poll

Where should I go on my next trip?

Flo visit, pt 2: Bangkok

Flo and I started our adventures in Bangkok with a cooking class. Our instructor was a charismatic and crazy Thai guy who was visibly going through an existential crisis throughout the lesson. Here he is showing us how to buy ingredients in the Thai market, and still keeping it together.

In between making our five courses, he manically weaved in and out of the room, made provocative statements about his life and varying levels of satisfaction, ordered around his two assistants, accused one of our classmates of being on drugs, and tussled with a lady from Michigan about the value of work. Here were are pounding a curry:

In the end, we made Pad Thai, Masaman Curry, Papaya Salad, Spring Rolls, and a banana desert. They were all amazing, and I have all the recipes should anybody request one.
The next day we did a bike tour of Bangkok. Bangkok is not a bike-able city. Most of you know what a bike enthusiast I am, so it won't surprise that one of the things I miss most about NYC is getting on my bike and seeing the city from two wheels. The bike tour showed me that, given time and patience, there are areas of Bangkok that are safe for biking. First we rode through the Khlong Toei slum. It was great to see another side of the city, where life is totally different from the glitzier and more western sections of the city I frequent. We then crossed the Chao Praya and biked around the Bang Krachou section.

The entire Star Wars Universe in lego form, on display at an upscale mall in Bangkok.

And finally a trip to Ayuthaya, one of the historic capitals of the Thai empire

Flo visit, pt. 1: Khak Sok NP and Ko Samui

2011 started with a fabulous visit from NYer Flo and a trip to the south of Thailand. As we (didn't) celebrate New Years Eve in style somewhere over Siberia on a budget Chinese airline, we were rerrin' to go the next morning. We first went to Khao Sok National Park, a lush river valley amidst jagged limestone karsts. We did a tour of a beautiful lake, and I got to steer the longtail boat for a little:

freeloaders...
Our guide made an awesome hat out of various leaves and we took turns wearing it. The next day we did a nature hike.

That afternoon, we went on a canoeing trip. Little did we know that the trip included Thai paddlers, and just got to relax and float down. I embraced it fully.
I question the paddler's decision to halt the kayak directly beneath a sleeping tree snake so we could get a close look, but other than that it was completely lovely.
From Khao Sok we took the ferry to Ko Samui for some classic Thai beach vacation. We spend a lot of time reading and napping on the beach, took a tour of Ang Thong National Marine Park, and then packed it up for some more adventures in Bangkok.

Shanghai

China through the window of a five hour layover.
-Super intense security at the airport, no surprise. Even on the return flight, when I was just transferring planes, they processed me at immigration.
-Bullet train! It connected the airport with the city. Come on America, we can do this.

-Walked around a random neighborhood during and after the morning commute. Airports are always pretty sterile environments, so it was here that I felt like I first came face to face with the people who constitute this nation subject to the world's (or at least the US's) obsession. This surface level interaction both confirmed and broke down the image I had of life in an authoritarian state. In coverage of the economy, politics, and the environment, the media implies that Chinese people are dour an automated. So it was relieving to see people smile and act in the same quirky ways as the rest of us. Case in point: mature adults practicing diablo sticks, a trend I haven't seen since middle school on the Ocean City boardwalk. And they weren't even that good at them.
But there was something undeniably gray about Shanghai though. Maybe it was just the cold and misty weather, but even the nice new buildings gave of a very austere feeling. Perhaps this was heightened by the contrast to Bangkok, where a glittery rainbow has exploded all over every block.

Top 10 Global Weather Events

Very scary... and this doesn't even include many of the stories I'd heard about this year (severe flooding in Thailand and Brazil, 110 degree + heat wave in L.A., paralyzing snow storms across England and Europe...

Traditional Thai imagery

Yak, the giant.
Loy Krathong festival. So beautiful. Vendors sell mini-boats (usually made of leaves or other materials) adorned with flowers and a candle. Everybody buys one, stands on the shore, and pushes it our to float. Soon the entire lake is covered with luminaries. The purpose of the ritual is to instill a problem in the boat and then cast it away.

Night in the oldest district, Rattanakosin.

Khao Yai music festival

A couple photos from a weekend music festival near Khao Yai National Park.
Hottie...
During the day, numerous activities were set up to keep the revelers entertained. We did this ropes course in homage to the Real Word Road Rules Challenge. Parts were really scary, even considering we were strapped into a safety rope. For example, the slats in the top left portion of the picture: we had to walk straight across them without holding onto any ropes! It took me many false starts to finally cross it. I'd also like to point out I did this whole course in flip-flops.

Then things got ca-razy after dark. jk.

Respect for the King:

And a half-hearted hike the next day.

Bali, pt. 3

So here we are peering into Bali's highest mountain/ dormant volcano, Gunung Agung.

Zoom out...
It hasn't erupted since 1963, but I was totally prepared with the excellent lava-jumping skills I acquired in many team-building exercises of past days. Getting to the summit was quite involved. Following a vigorous texting exchange with our guide, Putu (involving transportation, gear, etc.) we were picked up at midnight at our hotel. Putu was recommended by my Bali-loving friend, Rebecca. At the base of Gunung Agung was a large temple complex, and we paused for a few moments so Putu could pay proper tribute before we started up. Gunung Agung is also one of Bali's holiest sites.

We began the climb at 2 AM, and walked and scrambled for nearly five hours with flashlights. The purpose of hiking at night is to reach the summit in time to catch the beautiful sunrise and have the best chance of seeing the island without cloud cover. What was difficult to discern in the darkness of the climb, however, is how steep many of the sections were.


In the end, it was a fun and exhausting climb. And so ended our eco-activity on Bali.

Bali, pt. 2

Here are some better examples of the lushness of the landscape. A little path by a rushing stream:
Rice terraces. I had read and taught about this farming practice in Japan and Meso-American civilizations, but did not realize the extent to which the technique is practiced in Southeast Asia. Its also astounding to see close up. The landscape is just cut into different steps, and mud levies hold giant trays of water in place.

Here is a temple surrounded by a lotus pond in central Ubud. We had a nice dinner and watched a traditional dance based on stories from the Ramanyana.

Here's our hotel in Ubud. It was built into the side of a steep ravine, so that each room was its own floor jutting out into the jungle and hanging over the creek. Very cool.

White-water rafting! Really fun and great scenery on the Ayung River.

Bali, pt. 1

Bali! Amazing, lush, well-worth the visit Bali. I was prepared to label it over-hyped, but found it lived up to all the expectations. First, some beach time on Nusa Lembongan, a small island off the mainland. Excellent snorkeling. Saw two sea turtles and a manta.
As a side note to all the haters, I'd like to point out that this is the first beach I went to since arriving in SE Asia in September, so bite your tongues.

And then to Ubud, the cultural center of the island. This island is all about eco-____, so ____ I did. First was downhill biking. We drove to the top of one of Bali's central volcanoes, and coasted for several exquisite hours back towards the coast. The one word that most describes Bali is green. Not necessarily in the economic/environmental sense, but literally extremely verdant. The island is chopped into plunging valleys, and emerald vegetation clings to every surface. It truly was a moving visual experience. Reminded me of this article about the effects of being surrounded by nature. Here is a picture of the rice fields that carpet much of the land.

We stopped at an organic farm, and looked at and smelled many herbs. The farm also raised the most expensive coffee in the world. I had heard of this poop coffee before, and definitely had no interest in paying that much for a cup. However, at the source it was relatively cheap ($5 for a small sample) so I figured I would try it. Overrated.
We continued on the bike tour, and I soon learned why Bali is so green: it rains all the time. During the first downpour, we stopped in a modern Balinese home. The bike guides enjoyed a nice chat with this smokin' granny.

The rain situation only intensified, so off into the element we went. During the last hour of the ride, it rained so hard I couldn't see more than five feet in front of me, and at times I was bike-canoeing in a foot or more of water. But totally fun, and safe because the locals had long-deserted the road to sit in dry structures and laugh at the crazy eco-tourists.
On an unrelated note, when digging up the first link, I came across this awesome post on Good.is : Favorite Trees

Happy New Years

Exciting posts to come.