Best discovered fruit: Jackfruit (Khnau in Khmer) is a thick, rubbery flower-petal the color of industrial cleaning gloves, squishly texture and a small blossom reminescent of cinnamon. It comes from a prickly green globe and must be meticulously peeled.
Best dinner: Fresh seafood in Chaklolum bay, especially coconut-curried seafood and rice.
Best beer: Singha
Best beer for wallet: Chang
Best beer for waitsline: Minere bottled water
Best music: 2 Thai guys doing the accoustic guitar/ bongo / windchime gig in Thai and English at a local 20-somethings hangout in Bangkok.
Best compliment: "You look like my daughter." From awoman sitting next to me on a 2-hour cross city bus ride to the Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok. She invited G and I to stay at her home in northern Thailand. She had breast cancer and her husband had just died of cancer. Her daughters were university students in Bangkok where she was visiting them and getting another round of chemotherapy. In broken english she tearfully conveyed that my presence beside her was her ''daughter staying with me for longer".
Best song Gina and I made up: "MALARIA!" To the tune of "Mary Mo"from the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack. Tying for second - "The Klong Song" (obviously to the tune of the "Thong Song").
Best song we sing for real: Bob Marley's "One Love"
Best animal spotting: When I hurdled over a green jungle snake on Sairee beach
Best used-book salesman: Mr. PJ in Chaklolum bay - made me some deals and reminded me of the Thai version of Papa Ned.
Best run on a beach: 5K on Haad Rin at sunrise
Best halftruths given by an ex-pat: Dave, the 40-year-old English teache4r in Bangkok who was full of urban lengends designed to scare young, paranoid female backpackers from America.
Best observance of a thoroughly respected monarchy: Standing on the street in Bangkok at 8 am while all traffic and pedestrains stop, absolutely still, while the national anthem is played and watching hundreds of thousands of Thais dressed in black waiting at the plaace to pay respects to the king after his sister died in mid January.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Treehouses, Disco-Schoerle, Suntans...and More!
We think it's supposed to say Gina Harris...but...
Two View Moutain over Sairee Beach, Ko Tao
Chaklolum Bay, Ko PhaGnan
Mountain Woman Gets a Suntan
1. Hopped ship to an island directly south of Ko Tao - Ko PhaGhan, home of the noted Full Moon Party - 20,000 + crazy backpack kids from across the world dancing across Haad Rin beach to the sounds of 6 different international DJs.
FMP HIGHLIGHTS:
a. Learning how to dance to trance music. If that sparks to mind a motion that includes flailing arms, wide-open mouths, and legs emulating a lead-weighted mummy on a pogo stick, you can visualize trance dance. G and I did it up right.
b. We arrived at the party in the back of a pickup owned by the brother of our friend Kai, a waiter at Nong Nook's Seafood - our fave dinner spot on the north side of the island (where we slept peacefully AWAY from the madness of Haad Rin). This was a gorgeous ride, the summer breeze blowing through our meticulously arranged hair - until a frenchman almost fell out when the hatch came undone. Oops...
c. G and I danced and made new friends all the way until sunrise, giving us the visual hangover of the whole business: Come daylight, we were knee-deep in 20,000 + crazy backpack kids' straws, bottles, whiskey buckets and more than a few war-strewn passed out bodies.
d. While riding in the sangtahew (truck/taxi rig) back to our sleepy fishing village of Chaklolum, I was thankful for my Concordia Choir excellent experience : I sang the national anthem of Norway with three chicken-eating post party Norsemen.
(Along these lines, I would like to take a moment to unabashedly brag about my charm and overall greatness: Thus far, I have the biggest following of Scandinavian men...I have yet to figure out why this is, exactly, but it's remarkable what they'll say in broken english! The other day, I had a Swede tell me that I had beautiful eyes and that he didn't think GW as such a bad duck after all - in one breath! How's THAT for a line? Um. Right. Gotta Go, a la Tess Amberg. A SWEDE? WHO LIKES BUSH? AREN'T THESE SUPPOSED TO BE A PEACE-LOVING PEOPLE?)
2. After three nights in Chaklolum Bay, G and I moved to a very remote bay, Haad Thian, on the other side of Ko PhaGnan where we stayed near a Mountainside Yoga retreat in...a TREEHOUSE! (Lizards, mosquitos, a cat living under our bungalow that thought he was a lion, no flush toilet, no electricity at night and prayers with every anti-malarial med swallowed.)
3. We spent one day accidentally hiking directly up a moutain for about 3 hours, and the next doing yoga and playing on the beach with our new friend, "Champ" (i.e. - "Wilson" in Castaway). Champ is the best tennis ball two American girls could ever hope for. And he is teaching us the art of ambidexterity! (G's right hand is still a little bit wounded from the motorbike incident of Ko Tao.)
3. We spent one day accidentally hiking directly up a moutain for about 3 hours, and the next doing yoga and playing on the beach with our new friend, "Champ" (i.e. - "Wilson" in Castaway). Champ is the best tennis ball two American girls could ever hope for. And he is teaching us the art of ambidexterity! (G's right hand is still a little bit wounded from the motorbike incident of Ko Tao.)
Athough it's been fun, we didn't come to Asia to lay on the beach, body surf with Israelis and learn to throw tennis balls left-handed.
Gina and I are off to Cambodia in 2 days...We are now in Bangkok again gathering visas and tips for crossing the Thai/Cambodian border (we are advantageously choosing to do so by train/foot/truck combination, totally possible - but necessary to bone up on every possible scam that could go down.)
Questions? Comments? Let me tailor my next entry to what you want to know!
Gina and I are off to Cambodia in 2 days...We are now in Bangkok again gathering visas and tips for crossing the Thai/Cambodian border (we are advantageously choosing to do so by train/foot/truck combination, totally possible - but necessary to bone up on every possible scam that could go down.)
Questions? Comments? Let me tailor my next entry to what you want to know!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
BANGKOK - KO TAO
Notable items!
BANGKOK
1. Plane to HK: Infant collicky triplets with parents whose idea of calming was to 'serenade' ( - compete in terms of volume - ) with screaming Asian lullabies and nonsense rhymes...I blocked it out with lots of Celine Dion (an idea inspired by the one and only Andrea Henkels).
2. Bangkok = hot and smelly. Our room = balcony door that didn't close. More hot. More smells.
3. We ate a lot of food from markets and street stalls. Fried insects with peanuts and chilis - not so bad...
4. Bangkok is full of swindlers; masterminds of taking tourist money in incredibly convuluted ways. After a death-defying tuk-tuk ride (a small go-cart taxi rig), a haphazard stop to get fitted for suits, a conman posed as a university student to convince us that the travel agency was legit we STILL managed to get caught in a scam. All to the glory of Gina's quick thinking, I was able to cancel the credit card before identity theft could occur or charges could be made. A definite close call.
5. Despite the scams and the bugs and the sweat: I AM LOVING the backpacker life, but learning to trust no one. Luckily, Gina and I have each other. We met a woman from Scotland who was traveling alone - she was supposed to take this trip with her boyfriend, but he broke up with her 1 month before - she is my hero for going anyways.
6. Spent a morning learning Viphrassa meditation from a monk in Wat Matarahat in Bangkok. The monk told me I have a mind like a monkey. I think this list attests to the truth in that fact.
7. Last week the King of Thailand's sister died, Gina and I watched procession and the entire city dress in black to mourn and flock to grand palace to pay respects.
8. Mastered the river ferry (populated quite like the MTA subways in the city).
9. Singha vs. Chang - an ongoing beer debate.
10. Overnight bus to Chumphon, then early morning catamaran to Ko Tao, a small island off the southeastern coast of penisular Thailand.
KO TAO IS THE ADULT VERSION OF SUMMER CAMP.
(with bigger toys and slightly altered kinds of candy at the Canteen.)
Like any American summer camp, this island is much the same way in terms of societal structuring. Because of limited perameters, people are forced to define themselves to groups (for example, native islander vs. tourist - scuba divers vs. beachbums - British girls vs. American girls) and we are finding that this setting encourages fonder, faster friendships (unless your socially structured group is at odds in their quest to define themselves, as Gina and I have found it impossible to befriend the Lilly Allens of the island).
Characters:
Csiakorn (manages the Sairee View, the resort we are staying at) is a Rastafarian, dreadlocked Thai. Very sweetly and awkwardly in Love with Gina (twice as tall as he is).
The Germans 7 Bavarians (whom we refer to as German #1-#7) who let us use our ipods in their "Ghettoblaster" because we are the women of the resort, and they have graciously conceeded that we are to have our way. The Germans are also quite funny and have good travel stories.
Thys Our Dutch SCUBA friend, not afraid of mountain biking the treacherous .75 mile steep hill to our bungalow to talk philosophy and religion.
Gina After surving a motorbike accident that ended in the emergency room with a large 2 x 2 infected wound on her left leg and a souvenier xray of her right hand, she is still in remarkably good spirits albeit not able to swim, kayak or hike very far.
JoAnne Content to look after Gina's war wounds, find used book stores, try all kinds of tropical fruit, and lounge about the island - on the gorgeous beach or the hilltop patio bar of our resort.
We will continue relaxing until Gina's leg shows better results from the antibiotics, then we are off to Ko Phangnan for the Full Moon Party. After that, possibly Ko Samui or Ko Chang - then to Bangkok again and a possible flight to Siem Riep in Cambodia. We have decided to ix-nay the Malaysia and Singapore iteneraries in terms of saving some money and for other reasons far too mundane to explain here.
Until next time - Saideekai (JoAnne's phoenetic spelling for 'Cheers!' in Thai)
BANGKOK
1. Plane to HK: Infant collicky triplets with parents whose idea of calming was to 'serenade' ( - compete in terms of volume - ) with screaming Asian lullabies and nonsense rhymes...I blocked it out with lots of Celine Dion (an idea inspired by the one and only Andrea Henkels).
2. Bangkok = hot and smelly. Our room = balcony door that didn't close. More hot. More smells.
3. We ate a lot of food from markets and street stalls. Fried insects with peanuts and chilis - not so bad...
4. Bangkok is full of swindlers; masterminds of taking tourist money in incredibly convuluted ways. After a death-defying tuk-tuk ride (a small go-cart taxi rig), a haphazard stop to get fitted for suits, a conman posed as a university student to convince us that the travel agency was legit we STILL managed to get caught in a scam. All to the glory of Gina's quick thinking, I was able to cancel the credit card before identity theft could occur or charges could be made. A definite close call.
5. Despite the scams and the bugs and the sweat: I AM LOVING the backpacker life, but learning to trust no one. Luckily, Gina and I have each other. We met a woman from Scotland who was traveling alone - she was supposed to take this trip with her boyfriend, but he broke up with her 1 month before - she is my hero for going anyways.
6. Spent a morning learning Viphrassa meditation from a monk in Wat Matarahat in Bangkok. The monk told me I have a mind like a monkey. I think this list attests to the truth in that fact.
7. Last week the King of Thailand's sister died, Gina and I watched procession and the entire city dress in black to mourn and flock to grand palace to pay respects.
8. Mastered the river ferry (populated quite like the MTA subways in the city).
9. Singha vs. Chang - an ongoing beer debate.
10. Overnight bus to Chumphon, then early morning catamaran to Ko Tao, a small island off the southeastern coast of penisular Thailand.
KO TAO IS THE ADULT VERSION OF SUMMER CAMP.
(with bigger toys and slightly altered kinds of candy at the Canteen.)
Like any American summer camp, this island is much the same way in terms of societal structuring. Because of limited perameters, people are forced to define themselves to groups (for example, native islander vs. tourist - scuba divers vs. beachbums - British girls vs. American girls) and we are finding that this setting encourages fonder, faster friendships (unless your socially structured group is at odds in their quest to define themselves, as Gina and I have found it impossible to befriend the Lilly Allens of the island).
Characters:
Csiakorn (manages the Sairee View, the resort we are staying at) is a Rastafarian, dreadlocked Thai. Very sweetly and awkwardly in Love with Gina (twice as tall as he is).
The Germans 7 Bavarians (whom we refer to as German #1-#7) who let us use our ipods in their "Ghettoblaster" because we are the women of the resort, and they have graciously conceeded that we are to have our way. The Germans are also quite funny and have good travel stories.
Thys Our Dutch SCUBA friend, not afraid of mountain biking the treacherous .75 mile steep hill to our bungalow to talk philosophy and religion.
Gina After surving a motorbike accident that ended in the emergency room with a large 2 x 2 infected wound on her left leg and a souvenier xray of her right hand, she is still in remarkably good spirits albeit not able to swim, kayak or hike very far.
JoAnne Content to look after Gina's war wounds, find used book stores, try all kinds of tropical fruit, and lounge about the island - on the gorgeous beach or the hilltop patio bar of our resort.
We will continue relaxing until Gina's leg shows better results from the antibiotics, then we are off to Ko Phangnan for the Full Moon Party. After that, possibly Ko Samui or Ko Chang - then to Bangkok again and a possible flight to Siem Riep in Cambodia. We have decided to ix-nay the Malaysia and Singapore iteneraries in terms of saving some money and for other reasons far too mundane to explain here.
Until next time - Saideekai (JoAnne's phoenetic spelling for 'Cheers!' in Thai)
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Gina's going to buy a monkey.
I am infatuated with my life.
That is to say, my life rivals Jessica Alba’s sex life, Disney Sing-along Songs, Barack’s staffers on this celebratory day of caucus winning, free beer when you don’t expect it (or a snow day, for all my under-aged readers), Bono’s shades, and all of those people that got cars from Oprah.
My life is Patrick Dempsey on Zoloft and I can’t stop smiling.
Gina and I spent the morning at the NY Consulate Chinese Visa and Passport center which is almost in the
Yes, we’ve had to discuss out a lot of uninteresting details (when, where to take Malaria pills, the arduous visa acquisition process, how much do you think we’ll really need an emergency supply of floss?) but we also get gloriously convoluted in these Steve Mollick obsessive rants of hilarity (for those of you who do not know Steve Mollick, I apologize not only for the missed reference, but for the pure misfortune of not having met a most unique individual).
In lieu of the entertainment value that our tangents hold, I present the following conversation, which I have lovingly titled “Boomerangs”.
Gina: You know, I’ve heard women say that wearing a wedding ring has really aided their travel experience and prevented unwanted advances.
JoAnne: Cool. Should we go to
Gina: No, I have some wedding rings. (JoAnne smiles and wants to say something smart-ass but doesn’t because…) But! Speaking of Chinatown, I got a small keychain that says NYC for Eva when we stay with her in Singapore and I was thinking of other small things to take with us to give to people that are hospitable new friends that we make.
JoAnne: Yeah! So I read this book, and…wait, I have to remember how exactly this happened. Ok, it was called “Love and Death in
Gina: But we don’t have Boomerangs.
JoAnne: Yeah, no.
(Brief depressed silence.)
Gina: So what’s the
JoAnne: Stickers?
Gina: Stamps?
JoAnne: Cigarettes? Wait, what we need is something free that has
Gina (as we are on 42nd and 8th): Let’s stop at Port Authority and ask!
JoAnne: Who?
Gina: Police?
JoAnne and Gina laugh as they both arrive at the same conclusion: Condoms!
Gina: I was just thinking that! The ones that the aids activist group gives out that say NYC on the wrapper!
JoAnne: We’re going to ask the Port Authority Police for condoms?
Gina: Uuuuhhhhh…
JoAnne: Stop…wait…I’d like to paint a mental picture of our trip. Me, clad in my pumas that I bought like a dummy without researching the fact that they could’ve been manufactured by one of our potential new Indian friends’ little six year old brother who has diphtheria and a cleft palate, and YOU with a MONKEY (Gina’s latest obsession is traveling with an exotic mammal friend) and we’re handing out condoms while wearing wedding rings and being attacked by mosquitoes (because fate WOULD pair two kids together as travel buddies who can’t feel being bitten by mosquitoes) in the middle of poverty-stricken Calcutta.
Gina: AND! Condoms aren’t always effective in tropical climates. Matchboxes!
JoAnne: We’re going to get shot at. More than once.
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