Monday, October 6, 2008
We bought a motorbike. It is an automatic, easy to drive and comfortable to ride. It gets us to school in less than half the time it would take in taxis, and saves money. So far, we’ve really enjoyed the freedom it has given us.
For a long weekend, we drove the motorbike to Koh Chang, an island in east Thailand near the border of Cambodia. We thought it would save us money and time, but it did neither. Needless to say, it was quite an adventure, but we got to see much of Thailand from the ground level. Driving in Bangkok and in the rest of Thailand are very different, and it was a great break to experience the open road again.
We took a trip to Cambodia. We rode to the border on a train and then took a cab to Siem Reap. There we explored the temples of Ankor Wat (there are more than you can see in days), which were absolutely amazing. I really think it was one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. Siem Reap was lovely; the influence from French colonization is very evident: the food is amazing, they sell baguettes everywhere, they have plenty of cheese and coffee, the buildings are reminiscent of 19th century France…
After Siem Reap, we went to the capital, Phenom Phen (pronounced penom pen), where we visited S21, an old high school converted into a torture/prison facility by the Khmer Rouge communist regime. We also went to one of the killing fields, where they executed thousands of their own citizens who they felt were “dangerous”. It was very sad, very similar to the remnants of Nazi persecution.
Thailand has frequented the news lately due to the political unrest here. It has been going on and building for years, and recently a group of protesters took over the house of government. We missed several days of school, but that’s really the most dramatic thing we’ve seen in the city. Bangkok is still pretty much the same, there is no crazy violence in the streets or anything. One day after school we drove by the protest site, and it looked like a ton of tents and not much parking. When we see reports on CNN, it makes the situation look pretty unstable, but nothing has really changed for us.
We have most of the month of October off. The weather has become much more pleasant, and we get a holiday between the two terms. A friend is coming to visit on the 15th, and we are going to Hong Kong and Beijing for about ten days. We are very excited about the trip, and are enjoying a break from school. Before the 15th, we are still working on making plans (we had tried to do India but our visas for China took about a week longer than expected due to a week-long national holiday).
Sunday, June 22, 2008
One Month in Asia; "What's Next?" Still Unanswered
Each day feels more comfortable, at the same time bringing new challenges.
Here’s a typical day for us (Monday through Friday):
-Wake up around 6. We’re in a taxi around 7:15. Morning traffic/hailing a cab are hit and miss. Sometimes we can get one within 30 seconds. Other times we will ask five taxi drivers and they’ll all say no. The commute to school takes about an hour. Sometimes up to an hour and a half, other times as little as 35 minutes. This depends on two things: traffic and the driver.
-School starts at 8:30. We normally have time for coffee before class starts. There is a place around the block from school of two ladies (we think mom and daughter) who make some excellent lattes. They’re really sweet (even though there isn’t much conversation, as neither of us speak the other’s language) and they know us. More on the coffee shop later.
-We teach anywhere from three to seven classes a day. Classes are one hour.
-Lunch is an hour. We normally eat at school. A typical lunch consists of noodles or rice, a broth that has meat and vegetables, and dessert. Sometimes there are eggs, which pretty much makes our day. There is a teacher’s cafeteria (air conditioned and everything).
-Monday through Thursday we teach after school lessons. These are from 3:40-4:40. They’re pretty fun, and they’re more games and activities than lessons. The girls who are there want to learn English (or their parents want them to), and that is nice to have the only the good students.
-After school we take a taxi to the BTS (sky train). The BTS takes us to the stop where our gym is located. Today a walk way opens from the BTS station directly to our gym. This means we don’t have to go down 2 floors of stairs (then back up) and cross like eight lanes of traffic. We’re very excited about the walkway.
-Then the gym. It’s called True Fitness, and it’s really nice. There are classes (yoga and others), lot of cardio machines, weight machines, etc. There is also a spa and restaurant. Inside the locker rooms are nice showers and a steam room.
-We arrive at home around 8 or 9 (depending how long the gym lasts). Usually a quick dinner then it’s bedtime.
Weekends:
One was spent in Koh Samed (pictures from previous post), two in Bangkok (getting to know the city, cleaning house, errands, etc.), and last weekend in Hua Hin.
Hua Hin is a beach about three hours south of Bangkok. There was a jazz festival June 13th and 14th. We went Friday night and came back Sunday evening. It was a lot of fun. Our hotel was really nice. The jazz concerts were right on the beach. Lots of vendors, lots of people, it was a great time. We rented a motorbike (200 baht for 24 hours. 200 baht = $6). We made a movie!! You can check it out below.
And a few notes:
-Corn everything – Corn sundaes, corn soy milk (we bought some), corn yogurt, corn desserts (think rice pudding with corn), corn this, corn that. It all tastes pretty good. The corn sundaes are at KFC, and there is one right by school. It is more of a sweet corn paste (I’m not making it sound very appealing, but it’s pretty good) not just corn out of the can.
-7/11 - There are Seven Elevens all over the place. I think there are more Seven Elevens here (density-wise) than any company in America. That is to say, there are lots of McDonald’s. However, you can find rural towns or really upscale towns that don’t have them. They’re just everywhere. Every block might be an exaggeration, every other block isn’t. They have Coke Slurpees! They’re convenience stores, I haven’t seen one that sells gas (or petrol as it as called here).
-Big C – Thai Wal-Mart. Some are three levels. We went there to buy cleaning supplies and do some grocery shopping. There is one within walking distance from our house.
-Macro – Thai Sam’s Club. There is one right by school. Just like Sam’s Club with the concrete floors and samples. It even smells like Sam’s Club.
-Street food – Most dinners are from street vendors. Don’t worry; neither of us eats the meat that’s been out since morning anyway. There is a place that has about four younger guys (teenagers and a little older) who work there. We get the same thing and they know our order. Here’s dinner: noodles (think ramen, but fresher if that is possible) in a chicken broth with bean sprouts, a dark leafy vegetable that is somewhere between basil and spinach, green onions, cilantro and the most important part: one and a half boiled eggs. So it’s kind of a noodle soup. It isn’t spicy, but you can add crushed red pepper, fish sauce, jalapeno vinegar, peanuts, and/or sugar. It’s all very tasty. I’m typing at 10:30am and I want some right now.
This weekend, we saw Kung Fu Panda (it was awesome) and Get Smart. Both were fun. Last night we were at Paragon at Siam, probably the nicest and largest mall either of us have ever been to. We got lost, who knows how many times. It was overwhelming, and extremely upscale at the same time. There’s even “Oceanworld,” basically an aquatic museum within the mall.
Life is good. We hope all is well in your neck of the woods.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
10 days in Asia
