Ok, so the title isn't original..sorry Anthony Bourdain. If you're reading, please read on....
Ok, when I used to think of French food, I used to think pretentous uncomfortable atmosphere with weird food items and an unprouncable menu. Ok, the menu is still unprouncable but the remaining items are completely untrue.
Over the last week, I have had the pleasure to dine in a restaurant built in 1896. The place really hasn't changed much, its a huge dining hall, kind of one that probably drew working class people back in the day, has a big clock in the center, and long brass shelves overhead that probably once held canes, top hats, long tails from yesteryears but now hold backpacks, laptops, and cameras. The place, called Chartier is definitely a French dining place with classic dishes and waiters in shirts and ties but none of the stuffy atmosphere. In fact, the restaurant is down right cheap, you can have a entree and a dessert for about 20 bucks. The restaurant gets very.......very crowded, so sitting with a complete stranger is perfectly expected. This was good, since I was dining alone and the lively atmosphere was welcoming.
In my case, it was a French accountant, who at first didn't say much but when I heard English at the table next to me, found out they were Canadians, we all started talking. The Canadians were on holidays, spoke worst French then me, and in general were really curious about being in France as it was their first time.
Tonight, I just had another great dining experience. I was feeling lonely today, really missing Sabeen and so like all evenings, walked out in search of a restaurant and showed up at La Bontendrie that had a few diners but the menu looked nice. The minute I walked in, the waitress greeted me and immediately made me feel comfortable with her ability to go back and forth in English and French and the best part was her contagious laugh and care free and happy personality. The soundtrack was good too, had on Red Hot Chili Peppers.
She kept coming by asking if the food was good and would then run off trailing in French and laughing and even swore wasn't drunk but thats just the way she was. I ordered a grilled rabbit with mushrooms and baked potatoes, which were delicious and paid my compliments to the chef. I even managed to sell the dish to a few walk-ins from Russia and Finland.
I think this might have been the best dining experince in Paris so far, so with my colleague returning, will be back again tomorrow.
Showing posts with label capital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label capital. Show all posts
French are Nice
Talk to anyone in America and they will be quick to say that the French are rude. I have only been to France twice but my experience has been different.
I like to think that one visits a country they are guests and should conduct themselves as such and adopt their behavior to suit the host country. For example, even though I last took French when I was in high school, a long time ago and know just enough to get by the basics, I try as often to speak the little that I do know to fit in better. Once I do start speaking, the stranger always takes a pity on me and helps me out by speaking in English. We smile, I get what I need and move on.
I have found that almost everyone in France speaks English but if you start off the conversation in English then you will get the rudeness that most Americans talk about. It makes sense, even though English is the Lingua Franca, it definitely doesn't mean that we show up in a non native English speaking corner of the world and expect people to adopt to us.
That's just plain rude in my opinion and I second the French.
I have had some really positive interactions with the locals. I was lost, the map wasn't helping, so asked an elderly man for directions, who proceeded to give me a detailed list of turns all in French. It didn't help but I appreciated his efforts. I asked a waiter at a restaurant, who helpfully suggested that I take the Metro instead and gave me detailed directions on getting to it.
There have been other helpful French coming to aid such as when I was trying to figure out how to buy Metro tickets, getting directions, getting stuck in the Metro turnstile (it happens), help with food, translating the menu, etc.
I have to say the French aren't rude, speak a little French and its amazing how far you'll get.
I like to think that one visits a country they are guests and should conduct themselves as such and adopt their behavior to suit the host country. For example, even though I last took French when I was in high school, a long time ago and know just enough to get by the basics, I try as often to speak the little that I do know to fit in better. Once I do start speaking, the stranger always takes a pity on me and helps me out by speaking in English. We smile, I get what I need and move on.
I have found that almost everyone in France speaks English but if you start off the conversation in English then you will get the rudeness that most Americans talk about. It makes sense, even though English is the Lingua Franca, it definitely doesn't mean that we show up in a non native English speaking corner of the world and expect people to adopt to us.
That's just plain rude in my opinion and I second the French.
I have had some really positive interactions with the locals. I was lost, the map wasn't helping, so asked an elderly man for directions, who proceeded to give me a detailed list of turns all in French. It didn't help but I appreciated his efforts. I asked a waiter at a restaurant, who helpfully suggested that I take the Metro instead and gave me detailed directions on getting to it.
There have been other helpful French coming to aid such as when I was trying to figure out how to buy Metro tickets, getting directions, getting stuck in the Metro turnstile (it happens), help with food, translating the menu, etc.
I have to say the French aren't rude, speak a little French and its amazing how far you'll get.
My Consumables
I have really been rambling on about food. I can't help it, I am in Paris. Ok, just for my own shameless purposes, below is a list of food consumed so far:
- Confit du Canard
- Foie Grais
- Veal Carpaccio
- Beef Tartare
- Mushrooms with chestnuts
- Duck sandwich
- Rabbit Stew
- Ratatouille with Catfish
- Chicken livers in a potato puree
- Veal with Couscous
- Chicken Paillard
- Consumed in regular quanities are (croissants, baguettes, cheeses)
Any other recommendations, feel free to share.
Dinner's on Me
One of the biggest advantages when traveling for work and maybe the only one is the fact that your meals and lodging are paid for. Such was the case when my colleague and a few other folks went out for dinner.
Let me backtrack a bit. When I was last here as a solo independent traveler, I lived on bread and cheese, while still delicious, which I still regularly eat, I never had the money to foray into the more exotic tastes. Ok, so enter my visit so far. My colleague had picked out a restaurant in the 1st Arrondisement called Les Fines Gueules and the plan was to meet up soon after we finished work. When I reached home, I decided to stretch my legs a bit and walked to Soecur Coeur to get some exercise and shake off the work weariness. I had just reached the top of the church when I received a call from my work friend asking me to come by the restaurant. The place where we were dining was on Deux Rue De Petite Champs near the Opera Palace and I was at the opposite end.
I love walking, especially when I get a chance to practice my little used French and ask for directions. So took a path back but must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up further down. Luckily, I had my map but it was getting dark, so with the help of a few kind locals, got going in the right direction. I arrived about an hour later, saw that my colleagues had already eaten their way through a plate of cheese and bread and the Couterrie was also disappearing fast. I was starving from the walking, so while others sipped wine, I ordered bread and a plate of delicious Veal Carpaccio. I devoured the meal in about 10 mins, just in time for my client to join us for the dinner.
The vibe in Europe and pretty much in lot of countries is they enjoy life. Here for example, it was coming on close to 10 PM on a weeknight and the restaurant had just started filling up with diners. I ordered a Ratatouille with fish, another delightful meal that was done right. By the way, I haven’t eaten a bad meal yet.
We closed the evening surrounded by convivial diners and good conversations.
Let me backtrack a bit. When I was last here as a solo independent traveler, I lived on bread and cheese, while still delicious, which I still regularly eat, I never had the money to foray into the more exotic tastes. Ok, so enter my visit so far. My colleague had picked out a restaurant in the 1st Arrondisement called Les Fines Gueules and the plan was to meet up soon after we finished work. When I reached home, I decided to stretch my legs a bit and walked to Soecur Coeur to get some exercise and shake off the work weariness. I had just reached the top of the church when I received a call from my work friend asking me to come by the restaurant. The place where we were dining was on Deux Rue De Petite Champs near the Opera Palace and I was at the opposite end.
I love walking, especially when I get a chance to practice my little used French and ask for directions. So took a path back but must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up further down. Luckily, I had my map but it was getting dark, so with the help of a few kind locals, got going in the right direction. I arrived about an hour later, saw that my colleagues had already eaten their way through a plate of cheese and bread and the Couterrie was also disappearing fast. I was starving from the walking, so while others sipped wine, I ordered bread and a plate of delicious Veal Carpaccio. I devoured the meal in about 10 mins, just in time for my client to join us for the dinner.
The vibe in Europe and pretty much in lot of countries is they enjoy life. Here for example, it was coming on close to 10 PM on a weeknight and the restaurant had just started filling up with diners. I ordered a Ratatouille with fish, another delightful meal that was done right. By the way, I haven’t eaten a bad meal yet.
We closed the evening surrounded by convivial diners and good conversations.
Food so Far
I went walking in my neighborhood of Montmarte and went up to Sacre Coeur today. Its an interesting neighborhood more culturally diverse with Muslim mini marts, Jewish pastry shops, and Middle East restaurants.
The day was warmer but rainy and despite the gray skies the shimmering cobbled stones street added character to this already charmed city.
The real surprise of the day was the bustling market atop the stairs outside the church brimming with food vendors manning stalls selling fresh cheeses, honey, Foie Gras, sausages, baguettes, oysters, wines, and beers. Many of the food was ready to be consumed so I had a duck sandwich and a few samples of delicious cheeses.
The French love their food and despite the weather will happily sit outside a cafe and eat or drink just to be social and enjoy. I saw people sitting on park benches shucking oysters and washing it all down with wine. Even saw a little kid pop a cork on a botte.
My feet were starting to hurt from the many hours of walking from yesterday, so after a rest at home, went out for dinner. It was a quirky Italian restaurant, run by an elderly man, who as soon as we walked in put on the record player. The place had no menu, so after agreeing to the delicious sounding food, settled in for the evening. The food was good, except my chicken dish tasted the same as the pasta but the fried egg plant in olive oil and the picked vegetables were delicious.
Great way to start the week.
The day was warmer but rainy and despite the gray skies the shimmering cobbled stones street added character to this already charmed city.
The real surprise of the day was the bustling market atop the stairs outside the church brimming with food vendors manning stalls selling fresh cheeses, honey, Foie Gras, sausages, baguettes, oysters, wines, and beers. Many of the food was ready to be consumed so I had a duck sandwich and a few samples of delicious cheeses.
The French love their food and despite the weather will happily sit outside a cafe and eat or drink just to be social and enjoy. I saw people sitting on park benches shucking oysters and washing it all down with wine. Even saw a little kid pop a cork on a botte.
My feet were starting to hurt from the many hours of walking from yesterday, so after a rest at home, went out for dinner. It was a quirky Italian restaurant, run by an elderly man, who as soon as we walked in put on the record player. The place had no menu, so after agreeing to the delicious sounding food, settled in for the evening. The food was good, except my chicken dish tasted the same as the pasta but the fried egg plant in olive oil and the picked vegetables were delicious.
Great way to start the week.
Paris Reacquainted
I wanted to remember my Paris from when I was last here 10 years ago, which is a long time ago for any other city but not Paris, since change comes thankfully slow, if at all.
I wanted to explore some different places but also see familiar ones and reconnect sentimentally.
Since, I am staying close to Montmarte, getting around is pretty easy to most of the popular sites, so began by walking to the Louvre. I didn't go inside but walked the perimeters on a picture perfect cloudy and gloomy day. I walked next along the River Seine to Place Concorde to soak up the city and even take pictures for a few tourists. I found it cool that they approached me and asked me in French.
It was next to Hotel Invalides since I hadn't seen Napoleans tomb before. Officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides (The National Residence of the Invalids), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's original purpose. The buildings house the Musée de l'Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine, as well as the burial site for some of France's war heroes, notably Napoleon Bonaparte.
Last time I was here, I never made it up to the Eiffel Tower, so this time took the stairs from the south tower all the up to the 2nd deck for some great view made better by the gray cloudy skies.
I walked back along the Seine through the Jardin Des Tuleries (part of the Louvre) on Champs Elysees back to my apartment.
I wanted to explore some different places but also see familiar ones and reconnect sentimentally.
Since, I am staying close to Montmarte, getting around is pretty easy to most of the popular sites, so began by walking to the Louvre. I didn't go inside but walked the perimeters on a picture perfect cloudy and gloomy day. I walked next along the River Seine to Place Concorde to soak up the city and even take pictures for a few tourists. I found it cool that they approached me and asked me in French.
It was next to Hotel Invalides since I hadn't seen Napoleans tomb before. Officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides (The National Residence of the Invalids), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's original purpose. The buildings house the Musée de l'Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine, as well as the burial site for some of France's war heroes, notably Napoleon Bonaparte.
Last time I was here, I never made it up to the Eiffel Tower, so this time took the stairs from the south tower all the up to the 2nd deck for some great view made better by the gray cloudy skies.
I walked back along the Seine through the Jardin Des Tuleries (part of the Louvre) on Champs Elysees back to my apartment.
French Food
Of course French food is famous and despite the fact that you see now more western chains (Starbucks, ever present McDonalds, Subway, etc). Even many of the brasseries are owned by corporations, good food is still to be found.
The nice thing is even if one is observing dietary restrictions, like me for example, I found good halal Pate at a Muslim corner shop. Ok, I don't always keep a strict diet, so last night had delicious Foie Grais with Fig chutney, and a few bites of Beef Tartare.
I'm still new in Paris, so any comments on places to go, please write.
The nice thing is even if one is observing dietary restrictions, like me for example, I found good halal Pate at a Muslim corner shop. Ok, I don't always keep a strict diet, so last night had delicious Foie Grais with Fig chutney, and a few bites of Beef Tartare.
I'm still new in Paris, so any comments on places to go, please write.
Istanbul Highlights
There are some very beautiful buildings in Istanbul, most of them masjid (mosques). We had a chance to pray in many of them.
Blue Mosque - The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.
Aya Sofya - A former church turned mosque in the 1400's. Interesting to see the mix of Christian and Islamic relics mixed in together. Not a mosque anymore but an amazing building.
Yeni Masjid - The New Mosque or Mosque of the Valide Sultan (Turkish: Yeni Cami, Yeni Valide Camii) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is situated on the Golden Horn at the southern end of the Galata Bridge. It is one of the best-known sights of Istanbul.
Rustem Pasha Masjid - is an Ottoman mosque located in Strawmat Weavers Market in Eminönü.
Sulemaniye Masjid - is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the second largest mosque in the city.
Some other noteworthy buildings are:
Bryazit Masjid
Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Masjid
Kucuk Aya Sofya
Blue Mosque - The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.
Aya Sofya - A former church turned mosque in the 1400's. Interesting to see the mix of Christian and Islamic relics mixed in together. Not a mosque anymore but an amazing building.
Yeni Masjid - The New Mosque or Mosque of the Valide Sultan (Turkish: Yeni Cami, Yeni Valide Camii) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is situated on the Golden Horn at the southern end of the Galata Bridge. It is one of the best-known sights of Istanbul.
Rustem Pasha Masjid - is an Ottoman mosque located in Strawmat Weavers Market in Eminönü.
Sulemaniye Masjid - is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the second largest mosque in the city.
Some other noteworthy buildings are:
Bryazit Masjid
Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Masjid
Kucuk Aya Sofya
Big Turkey
We flew into Istanbul, which we try and avoid as overland traveling is obviously cheaper and more interesting. See my post on "Food on the Road".
Turkey is our second biggest country after China and getting around is a breeze due to bus connections, which exist throughout the country. Istanbul is a massive city of about 20 million people but hanging around Sultanahmet, all the big sites can easily be covered on foot, since we never take taxis anyway.
After groggily finding our way out of the airport because we had a late night flight and spent a majority of it at the airport since the train had stopped running made our usual route to try and find lodging.
Istanbul being expensive, it was a little difficult to find a suitable place but we did after walking around a bit.
It is nice to see beautiful mosque with missile like minarets piercing the skyline, a modern city that still has vestiges of the old, and the surroundings of the beautiful Marmara sea with its fleets of boats and the far away Bosporus.
Turkey is our second biggest country after China and getting around is a breeze due to bus connections, which exist throughout the country. Istanbul is a massive city of about 20 million people but hanging around Sultanahmet, all the big sites can easily be covered on foot, since we never take taxis anyway.
After groggily finding our way out of the airport because we had a late night flight and spent a majority of it at the airport since the train had stopped running made our usual route to try and find lodging.
Istanbul being expensive, it was a little difficult to find a suitable place but we did after walking around a bit.
It is nice to see beautiful mosque with missile like minarets piercing the skyline, a modern city that still has vestiges of the old, and the surroundings of the beautiful Marmara sea with its fleets of boats and the far away Bosporus.
Tajikistan Highlights and Lowlights
The country of Tajikistan is a haven for natural beauty with towering mountains of the Pamirs and Hindu Kush. The country's neighbors include Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Persian-speaking Tajik ethnic group, who share language, culture and history with Afghanistan and Iran.
Highlights:
Highlights:
- Sleeping at homestays instead of hotels and spending time with the locals
- Witnessing the beauty of the Pamir Mountains
- Successfully communicating with our hands due to the language divide
- Seeing ruins and forts from by gone years
- Nan, Sharchai, homemade (butter, yogurt, milk, jam)
- The Badakshan hospitality
- Tajik music
- Caveman paintings and the isolated but magnificent surroundings
- Drive from Khorog to Dushanbe
- Almost losing our life on the Pamir Highway
- Getting stuck on no-man's land for 5 days
- Almost getting thrown out of a car at the Tajik/Kyrgyz border over a money dispute
- Leaving Kyrgyzstan and then having to turn back around due to the condition of the car and icy roads
- Dushanbe (capital city)
- Soviet style hotels
Capital of Kyrgyzstan
The capitals of countries we find are usually boring. Too bureaucratic, lots of monuments, and not to mention expensive. The capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek is nothing extraordinary either, except for the looming Tian Shan Mountains, which dominate the horizon on clear days. We came here from Osh to get our visa for Tajikistan and the drive up was amazing, passing snow capped peaks, open grasslands, and alpine lakes.
At a few high mountain passes, the snow had barely melted from the road and we feared if our car, which wasn't equipped for the conditions would pull through. On top of that, our young driver drove way too fast and must have burned through all of his profits from being pulled over by the vigilant cops at least 5 times.
Our driver was nice enough to drop us off near at the hotel and even waited for us while the owner came to retrieve us as we couldn't find the location.
Getting our Tajik visa was easy enough, the embassy was easy to find, didn't need an LOI and got our GBAO to visit the Badakshan all in a day.
Woke up the next day to celebrate Sabeen's birthday and found it snowing hard, so got some sweets to celebrate the day at the local bakery.
At a few high mountain passes, the snow had barely melted from the road and we feared if our car, which wasn't equipped for the conditions would pull through. On top of that, our young driver drove way too fast and must have burned through all of his profits from being pulled over by the vigilant cops at least 5 times.
Our driver was nice enough to drop us off near at the hotel and even waited for us while the owner came to retrieve us as we couldn't find the location.
Getting our Tajik visa was easy enough, the embassy was easy to find, didn't need an LOI and got our GBAO to visit the Badakshan all in a day.
Woke up the next day to celebrate Sabeen's birthday and found it snowing hard, so got some sweets to celebrate the day at the local bakery.
Arrival in Nepal
Arriving in Kathmandu after a four hour flight from Bangkok, we had no money to pay for the visas. After filling in all the required customs form, incredibly the customs officer let us leave with all documents in hand along with our passports to go to the nearby ATM and get cash. Coming back to the airport got our stamps and headed out.
We knew we would like Nepal even more when we found out that our taxi driver could speak Urdu, which we would learn soon enough is spoken widely throughout the country and is referred to as Hindi. Kathmandu is a chaotic city but is fairly compact with many alleys, honking traffic, pollution, and kids at night who offer to sell you drugs. Despite the negatives, the locals are warm and friendly and will engage in conversations at the tea shops. Most of our time was spent near Thamel, close to Durbar Square made up of Hindu temples and was the former coronation place of the now deposed king. The city has many temples and young and old are devoted to the faith and wear the bindi. We took a walk a few kilometers to Swaybunath (monkey temple) with lots of yes monkeys but also the two faiths of Buddhism and Hinduism represented with both monks and sadhus worshipping. Several day trips lie close enough to the capital, so going to Bhakthapur, an ancient city was pretty special. With not much traffic and the clak-clak of the loom, women sewing, artisans doing woodwork and pottery, we got lost in it's maze of alleys and found Hindu temples with an orchestra of music of traditional instruments such as Dhol, Thubla, and Harmonium being played out for worship outside. We were sure to snack along the way on samosas, milk tea, and thick sweet yoghurt, a specialty of the area.
We knew we would like Nepal even more when we found out that our taxi driver could speak Urdu, which we would learn soon enough is spoken widely throughout the country and is referred to as Hindi. Kathmandu is a chaotic city but is fairly compact with many alleys, honking traffic, pollution, and kids at night who offer to sell you drugs. Despite the negatives, the locals are warm and friendly and will engage in conversations at the tea shops. Most of our time was spent near Thamel, close to Durbar Square made up of Hindu temples and was the former coronation place of the now deposed king. The city has many temples and young and old are devoted to the faith and wear the bindi. We took a walk a few kilometers to Swaybunath (monkey temple) with lots of yes monkeys but also the two faiths of Buddhism and Hinduism represented with both monks and sadhus worshipping. Several day trips lie close enough to the capital, so going to Bhakthapur, an ancient city was pretty special. With not much traffic and the clak-clak of the loom, women sewing, artisans doing woodwork and pottery, we got lost in it's maze of alleys and found Hindu temples with an orchestra of music of traditional instruments such as Dhol, Thubla, and Harmonium being played out for worship outside. We were sure to snack along the way on samosas, milk tea, and thick sweet yoghurt, a specialty of the area.
The Shock of Bangkok
There are big cities and then there is Bangkok, a mass of malls, huge streets, lots of noisy traffic, crowds, and to top it off tropical heat and humidity. We arrived early in the morning to Kao San Road, which even at that hour was partying with bars in full swing and street revelry, complete with a Thai man break dancing on the street. Walking past him and looking for places to stay, we were continuously turned away as it was too early for checkout. We did arrive at 5 in the morning!
My bag was feeling heavy so we found a hotel lobby and put out heads down for a while to work out the sleeps from our eyes and to kill some time. After a while got going on and after visiting more hotels and different side streets found a dingy little place after looking for two hours. Another thing about Bangkok is that it's expensive. It was still early, so we slept for a bit and after breakfast headed out to Chinatown, which in my opinion makes up the cultural heart of any big city. Finding the right bus took a while, perhaps in the stifling heat we weren't thinking correctly and wasted two hours standing on the wrong side of the street. The place is getting ready for the Chinese New Years so lots of lanterns were up for the celebrations. The highlights included the Golden Buddha, made entirely out of solid gold at 5.5 tons! There was also a huge covered markets with lots of clothes, daily household items, and kitschy souvenirs but also had some good street food of spicy Mango salad, spice covered Pineapple, and fried Banana with Coconut. The market continued on to an Indian area with lots of restaurants and more street food, when I spotted a pan (betel nut with leave, spices, and sweets) stand and got a huge one that I could barely fit into my mouth. We came back to our backpacker area with Thais singing American tunes at bars and after eating some street Pad Thai called it a night.
Its amazing that even after just a few days you get to know the surroundings and so the next day took us out to Jim Thompsons house, an American entrepreneur who in the 1960s introduced Thai silk to the West. We had far better luck with the local buses this time and the beautiful house that's tastefully decorated is now a foundation after the man himself mysteriously disappeared in 1967 in the Cameron Highlands, while on a picnic. Theories on his disappearance abound and many think he was abducted, eaten by tigers, or taken out by the CIA. No clue has ever been found. The remainder of our time was spent visiting a few temples, riding the Chaopraya Ferry, and watching the partying that takes place nightly on Kao San Road and the surrounding streets.
We go next from here to Ranong, a coastal town on the Andaman Sea to do a visa run to Myanmar to extend our Thai visa for another 15 days.
My bag was feeling heavy so we found a hotel lobby and put out heads down for a while to work out the sleeps from our eyes and to kill some time. After a while got going on and after visiting more hotels and different side streets found a dingy little place after looking for two hours. Another thing about Bangkok is that it's expensive. It was still early, so we slept for a bit and after breakfast headed out to Chinatown, which in my opinion makes up the cultural heart of any big city. Finding the right bus took a while, perhaps in the stifling heat we weren't thinking correctly and wasted two hours standing on the wrong side of the street. The place is getting ready for the Chinese New Years so lots of lanterns were up for the celebrations. The highlights included the Golden Buddha, made entirely out of solid gold at 5.5 tons! There was also a huge covered markets with lots of clothes, daily household items, and kitschy souvenirs but also had some good street food of spicy Mango salad, spice covered Pineapple, and fried Banana with Coconut. The market continued on to an Indian area with lots of restaurants and more street food, when I spotted a pan (betel nut with leave, spices, and sweets) stand and got a huge one that I could barely fit into my mouth. We came back to our backpacker area with Thais singing American tunes at bars and after eating some street Pad Thai called it a night.
Its amazing that even after just a few days you get to know the surroundings and so the next day took us out to Jim Thompsons house, an American entrepreneur who in the 1960s introduced Thai silk to the West. We had far better luck with the local buses this time and the beautiful house that's tastefully decorated is now a foundation after the man himself mysteriously disappeared in 1967 in the Cameron Highlands, while on a picnic. Theories on his disappearance abound and many think he was abducted, eaten by tigers, or taken out by the CIA. No clue has ever been found. The remainder of our time was spent visiting a few temples, riding the Chaopraya Ferry, and watching the partying that takes place nightly on Kao San Road and the surrounding streets.
We go next from here to Ranong, a coastal town on the Andaman Sea to do a visa run to Myanmar to extend our Thai visa for another 15 days.
A Capital City
Moving north, we arrived into Vientiane, a quiet city for a capital with a pretty riverfront, shops, and lots of international restaurants. We were both craving some different food and after locating a few Indian restaurants had out fill for the remainder of our time here. The town has a few tourist sites but in all lacks the culture and the vibrancy of bigger cities. We stayed a few days doing not much more than renting bikes, exploring neighborhood, and chatting with a few monks at a monastery. We leave from here for Luang Prabang and the beautiful north.
The north has bigger mountains, karst peaks, thick jungles, and more natural scenery. Our first stop was in Luang Prabang, a city on the confluence of two rivers, the Mekong and the Nam Kha. The place has a small lantern lit market selling old Chinese opium pipes, coins, lanterns, leather goods, and textiles and is surrounded by golden stupas and looks magical in the early morning or evening fog. We plan on volunteering and have scoped out Mighty Mouse, a local organization set up by an American to teach English to the locals. As volunteers, we spent a few hours with a few kids and practiced conversational skills by learning about each other. My mentee, a 26 year old who works at a restaurant wants to improve his English so that he can work as a tour guide. He gets Mondays off from work, so dedicates his time by attending sessions and doing his homework.
There is a bamboo bridge over the Nam Kha, which we decided to cross to the other side to visit a village specializing in textile weaving, Mulberry paper making, and silks. We often end up at places without a plan, so walking the dirt path found lots of shops selling their wares and after negotiating a fair price bought a textile item. In the evening deciding to explore some of the wats, we climbed up Phu Si temple, which had breathtaking views of both the rivers, the mountains, and the town spread below us with its many stupas in the distance. The sunset wasn't great due to clouds and a light rainfall but as it became dark the town below lit up like many diamonds against black velvet.
The north has bigger mountains, karst peaks, thick jungles, and more natural scenery. Our first stop was in Luang Prabang, a city on the confluence of two rivers, the Mekong and the Nam Kha. The place has a small lantern lit market selling old Chinese opium pipes, coins, lanterns, leather goods, and textiles and is surrounded by golden stupas and looks magical in the early morning or evening fog. We plan on volunteering and have scoped out Mighty Mouse, a local organization set up by an American to teach English to the locals. As volunteers, we spent a few hours with a few kids and practiced conversational skills by learning about each other. My mentee, a 26 year old who works at a restaurant wants to improve his English so that he can work as a tour guide. He gets Mondays off from work, so dedicates his time by attending sessions and doing his homework.
There is a bamboo bridge over the Nam Kha, which we decided to cross to the other side to visit a village specializing in textile weaving, Mulberry paper making, and silks. We often end up at places without a plan, so walking the dirt path found lots of shops selling their wares and after negotiating a fair price bought a textile item. In the evening deciding to explore some of the wats, we climbed up Phu Si temple, which had breathtaking views of both the rivers, the mountains, and the town spread below us with its many stupas in the distance. The sunset wasn't great due to clouds and a light rainfall but as it became dark the town below lit up like many diamonds against black velvet.
Forgiven But Not Forgotten
Entering Cambodia, the differences are imminent from Vietnam, first of all Phnom Penh for a capital city is pretty small at just over a million people. The biggest difference for us was in food, as Khmer cuisine is heavily influenced by Indian and Thai cooking so flavors based on Coconut milk and Turmeric are pretty evident in the dishes. The capital is a peaceful place and despite the fast moving traffic, the people don't seem to be in too great of a hurry to go any place. Along the Tonle Sap River, all nations are represented with their flags fluttering in the breeze and it made us realize that many of these countries do a far better job of being accepting of other cultures and are so eager to learn from them whether it be the language or wanting to know more about current events and history.
The history of this nation is wraught with despair and sadness and is in full view at Tuol Slueng (S-21) security prison, which was used by the Khmer Rouge and built on the orders of Pol Pot to eradicate the population not tied to the revolution. In total 20,000 people were killed at this prison and the surrounding Choeung Ek Killing Fields and only 7 managed to survive using their skills in painting and photography. The black and white photos of the inmates taken before they were killed at S-21 stare back at you in their neutral expressions and makes one wonder if they knew their fate. I even saw a photo of a young man, smiling back. Visiting the detention center was the most horrific site for me as I was the only one in the area and the site of miniature dungeon like holes with swinging wooden doors really was very spooky. The people despite the horrors seem to be carrying on and have a contagious smile that can instantly befriend strangers. I heard a tour guide at Tuol Sleung say "that we are Buddhist, so we can forgive but we can never forget."
After seeing the Killing Fields and coming face to face with the remains of thousands upon thousands of souls exterminated at the site, we were ready for some soul searching, so ended up at the Royal Palace with lots of Buddhas and temples to bring it home for this Buddhist nation.
The history of this nation is wraught with despair and sadness and is in full view at Tuol Slueng (S-21) security prison, which was used by the Khmer Rouge and built on the orders of Pol Pot to eradicate the population not tied to the revolution. In total 20,000 people were killed at this prison and the surrounding Choeung Ek Killing Fields and only 7 managed to survive using their skills in painting and photography. The black and white photos of the inmates taken before they were killed at S-21 stare back at you in their neutral expressions and makes one wonder if they knew their fate. I even saw a photo of a young man, smiling back. Visiting the detention center was the most horrific site for me as I was the only one in the area and the site of miniature dungeon like holes with swinging wooden doors really was very spooky. The people despite the horrors seem to be carrying on and have a contagious smile that can instantly befriend strangers. I heard a tour guide at Tuol Sleung say "that we are Buddhist, so we can forgive but we can never forget."
After seeing the Killing Fields and coming face to face with the remains of thousands upon thousands of souls exterminated at the site, we were ready for some soul searching, so ended up at the Royal Palace with lots of Buddhas and temples to bring it home for this Buddhist nation.
Arrival in Vietnam
Hanoi, steeped in history is a hectic energetic city and the mix of French architecture, especially in the Old Quarter with Hoan Kiem Lake as its watery center and the modern hotels forms a picturesque backdrop that mixes the past with the present well. The entire city seems like it's made up of tight little alleys, which thank god for the traffic seems almost to be made up of mopeds and motorcycles because otherwise things would come to a standstill very quickly. Navigating is a bit of a challenge as the same street will change its name at every turn. Little puffs of steam come out from street corners serving up the specialty that is Pho, which is just noodle soup with beef, dried onions, mint, and some simple spices.With Mao's body preserved in Beijing, we had to knock off another mausoleum with yet another preserved head of state, so off we went to see Ho Chi Minh himself as he was when he died in 1969. We were quickly shuffled through the site and found his star and sickle and hammer draped coffin lying with military guards at attention.
As difficult as it seems at first to navigate the city, Hanoi is a pretty small city in size and we were able to visit all the sites on foot, which included the Temple of Literature, a place where Confucianism was taught.
Vietnam has a storied past with the occupation of the French and then the Vietnam War, so visiting Hoa Lo Prison built by the French to suppress Communist leaders was an eye opening and sometimes graphic insight into the past. The prison also housed downed American pilots (POWs) during the Vietnam War, dubbed "Hanoi Hilton" by the prisoners and included a short documentary showing the bombing of the city along with letters, uniforms, and pictures of the inmates. A famous inmate was John McCain and showed his visit to the prison.
Beijing
We apologize for the lack of updates due to Blogger being blocked in China but will do our best to wrap up our approximately 5 weeks in China.We flew into Beijing from Jakarta and were pretty surprised at the lack of English in such a big city. None the less, our hotel was in a Hutong, traditional alleyways in the city that are disappearing as all of China has entered the 21st century at full speed. Seeing the PLA perform the flag ceremony both raising and
lowering the flag in front of Mao's portrait in Tiennamen Square makes one realize the odd communist capitalist relationship that exists in the country with megamalls and five star hotels everywhere.The Gate of Heavenly Peace connects the square with the Forbidden City, which was the
pleasure palace for the emperors in the Ming dynasty. Near the square also lies the mausoleum of Mao and seeing his body in repose complete with the star and the sickle draped coffin with many Chinese laying flowers at the entrance was both a bit like a tourist circus and reverential in seeing the respect the locals still have for their iconic leader.The lions's share of the sites lie within the city proper served by a very clean and efficient subway system, so visiting the Summer Palace and the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium were easy day trips. The cost of the train ride is 2 Yuans (40 cents) per person and can transport you to pretty much anywhere in Beijing. The focus in China seems to be about educating the public, so inside train stations and on TVs in the subways, there are ads which warn tourists to protect their personal belongings against thefts and also display informative messages in the form of cartoons educating the public to keep the system clean and to respect their surroundings.
The people for such a big city were extremely helpful given our lack of Mandarin and made an effort to explain to us directions and get us going in the right direction. About the pushiest were the old lady beggars, who would often try and grab your hand and would aggressively follow you into giving them money. We got pretty good at spotting them, so would pick up the pace and try and outrun them.
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