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
Friday, November 9, 2007
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
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