Bangkok comes with friends

In the beginning, I had no intention of spending much time in Bangkok. It was going to be a pit stop on the way out of Thailand. But powers (ticket prices) intervened and it became my first stop in the country. I wasn't too excited about spending more than a day there as a solo female traveler, but I allotted several days for it just to give it a chance. If worst came to worst, I could always just hop on the next train/bus out. However, Bangkok ended up being a wonderful surprise.

I arrived in the midst of a storm grayer than any I ever saw in Vietnam, and spent ages at an underpass haggling with and rejecting cab drivers who were trying to charge me absurd quantities to get from the last airport rail stop to my hostel. Finally, someone consented to a price whose inflation was within reason. As he drove it became apparent that he didn't actually know where he was going, but luckily I had a Thai sim card by then and so I let him use my phone to call the hostel for directions. At one point he tried to drop me off on the side of the road saying, "it's over there," and making a vague directional gesture. I was not going to pay so much to be dropped off on the wrong side of the street of who knows where in the middle of the rain. I told him I wasn't getting out until he took me to the hostel, and so he begrudgingly kept going. Things turned up from here, though. As soon as I plopped my stuff in my room I made the acquaintance of Katy, a Scottish girl who has been traveling for almost seven months now. Soon, I was invited to join her and some of her friends for dinner. Another guest in our room, Carlos, from Peru, joined us too, as well as another Peruvian girl we met in the lobby. With Katy's friends, Nick and Rachelle, Gibraltarian and English, respectively, we were quite the large and somewhat international group. We had highly recommended pad thai that did not disappoint, though I found it laughable that my first meal in Thailand is the dish for the unadventurous in Thai restaurants back home. We walked to Khao San road, aka backpacker central. It was seething with shops, backpackers, bars, and food carts. One of those food carts was selling fried insects, and I made up for my blase but delicious dinner by having a fried grasshopper for dessert. It had no flavor of it's own; it was just a crunchy, soy-flavored snack. I also bought a ring, and through the bargaining process ended up paying for it partly with beer.

Big vats of in-demand pad thai

'Dessert' close-up

Scared? Who, me?

The next day I went to the massive weekend market with Katy, Nick, and Rachelle, as well as Joe, an American also staying at our hostel. We spent most of the day there and, aside from buying a few souvenirs and showing impressive restraint, the most notable part of the day was that I tried a traditional local dessert: mango and sticky rice. I was glad I tried it and satisfied to have had it once, but the UK-ers fell in love with it and have been eating it ever since.

It's hard for something with big chunks of mango to not taste good

In the evening I met a pair of Canadian travelers, Ann and Max. They joined us in our dinner quest and wandering, and the three of us decided to join forces the next day.

The dinner gang

The next morning, Max, Ann, and I went to the Grand Palace, a massive complex that includes the official residence of the Kings of Siam until 1925, several museums, and Wat Phra Kaeo. When we were across the street, a man came up to us and said that we would not be allowed in because Max was wearing shorts. Moreover, it was a Buddhist holiday so all wats (temples) would be free, but the Grand Palace would be closed until noon, three hours later. Fortunately, I had read enough about scams to ignore him and say we should go see for ourselves. There was even a recording blaring from loudspeakers set up all around the palace wall saying not to trust anyone outside. We approached an opening in the wall and a man told us that we had to buy tickets there and then continue to the main entrance. There was a guard standing at this entrance and I looked to him to see if he would give any indication as to whether this man was to be trusted, but he did not. Again, I said we should keep going. When we got to the main entrance, we found that the palace was open, Max could rent pants, and tickets were purchased further in. I was glad we were smart but shocked by the number of attempts to mislead us. As a traveler it is sometimes necessary to ask for help, and not being able to trust that help is unnerving.

The palace was massive, impressive, overwhelming. Every surface was painted, tiled, gilded, carved, somehow decorated. Wat Phra Kaeo is often called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It is a chapel that contains a Buddha carved from a single massive piece of jade (not emerald). He has different vestments for the different seasons, summer, rainy, winter, and is ceremoniously cleaned and changed by the king on the appointed dates. While we were sitting in the chapel, I noticed a young man doing some restorations in the corner. The entire interior is covered in murals, and this man was retouching the skin on a line of soldiers or perhaps attendants. With a tiny brush he painted the flat base for the face, hands, and feet of each of these men. He was deft but it was slow going, and I thought about how much longer it would take to fill in the details like facial features and fingers, and how this was just one tiny corner of one painted room on these palatial grounds decked in intricacy.

We were going to meet Joe for lunch and we were running a little behind schedule. I was tempted to skip the last museum, but I am so glad we didn't. The Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles chronicled the Queen's resurrection of Thai silk and traditional weaving patterns and apparel. Traditional clothing was outlawed in the early 1940s, and as a result most related traditions were dying out by the time Sirikit became queen. She was going to go on a world tour and wanted to be able to showcase Thai culture in the process. She sent people into villages to collect scraps of old silk to use for inspiration, and worked with weavers to reproduce those textiles. Meanwhile, she worked with French designer Pierre Balmain to develop a national Thai dress (like the equivalent of the ao dai), which is now considered traditional formal wear. Though at times I questioned the extremely glowing terms with which her efforts and subsequent influence were described, it was nonetheless inspiring.

After lunch the four of us went to Wat Pho. It is famous for a massive reclining Buddha. I have seen several at this point so I was not particularly excited about this one, but this one ended up being one of my favorites. It was displayed in close quarters, so it was hard to get a sense of his true size or to get a picture of the whole sculpture, but his feet were beautifully inlaid with mother of pearl. This wat was much smaller than the Grand Palace, and so it was more manageable and easier to appreciate.

Buddha is comfy

Mother of pearl fingerprints (toeprints?)

Smaller Buddha. People press squares of gold leaf onto it, perhaps as an act
of devotion.

We took a boat across the river for 3 baht (10 cents) to visit Wat Arun. It is featured on the 10-baht coin, and is distinctive because of its five spires, the tallest of which is about 250 feet high. Again, I marveled at the intricate decorations and did my best to photograph both the detail and the expanse. You could climb dizzyingly steep steps partway up the central spire and enjoy a peaceful view of the city and the river.

Near the base of the main spire

Details

Other details

Looking out onto the wat grounds

Thursday was my last day in Bangkok, but as I was taking a night train out, I still had plenty of time to do things during the day. After buying a train ticket to Chiang Mai and getting a pair of Dunkin' Donuts in the process, I went to Jim Thompson's house, which is now a museum. He was an American architect and businessman who transplanted to Thailand and also contributed to the revitalization of the silk industry. His company's fabrics were used to make the costumes for the Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I. His house is actually made of six traditional Thai houses, which he combined, and it contains the many artifacts he collected during his life.

His house amongst the foliage

Joe and I met the others for lunch, and we ended up a very local place where no English was spoken. Luckily, a tableful of local business women was getting up, and they took it upon themselves to order several courses for us. Grilled chicken, sticky rice, a whole fish, and spicy papaya salad made their way to our table.

Fish and chicken

After that it was time to seek out the bowl making village, where a few families still hand-make the bowls monks use to receive alms. It used to be required that they be hand made, but several years ago regulations were changed and now the craft is being lost. A different person is responsible for each step in the process, so by walking through the village I was able to observe every step.

Some of us made a quick trip to Lumpini Park in the evening and spent about five minutes bopping around with ladies participating in a public drop-in aerobics class before we went to the train station, boarded our purple train, and said goodbye to Bangkok. I enjoyed my time there, and I know my hostel friends were a big part of the difference between my expectations and my experience.

In the merlion's domain

The opulence of Little India

I really enjoyed Singapore, perhaps because I had very few expectations and because I didn't stay for too long. My main reason for going to Singapore was for the food and because it was nearby so I might as well. However, I knew how expensive it can be, so I didn't want to stay for too long. One evening and one full day ended up being perfect.

I had printed out a few itineraries/walking tours for the city, and I picked out the parts that appealed to me. On my first evening I did the evening portion of a full-day walking tour. This started me out on the riverside, where I saw a historic bridge and the Merlion. I detoured a little and got a closer look at the Esplanade, a building known for it's resemblance to a split durian or a pair of bug's eyes. From there, I could also see the famous Marina Bay Sands complex and the Lotus museum. All year in Vietnam, there was a commercial about Singapore that aired at almost every commercial break on the channel I watched most often. I and the other ETAs got to the point where we had memorized most of the narration of the commercial, and now that I was in Singapore I could hear the voice actress's eager description of many landmarks playing in my head. I walked back along the riverside and was surprised to find myself in front of a familiar face. The bust of Ho Chi Minh was one among many busts of notable leaders that gazed over the riverfront.

In front of the merlion

Marina Bay Sands complex

I found the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, and had a long-deliberated dinner along the Boat Quay. I say long deliberated because this sort of riverwalk area was covered in restaurants and I was overwhelmed by the number of options as well as by the number of western white collar workers who had flooded these establishments for their happy hour. I was also slightly overwhelmed by the prices, though I had already mentally prepared to spend $20 on dinner. I chose one place but they didn't choose me, and after about twenty minutes, until the end of a soccer match, when I still hadn't gotten any service, I decided to go to my second-choice restaurant. Second choice might have been best. It was an Italian restaurant that exceeded my expectations and fit within my budget. The hostess was confused as to why I would be going out for dinner alone. By the time I left dinner it was dark out, and I enjoyed the lights of Clarke Quay before I called it a night and went back to the hostel.

City lights over the river

The next morning I started with a tour of Chinatown. The main sights were a Hindu temple and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. The second temple really amazed me. It was big on the outside, but I had no idea how ornate and impressive it would be on the inside. When I can upload pictures you will see what I mean. By the time I left, it was high time for lunch. Fortunately, that was part of why I had made Chinatown my first stop. I went to the famous but nondescript Maxwell Food Center, a sort of collection of food stalls. I had to have the famous local specialty, Hainanese Chicken Rice. At least half of the stalls served this. How was I to choose the best one? I had been advised to choose the one with the longest line, but most poeople were already eating so I chose the one with the most people sitting in front of it. After I ordered I noticed that they had a picture of Anthony Bourdain endorsing their particular stand. Good choice, I guess. It was good, but honestly it didn't taste notably different from the chicken rice I had in Penang.

Top of the hindu temple

Buddhist Tooth Relic Temple

Inside the temple

Anthony Bourdain approves

One last look at Chinatown

My next stop was the botanic gardens. They are huge! The maps posted throughout the grounds give estimated walking times to different parts of the garden, ranging from 10 to 30 minutes. I visited the rainforest area, and was thrilled to see an elusive monitor lizard climbing a tree. I also visited the National Orchid Garden, the only part of the gardens you had to pay for. Among other things, there was the VIP garden, which housed special cultivars of orchids that have been named after various dignitaries who have visited the gardens, like Nelson Mandela. Another garden I liked was the ginger garden. I learned that the ginger family includes many different kinds of plants, including bananas. I spent several hours at the garden, partly enjoying it and partly killing time before my next destination.

Monitoring the monitor

Speckled orchid

On a recommendation, I went to the Ion Mall for dinner. I didn't end up going to the place recommended because it wasn't open yet and was out of my price range, but I found another dim sum place in the food court. I realized that dim sum doesn't work as well when you're eating alone, but luckily my appetite is big, and I had three different sets of dumplings. I was still hungry after that, and looked over my options to see what might fill me up. I saw that they had these crispy things filled with durian and shrimp. This is not something I would have every been drawn to before, but I figured I needed to give durian a chance. I'd had it in things before and while it was never a positive experience it had ceased being a negative experience. Either way, the dish would end the meal, either by filling me up or taking away my appetite. It did a little of both. The plate came with three pieces, and the first one was ok. The second was also ok, but I was just unwilling to have the third. Meal completed.

Now it was time to visit the art museum. It is free every Friday from 6 to 9pm. There was an exhibit called Panorama, featuring the work of contemporary Asian artists. I didn't like the first few pieces I saw, partly because they resembled so much contemporary Asian art I've already seen, and partly because I just didn't like them, but when I moved to the next room things took a turn for the better. I ended up really liking the show, largely because the highlights shone so bright even with the smattering of lowlights.

On my last morning, I made one last trip to Chinatown, back to the Maxwell Center, for dumplings that had caught my eye the day before. A quick lunch and then I rushed back to the hostel to get my things and go to the airport, so I could get to Thailand. It's crazy to me how easy it is to forget that casually hopping on a plane/train/automobile to another country or even to another city isn't really a normal part of daily life for most people.

"Ulysses by the Merlion" by Edwin Thumboo
I have sailed many waters,
Skirted islands of fire,
Contended with Circe
Who loved the squeal of pigs;
Passed Scylla and Charybdis
To seven years with Calypso,
Heaved in battle against the gods.
Beneath it all
I kept faith with Ithaca, travelled,
Travelled and travelled,
Suffering much, enjoying a little;
Met strange people singing
New myths; made myths myself.
But this lion of the sea
Salt-maned, scaly, wondrous of tail,
Touched with power, insistent
On this brief promontory...
Puzzles.
Nothing, nothing in my days
Foreshadowed this
Half-beast, half-fish,
This powerful creature of land and sea.
Peoples settled here,
Brought to this island
The bounty of these seas,
Built towers topless as Ilium's.
They make, they serve,
They buy, they sell.
Despite unequal ways,
Together they mutate,
Explore the edges of harmony,
Search for a centre;
Have changed their gods,
Kept some memory of their race
In prayer, laughter, the way
Their women dress and greet.
They hold the bright, the beautiful,
Good ancestral dreams
Within new visions,
So shining, urgent,
Full of what is now.
Perhaps having dealt in things,
Surfeited on them,
Their spirits yearn again for images,
Adding to the dragon, phoenix,
Garuda, naga those horses of the sun,
This lion of the sea,
This image of themselves.

Photos from the end of the earth

Learning (failing) to make roti

Janice and Julie, gracious hostesses, and towering roti tissu

The end of Asia

How far to... ?

Malacca photos

Generous hostelmates lent me laptop and card reader, so enjoy some snapshots from Malacca.

Trishaws, decked out rickshaws with flowers and speakers and tinsel 

Historic Dutch area. All the buildings got painted red
because people kept spitting on them. I'm not sure how
that helped.

Jonker's walk, the mostly closed Chinatown area

Homage to the father of Malaysian bodybuilders

Porta di Santiago, remains of the Portuguese influence

All the ends of the earth

After Penang I went back to Kuala Lumpur to spend the night and left the next day for Malacca (also spelled Melaka). Many people told me before I went that one can see all of Malacca in 20 minutes, but I hoped that I would be a different sort of person who would find more to appreciate. Unfortunately, it turned out that I went on one of the worst days possible. On Tuesdays, most places are closed. Since Malacca is so small, that left me very little to appreciate. Malacca was a Portuguese, Dutch, and British colony at different points in time, so there are some remainders of that influence, but not as much as one might expect. To say the least, I was disillusioned by my experience there. Luckily, I had a standing invitation from a Fulbright ETA in a somewhat nearby town in Malaysia, so the next morning I left right away.

I had been struggling with the idea of what one is 'supposed to do/see' while traveling. Going to a new place and seeing everything listed in the guidebook feels like an accomplishment, but it also feels sort of superficial. But going somewhere and following whims and interesting alleyways can result in feeling like I've probably missed out on something that some greater authority deems important. Obviously, I must find the balance. Meanwhile, though, going to Pontian to visit Janice was the perfect escape from that. There is nothing to do there, no must-sees, and so I was free to do whatever I wanted.

Janice was the perfect host, and took me to try the last few things on my Malaysian culinary checklist. (Ok, I guess there were must-dos, but they were things I wanted to do, so it was ok.) I had roti cenai, a standard Malaysian snack food composed of a flatbread and dahl. I even got to try to make it, and it was a doughy disaster. But, the food was good and I had roti telur (with an egg) as well. Janice ordered roti tissu for the group (she lives with Julie, another ETA, and Julie also had a visitor). Roti tissu is thin and crunchy, covered in sugar, drizzled with chocolate syrup, and tastes like caramel popcorn. We hung out for a while and later went out for more food. I had tomyam, a traditional spicy soup, and ice tea with whole lychee, but all of us were still pretty full from our first meal so we had a hard time finishing this second round.

The next morning Janice took me to the one notable point near her: the southernmost point of continental Asia. After about 40 minutes on motorbike, through some coconut palm areas that made me nostalgic for Ben Tre, we arrived at park and mangrove swamp that would lead us to the end of Asia. It was more significant conceptually than physically, but at the same time it sort of felt like we were at the end of the world. Then again, I could see an Indonesian island across the water, so it wasn't that epic. More than anything, it was significant to me because last summer my dad rode his motorbike to the southernmost point of the continental US to raise awareness for anti-human trafficking efforts, and this summer he has set out for Alaska.

Now I am in Singapore. It was a confusingly easy trip, and at about 60 US cents for a bus across a bridge, probably my cheapest international travel ever. I took a bus from Pontian to Johor Bahru, and then in JB got on a bus to Singapore. The driver said it would take over an hour. Five minutes later everyone got off the bus to go through customs. I went through customs and when I came out I got back on the bus, which had crossed over. However, two minutes later everyone got off the bus again. I thought that somehow we had gone in a circle and I would have to go through customs again, which would be odd to explain to the officials. I asked the bus driver if I could just stay on, but he told me I must get off and change buses. I asked a man where I could find a bus that would take me to Singapore and he looked at me like I was crazy and told me I was already in Singapore. It turned out I was at a rail station. I don't know why that original bus driver said it would take so long. I took the rail to Little India, where I found my hostel, and got settled in.

More to come on Singapore. Tomorrow I'm headed to Bangkok.

Illustrated history

Georgetown is one big wad of history. They have plaques on most corners explaining the origin of the name of the street , and how that street is somehow significant. But the town also takes a more creative approach to sharing information. Scattered through town, there are wrought-iron illustrations set up that illustrate and describe some notable quality of that particular spot. I loved the clean black lines against the often peeling and variegated walls. Because I never knew where I might find one, I at times felt like I was walking through a video game, and each illustration was a 1-up. I could almost hear the chimes every time I found one.

Click on the pictures to see them larger and read the text.

Jimmy Choo had his first apprenticeship here