June 7, 2013

Greatest Hits: my top 10 SEA photos

In remembrance of the year that has gone by since I’ve started my blog, and the approximate 12 months since I visited Southeast Asia, I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and post my top 10 photos (as voted on by ME) from my travels in SEA, along with a little backstory on each one. All photos were shot on a Canon Powershot SX20 IS.

Without further ado, my personal top 10:

This photo was taken on a tiny island (if you could even call it that) in the straights of Malacca, just off the coast of Ao Nang, southern Thailand. My friends and I had taken a deep water soloing trip and this was our lunch stop in between climbs. Our guide packed us fried rice and we took our lunch on the outside of a cave with this view of our boat in front of us.

Taken while touring the grand palace in Bangkok, this row row of “guardians” lined the entire perimeter of the temple housing the Emerald Buddha. I can remember the heat on this day being unbearable amidst all the concrete of the royal complex.

A spectacular post-sunset shot on Koh Phi Phi, while I was sitting on the porch of my hillside bungalow. At the rooftop bar in the bottom of the shot you can see they were projecting a replay of the nearby filmed movie, “The Beach”.

The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Walking into the buildings takes you through a high end shopping mall, including a movie theatre and food court. Outside is a wonderfully clean public park and gardens. After touring the park, my friends and I settled in for back to back movies at the theatre. The movies were one of my most memorable experiences due to the cheap tickets, spotless theatre and absence of previews before the show.

At sunset, touring the massive complex of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, just north of Bangkok. These statues were situated at the entrance of the massive space used for huge public meditations. The “arena” was larger than any professional sports complex I’ve ever seen, housing over 100,000 people in group meditation. At the center of the concrete complex sits a 5 ton silver Buddha encased by a golden dome covered in 100,000 tiny golden Buddha statues.

Another sunset, this time within the ruins of Angkor Wat archeological park, sitting atop the elephant temple of Phnom Bakheng, the very first temple-mountain build in Angkor. The temple symbolizes the mythical Mount Meru in the Hindi religion. This is by far the best spot to take in the sunset in the park, but visitors beware, if you don’t get there early, you will be stuck at the bottom waiting in the queue.

Looking up at my dive partner Dave Ho while training off the coast of Koh Tao for our Advanced certifications. Dave was one awesome dude, an Asian-American, Massachusetts native, who was currently taking a vacay in Thailand from his job in China.

Inside the compound of the main Angkor Wat temple, just after sunrise. These structures were just massive in person, hard to imagine a monk wandering the grounds hundreds of years ago, just as I was that day. In the shot you can see Kelvin and Sophie, my two traveling buddies I met during the mind bending border crossing into Cambodia. Without them, I don’t think I would have made it to Angkor, nor would I have had near as much fun.

Looking down on the isolated paradise of Railay Beach in southern Thailand. We had to to scale a rocky, muddy, rooty precipice to get to this unofficial overlook. Railay beach can only be accessed by boat and it is home to a huge community of rock climbers and monkeys, however I was more surprised to find out that Railay is a haven for both cannabis enthusiasts and the LBGT community.

Just another long tail boat, ferrying passengers from Ao Nang to Railay for less than $5, with the signature southwestern Thai backdrop. Typical Thai ferryman smoking a cigarette while operating a makeshift auto-engine turned prop motor.

Posted in Uncategorized, Travel, Thailand, Bangkok, Koh Tao, Railay Beach, Sporting, Koh Phi Phi, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Sightseeing, Nature, Diving, Cambodia, Housekeeping, Lists, Top 10 Lists
Tagged Bangkok, Thailand, Koh Tao, SEA, Ao nang, Railay, Koh Phi Phi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Petronas Towers, Dhammakaya, Angkor Wat, Top 10, Southeast Asia Photos, Photography, Canon Cameras, Canon Powershot SX20 IS, Malacca, Buddha Guardians, Phnom Bakheng, Mount Meru, Longtail Boat, Thai Photography, Landscape, Pictures
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July 2, 2012

Small but Spicy! (Another post dedicated to SEA food)

I’ve come to the grim realization that I am now one of those annoying people who take pictures of their food at every meal. At least I do it for my blog and not for Facebook (not like that makes people care any more). That being said, here are some wonderful pictures of the things I eat in southeast Asia!

The ever popular green curry with chicken. This particular curry was served at the Saturday night market in Chiang Mai. The eggplants (aubergines for you Brits) were the size of large green peas.

This is a Northern Thailand specialty plate, served in Chiang Mai at, The Wall, an expat sponsored Pink Floyd bar. Two types of pork sausage, a pork roll, pork cracklin, boiled egg, steamed veggies and a spicy green chili sauce in the middle. Similar in appearance to the Malaysian, Nasi Lemak, but far less fishy and much more delicious.

Curry burger, served at Eurobar in Chiang Mai. Meatless, but still hearty.

My meal from May Kaidee’s in Chiang Mai. A popular place for taking cooking classes with a completely vegetarian menu. First is the pumpkin hummus with wild steamed rice and a Thai iced tea (super sweetened with condensed milk). Second is a tofu and veggie stir fry with cashews. Best vegetarian I’ve ever had, hands down. Chiang Mai is famous for its food for good reason.

Another papaya salad, along with a Thai coke to cool down the spice. This one served to me at Tiger Kingdom while I watched big cats play in the pool 10 feet from me.

My FAVE, the fresh coconut shake. Less than a dollar, served everywhere and consumed often. In a glass or in the husk, this stuff is the nectar of the gods. Both hydrating and tasty, it beats out the sweeter mango and watermelon shakes in my opinion. Many people make the mistake of thinking you can get this deliciousness out of the stereotypical brown, round coconut that has fallen from the trees. Nay, I say, the very best is the young coconut, still green and picked by monkeys from the tops of the trees before they fall to the ground.

The famous Khaosan road critters, this one is a large cricket. All crunch, no creamy filling, this guy tasted like stale popcorn. They spray them with a soy sauce mixture and throw on a dash of salt and pepper on them to taste. It’s a dollar for 10 bugs and thirty cents just to take a picture. The lady selling them was chowing down on a full bag herself.

Khmer curry, served in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Tons of veggies, including Potatoes, not too much spice. Kind of like a mix between Thai red and massaman curries.

One of the more interesting dining experiences in Thailand, this was an all-u-can-eat sushi bar in Bangkok. Not only was there a buffet of sushi, fried foods and assorted dim sum, the main course was a boiling pot of broth (Tom Yum or Chicken broth) that you add ingredients to from a rotating conveyer belt. Ingredients include all forms of beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, squid and fish as well as veggies of all types. Top it all off with ice cream and a soda fountain, all for just over $10.

Another green curry, this one from near Khaosan road in Bangkok. Subtle differences like larger eggplant (golf ball size) and baby corn.

Worth noting that all Thailand McDonalds feature Ronald showing the traditional greeting gesture of respect. The only differences inside are that they serve a double Big Mac, a pork burger and Thai chili sauce next to the ketchup. Oh and like everywhere else in the world, there are no biscuits at breakfast, only English muffins.

This cracked me up on Khaosan in Bangkok; probably the longest name of an establishment I’ve seen…& restaurant.

Assorted colorful candies at MBK mall in Bangkok. I think they look better than they taste.

These little taco-esqe creations are served on almost every street corner in Thailand. It’s a crispy pancake filled with marshmallow fluff and some stringy candied egg yolk. Probably neck and neck with pad Thai as the most popular street food in Bangkok.

Well I hope you enjoyed another installment of the random assortment of the things I eat in southeast Asia. It’s worth noting that aside from the all-u-can-eat sushi and soup place, all my meals where eaten in open air restaurants, strangely the norm in SEA. I’m always up for an adventure so let me know if there is anything you think I should try. The stinky Durian fruit is still on my list: smells like a toilet but tastes like heaven, so people claim. Until next time, stay hungry, I’ll stay cheesy.

Posted in Cambodia, Food, Thailand
Tagged Bangkok, Cambodia, Chiang Mai, Coconut Shake, Crickets, Curry, Eggplant, Eurobar, Khaosan Road, May Kaidees, McDonalds, Pork Roll, Siem Reap, Thailand, The Wall, Tom Yum
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June 26, 2012

Angkors Away

Angkor (pronounced Anchor) Archeological Park, Cambodia, home to the famed Angkor Wat and once the seat of the vast Khmer empire. Once the largest preindustrial city in the world and said to be the largest single religious monument in the world, Angkor was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. As soon as I made the decision to travel to SEA these ancient ruins were on my to-do list. After spending too much time enjoying Thailand, I almost missed my chance, but I made the rash decision to bail on my scheduled flight to Hong Kong (and unfortunately eat the cost) in order to give myself another week in SEA to make the pilgrimage. After that week was finished, I had not a single regret about my decision. Angkor is truly one of the great wonders of the world and for a, Jurassic Park/Congo/Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider, loving geek like myself it was a total nerd-gasm. I purchased a 3 day pass to the park and spent 2 days with a tuk-tuk guide and the last day cruising around on a rented bicycle. There was obviously so much I saw and so many pictures I took that it would be futile for me to try and showcase Angkor in my traditional blog post style. So I decided to condense it all quite a bit into a short video and then some, “best of”, pics after that. It certainly does not do it proper justice, but this is just one of those places you ultimately have to see for yourself one day. Enjoy the music video montage followed by my pitiful attempt at being a documentarian.

If you purchase the 3 day pass ($40) a day beforehand, you get a complementary sunset that evening. This view is from, Phnom Bakheng, the first temple-mountain built in Angkor. The temple mountain is supposed to represent the mythical Mount Meru in the Hindu religion. Also called the Elephant Temple, and you can still pay for an elephant ride to the top.

View of Angkor Wat temple from the top of Phnom Bakheng.

The Bayon, central Buddhist temple inside of the Angkor Thom complex. Built by King Jayavarman VII in the 12th century. Angkor Thom, at it’s height, was once a city the size of Los Angeles.

The Bayon has 54 towers adorned with giant stone faces, totaling in 216 faces.

The Victory Gate, one of 5 entrances to Angkor Thom complex. This gate was only used for entry when returning from a battle victorious and it led directly to the Royal Palace inside Angkor Thom.

Headless statue lining the entrance to the Victory Gate. Almost all the heads of the statues in Angkor have been stolen and sold off by thieves, neighboring governments or crime gangs. Only recently have security measures been put into place to prevent this type of looting. Looting, along with jungle overgrowth and unsustainable tourism are some of the major problems facing Angkor.

Various shots of Ta Prohm, the “tree temple”, built during the reign of Jayavarman VII. This temple was left in its original state when discovered in the 19th century by the French explorer Henri Mouhot. Strangler Figs engulf the ruins and have become part of the beauty. This is also the temple used in the filming of Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie. Eerily quiet and surprisingly deserted when we visited. I had a heyday climbing in and out of the ruins.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat, one of the largest and most well preserved Khmer monuments. Eat my shorts Bucket List.

Inside and around Angkor Wat. Built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II, originally a Hindu temple, now Bhuddist temple, it is a sacred pilgrimage site for all Buddhists.

The giant moat surrounding Angkor Wat and the grand causeway leading to the entrance.

Temple of Banteay Srei, about 30 kilometers north of the main Angkor complex. Red sandstone and interesting statues make this temple quite different from the rest.

Cambodian Land Mine museum we visited on the way out to Banteay Srei. Created and maintained by CNN Hero, Aki Ra, very eye opening to realize the number of American land mines still taking lives in rural Cambodia. Third largest number of casualties per year, only behind Afghanistan and Bosnia.

Monkey business at various other temples outside of Angkor Thom.

Closeups of the detailed Hindu and Buddhist bas reliefs and sculptures all around the complex. Angkor switched back and forth between the two religions throughout history, each religious group defacing the artifacts of the other. Angkor is now predominantly Buddhist, but many Hindu statues remain.

My different modes of transportation throughout my 3 days. First, the tuk-tuk du jour of Cambodia, quite different than the Thai ones, and second my rickety old bicycle that was $2 for the day.

This monkey appears to be reading a leaf, intellectual.

Downtown Siem Reap, the city closest to Angkor and where I stayed for a week. Originally a French colony, you can still see the influence in the architecture. Unfortunately you can also still see the influence of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot regime. It’s hard to imagine that such as wonderful place and such smiling people endured genocide 20 years ago.

Posted in Cambodia, Religion, Sightseeing
Tagged Angkor Archeological Park, Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Bantey Srei, Bayon, Cambodia, Khmer, Khmer Empire, Siem Reap, Ta Phrom, Tomb Raider, UNESCO World Heritage site
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June 24, 2012

How to get to Siem Reap (Travel Tips)

For those of you simply reading my blog for entertainment, this post is probably not going to interest you greatly. But you lucky few with the cojones to venture out to SEA will ultimately feel compelled to visit the ancient ruins of Angkor Archeological park in Siem Reap, Cambodia and may find this post helpful. Even though the distance may seem short compared to some jaunts within only Thailand, this particular journey is riddled with pitfalls. So this is the bit of travel advice I can offer to those wanting to make the trip. All those who have convinced themselves that that a trip to SEA is not possible, you can simply wait for my next post which will showcase pics and descriptions of all the amazing things you are cheating yourself out of.

My travel experience to Siem Reap was by land, which is also the most affordable way, but this path is laden with booby traps waiting to trip you up, some even government sanctioned. If you have the greenbacks, I’ve heard it’s much simpler to fly to Siem Reap, albeit more expensive. Most backpackers and flash packers will enter Cambodia much the same way as i did, with the horror that is getting there by land. The journey began smoothly enough in Bangkok. After a little online research I decided to take the train instead of the bus, and since I was in Khaosan the night before I certainly didn’t catch the early train. I opted for the 1:05pm train to Aranyprathet, realizing and accepting the fact that the border crossing into Cambodia closes at 8pm, so if the train was delayed (as they typically are ) I may be staying overnight in Aranyprathet or Poi Pet. Luckily the train faced no serious delays and I was at the Aranyprathet station by 7pm. It is at this point where you have to be smart and keep your head on a swivel. You will be approached by numerous tuk-tuk drivers who want to take you to the Poi Pet border crossing for anywhere between 20 and 80bht. You do have to take the tuk-tuk, but just beware, they will purposefully take you fake Cambodian Visa stands in hopes of getting a kickback from their friends that run those operations. It will most likely appear fishy from the get-go, so just refuse to exit the Tuk-tuk and ignore the tout that approaches you from the fake Visa stand. Request firmly that the driver take you to the real border crossing (or Night Market). You know you are in the right place when you see the proper government signs and channels for immigration to Cambodia. To assist you visually, the market will be on your left and the border crossing is right between the two huge casinos next to the market. Don’t get out of the tuk-tuk and don’t talk to anyone untill you see that gateway and those casinos. I arrived in as the sun was setting and as Obi-Wan Kenobi once said, “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy”. Seriously Poi Pet is terrifying, you are being approached by touts in all directions and there are literally rats scurrying from one trash heap to the next; just put the blinders on, stare straight ahead and do not acknowledge their existence. The first stop is the Thai customs, it’s indoors and you will see signs, no one needs to lead you there as you will enter via several guardrail channels under signage marked for immigration. They check your passport and send you speedily thru to the no-mans-land that is the Casinos. After leaving Thailand head directly to the Cambodian Visa building to get your visa. It will be on the right side of the street before the first casino. It should cost you $20 or 800bht and remember to bring a passport photo with you or else you will be charged an extra 100bht. Once you have the visa proceed past the casinos on the right side of the road and enter Cambodia where they will check your Visa and stamp your passport. Whew! But it’s not over yet, now you face the Next wave of scammers waiting to ferry you from Poi Pet to Siem Reap.
I heard from multiple sources that the best part about Poi Pet, Cambodia is leaving Poi Pet, I wholeheartedly agree. However, in your rush to get out, don’t make a hasty decision about your transportation to Siem Reap. There is a huge and well know government sanctioned bus scam, so avoid the buses or anyone offering to take you to a bus station. Your best option is to use good judgement and common sense to find a reputable cab driver that will take you directly from Poi Pet to your Hotel in Siem Reap (if you don’t have a hotel booked, just say the Pub Street). The cost for this cab ride should be somewhere between $20-$50 depending on the quality of the cab, after all it is a 2 hour drive. If traveling alone its best to try and find some others to split the cab fare with, try to find someone while in line during customs. I paired up with the only other English speaking couple crossing the border that night and we found a questionable, but not totally dodgy driver that offered us a ride in his Toyota Camry for $35. The 2 hour drive to Siem Reap went smoothly enough, until we got close to the town and the cab drive took an abrupt turn off the main road and into what appeared to be a shady tuk-tuk junction. He informed us that the tuk-tuk will take us from here to our hotel for free. We proceeded to inform him that this wasn’t the arrangement we agreed on, that he promised to take us all the way to the hotel. Again, just be firm and persistent, but don’t lose your cool. They will ultimately cave and do as they promised. This little hiccup is simply a way for the cab drivers to hook up their tuk-tuk buddies with business for the next day by having them ferry you the last few miles to your hotel and tell you how they can give you an Angkor tour the next day. Probably no harm done, but in the dark in Cambodia its best not to take chances.
Once you are in Siem Reap and ready to purchase a one day, 3 day, or one week pass to Angkor Archeological park, your best strategy is to purchase your pass on the day before you plan to start, at 4:45pm. So find a tuk-tuk driver around 4pm and negotiate a deal for the evening transportation of a few hours, it should only be around $5-$8. By purchasing your pass at 4:45pm the day before, you will get to visit the complex from 4:45 to 5:30 that evening for free, taking in a complementary sunset. I reccomend you take in that first sunset at the ancillary temple of Phnom Bakheng, saving the main Angkor Wat temple for a sunrise and subsequent mini-tour or grand tour via tuk-tuk on a full day. You want to be sure you get to the top of the Phnom Bakheng temple before the cutoff time of 5:30, so head straight there after getting your pass at 4:45. If you want to save you first sight of Angkor Wat for sunrise, simply avert your gaze and don’t look to the right as you head to Phnom Bakheng. It takes about 15 minutes to walk to the top where you should promptly get in line to climb the temple stairs to the top. Once you made it up top, before the 5:30pm cutoff, you will have to wait around an hour more for the sun to set. So grab a seat and relax with the rest of the crowd. It would be advisable to bring a water or snack with you and some sort of reading material.
Finally, when then sun drops below the horizon, you can climb back down the temple and find your tuk-tuk driver for the ride back to the hotel. The driver will try to sell you on his services for the next day and a mini or grand tour of Angkor, only take up the offer if you get a good vibe from him, since you can always take your pic of drivers the next day. You want a driver that speaks reasonably good English and has a decent knowledge of the temples in the park with their history history.
There ya go, that’s all you need to know to get to one of the great wonders of the world, if a dunce like me can do it without getting totally ripped off, so can you. If you plan on going back to Bangkok after Siem Reap (as I did), the journey back is a bit easier and you will have attained a new level of travel savvy after dealing with the entry. My recommendation is that you book a bus to take you to Poi Pet and no further. You can book these buses with your hotel or hostel and even at some of the travel agencies on Pub Street. They will offer you transportation all the way back to Bangkok, but the problem is that after Poi Pet you switch to a different bus and typically that bus will make frequent and mandatory snack, souvenir and dinner stops at their buddies shops all the way back to Bangkok, stretching a 5 hour drive into an 8 hour one. Once you get dropped off at Poi Pet, brush off the touts (you should be good at this by now) and head straight to Customs. This way, Cambodian customs are a breeze, they take your fingerprints and send you through, the bad part is Thai Customs. The lines are long and the inspection is through, since there is a problem with many illegal immigrants from Cambodia. It takes at least an hour in most cases, 2 hours in mine since it was pissing rain and the power went out halfway through the process. After you are through Customs, proceed to have a tuk-tuk take you to the “Government Bus Station”, be clear about this as they may try and take you to a privately owned place. You know you are at the right bus station when you see the 7/11 on the corner and behind it there is the enclave where you buy your bus ticket. 220 bht will get you on a bus directly to Bangkok and the last bus leaves at 4pm. The bus I rode was extremely high quality and I was very pleased. They even give you complementary water, coffee, snack and kiwi juice box! The bus will take about 5-6 hours and drop you off at Mo Chit station in Bangkok, which is accessible by BTS and Taxi.

Good Luck and enjoy the Journey!

Posted in Cambodia, Travel
Tagged Angkor Archeological Park, Angkor Wat, Bangkok, Bangkok to Angkor Wat, Bangkok to Cambodia, Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia, Customs, Poi Pet, Pub Street, Siem Reap, Thailand, Transportation, travel, Tuk-tuk
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June 21, 2012

My SEA Top 10 Tips

Ive spent almost 2 months in Southeast Asia and I have learned a great deal about living and traveling in this area. Therefore, I’ve decided to compile my top 10 SEA tips and observations for those considering a visit, in order for you to survive and thrive:

1. Pack light: No more than a carryon bag and you can even make it with just a large backpack. Anything and everything in SEA is cheap to purchase and you can get whatever you need as you realize you need it. This includes clothes, shoes, toiletries, electronics and medicines. I do not recommend that you bring nice/expensive sandals or sunglasses as you will lose them, i guarantee it. I have already gone through at least 4 pairs of flip-flops and 4 sunglasses, the good thing is that they are insanely cheap to replace. As for your one bag of choice, I don’t recommend the typical backcountry backpack, you are immediately labeled as a tourist/backpacker and open yourself up to being taken advantage of by local scammers because you stick out like a sore thumb. Also, you get more than one sideways look when walking through nice parts of town or checking into the occasional 4 star hotel for a respite from camping or hostel life. I chose the bag made by Rick Steves. The bag is designed to the maximum dimensions of an airplane overhead compartment and while it may appear to be just a square shaped piece of luggage it does have hideable backpack straps and a waist strap that can be configured in a variety of ways for backpacking. As for handbags or a day-pack, you can get those for cheap in any mall or night market, and ladies you know you will want a souvenir handbag at some point anyway, so why bring one from home? While we’re on the subject of shoulder bags, the, “Hangover II”, movie did get one thing right; When Thai men (like Leslie Chow) are out and about or traveling, they do carry man purses, however they are probably not filled with lots of cash or skittles. For your clothes, I say; 1 pants, 1 shorts, 1 swimwear, 1 collared shirt, 3 t-shirts, low profile running shoes, and something like boat-shoes that can be worn out to dinner or to the beach. Remember: it’s hot and humid, so cotton is the devil, if you are wearing cotton and get wet or sweaty, you will stay that way. Invest in some dri-fit. Oh, and protect your electronic gadgetry with some high quality cases, I’ve seen far too many smashed cameras, iPhones and computers. And your life will be so much easier if you do bring an electronic device that accesses wifi, don’t depend on Internet cafes, wifi is everywhere and the glorious interwebs is the ultimate travel assistant.

2. Payment is in cash and is negotiable: since Internet and phone service are spotty at best, most establishments cannot accept credit cards for payment. Cash (Thai Baht) is a must, especially in the islands and on street level in the cities. Many a traveler is stuck when they depend on their credit cards or USD for getting around, eating or shopping. Luckily, ATMs are plentiful in most places and you can withdraw up to 15,000 Bhat at a time (of course there is a 150 bht surcharge for each withdrawal). Once you have your cash in hand, only a fool pays the sticker price. Everything from sandals to mouthwash to hotel rooms are negotiable. Most items do not even have a price listed, you just have to find out from the shop/stall owner. My favorite strategy is to inquire about the price of an item at one place, then go to the next and speak first to suggest a lower price to the vendor. The vendor will probably counter your offer so then I like to just stay silent for a while, the vendor may go ahead and drop their offer once more if you seem hesitant, without you having to haggle at all. In the end, don’t be afraid to walk away, even if you really want or need the item/service. Sometimes the bottom line price isn’t given to you until you make it five steps away from the storefront. Everything is still cheap in SEA so sometimes haggling over 2 or 3 dollars is pointless, unless you just like the sport of it. The bottom line is: only pay a much as you feel comfortable with for the particular item or service and don’t get duped into a high price before you are comfortable understanding the conversion rate. Luckily, Thai money is color coded and sized differently, making it easy to get a handle on the note denominations quickly.
NB – always make sure that you negotiate the price for a taxi or tuk-tuk before you get in, and in the case of the taxi make sure they turn the meter on.

3. Take your shoes off: most of SEA and especially Thailand is predominantly Buddhist, and you never step foot into a temple with shoes on, heck, you aren’t even supposed to point your feet in the direction of the Buddha. Most stores and many hotels will require removal of shoes as well. Thais consider feet very dirty, so never put your feet up on something, touch someone or something with you feet and for gosh sakes, take your shoes off before entering anywhere indoors. The will usually be a pile of shoes and sandals to tip you off, but if you really value your footwear you may avoid the pile and toss them in a more discrete location. This probably goes without saying, but lace up shoes are a pain in the ass, wear slip-ons or sandals. The cheaper the shoes the better, my last pair of flip-flops lasted me 4 days before they dissapeared and an Aussie friend of my said his record was 5 pairs in a week. Luckily, flip-flops only run you about 100 baht (~$4). It’s worth noting that with all the shoelessness, you should still be very careful not to injure your feet on glass or other sharp objects, things tend to get infected very quickly and nastily in SEA.

4. Stay calm: in SEA it is very “uncool” to get angry or raise your voice. Your patience will get tested regularly, I can promise that. Thais are very relaxed and patient people so it’s best that you adapt the same attitude. Whether its your transportation being late, your food order being wrong or almost getting run over by a scooter, just take a deep breath and let the Buddhist philosophy take hold. Americans do have the worst reputation for breaking this rule and getting upset with the little things, so set a good example for the rest of us and take a very large chill pill. At times you will be constantly pestered by touts wanting to sell you everything from cheap suits to ping-pong shows, don’t get frustrated by their persistence, keep the blinders on and keep walking with a smile. There are never any fist fights at bars, even amongst the ludicrously intoxicated, and you never want to get into a fight with a local. Instigating a fight with a local will most certainly involve you defending yourself from multiple other locals, unfair fights, using bottles, pipes, knives, rocks and Muay Thai techniques. If you just keep your cool, everything little ting is gonna be alright. Your bus or boat will show up, your food order will get fixed (or whatever they gave you will taste great anyway), and your air-con and Internet will start working again.

5. Try new food: don’t miss out on some of the most tasty items in SEA due to the questionable cooking areas, strange smells, strange names or your utter cowardice. Thai people are especially we’ll known for their cleanliness in cooking. Most “kitchens” wouldn’t pass even the most basic inspection in the states, but the cooks themselves know what they are doing. Utensils and dishes are sanitized and the food is properly stored and cooked. Some people miss out on some really great food experiences because they only stick to what they know. Obviously don’t drink the water from the tap but bottled water and the ice in restaurants are ok, and it’s ok to brush your teeth with the tap water. I ate and drank everything I could and I never once got sick, not even a tummy ache. Try all the strange looking fruits, I haven’t found one I disliked yet, I especially love the Rambutan and Mangosteen. Sample the street-side insects (I recommend crickets) and go all out at the 7/11 with crab and basil flavored chips, strange looking yogurt drinks, seaweed jerky and for gosh sakes if you haven’t had a tuna toasty at 2am, first, punch yourself in the face, then do yourself a favor and go buy 2 of them.

6. Ask Travel Agents, but don’t always buy from them: since there is an increased requirement for travel by bus, boat, van, taxi, scooter, pack-mule etc., you will find yourself in need of some localized guidance. The wonderful interwebs can only get you so far in SEA because in second and third world countries most transportation methods do not list online and getting from place to place requires multiple modes of transportation. My last adventure from Siem Reap to Bangkok involved: tuk-tuk/mini bus/walking/tuk-tuk/tour bus/motorbike taxi/train, in that order. In SEA you have to get by the old fashioned way and that means using a travel agent…sometimes. I have been ripped off by an agent my fare share of times or mislead in a variety of ways, but I have always made it to my final destination. Many fiercely independent travelers will shy away from the many travel agencies all over SEA, but they really can be an invaluable resource for information and a discount on complicated travel arrangements. If you have time to do the research online, you can most likely figure out the rough idea of getting from point A to B, but don’t expect it to be smooth. Traveling from place to place is always an adventure and most often very exhausting, but some of my best moments and stories have come from these trying travel days.

7. Don’t always be a “Pleasure Seeker”: many travelers envision the ideal SEA vacation to be all about sipping fruity alcoholic beverages on the beach all day,experimenting with the variety of unpoliced drugs, or getting ridiculously pampered with massages and cheap yet fancy hotels. I have done plenty of the aforementioned from time to time but I feel that you really have to find times to separate yourself from all that noise. Take time to just have a walk-about, go grocery shopping, find an adventurous local excursion for the day, or just relax somewhere outside the bounds of your hotel. Challenge yourself with a cooking class, meditation retreat or volunteer work. In my opinion the best way to enjoy another country is to experience some of the culture, uninhibited and un-inebriated. You may come to realize that laying out poolside or on the beach is quite the same anywhere you go, even in your backyard. Take time to communicate with the locals or go to a market. It feels good to get away from the touristy flash. Even as a backpacker through hostels and camps, take time to get away from the other sweaty backpackers and immerse yourself in both the locals and the upscale vacationers. Perspective comes from both directions.

(Anna, if you are reading this, I’m sorry for using this picture, but it was too perfect, hehe)

8. Common Sense Rules: there are a million ways to die, get seriously injured or hurt. There are no guardrails, handrails or danger signs. Police are seldom around and when they are, they are most likely not on the side of helping a westerner. Crazy drivers, no helmets, horrible pavement, and unintelligible road signs. Stupid people don’t last in SEA, so use your noggin. Don’t put yourself in dumb situations with silly people and trust your instincts with touts and other potential scammers. Putting blinders on and training yourself not to look at every tout who says, “hey sir”, will take you leagues. I see all too often the bandaged limping backpacker and the small cut that turned grossly infected. Use band-aids (plasters) and antibiotic ointment on any scratch. If something looks unsafe, unstable or broken it probably is and will be soon. You can’t trust the upkeep of things in Asia quite like you can in the good ol’ US of A. If you find yourself in SEA, do your life expectancy a favor and use your stupid brain with everything from crossing the road to rock climbing.

9. Get used to the Bathrooms: you will be faced with toilet challenges of all kinds. Usually the first is the noticeable absence of toilet paper. The sewers here just aren’t designed for anything but human waste, so most toilets come equipped with a handheld bidet. Don’t worry if you are washing the walls with it at first, with forced practice you will get used to it, I promise. If you are lucky enough to have TP, don’t throw it in the toilet, use the trash can, you don’t want an Asian plumbing problem. Secondly, it’s guaranteed that at some point you will have to use a, “squatter”. When you find yourself in the more local parts of town there are no western toilets to be found. Instead you have the more eastern style, “squatter”, toilet. So aptly named because that’s exactly what you do; stand on the porcelain rim and squat. It’s a strange and smelly experience, but some say it is a healthier way of taking the Cosbys to the pool. The “squatters” are also a manual flush operation, so when you are finished you dump a few bucketful’s of water down that drain and let gravity do the work. Lastly, in most hotel rooms, the bathroom and the shower are the same closet sized room and the showers are usually cold water, handheld, low pressure garbage. But I like to look on the bright side and consider the multi-tasking opportunities a toilet/shower brings.

10. Asians like a slim fit: when purchasing clothing in SEA, which I do highly reccomned since its cheap and allows you to pack light, remember that they are a small people in general. I think my first purchase was underwear, and I learned the hard way. Large was unwearable at the get-go, XL was unwearable after 1 wash, and XXL (the largest you will find, if you are even that lucky) are more nut-hugging than I am comfortable with. Same goes for shirts, shorts and pants. Just attempt to try things on before buying them, even though fitting rooms are nonexistent in SEA, you left your dignity back home, so drop trow and try it on right then and there.

So in closing: Have a freaking, bomb-ass, grandma slappin, helluva good time because you are not only smart and lucky, but brave enough to shun the traditional, “one weak”, vacation in Mexico and come to one of the greatest spots on the planet.

Posted in Cambodia, Food, Malaysia, Thailand, Travel
Tagged 7/11, Aussie, Backpacker, Baht, Bangkok, Bidet, Buddhist, Cambodia, Haggling, Hostel, Hotel, insects, iPhone, Luggage, Malaysia, Rick Steve's, SEA, Siem Reap, Squatter, Thai Massage, Thailand, Travel Agent
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June 19, 2012

Status Update (and housecleaning)

As I prepare to leave the land of geckos, coconuts and ladyboys, I figure it’s time for a brief update on my plans and some general housecleaning of the blog. Prague is my next destination and I feel like I should be ready for a change of climate and cuisine, but I can’t help being saddened that I am leaving SEA. It’s been a really rad 2 months and I feel like there is still so much I left untouched, especially after my recent week-long venture into Cambodia. As I was enduring the 6 hour third class train from Bangkok to the Cambodian border, I realized wholeheartedly that I love Thailand. My seat was heinously uncomfortable plastic and the train car unbelievably crowded along with no A/C in 90 degree heat, but as I stared out the open window at acre upon acre of farmland and palms I felt a settling peace and contentment that made my ass ache less. Even with movies like “The Beach” and “Hangover 2″ exposing the fun to be had and beauty to be seen in Thailand, I frequently wonder; why don’t more Americans come here? It’s strange how much Thailand seems like an undiscovered paradise at times, even when I’m amongst the crowds of European, Scandinavian, British and Australian tourists/backpackers. It’s just strangely uncommon to run into other Americans. In my 2 months here I’ve only met a handful, not a single north (or south) Carolinian, and only one from my stomping grounds of the southeast in general. Not saying that this is an incredibly bad thing, I get to enjoy being minority most of the time and picking up on the many language and cultural differences of our English speaking brethren from across both ponds.
When vagabonding, you not only visit interesting and unique places, you also get to meet a variety of interesting and unique people. Kindred souls or polar opposites, there something about traveling that gets me out of my introverted shell. That person sitting next to you on the island ferry or 8 hour night bus ride might be just an annoying 20 minute conversation or they could end up being your travel buddy for weeks, you just never know until you speak up. As a single traveler most of the time, I often ponder the benefits of a travel buddy; they will watch your bag when you go pee, they will split cab/hotel cost with you and they don’t mind as much when you pass out on their shoulder on that 8 hour night bus. I’ve picked up a couple good travel buddies in my time here, Travis and John of course, Shawn, Ollie & Gabby and James, Casey and now enter Kelvin and Sophia.

During my sweat drenched, rat infested, scam ridden journey across the Thailand border into Cambodia I chanced to meet this couple, an American guy from Wisconsin and a British gal from Brighton. They extended a helping hand to me when it was apparent I was a bit overwhelmed and close to my breaking point. Through our subsequent border crossing and shared taxi ride into Siem Reap we struck up a partnership that lasted my full week in Cambodia. We played tomb raider in the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat, ate a confusing Cambodia BBQ and had quite a few tequila and dancing infused late nights.
One evening, shortly after placing 3rd in a Cambodian pub quiz (and polishing off two towers of Anchor Beer), we were approached by an adorable waif of an Australian girl who was looking for some buddies herself, so in the nature that almost all travelers here share, we gave her a chair and poured her a beer from our tower. Jagerbombs and ridiculous dance moves later, we had ourselves a veritable gang. The wonderful Rachel was a sharp witted, ukelele toting aussie gal who shared the same creative and nerdy traits of all my great friends back home, only with an Australian accent, schwing! She is quite hilarious and you can see for yourself on her blog, http://www.racheltripsitup.wordpress.com. Seriously, do it, she’s a much more entertaining writer than me and she will have loads of great stories to tell as she works teaching in Cambodia.
The hard part comes when it’s time to go your separate ways. You feel like you’ve made a connection with some people that is lasting and just when the fun starts you are called in different directions, c’est la vie. You hope that one day your paths may cross again, but the odds are hardly ever in your favor (no Hunger Games pun intended). However, you never know, I thought I said my final goodbyes to my trek-mates in Chiang Mai, only to meet up with them a week later in distant Koh Tao. It’s all part of the ride, sometimes you feel up and sometimes you crash, but as the Chinese proverb states, “the journey is the reward”. Sorry if this post seems a little scatterbrained, it’s probably because I truly feel that way at the moment. Excited and anxious for a new part of the world to explore but occasionally detached and depressed that I have to leave one of the best places on earth. To make up for the terrible writing and flow, here are some fun housecleaning pics: