Old World Asia

Luang Prabang, Laos

We left Vientiane on Sunday for Luang Prabang - a city which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1995 by UNESCO. The 9 hour mini-van ride was practically luxury as there was only 4 of us, Penne, Anna and Helena from Sweden, and myself. Like most of Asia getting from one place to another usually consisted of winding up and down mountains and volcanoes. This journey was no different. The landscape was filled with rolling hills covered in all shades of green and the blue sky filled with clouds that resembled raw cotton.

We arrived in LP just in time to see the locals start setting up for their daily night markets. The streets were filled with panels of beautifully hand quilted blankets, duvet covers, pillows and the most colorful silk scarves. By far the best market I've seen in Asia. Of course no night market would be complete without the food section. Penne and I have slowly worked our way up the food stalls from one end of the street to the other. Delicious leaf rolls stuffed with some sort of spicy eggplant paste, little fried samosa type things filled with grated coconut, som tam (spicy papaya salad), laaps of all varieties, spicy sausages, and of course pho.

That same night we ran into Matt and Jon, two english guys i'd met in Kuala Lumpur, and then again in Koh Phi Phi, along with their friend Sally. The boys were planning on leaving the next day back to Bangkok so we all decided to hit one of the 3 bars in LP - Hive Bar before it closed at midnight (about the latest anything is open in LP). Besides Beer Lao, Laos is famous (infamous) for their local whiskey made by many of the nearby villages called what else but 'Lao Lao'. I can't even begin to explain how foul this stuff is! Whiskey, HA! more like rubbing alcohol. No wonder they give this stuff out for free. There was no way anyone would pay actually pay for this kind of punishment - well, except for Penne who ordered a glass neat ;)

Yesterday we decided to visit the Kuang Si falls and after negotiating a price we got a boat owner to take 4 of us for $16. The boat ride along the Mekong was so peaceful and calm all of us had dozed off at some point. I guess the driver realized this because once we arrived on land he turned into Mr. Tuk-Tuk Speedracer. I swear the wheels on this heaping piece of metal were any shape other than round. Regardless of ditch, pothole, pedestrian, corner, or turkey he maintained a steady speed of 40km/h! The falls were fabulous, the climb up was broken up with little swimming areas. The water was bloody cold, but after numbness wore off very refreshing. We headed back to town just in time as the sky opened up. Now this was the weather i had been expecting after researching that sept/oct were the most rainy months.

Its now Wednesday morning and the rains has stopped... for now. Keep your fingers crossed that it stays this way because we haven't done our night market shopping yet :)

The Buddha Park

Vientiane, Laos

We ventured out of Vientiane today about 25 kilometers west to a strange sort of place called Xieng Kuam "The Spirit City" more commonly known as The Buddha Park. The site was designed and built by a monk who had fled Thailand during the revolution. Used as a way to visually show his beliefs it has over 200 buddhist and hindu statues and images, including his interpretation of a hellgate, a sort of hollow pumpkin looking thing with 3 layers inside representing hell, earth and heaven.

It was easy to idle away the morning roaming the grounds surrounded by images of siddhartha, buddha, shiva, laxmi, ganesh, krishna as well as a few i couldn't place - like the pig headed god (jess you would have loved this guy). Like most sights in Asia there was also a restaurant located in the park, just on the Mekong River. Lunch consisted of some surprisingly tasty fried fish and sticky rice.

The highlight of the trip wasn't just the statues, but also the 50 minute tuk-tuk ride there and then back again. As we road along the crater-filled dirt path we ran into so many friendly faces, got to see where they make the (i'll quote Penne on this one) "Beer Lao, Nectar of the Gods", and had a chance to enjoy the sun showers without getting soaked. My arse, however could have done without some of those potholes.

Think today will be our last day in Vientiane. I've really enjoyed the warmth and easy-going mentality here, but it just makes me want to experience more of Laos. Tomorrow we'll be heading up towards Luang Prabang with maybe a stop in Vang Vieng.

By the way we tried some laap sin last night - absolute heaven! my mouth is just watering thinking about it. Come to think of it I think its about time for a late afternoon snack....

Slowing down the Pace

Vientiane, Laos

I'm sitting here in a little computer cafe relaxing in the AC (the heat index is 100F/38C) with a grin on my face from ear to ear. It's been a fabulous day, and its only 1:30pm. Penne and I got up early this morning had a gorgeous cup of coffee made with sweetened condensed milk and baguettes before renting bikes. We were determined to leave our laziness back at the beach and get out there and explore a bit more. We spent the morning getting ourselves lost around Vientiane and managed to find our way to the Golden Pha That Luang (Sacred Stupa) and the Laos version of the Arc de Triumphe - Patuxai. By then we'd worked up an appetite and after a few minutes of R&R back at the guest house we hopped back on in search of lunch.

The day before while eating our sandwiches at a local cafe we caught a glimpse of what the locals were eating, a steaming bowl of noodles with a massive plate of greens and a bowl of chilies and limes. Forget sandwiches that was what i was looking for. We weren't going to make the same mistake twice. So we headed over to one of the main roads which had plenty of food stalls to choose from. We opted for a little one with tables set under a canopy. Luckily for us there were some Laos women eating lunch and all we had to do was point. And a few minutes later came out a steaming bowl of rice noodles with some foreign but yummy meat, a plate full of mint leaves, bean sprouts, and string beans, and a bowl of chilies and limes. Before adding all the extras I took a sip of the broth. It was sensational! But you know me, couldn't stay away from the chili paste and lime juice for too long. One of no doubt several fabulous meals I'll be having while in Laos, my first bowl of foe will have to be remembered as one of my TOP 10 favorite food experiences while traveling. The 7,000 Kip price tag is just an added bonus (less then $1)

Oh and I almost forgot, if you take a look at the picture above you'll see a bottle of BeerLao sitting there. In every country I've been to I've made it a priority to try the local brew. There was Bintang in Indonesia, Tiger in Singapore & Malaysia, and Singha & Chang in Thailand. With a smooth flavor, and no bitter after taste, hands down BeerLao has got to be the best beer in Southeast Asia

Some other dishes I'm looking forward to trying:
khao pun - white flour noodles served with sweet-spicy sauce
laap sin - minced meat tossed with lime juice, garlic, powdered sticky rice, green onions, mint leaves and chilis
and for dessert khao niaw maak muang - sticky rice in coconut cream and ripe mango (Cara I'll be thinking of you when i try this!)

So i've realized i've been a bit slack in my postings and really didn't right much about meeting up with Penne in Koh Tao, going to the full moon party or our Big day Out in Bangkok... so i'm going to continue being lazy and instead point you in the direction of Penne's Travel Journal
Koh Tao
Koh Phi Phi
Bangkok

I've posted up new pics forMalaysia, Thailand and Laos

Quick Goodbye

Bangkok, Thailand      Wednesday September 21 7:15pm

I'm just about to leave Thailand and head over to Laos. Penne and I took the ferry/bus up to Bangkok and in a rush of 16 hours bought out the place! A girl could do some serious damage to her bank account here.

It's been a little over 3 months into my trip and I feel like I've reached a milestone. Sounds a bit funny but since i'm travelling for 9 months its like i've gotten through my first trimester. You know, the usual sickness and stomach pains have passed (hopefully for good), i've gotten used to the swollen heat - from the heat, humidity, and of course my 30 or so pound backpack. Travelling via tuk-tuks and motorbikes, living with lizards and cockroaches, i've got it down. I'm now about to enter my Second Trimester in the Golden Triangle of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam where the pace is about 1/10 that of Bali, KL or Bangkok.... and it couldn't be sooner.

Same Same but Different

Ko Tao, Thailand

'You know it doesn't feel like i'm in another country with you here' said Andi as we were floating around in the Andaman sea along the shores of Koh Phi Phi island, Thailand. That pretty much summed up my sentiment on having two of my closest friends, Andrea and my cousin Purvi, visiting me. We could have been anywhere in the world and it would have still felt comfortable and familiar because they were with me. It was like being home - same same but different ;)

I can't even begin to express how happy i was to have them visit. To hear about friends and family back home, to have a conversation that didn't start with 'Where are you from/How long are you traveling for'. If only for a few days i could just forget about my trip and just chill/party/veg out with the girls! A little eating (okay so A LOT of eating), drinking, snorkeling and sleeping was our agenda.

The girls flew into Kuala Lumpur and after a day of sightseeing and shopping (no point in dilly daddling we jumped right in) we took a bus/minivan/ferry and finally arrived in Koh Phi Phi. Within the 3 weeks before there arrival i had changed our itinerary 4 times. I wanted the right balance between being able to see a little bit of both cultures with enough days in one spot for them to actually feel like they had a vacation. I also didn't want to veer off too much from my plans. And so I decided that what better place to take a little break and help out the locals then by visiting one of the islands in Thailand most affected by the Tsunami.

The most developed area since the Tsunami was Tonsai Village where the main pier is located. Almost immediately we could see the damage that had been done and the amazing effort that was made to rebuild. Store fronts and bungalows were still sticky from fresh paint and every day we'd walk by a place and it would have a little bit more work done. The locals I think were most amazing of all - they call Thailand The Land of Smiles and although its true often you are weary of their intentions, scams and what not. But here they were real.... genuine in their friendliness and attitude. These people had been through so much - in an instant losing friends, families, their homes , their livelihood. With little help from the Thai government the locals and volunteers from all over the world have started to get this tropical paradise back on its feet again. For some more info check out www.hiphiphi.com

5. ... and stuff (met a guy who used this more than a valley girl uses 'like')

4. Hey Nice shirt (kept bumping into the designer of a t-shirt i bought)

3. You hot I cold water - (thai woman's chant as she tried to sell you water at the pier)

2. Hello sexy How are you tomorrow? - (an actual greeting i received from a thai guy)

and the number 1 T-shirt phrase....

It's okay You can try - (sung by every souvenir, sarong, jewelry, t-shirt, sandals, etc vendor in South East Asia) also known as Its okay You buy one More

Tech Talk

Okay so i'm trying to personalize this blog a bit more.... you know make it more "BG". if any of you out there are the slightest php/html inclined can you please take a look at the source of this page and tell me where i can find the code that creates the horizontal line and the 2 vertical lines that are in green.... i've tried a bunch of things but can't seem to figure out where it is or how to change the color of them (id like to keep the shading affect and the checkered print just change the base color from green to blue or something)

thanks
lops

Oh also, finally got to post more pics to the Flores and Sulawesi galleries. the links list was getting too long so i just changed the link on the right to go to the smugmug page... you'll have to do the rest of the navigating yourselves :)

Love Lane

After Singapore I headed up straight to the island of Penang - Northwestern Malaysia. Thought i'd try and see a bit of it before i had to meet Andi and Purvi in KL. The bridge between Butterworth and Penang happens to be the 3rd longest in the world. Pretty impressive. That's one of the first things I noticed about Malaysia that was different from Indonesia... it seemed so much more developed. Tall apartment complexes, skyscrapers etc. Of course I'm sure Java is a bit more like that in Indo. I stayed in a backpackers in Chinatown off of love lane. Now Malaysia has been a British colony and alot of the old world still lingers in Penang in its buildings, street names, etc. So at first i wasn't sure if there was anything behind the 'Love Lane' street name. Well come 7 o'clock i soon found out :) Out came the lady boys who would hang out in front of the hotels and on the main road Jalan Chulia. I think the most amusing/shocking scene for me must have been to see a South Indian guy on a motorcycle chatting up a Chinese lady-boy. It was kind of nice in a odd/late night HBO sort of way. Of course all the lady boys seemed to be chinese so not sure if it was totally regardless of race.

Anyway it got me to think about how sex vs sexual preference is viewed in the east and the west. I mean the west is considered to be highly sexual - with its sex on tv, movies, the style of clothing for women thought of as too revealing etc. Yet when it comes to sexual preference we seem to be the complete opposite - the drama caused when Ellen Degeneres came out on national television, the current issues on the rights for gays to marry, the moron out there who thought that spongebob squarepants shows homosexual tendencies and therefore should be taken off the air. Do you think America would ever have a transvestite hosting a morning show?

Now on the other hand you have South East Asian countries such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia (india too even though its not southeast) where sex is never seen on tv or movies (unless its porn) i mean the only kisses seen on their soap operas are on the cheek or if its the movies up until the late 90's all kisses really consisted of the head turn so all you could see was the guys head and the girl running her fingers through his hair. But still accepted into to the community or atleast given their own place in it are the ladyboys and the transvestites. Prostitution is a big business here, but that's not the only way they are accepted. You've got openly gay folks hosting talk shows, transvestites so famous they've been signed 3 year record deals and are slated to star in the next big film

This isn't a comparison between east and west but just me trying to point out how they both view some parts of one topic so drastically different from the other. What makes one acceptable but the other not? If religion has to do with alot of the cultural beliefs why is one aspect of sex considered taboo but another tolerated? Why is it that a Malaysian Indian man will give me looks for wearing shorts and a tanktop but not even blink when a local Malaysian Chinese girl gets on the bus with a short skirt and tube top? Why is it so easy to apply cultural beliefs/rules to some but not others?

Singapore

I gotta tell you i've been traveling around Asia for about 6 weeks now and i still can't get used to the heat.... Actually the heat can be bearable if it weren't for the humidity. I'm up to 3 showers a day now. But even then you are constantly covered in this thin film of moisture. not very attractive. luckily impressing anyone is the last thing on my mind

I just got into Kuala Lumpur about 30 minutes ago. After Bali it was off to Singapore, the Garden City. What a change from Indonesia. I went to airports that barely have runways and bamboo waiting rooms to a full on AC blasting, walkways galore, subway connected overly orderly efficient galactic Super Airport. Seriously, they have free internet, shower facilities all kinds of cool stuff. Of course the thought of getting fined for chewing gum or getting caned for chewing gum does loom over your head and put a bit of a damper on things.

I stayed at a new backpackers called the Prince of Wales in Little India... the thought of fresh masala dosas made my mouth water. The place was really great, especially because of the amount of amazing people i met. I mean you meet lots of people as you travel and have some decent conversations but within a span of 4 days in the same city at 1 hostel ended up hanging out with and making friends with atleast 10 people! There were Steve and Brian, the two Irish guys who couldn't stop telling me all the wonderful things about India - really put a smile on my face; Amy from Canada who was off to Bangladesh to work in a UN program for atleast 6 months; Ali the mayan astrologer/sound goddess/all around girl with great karma; David the italian with a great sense of humor who would have given anything to stay in asia for one more week; and Tom who couldn't wait to get out of Singapore and back into the real asia with its night markets, wondering cows, street beggars and all. And then of course there were the locals (some just expats) I got to meet, Malcolm who runs the joint Will and Mohan who work there and Alicea, Renu, and Sabrina who were kind enough to take us all out. And on top of all that I got to meet up with James aka Bugsy an old friend from my Tokyo days who is now happily married and living it up in Singapore.

I know i'm going to meet plenty of people along this trip and I promise I won't write about them all each time but I really do think there was something special about the time and place where we all showed up and turned into a family.

Singapore and Malaysia are both influenced by 2 distinct cultures and 3 religions - You have the Malay Chinese and Malay Indians (mostly south indian) and then hindus, Buddhists, muslims (as a 4th christianity). In the MRT - Singapore's underground announcements are made in chinese, tamil, and english! Signs are often in a few languages as well.

Although i enjoyed my stay in Singapore I also came to the realization that i will never stay in a 'Little India' anywhere ever again. The looks, the hassles, i get are just not worth it. Chinatown is where i'll be living. In the end its a cultural and religious influence but because of its views on women, clothing, sex, staying in places where people are of hindu/muslim/indian background doesn't benefit a single indian female traveler. The Buddhists have a better outlook on it that's for damn sure.