Yes, you read the title correctly. We here in the US are actually promoting hunger abroad, through our antiquated system of farm subsidies. How does that work? Let me explain. No, there is not enough time; let me sum up...
The government (that's us, people) pays farmers a minimum price for certain crops - wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans to name a few.
Since farmers know they can get a specific price, guaranteed, for those crops, they produce a LOT of them, as opposed to taking their chances on the fair market value of other crops.
There are huge surpluses, then, in the US, and we can export those crops very cheaply to other countries, where the local farmers are then basically put out of business. Wonderful. We are giving subsidies to our farmers and trashing the economies of many rural nations.
But wait, you say: those farmers need help! They are the good old boys of our country, the backbone of our nation. Riiiiight. Look at who gets the money - almost 75% of total subsidy money goes to about 10% of our farmers - the richest 10%. And some of those recipients are corporations - want some examples?? Recipients of five- and six-figure farm subsidy payments included John Hancock Life Insurance Co., Chevron, banker David Rockefeller, and basketball star Scottie Pippen. Argh.
This whole system started in the 1930s, when it was needed. Today, it's a different story. Besides, why are farmers any more important than grocers, or bankers, or oil rig workers? Everyone chooses a job and takes the consequences; I do contract work because it affords me the ability to have a flexible schedule; does that mean I should get unemployment money if my contract ends, or that anyone should feel sorry for me if I have no work for a few months? NO! It's a risk I take to have the job I have.
One more glitch in the system: by growing the crops (like wheat, rice, corn, and soy) that are subsidized, there's another victim - the globe. Those crops use planting and harvesting methods that encourage and promote the use of huge vehicles that burn tons of fuel and add to global warming (as opposed to crops like broccoli or squash, that give more jobs to blue-collar workers and use lots less fossil fuel for harvesting).
So, when you see the next farm bill come up for vote, write to your congressperson and say NO.
Now, go eat some broccoli and a couple parsnips. :-)
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Happy Holidays
Well, I finally got pictures sorted, labeled, and posted to my Flickr account! You can click on the evil-looking square happy face to the right of this post (under My Photos) and you'll be able to see 140 pictures of my trip, complete with (in some cases) descriptions. Please comment at will; I love feedback.
This has been, for me, not one of the best holiday seasons I've had. Still, I love my kids, my friends, and my family. More than anything, I love to see the people I love happy. When I get to sit back and watch someone I love enjoy a gift I gave, it helps to fill in some of those little, black, empty spaces in my soul. During the year, I'd love to just buy things for the people I love, but somehow it's less acceptable if there isn't a "reason" for it. I would like the only reason to be love, but Christmas is a good excuse, too.
I am absolutely not a Christian, but I do have a deep and abiding belief and faith in one God. Since most other religions also believe in one God, I have to logically believe that we are all praying to the same guy (or girl, or whatever). So, for me it doesn't matter if it's Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwaanza, or whatever else. Life is about the gifts that we bestow on others, whether those gifts are happiness, wisdom, an iPod, or a pony. If I say, "Happy holidays," and people are insulted, so be it. Nobody's got a monopoly on giving or on happiness, nor should they. Can't Christians be happy for me that I'm finally in the spirit of the holidays, and leave me to my happy holidays in peace?
I get too caught up in the logic of it all, and try to argue, but to no avail. The next person who tells me that saying "Happy holidays" is an insult is going to get a question from me: "How would Jesus respond to that?" I'd like to think that, being the wise, prophetic man he was, he'd say, "Happy holidays to you, too! Any reason for true happiness is a good thing!"
Then he'd go back to playing heavenly board games with Buddha, Mohammed, Gandhi, MLK, Mother Teresa, and Roy Webb.
So, my holiday wish for the world is that we all learn to appreciate and cherish ANY happiness, not just the happiness that is inspired for our own particular reasons. A smile is a precious thing, and a light in our hearts is a huge gift, no matter where it comes from.
Be blessed, my friends. Happy holidays to everyone.
Love,
Janine
This has been, for me, not one of the best holiday seasons I've had. Still, I love my kids, my friends, and my family. More than anything, I love to see the people I love happy. When I get to sit back and watch someone I love enjoy a gift I gave, it helps to fill in some of those little, black, empty spaces in my soul. During the year, I'd love to just buy things for the people I love, but somehow it's less acceptable if there isn't a "reason" for it. I would like the only reason to be love, but Christmas is a good excuse, too.
I am absolutely not a Christian, but I do have a deep and abiding belief and faith in one God. Since most other religions also believe in one God, I have to logically believe that we are all praying to the same guy (or girl, or whatever). So, for me it doesn't matter if it's Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwaanza, or whatever else. Life is about the gifts that we bestow on others, whether those gifts are happiness, wisdom, an iPod, or a pony. If I say, "Happy holidays," and people are insulted, so be it. Nobody's got a monopoly on giving or on happiness, nor should they. Can't Christians be happy for me that I'm finally in the spirit of the holidays, and leave me to my happy holidays in peace?
I get too caught up in the logic of it all, and try to argue, but to no avail. The next person who tells me that saying "Happy holidays" is an insult is going to get a question from me: "How would Jesus respond to that?" I'd like to think that, being the wise, prophetic man he was, he'd say, "Happy holidays to you, too! Any reason for true happiness is a good thing!"
Then he'd go back to playing heavenly board games with Buddha, Mohammed, Gandhi, MLK, Mother Teresa, and Roy Webb.
So, my holiday wish for the world is that we all learn to appreciate and cherish ANY happiness, not just the happiness that is inspired for our own particular reasons. A smile is a precious thing, and a light in our hearts is a huge gift, no matter where it comes from.
Be blessed, my friends. Happy holidays to everyone.
Love,
Janine
Friday, November 9, 2007
Photo Opps
Saturday, November 10
Yesterday, I took my one-day photo class. Much if it was review, but plenty was new, I learned some things that I didn't know before, and got some good "quick tips" for remembering the most important things about composition before snapping a picture. It was well worth it, and I'm really glad I set aside the time to do it.
We flew back to Bangkok late last night, and between the photo class all day, getting packed up, getting to the airport, etc, I was exhausted. Checked into the hotel at 12:30 am, and then couldn't really sleep well. No problem - I'll sleep that much better on the plane tomorrow morning (which I have to get up at 4:00 am in order to catch). ugh.
Today, I am just hanging out mostly, then seeing my old colleague, Nils, and his family in the evening. It'll be good to catch up with him, and to meet his wife and son for the first time. My stomach is behaving pretty well, thanks to an unmentionable treatment I had at an Ayurvedic spa in Chiang Mai (nothing I can blog about). :-) Sometimes, eastern ways are the best.
I am SO looking forward to coming home, not because I don't like being here, but because I realize how much I like being THERE, too! This is my last posting from abroad, and I hope that all of you, my friends and family (and anyone else unlucky enough to have simply stumbled upon this and silly enough to read it all!) are thriving and I will see everyone soon!!
Over and out,
Janine
Yesterday, I took my one-day photo class. Much if it was review, but plenty was new, I learned some things that I didn't know before, and got some good "quick tips" for remembering the most important things about composition before snapping a picture. It was well worth it, and I'm really glad I set aside the time to do it.
We flew back to Bangkok late last night, and between the photo class all day, getting packed up, getting to the airport, etc, I was exhausted. Checked into the hotel at 12:30 am, and then couldn't really sleep well. No problem - I'll sleep that much better on the plane tomorrow morning (which I have to get up at 4:00 am in order to catch). ugh.
Today, I am just hanging out mostly, then seeing my old colleague, Nils, and his family in the evening. It'll be good to catch up with him, and to meet his wife and son for the first time. My stomach is behaving pretty well, thanks to an unmentionable treatment I had at an Ayurvedic spa in Chiang Mai (nothing I can blog about). :-) Sometimes, eastern ways are the best.
I am SO looking forward to coming home, not because I don't like being here, but because I realize how much I like being THERE, too! This is my last posting from abroad, and I hope that all of you, my friends and family (and anyone else unlucky enough to have simply stumbled upon this and silly enough to read it all!) are thriving and I will see everyone soon!!
Over and out,
Janine
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Inside the Walls
Thursday, November 8
So, here I am in downtown Chiang Mai. This city has two parts - the outer city and the original inner city, separated from the outer part by a moat and a brick wall (partially still there) about twelve feet thick and maybe 20 feet high, with a catwalk at the top on the inside. This wall is what protected the city from siege in days of yore. It's really quite fascinating and beautiful. There are one or two gates on each of the four sides, with a street on the inside of the moat that runs one-way counter-clockwise and a street just outside the moat that runs one-way clockwise. It seems to work just fine.
We dropped in to a vat this afternoon and brought some food and things for the monks. The elder monk there gave me a very long blessing and a braided cotton bracelet for further blessing. At the end, the familiar question: "Where you from?"
Things that will be odd, when I get home:
So, here I am in downtown Chiang Mai. This city has two parts - the outer city and the original inner city, separated from the outer part by a moat and a brick wall (partially still there) about twelve feet thick and maybe 20 feet high, with a catwalk at the top on the inside. This wall is what protected the city from siege in days of yore. It's really quite fascinating and beautiful. There are one or two gates on each of the four sides, with a street on the inside of the moat that runs one-way counter-clockwise and a street just outside the moat that runs one-way clockwise. It seems to work just fine.
We dropped in to a vat this afternoon and brought some food and things for the monks. The elder monk there gave me a very long blessing and a braided cotton bracelet for further blessing. At the end, the familiar question: "Where you from?"
Things that will be odd, when I get home:
- toilets that consistently have seats and flush, and where I can flush the paper
- phones
- driving my car (will I remember? is it like riding a bike?)
- working! (which I am looking forward to, believe it or not)
- nobody asking me where I am from
- not being called "madame"
- not getting a wei (look it up) everywhere I go
- a washing machine and clean clothes!
- walking around without a camera bag all the time
- not being meticulously careful about every thing that goes into my mouth
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Road Less Traveled
Wednesday, November 7
So, we set out this morning after breakfast to see the Botanical Gardens here. I can't even begin to go into how huge, beautiful, well-maintained, and perfectly groomed they were. Astounding. I think I took a hundred pictures. I saw, for the first time, an entire greenhouse of pitcher plants, close up (they are carnivorous plants, very perfectly engineered to catch and digest bugs of all sorts). It was lovely.
We had heard that there was a little village of Hmong people up in the hills, so we set off to find it. We asked for directions at a roadside restaurant, and I got three words - "road," "Mok," and "Kok." Hmmm, I thought, we passed a sign for a town ending in Mok Kok about 2 Km back - was that it? Using hand gestures and some broken English, we established that it was, indeed, that road we wanted, and about 5 Km farther we would find the village.
There are Hmong people in most of these Southeast Asian countries; they tend to be a hill-dwelling people and they do craft work that is exquisite. So, back we went, found the road, and went climbing into the hills above Mae Rim. And climb we did; the view was incredible, the air was crystal-clear, and the sky was the bluest I have seen in a month. The road narrowed...and narrowed some more...and became wide enough for MAYBE on car...and then, around a curve, there was a tiny little village with lots of women selling their crafts. OK, so I bought stuff, what can I say? But I got a handmade, quilted jacket that is perfect (lined, even!), and it was about $20. I did notice two things, which should have been mutually exclusive: I saw no men, and almost every woman there, aged 17 to maybe 43, was pregnant. I wonder how that happened?? In any case, I got some photos and we were on our way again.
On the way back to the resort, we stopped at an Elephant Camp. I was expecting the worst - touristy, dirty place with a few unhappy-looking elephants. Oh, contraire, mon ami. The elephants looked healthy and (if an elephant can look this way) happy. They were playing soccer (yes, they do that when trained) and painting. Heck, one of them painted WAY better than I ever could - I have a photo to prove it! It was well worth the admission price (which, I think was something like 50 cents).
Now, I am back at the hotel, about to have a shower and a nap and do a little reading before going back out for pork soup later on.
I hope all of you are doing well, and I shall see everyone soon (dang).
:-) Janine
So, we set out this morning after breakfast to see the Botanical Gardens here. I can't even begin to go into how huge, beautiful, well-maintained, and perfectly groomed they were. Astounding. I think I took a hundred pictures. I saw, for the first time, an entire greenhouse of pitcher plants, close up (they are carnivorous plants, very perfectly engineered to catch and digest bugs of all sorts). It was lovely.
We had heard that there was a little village of Hmong people up in the hills, so we set off to find it. We asked for directions at a roadside restaurant, and I got three words - "road," "Mok," and "Kok." Hmmm, I thought, we passed a sign for a town ending in Mok Kok about 2 Km back - was that it? Using hand gestures and some broken English, we established that it was, indeed, that road we wanted, and about 5 Km farther we would find the village.
There are Hmong people in most of these Southeast Asian countries; they tend to be a hill-dwelling people and they do craft work that is exquisite. So, back we went, found the road, and went climbing into the hills above Mae Rim. And climb we did; the view was incredible, the air was crystal-clear, and the sky was the bluest I have seen in a month. The road narrowed...and narrowed some more...and became wide enough for MAYBE on car...and then, around a curve, there was a tiny little village with lots of women selling their crafts. OK, so I bought stuff, what can I say? But I got a handmade, quilted jacket that is perfect (lined, even!), and it was about $20. I did notice two things, which should have been mutually exclusive: I saw no men, and almost every woman there, aged 17 to maybe 43, was pregnant. I wonder how that happened?? In any case, I got some photos and we were on our way again.
On the way back to the resort, we stopped at an Elephant Camp. I was expecting the worst - touristy, dirty place with a few unhappy-looking elephants. Oh, contraire, mon ami. The elephants looked healthy and (if an elephant can look this way) happy. They were playing soccer (yes, they do that when trained) and painting. Heck, one of them painted WAY better than I ever could - I have a photo to prove it! It was well worth the admission price (which, I think was something like 50 cents).
Now, I am back at the hotel, about to have a shower and a nap and do a little reading before going back out for pork soup later on.
I hope all of you are doing well, and I shall see everyone soon (dang).
:-) Janine
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Side of the Road
Tuesday, November 6
OK, I have totally slipped back into slothdom. I had breakfast, went back to my room, read, took a little nap, then went to the spa here for 2 hours of pampering - sauna, body scrub, aromatherapy massage (yes, Sara, another massage!). Then, some more reading.
I had to find an ATM to get cash for the train tickets I booked today, so we took off on a motorbike looking for one. There's one maybe a mile away (remember, we are out kind of in the middle of almost nowhere), and I got some Baht to pay for the tickets when they arrive tomorrow. Then, we went on a quest for dinner. Someone at the ATM pointed at a side street and said there was a restaurant 2 Km up that street, so off we went. About 1 1/2 Km up, we saw a place on the side of the road - it had 6 tables, 5 of which were taken. So, what the heck; if the locals eat there, it must be good. We went in, and of course the menu was only in Thai, but the manager (owner?) suggested a pork soup that is his specialty, so we said okee dokee. Soon, he brought a boiling cauldron of soup to the table, over a still-burning fire pit, and a plate of pork, liver, chicken, and raw egg as well as a basket of cabbage, rice noodles, lemongrass, and basil. The trick is to put in whatever tidbits of meat, egg, and veggies you like, let it boil for 5 minutes, then eat. Pick, dunk, repeat...until all the meat and vegetables are gone.
To be kind, he only put one chili pepper in the broth, and I was brave enough to add to my bowl some of the chili paste he brought in tiny bowls for us. It was damn good.
One of the locals eating there, who had plowed through about half a bottle of whiskey, came over and asked us where we were from, then proceeded to tell us he was in the Thai special forces. Lo and behold, he was telling the truth. He and Val had an hilarious conversation (hilarious because neither of them understood more than 10 percent of what the other was saying), and then Val paid for his dinner along with ours. Total cost for all three of us, plus his bottle of whiskey: $9.
We are going back there tomorrow. And if any of you ever find yourselves in Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai, find Sang Jan Moo Joom restaurant and have the pork soup and lemongrass salad (which came with a bunch of fried prawns as well). It's to die for. Sometimes, the best things are those that you just happen across.
Tomorrow, a motorbike adventure to see an elephant camp and a huge botanical garden, and maybe some other stuff. Then, back to this same place for dinner. Yum city!
--Janine
OK, I have totally slipped back into slothdom. I had breakfast, went back to my room, read, took a little nap, then went to the spa here for 2 hours of pampering - sauna, body scrub, aromatherapy massage (yes, Sara, another massage!). Then, some more reading.
I had to find an ATM to get cash for the train tickets I booked today, so we took off on a motorbike looking for one. There's one maybe a mile away (remember, we are out kind of in the middle of almost nowhere), and I got some Baht to pay for the tickets when they arrive tomorrow. Then, we went on a quest for dinner. Someone at the ATM pointed at a side street and said there was a restaurant 2 Km up that street, so off we went. About 1 1/2 Km up, we saw a place on the side of the road - it had 6 tables, 5 of which were taken. So, what the heck; if the locals eat there, it must be good. We went in, and of course the menu was only in Thai, but the manager (owner?) suggested a pork soup that is his specialty, so we said okee dokee. Soon, he brought a boiling cauldron of soup to the table, over a still-burning fire pit, and a plate of pork, liver, chicken, and raw egg as well as a basket of cabbage, rice noodles, lemongrass, and basil. The trick is to put in whatever tidbits of meat, egg, and veggies you like, let it boil for 5 minutes, then eat. Pick, dunk, repeat...until all the meat and vegetables are gone.
To be kind, he only put one chili pepper in the broth, and I was brave enough to add to my bowl some of the chili paste he brought in tiny bowls for us. It was damn good.
One of the locals eating there, who had plowed through about half a bottle of whiskey, came over and asked us where we were from, then proceeded to tell us he was in the Thai special forces. Lo and behold, he was telling the truth. He and Val had an hilarious conversation (hilarious because neither of them understood more than 10 percent of what the other was saying), and then Val paid for his dinner along with ours. Total cost for all three of us, plus his bottle of whiskey: $9.
We are going back there tomorrow. And if any of you ever find yourselves in Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai, find Sang Jan Moo Joom restaurant and have the pork soup and lemongrass salad (which came with a bunch of fried prawns as well). It's to die for. Sometimes, the best things are those that you just happen across.
Tomorrow, a motorbike adventure to see an elephant camp and a huge botanical garden, and maybe some other stuff. Then, back to this same place for dinner. Yum city!
--Janine
Monday, November 5, 2007
Slumming it (Not!)
Monday, November 5
Ahhhhhh, what a great place this is. I have to admit that the fluffy towels, pristinely clean sheets, and abundance of pillows are so greatly appreciated. It's nice to be clean again, after three weeks.
So, today we grabbed a couple of mountain bikes from in front of the hotel and rode out to see an incredibly beautiful orchid farm. It's so hard to keep one orchid thriving (let alone flowering) back home, and here there were thousands of them. Spectacular. I think I took a hundred pictures. Speaking of pictures, I decided to spend an extra day in Chiang Mai, in order to get into the photo class that I want to take (the guy was booked up through Thursday). Then, it'll be the overnight train (12 hours) from here to Bangkok, getting in on Saturday morning. There will still be time to see my friend, Nils, in Bangkok, then out on Sunday morning for home.
The weather up here in the hills is so much different from what I've experienced over the last three weeks - it's cool and misty in the morning, never gets too hot during the day, and then rains a little each evening. At dinner, the electricity kicked off, which means we were limited in food selections, but the cook still managed to whip up some really good pad thai for me, and I was happy as a clam. I wonder how cold San Francisco will seem, after a month in heat and then thinking that this 75-80 degree climate is "cool?"
On the way back from the bike ride, just inside the gates of the resort, I came upon a couple of oxen staked at the side of the road, grazing (very common here). I took a picture of them, and didn't realize until I was looking through my photos this evening that even the oxen are fatter here. Chiang Mai is kind of a "health spa" type of town, on the outskirts were we are (Mae Rim, it's called), and the extra income base shows.
That's about it - tomorrow, I have the day to myself, and plan to nap, read, walk around the grounds here, and have a sea salt body scrub. It's a rough life, but someone's gotta do it.
Cheers!
Janine
Ahhhhhh, what a great place this is. I have to admit that the fluffy towels, pristinely clean sheets, and abundance of pillows are so greatly appreciated. It's nice to be clean again, after three weeks.
So, today we grabbed a couple of mountain bikes from in front of the hotel and rode out to see an incredibly beautiful orchid farm. It's so hard to keep one orchid thriving (let alone flowering) back home, and here there were thousands of them. Spectacular. I think I took a hundred pictures. Speaking of pictures, I decided to spend an extra day in Chiang Mai, in order to get into the photo class that I want to take (the guy was booked up through Thursday). Then, it'll be the overnight train (12 hours) from here to Bangkok, getting in on Saturday morning. There will still be time to see my friend, Nils, in Bangkok, then out on Sunday morning for home.
The weather up here in the hills is so much different from what I've experienced over the last three weeks - it's cool and misty in the morning, never gets too hot during the day, and then rains a little each evening. At dinner, the electricity kicked off, which means we were limited in food selections, but the cook still managed to whip up some really good pad thai for me, and I was happy as a clam. I wonder how cold San Francisco will seem, after a month in heat and then thinking that this 75-80 degree climate is "cool?"
On the way back from the bike ride, just inside the gates of the resort, I came upon a couple of oxen staked at the side of the road, grazing (very common here). I took a picture of them, and didn't realize until I was looking through my photos this evening that even the oxen are fatter here. Chiang Mai is kind of a "health spa" type of town, on the outskirts were we are (Mae Rim, it's called), and the extra income base shows.
That's about it - tomorrow, I have the day to myself, and plan to nap, read, walk around the grounds here, and have a sea salt body scrub. It's a rough life, but someone's gotta do it.
Cheers!
Janine
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Another Day in Paradise
Sunday, November 4
So, we traveled today from Vientiane, through Luang Prabong (also in Laos), and to Chiang Mai in Thailand. There was a delay when the luggage-tag printer at the Vientiane airport jammed, causing a 35-minute wait for everyone while they waited to print my luggage tags. Small airport - one gate.
At Luang Prabong, I ran into a stupid glitch with the money exchange guy, who basically tried to do the math in his head and was too lame to be able to change my money. For some reason, even though I've been incredibly even-tempered all this trip (which hasn't been easy, at times, with Val, let me tell you), I decided to stand my ground. The following ensued:
Money Changer: This is 7 dollars. I don't have anything under 10. I can't help you.
Janine: That's more than 7 dollars, and I have some small US dollars, so we can work it out.
MC: But this is only 6 dollars. I cannot help you.
Janine: That is 85,000 KIP. What is the exchange rate?
MC: It is 9700. That is only 7 dollars. I can't help you.
Janine: I believe that it's more than 7 dollars; do you have a calculator?
MC: Yes
Janine: Well, can I see it?
MC (holding up calculator): See?
Janine: How about we USE it?
MC: I cannot help you.
Janine. Give me that thing. Look, 85,000 KIP divided by 9700, comes out to...almost 9 dollars. MC: Go buy something with KIP. I don't have less than 10.
Janine: I don't want to buy something. That's why I came to this booth marked "exchange." Look, I'll give you two American dollars, you can keep the 71 cents, give me a ten.
MC (glaring at me and handing me a 10-dollar bill): -------- [total silence]
Janine: Cool! Thanks! Here's your calculator back. (huge smile of sweetness)
Turns out he did the "math" for Val's exchange in his head as well, and gave him back 6 dollars too much. Hah.
Anyway, we got into Chiang Mai with no place to go, but I had done some research and had a place in mind. After much verbal wrestling, some interesting conversation, and me coming about as close to homicide as I have come so far this trip with Val, I chose the place (the one I wanted all along) and here we are. It's beautiful - acres of garden, natural lake, huge apartment, loads of clean towels, extra pillows... I am in heaven.
I am now looking into taking a one-day photography class/safari locally with a photographer who works out of this district - that would be a great capper to a great trip.
I hope everyone is happy and healthy!
--Janine
So, we traveled today from Vientiane, through Luang Prabong (also in Laos), and to Chiang Mai in Thailand. There was a delay when the luggage-tag printer at the Vientiane airport jammed, causing a 35-minute wait for everyone while they waited to print my luggage tags. Small airport - one gate.
At Luang Prabong, I ran into a stupid glitch with the money exchange guy, who basically tried to do the math in his head and was too lame to be able to change my money. For some reason, even though I've been incredibly even-tempered all this trip (which hasn't been easy, at times, with Val, let me tell you), I decided to stand my ground. The following ensued:
Money Changer: This is 7 dollars. I don't have anything under 10. I can't help you.
Janine: That's more than 7 dollars, and I have some small US dollars, so we can work it out.
MC: But this is only 6 dollars. I cannot help you.
Janine: That is 85,000 KIP. What is the exchange rate?
MC: It is 9700. That is only 7 dollars. I can't help you.
Janine: I believe that it's more than 7 dollars; do you have a calculator?
MC: Yes
Janine: Well, can I see it?
MC (holding up calculator): See?
Janine: How about we USE it?
MC: I cannot help you.
Janine. Give me that thing. Look, 85,000 KIP divided by 9700, comes out to...almost 9 dollars. MC: Go buy something with KIP. I don't have less than 10.
Janine: I don't want to buy something. That's why I came to this booth marked "exchange." Look, I'll give you two American dollars, you can keep the 71 cents, give me a ten.
MC (glaring at me and handing me a 10-dollar bill): -------- [total silence]
Janine: Cool! Thanks! Here's your calculator back. (huge smile of sweetness)
Turns out he did the "math" for Val's exchange in his head as well, and gave him back 6 dollars too much. Hah.
Anyway, we got into Chiang Mai with no place to go, but I had done some research and had a place in mind. After much verbal wrestling, some interesting conversation, and me coming about as close to homicide as I have come so far this trip with Val, I chose the place (the one I wanted all along) and here we are. It's beautiful - acres of garden, natural lake, huge apartment, loads of clean towels, extra pillows... I am in heaven.
I am now looking into taking a one-day photography class/safari locally with a photographer who works out of this district - that would be a great capper to a great trip.
I hope everyone is happy and healthy!
--Janine
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Last Day in Vientiane
Saturday, November 3
It's hard to believe this has been my last full day in Vientiane. Tomorrow morning, I am off to Chiang Mai in the northern part of Thailand. I am SO glad that we decided to make a detour into Laos - it has definitely been my favorite stop so far.
Today was spent tooling around on the motorbike checking out different places and buying a few souvenirs. But the highlight of the day was a trip to Papaya Spa for a 3 1/2-hour extravaganza of pampering. For $30, I had a one-hour papaya body scrub, 90-minute massage, and 1-hour facial. I could really get used to this.
As I was undressing for the body scrub, the scrubber came in and handed me something. Ah, I thought, how nice. She gave me a throw-away shower cap, so my hair wouldn't get all gooped up with papaya scrub. Wait a second, this thing had holes in it. Hey, I thought, I got a defective one. Hmmm...at closer look, it turns out she had given me a pair if disposable underwear. I had a good chuckle to myself, wondering what she would have said if she'd come back into the room to find me there with nothing on but a pair of disposable panties on my head! Gadzooks.
Anyway, the scrub was ok, but the massage was great (although I fell asleep three times during it all, and I may have been snoring one of those times, given the look on her face when I looked up). The facial, though, was beyond compare. Now I am feeling like a rubber chicken, totally zapped and ready to hit the sack. But first, I have to try to pack up all my souvenirs and shove them into the available space I have. Hmmm.
New great food: deep-fried sticky rice. Hey, don't knock it til you've tried it - it was great!
I can't believe I've been gone three weeks already. I wondered today whether I'll even remember anything I was working on, when I get back to work in a week and a half. Heck, I won't have to remember anything for a couple days - it'll probably take me 10 hours to wade though my email. Ah well, no sense worrying about it now; I have another week to go, and lots still to see and do.
Be well,
Janine
It's hard to believe this has been my last full day in Vientiane. Tomorrow morning, I am off to Chiang Mai in the northern part of Thailand. I am SO glad that we decided to make a detour into Laos - it has definitely been my favorite stop so far.
Today was spent tooling around on the motorbike checking out different places and buying a few souvenirs. But the highlight of the day was a trip to Papaya Spa for a 3 1/2-hour extravaganza of pampering. For $30, I had a one-hour papaya body scrub, 90-minute massage, and 1-hour facial. I could really get used to this.
As I was undressing for the body scrub, the scrubber came in and handed me something. Ah, I thought, how nice. She gave me a throw-away shower cap, so my hair wouldn't get all gooped up with papaya scrub. Wait a second, this thing had holes in it. Hey, I thought, I got a defective one. Hmmm...at closer look, it turns out she had given me a pair if disposable underwear. I had a good chuckle to myself, wondering what she would have said if she'd come back into the room to find me there with nothing on but a pair of disposable panties on my head! Gadzooks.
Anyway, the scrub was ok, but the massage was great (although I fell asleep three times during it all, and I may have been snoring one of those times, given the look on her face when I looked up). The facial, though, was beyond compare. Now I am feeling like a rubber chicken, totally zapped and ready to hit the sack. But first, I have to try to pack up all my souvenirs and shove them into the available space I have. Hmmm.
New great food: deep-fried sticky rice. Hey, don't knock it til you've tried it - it was great!
I can't believe I've been gone three weeks already. I wondered today whether I'll even remember anything I was working on, when I get back to work in a week and a half. Heck, I won't have to remember anything for a couple days - it'll probably take me 10 hours to wade though my email. Ah well, no sense worrying about it now; I have another week to go, and lots still to see and do.
Be well,
Janine
I'd Dye for You
Friday, November 2
I spent today at Houey Hong women's training center for traditional Lao dyeing and weaving. What a blast it was! I dyed a silk scarf (sort of like tie-dyeing, but with all natural plant-based dyes) and then spent an afternoon on a loom weaving for four hours. Result: a piece of fabric the size of a dang potholder. I have a DEEP appreciation now for hand-woven fabric, which is plentiful here.
(Aside: as I sit typing this, there is a gecko squawking about a foot away from me - yes, they make chirping noises. I'm really going to miss that when I get home).
Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, weaving. There was one other woman in the morning dyeing class, but she left after lunch and so I was there, at the center, with about 30 young Lao women and nobody else. It was great, sitting there weaving and listening to them chatter and sing, but not understanding a word they were saying. They did come by once in a while and give me a thumb's-up sign to say I was doing fine.
In the morning, the other falang woman there told me that she is a textile designer from Australia. She certainly knew fabric and processes. We got to talking, and she began semi-lecturing me on the fact that she never bargains for room rates or cab rides, since she doesn't want to take any money away from the locals. Hmmm. OK. But she also told me about a place near our hotel that does weaving and sells finished goods. The owner is an American designer named Carol Cassidy. So, I went by there. To put things in perspective, I bought a table runner at the center where I took the class, and it was $20. The same thing at Carol Cassidy's shop was $75. Why? Because Carol pays the same slave wages as what the women at the center are charging, and pockets the rest. So, pay the cabbie the $10 he asks you to take you on a $2 cab ride, feel oh-so-righteous, and then give Carol Cassidy $75 to pay the weavers of the cloth $5. That Carol has a great racket going. I walked away from her shop without buying anything. If she thinks I'm going to line her pockets rather than support a good NGO, she can kiss my Italian arse. Not that I have an opinion.
But I digress...
For dinner, since I am finally feeling as though I once more have a human stomach, we went to Cote d'Azure, a great French place a few blocks from the hotel. I had a lovely cream of mushroom soup, beef burgonoine [sp], and some awesome concoction of meringue and grand marnier cream for dessert. Oh yes, and a glass of red wine (Mom, stop cringing - the wine was with the steak, not the cream stuff!) All for less than $15. Awesome.
This city is great!
I spent today at Houey Hong women's training center for traditional Lao dyeing and weaving. What a blast it was! I dyed a silk scarf (sort of like tie-dyeing, but with all natural plant-based dyes) and then spent an afternoon on a loom weaving for four hours. Result: a piece of fabric the size of a dang potholder. I have a DEEP appreciation now for hand-woven fabric, which is plentiful here.
(Aside: as I sit typing this, there is a gecko squawking about a foot away from me - yes, they make chirping noises. I'm really going to miss that when I get home).
Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, weaving. There was one other woman in the morning dyeing class, but she left after lunch and so I was there, at the center, with about 30 young Lao women and nobody else. It was great, sitting there weaving and listening to them chatter and sing, but not understanding a word they were saying. They did come by once in a while and give me a thumb's-up sign to say I was doing fine.
In the morning, the other falang woman there told me that she is a textile designer from Australia. She certainly knew fabric and processes. We got to talking, and she began semi-lecturing me on the fact that she never bargains for room rates or cab rides, since she doesn't want to take any money away from the locals. Hmmm. OK. But she also told me about a place near our hotel that does weaving and sells finished goods. The owner is an American designer named Carol Cassidy. So, I went by there. To put things in perspective, I bought a table runner at the center where I took the class, and it was $20. The same thing at Carol Cassidy's shop was $75. Why? Because Carol pays the same slave wages as what the women at the center are charging, and pockets the rest. So, pay the cabbie the $10 he asks you to take you on a $2 cab ride, feel oh-so-righteous, and then give Carol Cassidy $75 to pay the weavers of the cloth $5. That Carol has a great racket going. I walked away from her shop without buying anything. If she thinks I'm going to line her pockets rather than support a good NGO, she can kiss my Italian arse. Not that I have an opinion.
But I digress...
For dinner, since I am finally feeling as though I once more have a human stomach, we went to Cote d'Azure, a great French place a few blocks from the hotel. I had a lovely cream of mushroom soup, beef burgonoine [sp], and some awesome concoction of meringue and grand marnier cream for dessert. Oh yes, and a glass of red wine (Mom, stop cringing - the wine was with the steak, not the cream stuff!) All for less than $15. Awesome.
This city is great!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Vat's Up, Doc?
Thursday, November 1
Today we pretty well saw all of the "official" tourist sites in Vientiane, including a host of vats (that's pronounced wat, by the way). It still astounds me that people in all of these countries, no matter how poor, spend so much money for garishly ostentatious temples. Still, they're fun to visit, and each one is different from the others in some small way.
We also went to a wat where there is a sauna and massage for a grand total of $4. We couldn't find the place, but stopped to ask for directions and some incredibly nice guy got on his motorbike and gave us an escort there!!
Never having been in a sauna before, it was a new experience for me. Imagine stripping down to a sheet of cloth wrapped around you, then stepping through a wooden door into a stem-filled room where visibility is zero. You grope your way to a bench, and then sit down to realize that there are two big holes in the floor of this raised building, with steam coming through the holes from open wood fires and vats (not to be confused with vats) of herb-infused water below. Within 2 minutes, I was wondering if I was going to faint. But oh, between the wood smoke and the herbs, the smell was heavenly. I braved it for about 10 minutes before bailing out. Then, a cup of herbal tea and a one-hour massage high up in this stilted building, overlooking dense growth. In the middle of it all, rain began pouring down, and the whole thing was heavenly. I have gotten used to getting massages in cheap places where who-knows-what (who-knows-vat?) has been lying on that table before me. In this case, it was just a mattress with another piece of cloth on it. Ah well, who cares. I'm not sure I'll be able to get used to clean sheets and fresh towels when I get home! (Speaking of clean sheets, Jacqueline, they're in the blanket chest under my window, if you stay at Hotel Janine this weekend).
The rain was soothing to listen to during the massage, but then we had to deal with the fact that we were on a motorbike and 2 inches of rain had just fallen. Hmmm.... It took us almost 30 minutes to get back to the hotel, but I noticed on the way that we passed the same place three or four times. After returning to the hotel, I looked in the Lonely Planet book and realized we had only been about 2 miles away! Needless to say, Val was cranky at getting lost over and over. Hilarious.
Friday, I am off to a one-day textile class. more on that later....
--Janine
Today we pretty well saw all of the "official" tourist sites in Vientiane, including a host of vats (that's pronounced wat, by the way). It still astounds me that people in all of these countries, no matter how poor, spend so much money for garishly ostentatious temples. Still, they're fun to visit, and each one is different from the others in some small way.
We also went to a wat where there is a sauna and massage for a grand total of $4. We couldn't find the place, but stopped to ask for directions and some incredibly nice guy got on his motorbike and gave us an escort there!!
Never having been in a sauna before, it was a new experience for me. Imagine stripping down to a sheet of cloth wrapped around you, then stepping through a wooden door into a stem-filled room where visibility is zero. You grope your way to a bench, and then sit down to realize that there are two big holes in the floor of this raised building, with steam coming through the holes from open wood fires and vats (not to be confused with vats) of herb-infused water below. Within 2 minutes, I was wondering if I was going to faint. But oh, between the wood smoke and the herbs, the smell was heavenly. I braved it for about 10 minutes before bailing out. Then, a cup of herbal tea and a one-hour massage high up in this stilted building, overlooking dense growth. In the middle of it all, rain began pouring down, and the whole thing was heavenly. I have gotten used to getting massages in cheap places where who-knows-what (who-knows-vat?) has been lying on that table before me. In this case, it was just a mattress with another piece of cloth on it. Ah well, who cares. I'm not sure I'll be able to get used to clean sheets and fresh towels when I get home! (Speaking of clean sheets, Jacqueline, they're in the blanket chest under my window, if you stay at Hotel Janine this weekend).
The rain was soothing to listen to during the massage, but then we had to deal with the fact that we were on a motorbike and 2 inches of rain had just fallen. Hmmm.... It took us almost 30 minutes to get back to the hotel, but I noticed on the way that we passed the same place three or four times. After returning to the hotel, I looked in the Lonely Planet book and realized we had only been about 2 miles away! Needless to say, Val was cranky at getting lost over and over. Hilarious.
Friday, I am off to a one-day textile class. more on that later....
--Janine
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Welcome to Laos
Wednesday, October 31
Ahhhhhhhh...peace. I fell in love with Laos before we even landed. There are hills here, and trees, and it's not nearly so hot as it has been everywhere else so far. Even better, no horns honking continuously! In Cambodia and Vietnam, honking a horn seems to say, "I'm coming up behind you..." so, as you could imagine, people are pretty much on their horns the entire time they are driving.
Here, silence. As my friend Craig would say, silence good. And yes, Craig, it's been blissful to be three weeks without a phone, I have to admit.
Before going into Laos and its beauty, let me say that I had the best airline food I've ever had, a full meal, on a Vietnam Airlines flight here. This is even more astounding given the fact that the flight was only 1 1/2 hours! US-run airlines could take a lesson; of course, you might say it's due to the fact that it's government-subsidized, but with all the bailouts that have happened, so are most US airlines these days (think about it).
Anyway, thanks to Cipro and a couple days of eating almost nothing, I am back to good health and enjoying food again. We found a hotel with a clean-enough room, A/C, and free breakfast for $20 per night. Can't beat that. Two storefronts down is a Lao restaurant that filled up so fast after 7 pm that people were waiting for tables. The food was great, especially some deep-fried ribs (yeah, I know, doesn't sound all that healthy, but right now anything that doesn't make me sick is great!). Them I slept from 10 pm til 10 am this morning. Missed my free breakfast, but oh well. After stopping into a pharmacy and picking up some more Cipro just in case I need it again ($1.50 for ten pills, probably 2% of what it would cost in the states), we met up with a family wandering about who happened to be Laotian, but now live in Redwood City. Great people, and good advice. The mom kept telling me not to eat any raw vegetables or any papaya at all; I found it interesting that she is more careful about the food here than even I have been, but I bet she knows. She said that in 1998, before there was readily-available bottled water, she came here to visit her family and got sick for 6 months. Yikes.
Val, of course, eats everything with no caution whatsoever and never flinches. Perhaps I am just a wimp...
Anyway, so far the city seems wonderful, it's drizzly and about 75 degrees, and I am going to pop into a tourism office here sometime this afternoon to see if there's a bus tour that will take me for a day to a national preserve about an hour from here, where there are still elephants roaming free. Sounds like good photo opps.
Also nearby is a cooperative for women's crafts and weaving, promoting local crafts and supporting local women, mostly widows. They offer a one-day class in weaving, where you get to take home the fruits of your labor. For an extra dollar, they'll even come and collect me from my hotel. Good deal. I'll probably, in a day, make something like a potholder, but it'll be fun.
I have noticed that the women here are much more formally dressed than in other places so far. The teen aged girls are in jeans and tops, but the women almost exclusively are in these gorgeous sarongs with silk blouses. Rumor has it that, if you even attempt to go into a government office without being "properly dressed," you will be denied access.
So, I am off to see more of this small city. Five days here, so there is plenty of time to do very little - lots of relaxing ahead of me.
Police here have AK47s in hand - would be intimidating, expect for the fatc that every one of them has a huge smile so far. In fact, people keep walking by me on the street, saying, "Sa bai dee!" (hello) with a huge grin.
And now, a quick comment for my wonderful sociologically-curious daughter. Even in this small (250,000) city, there is a huge mall, lots of cell phone shops, etc. But I also see lots of families going out together, from grandparents down to babies. So, yes, the Western world has invaded somewhat, but the family unit seems to so far be intact, as does a sense of formality.
Kohb chai for reading. --Janine
Ahhhhhhhh...peace. I fell in love with Laos before we even landed. There are hills here, and trees, and it's not nearly so hot as it has been everywhere else so far. Even better, no horns honking continuously! In Cambodia and Vietnam, honking a horn seems to say, "I'm coming up behind you..." so, as you could imagine, people are pretty much on their horns the entire time they are driving.
Here, silence. As my friend Craig would say, silence good. And yes, Craig, it's been blissful to be three weeks without a phone, I have to admit.
Before going into Laos and its beauty, let me say that I had the best airline food I've ever had, a full meal, on a Vietnam Airlines flight here. This is even more astounding given the fact that the flight was only 1 1/2 hours! US-run airlines could take a lesson; of course, you might say it's due to the fact that it's government-subsidized, but with all the bailouts that have happened, so are most US airlines these days (think about it).
Anyway, thanks to Cipro and a couple days of eating almost nothing, I am back to good health and enjoying food again. We found a hotel with a clean-enough room, A/C, and free breakfast for $20 per night. Can't beat that. Two storefronts down is a Lao restaurant that filled up so fast after 7 pm that people were waiting for tables. The food was great, especially some deep-fried ribs (yeah, I know, doesn't sound all that healthy, but right now anything that doesn't make me sick is great!). Them I slept from 10 pm til 10 am this morning. Missed my free breakfast, but oh well. After stopping into a pharmacy and picking up some more Cipro just in case I need it again ($1.50 for ten pills, probably 2% of what it would cost in the states), we met up with a family wandering about who happened to be Laotian, but now live in Redwood City. Great people, and good advice. The mom kept telling me not to eat any raw vegetables or any papaya at all; I found it interesting that she is more careful about the food here than even I have been, but I bet she knows. She said that in 1998, before there was readily-available bottled water, she came here to visit her family and got sick for 6 months. Yikes.
Val, of course, eats everything with no caution whatsoever and never flinches. Perhaps I am just a wimp...
Anyway, so far the city seems wonderful, it's drizzly and about 75 degrees, and I am going to pop into a tourism office here sometime this afternoon to see if there's a bus tour that will take me for a day to a national preserve about an hour from here, where there are still elephants roaming free. Sounds like good photo opps.
Also nearby is a cooperative for women's crafts and weaving, promoting local crafts and supporting local women, mostly widows. They offer a one-day class in weaving, where you get to take home the fruits of your labor. For an extra dollar, they'll even come and collect me from my hotel. Good deal. I'll probably, in a day, make something like a potholder, but it'll be fun.
I have noticed that the women here are much more formally dressed than in other places so far. The teen aged girls are in jeans and tops, but the women almost exclusively are in these gorgeous sarongs with silk blouses. Rumor has it that, if you even attempt to go into a government office without being "properly dressed," you will be denied access.
So, I am off to see more of this small city. Five days here, so there is plenty of time to do very little - lots of relaxing ahead of me.
Police here have AK47s in hand - would be intimidating, expect for the fatc that every one of them has a huge smile so far. In fact, people keep walking by me on the street, saying, "Sa bai dee!" (hello) with a huge grin.
And now, a quick comment for my wonderful sociologically-curious daughter. Even in this small (250,000) city, there is a huge mall, lots of cell phone shops, etc. But I also see lots of families going out together, from grandparents down to babies. So, yes, the Western world has invaded somewhat, but the family unit seems to so far be intact, as does a sense of formality.
Kohb chai for reading. --Janine
Monday, October 29, 2007
Bacteria
Well, it had to happen eventually...I realized this morning (when I looked at food and suddenly wanted to hurl) that my stomach issues have progressed well into the realm of something worse than usual. So, I spent the day in the hotel with a bottle of 7-up and some Cipro tablets.
I did venture out for a few minutes to check out some stuff I was thinking of buying before taking off tomorrow for Laos. While out, I saw my "funniest sight of the day" - a local girl wearing a t-shirt that had a huge shamrock on it and said, "Kiss Me - I'm Irish!"
Anyway, I am feeling much more human tonight, ready to fly out tomorrow afternoon. Yay for modern medicine!!
I did venture out for a few minutes to check out some stuff I was thinking of buying before taking off tomorrow for Laos. While out, I saw my "funniest sight of the day" - a local girl wearing a t-shirt that had a huge shamrock on it and said, "Kiss Me - I'm Irish!"
Anyway, I am feeling much more human tonight, ready to fly out tomorrow afternoon. Yay for modern medicine!!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
When it Rains.....
Wow. So, today we went on a trip up the Mekong Delta, through some little villages, and I was overjoyed to see just how those sheets of rice paper are made that I use to make spring rolls. Sounds silly, but as I watched them grind rice, mash it into a liquidy starch, then make thin rice "pancakes" and set them out to dry, I said, "Oh, wow! They're making spring roll wraps!" Yeppers, that's what it was. All that labor...I'll appreciate my spring rolls even more when I get home.
While out trekking around the Mekong, it rained. Well, rain is an understatement. Monsoon is almost an understatement, I'm lucky, because this is the first real rain I've seen in two weeks. Within about 10 minutes, paths were muddy rivers, everything was drenched, all of us were soaked, and the locals just went about their business as though nothing was happening. This isn't the kind of rain we get in California; I've even been in huge downpours in Dallas and they were nothing like this.
I also discovered coconut caramel candy, which we watched being made as well. It's delicious, addictive, and probably very dangerous, since I seem to have purchased a large quantity of it. Perhaps a few pieces will make it back to the states (perhaps not).
Another first yesterday: the power went out at around 8:30 pm. And stayed out til almost 8 am this morning. Now, that doesn't sound too bad, but in a place where the LOW temp is often hovering around 80, with seriously high humidity, A/C is a necessity for us wimpy Americans. It was a long, sweltering night. Made me miss San Francisco.
I am off to spend my last day in HCMC - tomorrow, I'm off to Vientiane, Laos, where the population is about 2% of what it is here.
I hope all of you are doing well. See you soon. --Janine
While out trekking around the Mekong, it rained. Well, rain is an understatement. Monsoon is almost an understatement, I'm lucky, because this is the first real rain I've seen in two weeks. Within about 10 minutes, paths were muddy rivers, everything was drenched, all of us were soaked, and the locals just went about their business as though nothing was happening. This isn't the kind of rain we get in California; I've even been in huge downpours in Dallas and they were nothing like this.
I also discovered coconut caramel candy, which we watched being made as well. It's delicious, addictive, and probably very dangerous, since I seem to have purchased a large quantity of it. Perhaps a few pieces will make it back to the states (perhaps not).
Another first yesterday: the power went out at around 8:30 pm. And stayed out til almost 8 am this morning. Now, that doesn't sound too bad, but in a place where the LOW temp is often hovering around 80, with seriously high humidity, A/C is a necessity for us wimpy Americans. It was a long, sweltering night. Made me miss San Francisco.
I am off to spend my last day in HCMC - tomorrow, I'm off to Vientiane, Laos, where the population is about 2% of what it is here.
I hope all of you are doing well. See you soon. --Janine
Yakkety Yak
Saturday, October 27
Deciding to NOT go on a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels (I was tired, and also not thrilled with going into underground tunnels that are MUCH shorter than I am!), I spent a day just wandering around HCMC and relaxing. I got a haircut (yeah, yeah, my friends all said I'd break down and cut it, and the heat and humidity got to me!) for the equivalent of $3.50 US (including shampoo, blow dry the works), and also a manicure, pedicure, and facial.
Brian Johnson, stop laughing.
I decided to spent some quiet time sitting a park a couple blocks away - there are incredibly beautiful flowers here the likes of which I have never seen, and also tons of bouganvilla, which grows into trees here. But, to my surprise, there was not a lot of quiet time to be had. About 3 minutes after I sat on a bench, two young men approached me very politely and asked if they could talk to me. They are students at the international university here, and wanted to interview me for a school project on tourism. Sure, I said. They talked to me for about 15 minutes (recorded it, so they could go back to parts they may not have completely understood), took my picture, and went on their way. Within another couple minutes, a bunch of kids came up and talked to me for a bit. Nobody was asking for anything; they just thought it interesting to see me in their park, doing nothing. Anyway, to make a long story short, after a number of conversations and an hour of elapsed time, I wandered back to the block near my hotel to do some shopping.
It was good to spend a day doing nothing in particular.
One interesting thing: people here want to know my feelings and thoughts about their country, but ask them and they clam right up. I asked a couple people what their impression was about how easy or difficult it was for a Vietnamese national to get a visa to exit the country, and the response was always the same: "I don't know about that, I have never tried it before. Maybe you could ask a government official." Hmmmm. I have to wonder whether they all were truly ignorant on the subject, or if they just don't talk about leaving at all. On the other hand, people here continue to be better-fed, happier, and much more healthy looking than the people in Cambodia. One more bit of evidence that the country is in better shape: I've seen people here with prosthetic limbs, whereas in Cambodia all of the mine victime I saw simply were missing limbs, even in the largest city.
This country was among the 20 poorest nations in the world about 20 years ago, and still has a way to go, but they are definitely making strides.
Deciding to NOT go on a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels (I was tired, and also not thrilled with going into underground tunnels that are MUCH shorter than I am!), I spent a day just wandering around HCMC and relaxing. I got a haircut (yeah, yeah, my friends all said I'd break down and cut it, and the heat and humidity got to me!) for the equivalent of $3.50 US (including shampoo, blow dry the works), and also a manicure, pedicure, and facial.
Brian Johnson, stop laughing.
I decided to spent some quiet time sitting a park a couple blocks away - there are incredibly beautiful flowers here the likes of which I have never seen, and also tons of bouganvilla, which grows into trees here. But, to my surprise, there was not a lot of quiet time to be had. About 3 minutes after I sat on a bench, two young men approached me very politely and asked if they could talk to me. They are students at the international university here, and wanted to interview me for a school project on tourism. Sure, I said. They talked to me for about 15 minutes (recorded it, so they could go back to parts they may not have completely understood), took my picture, and went on their way. Within another couple minutes, a bunch of kids came up and talked to me for a bit. Nobody was asking for anything; they just thought it interesting to see me in their park, doing nothing. Anyway, to make a long story short, after a number of conversations and an hour of elapsed time, I wandered back to the block near my hotel to do some shopping.
It was good to spend a day doing nothing in particular.
One interesting thing: people here want to know my feelings and thoughts about their country, but ask them and they clam right up. I asked a couple people what their impression was about how easy or difficult it was for a Vietnamese national to get a visa to exit the country, and the response was always the same: "I don't know about that, I have never tried it before. Maybe you could ask a government official." Hmmmm. I have to wonder whether they all were truly ignorant on the subject, or if they just don't talk about leaving at all. On the other hand, people here continue to be better-fed, happier, and much more healthy looking than the people in Cambodia. One more bit of evidence that the country is in better shape: I've seen people here with prosthetic limbs, whereas in Cambodia all of the mine victime I saw simply were missing limbs, even in the largest city.
This country was among the 20 poorest nations in the world about 20 years ago, and still has a way to go, but they are definitely making strides.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Massage Envy
Friday night, October 26
Just a quick addendum, since Sara seems to be keeping track....just had another great massage. Does that make 7 now, or 8? :-)
Just a quick addendum, since Sara seems to be keeping track....just had another great massage. Does that make 7 now, or 8? :-)
Filial Piety
So, as we were waiting at the Laotian Consulate today for our Laos visas (heck, already here, why not see yet another country?), I was reading the Viet Nam News (there's an English version), and it fit in so well with yesterday's blog that I thought I'd share it.
Apparently, the Vietnamese government is afraid that, with all the western influences going on, their children will also absorb the western "selfish" attitude of kids. I have to say I think it's a valid fear. I adore my kids and I think they are wonderful, but in general I think American kids are selfish, snotty brats who have no idea what hard work is like and who expect to be waited on and entertained every waking second. Baseball teams, karate lessons, piano, dancing, girl scouts, mom take me here, dad pay for this. It's ridiculous.
Anyway, this article was focusing on one particular Viet girl who has retained her "filial piety" even in the face of westernization. She is 15 years old, gets up at 3:30 am every day to help her mother make soup, sells the soup on her way to school, then goes to school all day, comes home and does housework, helps her younger sister with her homework, and still maintains a near-perfect grade average. She and a host of other teens were being honored by the government for still holding their families in high regard and being good kids; in fact, they were being given scholarships. This girl only goes to a good school because she earns this scholarship year after year.
What a concept! Give kids money for schooling only if they do well in school AND honor their parents and extended families.
In other news, I've learned that metered cabs are NOT the way to go. I caught a guy today going way out of the way because he would make more money on his meter. It's the one time I have gotten perturbed, and I let him know it. He tried to tell me that every street was one way, so he had to turn left, go 3/4 of a mile in the wrong direction, and do the same over and over in order to get me to the Lao embassy, which was about five blocks from the hotel. I showed him the map, and our route, which I had been religiously following from the back seat, and he caved. No more meters.
We spent the afternoon being ridden around in cyclos, which are like bicycle rickshaws. We took the drivers to lunch, which I think shocked the living daylights out of them. I had GREAT pho bac (which is a beef noodle soup kind of thing). Yum city.
We also went to a bunch of museums, etc today, including the Museum of War Artifacts (formerly named the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes, but renamed recently to avoid insulting tourists). They should have kept the original name - it was true. What we did in this country, from Agent Orange to napalm to nail bombs to god knows what else, was tragic. Yes, I know, war is always ugly, but it wasn't our dang business in the first place. We were trying to keep the country from becoming communist. SO we lose tens of thousands of good American soldiers and now what? The country is communist. We'll never learn...
All in all, though, these are the friendliest people so far. Even in exchanges with each other, there's constant laughter, much good-natured joking, and just a friendly attitude. If the city weren't dismally polluted (air-wise), I'd love to stay here for a long time. But, Laos awaits. Before leaving though, I am going to spend a day wandering around HCMC doing some shopping, and then a day up the Mekong for a cruise of sorts. I am going back on my original vow to buy nothing while here, and I am getting a thing or two for my munchkins. Perhaps, if they show some proper respect, they'll get the gifts when I get back to the states. :-)
OK, go call your parents, or grandparents, and tell them Janine told you to do it. HURRAH for filial piety!!!
--Janine
Apparently, the Vietnamese government is afraid that, with all the western influences going on, their children will also absorb the western "selfish" attitude of kids. I have to say I think it's a valid fear. I adore my kids and I think they are wonderful, but in general I think American kids are selfish, snotty brats who have no idea what hard work is like and who expect to be waited on and entertained every waking second. Baseball teams, karate lessons, piano, dancing, girl scouts, mom take me here, dad pay for this. It's ridiculous.
Anyway, this article was focusing on one particular Viet girl who has retained her "filial piety" even in the face of westernization. She is 15 years old, gets up at 3:30 am every day to help her mother make soup, sells the soup on her way to school, then goes to school all day, comes home and does housework, helps her younger sister with her homework, and still maintains a near-perfect grade average. She and a host of other teens were being honored by the government for still holding their families in high regard and being good kids; in fact, they were being given scholarships. This girl only goes to a good school because she earns this scholarship year after year.
What a concept! Give kids money for schooling only if they do well in school AND honor their parents and extended families.
In other news, I've learned that metered cabs are NOT the way to go. I caught a guy today going way out of the way because he would make more money on his meter. It's the one time I have gotten perturbed, and I let him know it. He tried to tell me that every street was one way, so he had to turn left, go 3/4 of a mile in the wrong direction, and do the same over and over in order to get me to the Lao embassy, which was about five blocks from the hotel. I showed him the map, and our route, which I had been religiously following from the back seat, and he caved. No more meters.
We spent the afternoon being ridden around in cyclos, which are like bicycle rickshaws. We took the drivers to lunch, which I think shocked the living daylights out of them. I had GREAT pho bac (which is a beef noodle soup kind of thing). Yum city.
We also went to a bunch of museums, etc today, including the Museum of War Artifacts (formerly named the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes, but renamed recently to avoid insulting tourists). They should have kept the original name - it was true. What we did in this country, from Agent Orange to napalm to nail bombs to god knows what else, was tragic. Yes, I know, war is always ugly, but it wasn't our dang business in the first place. We were trying to keep the country from becoming communist. SO we lose tens of thousands of good American soldiers and now what? The country is communist. We'll never learn...
All in all, though, these are the friendliest people so far. Even in exchanges with each other, there's constant laughter, much good-natured joking, and just a friendly attitude. If the city weren't dismally polluted (air-wise), I'd love to stay here for a long time. But, Laos awaits. Before leaving though, I am going to spend a day wandering around HCMC doing some shopping, and then a day up the Mekong for a cruise of sorts. I am going back on my original vow to buy nothing while here, and I am getting a thing or two for my munchkins. Perhaps, if they show some proper respect, they'll get the gifts when I get back to the states. :-)
OK, go call your parents, or grandparents, and tell them Janine told you to do it. HURRAH for filial piety!!!
--Janine
Thursday, October 25, 2007
East Meets West
Thursday, October 25
Today was a day of travel, from Phnom Penh in Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. I'm glad the trip was by bus, because it was great to see the Cambodian countryside - it was MUCH greener and more lush than the cities (including surrounding countryside) that we have been to already. Oddly, the bus driver was more apt to slow down for cows int he road than for people - go figure. There was a moment of interest at the border, when the Cambodian officials challenged the exit of a middle-aged, paunchy caucasian guy traveling with five young Cambodian girls (not too young, but probably 18 - 20). Who knows what that story was. Eventually, they were allowed to exit Cambodia and had no issues getting entry into Vietnam.
HCMC is huge - millions of people, and (I didn't think it was possible!) even more traffic than Phnom Penh had. The hotel here is iffy, only because the A/C only stays on for 3 minutes at a time. The front desk assured me that it will be fixed in an hour, and if it's not I'm leaving and finding another hotel - there are about a hundred within spitting distance, after all.
Now, on to the subject of the day...my lovely daughter is now making blog requests, and her latest is on the topic of westernization. Well, Sara, here's what I can tell you.
In Phnom Penh, almost EVERY sign (stored, restaurants, even street signs and government signs) were in Cambodian AND in English. The air pollution was in credible, due in large part to thousands of motorcycles all using tons of cheap, watered-down gas bought in Thailand (taxes are less there) and brought over the border to sell. Most places, even street vendors, take (and prefer!) American dollars to the local currency, which is riel. In fact, many menus list prices in dollars first. Most restaurants have taken to offering "western" or "English" food, although it's often an interesting variation. But, I still am totally hooked on pancakes with honey now! Almost all cars are Toyota Camrys or Lexus SUVs (with a few Honda CRVs and some Mercedes thrown in for good measure). Half of the Toyotas are from Brit-influenced Thailand, so are right-hand drive, and half are from French-influenced Vietnam, and are left-hand drive. Those right-hand drive cars make driving a truly frightening adventure, when a driver is trying to peer around a car to see if he can pass, but the driver is on the right-hand side to has to pull WAY out to just peek! We learned early on to get around, where possible, by tuk-tuk instead.
But by FAR the biggest evidence of Westernization is the cell phone. Everyone has one. I mean everyone. And every other shop seems to sell them. It gets truly interesting when your taxi driver is on his cell phone, whilst trying to peer around traffic from his right-hand driver's seat. This is the stuff that horror films are made of!
Most people speak some smattering of English, although the most commonly known words are "sir" and "madam."
Our initial experience in HCMC wasn't the best...and I already miss the lazier life of Cambodia. We got off the bus to the standard huge wave of taxi drivers assaulting us, and made a deal with one of them to be a driver for two solid days, for $40 total. We EACH asked him to repeat it, and clearly there was an understanding, However, while we were checking into the hotel, he called his boss, who apparently said it was too little. So, the boss said it was $40 per PERSON for the two days. Oh come on, as if anyone charges per person for taxi rides! Needless to say, we told him bye-bye. It turned out to be a good decision, since there are many attractions to see here that are all within a mile or so of the hotel, and I could use a good walk or two.
Sara, you can add 1 to my massage count (I got another one yesterday). I think I'll most likely not get one today, until we figure out where a good, clean place is. Oh, how sad - a day without a massage! :-)
I am much looking forward to having real Vietnamese food here - spring rolls, pho bac, you name it. But for now, I need to go check on the A/C and see if we can move our room if it's not working properly.
For anyone still reading my verbose musings, I'd like to request any positive thoughts, prayers, etc. Two days ago, my father had to be admitted to an ER and then moved to a convalescent hospital for up to a couple months, trying to get some sort of medication balance that will alleviate his anger enough to make him able to move to the residential care facility that my mother had picked out and signed him up for. This transition is going to be a rough haul for my mother. It's necessary, but still tragic. My mother is an incredibly woman, and I love her more than I could ever say. I pray for her to find peace in this time.
Thanks, and be happy. --Janine
Today was a day of travel, from Phnom Penh in Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. I'm glad the trip was by bus, because it was great to see the Cambodian countryside - it was MUCH greener and more lush than the cities (including surrounding countryside) that we have been to already. Oddly, the bus driver was more apt to slow down for cows int he road than for people - go figure. There was a moment of interest at the border, when the Cambodian officials challenged the exit of a middle-aged, paunchy caucasian guy traveling with five young Cambodian girls (not too young, but probably 18 - 20). Who knows what that story was. Eventually, they were allowed to exit Cambodia and had no issues getting entry into Vietnam.
HCMC is huge - millions of people, and (I didn't think it was possible!) even more traffic than Phnom Penh had. The hotel here is iffy, only because the A/C only stays on for 3 minutes at a time. The front desk assured me that it will be fixed in an hour, and if it's not I'm leaving and finding another hotel - there are about a hundred within spitting distance, after all.
Now, on to the subject of the day...my lovely daughter is now making blog requests, and her latest is on the topic of westernization. Well, Sara, here's what I can tell you.
In Phnom Penh, almost EVERY sign (stored, restaurants, even street signs and government signs) were in Cambodian AND in English. The air pollution was in credible, due in large part to thousands of motorcycles all using tons of cheap, watered-down gas bought in Thailand (taxes are less there) and brought over the border to sell. Most places, even street vendors, take (and prefer!) American dollars to the local currency, which is riel. In fact, many menus list prices in dollars first. Most restaurants have taken to offering "western" or "English" food, although it's often an interesting variation. But, I still am totally hooked on pancakes with honey now! Almost all cars are Toyota Camrys or Lexus SUVs (with a few Honda CRVs and some Mercedes thrown in for good measure). Half of the Toyotas are from Brit-influenced Thailand, so are right-hand drive, and half are from French-influenced Vietnam, and are left-hand drive. Those right-hand drive cars make driving a truly frightening adventure, when a driver is trying to peer around a car to see if he can pass, but the driver is on the right-hand side to has to pull WAY out to just peek! We learned early on to get around, where possible, by tuk-tuk instead.
But by FAR the biggest evidence of Westernization is the cell phone. Everyone has one. I mean everyone. And every other shop seems to sell them. It gets truly interesting when your taxi driver is on his cell phone, whilst trying to peer around traffic from his right-hand driver's seat. This is the stuff that horror films are made of!
Most people speak some smattering of English, although the most commonly known words are "sir" and "madam."
Our initial experience in HCMC wasn't the best...and I already miss the lazier life of Cambodia. We got off the bus to the standard huge wave of taxi drivers assaulting us, and made a deal with one of them to be a driver for two solid days, for $40 total. We EACH asked him to repeat it, and clearly there was an understanding, However, while we were checking into the hotel, he called his boss, who apparently said it was too little. So, the boss said it was $40 per PERSON for the two days. Oh come on, as if anyone charges per person for taxi rides! Needless to say, we told him bye-bye. It turned out to be a good decision, since there are many attractions to see here that are all within a mile or so of the hotel, and I could use a good walk or two.
Sara, you can add 1 to my massage count (I got another one yesterday). I think I'll most likely not get one today, until we figure out where a good, clean place is. Oh, how sad - a day without a massage! :-)
I am much looking forward to having real Vietnamese food here - spring rolls, pho bac, you name it. But for now, I need to go check on the A/C and see if we can move our room if it's not working properly.
For anyone still reading my verbose musings, I'd like to request any positive thoughts, prayers, etc. Two days ago, my father had to be admitted to an ER and then moved to a convalescent hospital for up to a couple months, trying to get some sort of medication balance that will alleviate his anger enough to make him able to move to the residential care facility that my mother had picked out and signed him up for. This transition is going to be a rough haul for my mother. It's necessary, but still tragic. My mother is an incredibly woman, and I love her more than I could ever say. I pray for her to find peace in this time.
Thanks, and be happy. --Janine
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Of Monks and Men
Tuesday, October 23 (?)
Since my daughter seems to always leave me a comment, and was commenting on the issue of girls having no alternative place to study (boys can go study in the pagodas with the monks), I thought I'd cast a ray of sunlight on what could be a gloomy subject.
Today we visited a Wat in Phnom Penh. It houses 400 monks and 1000 people altogether, including students. We happened to pass a monk, and started talking to him. He was thrilled to explain anything we needed to know, and even took us into their temple there, turned on all the lights for us, and showed us around. I asked him about the issue of countryside girls having no schooling, as they were too far from city schools and could not study in the pagodas. Ahhh, he said, the monks were concerned about that, too. So, now they will (in the larger pagodas) allow the girls to stay in the house with female "lay persons" (cooks, cleaning staff, etc), and study with the boys. It's a small step, but a step in the right direction.
Interestingly, this young man told us that he hoped to someday go to the USA, because everyone there has a job and a home. We explained that even the USA has homeless people, and he was astounded. We also talked with him about the situation in Myanmar. He said that his feelings were hurt that the monks there were being imprisoned, and that his Wat was trying to send them supplies if possible. Never once did he express any animosity towards the Burmese government; it just isn't in his heart to do so. What an incredible religion that teaches (and PRACTICES!) the concept of harboring no hatred. Looking into history, it's clear that Buddhism is one religion that wars have not been fought over - no Spanish Inquisitions, no jihads, no constant conflict with people of other religions. Just a deep and abiding quest for peace and education and help for community. Thanks here to my sister-in-law, Janet, for suggesting a great book on Buddhism written by the Dalai Lama. Reading it along the way here has proven invaluable (and restful).
Along with the Wat, we saw the National Museum, monument to independence, and may tour the Grand Palace this afternoon. Meanwhile, I just got a one-hour foot massage. Heck, by the time I get home, I will have paid for my air ticket in massages alone! These things are amazing; walk all day in this heat, limp into a massage place, and come out an hour later ready to run a marathon. An hour of bliss, plus a head and neck massage, and a cup of tea while listening to relaxing music cost me $7 (I have learned that it's better to pay more for a very clean place, and avoid worry). The same place will do 2 hours of full body massage for 12 dollars. Hmmmm....I think I may have some free time tonight? Sara, are you keeping track of massages? I have lost count...
Nap time. It's rough life. :-)
Since my daughter seems to always leave me a comment, and was commenting on the issue of girls having no alternative place to study (boys can go study in the pagodas with the monks), I thought I'd cast a ray of sunlight on what could be a gloomy subject.
Today we visited a Wat in Phnom Penh. It houses 400 monks and 1000 people altogether, including students. We happened to pass a monk, and started talking to him. He was thrilled to explain anything we needed to know, and even took us into their temple there, turned on all the lights for us, and showed us around. I asked him about the issue of countryside girls having no schooling, as they were too far from city schools and could not study in the pagodas. Ahhh, he said, the monks were concerned about that, too. So, now they will (in the larger pagodas) allow the girls to stay in the house with female "lay persons" (cooks, cleaning staff, etc), and study with the boys. It's a small step, but a step in the right direction.
Interestingly, this young man told us that he hoped to someday go to the USA, because everyone there has a job and a home. We explained that even the USA has homeless people, and he was astounded. We also talked with him about the situation in Myanmar. He said that his feelings were hurt that the monks there were being imprisoned, and that his Wat was trying to send them supplies if possible. Never once did he express any animosity towards the Burmese government; it just isn't in his heart to do so. What an incredible religion that teaches (and PRACTICES!) the concept of harboring no hatred. Looking into history, it's clear that Buddhism is one religion that wars have not been fought over - no Spanish Inquisitions, no jihads, no constant conflict with people of other religions. Just a deep and abiding quest for peace and education and help for community. Thanks here to my sister-in-law, Janet, for suggesting a great book on Buddhism written by the Dalai Lama. Reading it along the way here has proven invaluable (and restful).
Along with the Wat, we saw the National Museum, monument to independence, and may tour the Grand Palace this afternoon. Meanwhile, I just got a one-hour foot massage. Heck, by the time I get home, I will have paid for my air ticket in massages alone! These things are amazing; walk all day in this heat, limp into a massage place, and come out an hour later ready to run a marathon. An hour of bliss, plus a head and neck massage, and a cup of tea while listening to relaxing music cost me $7 (I have learned that it's better to pay more for a very clean place, and avoid worry). The same place will do 2 hours of full body massage for 12 dollars. Hmmmm....I think I may have some free time tonight? Sara, are you keeping track of massages? I have lost count...
Nap time. It's rough life. :-)
Monday, October 22, 2007
You Ain't Seen Traffic Until.....
...until you see it in Phnom Penh
Monday, October somethingth
I like the fact that I have absolutely no clue what the date is.
Yesterday, our final day in Siem Reap, was spent relaxing, changing some money, relaxing some more, and then i got to spend a few hours last night just talking with Savong at the guest house. This was after we went to a bakery and bought about ten pounds of goodies (total: 3 dollars), then took it to the guest house and set it out on the tables in the common area. It was all gone in about 3 minutes. Again, so many people...so little food.
Went to get a manicure and pedicure. While there, I noticed an interesting hair treatment being done on a couple girls. After a while, i realized they were being treated for lice. Hmmmm...am I itchy yet?
I am going to miss geckoes on the walls, frogs on the floors, and bees the size of my fist (well, maybe not the bees). But we are now in Phnom Penh, after a five-hour boat ride down the Tonle Sap river. The guest house we are in is on the river itself, which means there is a nice breeze out on the balcony (and not too many bugs, since the breeze is fairly brisk). We have a driver hired for a couple days. This gentleman, Along, is well-spoken, has the best English of anyone I have met here so far. Over lunch, I asked him where he learned English, and he said a little here and there. I asked about his education, and he told me that he went to university, but before they started teaching English in the universities here. He has a master's degree in Khmer literature, and was an assistant professor at the university. But, he found that he could not support his family (wife and two kids) on his $20/month salary, so now he drives a tuk-tuk. He hustled us from the time we got off the boat, and finally we gave in because his English was great and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. It paid off for him - these next two days, he will earn what he would have made in two months as a professor. What a dismal shame. Until people really value teachers, education will not be taken seriously.
Anyway, I tried something new for lunch - chicken in coconut milk and lemongrass. The color was atrocious, but the taste was incredibly good. I am already paying a gastrointestinal price for all this new food, but hey, that's why God made immodium (which is dirt cheap at any pharmacy here). We were given some sort of sweet gelatin with some kind of sweet masa-like substance in it, wrapped in banana leaves, for dessert. Hey, as long as it isn't dog or spiders, I'm game. It was, as expected, fantastic.
But, on to the traffic. I cannot possibly describe it. At any one time, I can look up and see maybe 50 vehicles, ranging from bicycles to trucks, within 30 yards of us. Maybe even 30 feet. I was closing my eyes, to avoid the fear, but it is so fascinating that I have to open them. Total gridlock appears unavoidable, and then suddenly everyone weaves in and out of each other and keeps going, like a choreographed driving team. These kids put the blue angels to shame, let me tell you. I have pictures.
We did see one moto accident today, but it involved an American driving a rented motorcycle - there is no way any person who hasn't grown up driving in this mess could navigate it. Poor guy - he was dumping his bike and falling into the street just as we passed; I hope he is OK.
Saw the killing fields and a high school that was turned into a prison by the Khmer Rouge today. I'm glad we got the depressing stuff out of the way first. On a brighter note, the kids here actually make noise, and play, and always have a smile and a wave for you. They look so much healthier than the kids in Siem Reap did. I think they just eat better. I actually saw a couple of overweight people today (a first!). It's good to see.
OK, I am sitting on a barstool typing this (my hotel has unlimited internet access for customers!) and my back is getting sore, so I am going to scoot off to the room and have a shower now. then sit on the balcony and feel the breeze.
As always, life is good. I miss my friends and my family, but I wouldn't give this opportunity up for the world.
Tomorrow, perhaps I'll discuss that fact that boys with no money can study in Pagodas with the monks, but girls are out of luck. I'm sure my lovely daughter will have something to say about that.
Oh, and massages here are the cheapest yet - $1.25 per hour. BUT, I think I'll stick to the $5 variety - cleaner places, fewer lice.
Be happy! --Janine
Monday, October somethingth
I like the fact that I have absolutely no clue what the date is.
Yesterday, our final day in Siem Reap, was spent relaxing, changing some money, relaxing some more, and then i got to spend a few hours last night just talking with Savong at the guest house. This was after we went to a bakery and bought about ten pounds of goodies (total: 3 dollars), then took it to the guest house and set it out on the tables in the common area. It was all gone in about 3 minutes. Again, so many people...so little food.
Went to get a manicure and pedicure. While there, I noticed an interesting hair treatment being done on a couple girls. After a while, i realized they were being treated for lice. Hmmmm...am I itchy yet?
I am going to miss geckoes on the walls, frogs on the floors, and bees the size of my fist (well, maybe not the bees). But we are now in Phnom Penh, after a five-hour boat ride down the Tonle Sap river. The guest house we are in is on the river itself, which means there is a nice breeze out on the balcony (and not too many bugs, since the breeze is fairly brisk). We have a driver hired for a couple days. This gentleman, Along, is well-spoken, has the best English of anyone I have met here so far. Over lunch, I asked him where he learned English, and he said a little here and there. I asked about his education, and he told me that he went to university, but before they started teaching English in the universities here. He has a master's degree in Khmer literature, and was an assistant professor at the university. But, he found that he could not support his family (wife and two kids) on his $20/month salary, so now he drives a tuk-tuk. He hustled us from the time we got off the boat, and finally we gave in because his English was great and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. It paid off for him - these next two days, he will earn what he would have made in two months as a professor. What a dismal shame. Until people really value teachers, education will not be taken seriously.
Anyway, I tried something new for lunch - chicken in coconut milk and lemongrass. The color was atrocious, but the taste was incredibly good. I am already paying a gastrointestinal price for all this new food, but hey, that's why God made immodium (which is dirt cheap at any pharmacy here). We were given some sort of sweet gelatin with some kind of sweet masa-like substance in it, wrapped in banana leaves, for dessert. Hey, as long as it isn't dog or spiders, I'm game. It was, as expected, fantastic.
But, on to the traffic. I cannot possibly describe it. At any one time, I can look up and see maybe 50 vehicles, ranging from bicycles to trucks, within 30 yards of us. Maybe even 30 feet. I was closing my eyes, to avoid the fear, but it is so fascinating that I have to open them. Total gridlock appears unavoidable, and then suddenly everyone weaves in and out of each other and keeps going, like a choreographed driving team. These kids put the blue angels to shame, let me tell you. I have pictures.
We did see one moto accident today, but it involved an American driving a rented motorcycle - there is no way any person who hasn't grown up driving in this mess could navigate it. Poor guy - he was dumping his bike and falling into the street just as we passed; I hope he is OK.
Saw the killing fields and a high school that was turned into a prison by the Khmer Rouge today. I'm glad we got the depressing stuff out of the way first. On a brighter note, the kids here actually make noise, and play, and always have a smile and a wave for you. They look so much healthier than the kids in Siem Reap did. I think they just eat better. I actually saw a couple of overweight people today (a first!). It's good to see.
OK, I am sitting on a barstool typing this (my hotel has unlimited internet access for customers!) and my back is getting sore, so I am going to scoot off to the room and have a shower now. then sit on the balcony and feel the breeze.
As always, life is good. I miss my friends and my family, but I wouldn't give this opportunity up for the world.
Tomorrow, perhaps I'll discuss that fact that boys with no money can study in Pagodas with the monks, but girls are out of luck. I'm sure my lovely daughter will have something to say about that.
Oh, and massages here are the cheapest yet - $1.25 per hour. BUT, I think I'll stick to the $5 variety - cleaner places, fewer lice.
Be happy! --Janine
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Whatever Floats Your Boat
Saturday, October 20
Another longish day, which started for me at 4 am because I couldn't figure out an issue with the A/C and sleeping without it is impossible (unless you are Val, in which case sleep is possible anywhere, any time, in any position). At 7:15 or so, i wandered into the "courtyard"(and I use the term VERY liberally) of our guest house, where the staff were playing one of the first games of pool of their 100 or so daily games. To my surprise, one of the staff introduced me to our guide for the day. This was surprising mostly because I specifically told the manager yesterday that we did NOT need a guide today. Hmmmm. So, after much discussion, I said fine, he could work for us today, and we would wing it tomorrow. We planned the day, to go to Angkor Thom plus one other temple in the Angkor complex, and then to Tonle Sap (a floating fishing village maybe 15 km from Siem Reap).
Off we went at 8:00 am to Angkor Wat, and saw two more huge and interesting temples, one of which has been nearly destroyed by trees growing up, around, through, and out of it. There has been other destruction as well. Until recently, people would cut off chucks of temples and smuggle them into Thailand, where they brought a good sum of money. Now, police patrol every temple int he Angkor complex nightly. Sad, but true.
I have found that it's less expensive for me to just pay kids to take a picture of them, rather than buy whatever they are selling (and I have to carry less stuff around!) Of course, they are always surprised when i give them some money, take a picture, and given them back their trinkets. I'm sure they think I am one stupid sap. Possibly true, but a stupid sap with some cute pictures.
I learned today how this tourism industry has changed the country. People have more money than they used to (but still not enough), but they also have learned that the more they hassle people, the more money they make (evidenced by the guide today "showing up"even though I didn't need one). With anything good comes something bad. I wonder whether these people hate our guts because we come to their country, throw our money around, and invade their space. Still, it doesn't matter as much as I thought it would, because the guide told us that most Cambodians think ALL caucasian people are French (apparently, we all look alike). So, at least if they hate me, they think they are hating the French. No offense, Zeph. :-)
We went to Tonle Sap, which is a floating fishing village. We saw it by rented boat (another bunch of money to the boat driver). It occurred to me halfway through that I am getting used to the smells here. When I get back home, I wonder if I am going to just want to stay inside and sniff things all day and enjoy the lack of raw sewage. If my last post was asking you to hug your shower, I think this one should humbly request that you hug a plumber. Anyway, it amazes me how many adults exploit their kids by having them (on a school day) ride along on a fishing boat, begging tourists to buy sodas for a buck, or just to give them money. Ultimately, school will probably be more valuable, but I also understand that the more pressing immediate need for food has to take priority.
Oh yeah, and kids here do not wear diapers - most just hang around bottomless. I was holding Savong's baby yesterday for an hour or so, just waiting to be peed on, but nothing happened. Then, I realized that I had been watching this kid being held for a couple hours before that, and nothing happened then, either. It all came together, then - babies here are SO quiet, and I almost never hear or see them cry. I think they are just so seriously dehydrated that they don't cry, or pee, or care about much. Even the little kids who wave at me have a hollow look in their eyes. I wonder if drinking water is that precious? It's so sad that a baby under a year old would already be stoic and accepting of this life. It makes me want to cry.
Wow, I just realized this is getting depressing. I guess this has been a kind of downer day, just from the whole "if I make myself a total nuisance, then I can get $20 from you for being a guide"thing to the total poverty seen everywhere. Tomorrow will be a day to relax, maybe take some pictures of flowers, and rest up. Monday it's time to ride a boat down the river to Phnom Penh.
And oh yes, Sara, in case you are counting still, I intend to go get yet another massage tonight (my fourth). Heck, it's only 5 bucks here! Let's see, that will be four massages in 7 days, for a grand total of $35. How can I resist?
To end on an upbeat note: I have discovered fruit shakes - sort of like smoothies, but the fruit here is so fresh that they are incredible. Pineapple shake and rice for lunch, banana shake and noodles for dinner.... life is good.
Please be safe, my friends, and don't forget to hug a plumber today!
Another longish day, which started for me at 4 am because I couldn't figure out an issue with the A/C and sleeping without it is impossible (unless you are Val, in which case sleep is possible anywhere, any time, in any position). At 7:15 or so, i wandered into the "courtyard"(and I use the term VERY liberally) of our guest house, where the staff were playing one of the first games of pool of their 100 or so daily games. To my surprise, one of the staff introduced me to our guide for the day. This was surprising mostly because I specifically told the manager yesterday that we did NOT need a guide today. Hmmmm. So, after much discussion, I said fine, he could work for us today, and we would wing it tomorrow. We planned the day, to go to Angkor Thom plus one other temple in the Angkor complex, and then to Tonle Sap (a floating fishing village maybe 15 km from Siem Reap).
Off we went at 8:00 am to Angkor Wat, and saw two more huge and interesting temples, one of which has been nearly destroyed by trees growing up, around, through, and out of it. There has been other destruction as well. Until recently, people would cut off chucks of temples and smuggle them into Thailand, where they brought a good sum of money. Now, police patrol every temple int he Angkor complex nightly. Sad, but true.
I have found that it's less expensive for me to just pay kids to take a picture of them, rather than buy whatever they are selling (and I have to carry less stuff around!) Of course, they are always surprised when i give them some money, take a picture, and given them back their trinkets. I'm sure they think I am one stupid sap. Possibly true, but a stupid sap with some cute pictures.
I learned today how this tourism industry has changed the country. People have more money than they used to (but still not enough), but they also have learned that the more they hassle people, the more money they make (evidenced by the guide today "showing up"even though I didn't need one). With anything good comes something bad. I wonder whether these people hate our guts because we come to their country, throw our money around, and invade their space. Still, it doesn't matter as much as I thought it would, because the guide told us that most Cambodians think ALL caucasian people are French (apparently, we all look alike). So, at least if they hate me, they think they are hating the French. No offense, Zeph. :-)
We went to Tonle Sap, which is a floating fishing village. We saw it by rented boat (another bunch of money to the boat driver). It occurred to me halfway through that I am getting used to the smells here. When I get back home, I wonder if I am going to just want to stay inside and sniff things all day and enjoy the lack of raw sewage. If my last post was asking you to hug your shower, I think this one should humbly request that you hug a plumber. Anyway, it amazes me how many adults exploit their kids by having them (on a school day) ride along on a fishing boat, begging tourists to buy sodas for a buck, or just to give them money. Ultimately, school will probably be more valuable, but I also understand that the more pressing immediate need for food has to take priority.
Oh yeah, and kids here do not wear diapers - most just hang around bottomless. I was holding Savong's baby yesterday for an hour or so, just waiting to be peed on, but nothing happened. Then, I realized that I had been watching this kid being held for a couple hours before that, and nothing happened then, either. It all came together, then - babies here are SO quiet, and I almost never hear or see them cry. I think they are just so seriously dehydrated that they don't cry, or pee, or care about much. Even the little kids who wave at me have a hollow look in their eyes. I wonder if drinking water is that precious? It's so sad that a baby under a year old would already be stoic and accepting of this life. It makes me want to cry.
Wow, I just realized this is getting depressing. I guess this has been a kind of downer day, just from the whole "if I make myself a total nuisance, then I can get $20 from you for being a guide"thing to the total poverty seen everywhere. Tomorrow will be a day to relax, maybe take some pictures of flowers, and rest up. Monday it's time to ride a boat down the river to Phnom Penh.
And oh yes, Sara, in case you are counting still, I intend to go get yet another massage tonight (my fourth). Heck, it's only 5 bucks here! Let's see, that will be four massages in 7 days, for a grand total of $35. How can I resist?
To end on an upbeat note: I have discovered fruit shakes - sort of like smoothies, but the fruit here is so fresh that they are incredible. Pineapple shake and rice for lunch, banana shake and noodles for dinner.... life is good.
Please be safe, my friends, and don't forget to hug a plumber today!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Food is a Good Thing
Friday, October 19
Up at the crack of dawn (yes, again!) to go see the sunrise over Angkor Wat and walk around the temple for a few hours. The Angkor site is immense - can't even see it in a day or two. Today, just the main temple, then through the gauntlet of vendors to get back. Two girls approached me to buy postcards, and I said no. One asked where I am from, and I said United States. "United States capital Washington, DC!" she said. I stopped and said, yes it is. "What state are you from?" "California." "California capital "Sacramento!" Yeppers. Fine, I bought the postcards. Her little cohort also was spouting off facts, such as the population of the US (something kids in the US most likely do not know). ANyway, I showed them my little photo album, we talked for a long time, and eventually bought them breakfast. How hilarious, to see them ordering breakfast from,,,,their MOM (who ran the outdoor cafe). When she served them, she called them "VIPs"and all the other vendors were making remarks about it. Those two girls were so happy they couldn't contain themselves.
Nobody here has enough to eat. As far as I can tell, every kid is about 5 years older than he/she looks. Fifteen-year-olds are the size of the average nine-year-old in the states. They are mostly so skinny they look ready to snap, but they always have a ready smile and a loud, "Hello!"for you. In fact, tonight as I was getting yet another massage, the girl was actually singing to herself. It's amazing how people so poor can be so happy, but they are.
This afternoon, I taught two classes of kids at Savong's School. Some of these kids are smart as a whip, let me tell you. I had them in stitches, trying to teach them prepositions..."Where is the water bottle?" I would ask, putting it on top of my head. "ON THE HEAD!" they would shout. "on the wall...under the table...behind the chair..." I was a smashing hit, especially when I was testing them by picking up a pencil and saying, "Is it a dog?" "noooooooo" and then pointed at one boy and said, "Is it a girl?" That brought gales of laughter.
I had a long talk with Savong about the whole concept of "total immersion" language instruction. I think that the teachers speak too much to the kids in Khmer, but I'm no expert. I do know that once the teacher came into the second class I was in, the kids really relied on her to translate things. But, up to that point, we were doing just fine. I think back to my father, who spoke no English until he went to kindergarten, and then learned it in a matter of weeks.
Three classrooms at this school service over 300 kids, in shifts every afternoon between 1 and 8 pm. They come willingly at their appointed times, even though they have already spent their required time in the state school. These kids are so eager to learn, and it made me think of how much our kids in the US complain about school. Some of these kids ride a bike a couple miles each day, AFTER doing the same to get to their regular schools.
Speaking of bikes...motorbikes are everywhere, plus tuk-tuks (which are like a motorbike rickshaw), and cars, and trucks. Often, some combination of those vehicles is on the road 5 or 6 across. How there aren't accidents is beyond me, but I haven't seen one yet. I have to admit that I have closed my eyes a couple times and waited for a crash, but so far, so good.
Record to date of number of people seen riding on one motorbike: 5 (including an infant). Amazing.
Enough for now. It's already 9:30 pm and I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast (which was a pineapple pancake with honey on it - incredibly good - the fruit here is amazing).
Up at the crack of dawn (yes, again!) to go see the sunrise over Angkor Wat and walk around the temple for a few hours. The Angkor site is immense - can't even see it in a day or two. Today, just the main temple, then through the gauntlet of vendors to get back. Two girls approached me to buy postcards, and I said no. One asked where I am from, and I said United States. "United States capital Washington, DC!" she said. I stopped and said, yes it is. "What state are you from?" "California." "California capital "Sacramento!" Yeppers. Fine, I bought the postcards. Her little cohort also was spouting off facts, such as the population of the US (something kids in the US most likely do not know). ANyway, I showed them my little photo album, we talked for a long time, and eventually bought them breakfast. How hilarious, to see them ordering breakfast from,,,,their MOM (who ran the outdoor cafe). When she served them, she called them "VIPs"and all the other vendors were making remarks about it. Those two girls were so happy they couldn't contain themselves.
Nobody here has enough to eat. As far as I can tell, every kid is about 5 years older than he/she looks. Fifteen-year-olds are the size of the average nine-year-old in the states. They are mostly so skinny they look ready to snap, but they always have a ready smile and a loud, "Hello!"for you. In fact, tonight as I was getting yet another massage, the girl was actually singing to herself. It's amazing how people so poor can be so happy, but they are.
This afternoon, I taught two classes of kids at Savong's School. Some of these kids are smart as a whip, let me tell you. I had them in stitches, trying to teach them prepositions..."Where is the water bottle?" I would ask, putting it on top of my head. "ON THE HEAD!" they would shout. "on the wall...under the table...behind the chair..." I was a smashing hit, especially when I was testing them by picking up a pencil and saying, "Is it a dog?" "noooooooo" and then pointed at one boy and said, "Is it a girl?" That brought gales of laughter.
I had a long talk with Savong about the whole concept of "total immersion" language instruction. I think that the teachers speak too much to the kids in Khmer, but I'm no expert. I do know that once the teacher came into the second class I was in, the kids really relied on her to translate things. But, up to that point, we were doing just fine. I think back to my father, who spoke no English until he went to kindergarten, and then learned it in a matter of weeks.
Three classrooms at this school service over 300 kids, in shifts every afternoon between 1 and 8 pm. They come willingly at their appointed times, even though they have already spent their required time in the state school. These kids are so eager to learn, and it made me think of how much our kids in the US complain about school. Some of these kids ride a bike a couple miles each day, AFTER doing the same to get to their regular schools.
Speaking of bikes...motorbikes are everywhere, plus tuk-tuks (which are like a motorbike rickshaw), and cars, and trucks. Often, some combination of those vehicles is on the road 5 or 6 across. How there aren't accidents is beyond me, but I haven't seen one yet. I have to admit that I have closed my eyes a couple times and waited for a crash, but so far, so good.
Record to date of number of people seen riding on one motorbike: 5 (including an infant). Amazing.
Enough for now. It's already 9:30 pm and I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast (which was a pineapple pancake with honey on it - incredibly good - the fruit here is amazing).
Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Thursday, October 18
Up at the crack of dawn to get on a bus to Cambodia. I have to say, the Tales of Asia website was right on, even down to the window number at the bus station for getting a ticket to the border. Unfortunately, it was also correct about the hassles at the border, and the ripoffs attempted (one successfully). After a 4 1/2 hour bus ride, it was a 4 hour ride from the border to Siem Reap and out guesthouse. That's 4 hours to cover 90 miles. Why? Because the road is BARELY paved, with potholes the size opf moon craters. I think the ride may have taken 5 years off my teeth. Amazingly, as soon as we hit Siem Reap, the road was paved and perfect. The driver said that the roads are beuatiful everywhere in Cambpdia excpt for that one stretch from the border (Poipet) to Siem Reap. Why? There are many theories, but one is that the investors who bailed out Cambodia Airlines a few years back are deliberately paying the government to NOT fiux the road, as it would detract from air travel and take a bite out of the profits that the airline is making. Another possibility: The Cambodians are not very big on the Thai people. One Cambodian national suggested that, if the road leading into Cambodia from the Thai border were more passable, more Thais would come into Cambodia regularly. Hmmm. Of course, there is a huge casino just on the Cambodian side of the border. In fact, there were three HUGE lines for Thais exiting the country, but only a 4-person line for all other passport holders. Seems the gambling bug has hit them hard.
Anyway, after a bone-jarring ride in the cab, we arrived at our "guest house,"which is sort of like a hotel but smaller. There's a bed and a bathroom of sorts - basically, the bathrooms here are "wet rooms,"where the shower in on the bathroom wall and you close the door to shower, but spray everything in sight including the toilet and sink. Still, after that many hours in a vehicle and then 85-degree heat with probably 90% humidity, anything with a water nozzle is welcome.
Life here is so laid back it's almost at a standstill (or seemingly so). Order three things for dinner, and they will cook them one at a time. You might wait 10 minutes between the sandwich and the fries (OK, I haven't had fries, but you know what I mean). There are so many unfinished buildings, I wonder if people stop working on them from sheer boredom and want to move on (sort of like contrustion-related ADHD)? On the other hand, the average worker in Siem Reap works 12 hours a day, probably 6 or 7 days a week, for the equivalent of $15 per month (yes, month!) My job is looking mighty awesome right now.
Up at the crack of dawn to get on a bus to Cambodia. I have to say, the Tales of Asia website was right on, even down to the window number at the bus station for getting a ticket to the border. Unfortunately, it was also correct about the hassles at the border, and the ripoffs attempted (one successfully). After a 4 1/2 hour bus ride, it was a 4 hour ride from the border to Siem Reap and out guesthouse. That's 4 hours to cover 90 miles. Why? Because the road is BARELY paved, with potholes the size opf moon craters. I think the ride may have taken 5 years off my teeth. Amazingly, as soon as we hit Siem Reap, the road was paved and perfect. The driver said that the roads are beuatiful everywhere in Cambpdia excpt for that one stretch from the border (Poipet) to Siem Reap. Why? There are many theories, but one is that the investors who bailed out Cambodia Airlines a few years back are deliberately paying the government to NOT fiux the road, as it would detract from air travel and take a bite out of the profits that the airline is making. Another possibility: The Cambodians are not very big on the Thai people. One Cambodian national suggested that, if the road leading into Cambodia from the Thai border were more passable, more Thais would come into Cambodia regularly. Hmmm. Of course, there is a huge casino just on the Cambodian side of the border. In fact, there were three HUGE lines for Thais exiting the country, but only a 4-person line for all other passport holders. Seems the gambling bug has hit them hard.
Anyway, after a bone-jarring ride in the cab, we arrived at our "guest house,"which is sort of like a hotel but smaller. There's a bed and a bathroom of sorts - basically, the bathrooms here are "wet rooms,"where the shower in on the bathroom wall and you close the door to shower, but spray everything in sight including the toilet and sink. Still, after that many hours in a vehicle and then 85-degree heat with probably 90% humidity, anything with a water nozzle is welcome.
Life here is so laid back it's almost at a standstill (or seemingly so). Order three things for dinner, and they will cook them one at a time. You might wait 10 minutes between the sandwich and the fries (OK, I haven't had fries, but you know what I mean). There are so many unfinished buildings, I wonder if people stop working on them from sheer boredom and want to move on (sort of like contrustion-related ADHD)? On the other hand, the average worker in Siem Reap works 12 hours a day, probably 6 or 7 days a week, for the equivalent of $15 per month (yes, month!) My job is looking mighty awesome right now.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Can you Whistle?
Wednesday, October 17
Up at 0545, out at 0630 on a tour that lasted 12 hours...First, to the floating markets outside Bangkok. Loads of stuff being sold from boats - food, clothes, trinkets. I found my latest favorite fruit - somthing called (I think) Lngon fruit. It's sort of like lychee, tastes like a really good grape. Wonderful.
Then, we were all taken (by a minivan, with litle leg room - hours of this) to the Bridge on the River Kwai. Well, that one was bombed down, but we went to the rebuilt bridge and museum, which are on the site of the original. The things those POWs had to endure to build a bridge for the enemy were unreal. We also visited a cemetery for some of the POWs who died building it. In the minivan, I was in the back row, and suddenly started whistling the theme song form the movie. Within a few seconds, I had four people whistling along with me and one woman humming (she couldn't whistle). Hilarious.
Finally, back to the hotel, with time for another massage (same woman, same bone-breaking grip). I am now so realxed I can barely stay awake. In fact, I shall have to sign off, as I have to get up at 0300 to get on a bus to Cambodia tomorrow morning. I'm ready for a few weeks of a more lazily-paced life. Much more later....
Up at 0545, out at 0630 on a tour that lasted 12 hours...First, to the floating markets outside Bangkok. Loads of stuff being sold from boats - food, clothes, trinkets. I found my latest favorite fruit - somthing called (I think) Lngon fruit. It's sort of like lychee, tastes like a really good grape. Wonderful.
Then, we were all taken (by a minivan, with litle leg room - hours of this) to the Bridge on the River Kwai. Well, that one was bombed down, but we went to the rebuilt bridge and museum, which are on the site of the original. The things those POWs had to endure to build a bridge for the enemy were unreal. We also visited a cemetery for some of the POWs who died building it. In the minivan, I was in the back row, and suddenly started whistling the theme song form the movie. Within a few seconds, I had four people whistling along with me and one woman humming (she couldn't whistle). Hilarious.
Finally, back to the hotel, with time for another massage (same woman, same bone-breaking grip). I am now so realxed I can barely stay awake. In fact, I shall have to sign off, as I have to get up at 0300 to get on a bus to Cambodia tomorrow morning. I'm ready for a few weeks of a more lazily-paced life. Much more later....
Bangkok - First Look
Tuesday, October 16
Bangkok is crazy - it is HUGE, and also has a population of 10 million people. I think all of them are on the street at once! Motorcycles (little ones) are everywhere, and they weave in and out of the constant flow of traffic like madmen. Lots of shopping and just walking around looking at the sights and the people.
It's hard to reconcile the fact that lots of good food is sold from push carts on the streets, but under those carts runs (often) raw sewage. "Don't look down" has become my new motto.
Three of us took a trip during the afternoon to tour some of the canals that run around the outskirts of the city. How odd to see shacks made (literally) of cardboard next to temples that are highly-maintained and totally ostentatious. (And, probably, it was the people in the cardboard shacks who helped pay for the temple upkeep). I have great pictures of raw sweage being dumped into the canal, and kids swimming just yards away. They all seem healthy enough.....interesting.
Then, we were served a lot of different kinds of fruit, some of which I had never seen before. My favorite of the day" Dragonfruit, which looks like a red, angry dragon (including scales) on the outside, but is white with tiny black seeds on the inside. Sweet, very sweet.
At the end of it all, a traditional Thai massage (with oil) given by a woman who probably weighed all of 100 pounds dripping wet, but who could (I swear) have snapped any one of my bones with one hand. Pure pleasure. Afterwards, I went to the room to lie down for a minute and woke up two hours later. Who cares - I am on vacation!!
Bangkok is crazy - it is HUGE, and also has a population of 10 million people. I think all of them are on the street at once! Motorcycles (little ones) are everywhere, and they weave in and out of the constant flow of traffic like madmen. Lots of shopping and just walking around looking at the sights and the people.
It's hard to reconcile the fact that lots of good food is sold from push carts on the streets, but under those carts runs (often) raw sewage. "Don't look down" has become my new motto.
Three of us took a trip during the afternoon to tour some of the canals that run around the outskirts of the city. How odd to see shacks made (literally) of cardboard next to temples that are highly-maintained and totally ostentatious. (And, probably, it was the people in the cardboard shacks who helped pay for the temple upkeep). I have great pictures of raw sweage being dumped into the canal, and kids swimming just yards away. They all seem healthy enough.....interesting.
Then, we were served a lot of different kinds of fruit, some of which I had never seen before. My favorite of the day" Dragonfruit, which looks like a red, angry dragon (including scales) on the outside, but is white with tiny black seeds on the inside. Sweet, very sweet.
At the end of it all, a traditional Thai massage (with oil) given by a woman who probably weighed all of 100 pounds dripping wet, but who could (I swear) have snapped any one of my bones with one hand. Pure pleasure. Afterwards, I went to the room to lie down for a minute and woke up two hours later. Who cares - I am on vacation!!
Departures and Arrivals
Sunday, Oct 14
Left San Francisco, going through Tokyo. Flying business class is incredible; unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever be able to fly coach again! Besides great food (except for that belgian chocolate dessert that mysteriously disappeared while I was sleeping) and lots of leg room, I also had access to United's Red Carpet Lounge, which meant that I was able to actually take a shower during my layover in Tokyo! I needed it, though; Japan's security is so tight that they made us deplane, take all of our belongings, and go back through Japanese security when we touched down (even though we were on the same plane, same seats and everything, on to Bangkok). This means that they told me that I could not replane with the huge bottle of Grey Goose vodka that I had bought in Duty-Free in San Fran for my firnd Nils and his wife. I was a shade perturbed. Needless to say, I poured it out and pouted about it. But the shower helped....
Getting off the plane in Bangkok was like having someone throw a hot, wet washcloth onto my head. Humid, hot, and that was at 11:00 pm! This place is like a sauna much of the time. But it wa an easy cab ride to the hotel, the room was clean, bathroom had a real toilet (don't EVEN get me started on toilet stories!), and it was a blessing to go to sleep after being in the air plus layover for about 20 hours.
Left San Francisco, going through Tokyo. Flying business class is incredible; unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever be able to fly coach again! Besides great food (except for that belgian chocolate dessert that mysteriously disappeared while I was sleeping) and lots of leg room, I also had access to United's Red Carpet Lounge, which meant that I was able to actually take a shower during my layover in Tokyo! I needed it, though; Japan's security is so tight that they made us deplane, take all of our belongings, and go back through Japanese security when we touched down (even though we were on the same plane, same seats and everything, on to Bangkok). This means that they told me that I could not replane with the huge bottle of Grey Goose vodka that I had bought in Duty-Free in San Fran for my firnd Nils and his wife. I was a shade perturbed. Needless to say, I poured it out and pouted about it. But the shower helped....
Getting off the plane in Bangkok was like having someone throw a hot, wet washcloth onto my head. Humid, hot, and that was at 11:00 pm! This place is like a sauna much of the time. But it wa an easy cab ride to the hotel, the room was clean, bathroom had a real toilet (don't EVEN get me started on toilet stories!), and it was a blessing to go to sleep after being in the air plus layover for about 20 hours.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Toxicity
I realize this has nothing to do with travel, but I feel a need to write...
This weekend, I had a visit from my friend, Jacqueline. Jackie is probably my most "unusual" friend, for many reasons. She's also the most blunt, outspoken, and brutally honest of my friends, which is probably why I adore her (gee, I wonder who she reminds me of?) In any case, I dropped her off at some dive bar on Saturday night so she could meet up with some of her SF friends and see a show. She was to get back to my house around 2 am, so I figured I'd be long asleep by the time she returned.
At about 11:30, while I was in the middle of reading a Newsweek article about a company that is producing $188 laptops to be donated to kids in underdeveloped countries (much more about that in my next blog!), I heard a car screech away and some very heavy footsteps on my porch stairs. After a brief altercation with the deadbolt, Jacqueline stumbled through the door and announced to me that she had missed the show, almost been thrown out of the cab because she was so sick, and had to bribe the cabbie with a double payment in order to be driven all the way to my house. She was mortified. Why had she had so much to drink? What was she thinking? How could she miss a show she had bought tickets for, and how could she let her friends down? Of course, the answer was obvious: she was having fun drinking, and even though she knew she'd regret it, she just carried on anyway. However, she felt bad enough that she probably won't do that again for a long, long time.
I suddenly had a light bulb come on over my head. "Wouldn't it be great," I postulated, "if the same thing could happen with people? If someone is really toxic for us, wouldn't it be perfect if being around them for any length of time, while seeming to be a fun thing, made us feel bad and throw up? Then, it would be so easy to remove ourselves from those situations, from those relationships that ultimately will do us no good and, quite possibly, a world of hurt." Somehow, in her stupor, leaning there against my bedroom wall and trying to act as though her world wasn't spinning uncontrollably, Jackie didn't see the huge wisdom in my words.
But I did, and that's really what counts. It shouldn't take getting physically ill for me to realize when something isn't right, but it's just so easy to keep drinking (figuratively) and have those few moments of fun (or ones that might seem fun) rather than face the thought of having to live without the crutch. So, for having shown me a sign in the middle of her sloppy drunkenness, my thanks to Jacqueline. And also, this week, to Bob, for doing a similar thing in a much kinder, gentler fashion. Now, enough with philosophizing. Time for more travel and charity writing!!
Be happy.
--Janine
This weekend, I had a visit from my friend, Jacqueline. Jackie is probably my most "unusual" friend, for many reasons. She's also the most blunt, outspoken, and brutally honest of my friends, which is probably why I adore her (gee, I wonder who she reminds me of?) In any case, I dropped her off at some dive bar on Saturday night so she could meet up with some of her SF friends and see a show. She was to get back to my house around 2 am, so I figured I'd be long asleep by the time she returned.
At about 11:30, while I was in the middle of reading a Newsweek article about a company that is producing $188 laptops to be donated to kids in underdeveloped countries (much more about that in my next blog!), I heard a car screech away and some very heavy footsteps on my porch stairs. After a brief altercation with the deadbolt, Jacqueline stumbled through the door and announced to me that she had missed the show, almost been thrown out of the cab because she was so sick, and had to bribe the cabbie with a double payment in order to be driven all the way to my house. She was mortified. Why had she had so much to drink? What was she thinking? How could she miss a show she had bought tickets for, and how could she let her friends down? Of course, the answer was obvious: she was having fun drinking, and even though she knew she'd regret it, she just carried on anyway. However, she felt bad enough that she probably won't do that again for a long, long time.
I suddenly had a light bulb come on over my head. "Wouldn't it be great," I postulated, "if the same thing could happen with people? If someone is really toxic for us, wouldn't it be perfect if being around them for any length of time, while seeming to be a fun thing, made us feel bad and throw up? Then, it would be so easy to remove ourselves from those situations, from those relationships that ultimately will do us no good and, quite possibly, a world of hurt." Somehow, in her stupor, leaning there against my bedroom wall and trying to act as though her world wasn't spinning uncontrollably, Jackie didn't see the huge wisdom in my words.
But I did, and that's really what counts. It shouldn't take getting physically ill for me to realize when something isn't right, but it's just so easy to keep drinking (figuratively) and have those few moments of fun (or ones that might seem fun) rather than face the thought of having to live without the crutch. So, for having shown me a sign in the middle of her sloppy drunkenness, my thanks to Jacqueline. And also, this week, to Bob, for doing a similar thing in a much kinder, gentler fashion. Now, enough with philosophizing. Time for more travel and charity writing!!
Be happy.
--Janine
Friday, September 28, 2007
Time Out for Baseball
I went to the Giants' last home game on Wednesday night; it was also Barry Bonds' last game ever for the Giants at home. I don't particularly like Barry Bonds; in fact, I pretty well hold him in great disdain, for a host of reasons that I won't even begin to go into.
But, I had nothing better to do, I needed the exercise of walking up to the Muni station, and I felt as though I would be watching a little bit of baseball history. So, off I went, battling the crowds, the complete lack of tickets, and I found myself standing behind the right-field bleachers watching the game. In the course of nine innings, I observed the game from three different distinct places, and I have to say that I am wishing I had spent the whole game at the back of those bleachers. That's where the real fans are - people who will sit anywhere just to watch baseball. And, since I didn't have a bleacher ticket, I was standing behind them and suddenly had a flash of memory back to the days when Roy would go to a ball game and ALWAYS stand behind the bleachers. He always had a ticket, but he just couldn't navigate those steps, so it was easier for him to stand up than to risk tumbling down an endless slope of cement stairs.
Baseball is like life, in a lot of ways. You are always competing, but hopefully against people who are similar to you and who, outside the arena, would sit and have a beer with you and be happy. No matter how bad things seem, there's always a chance, up to the very end, to get it right. And you might have a bad day, and make some pretty gross errors, but there will be other days, other games, and you get another stab to prove yourself.
And so, amid the beer, the fights, the people slapping complete strangers on the back and celebrating every hit (or consoling them when it was obvious that the game was not going their way), I had a minor epiphany of sorts. It's always worth staying in the game until the last inning, and there will always be something to draw people together and prove to them that they are not alone (and it doesn't have to be a disaster or a war). Play ball!
--Dedicated to the memory of Roy Webb 5/18/1956 - 2/2/2004
But, I had nothing better to do, I needed the exercise of walking up to the Muni station, and I felt as though I would be watching a little bit of baseball history. So, off I went, battling the crowds, the complete lack of tickets, and I found myself standing behind the right-field bleachers watching the game. In the course of nine innings, I observed the game from three different distinct places, and I have to say that I am wishing I had spent the whole game at the back of those bleachers. That's where the real fans are - people who will sit anywhere just to watch baseball. And, since I didn't have a bleacher ticket, I was standing behind them and suddenly had a flash of memory back to the days when Roy would go to a ball game and ALWAYS stand behind the bleachers. He always had a ticket, but he just couldn't navigate those steps, so it was easier for him to stand up than to risk tumbling down an endless slope of cement stairs.
Baseball is like life, in a lot of ways. You are always competing, but hopefully against people who are similar to you and who, outside the arena, would sit and have a beer with you and be happy. No matter how bad things seem, there's always a chance, up to the very end, to get it right. And you might have a bad day, and make some pretty gross errors, but there will be other days, other games, and you get another stab to prove yourself.
And so, amid the beer, the fights, the people slapping complete strangers on the back and celebrating every hit (or consoling them when it was obvious that the game was not going their way), I had a minor epiphany of sorts. It's always worth staying in the game until the last inning, and there will always be something to draw people together and prove to them that they are not alone (and it doesn't have to be a disaster or a war). Play ball!
--Dedicated to the memory of Roy Webb 5/18/1956 - 2/2/2004
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
It's Just Stuff
I have been in a purchasing frenzy of late; I'm stocking up on the things I need to take with me to Southeast Asia. Backpack, DEET, compressed towelettes, good walking shoes, disposable underwear (yes, folks, it IS made!)...but I am fervently hoping that what I bring back from this trip will be so much more than what will fit into a backpack. I think I am learning that a large part of a journey such as this is trying to decide beforehand what to bring back. Rather than make a list of what to procure "over there," I have decided to bring back little or nothing in the way of material goods. I want peace. (No, not world peace, which I realize it unattainable). I'd like my mind to stop spinning constantly - to be able to be truly at peace with myself and in my life. I hope that, when I return, I will have learned that if I can spend a month living out of a backpack, everything else is just "stuff".
This doesn't mean that I intend to give away all of my wordly belongings and live in an ashram (besides, I am not big on lentils as a dietary staple). But perhaps I can start to understand that there are things much more important than a bigger TV, having the latest gadget, or never having to wear the same dress twice. That's one of the lessons I want to learn.
(Now, I fully expect my children to call me and say that, out of love and in the interest of helping me attain my goals, they will be happy to take any of my current 'things' away so that I won't be distracted by them). Speaking of kids, I think mine are absolutely what I will miss most over there; granted, I don't talk to them every day (OK, in the case of my son, not even every week - ALEC, CALL your mother once in a while!). I wish I could bring them with me and watch this new place through their eyes. Ah well, they'll just have to look at my 4,855 pictures after I get back. I can see them rolling their eyes even now....
Peace,
Janine
This doesn't mean that I intend to give away all of my wordly belongings and live in an ashram (besides, I am not big on lentils as a dietary staple). But perhaps I can start to understand that there are things much more important than a bigger TV, having the latest gadget, or never having to wear the same dress twice. That's one of the lessons I want to learn.
(Now, I fully expect my children to call me and say that, out of love and in the interest of helping me attain my goals, they will be happy to take any of my current 'things' away so that I won't be distracted by them). Speaking of kids, I think mine are absolutely what I will miss most over there; granted, I don't talk to them every day (OK, in the case of my son, not even every week - ALEC, CALL your mother once in a while!). I wish I could bring them with me and watch this new place through their eyes. Ah well, they'll just have to look at my 4,855 pictures after I get back. I can see them rolling their eyes even now....
Peace,
Janine
Friday, September 14, 2007
Charity Begins at Home
My mom has asked me many times why I am going halfway around the world to do some good for people. After all, there are so many people in need here in my own country, in my own state, in my own CITY. She's right (moms are always right - learn that lesson now and save yourself some grief!), but I feel compelled to go to other places, and so off I shall go. I have to admit that a sizeable part of it is sheer selfishness; I WANT to travel. I've seen my city, my state, even some parts of my country.
I also rationalize my own actions by retorting to her (again, learn the lesson now - do NOT "retort" to your mother - it really never ends well!) that this country has so many social programs, that people do not have to starve in the USA, that there is a system that can give them food, medical care for their children (it's not great, but it exists on some level). In other countries, people starve all the time, many never see a doctor...shouldn't I start there? The one thing I am determined to realize is that spending time determining WHERE to start means still NOT starting. Pick a spot, Start there. DO what you can.
The group "Five for Fighting" has started a website where people can upload videos, although those videos must be set to a song the group produced (clever, huh? free airplay). But, it's a great deal - watch any of those videos ALL THE WAY through to the end, and there will be a donation made to the charity that the video supports. It may be only a buck, but it counts, and it's only 3 minutes out of your life. Many of those videos benefit Autism Speaks, a charity that recently merged with Cure Autism Now. I dare you to watch some of those videos with dry eyes. Here's a link to one - it is VERY poorly written (I know that many of you will be cringing at the grammatical mistakes!) but the message is like a bombshell. So many of us take for granted that our children can speak, laugh, hug us...and so many parents know none of that. I have spoken at length, so many times, to my friend Craig about these same things, and every time realize that I will never understand his pain, never feel the absolute horror he goes through every day with his son. And yet, his love for his son is no less, has never been less, than mine for my own two gloriously normal children. Sara and Alec have been simple to parent; it is parents like Craig and the woman who made this video who are truly gifted at the task. Watch this, please, and spend someone else's dollar to help an organization promote understanding, knowledge, and (hopefully, someday) relief for 1 out of 166 kids and their parents. http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/246393 When the video ends, you will see another screen with the lead singer of the band on it. You can, if you want, click there to go to ALL of the entered videos and watch more if you want, for the various charities represented.
Be happy. --Janine
I also rationalize my own actions by retorting to her (again, learn the lesson now - do NOT "retort" to your mother - it really never ends well!) that this country has so many social programs, that people do not have to starve in the USA, that there is a system that can give them food, medical care for their children (it's not great, but it exists on some level). In other countries, people starve all the time, many never see a doctor...shouldn't I start there? The one thing I am determined to realize is that spending time determining WHERE to start means still NOT starting. Pick a spot, Start there. DO what you can.
The group "Five for Fighting" has started a website where people can upload videos, although those videos must be set to a song the group produced (clever, huh? free airplay). But, it's a great deal - watch any of those videos ALL THE WAY through to the end, and there will be a donation made to the charity that the video supports. It may be only a buck, but it counts, and it's only 3 minutes out of your life. Many of those videos benefit Autism Speaks, a charity that recently merged with Cure Autism Now. I dare you to watch some of those videos with dry eyes. Here's a link to one - it is VERY poorly written (I know that many of you will be cringing at the grammatical mistakes!) but the message is like a bombshell. So many of us take for granted that our children can speak, laugh, hug us...and so many parents know none of that. I have spoken at length, so many times, to my friend Craig about these same things, and every time realize that I will never understand his pain, never feel the absolute horror he goes through every day with his son. And yet, his love for his son is no less, has never been less, than mine for my own two gloriously normal children. Sara and Alec have been simple to parent; it is parents like Craig and the woman who made this video who are truly gifted at the task. Watch this, please, and spend someone else's dollar to help an organization promote understanding, knowledge, and (hopefully, someday) relief for 1 out of 166 kids and their parents. http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/246393 When the video ends, you will see another screen with the lead singer of the band on it. You can, if you want, click there to go to ALL of the entered videos and watch more if you want, for the various charities represented.
Be happy. --Janine
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Five More Weeks....
Another week has passed, and I'm that much closer to my trip. Last week, my friend Mary Kay told me about a book she thought I'd like. I bought the book, read it, and it was incredibly good and right in line with this trip I am making, It's called Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortensen. Greg was a mountain climber who, through a series of mishaps, ended up in a tiny little Pakistani village. His experiences with the people there prompted him to eventually start a foundation that has built over 50 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His story is amazing and compelling. Thanks, Mary Kay, for the suggestion!
Meanwhile, I have made four sarongs, bought a shirt infused with sunscreen, gathered some other clothing items, and am feverishly researching travel information. Apparently, crossing from Thailand into Cambodia overland is an adventure, but one that Val and I have decided to take on. Oddly, I am even looking forward to dealing with the border guards, Cambodian security police, crooked taxi drivers (they are affectionately known as the "taxi mafia"), and 12 hours of travel to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor Wat. It's all part of the adventure.
Soon, I'm sure I will start to panic, but right now I can only count down the weeks and look forward to this trip. Thanks to those of you who have pledged money for the school. I appreciate your support! More news as it breaks.....
Meanwhile, I have made four sarongs, bought a shirt infused with sunscreen, gathered some other clothing items, and am feverishly researching travel information. Apparently, crossing from Thailand into Cambodia overland is an adventure, but one that Val and I have decided to take on. Oddly, I am even looking forward to dealing with the border guards, Cambodian security police, crooked taxi drivers (they are affectionately known as the "taxi mafia"), and 12 hours of travel to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor Wat. It's all part of the adventure.
Soon, I'm sure I will start to panic, but right now I can only count down the weeks and look forward to this trip. Thanks to those of you who have pledged money for the school. I appreciate your support! More news as it breaks.....
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