Technical difficulties

I've been having technical difficulties trying to post, hence the lack of posting lately. I'm able to login and publish posts, but I can't access anything from *.blogspot.com domain, so I can't see my own or anyone else's posts. I don't know if it's a Vietnam-specific issue (seems unlikely), but it frustrates me to no end. Blogger really is a pretty crappy solution, maybe when I get to Google I can help make it better. Until then, sigh. But apparently the posts can be seen in the US, so I'll just post blind and hope it turns out ok :)

Me mates

Interestingly, I've been traveling for almost two weeks now, and I have still yet to meet a single American. I've met people from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Israel, and just about everywhere else, but not the US. Sadly, it seems to confirm the stereotype that Americans don't get out of their backyard. I read a stat once that something like over 90% of Americans don't even have a passport?! How sad is that?

So far I've had no trouble meeting people at all. It seems that SE asia circuit is much more social, even compared to Europe. I haven't had a single night by myself when I didn't want to. Some nights I've basically had to decline going out or else I just wouldn't be able to get up the next day. It's certainly been a welcome change compared to certain days when I was traveling through the Baltics last year and I'd go a couple days without speaking to anyone, literally. That was character building, but also a bit challening at times. Still, SE asia circuit is definitely a great place to chill and party, and I think you also get further away from the obnoxious American frat boys on the European circuit.

I was talking w/ a woman from the UK and she just raved about the S. America circuit - Chile, Argentina,

Shout outs to some of the people I've been hanging out w/ so far - surprisingly, a whole lot of British people. I just got on a tour bus today again w/ a bunch of Brits, they were all totally awesome. Completely shatters the stereotype that Brits are cold and reserved.

Me mates - Matt (Australia), and Lina and Sarah from UK


More mates - Sara, Binit, Becky, and Ashley (all UK)


Yun Jeong from Korea - her English wasn't great, and obviously my Korean was non-existent, but we had a blast anyways. Hand gestures gets you a long ways


Hey HC, I met a couple of cute Malaysian girls at the airport, btw. Sorry I didn't get their contact info, otherwise I'd totally hook you up ;)

Other pics

Sunrise, Ankor Wat - unfortunately, it was very cloudy that day, so the picture could've been much better


Carving, Ankor Wat




Monk, Ankor Wat




Old woman, Ankor Wat

Mixed feelings

Being in SE Asia evokes mixed feelings in me, and Cambodia only reinforces and intensifies them ever more so. To co-opt Dicken's words, "it is the best of places, and it was the worst of places". There are things I love about this place, like the amazing food, beaches and jungles, simple country people (when one can find them), and the rich history and cultural heritage. On the other hand, there are also things that just make me angry or sad: the blatant commericialism and consequent exploitation and callousness, the income disparity and utter depravity, and the sheer corruption and apathy at times. I now understand how HC feels about India; our love-hate feelings must be pretty similar in this regard.

Somehow I always seem to have transportation issues when travelling. I managed to score a super cheap flight from BKK to Phnom Penh (PP) for $50 total, including taxes. Before I could congratulate myself however, I didn't realize that Thai immigration takes forever to process, with multiple stages before and after security screening. As such, I went through the first stage thinking I had plenty of time, so I did what I naturally do when I have time - eat. After a leisurely breakfast at KFC, I went in again, then realized I needed to go through immigration again, then two security checkpoints, and take a bus out to the plane! Needless to say, I missed my flight and was kicking myself all morning. Then I had to go buy another flight out, which fortunately did not cost an arm and a leg, but did make me wait for almost 6hrs at the airport. Lesson - no more KFC at the airport from now on.

After that fiasco, I finally landed in PP and I felt like I was transported to another world. Despite my "acclimatization" period in Thailand, I was still not fully prepared for Cambodia. While perhaps not as bad as parts of Africa where there're no running water or electricity, this is definitely a 3rd world country. The abject poverty in parts of Phnom Penh asserts itself in your face, and it's difficult to ignore. Coming into town on the back of a moto, the road is equally shared by motos, bikers, cows, naked kids, hand carts, and a million other moving things. Backpackers inevitably stick out like a sore thumb with our signature tevas/flip flops and backpacks, and so as soon we step out onto the road we are mobbed by drivers throwing themselves at us yelling, "taxi/tuk-tuk/moto, sir?" or "hey you, where you go?" (the singularly most annoying expression in all of SE asia). And we'd be assaulted by beggars and street children, some of whom make your heart ache, but others who just blatantly guilt you into giving them money. And though I know they're guilt-tripping me, I still can't help feeling guilty, and I hate that. Things are old, broken, dirty everywhere, and the streets are littered with trash. When you turn the corner beyond the tourist areas, I feel like I'm walking into the slums that I've only seen on TV; children running naked without clothes, rolling and playing in the dirt. Shacks assembled from driftwood and metal pieces, burning trash in the streets, animal feces splattered on the ground It's certainly an unglamorous side of travelling, but I'm very glad I get to see this side of SE asia. Without this I would simply be another naive tourist who roll in for the sun and beaches, and head out without a look behind the scenes.

If I had to describe PP in one word, I'd say "hard". I feel like PP is a hard city; its people are hard, its environment is hard, and its fortune is hard. I don't think I mind the poverty so much as how it's changed people. For example, my tuk-tuk driver kept pushing me to go to a shooting range, which is a popular tourist stop, after I came out of the Tuol Sleng museum, where Pol Pot interrogated and tortured his prisoners before sending them off to the Killing Fields. After the museum, the last thing I wanted to do was touch a gun, and here was this guy getting in my face, pestering me non-stop to go to the range, so he can earn his commission! I wanted to yell at him so badly for his insensitivity, then restrained myself, since I figured he's just trying to survive and make money however he can. It's also sad to see how the street urchins have honed their craft so well, they know exactly who to target (female Westerners in pairs or groups), how to close ("you not give me, you make me sad") and what to ask for ("food for my brother/sister/mother/family"). I really can't blame them, but at the same time, it's disheartening. I'm pretty sure if I was in their place, I would probably be doing the same thing. Civility is often a luxury only practiced by those who can afford it. Yet I wonder, and this applies to all nations striving to catch the great capitalism train, like China, if a little something is not lost during this mad rush to modernize and capitalize?

Well, on a lighter note, I think the market is a wonderful place for photography. The vibrant mix of colors and lighting just creates all sorts of opportunities that can make even an amateur photographer like me look good :)

Mmmm...breakfast


Shopping heaven for ladies


A simple, wonderful woman who sold me some scallion pancakes. I bought one from her for breakfast, and after making an entire round at the market, I decided it was so good I just had to go back and get another one. When I went back, she recognized me immediately, and her face just totally lit up. Despite us not being able understand a word from each other, I feel like she was one of the few locals with whom I really connected. She was genuinely delighted to see me because I liked her food, not because she saw flashing dollar signs screaming "easy tourist money". These are the little moments that keep me from becoming totally jaded while on the road.




Mother and child - the kid was bewildered by my camera, but she soon took to it quite eagerly :)


And more sombering photos from Tuol Sleng

Prisoner's cell


Photos of the deceased


Prison hallway

Pics!

More pictures!

Quick post before I get eaten alive by the mosquitoes...

Wat Pho temple


Temple of the Jade Buddha


Men playing some form of checkers using...bottle caps?


Oh beautiful, glorious, CHEAP food! (340 baht, about $9)




A wonderful street vendor who provided me lunch


I had a blast trying to speak to her using my pidgin Thai picked up from the back of my LP guide. It's pretty amazing how far you can get by on facial expressions, a map, and lots of smiles. We managed to chat about my photos, what to see and what to what to avoid (Q: what does gun gesture + south of Thailand equal? A: mafia country!), and she taught me how to count to 10 :) Thai is damn hard, I tell ya. Their writing alphabet seem so complicated. Now I understand why people complain Chinese characters are so hard; to the untrained eye it must look like the friggin' Egyptian hieroglyphs!

Now boarding: flight to Hell!


At the Ancient City






I finally decided to get a travel photography book to actually teach myself how to shoot better photos. Prior to this I had always been a trial-and-error photographer, basically getting by just by shooting a large volume of shots and picking the best ones. While digital photography affords one the ability to do so, it obviously doesn't get one very far, and I bit the bullet and splurged on an actual guide. It was 850 baht (~$21), but I think it's totally worth it. Now I can really consciously work on getting better on this trip. I just picked it up yesterday, but I think (hope) my composition is already getting a little better!

Touchdown

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for this update --

*************

I just touched down in Bangkok after a brutal, 24hr flight (thanks to a 2 hr layover in SFO and 6hr layover in Narita). I'm completely beat, since I haven't slept much the previous couple of nights either, thanks to moving craziness. In total it's been about 8hrs in bed out of 3 days...ouch). I'm staying at the Shanti Lodge, which looks to be really awesome so far.

The craziest thing happened in narita though - I ran into Tim Choi, good friend whom I haven't seen in a long time at the airport!! He was on a flight back to sfo and I was waiting to transit to bangkok. I walked into this japanese food court to get some food, and i heard someone call my name. I was like, "wtf? there must be a mistake." I turn around and lo and behold, there's Tim! Crazy huh? We hung out for an hr while I ate some food and caught up, that was really cool. Talk about a small world.

Thus far, I'd have to say I think Thailand's rumored heat is overrated. Nyc was hotter and more humid. The mosquitoes, however, are not. I've only been here a couple hours and the assault has already begun in earnest. I count half a dozen so far. This must be the new guy welcome...

We're not in Kansas (or Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania...) anymore

Yes, that's true. For those of you who worried, we haven't been perpetually stuck in the twilight zone between Chicago and the cornfields of Ohio, despite what this blog may have you believe. I just haven't had time to write anything halfway decent, and I hate to just ramble all over my blog. So I'll have to give you a brief, whirlwind picture tour of the rest of our trip before I dash off to Thailand tomorrow.

Corn! We are children of the corn!



This is the closest this city boy has ever been to a real corn, outside of Safeway. Naturally, it was quite exciting for me.



Somewhere along the way in Erie, Penn, we found this Nascar-themed Buffalo wings haven, and we just had to go. I mean, that's why people do on road trips right? Apparently people come from all over, including neighboring states, to this place to eat. Besides the over-the-top decor, they also offer about 30 different levels of hot wings, from the mere tangy, to truly atomic. Apparently the atomic version has something like 25,000 units of spice-ness (I don't remember the exact scientific name) per unit of food, which requires you to sign a consent form and liability waiver before they'll let you try it. I kid you not.





Sneak preview at Oct's cover of Hot Rod magazine!

On the road

After an almost too short 3 days in Chicago, we hit the road for small town America, burgers, corn fields, and UFOs. On our way out from Chicago, we hit some massive rain. Now I know why Midwesterners snicker at Seattle rain. Seriously, I thought when people said it rained so hard that it was like pouring water on your windshield, I always thought they were full of ish. But check this out.

Before


After


It was no exaggeration when I say it was like someone was throwing buckets and buckets of water on our windshield. Later we found out that we encountered one of the biggest downpours of the year thus far, causing flooding in Cleveland and a bunch of other cities in the Midwest.

I'm also proud to announce my new favorite chain diner - best catfish fillets and candied carrots ever!


Look, giant Smarties! Only in the midwest!


Pick up lines, 50's-style

Chicago, part deux

A trip to Chicago would not be complete without a visit to one of its ethnic neighborhoods, so we went to check out Pilsen, a well-known Hispanic neighborhood despite its not-so-Spanish name (interestingly, Pilsen is the Czech town where Pilsner Urquell was born, where I went for a brewery tour). The subway stop had lots of artistic murals, providing an interesting backdrop to an otherwise weathered subway stop.







And then we had lunch at this wonderful hole in the wall Mexian place called Gloria's. Gloria, the owner herself, really welcomed us and made us felt at home. Barrie chatted up the super friendly owner with ease in Spanish (sigh, I'm so jealous. She speaks Italian and Spanish), while I got to embarrass myself with my crap-tastic gringo (or would that be amarillo?) espanol.

Me: uh, um, para mi, uno taco asada por favor? (por? para? damn I can never
remember)
Gloria: un taco asada? y una coca cola?
Me: [nods head vigorously]

Despite my mighty linguistic struggles, the food was awesome. Simple but hearty and refreshing.


After an unsuccessful attempt to Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise since it wasn't really worth it, we made it out to the Navy Pier for a nice night walk.



What does this remind you of?


While officially called "Cloud Nine", it is known as "The Bean" to everyone else. Anish Kapoor's gigantic metallic sculpture in Millennium Park is an endless source of amusement to people, especially kids (and yours truly). Its curved and reflective surface creates all sorts of cool photo opportunities. On a sunny day, as when we were there, you can see an endless stream of people underneath the giant bean looking at their own reflections. It's also just a great public space for people to gather and spend time outdoors with friends and families. A Chicago paper I read proudly proclaimed that Chicagoans are the people who best know how to enjoy summer. During the fleeting month or two of comfortable, warm weather, everyone just comes out en masse to enjoy the weather, not unlik Seattlelites. Though we don't really have much to complain about when comparing weather with our Midwestern neighbors.





There's also Crown Fountain, two opposing 50 ft structures composed of glass cubes, forming mosaics of various citizens. They smile, they frown, and every once in a while, they blow!

And the adventure begins

My (hopefully epic) travels for this year has officially begun yesterday, after I quit my job, packed my things, and hit the road for good. It still feels kind of surreal that my life in Seattle is over and I'm now moving into unknown territory, but it also feels good too. Sometimes you need a little catalyst to jolt you out of the mundane and remind yourself what living life, not just merely coasting along, is like. I just can't describe how electrifyingly alive it is to be on the road again.



So, I set out for the Windy City with Portos and Athos...ahem, I mean Alex and Barrie.






And first impressions so far? Wow, what a majestic city. Everything about it is grand, spacious, and open. It is probably the most architecturally aesthetic American city I have ever been to, truly living up to its heritage of Frank Lloyd Wright and other amazing architects. Downtown is filled with well-preserved Beaux Arts and Art Deco buildings, and walking around often feels like traversing a man-made Grand Canyon of steel and glass. We're staying at a fabulous location, in the middle of downtown CHI, where everything is within walking or L distance.



Knowing me and food, one of the first things we did was to go to Pizzeria Uno, the purported birthplace of the deep-dish pizza. The pizza was damn good I have to say. Not quite as good as I had hoped it to be, the crust was a little flaky for my liking, but the toppings were flavorful and servings generous.



Secretly, I think Zachary's in Berkeley is a bit better, but it's probably difficult to live up to everyone's expectations as well. Funny thing is, there's a Pizzeria Due down the street if the line ever became too long, though fortunately we didn't need to go there.



Next we walked down the Magnificent Mile, which is this stretch along Michigan Ave. with tons of luxury shops and buildings, kind of like Chicago's version of 5th Ave. We dutifully played our part of wide-eyed tourists by going up the John Hancock building to get a panoramic view of the city. I'm glad to say it didn't disappoint; to see Lake Michigan stretch to horizon with no land in sight is truly magnificent, and makes you wonder if the early explorers ever mistook the Great Lakes for an actual sea.



After coming down, I have to admit I succumbed to my impulses and bought some stuff at H&M ;) But they were good bargains (when is H&M ever not cheap?), or at least that's what I keep telling myself. For dinner, we ventured out of the touristy downtown into Lincoln Park, one of Chicago's old neighborhoods. It was gorgeous, to walk along in the warm summer night breeze, sunset in the background, and rows upon rows of old, charming apartments and houses lining the streets. There were little boutiques on the 1st floor and beautifully restored housing on top, reminding me a lot of parts of Boston and SF.

And for dinner (yes, you know it was going to come back to food, don't you?), we went to this awesome place called Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, which served up some finger-licking-good Spanish tapas with some good-looking clientele :) Umm yeah, doubly delicious. I guess there must be some sort of reason among the karma gods, as Seattle's imbalanced ratio is obviously balanced out elsewhere in the universe - like here.

I'd love to write more but sadly my internet connection is running out and I must go...to be continued!