Been secluded in the most picturesque valley with 35 elephants for a week. As incredible as it sounds, and obviously completely removed from modern conveniences such as the internet.
Rafting today. Ziplining tomorrow. Chiang Mai has a lot to offer and I'm trying to do it all before I move on as my Thai visa expires in 4 days!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Flat.
I've probably complained about my luck, or lack thereof, when it comes to flat tires - especially bicycles. Last summer I purchased a brand new mountain bike for a pretty penny, and in welcoming I flattened three (3) tires in the very first week. I wasn't even convinced that I was simply cursed but perhaps that it was my fault in some way.. the fact that by the time the biking season came to an end, I was closing in on double-digits for flats. My roommates couldn't help but laugh when I came home grumbling (sweaty and tired) all to often.
Fast forward to Ayuthaya, the former capital of Siam (Thailand) a few days ago. Larissa and I are a few hours into a sunny self-propelled tour of the city when I decide to take a shortcut through the park. This turns out to be a bad idea as I crash over a tree root and the pedaling becomes much more sluggish. *Uggh* Sending Larissa ahead I recall a repair shop nearby and leaning all my wait to the back (keeping it off the flat front wheel) I bike the few hundred meters (what? It's a rental!).
A grease-handed Thai man walking through the shop puts down what he is doing and sets to work immediately to remedy my problem. I watch the familiar process that he completes in just over 10 minutes (usually takes me 30+,mind you he has the right tools). With only a handful of English words spoken he sends me on my way with a smile as he says "free". I thank him with words and expression without anything else to give him (as he won't accept money). The rest of the day goes off without a hitch... well the sound & light show is terrible but that's about the worst of it.
Remember yesterday when I mentioned a new mode of transportation we might try today? Pretending like I'd ridden a motorbike before I have the hotel attendant just "show me how to start it". I should expand on motorbike, in fact it is a fairly new, but small (engine-wise) Honda motor scooter. Convincing enough she lets me drive off with the rental for the day with Larissa seated behind. We tour Sukhothai's ruins (the capital BEFORE Ayuthaya) and are happy enough to simply cruise by without entering as after two days worth we're starting to think stupas are pretty stupid (*groan*).
Back to the moral of this story. Ripping back down the highway (I mean going slowly and cautiously on the shoulder to all that will worry) I notice a repetitive rumbling and slow down to check it out. Having little mechanical inclination my cursory look doesn't come up with anything.. or perhaps I'd prefer to ignore it as I wouldn't know how to deal with it anyway. We stop at another massive Buddha (45th of the tour?) and take a break but on take off Larissa says she thinks something is wrong. Closer examination reveals that the rear tire is flat (and looks to be cracked already!). Wondering what to do, being ~15km from the guest house we consider calling them but wonder if the language gap will be too wide.
Using all my concentration I maintain a straight line and keep the speed constant. Seriously, if I let my mind wander to what is going to happen when we arrive at the guest house and the steering wheel moves even slightly the whole bike starts to wobble. The half hour ride home is therefore stressful, and to cover this discretion (again it is a rental!) I push it the last 200m to the door. Of course the waiver I signed in the morning says I'm responsible for damage.. but I coerce them into lowering the fee for fixing it and we get the heck out of there before the mechanic comes to actually take a look!
Fast forward to Ayuthaya, the former capital of Siam (Thailand) a few days ago. Larissa and I are a few hours into a sunny self-propelled tour of the city when I decide to take a shortcut through the park. This turns out to be a bad idea as I crash over a tree root and the pedaling becomes much more sluggish. *Uggh* Sending Larissa ahead I recall a repair shop nearby and leaning all my wait to the back (keeping it off the flat front wheel) I bike the few hundred meters (what? It's a rental!).
A grease-handed Thai man walking through the shop puts down what he is doing and sets to work immediately to remedy my problem. I watch the familiar process that he completes in just over 10 minutes (usually takes me 30+,mind you he has the right tools). With only a handful of English words spoken he sends me on my way with a smile as he says "free". I thank him with words and expression without anything else to give him (as he won't accept money). The rest of the day goes off without a hitch... well the sound & light show is terrible but that's about the worst of it.
Remember yesterday when I mentioned a new mode of transportation we might try today? Pretending like I'd ridden a motorbike before I have the hotel attendant just "show me how to start it". I should expand on motorbike, in fact it is a fairly new, but small (engine-wise) Honda motor scooter. Convincing enough she lets me drive off with the rental for the day with Larissa seated behind. We tour Sukhothai's ruins (the capital BEFORE Ayuthaya) and are happy enough to simply cruise by without entering as after two days worth we're starting to think stupas are pretty stupid (*groan*).
Back to the moral of this story. Ripping back down the highway (I mean going slowly and cautiously on the shoulder to all that will worry) I notice a repetitive rumbling and slow down to check it out. Having little mechanical inclination my cursory look doesn't come up with anything.. or perhaps I'd prefer to ignore it as I wouldn't know how to deal with it anyway. We stop at another massive Buddha (45th of the tour?) and take a break but on take off Larissa says she thinks something is wrong. Closer examination reveals that the rear tire is flat (and looks to be cracked already!). Wondering what to do, being ~15km from the guest house we consider calling them but wonder if the language gap will be too wide.
Using all my concentration I maintain a straight line and keep the speed constant. Seriously, if I let my mind wander to what is going to happen when we arrive at the guest house and the steering wheel moves even slightly the whole bike starts to wobble. The half hour ride home is therefore stressful, and to cover this discretion (again it is a rental!) I push it the last 200m to the door. Of course the waiver I signed in the morning says I'm responsible for damage.. but I coerce them into lowering the fee for fixing it and we get the heck out of there before the mechanic comes to actually take a look!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Warm Welcome
Not only was it a 6 hour bus ride today, but we were delayed from departing on our desired bus due to overbooking (after waking early for the bus and everything!) Thankfully the bus was comfortable (A/C), with beautiful scenery and even a lunch stop (in addition to frequent bathroom breaks). At the end of this easy, though still long journey (and a couple hundred pages later in my book about training elephants) we had an unexpected warm welcome.
At the bus station located outside of town we tried to score a free ride to a hotel but it wasn't working out until we stumbled upon an Englishman who had a reservation for one and was in the process of calling for transport. I was beginning to wonder if it would be worth the wait after about fifteen minutes passed but as the vehicle with his hotel's name written on the side pulled up I realized it had been well worth it. I can now add to the list of modes of transportation a tractor-trailer. No, not that kind - this was a legitimate tractor, like those you would find on a farm (a smallish one) towing a trailer with two benches in it. The driver was even wearing a straw hat and had to wipe the mud from the seats before we sat!
Arriving at the hotel, located well away from any distraction in the midst of a field, we were greeted by at least three welcoming Thai people who took our picture with the tractor and driver, gave us cold water and Larissa's favourite part, a wet nap to freshen our faces!
How could we NOT stay here after this? In fact only paying 200 Baht ($6.66) for the room seems like WE are ripping THEM off.
Tomorrow we will explore Sukhothai's ancient ruins, and perhaps do something else we haven't done before (though I won't say what until after). The next day our elephant excursion in Chiang Mai begins and will last for the week. I hope it goes better than things have been in my novel, 'Water for Elephants'.
At the bus station located outside of town we tried to score a free ride to a hotel but it wasn't working out until we stumbled upon an Englishman who had a reservation for one and was in the process of calling for transport. I was beginning to wonder if it would be worth the wait after about fifteen minutes passed but as the vehicle with his hotel's name written on the side pulled up I realized it had been well worth it. I can now add to the list of modes of transportation a tractor-trailer. No, not that kind - this was a legitimate tractor, like those you would find on a farm (a smallish one) towing a trailer with two benches in it. The driver was even wearing a straw hat and had to wipe the mud from the seats before we sat!
Arriving at the hotel, located well away from any distraction in the midst of a field, we were greeted by at least three welcoming Thai people who took our picture with the tractor and driver, gave us cold water and Larissa's favourite part, a wet nap to freshen our faces!
How could we NOT stay here after this? In fact only paying 200 Baht ($6.66) for the room seems like WE are ripping THEM off.
Tomorrow we will explore Sukhothai's ancient ruins, and perhaps do something else we haven't done before (though I won't say what until after). The next day our elephant excursion in Chiang Mai begins and will last for the week. I hope it goes better than things have been in my novel, 'Water for Elephants'.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Working on my Night Markets
Such fantastic things to be found at the markets in Thailand. My favourite are the ones that ring sidewalks of a park, though markets seem to spring up in any back alley or parking lot that will have them. There's everything from toys (not many fun ones though), electronic gadgets, clothes (and more clothes), jewelry and other souvenirs - plus all kinds of other doodads.
It is the food at these night markets that I'd like to share with you now though.
Firstly there is the any-sort-of-meat-or-seafood on a stick. The thought of foods on a stick is for some reason appealing to me (shishkebabs, fudgesicles) but these small hunks of meat sitting under the sun (well under the flies that are under the sun) all day and then barbequed for a few seconds before being served just turns my already vegetarian stomach further.
Seafood reigns supreme in this land and you can get all sorts of it cooked in any way you can think of (okay not really.. it's either bbqed or fried). Again I'm not interested but at the same time I AM intrigued and it seems that Larissa and I wander through the food section at each market just to make faces at the nasty-looking creatures that people are voluntarily ingesting.
Last night I had some luck in finding things that appeal to me (and aren't made of animals.. though dead meat doesn't appeal to me anyway). My food-fetish for things on a stick was answered with a little wooden rod full of small, multicoloured squishy balls of sticky, sweet jelly. Yum!
Not having spoiled my appetite with the candy we passed by the pad thai stands (all pad thai-ed out!) and saw a lady frying up small multicoloured patties which she assured us were vegetables (well at least kept repeating 'vegetable' over again). Grabbing a mixed pack I tried the green leafy one (spinach? seaweed most likely) then the corn one (not bad) and then the white one which turned out to be the best (though neither of us could ascertain what vegetable it was despite its decidedly vegetable texture).
Larissa slurped a fresh watermelon smoothie - so good and abundantly available for about 50 cents Canadian - and I spotted a crepe place. With memories of my banana pancake in Bangkok I was informed I could make 3 topping choices and peered into the canisters of multicoloured globs or spreads. I settled on red gelatinous balls like the ones on my stick of earlier, sprinkles and caramel sauce. She told me the caramel sauce was in fact chili sauce so I swapped it for chocolate. The crepe was thin and crunchy, folded over into a pizza slice shape with the toppings in the center and was tasty (but didn't match the banana chocolate sandwich from Khao San).
With my hunger nearly satisfied (okay we went out for a full dinner after too) we returned to the AC room we'd splured on (a whole $20/night) and watched Wall-E (in English.. though I think "Wally" and "Eva", the extent of the dialog, would translate).
Volunteering with the elephants in Chiang Mai for a week starts on the 23rd! Can't wait.
It is the food at these night markets that I'd like to share with you now though.
Firstly there is the any-sort-of-meat-or-seafood on a stick. The thought of foods on a stick is for some reason appealing to me (shishkebabs, fudgesicles) but these small hunks of meat sitting under the sun (well under the flies that are under the sun) all day and then barbequed for a few seconds before being served just turns my already vegetarian stomach further.
Seafood reigns supreme in this land and you can get all sorts of it cooked in any way you can think of (okay not really.. it's either bbqed or fried). Again I'm not interested but at the same time I AM intrigued and it seems that Larissa and I wander through the food section at each market just to make faces at the nasty-looking creatures that people are voluntarily ingesting.
Last night I had some luck in finding things that appeal to me (and aren't made of animals.. though dead meat doesn't appeal to me anyway). My food-fetish for things on a stick was answered with a little wooden rod full of small, multicoloured squishy balls of sticky, sweet jelly. Yum!
Not having spoiled my appetite with the candy we passed by the pad thai stands (all pad thai-ed out!) and saw a lady frying up small multicoloured patties which she assured us were vegetables (well at least kept repeating 'vegetable' over again). Grabbing a mixed pack I tried the green leafy one (spinach? seaweed most likely) then the corn one (not bad) and then the white one which turned out to be the best (though neither of us could ascertain what vegetable it was despite its decidedly vegetable texture).
Larissa slurped a fresh watermelon smoothie - so good and abundantly available for about 50 cents Canadian - and I spotted a crepe place. With memories of my banana pancake in Bangkok I was informed I could make 3 topping choices and peered into the canisters of multicoloured globs or spreads. I settled on red gelatinous balls like the ones on my stick of earlier, sprinkles and caramel sauce. She told me the caramel sauce was in fact chili sauce so I swapped it for chocolate. The crepe was thin and crunchy, folded over into a pizza slice shape with the toppings in the center and was tasty (but didn't match the banana chocolate sandwich from Khao San).
With my hunger nearly satisfied (okay we went out for a full dinner after too) we returned to the AC room we'd splured on (a whole $20/night) and watched Wall-E (in English.. though I think "Wally" and "Eva", the extent of the dialog, would translate).
Volunteering with the elephants in Chiang Mai for a week starts on the 23rd! Can't wait.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Bicycle Tour
The freedom that a bicycle affords in touring a city, practically irregardless of the country, is not matched by any other mode of transportation. One can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time, but also has the ability to linger easily in interesting places and access back alleys and other spots that are much more difficult for motorized vehicles.
Today I enjoyed this freedom in the vicinity of Kanchanaburi, the Thai town known historically for its vital role in WWII as the base for the Japanese-led construction of the "Death Railway" linking Thailand to Burma (for the purpose of eventually invading India). Look it up if you haven't heard of it- the history is fascinating. Back to my day... I left Larissa in the dust (to enjoy a massage and day vegging on the riverbank) and took my one-speed (at least it was new, and a third of the weight of my Indian 'Hero' bike) out for a rip. Flying around town I took in the sights that just weren't intriguing enough to walk to (ie: city gate, pillar etc) before cutting across the River Kwai (yes, that River Kwai from the 1957 movie I now need to watch). Cycling past Chinese cemeteries (interesting in themselves) at the base of mountains on one side, and the river itself on the other I made my way to the first Wat (temple), listed as 22km away. Up 158 stairs I came face to face with a giant golden Buddha; well not really since his face was another 5m above me! It was at least that many steps again up a tower's spiral staircase that took me to dizzying heights overlooking the gorgeously green landscapes that were crossed intermittently with rivers or canals, and ended in mountainous humps.
Returning the way I came I decided to take a break at another Wat - mostly because its stairway was enveloped by a serpent. Well this break was nothing of the sort as exiting the snake's rear-end only led to more stairs, this time with my shoes removed for religious reasons. From the first cave a metal staircase wound upwards, and in the spirit of exploration I took it (silently sidestepping the sleeping lady at the base). The top of this was 487 steps from the beginning (yes, I counted on the way down) and granted fantastic views of the river and far beyond. I was already a sweaty mess but the monk here convinced me to continue up to a cave which I think he said wasn't too far up again. Well it wasn't all that far (50m) but in bare feet climbing up jagged rocks it sure felt like it.. and the payoff of a humid cave with a tiny opening was somewhat disappointing. The real mistake came next.
Two Thai guys a couple years younger than I probably, had followed me up to this point (along with the monk and sleeping lady we were the only 5 on this hill!), and without any English motioned for me to carry on yet another side path. This one didn't look even as appealing as the previous rock route but hoping for an even greater vantage point I was talked (er, motioned) into it. By the top the bottoms of my feet, and even my palms, were cut up from the barely-path, and by top I mean a bush-obscured rock mount. The only view it gave was of a densely forested valley up to a higher peak. The two boys pointed and said "hike?" I shook my head decisively 'NO' and picked my way delicately back to ground level.
A rest riverside with honey & lemon green tea rejuvenated me for the afternoon activities. Quickly taking in a WWII cemetery I stopped in to the Monkey School (and before you ask, no I was NOT the pupil). Here I learned how the monkeys were taught to harvest coconuts from the tree tops for use on farms. However the other side of things was the teaching of them to perform stunts which the human-rights/vegetarian in me didn't agree with so I shook the entrance gibbon's hand and refused to pay admission.
Next stop was underground. A nine room cave that seemed to get deeper with each chamber (and hotter too). The crevice thankfully opened into much larger spaces full of stalactites and stalagmites (I always forget which is which too!). A neat aspect was the giant tree roots that hung right down to within reach from the top of one cave. Nearing the end the sweat on my forehead nearly froze as one room to the next dropped the temperature at least 7 degrees. Emerging I biked riverside for my favourite tranquil lookout point in this picturesque town. (I know, I know.. pictures would be the cherry on this literary sundae but I forgot my camera!)
Biking back up the quiet side of the river I took the long way and stumbled upon an all-Thai market so stopped in to rest my aching butt. The free donut the girl gave me wasn't quite as appealing as I ate it alongside the now-air-breathing fish for sale. Leaving the seafood and butcher section I grabbed a watermelon shake for $0.66 Cdn and more donuts to bring back for Larissa.
On the home stretch I stopped at the WWII museum. Beginning with the life-size recreations of the likes of Stalin, Churchill, Hitler and even Einstein I was intrigued by the WWII info and memorabilia (hundreds of guns!). However the postcard, stamp and jade collections hardly fit the motif. The complete (and I mean complete) history of the Thai royal family filled the walls, ceilings and display cases of a 5 storey building which I climbed to the top of mostly to catch pictures of the train crossing the Bridge over the River Kwai at sunset. But the least linked exhibit of all was the Miss Thailand room that didn't even have photographs of them! (Only paintings).
Apologies for the rambling but I covered a lot in my (conservatively) estimated 60km of cycling.. you'd hate to see my journal!
On a side note, I fulfilled a lifelong dream the other day as Larissa and I rode home in, get this, a sidecar! Oh yes. I can't remember where this desire stemmed from but when I saw the motorcycles pulling sidecars as taxis in this town I knew I'd be riding in style. Besides being a little noisy it was pretty much everything I'd ever wanted.. the wind in my hair and the pavement whizzing beneath me. Exhiliration without being behind the wheel!
Today I enjoyed this freedom in the vicinity of Kanchanaburi, the Thai town known historically for its vital role in WWII as the base for the Japanese-led construction of the "Death Railway" linking Thailand to Burma (for the purpose of eventually invading India). Look it up if you haven't heard of it- the history is fascinating. Back to my day... I left Larissa in the dust (to enjoy a massage and day vegging on the riverbank) and took my one-speed (at least it was new, and a third of the weight of my Indian 'Hero' bike) out for a rip. Flying around town I took in the sights that just weren't intriguing enough to walk to (ie: city gate, pillar etc) before cutting across the River Kwai (yes, that River Kwai from the 1957 movie I now need to watch). Cycling past Chinese cemeteries (interesting in themselves) at the base of mountains on one side, and the river itself on the other I made my way to the first Wat (temple), listed as 22km away. Up 158 stairs I came face to face with a giant golden Buddha; well not really since his face was another 5m above me! It was at least that many steps again up a tower's spiral staircase that took me to dizzying heights overlooking the gorgeously green landscapes that were crossed intermittently with rivers or canals, and ended in mountainous humps.
Returning the way I came I decided to take a break at another Wat - mostly because its stairway was enveloped by a serpent. Well this break was nothing of the sort as exiting the snake's rear-end only led to more stairs, this time with my shoes removed for religious reasons. From the first cave a metal staircase wound upwards, and in the spirit of exploration I took it (silently sidestepping the sleeping lady at the base). The top of this was 487 steps from the beginning (yes, I counted on the way down) and granted fantastic views of the river and far beyond. I was already a sweaty mess but the monk here convinced me to continue up to a cave which I think he said wasn't too far up again. Well it wasn't all that far (50m) but in bare feet climbing up jagged rocks it sure felt like it.. and the payoff of a humid cave with a tiny opening was somewhat disappointing. The real mistake came next.
Two Thai guys a couple years younger than I probably, had followed me up to this point (along with the monk and sleeping lady we were the only 5 on this hill!), and without any English motioned for me to carry on yet another side path. This one didn't look even as appealing as the previous rock route but hoping for an even greater vantage point I was talked (er, motioned) into it. By the top the bottoms of my feet, and even my palms, were cut up from the barely-path, and by top I mean a bush-obscured rock mount. The only view it gave was of a densely forested valley up to a higher peak. The two boys pointed and said "hike?" I shook my head decisively 'NO' and picked my way delicately back to ground level.
A rest riverside with honey & lemon green tea rejuvenated me for the afternoon activities. Quickly taking in a WWII cemetery I stopped in to the Monkey School (and before you ask, no I was NOT the pupil). Here I learned how the monkeys were taught to harvest coconuts from the tree tops for use on farms. However the other side of things was the teaching of them to perform stunts which the human-rights/vegetarian in me didn't agree with so I shook the entrance gibbon's hand and refused to pay admission.
Next stop was underground. A nine room cave that seemed to get deeper with each chamber (and hotter too). The crevice thankfully opened into much larger spaces full of stalactites and stalagmites (I always forget which is which too!). A neat aspect was the giant tree roots that hung right down to within reach from the top of one cave. Nearing the end the sweat on my forehead nearly froze as one room to the next dropped the temperature at least 7 degrees. Emerging I biked riverside for my favourite tranquil lookout point in this picturesque town. (I know, I know.. pictures would be the cherry on this literary sundae but I forgot my camera!)
Biking back up the quiet side of the river I took the long way and stumbled upon an all-Thai market so stopped in to rest my aching butt. The free donut the girl gave me wasn't quite as appealing as I ate it alongside the now-air-breathing fish for sale. Leaving the seafood and butcher section I grabbed a watermelon shake for $0.66 Cdn and more donuts to bring back for Larissa.
On the home stretch I stopped at the WWII museum. Beginning with the life-size recreations of the likes of Stalin, Churchill, Hitler and even Einstein I was intrigued by the WWII info and memorabilia (hundreds of guns!). However the postcard, stamp and jade collections hardly fit the motif. The complete (and I mean complete) history of the Thai royal family filled the walls, ceilings and display cases of a 5 storey building which I climbed to the top of mostly to catch pictures of the train crossing the Bridge over the River Kwai at sunset. But the least linked exhibit of all was the Miss Thailand room that didn't even have photographs of them! (Only paintings).
Apologies for the rambling but I covered a lot in my (conservatively) estimated 60km of cycling.. you'd hate to see my journal!
On a side note, I fulfilled a lifelong dream the other day as Larissa and I rode home in, get this, a sidecar! Oh yes. I can't remember where this desire stemmed from but when I saw the motorcycles pulling sidecars as taxis in this town I knew I'd be riding in style. Besides being a little noisy it was pretty much everything I'd ever wanted.. the wind in my hair and the pavement whizzing beneath me. Exhiliration without being behind the wheel!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thai Massage
What's better the morning after drinking than a massage? A mixture of massage, chiropractic treatment, forced yoga and contortionist training awaited me as I took my shoes off and entered the house of massage. First there was a foot scrub, then I stepped into a darkened room and changed into loose-fitting clothing. With the air conditioner humming, and Thai light-rock playing overtop I lay on my back on a mattress and the Thai lady entered and began working on me from the bottom up. Using everything from fists, to feet, elbows and knees, and full body twists too she kneaded and poked, pulled and pushed, while stretching and sometimes tickling me all over. At one point she cracked my back in a torso stretch, which I enjoyed, but my favourite part was probably the forearm tendon massage. In contrast, my least favourite was when she began chatting with Larissa's attendant and forgot that she had her thumbs pressed deeply into tender pressure-points in my lower back for thirty seconds at a time. Once she dismounted from standing on the backs of my legs, she attempted to pull my neck from my shoulder. After all in a Thai massage there are equal parts pleasure and pain.
A Taste of Bangkok's Nightlife
After a day of riding the rails, the Skytrain rails of Bangkok that is, we were exhausted from all the shopping and site-seeing. All I wanted to do was relax and perhaps have a drink. Oh yes, and get some famous Bangkokian street food too as I was starved. Working on that first I grabbed a pad thai and made sure it didn't include any mini-octopus, squid or other seafood before scarfing it down. At the next corner were some crispy spring rolls amidst the hubbub of street-vendors with t-shirts and jewelry. Making our way up Khao San we took in the bright lights of the backpackers district and I couldn't resist the thin crepe-like fry that wrapped up a banana so perfectly before being drizzled in concentric circles with chocolate sauce, and a splash of Carnation milk. Best part of my 'meal'.
Turning my attention from food to night life we ignored those menu-holding people accosting us to come sit on their sweaty, street-side stools and drink "strong, cheap drinks". Agreeing that the whole 'fa-rang' (westerner) scene wasn't really what we were looking for we looked for an alternative which was a little difficult granted we were in the backpacker district. From an alleyway we heard the kick of a live drum and shrugging decided to check it out. Through the front window of Tempo Bar we could see a band kicking it so we entered, took up seats near the front and ordered some drinks. The 5-piece of twenty-something Thai guys were rocking out pretty well during this and with drink in hand they played a cover of Oasis' 'Don't Look Back in Anger' - one of the handful of Oasis songs I can stand. It was interesting to hear as we noted that the singer was obviously singing by tones and not by English words. Still they did a decent job of it.
There was a pause for something - banter? - I'm not sure since it was strictly Thai (as was the entire audience) and minutes later they busted into a full-fledged set. Playing at the base of an indoor rock-climbing wall they wailed for a solid half hour, now playing what seemed to be Thai cover-songs, but they were GOOD Thai cover songs. Language or not, they were catchy and upbeat, akin to Reel Big Fish (or even Goldfinger).
The singer paused to introduce a tune which elicited a scream from the group of girls sat directly behind us, and as they played the power ballad (which was also surprisingly good) the girls sang along. This was followed by a rousing, and rocking, rendition of Happy Birthday. A few songs later I tore myself away as there was so much more to explore and it looked as if they would play all night!
Wandering back up the road there was street entertainment in the form of a sensational soccer dribbler, cradling the ball with all parts of his body and never letting it drop. Around the corner we heard some recognizable acoustic chords. Cozying up curbside one young Thai guy played an amazing collection of English songs, from Queen to Eagle-Eye Cherry and much, much more. The Chang Beers kept coming until I had to get Larissa home to bed, otherwise I would have been there all night.
The only downer part of the night was that all the mango & sticky rice vendors had packed up by the time we headed home.
Turning my attention from food to night life we ignored those menu-holding people accosting us to come sit on their sweaty, street-side stools and drink "strong, cheap drinks". Agreeing that the whole 'fa-rang' (westerner) scene wasn't really what we were looking for we looked for an alternative which was a little difficult granted we were in the backpacker district. From an alleyway we heard the kick of a live drum and shrugging decided to check it out. Through the front window of Tempo Bar we could see a band kicking it so we entered, took up seats near the front and ordered some drinks. The 5-piece of twenty-something Thai guys were rocking out pretty well during this and with drink in hand they played a cover of Oasis' 'Don't Look Back in Anger' - one of the handful of Oasis songs I can stand. It was interesting to hear as we noted that the singer was obviously singing by tones and not by English words. Still they did a decent job of it.
There was a pause for something - banter? - I'm not sure since it was strictly Thai (as was the entire audience) and minutes later they busted into a full-fledged set. Playing at the base of an indoor rock-climbing wall they wailed for a solid half hour, now playing what seemed to be Thai cover-songs, but they were GOOD Thai cover songs. Language or not, they were catchy and upbeat, akin to Reel Big Fish (or even Goldfinger).
The singer paused to introduce a tune which elicited a scream from the group of girls sat directly behind us, and as they played the power ballad (which was also surprisingly good) the girls sang along. This was followed by a rousing, and rocking, rendition of Happy Birthday. A few songs later I tore myself away as there was so much more to explore and it looked as if they would play all night!
Wandering back up the road there was street entertainment in the form of a sensational soccer dribbler, cradling the ball with all parts of his body and never letting it drop. Around the corner we heard some recognizable acoustic chords. Cozying up curbside one young Thai guy played an amazing collection of English songs, from Queen to Eagle-Eye Cherry and much, much more. The Chang Beers kept coming until I had to get Larissa home to bed, otherwise I would have been there all night.
The only downer part of the night was that all the mango & sticky rice vendors had packed up by the time we headed home.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sup, Beaches?
It was surprisingly quite easy for the normally can't-sit-still me to spend the entirety of today on the beach. Pulling up a yellow wooden lounge lounge chair under an equally yellow umbrella I settled in for countless hours with the salty water lapping at my toes. Also to do with my toes was the foot, or should I say lower-leg massage that stretched me from ticklish thigh down to the tip of my big toe. (I opted out of the pedi, while Larissa went for the whole shebang).
From there the afternoon was an intermingling of floating in the waves, drinking chilled beer, catching up on over a week's worth of journalling, and purchasing new sunglasses, while turning down most of the other beach hawkers with their various wares from breaded shrimp, to henna, banana boat rides, fresh fruit and jewelry. However with the late afternoon sun peaking under the edge of the umbrella I couldn't resist the cookies'n' ice cream frozen stick.
With the apparently hectic city of Bangkok becoming our temporary residence tomorrow I think it was for the best that we recharged today on the beach and are now ready to battle the traffic and smog.
From there the afternoon was an intermingling of floating in the waves, drinking chilled beer, catching up on over a week's worth of journalling, and purchasing new sunglasses, while turning down most of the other beach hawkers with their various wares from breaded shrimp, to henna, banana boat rides, fresh fruit and jewelry. However with the late afternoon sun peaking under the edge of the umbrella I couldn't resist the cookies'n' ice cream frozen stick.
With the apparently hectic city of Bangkok becoming our temporary residence tomorrow I think it was for the best that we recharged today on the beach and are now ready to battle the traffic and smog.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Thai Style
While you mull over this picture let me tell you about dinner.
***
The table on the back patio was already set as I woke Larissa from a nap and we joined everyone for supper. Everyone consisted of four young Thais (aged 15 to early twenties) since our hosts were out for the evening. We sat and took in the spread; centered was a crock-pot with oily water seemingly boiling in it, next to it was a suspicious looking bowl of a thick pinkish viscous substance full of white globs, while each end of the table had a large platter of raw vegetables, and various bottles of sauces were dotted in between. (I selectively ignored the chicken carcass on a plate by the far end). A few moments of awkward silence preceded an attempt at an explanation in English that hardly enlightened us, so I invited our hosts to go ahead and we would follow suit. The preparation went as follows:
Small, foil-wrapped cubes were unwrapped and tossed in. ("Akin to bouillon cubes?" I wondered silently)
The lettuce, and other greenery were cut with scissors and slipped into the water.
Baby corn and carrots were next.
Finally an egg was cracked on top of the floating salad and stirred around.
Frankly things weren't looking all that appetizing at this point, and in part due to my un-eagerness to begin I prompted them to continue. A scoop of the white globs was lowered in a ladle and my query was answered affirmatively when I guessed that it was chicken. While waiting for this concoction to cook, er boil, I asked about another package on the table - within plastic wrap were two strips of crab meat and a variety of greyish blobs of varying shapes. Unfortunately for my vegetarian self my curious mouth prompted the contents of this fish package to be haphazardly dumped into the massive pot. Uh oh... furthering my conundrum was the scoop of raw chicken added and this time freed from its ladle.
Silent minutes passed with a few furtive looks being passed between my sister and I until one of our hosts deciding things were ready began serving from the communal bowl into their own. Following suit I began delicately spooning through the 'soup' with every effort to avoid anything white (sticking to green and orange - but not the crab). Larissa continued to sit unmoving. Adding a dab of sauce I presumed to be chili, though very well may have been seafood sauce, I took a stab at picking which of the fork/spoon/chopsticks to employ and tried my wet meal.
'Hmmm' turned mildly to 'mmm' as I was pleasantly surprised to find a fair amount of flavour. Daringly I added some finely chopped chili peppers to the mix and survived. Seeing how I was at least swallowing the food Larissa helped herself to a small first serving. Each bite for me was carefully inspected as the egg turned out to be a blessing and a curse. Yes, I enjoy egg and could use the protein, but boiled egg and boiled chicken look remarkably alike making it difficult for me to differentiate between the two. Some bites were based on the blind faith that the egg did indeed come before the chicken.
To my delight and surprise Larissa's second helping was even larger than her first, and I continued with my meal as well. Unbeknownst to me mushy, clear strings had been added which I ate and was relieved when Larissa informed me later that they were indeed glass noodles as I'd suspected, and not some sort of sea creature. Somehow the six of us managed to down most of the two giant platters of vegetables in their broken-down soup-like form and though I'd been apprehensive since it was an entirely novel dinner for me, it was rather enjoyable.
***
Now I reveal the photo snapped moments after the first picture was taken, as I plummeted 56 stories in a minute or so on a cable from tower top to the ground. I was anxious as Larissa was pushed over the edge in front of me, but once it was my turn to slide down into nothingness I quickly moved beyond the fear.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Viewable Content
"Wow" "Super" "Groovy" "Tasty" "Quite splendid indeed"
These are all anticipated reactions to the news that I've added a few photos of my own to the wealth of pictoral media on the internets. Needing to get to sleep as it is coming on 130am in Thailand I've only gone through three memory cards worth and chosen some highlights (I believe there've been 8 cards total taken and I'm running out of room on my thumb drive!)
Comments here, there and everywhere would be appreciated, and probably amusing.
These are all anticipated reactions to the news that I've added a few photos of my own to the wealth of pictoral media on the internets. Needing to get to sleep as it is coming on 130am in Thailand I've only gone through three memory cards worth and chosen some highlights (I believe there've been 8 cards total taken and I'm running out of room on my thumb drive!)
Comments here, there and everywhere would be appreciated, and probably amusing.
Check List
Today I crossed many things off the ongoing, life-long, to-do list (which basically encompasses anything interesting/exciting/productive within the limits of the law [of some countries] and without harming any living creature [but bothering my sister is okay]).
Tomorrow.... zip line??
- Ate dragonfruit
- Participated in a video-call across the ocean (and 15 time zones). This IS the future! [Okay that was last night but it counts]
- Prayed to a giant, completely golden Buddha
- Spotted a Thai lady-man
- Was whipped on the bum in broad daylight by a stranger (no, not the ladyman)
- Ran on the spot while floating in one of these giant balls in 33 degree weather until the oxygen in the bubble was nearly depleted and I almost passed out. (So much fun!)
- Knee-boarded, water-skiied and wake-boarded. Yes I've done all of those before but never on a tow rope around a man-made lake! (Nor have I entered from a dock which is kinda tricky!)
Tomorrow.... zip line??
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Transit ion (Delhi, Agra, Delhi, Amritsar, Delhi, Bangkok, Pattaya)
With the arrival of Larissa came the onslaught of activities for there was so much of India left to see and so little time to show it to her (hence the lack of updates, which I will now make amends for). As mentioned previously, Delhi - India's capital - proved to be a trying place with far-flung sites distanced by unceasing traffic. Running away from this we took in the grand Taj Mahal in Agra, also as documented. From there we had to pass through Delhi once more on our way to Amritsar, home of the Sikh Golden Palace.
Well this Delhi fly-through did not go quite as planned. First from Agra we needed to catch a train at 757am so after the previous day's late-night scramble to find a working ATM (who knew it could be so difficult? and in every city!) we had cash to pay the hotel bill and exit in search of a tuk tuk (3-wheeled auto rickshaw). After negotiating with the driver we agreed on a price ($1 Canadian for a few kms) but were appalled after squeezing in with our bags to witness the eventual push start of the vehicle and hear the horrible noises coming from it. Figuring it was too much hassle to disengage we went with it, as did the driver's friend who came along, which seemed odd but was explained shortly thereafter. You see as we puttered down the road, with other rickshaws and even cycle-rickshaws overtaking us we came to a tricky spot where a man pulling a large wagon was on our left and a giant tour bus was sliding by us on our right. Our driver yelled and the friend hopped out and tried to slow our yellow and green death trap with his feet since the brakes apparently weren't working. Unsuccessful in his attempt we crashed into the side of the wagon just as the tail end of the bus, I kid you not, brushed against my leg and clipped the front end of our rickshaw. The most amazing (in a bad way) thing about this experience was that none of the three vehicles even paused and we continued to the train station, with me and Larissa huddled in the back shaking our heads and wondering what the heck we'd gotten into.
Anyway the trip on the train back to Delhi was without incident and we hired a taxi to tour us around. The first stop was a temple shaped like a lotus designed by an Indian-Canadian architect. However this turned out to be closed so we asked for another site in its place and were taking to a 9 stage sound and light diorama that basically decreed in unminced words the Hindu gospel. Brainwashing in the form of strobe lights, thunderous sound systems, three screen video rooms, action figures and black lights. The railway museum and doll museum (6500 dolls in one hour!) were much more tame.
Paying the driver off we were dropped near the train station with four hours (or so we thought) to kill. We wandered through the market with the goals of internet (to verify that we had a spot on the train, since we'd been waitlisted) and dinner. The first goal became exceedingly difficult as nobody around in the hubbub of market and traffic was friendly, helpful, spoke-english or any of the above. We were coerced into small dark alleys with the promise of a computer only to find pushy sari-sellers, and pointed in every direction, none of which produced what we wanted. Every second person was trying to drive us somewhere and not a single one of them understood "internet". Unwanted and uncalled for attention was being bestowed upon Larissa as a darkness fell around us and despite the busy atmosphere (or perhaps because of it) men became more aggressive and we felt more uncomfortable. Eventually we just tried to escape the throngs of people by giving up on the internet and going to the train station, which wasn't much better. Here we were able to confirm we had sleepers on the train, however without internet printing facilities we were bound to pay a fine for each ticket that we hadn't printed. Annoyed by this but without any means of procuring a printed ticket (the train attendants refused, or perhaps were unable) we turned to our next task. Food was back in the crush of people and serenity was no where to be found. I bought the restaurant out as we hadn't eaten much all day, but the din in the place was still keeping us from peace.
Fed we went to the station an hour early. Took a seat at what we believed to be our platform and waited. And waited further without any indication that the train was coming. Nervous that we were in the wrong spot I wished to check but didn't want to leave Larissa unattended or miss the train. The display boards were out of order and although the lady over the sound system talked ceaselessly (mostly in Hindi) she did not mention our train once. Finally it was an hour after the train's expected departure and a saintly young man approached and translated the last audio announcement saying that our platform had been changed but that the train was coming soon. He even took us to our compartment as the train was mislabelled and we weren't going to get on without his help. Once finally boarded, the train left over an hour late (2 hours of our waiting at the station, 5 hours in the Hell of Old Delhi) and our only task was to get some rest on the journey by ignoring the bed bugs crawling on the walls.
****
Amritsar was a heavenly sanctuary in comparison. A free shuttle bus took us promptly to the magnificent golden temple where we checked into a relatively nice room with accomodating clerks. Lunch was great and the sights were all nearby. Somehow we had lucked out and arrived on a giant Sikh festival celebrating the original guru's birthday, so after an interesting display of patriotism at the India/Pakistan border closing ceremony (a story for another post!) we witnessed a fantastic (and free) firework display above the golden temple (rumoured to be covered in 750kg of pure gold!)
The rest of the stay in Amritsar was equally relaxing as we visited some parks and took in a Bollywood film (London Dreams) which was quite entertaining despite it being (mostly) in Hindi. Finally we began to depart India but it would be a long journey. Opting for a cycle rickshaw instead of the full free bus we were dropped at the station. The train was there early and we boarded and were given complimentary water, snacks and a full Indian thali (dinner). Smiling at eac other we wondered why we hadn't gotten this treatment before our final train journey in India (my lucky number 13th I calculated). The six hour trip was painfree besides the hyperactive child a couple of seats over. In Delhi the plan was to buy a prepaid taxi from the train station to the airport to avoid the city we'd come to hate altogether. However we found that taxis were no longer available prepaid leaving us stuck with a horribly long and loud prepaid rickshaw ride to the airport, or the task of bargaining for a taxi. We opted for the second option but should have taken the first as the taxi we were led to made more noise than any rickshaw we'd been in (even the brake-less one) and the driver appeared to have a deathwish. Nonetheless we made it to the airport in one piece, 4 hours early for our flight.
Check-in was fine then we tried to gulp back 2 litres of water before security (only to realize we'd have to pee it out the entire flight). On the inside we had 400 rupees ($10) to get rid of as it is illegal, and unworthwhile, to take rupees out of the country. Disappointed were we when we found out the duty free wouldn't accept rupees from non-Indians so we blew it on books. About 2am at this point we both got a bit grumpy and tried to read through bleary eyes while waiting for the plane. Naturally our gate was changed at the last moment too ("this is India" being the go-to explanation we'd come to expect) and at 330am they rushed us on for our 4am departure. The trip was 3h33m and was the only sleep we got, between take off, meal and landing.
*************
Thailand saw a driver holding a sign "Mr. Stefan" which was a welcome sight just before he took us out into the humid heat. Same approximate temperature as India the humidity was noticeable and made things dramatically worse for us. The nearly 2 hour drive thankfully was air conditioned and we were overjoyed to do up our buckles and see that people actually drive in lanes and obey traffic signals!
My brother-in-law's father and his wife welcomed us with great smiles to their lavish private community home a couple of klicks from the Pattaya beach. We did our best to be social for an hour over the best mango and pineapple I've ever tasted before crashing hard for two hours of sleep due to exhaustion in our most comfortable room, complete with en suite washroom! The change from yesterday to today has been drastic, and the peacefulness here is most welcome. A bit of tennis and a nice beachside pizza rounded out our day today and we look forward to this holiday from our holiday while recuperating here for the next four days.
Well this Delhi fly-through did not go quite as planned. First from Agra we needed to catch a train at 757am so after the previous day's late-night scramble to find a working ATM (who knew it could be so difficult? and in every city!) we had cash to pay the hotel bill and exit in search of a tuk tuk (3-wheeled auto rickshaw). After negotiating with the driver we agreed on a price ($1 Canadian for a few kms) but were appalled after squeezing in with our bags to witness the eventual push start of the vehicle and hear the horrible noises coming from it. Figuring it was too much hassle to disengage we went with it, as did the driver's friend who came along, which seemed odd but was explained shortly thereafter. You see as we puttered down the road, with other rickshaws and even cycle-rickshaws overtaking us we came to a tricky spot where a man pulling a large wagon was on our left and a giant tour bus was sliding by us on our right. Our driver yelled and the friend hopped out and tried to slow our yellow and green death trap with his feet since the brakes apparently weren't working. Unsuccessful in his attempt we crashed into the side of the wagon just as the tail end of the bus, I kid you not, brushed against my leg and clipped the front end of our rickshaw. The most amazing (in a bad way) thing about this experience was that none of the three vehicles even paused and we continued to the train station, with me and Larissa huddled in the back shaking our heads and wondering what the heck we'd gotten into.
Anyway the trip on the train back to Delhi was without incident and we hired a taxi to tour us around. The first stop was a temple shaped like a lotus designed by an Indian-Canadian architect. However this turned out to be closed so we asked for another site in its place and were taking to a 9 stage sound and light diorama that basically decreed in unminced words the Hindu gospel. Brainwashing in the form of strobe lights, thunderous sound systems, three screen video rooms, action figures and black lights. The railway museum and doll museum (6500 dolls in one hour!) were much more tame.
Paying the driver off we were dropped near the train station with four hours (or so we thought) to kill. We wandered through the market with the goals of internet (to verify that we had a spot on the train, since we'd been waitlisted) and dinner. The first goal became exceedingly difficult as nobody around in the hubbub of market and traffic was friendly, helpful, spoke-english or any of the above. We were coerced into small dark alleys with the promise of a computer only to find pushy sari-sellers, and pointed in every direction, none of which produced what we wanted. Every second person was trying to drive us somewhere and not a single one of them understood "internet". Unwanted and uncalled for attention was being bestowed upon Larissa as a darkness fell around us and despite the busy atmosphere (or perhaps because of it) men became more aggressive and we felt more uncomfortable. Eventually we just tried to escape the throngs of people by giving up on the internet and going to the train station, which wasn't much better. Here we were able to confirm we had sleepers on the train, however without internet printing facilities we were bound to pay a fine for each ticket that we hadn't printed. Annoyed by this but without any means of procuring a printed ticket (the train attendants refused, or perhaps were unable) we turned to our next task. Food was back in the crush of people and serenity was no where to be found. I bought the restaurant out as we hadn't eaten much all day, but the din in the place was still keeping us from peace.
Fed we went to the station an hour early. Took a seat at what we believed to be our platform and waited. And waited further without any indication that the train was coming. Nervous that we were in the wrong spot I wished to check but didn't want to leave Larissa unattended or miss the train. The display boards were out of order and although the lady over the sound system talked ceaselessly (mostly in Hindi) she did not mention our train once. Finally it was an hour after the train's expected departure and a saintly young man approached and translated the last audio announcement saying that our platform had been changed but that the train was coming soon. He even took us to our compartment as the train was mislabelled and we weren't going to get on without his help. Once finally boarded, the train left over an hour late (2 hours of our waiting at the station, 5 hours in the Hell of Old Delhi) and our only task was to get some rest on the journey by ignoring the bed bugs crawling on the walls.
****
Amritsar was a heavenly sanctuary in comparison. A free shuttle bus took us promptly to the magnificent golden temple where we checked into a relatively nice room with accomodating clerks. Lunch was great and the sights were all nearby. Somehow we had lucked out and arrived on a giant Sikh festival celebrating the original guru's birthday, so after an interesting display of patriotism at the India/Pakistan border closing ceremony (a story for another post!) we witnessed a fantastic (and free) firework display above the golden temple (rumoured to be covered in 750kg of pure gold!)
The rest of the stay in Amritsar was equally relaxing as we visited some parks and took in a Bollywood film (London Dreams) which was quite entertaining despite it being (mostly) in Hindi. Finally we began to depart India but it would be a long journey. Opting for a cycle rickshaw instead of the full free bus we were dropped at the station. The train was there early and we boarded and were given complimentary water, snacks and a full Indian thali (dinner). Smiling at eac other we wondered why we hadn't gotten this treatment before our final train journey in India (my lucky number 13th I calculated). The six hour trip was painfree besides the hyperactive child a couple of seats over. In Delhi the plan was to buy a prepaid taxi from the train station to the airport to avoid the city we'd come to hate altogether. However we found that taxis were no longer available prepaid leaving us stuck with a horribly long and loud prepaid rickshaw ride to the airport, or the task of bargaining for a taxi. We opted for the second option but should have taken the first as the taxi we were led to made more noise than any rickshaw we'd been in (even the brake-less one) and the driver appeared to have a deathwish. Nonetheless we made it to the airport in one piece, 4 hours early for our flight.
Check-in was fine then we tried to gulp back 2 litres of water before security (only to realize we'd have to pee it out the entire flight). On the inside we had 400 rupees ($10) to get rid of as it is illegal, and unworthwhile, to take rupees out of the country. Disappointed were we when we found out the duty free wouldn't accept rupees from non-Indians so we blew it on books. About 2am at this point we both got a bit grumpy and tried to read through bleary eyes while waiting for the plane. Naturally our gate was changed at the last moment too ("this is India" being the go-to explanation we'd come to expect) and at 330am they rushed us on for our 4am departure. The trip was 3h33m and was the only sleep we got, between take off, meal and landing.
*************
Thailand saw a driver holding a sign "Mr. Stefan" which was a welcome sight just before he took us out into the humid heat. Same approximate temperature as India the humidity was noticeable and made things dramatically worse for us. The nearly 2 hour drive thankfully was air conditioned and we were overjoyed to do up our buckles and see that people actually drive in lanes and obey traffic signals!
My brother-in-law's father and his wife welcomed us with great smiles to their lavish private community home a couple of klicks from the Pattaya beach. We did our best to be social for an hour over the best mango and pineapple I've ever tasted before crashing hard for two hours of sleep due to exhaustion in our most comfortable room, complete with en suite washroom! The change from yesterday to today has been drastic, and the peacefulness here is most welcome. A bit of tennis and a nice beachside pizza rounded out our day today and we look forward to this holiday from our holiday while recuperating here for the next four days.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
International
Today marks my 35th and final day in India (for this trip). On the one hand it has been a long five weeks, marked with heat and annoyances, but only slight occasional discomfort and rarely any fear. In return for these temporary inconveniences I've seen a truly wonderful country despite its problems. The pollution, both noise and environmental, that have been a nearly non-stop reminder of the issues associated with huge populations and developing nations. However the friendly, inviting people (for the most part), the amazing history, the beautiful country, sprinkled with awesome buildings, caves, architecture and more have made the entire experience wholly worthwhile. At this juncture I am ready to bid a farewell to India and look forward to a few days of serenity on the beaches of Thailand. That being said, the call of India may very well draw me back here in the future armed with a better understanding of the country, and a desire to explore it much further as there is plenty left to see. For now India, so long!
Agra's Amazing Architecture
And there it was. Positively glowing in the just-crested, red, morning sun. After all the hype - the talk and the photographs - the stories and the fables - the early wake up call and the long line. These things are not worth listing, for none of it really mattered once the magnificent structure stood boldly against the sky at the far end of the perfectly straight garden. Knowing that I was embarking on the final steps of a long path to perhaps the most beautiful man-made structure in history brought through me a sense of awe, coupled with an odd serenity despite the hordes of fellow onlookers. Approaching the jewel, I found the tower tops and the infamous dome to be radiating a warmth towards me that eased the chill of the morning. Finally reaching my destination it was only a matter of soaking in the grand sight of Agra's Taj Mahal.
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