and started down the street. This part of the city was a mixture of old and new. A 100 yr old shanty of a building was right next to a modern multimillion dollar structure. People and cars were everywhere, zooming in and out of traffic. It was nerve-racking to watch. Street vendors lined the sidewalks with a wide variety of food, clothing and souvenirs. A whole sidewalk in one area was full of vendors who were deaf. Since I (Trevor) am an interpreter back in the States I immediately tried to strike up a conversation. I found that many signs were the same or similar to American Sign Language and enough that we were able to communicate, although not without obvious and often humorous error. We did buy two pair of shorts from them.
We visited a shopping area called Times Square, bought wonderful fresh fruit smoothies for $1 each and passed hundreds of unsanitary looking food venders with all sorts of unrecognizable 'goodies'.
The streets were packed with people and motorists veering back and forth and in and out like Nascar drivers after a New Years eve brawl. Amidst it all one thing we both noticed was how clean the streets were, not without hundreds of years of wear and tear, but no litter. Later we found a notice that anyone littering will be arrested. Wow, that's one way to handle a trash problem.
Finally it was lunch time and we settled on an authentic Indian restaurant. It was very yummy and reasonably priced but very spicy. It was a treat that we could enjoy twice since it burned going in and later burned coming back out.
S33
Our hotel is located just off Sukhumvit street, a main tourist and shopping area in Bangkok. The hotel is oddly named S33, obviously by its location on 33rd street. It's only 2 months old and looks it. Everything is new, modern and clean; yet it has it's peculiarities.
(www.s33hotel.com)
A bellboy offered to take our luggage to the room but there was a two person limit on the elevator. When all three of us entered the same one an alarm sounded. So the two of us went up first (to the 7th floor) and the bellboy waited for the next elevator. When we first entered our room there was no electricity, none at all. No lights, no AC, nothing. We groped around a few minutes wondering if we were in the right room when the bellboy finally arrived to educate us. We were supposed to insert our room key into the appropriate wall slot and then the room came alive. Remove the card and the room goes dead. We decided to leave the key in.
Thankfully the room has a real toilet, but it has an optional butt faucet for those that prefer a bedet rather than using our familiar paper. Good thing they left plenty of wash cloths.
We learned on the flight over that Bangkok is subject to frequent power outages, whether you have your room key in the right slot or not, and just in case there was a flashlight on the night stand and a movable lamp for the bathroom.
Another concern we had was with the electrical plugs. Before leaving the states we each acquired the appropriate adapter, thank you very much Jimmie! Come to find out this hotel comes equipped with new electrical plugs that accept the standard Thai plug and the American style plugs. So at least in this first hotel we can charge the iPhone, both iPads, two cameras and battery packs all at the same time! Tourists and their gadgets! Hey, maybe that's why the electricity keeps going out around here.
(www.s33hotel.com)
A bellboy offered to take our luggage to the room but there was a two person limit on the elevator. When all three of us entered the same one an alarm sounded. So the two of us went up first (to the 7th floor) and the bellboy waited for the next elevator. When we first entered our room there was no electricity, none at all. No lights, no AC, nothing. We groped around a few minutes wondering if we were in the right room when the bellboy finally arrived to educate us. We were supposed to insert our room key into the appropriate wall slot and then the room came alive. Remove the card and the room goes dead. We decided to leave the key in.
Thankfully the room has a real toilet, but it has an optional butt faucet for those that prefer a bedet rather than using our familiar paper. Good thing they left plenty of wash cloths.
We learned on the flight over that Bangkok is subject to frequent power outages, whether you have your room key in the right slot or not, and just in case there was a flashlight on the night stand and a movable lamp for the bathroom.
Another concern we had was with the electrical plugs. Before leaving the states we each acquired the appropriate adapter, thank you very much Jimmie! Come to find out this hotel comes equipped with new electrical plugs that accept the standard Thai plug and the American style plugs. So at least in this first hotel we can charge the iPhone, both iPads, two cameras and battery packs all at the same time! Tourists and their gadgets! Hey, maybe that's why the electricity keeps going out around here.
Touchdown!
Our flight left Tokyo on time and we arrived in Bangkok 7 hrs and 3 crying kids later at 11:45 PM Tuesday night. As we soon found out, at midnight in Bangkok things are just getting started. There was no mistaking that we were in foreign territory when I entered a bathroom at the airport and there with other men standing at the urinal a woman entered and started sweeping the floors around us. AWKWARD! And then I spotted what Bryan quickly named the 'squatty-potty'. Somehow I just didn't have the urge to go anymore.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Travel Day!
4:00 What's that awful noise? Alarm! 5 more minutes mom, please? It's way too early. I didn't know they still made a 4 am.
4:15 Its the shower, shave, scurry, sort and suitcase scramble!
4:30 Where's my other sock? Did you print the tickets? What happened to my keys? When do we meet our ride? THE DOG! Where is the dog? Oh wait, I don't have a dog! This is entirely too early!
5:30 Thanks for the ride David, you're a champ! American Airlines, here we come.
7:00 Up up and away!
7:15 Zzzzzzzzz
8:35 Hello Chicago. Wake me when we're at the gate.
9:15 Waiting for our next flight. Still tired, Hope we board soon, I ...am...so...zzzzzz
10:30 Here we go again. First flight on Japan Airlines. Sure are a lot of Asians on here.
12:00 Lunch is on the way, Hooray! I ordered kosher meals for our flights, they are always yummy.
12:10 PM They apparently didn't get the kosher meal order and now we have salad with bacon bits and noodles with shrimp. Where's the peanut butter?
2:00 This is the longest flight ever.
4:30 Afternoon snack. Oh No! Ham and yellow cheese. Where was that peanut butter again?
6:20 We are flying at 36,000 ft with outside air temp at -79f, ground speed over 589mph. Glad we didn't take the ferry.
8:00 This is the longest flight ever.
9:30 Another meal, never found the peanut butter and the Japanese snack crackers have shrimp. WAIT! A vegetarian pasta dinner! HOORAY I'm saved!!
11:30 Touchdown in Tokio (Narita intl airport). Did I mention that that was the longest flight ever?
12:15 AM and at the gate for the flight to Bangkok.
4:15 Its the shower, shave, scurry, sort and suitcase scramble!
4:30 Where's my other sock? Did you print the tickets? What happened to my keys? When do we meet our ride? THE DOG! Where is the dog? Oh wait, I don't have a dog! This is entirely too early!
5:30 Thanks for the ride David, you're a champ! American Airlines, here we come.
7:00 Up up and away!
7:15 Zzzzzzzzz
8:35 Hello Chicago. Wake me when we're at the gate.
9:15 Waiting for our next flight. Still tired, Hope we board soon, I ...am...so...zzzzzz
10:30 Here we go again. First flight on Japan Airlines. Sure are a lot of Asians on here.
12:00 Lunch is on the way, Hooray! I ordered kosher meals for our flights, they are always yummy.
12:10 PM They apparently didn't get the kosher meal order and now we have salad with bacon bits and noodles with shrimp. Where's the peanut butter?
2:00 This is the longest flight ever.
4:30 Afternoon snack. Oh No! Ham and yellow cheese. Where was that peanut butter again?
6:20 We are flying at 36,000 ft with outside air temp at -79f, ground speed over 589mph. Glad we didn't take the ferry.
8:00 This is the longest flight ever.
9:30 Another meal, never found the peanut butter and the Japanese snack crackers have shrimp. WAIT! A vegetarian pasta dinner! HOORAY I'm saved!!
11:30 Touchdown in Tokio (Narita intl airport). Did I mention that that was the longest flight ever?
12:15 AM and at the gate for the flight to Bangkok.
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