To get to Laos from Chaing Mai required two buses - and took about 5 and 1/2 hrs. The journey was pretty easy and getting across the border was hassle free. We entered into Laos at a town called Houayxay in the early afternoon.
Houayxay is a very small village which people use as a base to do things such as the Gibbon Experience or to stay overnight to get on the boats to travel down the Mekong to Luang Prabang (as we are). I took a walk around town and discovered that there really is nothing else.
Now, here’s a safety share for any of my clumsy friends. Even in a very sleepy village, you should pay attention to where you are walking or you too can end up sporting a lovely bump on your head (with a small Harry Potter like scar) from walking into a bamboo pole (used to hold up the awning of a local outdoor cafe). Apparently, you really can’t take me anywhere. Well, not without adult supervision. Needless to say, while my travel-mates were enjoying the two bars in town and meeting other travelers, I was passed out in my room recovering from what I can only describe as a slight concussion. Sigh.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Back to Thailand
After leaving Cambodia, I arrived back in Bangkok and realized that during the trip, I had already come through Bangkok's airport five times. Along with feeling excited about continuing the trip, I was feeling apprehensive about joining my tour. I was going to be spending the next 3 and 1/2 weeks with a group of people traveling in Laos and Vietnam in some very basic conditions (after spending a year enjoying some very nonbasic hotels and resorts in India). I joined up with my tour group on Sunday morning and found that aside from me, there were only 3 other people on the tour until we get to Vietnam. Two native Australians (although I use that term loosely since one of them is a world traveler and has now sold all of her belonging to spend the rest of her life traveling) and one native UKer who has been living in Oz for the last 5 years. Clearly, I will need to do my part to represent for the Americans. We had one day in Bangkok and then took the overnight train to Chaing Mai.
Chaing Mai is a great town in the north of Thailand. It is a great spot to go trekking, mountain biking, and the Gibbon Experience (you can sign up to spend days and nights in tree housing helping to save the Gibbons and do some ziplining). The train was pretty nice, even the bunks (a bit more comfortable than those in India - better bedding) but late - so we didn't arrive in Chaing Mai until early afternoon. So with only a few hours to see Chaing Mai, we trekked around and town visited a couple of temples in town. You can see that the town of Chaing Mai has been built up around the tourist industry with loads of guest hoses, travel agencies and coffee shops and restaurants. I can see why people use it as a base for other activities in and around the area.
My favorite part of the day was our visit to the Mountain Temple - Wat Phra That Doi Sthep. It was on top of a mountain (as the name would suggest) and you could only reach it after climbing 300 steps. The temple itself was beautiful. Built in the 14th century, it has two large golden stupas. We arrived just after sunset and saw some great views of the city below.
Chaing Mai is a great town in the north of Thailand. It is a great spot to go trekking, mountain biking, and the Gibbon Experience (you can sign up to spend days and nights in tree housing helping to save the Gibbons and do some ziplining). The train was pretty nice, even the bunks (a bit more comfortable than those in India - better bedding) but late - so we didn't arrive in Chaing Mai until early afternoon. So with only a few hours to see Chaing Mai, we trekked around and town visited a couple of temples in town. You can see that the town of Chaing Mai has been built up around the tourist industry with loads of guest hoses, travel agencies and coffee shops and restaurants. I can see why people use it as a base for other activities in and around the area.
My favorite part of the day was our visit to the Mountain Temple - Wat Phra That Doi Sthep. It was on top of a mountain (as the name would suggest) and you could only reach it after climbing 300 steps. The temple itself was beautiful. Built in the 14th century, it has two large golden stupas. We arrived just after sunset and saw some great views of the city below.
Remembering Cambodia
It’s Wednesday and I am spending the day floating down the Mekong River, through Laos. I figured it was about tmie I updated the blog - starting with Angkor.
What can I say about Angkor that isn't better expressed by pictures. It really is one of those places where a picture is worth a thousand words. My friend George and I spent 3 and half days in Angkor, two and half of those wandering around the temples (by which time we were templed out) and a day wandering around the markets and shops of Siem Reap.
The temples in Angkor truly are breathtaking in their size, scope magnitude and detail. My first siting was coming from the airport towards our hotel and seeing Angkor Wat. It appeared as though this ancient city was rising up from the past. (ok, I know it sounds melodramatic, but it really did). We spent the next couple of days seeing the biggies - Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, the Bayonne, Banthei Srai (although farther away from the main site - definitely worthy of a visit) and Ta Prohm were definite highlights.
I wish I had the ability to express in words how impressive and amazing these temples and old ruins are, but I think more talented writers than I struggle with putting that into words - so I can only refer you to my pictures.
From Angkor, we went to Kep, known as the Riviera of Cambodia. A sleepy seaside town known for its crabs. And they were DELICIOUS. They definitely rival those I’ve had in Baltimore. Sweet and prepared in a wonderful white pepper sauce. (I know, blasphemy from a Baltimorean). Since it rained quite a bit while we there, we weren’t able to take advantage of the great pool and not so great beaches of Kep. While walking about town, we did see alot of hammocks. In fact, hammocks seem to be quite popular in all of Cambodia. In Kep, there were rows and rows of them in thatched roof open air buildings. And while, I not sure about why, I can only assume that the hammocks are available for rent by the hour for snoozing. Hammocks are so popular, that we saw quite a few tuk-tuks with hammocks inside for their proprietors to sleep in while not ferrying customers. It sees like a wonderful way to wile away any hazy and hot afternoons.
Although in some respects Cambodia sees like the poor relations of Thailand, with most of its population engaged in agriculture, it has a beautiful landscape - mostly fields and not lots of trees (at least the parts we drove through) and I found the people to be quite welcoming.
What can I say about Angkor that isn't better expressed by pictures. It really is one of those places where a picture is worth a thousand words. My friend George and I spent 3 and half days in Angkor, two and half of those wandering around the temples (by which time we were templed out) and a day wandering around the markets and shops of Siem Reap.
The temples in Angkor truly are breathtaking in their size, scope magnitude and detail. My first siting was coming from the airport towards our hotel and seeing Angkor Wat. It appeared as though this ancient city was rising up from the past. (ok, I know it sounds melodramatic, but it really did). We spent the next couple of days seeing the biggies - Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, the Bayonne, Banthei Srai (although farther away from the main site - definitely worthy of a visit) and Ta Prohm were definite highlights.
I wish I had the ability to express in words how impressive and amazing these temples and old ruins are, but I think more talented writers than I struggle with putting that into words - so I can only refer you to my pictures.
From Angkor, we went to Kep, known as the Riviera of Cambodia. A sleepy seaside town known for its crabs. And they were DELICIOUS. They definitely rival those I’ve had in Baltimore. Sweet and prepared in a wonderful white pepper sauce. (I know, blasphemy from a Baltimorean). Since it rained quite a bit while we there, we weren’t able to take advantage of the great pool and not so great beaches of Kep. While walking about town, we did see alot of hammocks. In fact, hammocks seem to be quite popular in all of Cambodia. In Kep, there were rows and rows of them in thatched roof open air buildings. And while, I not sure about why, I can only assume that the hammocks are available for rent by the hour for snoozing. Hammocks are so popular, that we saw quite a few tuk-tuks with hammocks inside for their proprietors to sleep in while not ferrying customers. It sees like a wonderful way to wile away any hazy and hot afternoons.
Although in some respects Cambodia sees like the poor relations of Thailand, with most of its population engaged in agriculture, it has a beautiful landscape - mostly fields and not lots of trees (at least the parts we drove through) and I found the people to be quite welcoming.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Heart of Darkness
I spent Saturday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Phnom Penh or PP isn't a very large city and many people skip it or just pass through on their way to Angkor and Siem Reap. For the most part, I would agree that it isn't worth a long visit. It's a nice walking city but not really exceptional.
That being said, the one reason to spend some time in PP is to visit the Killing Fields. Most of us are at least passingly aware of the Killing Fields and the history of genocide left by Pol Pot in the mid/late 1970s. I was only aware of the barest of details of this part of Cambodian history. The Fields were "discovered" in 1980, after Pol Pot "resigned" and took refuge near the Thai/Cambodian border.
A few facts - the Fields are located only 15 km outside of PP, 17000 people were exterminated at the camp between 1975-1978, according to our guide, the camp was one of 100s around the country but was the only one preserved since it was the largest and it is estimated that 2-3 million people were killed at the extermination sites - out of a population of 7 million.
I really shouldn't call it a camp since it is different than the extermination camps used by the Nazis, it was really just an extermination site. In this case, prisoners from Prison 21 (Tuol Sleng) were brought to the site after being detained and tortued at the prison. The Khmer Rouge regime arrested and eventually executed almost everyone suspected of connections with the former government or with foreign governments, as well as professionals, intellectuals and citizens of other ethnicities and religious figures.
Once brought to the site (crammed in the back of trucks), the victims were killed by bludgeoned to save on the cost of valuable bullets. Women and children were not spared either. There's a tree at the site that was used to beat the heads of children before being flung into an open burial pit.
Walking onto the site, the first thing you notice is the stupa built there in memorial of the victims. The stupa has glass panels from which you can see the many layers of the stupa, each with skulls and other bones of the victims gathered from the site. As we walked around, the second thing that struck me was the smell. There was a very cloying almost overly sweet smell there - whether it was just due to the season, I don't know, but I had the impression that this was peculiar to this location. The tour guide pointed out the mass graves and, since it was monsoon, he also pointed out that clothing, bones and teeth that were starting to rise out of ground again.
All of it was horrifying and I write about it because it should be remembered. The parallels to the horrors of WWII cannot be emphasized enough. The guide at one point said that the townspeople knew what was happening and yet did nothing and said nothing. This was eerily the exact thing that a guide said to me as I was walking around the Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich, Germany last year.
Although it was a gruesome place to visit - I felt like I could only honor the victims by seeing it and making sure I never forget.
That being said, the one reason to spend some time in PP is to visit the Killing Fields. Most of us are at least passingly aware of the Killing Fields and the history of genocide left by Pol Pot in the mid/late 1970s. I was only aware of the barest of details of this part of Cambodian history. The Fields were "discovered" in 1980, after Pol Pot "resigned" and took refuge near the Thai/Cambodian border.
A few facts - the Fields are located only 15 km outside of PP, 17000 people were exterminated at the camp between 1975-1978, according to our guide, the camp was one of 100s around the country but was the only one preserved since it was the largest and it is estimated that 2-3 million people were killed at the extermination sites - out of a population of 7 million.
I really shouldn't call it a camp since it is different than the extermination camps used by the Nazis, it was really just an extermination site. In this case, prisoners from Prison 21 (Tuol Sleng) were brought to the site after being detained and tortued at the prison. The Khmer Rouge regime arrested and eventually executed almost everyone suspected of connections with the former government or with foreign governments, as well as professionals, intellectuals and citizens of other ethnicities and religious figures.
Once brought to the site (crammed in the back of trucks), the victims were killed by bludgeoned to save on the cost of valuable bullets. Women and children were not spared either. There's a tree at the site that was used to beat the heads of children before being flung into an open burial pit.
Walking onto the site, the first thing you notice is the stupa built there in memorial of the victims. The stupa has glass panels from which you can see the many layers of the stupa, each with skulls and other bones of the victims gathered from the site. As we walked around, the second thing that struck me was the smell. There was a very cloying almost overly sweet smell there - whether it was just due to the season, I don't know, but I had the impression that this was peculiar to this location. The tour guide pointed out the mass graves and, since it was monsoon, he also pointed out that clothing, bones and teeth that were starting to rise out of ground again.
All of it was horrifying and I write about it because it should be remembered. The parallels to the horrors of WWII cannot be emphasized enough. The guide at one point said that the townspeople knew what was happening and yet did nothing and said nothing. This was eerily the exact thing that a guide said to me as I was walking around the Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich, Germany last year.
Although it was a gruesome place to visit - I felt like I could only honor the victims by seeing it and making sure I never forget.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Ayutthaya and Sukhothai
I've spent the last two and a half days wandering around ruins in Ayutthaya and Sukhothai - both of which are prior capitals of Siam. Ayuttaya is the more visited of the two because its proximity to Bangkok makes it an easy weekend trip.
I arrived in Ayutthaya on Tuesday and really only had the afternoon to see the ruins and temples as I had to leave early on Wednesday to go to Sukhothai. Ayutthaya is set up around river with most of the sites on the inner circle and a few sites on the opposite side of the river. It is recommended that the best way to visit is by bicycle.
Sukhothai is located further north and unlike Ayutthaya, there is an old Sukhothai and a new Sukhothai. New Sukhothai is where most people stay - about 12 km from old Sukhothai, which is the UNESCO site housing the ruins of the old capital. The ruins/temples are in a historic park, spread out over 45 square kilometers - with central, north, east and west sections. It also is supposed to be best seen by bike.
Of the two, I preferred Ayutthaya - although most guide books seem to suggest that if you can only do one, that Sukhothai is the one to see. I don't want to go into each of the temples/ruins I saw - I will post pics of those later, but it wasn't because the ruins in Ayutthaya were better preserved or better explained that I preferred it.
What I liked about Ayutthaya was that the ruins were spread about around a town/villages that continue around them. You would visit one temple, ride around for a few minutes (and in my case, when getting lost, for more than a few minutes) until you came upon and visited the next one. It felt relaxed and I felt like I got to see the way people lived today in between these 900 year old ruins.
This is not meant to take away from Sukhothai - because the ruins there are older and better preserved in some cases (although preservation work continues in both locations). The park itself was really beautiful - trees interspersed with lakes and ruins. I had gone to the park late in the afternoon on Wednesday so I was able to enter the central area for free and as I visited the ruins and temples, I saw residents of the area come in to fish or to play some football (soccer), take a stroll, and play badminton. While it is a historic site - it is also a place that can be enjoyed by its citizens. I can imagine that when it isn't the monsoon, the park is overcrowded at night with people picnicking and gathering.
In some ways, I wish my days had been reversed, that I had had a shorter time for Sukhothai and a full day in Ayutthaya - because I felt that I could cover most of it within a half a day (you can only see so many ruins for so long) - and you can do the central portion, which has the most striking and historic temples, walking (you do, however need the bike to see the other areas as the park/site is quite spread out), whereas I felt that I almost didn't do Ayutthaya full justice by only having an afternoon to visit.
I'm ultimately glad that I got to see both - but now it's back to Bangkok on my way to Cambodia.
I arrived in Ayutthaya on Tuesday and really only had the afternoon to see the ruins and temples as I had to leave early on Wednesday to go to Sukhothai. Ayutthaya is set up around river with most of the sites on the inner circle and a few sites on the opposite side of the river. It is recommended that the best way to visit is by bicycle.
Sukhothai is located further north and unlike Ayutthaya, there is an old Sukhothai and a new Sukhothai. New Sukhothai is where most people stay - about 12 km from old Sukhothai, which is the UNESCO site housing the ruins of the old capital. The ruins/temples are in a historic park, spread out over 45 square kilometers - with central, north, east and west sections. It also is supposed to be best seen by bike.
Of the two, I preferred Ayutthaya - although most guide books seem to suggest that if you can only do one, that Sukhothai is the one to see. I don't want to go into each of the temples/ruins I saw - I will post pics of those later, but it wasn't because the ruins in Ayutthaya were better preserved or better explained that I preferred it.
What I liked about Ayutthaya was that the ruins were spread about around a town/villages that continue around them. You would visit one temple, ride around for a few minutes (and in my case, when getting lost, for more than a few minutes) until you came upon and visited the next one. It felt relaxed and I felt like I got to see the way people lived today in between these 900 year old ruins.
This is not meant to take away from Sukhothai - because the ruins there are older and better preserved in some cases (although preservation work continues in both locations). The park itself was really beautiful - trees interspersed with lakes and ruins. I had gone to the park late in the afternoon on Wednesday so I was able to enter the central area for free and as I visited the ruins and temples, I saw residents of the area come in to fish or to play some football (soccer), take a stroll, and play badminton. While it is a historic site - it is also a place that can be enjoyed by its citizens. I can imagine that when it isn't the monsoon, the park is overcrowded at night with people picnicking and gathering.
In some ways, I wish my days had been reversed, that I had had a shorter time for Sukhothai and a full day in Ayutthaya - because I felt that I could cover most of it within a half a day (you can only see so many ruins for so long) - and you can do the central portion, which has the most striking and historic temples, walking (you do, however need the bike to see the other areas as the park/site is quite spread out), whereas I felt that I almost didn't do Ayutthaya full justice by only having an afternoon to visit.
I'm ultimately glad that I got to see both - but now it's back to Bangkok on my way to Cambodia.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Kanchanaburi
As I've already mentioned, I arrived in Kanchanaburi on Sunday, the tenth anniversary of September 11. As with many of you, it is a day that I will never forget and a day that makes me proud to be an American. Since it was the bravery of our first responders that saved so many lives and the resilience of our country that allowed us to come back from such tragedy. Although I wasn't at home, I watched a bit of the ceremony from Ground Zero and also felt the history of tragedy of another war around me.
I visited the Bridge and rode the line which heads northwest to Kanchanburi, over the Bridge on the River Kwai, along the Kwae Noi ('Little Kwai') and over the Wampo Viaduct to Nam Tok. The track actually continues to Konyu Cutting ('Hellfire Pass') and into Burma (Myanmar). The Japanese used Thai forced labour to construct the section from Nong Pla Duk to Kanchanaburi, and Allied prisoners of war for the section from Kanchanaburi onwards to Burma. It was a bit eery to know the history and see the tracks with 1940 etched into one side of the rails.
Fortunately, this was only part of my day in Kanchanaburi. While the town has been built up around the bridge, there is so much more to see and do in the area. My day began with a two and half hour trek at Erawan Falls at the National Park by the same name. It takes its name from the Thai word for the mythological Hindu three-headed elephant Airavata. The triple cascade at the top of the famous seven-tiered waterfall is said to resemble the elephant's head. I was told that this was the 12th best waterfall in Thailand (who has this job? ranking waterfalls?). The walk was beautiful, lush woods and beautiful waterfalls - especially at the very top. It was truly breathtaking. Unfortunately and fortunately, I didn't see much wildlife - including the monkeys who are supposed to be terrors looking for food from humans.
After the falls and a well-deserved lunch (even if I say so myself), the tour carried on to an elephant ride and a bamboo raft ride down the river. Both, I could have passed on. I had hoped to go to Hellfire Pass - a museum set above the Death Railway, the tours were not going there on Monday. So instead, we went to Krasae Cave - on the Death Railway where soldiers were housed when sick from working on the railway. Not much remains of that past, but the views along there were amazing.
All of this and I hardly completed half of the tourist attractions in the area - it would be worth another visit - unfortunately for me, I had run out of time and was headed to Ayutthaya the following day. Maybe another time.
I visited the Bridge and rode the line which heads northwest to Kanchanburi, over the Bridge on the River Kwai, along the Kwae Noi ('Little Kwai') and over the Wampo Viaduct to Nam Tok. The track actually continues to Konyu Cutting ('Hellfire Pass') and into Burma (Myanmar). The Japanese used Thai forced labour to construct the section from Nong Pla Duk to Kanchanaburi, and Allied prisoners of war for the section from Kanchanaburi onwards to Burma. It was a bit eery to know the history and see the tracks with 1940 etched into one side of the rails.
Fortunately, this was only part of my day in Kanchanaburi. While the town has been built up around the bridge, there is so much more to see and do in the area. My day began with a two and half hour trek at Erawan Falls at the National Park by the same name. It takes its name from the Thai word for the mythological Hindu three-headed elephant Airavata. The triple cascade at the top of the famous seven-tiered waterfall is said to resemble the elephant's head. I was told that this was the 12th best waterfall in Thailand (who has this job? ranking waterfalls?). The walk was beautiful, lush woods and beautiful waterfalls - especially at the very top. It was truly breathtaking. Unfortunately and fortunately, I didn't see much wildlife - including the monkeys who are supposed to be terrors looking for food from humans.
After the falls and a well-deserved lunch (even if I say so myself), the tour carried on to an elephant ride and a bamboo raft ride down the river. Both, I could have passed on. I had hoped to go to Hellfire Pass - a museum set above the Death Railway, the tours were not going there on Monday. So instead, we went to Krasae Cave - on the Death Railway where soldiers were housed when sick from working on the railway. Not much remains of that past, but the views along there were amazing.
All of this and I hardly completed half of the tourist attractions in the area - it would be worth another visit - unfortunately for me, I had run out of time and was headed to Ayutthaya the following day. Maybe another time.
Phuket to Kanchanaburi
I left Phuket on Sunday morning headed to Kanchanaburi. There are probably several ways to get to Kanchanaburi from Phuket - a day long bus ride, maybe a train, or getting to Bangkok and then getting a minivan. I chose to fly from Phuket to Bangkok, take the BTS skytrain to Makkasan Station (35 B) and then take a bus to the Southern Bus Terminal (19B), and once at the terminal, take a bus to Kanchanaburi (less than 100B) - the journey took several hours and I arrived in Kanchanaburi at about 5pm (after having left Phuket on a 10:30 flight). Although it seems like this might make for an exceptionally long day, it really wasn't. I was really enthralled by each of the different types of transportation.
The skytrain from the airport was relatively easy to take and the people at the information desks in the airport were really helpful. The skytrain also gave me my first view of the skyline of Bangkok. From a distance it looked like any large modern city. Not the size of a New York, but perhaps a Paris or Philadelphia.
The bus from Makkasan Station to the Southern Bus Terminal, gave me a much more up close and personal view of parts of the city. Admittedly, this part of the journey was the most difficult since finding the bus station at Makkasan was a bit of a challenge since it is not well marked, but once it was found, the bus arrived rather quickly. From the vantage point of the bus (and the ride was over an hour long), Bangkok looked more organized than Delhi had. Cars drove in their lanes, so while there was quite a bit of traffic, it moved smoothly and at no point did the bus sit in traffic for endless periods (quite a relief from Delhi). The city also seemed a bit cleaner than Delhi - there wasn't as much rubble on the sides of the road nor did there seem to be as many hovels.
What I did notice were all the street markets - which reminded me a bit of Mumbai (in the Colaba area). There were tons and tons of food stalls. Which made me think that the Thais and Indians must get along famously since we both love our food! There also appeared to be vendors of all kinds of wares just set up on certain blocks. I can see why Bangkok is thought to be a shopper's paradise. I'm looking forward to spending more time in Bangkok over the next few weeks.
One other point of note when it comes to shops - there are a ton of 7-11s in Thailand. In each of the places I've been so far, it seems like there's a 7-11 on each street, with everything from the usual slurpees and other cold drinks to cards to top up your cell phone. It's enough to make me want to write to the writers of the Simpsons to have them add a competing 7-11 in Springfield owned by a Thai family.
Finally, I arrived at the Southern Bus Terminal. It was unlike any other bus terminal I've ever seen. I walked up several flights of stairs - each floor contained shops and vendors of clothes, food, shoes and other various household goods - but not set up in stores, but more like a set up for a flea market. Finally on the top floor were the stalls for buying bus tickets. You can't just go up to an open booth and buy a ticket to your destination. You must find the booth for your destination and then purchase the ticket. Fortunately, each attendant I asked was very friendly and helpful in directing me to the Kanchanaburi stall.
When I got to the bus, there was an attendant, who showed me to my seat! The buses aren't fancy by any means, so this seemed a bit out of place to me. The ride was about 2 hours long with several stops along the way - which were not marked as bus stops so I have to assume they are just known to the town's residents. The scenery was pretty but not remarkable. Fields and small towns, no different than you might see in the Caribbean or other tropical location - with the random Buddhist temple.
I had expected Kanchanaburi to be a small town. It is known for being the location of the Bridge over the River Kwai. It seems that this has generated an entire tourist industry and the result is that Kanchanaburi is bustling small city. Full of guest houses, restaurants, massage shops - anything and everything to cater to the tourist - at a bargain of a price.
So, while it took me a while to get there, I'm glad I took the long route.
The skytrain from the airport was relatively easy to take and the people at the information desks in the airport were really helpful. The skytrain also gave me my first view of the skyline of Bangkok. From a distance it looked like any large modern city. Not the size of a New York, but perhaps a Paris or Philadelphia.
The bus from Makkasan Station to the Southern Bus Terminal, gave me a much more up close and personal view of parts of the city. Admittedly, this part of the journey was the most difficult since finding the bus station at Makkasan was a bit of a challenge since it is not well marked, but once it was found, the bus arrived rather quickly. From the vantage point of the bus (and the ride was over an hour long), Bangkok looked more organized than Delhi had. Cars drove in their lanes, so while there was quite a bit of traffic, it moved smoothly and at no point did the bus sit in traffic for endless periods (quite a relief from Delhi). The city also seemed a bit cleaner than Delhi - there wasn't as much rubble on the sides of the road nor did there seem to be as many hovels.
What I did notice were all the street markets - which reminded me a bit of Mumbai (in the Colaba area). There were tons and tons of food stalls. Which made me think that the Thais and Indians must get along famously since we both love our food! There also appeared to be vendors of all kinds of wares just set up on certain blocks. I can see why Bangkok is thought to be a shopper's paradise. I'm looking forward to spending more time in Bangkok over the next few weeks.
One other point of note when it comes to shops - there are a ton of 7-11s in Thailand. In each of the places I've been so far, it seems like there's a 7-11 on each street, with everything from the usual slurpees and other cold drinks to cards to top up your cell phone. It's enough to make me want to write to the writers of the Simpsons to have them add a competing 7-11 in Springfield owned by a Thai family.
Finally, I arrived at the Southern Bus Terminal. It was unlike any other bus terminal I've ever seen. I walked up several flights of stairs - each floor contained shops and vendors of clothes, food, shoes and other various household goods - but not set up in stores, but more like a set up for a flea market. Finally on the top floor were the stalls for buying bus tickets. You can't just go up to an open booth and buy a ticket to your destination. You must find the booth for your destination and then purchase the ticket. Fortunately, each attendant I asked was very friendly and helpful in directing me to the Kanchanaburi stall.
When I got to the bus, there was an attendant, who showed me to my seat! The buses aren't fancy by any means, so this seemed a bit out of place to me. The ride was about 2 hours long with several stops along the way - which were not marked as bus stops so I have to assume they are just known to the town's residents. The scenery was pretty but not remarkable. Fields and small towns, no different than you might see in the Caribbean or other tropical location - with the random Buddhist temple.
I had expected Kanchanaburi to be a small town. It is known for being the location of the Bridge over the River Kwai. It seems that this has generated an entire tourist industry and the result is that Kanchanaburi is bustling small city. Full of guest houses, restaurants, massage shops - anything and everything to cater to the tourist - at a bargain of a price.
So, while it took me a while to get there, I'm glad I took the long route.
Hello Phuket
My last two weeks in Delhi felt exhausting. Saying good bye to friends, getting everything ready to be packed, getting Jai ready for his solo trip back to the US, and did I mention, the last Sundays of brunches and drinks with friends and visits with family. Needless to the say the stress was causing me to become a bit of an insomniac.
So when I arrived after a whole night's travel from Delhi to Phuket, I was ready for a nap. On the beach. Under an umbrella. It was awesome. Phuket is region unto itself made up of different areas, and I was staying in Kata (much much quieter than Patang, for those of you who know Phuket). Since it is currently low season because of the monsoon, the beach wasn't crowded, but it was still beautiful. I remember sitting up in my beach chair, staring out at the Andaman Sea and feeling tears stream down my face. I was just overwhelmed with the idea that I was sitting on a beach in Phuket, Thailand. I don't know that my younger self could ever have anticipated that my life would take the twists and turns that would bring me here. Obviously, since I'm not usually this sappy in real life, I needed sleep.
I was lucky, both Thursday and Friday turned out to be gorgeous days (other than the brief downpour that went on while I went for a run on Friday) and I was able to really take in the beach. Saturday, I had booked a tour to see the caves in some of the islands in Phang Nga Bay and do some sea canoeing. While the weather didn't hold up, it was still a great day. It rained while we were in the boat going to the islands but mostly while we were canoeing the rain held up. It's a beautiful Bay, well worth visiting.
a bit of a safety share for my work colleagues - and a reminder to me to be extra careful, especially while traveling on my own - be careful on the ladders on boats - they get slippery - as one of my fellow travelers learned when she fell and apparently broke some bone in her leg and had to be whisked away in the middle of our tour.
All in all, Phuket was fabulous!
So when I arrived after a whole night's travel from Delhi to Phuket, I was ready for a nap. On the beach. Under an umbrella. It was awesome. Phuket is region unto itself made up of different areas, and I was staying in Kata (much much quieter than Patang, for those of you who know Phuket). Since it is currently low season because of the monsoon, the beach wasn't crowded, but it was still beautiful. I remember sitting up in my beach chair, staring out at the Andaman Sea and feeling tears stream down my face. I was just overwhelmed with the idea that I was sitting on a beach in Phuket, Thailand. I don't know that my younger self could ever have anticipated that my life would take the twists and turns that would bring me here. Obviously, since I'm not usually this sappy in real life, I needed sleep.
I was lucky, both Thursday and Friday turned out to be gorgeous days (other than the brief downpour that went on while I went for a run on Friday) and I was able to really take in the beach. Saturday, I had booked a tour to see the caves in some of the islands in Phang Nga Bay and do some sea canoeing. While the weather didn't hold up, it was still a great day. It rained while we were in the boat going to the islands but mostly while we were canoeing the rain held up. It's a beautiful Bay, well worth visiting.
a bit of a safety share for my work colleagues - and a reminder to me to be extra careful, especially while traveling on my own - be careful on the ladders on boats - they get slippery - as one of my fellow travelers learned when she fell and apparently broke some bone in her leg and had to be whisked away in the middle of our tour.
All in all, Phuket was fabulous!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Saying Goodbye
Saying goodbye to Delhi was harder than I had thought it would be. I had always anticipated that I would only be there for one year, so the fact that I would be leaving didn't exactly sneak up on me.
Moving to India was a bit more of a challenge than I had anticipated. Moving to a new city, much less to a new country, is never easy, but finding my groove in India took me longer than I than I expected. But, by the time the new year had come around, I felt more and more like I had slipped into Delhi life. I had begun to make friends, gotten to know some of the neighborhoods in Delhi and Gurgaon and I had really ramped up my travel.
I think that in some ways, for me, the expat life was an opportunity to live more carefree than I ever had before. I had little responsibility when it came to maintaining my home (having a daily house cleaner and a driver/dog walker will do that!) and since my apartment was part of my employment package, I had the luxury of being able to hang out with friends and travel more often than I ever would have or will be able to when I am back in the US.
What struck me the most when I was leaving though, was not giving up this "expat" life, but rather that I was going to miss the friendship that I had made both at work and outside of work. It isn't as easy as getting on short flight or driving to visit your old hometown or just randomly picking up the phone to ring someone (not with a 10 hour time difference). Leaving friends and colleagues, just when you are really starting to know each other, get comfortable with each other - that's what really hit me as I was leaving.
I believe that I will be in touch with many of those friends and colleagues as the years go by - or at least I hope that's the case - but I know that even if we lose touch, I will carry with me memories of our time in Delhi.
Moving to India was a bit more of a challenge than I had anticipated. Moving to a new city, much less to a new country, is never easy, but finding my groove in India took me longer than I than I expected. But, by the time the new year had come around, I felt more and more like I had slipped into Delhi life. I had begun to make friends, gotten to know some of the neighborhoods in Delhi and Gurgaon and I had really ramped up my travel.
I think that in some ways, for me, the expat life was an opportunity to live more carefree than I ever had before. I had little responsibility when it came to maintaining my home (having a daily house cleaner and a driver/dog walker will do that!) and since my apartment was part of my employment package, I had the luxury of being able to hang out with friends and travel more often than I ever would have or will be able to when I am back in the US.
What struck me the most when I was leaving though, was not giving up this "expat" life, but rather that I was going to miss the friendship that I had made both at work and outside of work. It isn't as easy as getting on short flight or driving to visit your old hometown or just randomly picking up the phone to ring someone (not with a 10 hour time difference). Leaving friends and colleagues, just when you are really starting to know each other, get comfortable with each other - that's what really hit me as I was leaving.
I believe that I will be in touch with many of those friends and colleagues as the years go by - or at least I hope that's the case - but I know that even if we lose touch, I will carry with me memories of our time in Delhi.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Moving Day
No matter how many times I've moved and how much I plan in advance, moving day always brings some surprises and stress. This past moving day was no different.
Last Monday the movers were to arrive at 9 am to pack up my belongings to be shipped back to the US. Surprise number one, the movers arrived on time! While this was great news, the guards at my front gate wouldn't let them in because the person in maintenance who was to go ahead was late to work. After a few phone calls, a visit to the maintenance office and a few choice words to the late arriving employee (really, is it so hard to leave a note?) the movers were finally allowed inside the complex.
Although this occurred at 920, they somehow didn't make it to my flat until 945. When they finally arrived, there were two packers and a supervisor. Hmmm, enough people to pack and get everything out by 1 when I was due to go to work? I didn't think so and when I asked the supervisor, he responded that this was an all day pack. Unfortunately, I had been told that it would only take a half day and that was all the leave I had taken (and had left!) so I told him they needed to be finished by two at the very latest. This was not just because I needed to get to work, but because, for most apartment complexes, there is a blackout period in the middle of day where truck are not allowed to go in or out (a two hour lunch break if you will).
He acquiesced, and the movers got to to work. Now, here's the kicker. Despite the time constraints, the fact that there were only 3 of them there, and the fact that I was packing and moving some of the boxes, the supervisor did NOTHING. He stood over the other two workers while they packed. His only job was to get me to sign a couple of papers and then write the contents of each box on the box.
Even after a year in India, this type of division of labor still surprised me. I can't imagine that this would have ever happened in the US. Luckily, the other guys had it together enough to get everything done on time.
Last Monday the movers were to arrive at 9 am to pack up my belongings to be shipped back to the US. Surprise number one, the movers arrived on time! While this was great news, the guards at my front gate wouldn't let them in because the person in maintenance who was to go ahead was late to work. After a few phone calls, a visit to the maintenance office and a few choice words to the late arriving employee (really, is it so hard to leave a note?) the movers were finally allowed inside the complex.
Although this occurred at 920, they somehow didn't make it to my flat until 945. When they finally arrived, there were two packers and a supervisor. Hmmm, enough people to pack and get everything out by 1 when I was due to go to work? I didn't think so and when I asked the supervisor, he responded that this was an all day pack. Unfortunately, I had been told that it would only take a half day and that was all the leave I had taken (and had left!) so I told him they needed to be finished by two at the very latest. This was not just because I needed to get to work, but because, for most apartment complexes, there is a blackout period in the middle of day where truck are not allowed to go in or out (a two hour lunch break if you will).
He acquiesced, and the movers got to to work. Now, here's the kicker. Despite the time constraints, the fact that there were only 3 of them there, and the fact that I was packing and moving some of the boxes, the supervisor did NOTHING. He stood over the other two workers while they packed. His only job was to get me to sign a couple of papers and then write the contents of each box on the box.
Even after a year in India, this type of division of labor still surprised me. I can't imagine that this would have ever happened in the US. Luckily, the other guys had it together enough to get everything done on time.
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