Bookends

My first day in Bangkok I went to the big, giant, crazy mall (to get my cell phone switched over), had pineapple fried rice served in a pineapple at Hemlock for dinner, and got a massage.

My last day in Bangkok, I went to the big, giant, crazy mall (to see Harry Potter), had pineapple fried rice served in a pineapple at Hemlock for dinner, and got a massage.

In the 5 weeks in between, I experienced a world of firsts – took a sleeper train, rode an elephant, took a Thai cooking class, traipsed around the temples of Angkor Wat, sat in on a war crime tribunal, and relaxed on the beaches of Cambodia and Thailand. I learned enough Thai to haggle with tuk tuk drivers over the fare and bargain in the markets, and to let waiters know that I wanted my food with just a little bit of spice (“peht nin noi”), or, as I was recovering from my bout with Bangkok belly, no spice (“mai peht”). I pampered myself with massages (8), a facial (1), and manicures/pedicures (3). I tried Thai beer, Cambodian beer, Laotian beer and Vietnamese beer, and found that I preferred a mango smoothie over any of them.

I also met people from around the world and next door, learning again what I already knew – that traveling solo does not mean traveling alone. In 5 weeks, there was barely a day that I didn’t meet someone to share a meal, a drink, or a tour a temple with.

But now the trip is over, and I’m back to reality. I can cross off two more countries in my atlas, and check off Angkor Wat in my copy of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. And, of course, start thinking about where I want to go next…

Changing plans, changing directions

The great part about independent travel (as opposed to tour groups) is that you're free to change your mind, turn around on a dime, and head in the opposite direction if the whim strikes. On Friday, I took a morning ferry and bus from Ko Chang to return to Bangkok. My loose plans for the last week of this trip - hit the weekend market, see a few other sites around Bangkok and maybe take a side trip a few hours west of Bangkok for a few days.

Well, I went to the weekend market, and took a side trip. But instead of taking a 2 hour bus ride west, I hopped on a plane Saturday afternoon for a 2 hour flight south to Thailand's southern penninsula. My destination - Railay Beach, a small inlet outside the town of Krabi, accessible only by boat. By the time the airport shuttle bus reached the "dock" it was dark and raining. I was with 2 other travelers from Holland. I use the word "dock" loosely. The dock is the beach. Our transport, a wooden longtail boat, pulled up as far as it could towards the beach, lowered a ladder, and we waded out into thigh deep water in the pitch black to climb into the boat as it pitched back and forth in the surf. Our boat ride took about 25 minutes in semi-rough waters, rocking the boat just enough to get a little nervous but not overly worried. The "dock" on the other end was the same - the beach. Again, climbing down the ladder, getting soaked thigh high as the waves came up. But we were there - Railay Beach.

Arriving at night doesn't do Railay justice. Once I stepped out on my balcony in the morning, I saw what this place is all about - amazing steep cliffs jutting out of both the land and sea all over the place. While I wasn't going to be scaling any cliffs (Railay is a popular rockclimbing site) I was hoping to take a canoe or kayak trip through some mangroves, or just enjoy the beaches. Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn't cooperating, and the rain continued into the morning and almost all through the day.

While the weather wasn't the best, the company was - my new Dutch friends, Els and Elmer, and Greg from NYC. When the rain stopped we went out for dinner (I had coconut rice actually served in a coconut!), then to a bar at the end of the beach, aptly called "Last Bar", for drinks. We also caught a bit of a fire show - some Thai guy with a 5-6 foot long pole set on fire at both ends, twirling it around and throwing it in the air like a high school majorette.

I had only planned a quick trip, with my return flight to Bangkok on Monday. Of course, that's when the weather cleared up. I really can't complain. I am, after all, travelling in the "rainy season", and this is the first time I've seen rain that has lasted for more than an hour or so.

Paradise Found (again)

This morning I sat on the beach and ate a breakfast of mangosteen, rambutan and bananas, watching Thai fishermen set their nets while the Gulf of Thailand nipped at my toes. Just an hour ago, I sat at a table on the beach at a waterfront restaurant, sandals off, toes in the sand, and ate a bowlful of the most delicious mussels while watching the sun set over the horizon. In between I hiked to a waterfall and swam in a cool pool of water at it's base, sipped on a mango lassi while hanging in a hammock and played with a bunch of puppies. I don't think I have ever been so relaxed and blissed out anywhere.

While Kep is Cambodia's little piece of paradise, Thailand has it's own chunk in the island of Ko Chang (Elephant Island). The island is a national park and is taken up mostly by undeveloped forests and parkland. The main development is the west side of the island. There are about 6 main beaches, each with their own personality. I chose Klong Prao, which is becoming the new haven for upscale resorts. Being the off-season, though, it is very reasonable yet still secluded.

At the Blue Lagoon Resort, I have my own private bungalow - a 2 story unit with a large bedroom on the 2nd floor and an open patio below. Fresh fruit appears in my room every day. Sometimes a cat comes with it (but she usually hangs out at the bungalow one over). Klong Prao beach is a 2 minute walk away. The sand is so fine it feels like silk under your feet. The distance to the water depends on the tide - that can make a difference of almost 200 feet. The water is warm, almost bath water and stays shallow for quite a while. For the last 2 days I haven't had more than 10 people in my sight line on this beach.

You wouldn't know it's the rainy season. There has been no rain today, and yesterday I lounged on my balcony for about an hour (reading Frankenstein) during an hour long gentle rain. Then went back out to the beach for a swim before dinner.

I am returning to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok tomorrow. After the last week in Kep and Ko Chang, this is going to be a harsh impact on the senses. But, the weekend market is calling me - there is shopping to do before this trip ends, after all.

Paradise Found

Three nights ago, I arrived in the small seaside town of Kep, Cambodia. I knew within an hour that this was paradise. Vanna Bungalows sits on a hillside looking over the Gulf of Cambodia. I have my own spacious (by Cambodian standards) bungalow, balcony and hammock. All with a view of the sea, islands and the occasional fishing boat. I have spent the last three days essentially doing nothing, which was the plan.

Kep is the definition of sleepy little town. It has only had electricity service for 2 years, and there are still only a few street lights. Perfect for star-gazing at night. I have seen less than 20 cars in 3 days. Mostly motorbikes, the occasional tourist tuk-tuk, and bicycles. I have rented a bike for 3 days now, and just pedal from beach to beach, then coming back to the bungalow to hang out in the hammock for a while with a pineapple shake in hand. On Friday, I was at the main beach and came across a bunch of monks out for a weekend picnic. Next, they were on the beach, stripping off multiple layers of orange monk robes, down to their orange monk shorts, and frolicking in the water. (I am really amused by monks outside their normal habitats.)

The main (ok, only) industry in Kep is seafood. I have taken full advantage of this. I had crab Thursday night, shrimp Friday for lunch, squid on Saturday, and a big 'ol fried fish (head, tail, spine and all) for lunch today. There is a row of crab shacks right on the water, where I have watched the women wade out into the water to tend to their traps, bringing the catch straight to the restaurants just a few feet away. I don't think you can find fresher seafood than this.

The only non-idyllic part about Kep is it's obvious past. There are shells of once glorious estate homes on every road, burnt out by the Khmer Rouge in the 70's. Either nature or squatters (or sometimes both) have taken over the ruins. But there are also signs of up-coming development - new hotels being built by the beach, restaurants a few notches up from the sea-side crab shacks coming in. This place will not be the same in 5 years. Maybe still paradise, but not the same.

Untitled

Today I did something different. Really different. Something that relatively few people get the opportunity to do, as there have been few of these occurrences over the last few generations. And that's a good thing.

Today I attended a war crime tribunal.

Earlier this year, after many years of waiting by the Cambodian people, the leaders of the Khmer Rouge were finally put on trial for the execution of tens of thousands of people in the late '70's. A special court was created in a joint effort between the Cambodian government and the U.N. and a new courthouse (about 1/2 hour outside downtown Phnom Penh) was built. They are currently hearing the case of Kaing Guek Eav (aka Duch), a senior Khmer Rouge official who personally oversaw the murder of over 15,000 people at the infamous Security Prison 21. Duch testified a few months ago, but the last week has brought the beginning of testimony by the few people who survived imprisonment at S-21. (Seriously few - 7.) The proceedings are open to the public - something I just learned yesterday, and quickly made the necessary arrangements.

The courtroom was designed specifically for observation. It looks almost like an aquarium display - the courtroom itself is enclosed on one side by a glass wall. The 7 judges (Cambodian and foreign) face the galley, which holds around 300 spectators. It was around 85% full this morning. I was among a handfull of westerners - maybe 20 or so from what I could see. Duch and the defense team sit to the right, the dozen or so prosecuting attorneys sit on the right. The witness chair is front and center, facing the bench. Closed circuit cameras and four large screen tv's allow the galley to see the witness's face while testifying. Headphones are provided for translation. The translation was instantaneous - maybe at most a 2 second delay.

Bou Meng was the third survivor to provide testimony before the tribunal. The presiding judge (the President of the Trial Chamber) allowed Mr. Meng to give a narrative testimony. Several times, Meng had to pause to compose himself as he described how his life as a fine arts teacher ended when he and his wife were forced to relocate to the countryside and labor in the fields, digging canals and building dams. They were taken away from that one day, under the promise of being given a teaching position. This was not to be. Instead, they were taken to S-21, bound and blindfolded, photographed and imprisoned. To this day, he has never been informed of any crime he committed against the Khmer Rouge. Few prisoners were. Meng was held prisoner under squalid conditions, nearing starvation. After 5-6 months, the torture began. He was taken twice a day, for 3-4 hours each time, to a room where he was beaten with sticks, whips, canes or subject to electrocution, being ordered each time to tell the Khmer Rouge when he joined the CIA, who other agents were, how he spied for the CIA. Meng said he did not even know what the CIA was, but they just continued to beat him.

The only reason Meng survived is because of his art skills. He was put to work painting portraits of Pol Pot and the other leaders. He last saw his wife the day they arrived at S-21. He does not know what ever happened to her. The only photo he has left of her is the prisoner photo taken of her on that day.

After Meng told his story, the presiding judge began questioning Meng. I could tell his purpose was to get specific details down for the record. Was Meng held in a common room or solo cell (both, depending on the time); what was the exact method the prisoners were shackled; how much food and water did they receive (a few grams per day); how often could they bathe (once every 2 weeks, hosed down through a window); what were the specific methods of torture used; was Meng ever given a trial for his alleged crimes against the Khmer Rouge (of course not). During the entire time, I had a direct line of sight to Duch, the defendant. He was expressionless, and at times just looked bored with the whole proceeding. It was hard to hear Meng's testimony - many people in the galley cried, or just held their heads. From what I've read in the papers, yesterday's witness testimony was even more gruesome - his toenails were pulled off by pliers, and he removed his shoes to show the judges.

Meng described the scars on his back from the torture. Just as he was getting ready to remove his shirt to show the court, his civil attorney requested a break. At that time, my time was up as my tuk tuk had returned to take me back to Phnom Penh. I was a bit glad to have this self-imposed time restriction.

I will admit, I knew very little of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge before this trip. I had the big picture, but not the details. My biggest education actually came yesterday, when I toured S-21, which was almost immediately made into a museum documenting the lives and deaths of the prisoners there. Photographs are displayed, the cells have been maintained, and the methods and instruments of torture have their own room for display. S-21 was once a primary and high school campus. The metal fence and barbed wire installed by the Khmer Rouge still stand as it was the day they were defeated in 1979. I also toured the killing fields - the site of execution for most of the Khmer Rouge's victims. Over 150 mass graves stand on this site, about 2/3 of them excavated and the rest untouched. A memorial stands at the entrance - a tall stupa with a glass core filled with the skulls, bones and clothing of the excavated remains.

I can't say the last 2 days have been "fun", but necessary as a visitor to this country.

Thailand vs. Cambodia (or: same same but different, vol. ii)

A few thoughts:

Traffic in Thailand and Cambodia (from what I've seen of each, at least) is crazy. There appear to be no rules of the road - lane lines are meaningless; people drive on the wrong side of the street if it appeals to them; people park wherever they like - in the second lane on the street, half street/half crosswalk, whatever; when crossing intersections without traffic signals you just go and hope everyone else will weave around you; crossing the street as a pedestrian is taking your life into your hands. One major difference - horns are rarely used in Thailand, but used constantly in Cambodia. Haven't figured that one out yet.

In both countries, tuk tuk drivers are relentless. I will be walking down a street, and there will be 5 tuk tuks in a row. The first four will all approach me with "tuk tuk, madam?", and I either say no, or just ignore them. Yet the fifth, seeing me reject/ignore all previous 4 will still stand in my path and say, "tuk tuk, madam?" As if I somehow, in the span of about 4 paces, changed my mind and decided, "Yes! I DO need a tuk tuk after all!" It's annoying, but mostly tolerable. Except for my last night in Siem Reap, where I guess I hit my limit and almost decked a driver who stood right in my way with that damn "tuk tuk, madam?" line. I'm better now.

There IS a difference between Thai and Cambodian food! I think I like Cambodian better. They use this fun spice - amok (as in running amok). Also, most dishes really aren't spicy - spice is used for flavor, not for heat. I like that. And dishes are sweeter. Coconut and/or coconut milk is in a lot of stuff. yum! Thai beer, on the other hand, beats Cambodian beer hands down. Maybe I need to sample some more before making a final conclusion on that...

Cambodian monks are apparently not as restricted as Thai monks. The guide book had all sorts of do's and don'ts for monks in Thailand. Don't take pictures of them or with them. Women can't talk to monks. Women can't touch monks. Women can't hand something or take something directly from a monk. But, in Cambodia, things seem a bit different. At Angkor Wat I had a young monk (we're talking maybe 18) follow me around like a lost puppy, chatting me up the whole time. As I noted in my last post, at the sunset temple I got a hoot out of watching a group of around 10 monks be your average joe-tourist. Taking pictures, posing on the edge of the temple, using digital cameras and camcorders. (Another traveler told me he was on the same bus as them, and they were drinking and smoking up a storm.) At one point I realized I was about to walk in the path of a monk getting his picture taken - I stepped back but he motioned me into the picture, put his arm around me, then asked another blonde girl to get on his other side and did the same. I bet he shows this to all his Thai monk friends and they get jealous.

Thai vs. Cambodian massage/spa treatments... I feel I should be qualified to judge this, as I had 3 massages, 2 manicures and 1 pedicure in Thailand, and 2 massages and 1 facial in Cambodia. But, so sorry to say, I'm afraid more research is needed before coming to a definite conclusion. I promise you all, I will endure all sorts of sacrifice to come to a determination on this very important subject. I suppose I should go work on that now...

Ruined! (Again)

Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow. I just can't say it enough. Wow.

I spent 11 hours today touring the ruins of Angkor Wat and surrounding temples. Wow. This place is just surreal. It looks like something out of a movie set. OK, that's probably because it has been used for movie sets. (Tomb Raider, anyone?)

Most people just refer to the entire area as Angkor Wat. But that really isn't accurate. Angkor Wat is just one temple in this area. There are dozens of others, most built 1,000 years ago and laid undiscovered by modern man until about 100 years ago. Some, like the one used in Tomb Raider, were overtaken by nature long ago. Trees started to grow in the ruins of Ta Prohm, and what were once little saplings are now 100+ foot trees fully intertwined with the ruins. Others are in various states of decay. Climbing about on them is a weird feeling - everything is just so... old. It doesn't seem right to be clamboring over these ruins. But I did. Luckily, this is the low season, so the number of tourists is small compared to high season. In many temples, there were times when there was no one else in sight.

Angkor Wat is an incredible sight. It is the largest of the temples, and the most fully preserved, as it was used in much later periods than the others. It is surrounded by a huge (huge!) moat. The causeway is almost 2 football fields long. I took a quick 2 hours to tour it, but plan to come back tomorrow. I thought about getting up at 4am to see the sun rise - supposedly a magnificent sight - but I just can't bring myself to do it. Maybe Monday.

I ended the day with a 15 minute walk uphill to the base of Phnom Bakheng, then climbing up dozens of incredibly steep sandstone steps (how do the tiniest people end up with the steepest, highest steps???) to position myself for a view of the on-coming sunset. This is supposedly the place to be. Again, in high season, 1,000 people will crowd in at the top of the temple. There were probably around 100, including a group of monks that were in full tourist mode - digital cameras, camcorders, etc. (One wanted to pose for a picture with me and another blonde girl. That was weird.) Unfortunately, mother nature was not cooperating and delivered only a cloudy sky, not a spectacular sunset as the guide book promised. It was still a nice view.

Ruined!

I spent 3 days earlier this week touring two of Thailand's most important historical sites - the ruins at Sukothai and Ayutthaya. On Sunday I left Chiang Mai and hopped on a bus for a 6 hour ride to Sukothai. (This is why I didn't fly back to Bangkok, as some have wondered.) Sukothai is about 1/2 way between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. It is known for its historical park of old temple ruins. Unfortunately, that's about all it has going for it. I was hoping this would be a cute little town where I could relax and chill for a few days. Nope. Sort of dusty and lacking in any sense of charm or personality. But, it had the historical park.

I liked my guesthouse - I had my own little bungalow (with a/c!), they had a nice communal lounge with a tv and about 100 pirated dvd's, and there were a good number of other travellers there. But, I had officially declared myself bored within 10 minutes. I was sitting in the lounge for just a few minutes, I suddenly heard "Jennifer?" It was a couple that I had met in Bangkok a week earlier. I was so happy, and let Helen & Pete know they just cured my boredom.

The three of us, and another couple we met on the local bus, rented bikes on Monday and toured a good bit of the historical park. We rode probably around 10k over the morning (partly because we overshot one of the temples by around 2k and had to turn back. oops). I could have stayed another few hours, but had to make a decision around 12:30 - leave the park and make the 2:00 bus to Ayutthaya, or stay a little longer and be stuck in Sukothai overnight. I decided to get out of town, so I left Helen & Pete to explore on their own a little longer.

Ayutthaya had a bit more going for it. A pretty big city, with everything centered around ruins of old temples and palaces. Lots and lots of buddhas - big ones, little ones, standing ones, sitting ones, and 3 reclining buddhas. Buddha looks very comfortable reclined. The Thai like to drape their buddhas in gold cloth. Sometimes just a sash, othertimes full draping. It looks stunning against the old ruins.

My guesthouse in Ayutthaya - Morodok Thai house - was run by Samsei, a tiny little Thai woman, probably in her mid-50's but looking much older because she only has 3 teeth. I think Samsei both understands english and speaks it too, but most of us couldn't tell. Whatever language she was speaking was incomprehensible (and horribly high pitched, too). She is a bit crazy, and likes to dance around like a college freshman on nickle beer night when she drinks. 2 guys who had been staying there for quite some time seemed to understand her, but the rest of us were baffled.

The ruins at Sukothai and Ayutthaya got me inspired for the next leg of my trip... Angkor Wat. (See next post...)

Making food & making friends

When I was in Chiang Mai, I took a full-day cooking class. Lots of options for these in Chiang Mai (also in Bangkok). I'm glad I decided to do it. There were just 4 of us in the class - me, Sun-hee (South Korean), Vincent (French Canadian) and David (Canadian). All of us were travelling solo. Our teacher and market guide, Tu, made the day informative and fun.

First, Tu took us to a local food market. She pointed out the different noodles (soy, rice, etc.), curries (we would make our own) and veggies. After picking up our supplies, it was back to the cooking school. We would prep in an outside covered area, learning how to chop and prepare all the ingredients. Did a lot of chopping, and some serious mashing with a mortar & pestle. We would then move to a small inside kitchen, where we each had our own stove. We prepared our own dish for each course, adding more or less spice as we liked. Tu kept an eye on us, making sure we had the right heat, were adding ingredients in the right order. She did her job well - every dish came out great.

After each dish, we'd head to the dining room to eat our creations, share off each other's plates, and chat between courses. By the end of the day, we made 9 dishes and had been eating for 5 hours. I also made 3 new friends.

I will be wanting to test out my new culinary skills when I get home, so keep an eye out for dinner invitations.

Answer - what I ate

For those of you who submitted guesses (via comments or email), thanks for playing. No, it wasn't cat, dog or any domesticated animal. I have my limits. I just met someone who actually tried rat, but I can't do that, either. It was a locust. Fried locust, with a little pepper for taste. I had my options - large scorpion, giant cockroach, ant larvae, various maggot looking things. But I chose the locust.

I just read about a restaurant in Cambodia (I'm leaving for there tomorrow) that serves fried spiders. I may have to check it out...

Food, glorious food (or not)

It has been noted that my blogs are void of one Very Important subject... food. Well, there's a reason for that. I didn't want to write anything about it earlier, didn't want to create unnecessary concern. But, I have finally had to realize my own mortality. Call it King of Siam's revenge, Bangkok Belly, or whatever, but it hit me. Hit me hard.

Things were great the first 2 days in Bangkok. My first meal was pad thai off a street vendor 5 minutes after throwing my bag in my hotel (around 11:30pm Thursday night). Big bowl of pad thai, spring roll cut up on top, all for 50 baht ($1.50 or so). Next morning and the morning after that, I hit another street vendor for a big bowl of yogurt, museli and fruit. Nibbled here and there for 2 days without concern, without problems. Then, Saturday night, I went to a restaurant right near my hotel. Lots of people there. Had a simple dish - rice, chicken, veggies, cashews. It came out piping hot - a good sign. But, no cashews. The waiter took the dish back, and returned it with cashews on top. But, they weren't cooked with the food. I didn't think about it at the time...

Boy, was I thinking about it later. Long (and rather disgusting) story made short - after 10 hours of being tethered to my bathroom I was able to make it to the pharmacy next door and got prescribed some major antibiotics. I've been on them since, and between the drugs and the stomach still being sensitive, I am on a very limited, bland diet. Rice, noodles, bread, crackers, water. No spice, no veggies, no fruit, no milk, no alcohol. Strangely, the worst of it has been the no fruit part. There are fruit carts and stands everywhere with the most delicious looking, odd looking, scary looking fruit. And I want to try it all.

Yesterday, I finally felt confident to start eating normally again. Went to a Thai restaurant (not Western/American oriented) for the first time in a week. Ordered everything "phet nin noi", just a little spice, and it was soooo good! Papaya salad, something that is the Thai version of chicken satay, some prawn chips... happiness! Went out later with some new friends, including some local Thai. Went to this great bar/restaurant. Since I can't drink, I treated myself to a beautiful dish of coconut ice cream. Heaven!

Tomorrow, I may even try fruit. Mangosteen, dragon fruit, lychee... they all are calling me...

Same same but different

This is a common saying around here. Same same but different. (Not sure where the punctuation goes, or what it would be.) It's not original or unique to Thailand. A few fellow travellers were talking about it last night, and it seems to be a common phrase in Singapore, other parts of South East Asia, etc. We've been using it to describe the night markets in various cities.

Today, I took a 5 hour bus ride south to the town of Sukothai. I was reading my book for a good hour or so, and something distracted me. I looked up and out the window, and for a brief time (probably 2-3 seconds) I couldn't remember where I was. I had to really think about what country I was in. The view out the window was lush, green, lots of trees, small mountain in the distance. Could have been Ecuador, could have been northern Morocco. That's when it hit me... Same same but different.

I rode an elephant!

High up on my "to do" list for Thailand - ride an elephant. Yes, I know, it is touristy, and there are probably a million humanitarian reasons to not do so. But, elephant treks are a full fledge industry here in Chiang Mai, so I could rationalize that it was helping support the local economy and providing protection for the very animal that was about to haul me around a Thai forest for an hour.

I booked a full day trek with my hotel upon arriving in Chiang Mai. The package included an hour elephant ride, hiking, visiting with local indigenous people (the Karen weavers), hiking some more, and getting taken down the river on bamboo rafts. There were 8 in our tour. We drove for about an hour, somewhere southeast of Chiang Mai. The elephant ride was first up. But first, we had to walk across a rather precarious looking rope & bamboo bridge hanging about 50 feet over a very muddy, fast moving river, to get to the elephants. I'm not crazy about that sort of thing, but hey, there are elephants on the other side. I'm crossing the damn bridge.

We rode 2 to an elephant, in a basket right above the elephant's shoulders. Each elephant had a guide, who pretty much sat on the elephant's head and steered with his feet. I rode with Molly, another American from Seattle. As soon as the elephant started moving, it felt like a wild roller coaster ride, but with nothing to strap you in. We both held to the sides of the basket, and braced our feet on the elephant's neck. It took a little getting used to, and our elephant started moving down a path, up a hill into the forest. We were first in line, and our elephant took advantage of the rest of the group lagging and would stop for snacks, pulling leaves off bamboo shoots, shoving it's head further off-path to get some more.

At a certain point, the guides let one person on each elephant slide down off the basket onto the elephant's neck. Molly took that option (I stayed in the basket). But then our guide hopped off, leaving Molly as the driver. Again, our elephant saw this as a snacking opportunity. We finally got back on trail, the guide eventually hopped back on, and our trek ended with crossing the same river we took the bridge over, but this time with the elephant as our transport. I think the elephants like this - a nice cool down at the end of the trek. Once we were off the elephants, we were given a chance to feed them bunches of bananas, a treat they really enjoy. Having an elephant trunk get within inches of my face as I was trying to break off a banana is an odd feeling. But they truely are gentle creatures. They know just how close to get, and wait for the next banana.

"No power"

I had a choice on how to travel to Chiang Mai... take a flight from Bangkok, about 1 1/2 hours, or take an overnight sleeper train, about 14 hours. Both cost about the same. Naturally, I chose the sleeper train. I love taking the train when I travel. For me, there's just some old-world romanticism to trains, the sound of the train moving, starting and stopping, seeing passengers getting on and off, watching the countryside roll by. But, in all my travels, I have never taken a sleeper train. So I figured it was about time.

Well, the ride didn't exactly live up to my expectations. I boarded the train expecting to see the shiny new sleeper cars promoted on the railway's website. Not quite. Mine must have been an older car, as it had seen it's day. It was clean enough, but just had this sad, grey feel to it. The sleeper bunks were not yet set up, so it was just one long seat. I knew I might have a bunk mate (they will only match passengers of the same sex, which is good), so I took the seat next to the window and claimed that as my own. My luggage took up about 1/3 of the floor space. A buddhist monk had the cabin next to me, and waved a quiet hello as he passed.

About 3 stops later, my bunk mate arrived. Elizabeth, a yoga teacher, is originally from Wooster, Ohio. Small world. She is now living in Colorado, and travelling Thailand and teaching yoga here. At first, I was hoping I wouldn't have to share the cabin. But I was glad to have some company, if for no better reason, to get my mind off my other bunk-mates... some uninvited guests with many legs. eww. I didn't tell Elizabeth about them, but she soon spotted one on her own. We had dinner in the cabin, talked about our travels, and around 10:00, an attendant came in to turn our seats into beds. Surprisingly, the beds were rather comfortable, but I did not sleep well.

I woke up around 6am, and just laid in bed watching the scenery. Rice fields, rolling hills, some cow pastures (Thai cows are very skinny). A short while later, the train stopped - in the middle of nowhere. We stayed put for a short time, then started rolling again, but very slowly. As breakfast was being served, we asked what was happening. "No power." oops. That is not good. We were still at least 3 hours from Chiang Mai. The train varied from stop to slow to normal speed for the next 5 hours, arriving in Chiang Mai just before noon (about 2 hours late). I now know we had it good - other trains have been over 5 hours delayed.

I have decided to take the bus when I go back to Bangkok.

Thumbs of Steel

It takes 150 hours of training to become a masseuse in Thailand. I am convinced that 148 of those hours are spent refining the fine art of putting 500 lbs of pressure through the thumb (or elbow, or knee, or whatever) of a 92 lb Thai woman.

I had a full hour herbal massage last night, and even with the thumbs of steel prying into every muscle tissue, it was a very relaxing experience. For the herbal massage, a hot herbal compress is pressed onto the skin, warming up the muscles. While the masseuse did her massage work, she set the compress on my back or stomach, where it would strangely get hotter not cooler. Just about when I was at the point where I couldn't take the heat, she would move it a few inches. That seems to be a common trait of masseuses world-wide - knowing when you are just at the verge of pain, then backing off.

This was actually my second massage in Bangkok. My first night I tried out the much talked about foot massage. For those of you who are Amazing Race watchers, the Chinese version was featured this last season and had the racers writhing in pain. (But it is supposed to feel good later.) This was surprising mild, and again, very relaxing. It was a perfect ending to a day of walking around temples and exploring the city.

Oh, and the price of these little slices of bliss? 120 baht for the foot massage (1/2 hour), and 280 baht for the herbal massage. That works out to about $4 and $8. This could spoil a girl...

New game

I'm creating a new game called "Guess what Jennifer ate on vacation." 1st odd food occurence happened on Friday night. Any guesses? (I'll eliminate dog and cat right off the bat.)

2 nights in Bangkok, and the world's your oyster

OK, I just had to use that quip at some time, didn't I???

First impression walking out of the Bangkok airport on Thursday night: damn, it's hot. I know, shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was almost 11:00pm, and it was like being in a steamroom. After travelling for over 24 hours, I was just happy to be off a plane and out of an airport, though. I had a surprising thing happen on the taxi ride into my hotel... The taxi fare was actually less than what was quoted by the hotel. I think in all my travels this is the first time an airport taxi driver has not tried to rip me off first thing upon arrival. I was hoping that was a good sign for the rest of the trip.

My hotel, the Rambuttri Village Inn, is on Soi Rambuttri. It is a lively street at all times of day. Pulling up at 11:30 at night, I was surprised to see things quite hopping. Open air restaurants and pubs, street vendors, food carts, beer carts, pretty much everything was going on. Luckily, my hotel is set back quite a ways, so there is no street noise. I had to decide between sleep and food, and food won out. A little pad thai cart right outside the hotel looked interesting, and had a good crowd around it. So for 50 baht (around 75 cents) I had myself a nice plate of pad thai and a spring roll. Ate with 2 women from Germany who were ordering at the same time and vouched for the food. Went to bed shortly later with a full and happy tummy.

Friday night, my first full day in Bangkok.... so, what did I do? I went to the mall. Yes, the mall. I needed to get my cell phone unlocked and a new sim card put in so I can call locally if needed. The mall is not just a mall, it is a HUGE mall. 6+ floors of anything and everything. There must have been at least 100+ counters/stalls just devoted to cell phones and accessories. But I was told this was the place to go, and they set me up just as I needed. I tried hard to avoid spending more time in that place, but it was hard to resist. I finally pulled myself away and headed outside. Oh, did I mention? It was hot. Strangely, it felt better than last night, but it was still hot. Probably over 90. (One of these days I have to figure out the whole celsius thing.) But one of the things the Thai do well is air conditioning. They really know their air conditioning.

Going back outside after being in AC was hard, but I had to do it. I walked a few blocks to see the Jim Thompson house. He was an American that post WWII brought back the Thai silk trade, so they love him for that. His old house has been converted into a museum, and it was a really great place to see what traditional Thai architecture and furnishing looks like. It also had a really nice garden, which was shaded and provided some relief from the heat.

Besides the heat, I found out the unexpected nature of Bangkok weather. Just as I was arriving at one of the local temples/monuments, the Golden Mount (part of a local temple, built on an artificial hill), a black cloud was looming above. I raced up the hundreds of itty bitty steps winding around the temple, getting inside the temple just in time before the sky opened up. The view was great, almost better with the ominous clouds covering the city. And the wind picked up and provided some nice relief from the heat. (Yep, it was hot. Who figured?) But, it was past 4:30, and the temple closed at 5:00. Around 5:30, there were about 10 of us left, hoping not to be thrown out into the rain. Finally, a buddhist monk in orange robes came out with a handful of umbrellas, offering one to each of us. I don't know if he was earning good karma, or if he just wanted us gone because it was his dinner time. Either way, it was appreciated. I finished off the day with a traditional Thai foot massage. ahhhh!

Today, I tried to repay a bit of the good karma, putting donations into just about every box I passed at both temples I visted. I went to 2 of the 3 big ones, Wat Arun and Wat Pho. Both were spectacular! Wat Pho's main attraction is a 150 foot long reclining buddha. There are several smaller temples on the grounds, and it really is a huge complex. Wat Arun is as tall as Wat Pho is wide, though. Wat Arun's main temple is almost 250 feet tall, and has very very steep stairs to get almost to the top of that. (Going down was scarier than going up.) Both Wats featured an abundance of amazing porcelain work, stone carvings (guardians, lions, various animals, etc.), and lots of orange clad monks. Both also featured a lot of sun. Shade is a scarce commodity around here. Got in both a tuk tuk ride and a ride on the river ferry.

I am realizing fast that there is a lot more to see & do in Bangkok than I originally figured on. I know I can't fit it all in, but trying to choose between sights and activities is proving harder than I thought. Also, trying to decide between the food is a tough choice. Everything I've had - whether from open air food carts to white table cloth restaurants - has been great.

Palaces and more wats are on the list for tomorrow. And shopping - the big market here is only on the weekends. I've been here for almost 48 hours and haven't bought a thing! Also hoping to fit in some time to soak in the rooftop pool at the hotel, and of course, another massage.

Sawadee.

A quote offered from a friend (which is actually a slightly paraphrased quote from some dead English guy):

"An adventure is an inconvenience reconsidered."

Quite apropos.

Welcome!

Welcome to my travel blog.

Having been, as the British say, made redundant (translation - laid off) and finding the Cleveland legal market rather soft, I decided to take advantage of the unintentional time and travel. On June 10th I am heading to Bangkok for 5 weeks in Thailand and Cambodia. My main goals - see Angkor Wat, and ride an elephant into the jungles of Thailand. There will be many adventures in between.

My flight leaves in just over 12 hours, and I still have to pack.