... Made anymore I might move awaaaaaaaayyyy"
Yesterday in Siem Reap Quinn and I took a tour of the Floating Village on the Tonle Sap -- Khmer for "Fresh Lake." There is an entire village of Khmers, Vietnamese, and Muslims who all have houseboats, basically, that just float around this lake. Land is quite far away and I'm not sure how often most of them get to it. They have pigs in boat-cages, some have battery-powered TVs, there is a floating basketball court even, and the schools are built just within the riverbanks.
In the dry season the Tonle Sap gets quite dry -- our boat driver said the water depth was 3km and in two months it would be almost completely dry. In the rainy season the Mekong River floods into the Tonle Sap river where the two meet in Phnom Penh. The Tonle Sap river reverses its flow, and the lake near Siem Reap swells from nothing to an astonishing 10 to 18km deep.
Anyways, I talked with out boat driver quite a bit. He told me his life story and how he was orphaned as a child and lived with monks for 10 years. He said he is 24 -- meaning he was born in 1983 or 1984, and that his mother, father, and siblings were killed in the fields. (This I don't entirely understand, since I thought the killings ended when the Vietnamese came in in 1979.) Anyways, he learned English very well and is now paying US$12 a month for school to learn Chinese and Japanese. His salary as a boat driver is $15 per month. Anything more than the $3 left over is from tips. He doesn't have a home, and every night he sleeps in the boat he drives.
Cambodia is so much different than back home, more so than anywhere else I have visited thus far. It makes me appreciate all the opportunities I have back home so much more, and everything that I grew up with. Really, everything in my life has been basically handed to me. Kids in Cambodia work on the streets selling things, begging for money, trying to be cute so tourists will take their photo and give them a dollar. And so far I haven't seen any way for them to get out of poverty.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
More on Impressions of Cambodia
Cambodia, both the people and the landscape, really bring on a wealth of thoughts and emotions. It's difficult to generalize the people and the country because there is so much here. For one, the landscape is very different than anywhere else in Southeast Asia ... at least for what I have seen. I was expecting jungles, hills, mountains, maybe some fields, but in general a very green and lush landscape. So far I have seen none of that. Everything is dry dry dry!! The streets in the cities are paved but as soon as you get outside that, even in the back-streets of Siem Reap where our guesthouse is, the streets are all sand. Red sand, not even dirt, really. And palm trees dot the scenery as well, but a different sort than what you would picture at the beach. It seems everywhere I go the palm trees are a little bit different. Here they are tall and they are short, but the leaves all stem out from the trunk in a big spherical shape on top, like a tuft or something. So the trees are green and the ground is red. Or just brown from the dry grass. Cows can be seen all along the roads outside of the city, either munching on grass or just laying in the sun. These cows, however, are much different than the happy cows that come from Wisconsin. They may be happy, I'm not really sure, but they are skinny and all white. And just wandering, really.
Now for the people. The Khmers are a very proud people, and they should be. One thousand years ago they built a massive set of temples, terraces, and other structures in the Angkor region, most notably Angkor Wat. This is the Khmer symbol of national pride and will continue to be so for years and years and years to come. They are also survivors: just thirty years ago they went through a decade or so of tremendous torture, death, and destruction. First the Vietnam War, when the United States executed a massive bombing campaign and dropped more bombs in a single campaign than in the entire World War II combined. The effects of this can still be felt today. I think 700 people still die from UXO (unexploded ordnance) accidents every year, and people, mostly children, will continue to die from this for several years to come. Nobody knows for sure how many landmines are still out there and where they are. (Travel tip: if ever you visit Cambodia, don't dare stray from the path.) So much of the country lives in poverty, and even conditions in the cities aren't great. Garbage is everywhere, and I mean everywhere, especially in the streets of Phnom Penh. Garbage cans are few and far between, and instead everyone just throws their garbage onto the street, or ontop of the monstrous pile on a sidestreet. It doesn't make the city look very clean, or smell very clean either. And not only in Phnom Penh, but Siem Reap and Angkor as well, children are put to work by their parents by selling things on the street. Kids as young as 4 or 5 years old, coming up to you selling 10 braclets for a dollar or a knock-off edition of Lonely Planet or this and that other books, jewlery, and postcards. A little girl followed me today around Angkor, sat next to me while I ate, and said if I didn't buy a water from her I would make her cry. And there are so many disabled and disfigured landmine victims that beg on the streets, especially around the Tuol Sleng museum.
On the other hand, the Khmer seem to be a very happy bunch and are always laughing and making jokes, both at each other and at all the funny visitors they see in their country. Walking through the streets of Phnom Penh a group of men who were eating lunch all burst out in laughter as we photographed nothing more than the streets and the buildings in town. Tuk-tuk drivers laugh and horse fight while waiting for their customers to come back. Teenagers play a form of hacky sack in the parks all day and all evening with not a care in the world. Even the workers at the guest house laugh and make jokes all night long.
Visiting Cambodia makes one realize how dark humanity can be from time to time, but also how strong it is and how it can recover from those dark times. It's heartbreaking to think about how one dollar can mean so much to a person here, yet back home a dollar can't hardly get you a candy bar or soda any more. With so many millionaires in this world it's unfair that there are so many living in poverty. But what can be done about such things? Closing the gap seems an impossible task, and no matter how many dollars I have to give to the people on the streets it's not going to change anything. All that I know I can do is spend time volunteering in these underdeveloped countries, maybe lending some knowledge of engineering to develop any villages that need it or maybe even just teaching English somewhere. Even volunteering for a few months, or a year or two, won't do much to close the gap, but if it helps out a few people or maybe even an entire village then the work is well worth it.
Now for the people. The Khmers are a very proud people, and they should be. One thousand years ago they built a massive set of temples, terraces, and other structures in the Angkor region, most notably Angkor Wat. This is the Khmer symbol of national pride and will continue to be so for years and years and years to come. They are also survivors: just thirty years ago they went through a decade or so of tremendous torture, death, and destruction. First the Vietnam War, when the United States executed a massive bombing campaign and dropped more bombs in a single campaign than in the entire World War II combined. The effects of this can still be felt today. I think 700 people still die from UXO (unexploded ordnance) accidents every year, and people, mostly children, will continue to die from this for several years to come. Nobody knows for sure how many landmines are still out there and where they are. (Travel tip: if ever you visit Cambodia, don't dare stray from the path.) So much of the country lives in poverty, and even conditions in the cities aren't great. Garbage is everywhere, and I mean everywhere, especially in the streets of Phnom Penh. Garbage cans are few and far between, and instead everyone just throws their garbage onto the street, or ontop of the monstrous pile on a sidestreet. It doesn't make the city look very clean, or smell very clean either. And not only in Phnom Penh, but Siem Reap and Angkor as well, children are put to work by their parents by selling things on the street. Kids as young as 4 or 5 years old, coming up to you selling 10 braclets for a dollar or a knock-off edition of Lonely Planet or this and that other books, jewlery, and postcards. A little girl followed me today around Angkor, sat next to me while I ate, and said if I didn't buy a water from her I would make her cry. And there are so many disabled and disfigured landmine victims that beg on the streets, especially around the Tuol Sleng museum.
On the other hand, the Khmer seem to be a very happy bunch and are always laughing and making jokes, both at each other and at all the funny visitors they see in their country. Walking through the streets of Phnom Penh a group of men who were eating lunch all burst out in laughter as we photographed nothing more than the streets and the buildings in town. Tuk-tuk drivers laugh and horse fight while waiting for their customers to come back. Teenagers play a form of hacky sack in the parks all day and all evening with not a care in the world. Even the workers at the guest house laugh and make jokes all night long.
Visiting Cambodia makes one realize how dark humanity can be from time to time, but also how strong it is and how it can recover from those dark times. It's heartbreaking to think about how one dollar can mean so much to a person here, yet back home a dollar can't hardly get you a candy bar or soda any more. With so many millionaires in this world it's unfair that there are so many living in poverty. But what can be done about such things? Closing the gap seems an impossible task, and no matter how many dollars I have to give to the people on the streets it's not going to change anything. All that I know I can do is spend time volunteering in these underdeveloped countries, maybe lending some knowledge of engineering to develop any villages that need it or maybe even just teaching English somewhere. Even volunteering for a few months, or a year or two, won't do much to close the gap, but if it helps out a few people or maybe even an entire village then the work is well worth it.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Quiz Night!!
Quinn and I just got 5th place out of 8 teams at the Lazy Gecko guesthouse/restaurant/bar quiz night. Actually there were three teams in 5th place so we tied for last. But its okay, cause I got the bonus question right before anybody else so I got a free bucket of booze! And a big bucket too, especially since Quinn and I were the only ones drinking it, and really I was the only one drinking it since Quinn doesn\y share drinks. But this internet, and even this keyboard are super frusteratingly slow so I'm going to stop.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Impressions of Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is great!! We arrived last night and didn't have time to do much else than hang out at our guesthouse, which overlooks Boeng Kak lake. There is an alleyway full of guesthouses, all of which serve as the temporary residence of backpackers and travelers, young and old. It's very similar to Khao San Road in Bangkok, but further from the city as its tucked away in an alley. Most of the "sights," good restaurants, and bars are along the Tonle Sap river which is a short $3 tuk-tuk ride from here, or about a 20 minute walk, a whole 5 of which consists of having to cross this busy busy road where no rules other than motos-yield-to-tuk-tuks-yield-to-cars apply.
We were trying to cross earlier this evening to go to the gas station for bottled water and a tuk-tuk driver offered to drive us across for free. He pulled up next to us, his tuk-tuk facing the direction of oncoming traffic, and we jumped in. He continued to drive in the direction of oncoming traffic until he found an opportunity to merge onto the correct side of the road, then just kinda swerved in front of all the motos and pulled over to the curb to let us out.
So far Cambodia feels like home. Well, more home than every other place. They take US Dollars here (change is given in riels rather than coins). They drive on the left side of the car and the right side of the road. On the way from the airport we passed the US Embassy and saw the American flag flying. And everybody drives Camrys (rip to Julia's).
And Phnom Penh is sooooo laid back and easy going. We've seen so many parks already, and each and every one of them was filled with Khmers just hanging out, playing badminton or just kicking around a shuttlecock like its a hacky sack. I could spend hours just people watching. Everyone is nice, the city is safe, and actually the only thing you really need to look out for is the kids who will pickpocket you or try to sell you books or postcards on the street.
We saw a lot today -- a few wats, parks, monuments, and the Royal Palace -- and tomorrow we plan to go to both markets, the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields. Tomorrow won't be such an easygoing and light-hearted day as today was, but I am looking forward to learning more about the history of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge.
And so far the food has been great. For lunch we tried to find this place that was in my guidebook but had no luck and instead ate at Mount Everest. Yea, thats right, the mountain. Well it was actually a really nice Indian / Nepalese restaurant with really good food. (But what Indian food isn't amazing???) Quinn and I split Aloo Zeera (stir-fried potatoes with cumin seeds) and Subzi Saffron Biryani (yellow rice with veggies). For dinner we ate at a place called Vieyo Tonle and I got amok, the national dish of Cambodia. It was sooooo good!! Typically it is fish in coconut and lemongrass wrapped in a banana leaf. I had the choice of fish, chicken, beef, pork, or veggies, and of course opted for the fish. There was no banana leaf but it came in a bowl full of curry with rice on the side (shaped like a star!). It was delicious, just as good as any Indian food, and that's saying a lot.
Oh yea, and I got attacked by a monkey today. Quinn and I went to Wat Phnom, the temple that the city gets it's name from. Years and years ago, in 1373, a temple was built on this hill for a woman named Penh to house four Buddha statues, and Phnom is Khmer for "hill,"thus the name Phnom Penh. Anyways there were monkeys everywhere (a bit strange since we were in a city) and there was one resting on the bench so I reluctantly sat down on the opposite side for a picture. This Khmer woman came up with her baby and started smiling and waving at me so I started to say hello to her baby which was holding a bag of cookies. And all of a sudden this monkey jumps on this woman's arm grabs the bag from this baby jumps on my shoulder then back on the bench to eat his treats. And the baby never stopped looking straight at me, I'm not sure he even noticed his cookies had just been stolen. But the monkey didn't cut me, there was no blood, just a redness for a while. And although it's not quite as funny as the monkeys at the Batu Caves it's still a good story I think.
So tomorrow we will see more of Phnom Penh, do some shopping, and bus to Siem Reap either in the evening or first thing Friday morning. Monday we've got tickets to fly into Luang Prabang. I think there's even time for a day trip, maybe to a beach in the south or even to Kompong Chhnang, which is famous for its pottery!!
We were trying to cross earlier this evening to go to the gas station for bottled water and a tuk-tuk driver offered to drive us across for free. He pulled up next to us, his tuk-tuk facing the direction of oncoming traffic, and we jumped in. He continued to drive in the direction of oncoming traffic until he found an opportunity to merge onto the correct side of the road, then just kinda swerved in front of all the motos and pulled over to the curb to let us out.
So far Cambodia feels like home. Well, more home than every other place. They take US Dollars here (change is given in riels rather than coins). They drive on the left side of the car and the right side of the road. On the way from the airport we passed the US Embassy and saw the American flag flying. And everybody drives Camrys (rip to Julia's).
And Phnom Penh is sooooo laid back and easy going. We've seen so many parks already, and each and every one of them was filled with Khmers just hanging out, playing badminton or just kicking around a shuttlecock like its a hacky sack. I could spend hours just people watching. Everyone is nice, the city is safe, and actually the only thing you really need to look out for is the kids who will pickpocket you or try to sell you books or postcards on the street.
We saw a lot today -- a few wats, parks, monuments, and the Royal Palace -- and tomorrow we plan to go to both markets, the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields. Tomorrow won't be such an easygoing and light-hearted day as today was, but I am looking forward to learning more about the history of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge.
And so far the food has been great. For lunch we tried to find this place that was in my guidebook but had no luck and instead ate at Mount Everest. Yea, thats right, the mountain. Well it was actually a really nice Indian / Nepalese restaurant with really good food. (But what Indian food isn't amazing???) Quinn and I split Aloo Zeera (stir-fried potatoes with cumin seeds) and Subzi Saffron Biryani (yellow rice with veggies). For dinner we ate at a place called Vieyo Tonle and I got amok, the national dish of Cambodia. It was sooooo good!! Typically it is fish in coconut and lemongrass wrapped in a banana leaf. I had the choice of fish, chicken, beef, pork, or veggies, and of course opted for the fish. There was no banana leaf but it came in a bowl full of curry with rice on the side (shaped like a star!). It was delicious, just as good as any Indian food, and that's saying a lot.
Oh yea, and I got attacked by a monkey today. Quinn and I went to Wat Phnom, the temple that the city gets it's name from. Years and years ago, in 1373, a temple was built on this hill for a woman named Penh to house four Buddha statues, and Phnom is Khmer for "hill,"thus the name Phnom Penh. Anyways there were monkeys everywhere (a bit strange since we were in a city) and there was one resting on the bench so I reluctantly sat down on the opposite side for a picture. This Khmer woman came up with her baby and started smiling and waving at me so I started to say hello to her baby which was holding a bag of cookies. And all of a sudden this monkey jumps on this woman's arm grabs the bag from this baby jumps on my shoulder then back on the bench to eat his treats. And the baby never stopped looking straight at me, I'm not sure he even noticed his cookies had just been stolen. But the monkey didn't cut me, there was no blood, just a redness for a while. And although it's not quite as funny as the monkeys at the Batu Caves it's still a good story I think.
So tomorrow we will see more of Phnom Penh, do some shopping, and bus to Siem Reap either in the evening or first thing Friday morning. Monday we've got tickets to fly into Luang Prabang. I think there's even time for a day trip, maybe to a beach in the south or even to Kompong Chhnang, which is famous for its pottery!!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
No Homework!
Tomorrow I have an assignment due, in fact, the only assignment for my heat transfer class. Each week a different group gets assigned a problem and each group gets only one for the whole semester, and tomorrow mine is due. It was assigned two weeks ago. I haven't done any of it. I haven't any clue how to do it.
Two weeks ago one of my group members said we would all try the problem on our own, then discuss it later on. I gave him my email address and expected to hear from him by the end of the week.
Days went by, and nothing. A week went by, and nothing. A week and a half went by, and nothing. I didn't have anybodys email so I couldn't contact them, and I was getting a bit worried about finishing it. We had to write an entire report about the problem, including a description of everyone's contribution to the project, and thus far my contribution had been nothing. I finally received an email from Yao Shun asking for my MSN so we could discuss part c). Well another three days went by and I still didn't hear from him, and by now it was 3:00 on Sunday afternoon. So I emailed him and told him I was worried about getting it done. A few hours later he finally IMed me:
(05:27:21 SGT) yaoshun: hello this is yaoshun from heat transfer tut
(05:27:28 SGT) Danielle: hi
(05:27:57 SGT) yaoshun: i already finish the whole thing
(05:28:12 SGT) Danielle: really??
(05:28:24 SGT) Danielle: so we arent meeting or anything?
(05:28:29 SGT) yaoshun: ya
(05:28:33 SGT) yaoshun: haha
(05:28:43 SGT) yaoshun: we suppose to hand in tmr
(05:28:53 SGT) Danielle: haha, well are you still going to say we contributed something so we all get credit for it
(05:29:11 SGT) yaoshun: ya no problem
(05:29:13 SGT) yaoshun: haha
(05:30:26 SGT) Danielle: haha well thanks
(05:30:52 SGT) yaoshun: no problem
(05:31:30 SGT) yaoshun: usually we dont give a damn about the peer assesement thingin
(05:31:42 SGT) yaoshun: haha
(05:31:45 SGT) Danielle: haha
(05:31:54 SGT) Danielle: awesome
Are there any Singaporeans at Madison? Can they always be my group partners?
Two weeks ago one of my group members said we would all try the problem on our own, then discuss it later on. I gave him my email address and expected to hear from him by the end of the week.
Days went by, and nothing. A week went by, and nothing. A week and a half went by, and nothing. I didn't have anybodys email so I couldn't contact them, and I was getting a bit worried about finishing it. We had to write an entire report about the problem, including a description of everyone's contribution to the project, and thus far my contribution had been nothing. I finally received an email from Yao Shun asking for my MSN so we could discuss part c). Well another three days went by and I still didn't hear from him, and by now it was 3:00 on Sunday afternoon. So I emailed him and told him I was worried about getting it done. A few hours later he finally IMed me:
(05:27:21 SGT) yaoshun: hello this is yaoshun from heat transfer tut
(05:27:28 SGT) Danielle: hi
(05:27:57 SGT) yaoshun: i already finish the whole thing
(05:28:12 SGT) Danielle: really??
(05:28:24 SGT) Danielle: so we arent meeting or anything?
(05:28:29 SGT) yaoshun: ya
(05:28:33 SGT) yaoshun: haha
(05:28:43 SGT) yaoshun: we suppose to hand in tmr
(05:28:53 SGT) Danielle: haha, well are you still going to say we contributed something so we all get credit for it
(05:29:11 SGT) yaoshun: ya no problem
(05:29:13 SGT) yaoshun: haha
(05:30:26 SGT) Danielle: haha well thanks
(05:30:52 SGT) yaoshun: no problem
(05:31:30 SGT) yaoshun: usually we dont give a damn about the peer assesement thingin
(05:31:42 SGT) yaoshun: haha
(05:31:45 SGT) Danielle: haha
(05:31:54 SGT) Danielle: awesome
Are there any Singaporeans at Madison? Can they always be my group partners?
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Post-Semester Plans ...
... Have seriously changed about 15 times since Day 1, but now I think I know what I'm doing. Maybe? Anyways, I went from spending a summer in Europe to flying just to Amsterdam to going back to Thailand to going to India and China to going to China Taiwan Korea Japan to hiking up the Mekong to going to the Philippines ... but now I think -- keyword think -- I know what I am doing. I only have twenty days, which is ideally how much I would like to spend in one small region alone, but I am strapped for time so I will have to make due. So, as of now, here's my plan.
25 April - Fly to Ho Chi Minh City. Spend a few days there until I get a good feel for the city, then take a bus up to Hanoi, stopping in Hue and maybe some other villages. I'm only going to spend a week here, give or take a few days, so I won't be able to stop in more than one or two villages.
After that - Go overland to the Yunnan Province in China. I haven't decided what I will do here but I'm planning to spend most of my trip here. I especially want to trek the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Ideally I would like to plan a trip of a few weeks to explore the entire province, but there have been talks of constructing a dam through here which would completely change the landscape. And it's gorgeous! So I want to see it while I can, since I have no idea when I will make it back to China.
After that - Spend only three days in Beijing. All I really want to see is the Great Wall and Forbidden City, but really I could skip Beijing all together. But since I'm probably flying out of here I might as well look around for a few days.
Places I won't get to:
Bali - I don't really know anything about it but I hear it's amazing and one of those places you just have to visit. If it's so great, then I can easily plan a vacation here someday. No big deal if I don't get to it.
Philippines - Okay so I really wanted to go here, they've got some gorgeous sights and I really wanted to hike up Mount Apo in Davao. Unless I spend a few months traveling around Southeast Asia, which I am really hoping to do someday, I don't see myself in the Philippines -- it's not somewhere I would fly to for a week then come back to the States. Well, maybe.
Borneo - I hear it's really fun and pretty, but I hear that about everywhere. I wanted to visit the villages in Sarawak (I hear they have severed heads still on display on wooden posts in some spots) and hike up Mount Kinabalu.
Rural Cambodia and Laos - We'll see how far we get next week when Quinn and I head up there. I may stop over here from Vietnam, but that depends on how much time I have / how ambitious I'm feeling / how complicated the Visa situation may be.
25 April - Fly to Ho Chi Minh City. Spend a few days there until I get a good feel for the city, then take a bus up to Hanoi, stopping in Hue and maybe some other villages. I'm only going to spend a week here, give or take a few days, so I won't be able to stop in more than one or two villages.
After that - Go overland to the Yunnan Province in China. I haven't decided what I will do here but I'm planning to spend most of my trip here. I especially want to trek the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Ideally I would like to plan a trip of a few weeks to explore the entire province, but there have been talks of constructing a dam through here which would completely change the landscape. And it's gorgeous! So I want to see it while I can, since I have no idea when I will make it back to China.
After that - Spend only three days in Beijing. All I really want to see is the Great Wall and Forbidden City, but really I could skip Beijing all together. But since I'm probably flying out of here I might as well look around for a few days.
Pics of the Tiger Leaping Gorge on flickr:
Places I won't get to:
Bali - I don't really know anything about it but I hear it's amazing and one of those places you just have to visit. If it's so great, then I can easily plan a vacation here someday. No big deal if I don't get to it.
Philippines - Okay so I really wanted to go here, they've got some gorgeous sights and I really wanted to hike up Mount Apo in Davao. Unless I spend a few months traveling around Southeast Asia, which I am really hoping to do someday, I don't see myself in the Philippines -- it's not somewhere I would fly to for a week then come back to the States. Well, maybe.
Borneo - I hear it's really fun and pretty, but I hear that about everywhere. I wanted to visit the villages in Sarawak (I hear they have severed heads still on display on wooden posts in some spots) and hike up Mount Kinabalu.
Rural Cambodia and Laos - We'll see how far we get next week when Quinn and I head up there. I may stop over here from Vietnam, but that depends on how much time I have / how ambitious I'm feeling / how complicated the Visa situation may be.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Wisconsin Engineer Photo Contest!!
Vote for me!! I submitted five photos in the following categories: Landscape, People, Black and White, Computer Enhanced, and Random. I think I have a pretty good chance in the Landscape and Random categories, but there is some pretty good competition all around. If I win I get some sweet Wisconsin Engineer merchandise and a $100 gift card to somewhere, but most importantly I have to right to claim myself as one of the best photographers on campus!! To vote you have to register for an account on the forums, but it only takes about five minutes. Maybe if you vote and I win I'll give you an autographed print or something. :) Here are the photos I submitted:
Landscape - Sunrise Over the South China Sea
People - Thai Swimmers
Black and White - KL Nostalgia
Computer Enhanced - Samui Sky
Random - Ripple
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Body Image Elsewhere
So while procrastinating and not doing my schoolwork like I should have been I spent some time on the Lonley Planet Thorntree forums. The essay I was writing is actually very interesting; it's on why the south lost the Vietnam War, and while I enjoy researching and writing about it, it's an assignment, so procrastination is inevitable. Anyways, I stumbled across a post about weight and body image in Tibet, and I assume the perception many Tibetans have spreads across many of the poorer countries in Asia and Africa as well. Plus it's such a different perspective from what we are used to in the States, where many see the image of an overweight person in a negative light. Take a look here.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
El Cheapo-Lah
I, along with my friend Quinn, have officially been dubbed "the quintessential cheap travelers" by some of the exchange students. And what a fabulous title it is! Quinn and I have really only traveled together on our very first trip while in Southeast Asia when we went to Kuala Lumpur with a bunch of others. We saw to it that we stayed in the cheapest place possible -- we tried to convince the hostel to let five of us stay in a double bedroom (to no avail, however). And it's not like we don't have money to travel, we just don't want to spend it. Plus it's more fun! How could shoving five people into a tiny bedroom not be a good time? Sleepover!!!
Cheap travel is a fabulous idea for a number of really good reasons. First of all, we are in Southeast Asia, a relatively not-so-rich region when compared to America. Exchange rates are low, food is cheap, accommodation and travel are priced for "what you get." What I want is an authentic experience here, not some first-class airplane that will give me a warm towel, a hotel that will make my bedsheets everyday, or a huge gourmet meal that I can't even finish. I can get that stuff anywhere. That's not Southeast Asia, that's tourist, and that's not me.
I want to stay in a cheap hostel that reeks of the pad thai stand outside. Or that has a squatter just like every other facility in the area. Or that has the same rickety floors and hard bed like every neighborhood home. If I can't stay with a real family, I at least want to try to live like one, or as close to that as I can come. I know that staying in a hostel is world away from what real life is like in these areas, but I take what I can get.
Anyways Kuala Lumpur is really the only time Quinn and I have actually been really cheap together, the rest has all been talk. But I welcome the title with open arms. Laos and Cambodia cultural excursion here we come!!!
Cheap travel is a fabulous idea for a number of really good reasons. First of all, we are in Southeast Asia, a relatively not-so-rich region when compared to America. Exchange rates are low, food is cheap, accommodation and travel are priced for "what you get." What I want is an authentic experience here, not some first-class airplane that will give me a warm towel, a hotel that will make my bedsheets everyday, or a huge gourmet meal that I can't even finish. I can get that stuff anywhere. That's not Southeast Asia, that's tourist, and that's not me.
I want to stay in a cheap hostel that reeks of the pad thai stand outside. Or that has a squatter just like every other facility in the area. Or that has the same rickety floors and hard bed like every neighborhood home. If I can't stay with a real family, I at least want to try to live like one, or as close to that as I can come. I know that staying in a hostel is world away from what real life is like in these areas, but I take what I can get.
Anyways Kuala Lumpur is really the only time Quinn and I have actually been really cheap together, the rest has all been talk. But I welcome the title with open arms. Laos and Cambodia cultural excursion here we come!!!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Church of Raptor Jesus
Thailand is not Christian. Thailand is Buddhist. So why is it that I saw a few churches on my bus ride between Phuket and Khao Sok? Oh thats right, the tsunami. The missionaries must have taken advantage of the disaster and used their volunteering trip to impose their beliefs on others. I should probably shutup before I offend somebody though. :)
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Thailand Highlights!!
I'm too lazy to write all about the trip, so I'll just jot down some highlights so I don't forget. If you want to know more, just ask!!
Pre-departure Highlights:
-Travellator!
-Cookie tasting
Koh Samui Highlights:
-Delicious Red Snapper at Out of Africa
-Turning our first night in Chaweng upside down
-Riding three to a moped, really fast, for about 30 km
-Not remembering BK
Koh Samui Low Lights:
-Missing out on the Full Moon Party, the whole reason we went.
Bangkok Highlights:
-Chatuchak Weekend Market
-Khaoson Road!!
-Drinking on the street
-Elephants chillin on the sidewalk
-Getting ripped off by many a tuk-tuk driver
-Seeing the reclining Buddha
-Ping-pong POP!!
-Hanging out at the Pad Thai stand after hours
-Staying up til sunrise singing the classics in a mix of Thai and English with the locals
-My new bff, the rastafarian Thai from Reggae Bar
Bangkok Lowlights:
-Having my horoscope from the Golden Mount read "Forthcoming child will be a baby boy"
-Only being there for three days!
Khao Sok Highlights:
-Getting lost on my own in the jungle
-Hiking through a cave in neck-deep water
-Gorgeous scenery!
-Watching Thai kids swim in the stream with all their clothes on
Khao Sok Lowlights:
-Leeches. Lots of leeches.
Pre-departure Highlights:
-Travellator!
-Cookie tasting
Koh Samui Highlights:
-Delicious Red Snapper at Out of Africa
-Turning our first night in Chaweng upside down
-Riding three to a moped, really fast, for about 30 km
-Not remembering BK
Koh Samui Low Lights:
-Missing out on the Full Moon Party, the whole reason we went.
Bangkok Highlights:
-Chatuchak Weekend Market
-Khaoson Road!!
-Drinking on the street
-Elephants chillin on the sidewalk
-Getting ripped off by many a tuk-tuk driver
-Seeing the reclining Buddha
-Ping-pong POP!!
-Hanging out at the Pad Thai stand after hours
-Staying up til sunrise singing the classics in a mix of Thai and English with the locals
-My new bff, the rastafarian Thai from Reggae Bar
Bangkok Lowlights:
-Having my horoscope from the Golden Mount read "Forthcoming child will be a baby boy"
-Only being there for three days!
Khao Sok Highlights:
-Getting lost on my own in the jungle
-Hiking through a cave in neck-deep water
-Gorgeous scenery!
-Watching Thai kids swim in the stream with all their clothes on
Khao Sok Lowlights:
-Leeches. Lots of leeches.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
