The boats full of fruit were beautiful. It was really colorful despite the impending rainstorm. As soon as it started raining the vendors frantically covered their goods and our driver paddled us back to the dock. Oh well, at least I was able to grab a quick plate of noodles before we left for the gem factory.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Floating Market Traffic Jam
The floating market was really fun, but the prices for all of the touristy stuff were higher than any I had seen so far. I ordered a plate of noodles from one of the vendors from land, but purchased nothing else. The boat we are about to hit head-on here is the other half of the tour group. Banging into other boats was quite fun!
Driver of the Boat
I went to the floating market outside of Bangkok today. This is a picture of the lady who piloted the boat through the canals. She was talking to herself the whole time and seemed to enjoy paddling us into other boats. I felt like I was on a Roman war galleon.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Back in Bangkok
I'm now safely back in Bangkok, which seems very plush and western to me now. I'm going to do the touristy floating market tomorrow. Cambodia was a tremendously beautiful place and was such an intense experience for me. The horror, poverty, and pain that many of those people experienced was unbelieveable. But, the Cambodians were some of the nicest, most hospitable, and most sincere people I have ever encountered. There were people who resented foreigners or who looked at you as an ATM, but this was the exception and not the norm. I'm still puzzling over what I saw the last few days and am sure that it is going to take me a long time to make sense of it all.
Siem Reap Killing Field
This is a modest monument at a Buddhist temple outside of Siem Reap. Siem Reap province now has a population of about 1 million people. Between 1975 and 1979 the Khmer Rouge killed one million people in this province alone by means of torture, execution, forced labor, and starvation. That was more than half of the population of this area at the time. Much of it occurred at this temple where it became a prison and an execution ground. The people who survived torture were taken to a well and beaten to death or shot. This place is now again a temple, a memorial, a school, and an orphanage. I really couldn't bring myself to take too many pictures here because I was completely overwhelmed. Some of the teachers at the school that I talked to were orphaned during the genocide. They were all about my age and had survived horrific childhoods. Many of the kids here were orphaned by landmines, the civil war, and the conflicts with Thailand and Vietnam. I still can't get over the fact that one million people died in and around this place in less than four years.
Danger!! Mines!!
I saw this sign for real a couple of times. This one was in the landmine museum in Siem Reap.
Four Way Linga
Originally there was a linga where this post now stands. There are four channels with spouts at the end to distribute the linga water more efficiently. Water and agriculture was a very important part of these people's lives. The king was revered as a god and he controlled the water. There are enormous man-made moats around most of the temples that were used for defense, for agriculture, and as a symbol of the divine power of the king.
Linga
Ah, the linga. You just gotta love the Hindus for their fascination with the phallus. There were pedestals/receptacles in almost every temple. A linga was inserted into the opening and then water was poured over it. The water was then fertile, powerful, magical, reverse-osmosised, or whatever. It could then be used in rituals. People still poured water over these and sprinkled themselves with it. About 80 km outside of Siam Reap there is a river called the river of a thousand linga. 1000 linga were carved into the stone river bed to fertilize the water as it flows downstream. Now that is agriculture!
Consumed by Trees
This temple was being completely consumed by the jungle. These trees are massive and were everywhere in the complex.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Temple Madness
I visted a dozen or so temples in three days and took roughly 500 pictures just of the ruins. I was completely mesmerized by them and can't even begin to describe how beautiful they are in person. The pictures don't really do them justice. What added to the magic of the place was that the temples are still being used by buddhist monks. The statues are robed, there are people worshiping, and the smell of incense fills the air. There are also the ever present sounds of the jungle, musicians in the temples playing traditional music, and the chatter of the locals. I wish I could convey he presence and power of these places, but I cannot. You will just have to see it for yourself!
Bayon Faces
The faces of Bayon Temple are everywhere! They are identical and all have the same beatific smile. I met two students from Phnom Penh who were studying archeology. They enthusiastically explained a lot of things about the temple, about the carvings, and about the history of it. I am still amazed at how proud the Cambodians are of these temples.
Outside Bayon Temple
Bayon Temple was another spectacular place. It looks like a pile of rocks from a distance, but is covered in beautiful carvings and statues. There are 216 GIANT faces carved into the towers that either depict a Hindu god or the king who built it, depending on who you ask. Legend has it that the temple was originally covered in gold.
Inner Temple Stairs at Angkor Wat
These are the stairs that I climbed to get into the upper/inner temple. They are steeper than they look, heavily worn, and covered with sand. Fun! I met some monks at the top that I talked to for a while. We descended the stairs together and one of the monks asked me if I was afraid. I told him that I was afraid of heights and he replied with "It is no problem to fall. Don't you believe in reincarnation?" Funny guy.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat was one of if not the most beautiful things I've ever seen. It was HUGE. This is the postcard shot, but hopefully it gives some hint as to just how big this place is. I spent two half-days walking around the ruins and still didn't see all of it. I managed to get there during the absolute heat of the day and didn't run into too many tourists.
Roadside Country Restaurant
This was a roadside restaurant that my driver took me to while visiting the temples. The brown building with the dirt floor is the kitchen. :) You don't want to know about the toilets. The food kicked ass and the people were friendly. These were family friends of Chan, the guy who drove me around for three days. Chan was a super nice guy and was extremely friendly. He took me to a Cambodian wedding party, introduced me to his family, and took me to a party at one of his friend's house. This was defintely not the normal tourist experience. Almost every Cambodian that I met asked me where I came from, how long I was staying, what I liked about Cambodia, and about my family. This last question was the most important to them! I was constantly suprised by how friendly and sincere people are in Cambodia.
My First Khmer Meal
This was my first meal after arriving in Siem Reap. Tasty chicken curry Cambodian style. There was a Taiwanese couple at the next table that shared their pumpkin soup with me. Mmmm. The guy in front of the restaurant was one of the many, many landmine victims I saw. This is still a terrible problem and doesn't show any signs of abating anytime soon. In many ways this picture sums up what I experienced in Cambodia: A fantastic culture, generous hospitality, extreme poverty, and great personal tragedy.
Three Little Pigs
We passed this guy on the way into town. The pigs were still alive and were going to market. This was a common sight, but usually the pigs were inside wicker baskets on the back of the scooter. The local pork was quite tasty!
Gas Station
There were only a few western-style gas stations in Siem Reap. Most of them were roadside vendors selling gasoline out of liquor bottles. Your mileage may vary.
Special Muscle Wine
I almost fell out of the tuk-tuk when I saw this ad on the back of another tuk-tuk... I LOVE Asian marketing! The lady in the picture was the Cambodian national beauty queen for 2005 and I saw her in several other ads. What special muscle are they referring to anyway?
My Money is No Good Here
US dollars are an officially and universally accepted form of currency in Cambodia. The only time I ever saw local money was as change for things that were less than a dollar. It was a little odd getting back a handful of bills instead of a quarter. I brought two bills from the US that I couldn't spend because they were torn. Nobody would take this money. Welcome to Cambodia! Your money is no good here.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Off to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
I'm leaving Bangkok early tomorrow to go to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I'm staying there for five days so I can spend a lot of time at Angkor Wat. I started the malaria meds today without ill effect, so we'll see how that goes.
Palace from the River
This is a view of the Royal Palace from the river. The spirit house was to the left, but I missed it. One of the cool things I noticed was that most of the houses along the river had a spirit house on the water and not on land. I asked the guide and he said that the river spirits would rather live in a house on stilts.
Suspension Bridge
I tried to get a good shot of this suspension bridge with the hopes of giving a framed picture to Frieder. But alas, the boat went the wrong way and I will be stuck forever as a lower minion in the Dean's office...
Fruit Tray from Hell
The trip included this amazing fruit tray and all the Mekong whiskey you could drink. The list of fruit was: Papaya, two types of lichee, Thai apples, pineapple, mangos, bananas, durian, watermelon, peanut brittle, and god knows what else. The Mekong whisky is a rice-based whiskey that tastes more like rum. Very nice!
Party Barge
We moved over to this party barge for the return trip. This guy with the dog owns a restaurant and comes down every day to feed scraps to the fish. He said it was good for Buddhist merit.
Catfish
We stopped along the way to feed catfish. They hang out behind a Wat along the river where the monks feed them once a day. When the boat stopped they went nuts! I could have easily reached out and grabbed one.
Water Vendors
This lady was kind enough to row out to sell us beer and fans. She had an amazing assortment of stuff crammed into a tiny boat.
Tour Boat
I just returned from a three hour boat tour of Bangkok. This was the boat I was on for the trip up the river. These things haul ass!
Friday, May 12, 2006
Back in Bangkok
I arrived back in Bangkok last night and am flying out to Cambodia tomorrow. I went for Indian food at this vegetarian place I noticed last week. They specialized in dosas, which are these savory crepes made of a light lentil/flour batter. It was an unusual place because they only had vegetarian dishes and they sold no alcohol. It was by far the largest and most expensive meal I've had so far, but only set me back $9. The Indian food here is amazing. I'm on my way over to Chinatown again because there is an Indian neighborhood near there. Mmmm.
Homesick
C'mon, how could I pass this up? The menu looked identical to any taco shop in San Diego. The carne asade burrito is my litmus test for any "real" Mexican food in California, but unfortunately these guys didn't cut the mustard. The salsa came from a jar and the tortillas were more like crackers. It's too bad because I might have just stayed in Chiang Mai for good if they had decent Mexican food.
Lottery Tickets!
I was really tempted to buy some of these for the office pool, but I wasn't sure how to play!
Flowers for Prayer
This vendor was selling prayer flowers. I saw these wreaths and flowers being carried around the Wats and being placed on shrines. Some of the larger shrines were literally buried with these wreaths.
Market for locals in Chiang Mai
This was the edge of the local market in old Chiang Mai. The Ping river is at the end of the block. The smells and colors were completely overwhelming.
Pedicab
This was one of the more ornate pedicabs I saw in Chiang Mai. This guys was waiting for fares in front of a temple. I wandered up to the non-tourist area of the old city and visited the local market there. A lot more of the traffic was pedestrian and bicycle as opposed to tuk tuk or taxi.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Tuk Tuk
Here is a picture of me defying death by Tuk Tuk. I lost my hat shortly after taking this shot. :( These three-wheeled gas powered scooters are driven by madmen. Most of my time walking around was spent either trying to avoid be killed by one or by trying to tell a persistent driver "no" to a ride.
Wat Umong
Wat Umong was the coolest of the temples I've visited so far. The atmosphere was neat because it was in the jungle outside of Chiang Mai, they had a prayer and sermon playing continuously over a PA system throughout compound, and much of the Wat consists of underground tunnels! These were built for a monk who was clairvoyant. The tunnels snake through the hillside and end in little shrines or deadend with blank walls. It was really creepy walking around underneath the jungle floor!
Buddha
This was a cool Buddha in the jungle outside of Wat Umong. What was interesting about this one was that it had no food or drink placed before, just incense.
Toilet paper?
All of the temples have public restrooms, but most of them are rather spartan. Who needs toilet paper when you have a "fresh" basin of water and a bowl?
Happy Doggies!
I found this outdoor restaurant near the river and stopped in for a bite. Most of the plates cost less than $1.50, so I've been happily snacking along throughout the day. While sitting down I noticed that about half of the 30-odd tables had dogs asleep under them! While eating my meal and watching the doggies I noticed that they were all exceptionally clean, had their nails trimmed, and were FAT. It turns out that the owners of the place rescue dogs and find homes for them.
Night Market
The night market is this multi-block affair that lines the streets and occupies a four story building. It goes from 6:00 pm until midnite. The silk and cotton goods are beautiful, but the variety of food that is for sale is spectacular. Unfortunately, it is hard to photograph due to low light and my poor photography skills.
Banana Roti
I went to the night market and totally pigged out on random food. This was a banada chocolate roti made by a Malaysian lady. The street vendors rock!
Spirit Houses
Thais build little hosues outside their buildings for the spirits to live in. The idea is that the spirit houses are nicer than the real houses so the spirits will live their and leave the human occupants alone. Every morning fresh incense, food, and drink is provided for the spirits.
Morning Service
There is a temple near my hotel that was filled with monks listening to a service yesterday. There is a religious holiday this week celebrating the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death. There is a lot of activity around the temples and the monks are eager to talk about it.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Lots of Wats in Chiang Mai
The internet access at my hotel in Chiang Mai is sloooow, so no pics until I can find a good internet cafe. The vibe here is much more laid back. It is full of artisan shops selling textiles, adventure tour guides, and seems to have a Buddhist temple on every block. The food here seems more interesting to me: Lots of sticky rice with mangos, bakeries and donut vendors, and the curries have different ingredients: I've never seen cauliflower and broccoli in a chicken curry, but damn was it tasty! More details to come when I post the pics.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Bangkok Airways
I'm in the airport on my way to Chiang Mai waiting in the Bangkok Airways terminal. They bill themselves as "Asia's Boutique Airline" and they aren't kidding. They have free internet kiosks, free Thai iced tea, and free cookies. Good thing I checked in early! The taxi ride over here was terrifying. I think I've learned NOT to dicker for a good price on cab rides. The level of recklessness on the part of the driver appears to be inversely proportional to the fare. This is only made worse by the fact that Thai vehicles don't have seatbelts in the backseat. Eeek! The worse drivers also seem to be the ones with lotus leaves and prayers taped to the ceiling of their cab. Maybe these are for previous passengers who didn't make it to their destination...
Chinatown
Chinatown was cool. The sidewalks were covered with tarps and umbrellas for blocks and blocks. You walked single file between vendors and were very intimate with your fellow shoppers. The variety of goods and people were overwhelming. The smells from the food vendors permeated the air. I saw tasty looking things to eat, but I had already stuffed myself at the mall. After I got back home I read in the guidebook that there is an Indian neighborhood nearby. I have to try Indian food while I'm here.
Food court in a mall, Thai style
After leaving the palace and the wats I walked over to Chinatown. The thunderstorm came back and I stepped into a Thai mall to escape. I was there for about an hour looking at all of the shops and eating in the "food court". During that time I saw one other white person. This was definitely not a tourist spot! I had fun trying to order food. Some of the restaurants were frustrating because all they had to display were the ingredients and you were supposed to tell them what you want. Not so easy considering I don't speak the language.
Reclining buddha
This is the reclining buddha inside Wat Pho. It was HUGE. It is covered in gold and has mother of pearl on the soles of it's feet.
Emerald Buddha Wat
This is an outdoor shot of the wat containing the emerald buddha. yes, that appears to be real gold. The buddha itself was amazing, but no photos were allowed and there were gurads enforcing this. While I was inside ogling the buddha a thunderstorm rolled in. It was cool hearing the thunder echoing through the building and breathing in the incense while staring at the buddha.
Outside the Royal Palace
I went to the Royal Palace next. I was able to wander around Wat Pho in shorts, but to get into the palace grounds I had to change into jeans. Fortunately, I brought jeans with me just in case.
Kitty at Wat Pho
If Rome is the city of stray cats, then Bankok is the city of stray dogs. Poor doggies are roaming around everywhere! The only exception to this appears to be the buddhist temples. There, cats are the norm. There were cats all over Wat Pho. I came by this shrine again later and found two ladies praying with the cats walking around their feet.
Wat Pho
I woke up early this morning and took a taxi from the hotel to a buddhist temple called Wat Pho. The weather was overcast, but it made it easier to photograph the buildings. The mosaic and tile work on the buildings were beautiful!
Friday, May 05, 2006
I finally arrived in Thailand!
I arrived in Bankok last night around 1:00 am local time after about a 24 hour journey! I went to the airport in San Diego a little early and was able to barely catch an earlier flight. I was literally running across the tarmac the puddle jumper and they slammed the door right behind me. That was the only exciting part of the trip. I'm glad I did though because it took almost two hours to get through security when I arrived in LA. I took some cool pictures today and will post those later on. The food is great, the weather is hot and humid, and the smells are exotic. Wahoo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)