Saturday, June 27, 2009--Siem Reap to Phnom Penh
I was worried about whether the pickup service would get me at my hotel. They were scheduled for 8:00, and I was outside waiting. By 8:10, I was getting nervous. At 8:15, the people at my guest house were about to call the bus company. But just as they started to dial, a man from the bus company arrived on a motorcycle apologizing and saying that their van was full with people from other stops and that they had sent him to get me. He put my suitcase between his legs, and I climbed on behind him. Off we went!
The bus didn't leave on time (8:30) anyway. I think they were delaying to sell a few more tickets since it wasn't full. We finally pulled away about 20 minutes late. There were two short stops on the trip, and we arrived in Phnom Penh around 14:00.
There were two interesting guys sitting across the aisle from me. One is a professional photographer from England who has been traveling independently around the world by buying individual one-way tickets. Many people do that now. He has been traveling for 18 months and will return home in August, he said. The other was a guy from Belgium who has lived the last 9 years in Shanghai teaching English. He had traveled here for a vacation and to scout the country as a possible place to work. He wants to leave Shanghai and is considering the various Asian countries that will allow him to stay there and teach English.
At our second stop on the bus trip, there were several girls selling fresh slices of mango in plastic bags. Two of the girls had big spiders on the fronts of their shirts. I thought they were artifical. But one of the girls took her spider off and put it on the arm of the man from Belgium. It was alive! Obviously, they are not dangerous, or the girls would not wear them or handle them. But what a surprise to learn that they were real. The man from Belgium handled it well, but can you imagine how many people would react having a 10 cm (4 inch) live, black, fuzzy spider placed on their exposed arms!
One of the girls, a smaller one without a spider, was so delightful. She had a great smile and personality. She readily accepted that I was not interested in buying the fruit. (There are warnings about buying fruit like this because it has been rinced in local water which is then in the bag and soaking into the fruit.) She walked away to try to sell from others, but she said, "If you change your mind, you buy from me. OK?" Later, she came back to stand and visit. My guess is that she was no more than 9-10 years old. And her English was unbelievable. She could follow and contribute to just about anything said (instead of just having a few planned and memorized sentences to say). With her English skills, her personality, and her obvious intelligence, she could be so successful in life. But she is at the bus station selling fruit rather than in school getting an education. How sad. It's such a loss for her, her family, and for Cambodia!
I went directly from the bus station to my former hotel where I had reserved a room already. It was only about 6-8 blocks away. They gave me the same room, and I was relaxing and living in luxury again. I went to the store to buy some supplies--ham, French bread, chips, nuts, water, and beer. I just stayed in my room and relaxed and watched TV for the evening.
Sunday, June 28, 2009--Phnom Penh
This was my last day in Cambodia. I decided to be lazy. I went outside at 10:30 to read in the shade of a tree at a nearby park while my room was cleaned. It wasn't easy, though, because tuk-tuk (motorcycle with an attached covered carriage) drivers kept bothering me wanting to take me somewhere so they could make money. One of the problems with Cambodia is that there are too many tuk-tuk drivers. Most do not own their vehicles. They have to pay $3 per day to rent them from the owner and have to buy their own fuel. So they are overly aggressive with tourists in an effort to earn the $3 plus more so they will make a profit for the day. They cannot leave tourists alone, because they see each one as having money in his pocket which could be in their own!
Back in the room, I napped, read, and watched TV until 16:45. It was cloudy and comfortable outside, so I went out for my last evening in Cambodia. I returned to the nearby park where many people gather each evening. Some people were out, not not many yet. The musical fountains had not started yet. Across the street, a temple was having some kind of ceremony which involved people sitting at tables under a tent on the sidewalk and music being played on loud speakers. I watched some young men playing hacky sack with a bamboo ball. I watched a small boy throwing fits because he wanted to play with whatever his brothers had. They fought over both a scooter and a soccer ball with the boy wanting both and his brothers wanted whichever one he wasn't using. Some people were playing badminton without a net.
Eventually, two of the guys who had been playing with the bamboo ball came over to the bench and sat and visited with me. They were nice and spoke English well. Both were students and told me about their studies and their plans in life. One works part time for an NGO (non-govermental agency--called a non-profit agency in the U.S.) and said that he wants to return to the countryside as a teacher trainer of teachers of English with an NGO after he finishes his teaching degree. After cooling off while talking to me, they went back to their game, and another young man immediately came over and sat and visited. He, too, is a student. I learned he is 25 and was a monk for 11 years. But he left that and became a student at a university. He still lives at a pagoda, however--the one across the street having the celebration. He invited me to go see his living quarters, so we went over there. He lives in a house with 60 others--monks, teachers, and private persons like him who have been monks. He has a small room (4 ft. x 6 ft. or 1 1/3 m x 2 m) with corregated metal walls and ceiling. In it, he has a TV, a bed, and bookshelves. He has to pay for his electricity and his water, but the room is free otherwise. He showed me a folder with all his certificates including his bachelor's degree. Here in Cambodia, as in much of the poorer parts of the world, educational institutions just keep teaching and teaching and teaching students who are so eager to try to get a job that they just keep paying and paying and paying. It's sad. He said he had interviewed for a job earlier today, but 500 persons interviewed and there are only 6 positions that are vacant. Anyway, after visiting there for 15-20 minutes, I excused myself and left to return to the hotel.
Monday, June 29, 2009--Phnom Penh to Bangkok
I stayed in the room to organize things and to read until check-out at noon. I had been dreading arranging a ride to the airport, so I decided to go two blocks away to the same tuk-tuk driver I had used my first day here to change from my first guest house to this one by the riverside and the Royal Palace. He was at his usual place, and we arranged a price--$5 (after starting out with him asking $8 which is more than taxi drivers get for the airport). I still thought that might be a bit high. It took us 35 minutes to get to the airport. That's further than I recalled it being when I walked into town on arrival, so I guess the $5 is an acceptable price. I actually could have walked it again today, but I decided not to because I am worried about wearing out the wheels on the suitcase and I would be walking in the heat of the day. Since I road in the tuk-tuk, I arrived at the airport 4 hours before my flight.
I was stung by some small, fat insect on my way to the airport. It flew onto my forefinger as we were riding in the tuk-tuk. I felt the sting and brushed it away from me. I squeezed the spot trying to get any fluid out that had been inserted by the insect. Then I sucked on it and spit out whatever might have come into my mouth. I didn't want it to sweel and hurt. I saw a bit of a white ring begin to form. But then the pain went away and everything was fine.
While waiting at the airport, I finished reading my current book. It's What is the What by Dave Eggers. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. It was a very interesting and fascinating book to read. It tells the true story of a young man from the Sudan who was one of the refugees who, at age 11, saw many attrocities and was forced to leave his home and walk for weeks to seek refuge from civil war. He lived in temporary camps for years and was eventually resettled in the U.S. It clearified to me the problems in that area and what has caused them. His story was told in a way that showed his naivety and the humorous aspects of his life, too.
Just 30 minutes before out plane was scheduled to arrive, heavy thunderstorms began. I was sure our flight would be greatly delayed. It was raining so hard that no plane could land. Fortunately, however, they stopped just about the time the plane should land, and it landed only 4 minutes late.
I sat beside a man from Portland, Oregon, on the flight. His family (wife and two children) were in the row behind us. He is a teacher of history, and his wife is a librarian at a private school in Portland. He was approximately my age and had been a hippie in India and Nepal back in the '60s and early '70s. Although I could tell he felt the need to try to sound impressive to me (Poor ego!), it was interesting to talk a bit. They were coming to Bangkok for 3 days and then going to Nepal to visit friends from there who also have children near the ages of his. Apparently it is the first trip to Asia for his children, so they were going to have some great experiences. I gave him the book I had just finished reading. He knew the author and, being a history teacher, had an obvious interest in the subject matter.
There was rain and heavy traffic in Bangkok. I left the airport about 18:00--just when most people get off work in Thailand. I did not reach my hotel until 20:15. Away from rush hour, it only takes an hour or less to cover that distance. Fortunately, however, the rain was not falling hard. And I was able to avoid the deep puddles of water at Victory Circle where I had to change buses.
They recognized me as I checked in at the hotel. The young man behind the desk even remembered my room number and commented that I was getting the same room again. How nice it was to have the traveling behind me and to be in my luxurious room! I watched TV and reorganized all my things from my bags.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009--Bangkok (Part 1)
I had a great experience at breakfast. The manager was not in sight as I went to the restaurant. I entered, and the usual buffet was there without French toast. I got a plate with scrambled eggs, Asian vegetables, ham, and hot sauce. Amost immediately, the waiter brought me a small bowl of syrup. Just as I was finishing my plate, he set my freshly-made French toast in front of me. I got bacon to go with it and began eating. It so good. When I finished it, I got a small fruit plate. Just as I was beginning to eat it, the manager of the hotel walked into the restaurant and up to me. I stood, and she welcomed me back and said she hoped I had a good time in Cambodia. Then she said, "I'm sorry there wasn't French toast this morning." I replied, "There was. Your waiter remembered and had it prepared for me. You have a great staff." She beamed. The waiter in the distance had heard, and he beamed! How nice it is to be treated so well!! And breakfast was great. UMMMMMM!
I've been worrying about tonight for two weeks. I return to the dentist to pick up my partial plate. I hope all has gone well. I got my first partial plate like this 40 years ago. However, about 32 years ago, when I needed a crown on a tooth above the partial plate, the dentist took impressions for it. Then he tugged to remove my partial plate from the impression material after it had started hardening. A small hook that goes around one of my teeth broke off. The dentist wanted to try to fix it by having the pieces welded together, but it would work, so he had to have the original company make me a new partial plate. Ever since then, I have worried about any dental work involving impressions. This is the first time I have had to have an impression made since then. Two weeks ago, I cautioned the dentist about how important it would be to be careful with the partial plate and especially that small hook when removing it. She said she would write a note to the laboratory. But for two weeks, I have dreaded today in fear that the plate would be damaged. It is a unique design. All dentists are impressed with it, because it is in two pieces that are hinged together to make it "float" when chewing to avoid hard pressure on my gums. It was expensive back in the 1970s. There's no telling what a new one like it could cost today. But worst of all, there is no idea who originally made it and whether another one like it could be made or not. So I still have a few more hours today to worry. I hope I will have good news tonight at 17:00 when I go to the dentist--that the original plate will be fine and that the rebuilt teeth on it will be well done.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
A Lazy Day in Siem Reap
Thursday, June 25, 2009--Siem Reap (Continued)
I was so tired from my outing in the morning to the ruins that I really didn't feel like doing more than what was necessary in the evenng. I walked to the supermarket and bought two more large bottles of water. Then I returned to the place where I had rented the bicycle to buy a bus ticket to return to Phnom Penh on Saturday. I was lucky, because I paid only $5 and got Seat 1A (window/front row) which is where my Indian friend had sat on the way to here. It will give me a chance to take some photos of the nice villages as we pass them.
I went to the restaurant next door to the bicycle shop which is operated by the same family. This time I ordered a Khmer dish that is made with aubergine (eggplant) cut in big chunks and minced pork. The dish also had minced garlic and slices of green onion. Everything had been stir-fried together with some sauces to give it a nice flavor. The menu had said "mixed pork," and I was a bit worried about what that could be. It was nice to see the dish and realized that they had really meant "minced."
I returned to my guest house and went to the room. I was just about to watch a rugby match between the British and Irish Lions and the South African Emerging Springboks when the power went off. I looked out the window and could see it was off everywhere. I stayed in bed for some time hoping the electricity would return. Finally, after about 30 minutes, I dressed and went outside to the courtyard. Terry, the assistant manager of the guest house, was there and we visited. He is from Singapore but has been friends for years with the owner. Therefore, he is considered the manager when the owner isn't around. He speaks good English, so we talked and talked about anything and everything until the power returned. By that time, I was so tired that all I wanted to do was go back upstairs. I watched the end of the rugby game and then went to bed early.
Friday, June 26, 2009--Siem Reap
Today was a lazy day for me. I stayed in the room until 9:45. Then I went outside with my book to read so that the ladies could clean the room. While outside, one of the young men who works here sat at the table with me and visited. He is from a village about an hour from here, and this is his first job. He's only been here for 3 months. He was studying tourism at a local university, but he ran out of money and had to go to work. He has the dream of establishing a travel agency that will offer packages to tourists so that everything is included. I told him it would probably appeal to Americans who want everything planned and taken care of from the moment they step off the plane. Soon Terry arrived, and the young man jumped up and went to work. I guess he is not supposed to be visiting with guests. However, such visits probably go a long way toward helping him improve his English which is still quite limited.
Terry and I visited a while, but he was studying for an class he is taking in Japanese. He had stayed up late working and watching TV and had not finished his homework. And there was only one hour left before he had to leave for class. My room was clean, so I returned to it. I read a bit more, but then I fell into a deep sleep for almost two hours.
It is now late afternoon. I have no plans other than to eat dinner. All I have wanted to do today is be lazy. I'll probably return to the same restaurant and try something else they serve tonight. Then I will return to the room. Tomorrow, I must be up and ready for my bus trip to Phnom Penh. A car will pick me up here at the guest house at 8:00.
I was so tired from my outing in the morning to the ruins that I really didn't feel like doing more than what was necessary in the evenng. I walked to the supermarket and bought two more large bottles of water. Then I returned to the place where I had rented the bicycle to buy a bus ticket to return to Phnom Penh on Saturday. I was lucky, because I paid only $5 and got Seat 1A (window/front row) which is where my Indian friend had sat on the way to here. It will give me a chance to take some photos of the nice villages as we pass them.
I went to the restaurant next door to the bicycle shop which is operated by the same family. This time I ordered a Khmer dish that is made with aubergine (eggplant) cut in big chunks and minced pork. The dish also had minced garlic and slices of green onion. Everything had been stir-fried together with some sauces to give it a nice flavor. The menu had said "mixed pork," and I was a bit worried about what that could be. It was nice to see the dish and realized that they had really meant "minced."
I returned to my guest house and went to the room. I was just about to watch a rugby match between the British and Irish Lions and the South African Emerging Springboks when the power went off. I looked out the window and could see it was off everywhere. I stayed in bed for some time hoping the electricity would return. Finally, after about 30 minutes, I dressed and went outside to the courtyard. Terry, the assistant manager of the guest house, was there and we visited. He is from Singapore but has been friends for years with the owner. Therefore, he is considered the manager when the owner isn't around. He speaks good English, so we talked and talked about anything and everything until the power returned. By that time, I was so tired that all I wanted to do was go back upstairs. I watched the end of the rugby game and then went to bed early.
Friday, June 26, 2009--Siem Reap
Today was a lazy day for me. I stayed in the room until 9:45. Then I went outside with my book to read so that the ladies could clean the room. While outside, one of the young men who works here sat at the table with me and visited. He is from a village about an hour from here, and this is his first job. He's only been here for 3 months. He was studying tourism at a local university, but he ran out of money and had to go to work. He has the dream of establishing a travel agency that will offer packages to tourists so that everything is included. I told him it would probably appeal to Americans who want everything planned and taken care of from the moment they step off the plane. Soon Terry arrived, and the young man jumped up and went to work. I guess he is not supposed to be visiting with guests. However, such visits probably go a long way toward helping him improve his English which is still quite limited.
Terry and I visited a while, but he was studying for an class he is taking in Japanese. He had stayed up late working and watching TV and had not finished his homework. And there was only one hour left before he had to leave for class. My room was clean, so I returned to it. I read a bit more, but then I fell into a deep sleep for almost two hours.
It is now late afternoon. I have no plans other than to eat dinner. All I have wanted to do today is be lazy. I'll probably return to the same restaurant and try something else they serve tonight. Then I will return to the room. Tomorrow, I must be up and ready for my bus trip to Phnom Penh. A car will pick me up here at the guest house at 8:00.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Angkor Wat
Wednesday, June 24, 2009--Siem Reap
I stayed inside and rested most of the day. I am reading a very good book, and the heat is just too bad to want to go out much before late afternoon.
In the afternoon, however, I went out walking to investigate outer areas of towns. I walked downs unpaved streets where people were surprised to see a tourist passing. I stopped and rested along the river and watched some boys playing soccer. Eventually, with my circular route, I arrived at the gardens of the Royal Palace here. They are so pretty and peaceful and have so many big shade trees. I sat on a bench across from a small temple where many people were brings flowers and incense as offerings. There was a Cambodia traditional band inside the temple grounds, and they played music on their drums, gongs, string instruments, etc., when paid to do so. A man sat beside me on another bench. While I was there, a woman approached him with a large metal platter piled high with fried grasshoppers. She was selling them to people in the park. He didn't seem to want any, but she insisted that he try one. He moved his fingers around as he looked them over, then he selected one and popped it in his mouth. UMMMM!
I ate the best meal I have had in Cambodia tonight. I found the place while I was searching for a bicycle for my visit to the ruins around Angkor Wat tomorrow. Just next door was a small restaurant operated by the same family with nice atmosphere and reasonable prices. I had the national dish of Cambodia--Chicken Amok--which had paper-thin slices of chicken in a slightly spicy coconut sauce with green beens and onions. The meal came with a pot of green tea and a small plate of sliced fresh pineapple. It was a big portion, too. For the first time since leaving Canada I felt stuffed after eating.
Speaking of eating makes me think about my diet. I was able to weigh myself in Phnom Penh several days ago. I had lost 15 lbs. (almost 7 kg) since leaving San Antonio. I will lose that same amount again before returning to Texas in October.
Thursday, June 25, 2009--Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
I left my hotel at 5:30. I had to wake up the guys who work here to get them to open the gate, but they are used to that, since going to the ruins (which open at 5:00 a.m.) at an early time is common as a way to avoid the heat, avoid the rush of the tour groups, and, for some, to see the sun rise over the ruins. When I got to the place where I was going to rent a bicycle, it was not open either (although they had told me they opened at 5:00 and I had told them I would be there around 5:15-5:30). I banged on the door. I yelled, "Hello," several times. Eventually, I climbed the stairs leading to the home above the shop and restaurant and banged on the outer wall. The woman recognized me immediately when she came out and was apologetic. She opened the shop and got me a bicycle and lock to use for the day for only $1. And it proved to be a nice bicycle--easy to ride and smooth with decent brakes.
I headed off on one of the roads in town where I had seen a sign saying it was the way to Angkor Wat. I knew that it wasn't the main road from looking at the map, but the two of them are parallel and are close together. I didn't want a road with lots of traffic, since "driving" here is like being in India. I figured there would be a sign showing me where to turn to buy my ticket, since the ticket booth looked as if it is located between the two roads. Well, before I knew it, I was near Angkor Wat at one of the checkpoints to be sure that foreigners have paid their extravagant entry rate for the site. I discovered that there is no sign on my road and that I would have to go back approximately 3 km (2 miles) to the ticket booth on the other road. Off I went. When I got there, buying the ticket was like getting a rental car in that it came with a push to purchase more and lots of warnings. They wanted me to buy a ticket for more than one day and cautioned me about the fact that I could not use that ticket after sunset today, that I could not get into the ruins if I lost it, etc.
Note: One of my pet peeves about all these major tourist sites is that they charge foreigners so much. Most of them are being restored and developed using funds from the United Nations, since they have been named UNESCO World Heritage Sites. So, it is the developed countries that are paying for the restoration. Then they gouge us again by making us pay so much to enter. Cambodians get into this site free, which means that at every stop there are hawkers bothering the tourists who have paid $20 to be there! It is rediculous, and there should be a rule by UNESCO that if it is funding restoration of a project the admission price for foreigners cannot be more than it is for locals!
I returned the 3 km to Angkor Wat, arriving there at 6:30. I was still early. It was nice to be able to see it without too many tourists (but with WAY TOO MANY touts and hawkers trying to sell anything and everything). It is nice, but it was essentially what I expected--not much better, than any, of the many similar ancient capital sites that I have visited in other countries (Ayutthaya and Sukothai in Thailand, Bagan in Myanmar, and Anuradhapura and Polonarua in Sri Lanka. They all consist of many temples spread over a large area that used to also have homes with people. The temples were built out of stones and bricks and still exist, but the homes have disappeared due to having been made of thatch. Of course, Angkor Wat has Khmer design, but is seeing that design worth the effort and cost of coming here? I'm not sure, since the general idea is the same as the others and the inner construction is definitely the same.
From Angkor Wat, I went to a few of the other temples including Bayon, Baphuon, Ta Prohm, and East Mebon. I also stopped at some smaller sites along the way. I managed to stay ahead of the tour buses until my last stop. And I probably should not have gone there, since it added 6 km (3.5 mi) to my distance without being a very special temple. By then, it was 10:45, and I was tired and getting hot. I returned 3 km and stopped at the Sras Srang which is the ancient reservoir for the site. A few orphans walked across the street to visit with me and to ask me to visit the orphanage, but I had already decided not to visit any based on what I had read in my guidebook. I moved further down the road and found another spot beside the water. I relaxed, ate some roasted peanuts and some dried sour plums, and watched boys swimming and bathing in the water. Then I started the rest of the long 13 km (8 mi) ride in the heat of the day back to town. I stopped several times to rest and to drink water. I finished 3 liters of water that I took with me on the trip. And my guess is that I traveled by bicycle about 45-50 km (27-30 mi). I'll feel it in my seat tomorrow!
Back at my room by 12:15, I had been gone for almot 7 hours. I took a cold shower, turned on both the ceiling fan and the air conditioner, watched the news on TV, read a bit from my novel, and then took a nap which involved a deep, deep sleep.
It's now evening. I will return to the restaurant where I ate last night and find something different to try there. I also need to try to arrange my bus ticket to return to Phnom Penh on Saturday. I met a nice Italian man while touring the ruins today, so I am also hoping I might run into him and we can have a drink and visit together.
I stayed inside and rested most of the day. I am reading a very good book, and the heat is just too bad to want to go out much before late afternoon.
In the afternoon, however, I went out walking to investigate outer areas of towns. I walked downs unpaved streets where people were surprised to see a tourist passing. I stopped and rested along the river and watched some boys playing soccer. Eventually, with my circular route, I arrived at the gardens of the Royal Palace here. They are so pretty and peaceful and have so many big shade trees. I sat on a bench across from a small temple where many people were brings flowers and incense as offerings. There was a Cambodia traditional band inside the temple grounds, and they played music on their drums, gongs, string instruments, etc., when paid to do so. A man sat beside me on another bench. While I was there, a woman approached him with a large metal platter piled high with fried grasshoppers. She was selling them to people in the park. He didn't seem to want any, but she insisted that he try one. He moved his fingers around as he looked them over, then he selected one and popped it in his mouth. UMMMM!
I ate the best meal I have had in Cambodia tonight. I found the place while I was searching for a bicycle for my visit to the ruins around Angkor Wat tomorrow. Just next door was a small restaurant operated by the same family with nice atmosphere and reasonable prices. I had the national dish of Cambodia--Chicken Amok--which had paper-thin slices of chicken in a slightly spicy coconut sauce with green beens and onions. The meal came with a pot of green tea and a small plate of sliced fresh pineapple. It was a big portion, too. For the first time since leaving Canada I felt stuffed after eating.
Speaking of eating makes me think about my diet. I was able to weigh myself in Phnom Penh several days ago. I had lost 15 lbs. (almost 7 kg) since leaving San Antonio. I will lose that same amount again before returning to Texas in October.
Thursday, June 25, 2009--Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
I left my hotel at 5:30. I had to wake up the guys who work here to get them to open the gate, but they are used to that, since going to the ruins (which open at 5:00 a.m.) at an early time is common as a way to avoid the heat, avoid the rush of the tour groups, and, for some, to see the sun rise over the ruins. When I got to the place where I was going to rent a bicycle, it was not open either (although they had told me they opened at 5:00 and I had told them I would be there around 5:15-5:30). I banged on the door. I yelled, "Hello," several times. Eventually, I climbed the stairs leading to the home above the shop and restaurant and banged on the outer wall. The woman recognized me immediately when she came out and was apologetic. She opened the shop and got me a bicycle and lock to use for the day for only $1. And it proved to be a nice bicycle--easy to ride and smooth with decent brakes.
I headed off on one of the roads in town where I had seen a sign saying it was the way to Angkor Wat. I knew that it wasn't the main road from looking at the map, but the two of them are parallel and are close together. I didn't want a road with lots of traffic, since "driving" here is like being in India. I figured there would be a sign showing me where to turn to buy my ticket, since the ticket booth looked as if it is located between the two roads. Well, before I knew it, I was near Angkor Wat at one of the checkpoints to be sure that foreigners have paid their extravagant entry rate for the site. I discovered that there is no sign on my road and that I would have to go back approximately 3 km (2 miles) to the ticket booth on the other road. Off I went. When I got there, buying the ticket was like getting a rental car in that it came with a push to purchase more and lots of warnings. They wanted me to buy a ticket for more than one day and cautioned me about the fact that I could not use that ticket after sunset today, that I could not get into the ruins if I lost it, etc.
Note: One of my pet peeves about all these major tourist sites is that they charge foreigners so much. Most of them are being restored and developed using funds from the United Nations, since they have been named UNESCO World Heritage Sites. So, it is the developed countries that are paying for the restoration. Then they gouge us again by making us pay so much to enter. Cambodians get into this site free, which means that at every stop there are hawkers bothering the tourists who have paid $20 to be there! It is rediculous, and there should be a rule by UNESCO that if it is funding restoration of a project the admission price for foreigners cannot be more than it is for locals!
I returned the 3 km to Angkor Wat, arriving there at 6:30. I was still early. It was nice to be able to see it without too many tourists (but with WAY TOO MANY touts and hawkers trying to sell anything and everything). It is nice, but it was essentially what I expected--not much better, than any, of the many similar ancient capital sites that I have visited in other countries (Ayutthaya and Sukothai in Thailand, Bagan in Myanmar, and Anuradhapura and Polonarua in Sri Lanka. They all consist of many temples spread over a large area that used to also have homes with people. The temples were built out of stones and bricks and still exist, but the homes have disappeared due to having been made of thatch. Of course, Angkor Wat has Khmer design, but is seeing that design worth the effort and cost of coming here? I'm not sure, since the general idea is the same as the others and the inner construction is definitely the same.
From Angkor Wat, I went to a few of the other temples including Bayon, Baphuon, Ta Prohm, and East Mebon. I also stopped at some smaller sites along the way. I managed to stay ahead of the tour buses until my last stop. And I probably should not have gone there, since it added 6 km (3.5 mi) to my distance without being a very special temple. By then, it was 10:45, and I was tired and getting hot. I returned 3 km and stopped at the Sras Srang which is the ancient reservoir for the site. A few orphans walked across the street to visit with me and to ask me to visit the orphanage, but I had already decided not to visit any based on what I had read in my guidebook. I moved further down the road and found another spot beside the water. I relaxed, ate some roasted peanuts and some dried sour plums, and watched boys swimming and bathing in the water. Then I started the rest of the long 13 km (8 mi) ride in the heat of the day back to town. I stopped several times to rest and to drink water. I finished 3 liters of water that I took with me on the trip. And my guess is that I traveled by bicycle about 45-50 km (27-30 mi). I'll feel it in my seat tomorrow!
Back at my room by 12:15, I had been gone for almot 7 hours. I took a cold shower, turned on both the ceiling fan and the air conditioner, watched the news on TV, read a bit from my novel, and then took a nap which involved a deep, deep sleep.
It's now evening. I will return to the restaurant where I ate last night and find something different to try there. I also need to try to arrange my bus ticket to return to Phnom Penh on Saturday. I met a nice Italian man while touring the ruins today, so I am also hoping I might run into him and we can have a drink and visit together.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
To the North of Cambodia
Tuesday, June 23, 2009--Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
Instead of the bus coming to pick me up at my guest house, there was a tuk tuk driver asking if I was the one taking the 7:30 bus to Siem Reap. He then took me to the bus station. I wish the ticket seller had told me it would be that way so I could have been assured that it was included in the price of the ticket. I tried talking to the tuk tuk driver, but his English was limited. Anyway, at the station I got out and did not pay him. He did not protest, but I could tell he was hoping I would pay more.
The bus had mostly local people on it. There were a few foreign women, an Australian man, and an Indian man I had seen at the Genocide Museum the day before. I sat beside him. What a surprise I had! He is American and is on an around-the-world trip. In all these years I have never met an American who was traveling on an around-the-world ticket, but he was! He had bought his through airtrek.com, a website that I've often recommended that people use to see what they could plan and how much it would cost. His name is Nirav, and not only is he American, he is from Houton and used to come to San Antonio on vacations with his family.
We were on the bus together for about 5 hours, and we talked the whole time. He had been a bond trader in New York and lost his job with the economic crisis. He is now working with some friends to create a website that will make them money. They have a contract with one of the big companies (Facebook?) in Palo Alto to complete the site and sell it to them. Anyway, we have many common interests and talked about so many of them--good novels, education and educational reforms, travel, cultural differences, India, etc. I had a GREAT time traveling with him, and the 5 hours passed so fast because of our visit.
I did look outside the bus as we traveled. Rural Cambodia seems very nice. To some extent it gives the impression of what Southeast Asia was like in most countries 35-45 years ago. That's mainly because of the houses. They are small wooden ones on stilts. They are nicer than the houses that existed in most of the other countries, however, because of the beautiful tile roofs that they have. Few original houses remain in most of Southeast Asia, because they were more flimsy than those here and have been replaced with "modern" concrete versions. It's nice to see these beautiful, small homes still existing here in Cambodia.
The man who sold me my bus ticket had a man meet me in his tuk tuk at the bus station in Siem Reap. The station is about 4 km outside of town. As expected, he had a "preferred" guest house that he drove me to. Every westerner but Nirav (who had a reservation at a hostel) came via other drivers to the same rest house. It was nice with a river view, refrigerator, etc. But I knew it was overpriced. I explained that I would look at 2-3 other places before I decided, and I went off on my own. I walked not far to my first choice place from my guidebook. It was very similar except for a view over roofs and across treetops and no refrigerator for only $10 per night. Otherwise, it was clean and bright and had cable TV, A/C, and hot water. I took it without looking further.
After resting in the room, I went out exploring around 16:00. It's a nice town. And it is much easier to explore than Phnom Penh because of its smaller size. I walked up and down streets. I went into two supermarkets that obviously sell to the foreigners and ex-pats who live here. I was surprised by the low cost of some alcohol here--Jose Cuervo Gold, 750 ml, $12; Baily's Irish Cream, 700 ml, $14; and Bombay Gin, 750 ml, $13--are a few examples.
There was an article in a local guidebook about inexpensive places to eat in town, so I went to one of the restaurants it suggested. It is still over-priced in terms of what the same food would cost elsewhere in SE Asia, but it was nice to eat a good meal. Roasted peanuts with slices of roasted garlic among them (like a snack I remember enjoying once on the square in Oaxaca) were served immediately. For my dinner, I had Cambodian curry in coconut. It tasted very similar to Thai green curry and included Asian eggplant, green beans, carrots, slices of chicken, etc., in a coconut sauce. The unusual ingredient was several chunks of potato. The potato did not taste good with the sauce. Instead, however, the sauce was perfect with the rice that came with the dish.
Before returning to my hotel, I wandered through the night market. I was surprised by the quality of the goods on sale and the fact that most of them seemed to be true local products.
Instead of the bus coming to pick me up at my guest house, there was a tuk tuk driver asking if I was the one taking the 7:30 bus to Siem Reap. He then took me to the bus station. I wish the ticket seller had told me it would be that way so I could have been assured that it was included in the price of the ticket. I tried talking to the tuk tuk driver, but his English was limited. Anyway, at the station I got out and did not pay him. He did not protest, but I could tell he was hoping I would pay more.
The bus had mostly local people on it. There were a few foreign women, an Australian man, and an Indian man I had seen at the Genocide Museum the day before. I sat beside him. What a surprise I had! He is American and is on an around-the-world trip. In all these years I have never met an American who was traveling on an around-the-world ticket, but he was! He had bought his through airtrek.com, a website that I've often recommended that people use to see what they could plan and how much it would cost. His name is Nirav, and not only is he American, he is from Houton and used to come to San Antonio on vacations with his family.
We were on the bus together for about 5 hours, and we talked the whole time. He had been a bond trader in New York and lost his job with the economic crisis. He is now working with some friends to create a website that will make them money. They have a contract with one of the big companies (Facebook?) in Palo Alto to complete the site and sell it to them. Anyway, we have many common interests and talked about so many of them--good novels, education and educational reforms, travel, cultural differences, India, etc. I had a GREAT time traveling with him, and the 5 hours passed so fast because of our visit.
I did look outside the bus as we traveled. Rural Cambodia seems very nice. To some extent it gives the impression of what Southeast Asia was like in most countries 35-45 years ago. That's mainly because of the houses. They are small wooden ones on stilts. They are nicer than the houses that existed in most of the other countries, however, because of the beautiful tile roofs that they have. Few original houses remain in most of Southeast Asia, because they were more flimsy than those here and have been replaced with "modern" concrete versions. It's nice to see these beautiful, small homes still existing here in Cambodia.
The man who sold me my bus ticket had a man meet me in his tuk tuk at the bus station in Siem Reap. The station is about 4 km outside of town. As expected, he had a "preferred" guest house that he drove me to. Every westerner but Nirav (who had a reservation at a hostel) came via other drivers to the same rest house. It was nice with a river view, refrigerator, etc. But I knew it was overpriced. I explained that I would look at 2-3 other places before I decided, and I went off on my own. I walked not far to my first choice place from my guidebook. It was very similar except for a view over roofs and across treetops and no refrigerator for only $10 per night. Otherwise, it was clean and bright and had cable TV, A/C, and hot water. I took it without looking further.
After resting in the room, I went out exploring around 16:00. It's a nice town. And it is much easier to explore than Phnom Penh because of its smaller size. I walked up and down streets. I went into two supermarkets that obviously sell to the foreigners and ex-pats who live here. I was surprised by the low cost of some alcohol here--Jose Cuervo Gold, 750 ml, $12; Baily's Irish Cream, 700 ml, $14; and Bombay Gin, 750 ml, $13--are a few examples.
There was an article in a local guidebook about inexpensive places to eat in town, so I went to one of the restaurants it suggested. It is still over-priced in terms of what the same food would cost elsewhere in SE Asia, but it was nice to eat a good meal. Roasted peanuts with slices of roasted garlic among them (like a snack I remember enjoying once on the square in Oaxaca) were served immediately. For my dinner, I had Cambodian curry in coconut. It tasted very similar to Thai green curry and included Asian eggplant, green beans, carrots, slices of chicken, etc., in a coconut sauce. The unusual ingredient was several chunks of potato. The potato did not taste good with the sauce. Instead, however, the sauce was perfect with the rice that came with the dish.
Before returning to my hotel, I wandered through the night market. I was surprised by the quality of the goods on sale and the fact that most of them seemed to be true local products.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Frustrated in Cambodia
I have now been in Cambodia for three days, and I have been frustrated with the country. It is better organized than any other place I have visited at keeping tourists under control in terms of spending. ATMs only dispense dollars. Prices for tourists are quoted in dollars. Local citizens pay a different (lower) price for everything. It's like being visiting with a tour group rather than being independent. My mode of dealing with it has just to spend lots of time in my hotel and to buy food at the supermarket for eating in my room. I have been out some, but in general I am passing time. In one respect that is nice; I am getting some rest while here.
Friday, June 19, 2009--Bangkok to Phnom Penh
I had a nice conversation with the manager of my hotel after breakfast. She explained that the insurance company still has not paid off on the cost of the fire the hotel suffered two years ago (about a month after I had been there). That is why business is so slow. They have had to pay the costs of all the work to refresh the hotel themselves while fighting in court to get paid by the insurance company. She said they have a big nursing conference scheduled next month and that it is because of them that the tower is opening. However, she said they are only doing touch-up on the tower due to the lack of money. It has not been remodeling as I had understood when talking to the employees a few days ago.
It took only 1 1/2 hours to get to the airport. Easy going. My flight was delayed by 30 minutes, so that meant that I had over 2 1/2 hours to wait until my flight. I walked a lot as exercise, since the airport is long with plenty of room.
I sat beside a nice couple from the U.S. on the plane--Todd and Lisa. They are former reporters for a newspaper in the northwest. They said they saw the "writing on the wall" last year and decided to quit and travel before being fired. They have been traveling independently around the world since then. They are the first Americans I have ever met who were doing this! Instead of an ATW ticket, they have just bought one-way tickets along the way. And they did a big segment through Russia by taking the Trans-Siberian Railway. It was delightful to visit with them. They are going back home with plans to change their careers. She will return to graduate school and teach at the university on an assitantship. He thinks he will enroll in law school and become a public defender.
I had written a guest house in Phnom Penh for a reservation, but I never heard back from them. There was a good entry for it in WikiTravel, and they have a website which looks nice. Anyway, that meant that I arrived in PP without a definite place to stay. A lady on the plane whom I had helped by changing seats so she could be by her daughter tried to call the guest house--the PDK1--as we were unloading from the plane, but there was no answer. Therefore, I arrived on my own.
In the terminal, the "prepaid" taxi my guide had mentioned ended up being something slightly different. They gave me a piece of paper that said $7, but I was supposed to pay the driver when I arrived at my destination. Of course, there was no guarantee other than their word that the driver would honor it. Most airports, you pay at a counter, get a receipt, leave with a driver, and give him the receipt so he can be repaid when he returns with it. That's PREPAID!
Then I went to an ATM and discovered the dollar-only withdrawals. I wasn't sure at that time whether it was something at the airport only or whether it would be true elsewhere, too. Frustrated, I started to walk. I had no Cambodian money, and I did not want to be paying everything in dollars.
I walked and walked. Fortunately, the showers that had occured earlier and left the streets wet did not recur. I had no map with me, so I had to stop occasionally and ask which direction. Fortunately, the airport road just goes straight all the way to the center of Phnom Penh. Lots of drivers of tuk tuks and motorcycles tried to get me to pay for a ride. I just kept saying, "No money!" and walking on. I think they were surprised at the pace of my stride.
By 18:00, I was well in town, but I could not figure out how much further it would be to Riverside where my guest house was supposed to be. I looked down a side street and saw a nice looking guest house, so I went to it. I got a room for $10. It was fine--large, clean, cable TV, a/c. But it had no hot water, and the sheets were a bit thin. Anyway, I knew I was not informed that I would be expected at PDK1, so I didn't worry about it. I took this room.
I had not eaten on the plane, so I needed something. I went out to find an ATM and eat. That's when I discovered that all ATMs give only dollars. Because I had been sent to a supermarket to find an ATM, I started looking around. Even the prices in the supermarket were marked in dollars. And it was full of local people shopping. Instead of trying to find a place on the street to eat, I just bought some peanuts and other items and returned to my room to snack.
Saturday, June 20, 2009--Phnom Penh
I left the hotel at 7:45 to search for another place to stay in the Riverside area. I wanted to find a place and get back to collect my luggage and check out before noon. Using my guidebook, I started searching for places I had marked, including the PDK1. Well, the PDK1 was dark and dreary looking. There is no way I would have wanted to stay there. Some other places were also dark, since all buildings here are adjacent with no side windows. A nice place was full. Eventually, while searching for another highy recommended place, I saw a guest house down a side street. It was just across the street from the Royal Palace and the National Museum, so I went to see if they had a room. They did. It was bright, clean, had cable and a/c, etc. It was $20 per night. A lady on the stairs confirmed that she paid the same and that it was a good place to stay. So I took the room.
Then I had to deal with the tuk tuk drivers to find one to take me to the old guest house to get my luggage and bring me back. Yuck. I hate it. Some ask for $5. Then they ask what I want to pay. Anyway, I kept walking and telling them they should have given a good price the first time. Finally, I found someone who, when I told him I had already walked away from several tuk tuks because they did not give me a good price the first time, said he would do it for $3. I agreed, and off we went. I stayed in the new room all afternoon just enjoying the TV and the a/c and the cleanliness of the place.
Around 17:00, I went walking. I had already seen a large part of town while searching for a guest house. So I walked mainly along Riverside. Unfortunately, the nice park-like area that is normally there is torn up right now because of new drainage systems that are being installed in the city. But going southward from my hotel, it was okay and there were many people. I walked and watched the families. That walk eventually brought me to two nice parks that are between one-way streets. They were full of people, too. It was nice to relax and watch them. Cambodian people are friendly and nice when not in the tourism business, so many smiled at me and said, "Hello." Most of the people were being active, though. Many were playing badminton without a net. Some were playing group hacky-sack using a feathered weight rather than a ball for the game. A few were flying kites. Groups were doing exercises together. There was also a dancing fountain with a crowd around it. I stood and watched it perform to the Overture of 1812 and then to a disco number after that.
I went to another branch of the same supermarket where I had been last night. I bought peppered ham, bread, chips, beer, and water to have in my room (since there is a refrigerator there). I returned to the room to eat dinner and watch BBC, CNN, and a movie.
Sunday, June 21, 2009--Phnom Penh
It is hot and humid here. The guidebooks warn to go to places early and state that all sensible Cambodians go to their homes from 11:00 until 14:00 to eat and nap. So I went across the street to see the Royal Palace at 9:00. That was too late! It was HOT! But it is a beautifully maintained complex. Of course, there is a set price for foreigners which locals do not pay. And there really isn't much to see other than to walk through the complex. The only two buildings that were worth seeing inside were the Throne Room (gorgeous) and the Silver Pagoda (named that because the floor has silver tiles). I stayed in the complex, however, wandering and eventually sitting in a shaded area while watching the local people who were visiting. There was an interesting group that had to be peasants from outside the city there together and dressed for their big day in town. There were many families with cute children.
After spending from 11:00 until 16:00 in my room, I went out again. I wandered close by, because there were clouds and some showers could be seen in the distance. As I walked by a temple, there were hundreds of monks leaving. Many were getting onto buses and trucks, but some were walking in the direction I was going. I just fell in with them so that I could have their protection for getting across the streets. Drivers are much less aggressive when monks are in the street than when others are. Eventually, two of the monks spoke to me in English. They had been shy at first, but both spoke English quite well. They asked me if I would go to their pagoda (temple) with them saying that it was nearby. I walked and we talked. Very quickly, we were at their pagoda and walked into the complex and to the back where their building was. There are many buildings in the complex with each housing about 60 people--monks, students, teachers, etc. We sat downstairs, and soon there were about 10 people there all speaking English with me. One was a teacher who will help train Peace Corps volunteers from the U.S. this summer. Some were students there to study while assisting the monks. A couple of others were monks. We visited about 45 minutes with me asking lots of questions. The two who had spoken with me were returning from classes they attended. They had been monks for about 10 years and were in their early 20s. After about 45 minutes, I excused myself, because I knew they had homework to do and probably prayers to perform before their day would be over.
I walked back down the street and into the parks where I had been the night before. I sat on a bench near the dancing fountains and just listened to the music, watched the fountains, and observed the people. Finally, around 19:00, I went back to the room and ate more of the food I had bought the night before.
Monday, June 22, 2009--Phnom Penh
I went to the Genocide Museum today. It is a former school building that became a prison during the Khmer Rouge/Pol Pot period in the 1970s. It was a long walk and I was perspiring by the time I got there even though I left the hotel at 7:45. It was about a 50 minute walk to the museum. I saw the jail cells, I saw the photos of the prisoners (about 20,000 of whom only 7, I think, left alive), I read about the forced exodus of people from Phnom Penh to the farms, etc. I also saw a documentary about it all. And finally, I saw the skulls which everyone associates with this museum. Today, the number of skulls is very limited due to some people's complaints. Anyway, I was an interesting museum to visit and helped remind me of what I remember reading about during that period of time.
I tried to eat lunch at a local place on the way back, but they did not start serving food until noon, and it was only 11:00. So I just continued walking. As I got to my guest house, I paused to buy a bus ticket to go to Siem Reap tomorrow. I will be there for 4 days and then return here for two more.
Friday, June 19, 2009--Bangkok to Phnom Penh
I had a nice conversation with the manager of my hotel after breakfast. She explained that the insurance company still has not paid off on the cost of the fire the hotel suffered two years ago (about a month after I had been there). That is why business is so slow. They have had to pay the costs of all the work to refresh the hotel themselves while fighting in court to get paid by the insurance company. She said they have a big nursing conference scheduled next month and that it is because of them that the tower is opening. However, she said they are only doing touch-up on the tower due to the lack of money. It has not been remodeling as I had understood when talking to the employees a few days ago.
It took only 1 1/2 hours to get to the airport. Easy going. My flight was delayed by 30 minutes, so that meant that I had over 2 1/2 hours to wait until my flight. I walked a lot as exercise, since the airport is long with plenty of room.
I sat beside a nice couple from the U.S. on the plane--Todd and Lisa. They are former reporters for a newspaper in the northwest. They said they saw the "writing on the wall" last year and decided to quit and travel before being fired. They have been traveling independently around the world since then. They are the first Americans I have ever met who were doing this! Instead of an ATW ticket, they have just bought one-way tickets along the way. And they did a big segment through Russia by taking the Trans-Siberian Railway. It was delightful to visit with them. They are going back home with plans to change their careers. She will return to graduate school and teach at the university on an assitantship. He thinks he will enroll in law school and become a public defender.
I had written a guest house in Phnom Penh for a reservation, but I never heard back from them. There was a good entry for it in WikiTravel, and they have a website which looks nice. Anyway, that meant that I arrived in PP without a definite place to stay. A lady on the plane whom I had helped by changing seats so she could be by her daughter tried to call the guest house--the PDK1--as we were unloading from the plane, but there was no answer. Therefore, I arrived on my own.
In the terminal, the "prepaid" taxi my guide had mentioned ended up being something slightly different. They gave me a piece of paper that said $7, but I was supposed to pay the driver when I arrived at my destination. Of course, there was no guarantee other than their word that the driver would honor it. Most airports, you pay at a counter, get a receipt, leave with a driver, and give him the receipt so he can be repaid when he returns with it. That's PREPAID!
Then I went to an ATM and discovered the dollar-only withdrawals. I wasn't sure at that time whether it was something at the airport only or whether it would be true elsewhere, too. Frustrated, I started to walk. I had no Cambodian money, and I did not want to be paying everything in dollars.
I walked and walked. Fortunately, the showers that had occured earlier and left the streets wet did not recur. I had no map with me, so I had to stop occasionally and ask which direction. Fortunately, the airport road just goes straight all the way to the center of Phnom Penh. Lots of drivers of tuk tuks and motorcycles tried to get me to pay for a ride. I just kept saying, "No money!" and walking on. I think they were surprised at the pace of my stride.
By 18:00, I was well in town, but I could not figure out how much further it would be to Riverside where my guest house was supposed to be. I looked down a side street and saw a nice looking guest house, so I went to it. I got a room for $10. It was fine--large, clean, cable TV, a/c. But it had no hot water, and the sheets were a bit thin. Anyway, I knew I was not informed that I would be expected at PDK1, so I didn't worry about it. I took this room.
I had not eaten on the plane, so I needed something. I went out to find an ATM and eat. That's when I discovered that all ATMs give only dollars. Because I had been sent to a supermarket to find an ATM, I started looking around. Even the prices in the supermarket were marked in dollars. And it was full of local people shopping. Instead of trying to find a place on the street to eat, I just bought some peanuts and other items and returned to my room to snack.
Saturday, June 20, 2009--Phnom Penh
I left the hotel at 7:45 to search for another place to stay in the Riverside area. I wanted to find a place and get back to collect my luggage and check out before noon. Using my guidebook, I started searching for places I had marked, including the PDK1. Well, the PDK1 was dark and dreary looking. There is no way I would have wanted to stay there. Some other places were also dark, since all buildings here are adjacent with no side windows. A nice place was full. Eventually, while searching for another highy recommended place, I saw a guest house down a side street. It was just across the street from the Royal Palace and the National Museum, so I went to see if they had a room. They did. It was bright, clean, had cable and a/c, etc. It was $20 per night. A lady on the stairs confirmed that she paid the same and that it was a good place to stay. So I took the room.
Then I had to deal with the tuk tuk drivers to find one to take me to the old guest house to get my luggage and bring me back. Yuck. I hate it. Some ask for $5. Then they ask what I want to pay. Anyway, I kept walking and telling them they should have given a good price the first time. Finally, I found someone who, when I told him I had already walked away from several tuk tuks because they did not give me a good price the first time, said he would do it for $3. I agreed, and off we went. I stayed in the new room all afternoon just enjoying the TV and the a/c and the cleanliness of the place.
Around 17:00, I went walking. I had already seen a large part of town while searching for a guest house. So I walked mainly along Riverside. Unfortunately, the nice park-like area that is normally there is torn up right now because of new drainage systems that are being installed in the city. But going southward from my hotel, it was okay and there were many people. I walked and watched the families. That walk eventually brought me to two nice parks that are between one-way streets. They were full of people, too. It was nice to relax and watch them. Cambodian people are friendly and nice when not in the tourism business, so many smiled at me and said, "Hello." Most of the people were being active, though. Many were playing badminton without a net. Some were playing group hacky-sack using a feathered weight rather than a ball for the game. A few were flying kites. Groups were doing exercises together. There was also a dancing fountain with a crowd around it. I stood and watched it perform to the Overture of 1812 and then to a disco number after that.
I went to another branch of the same supermarket where I had been last night. I bought peppered ham, bread, chips, beer, and water to have in my room (since there is a refrigerator there). I returned to the room to eat dinner and watch BBC, CNN, and a movie.
Sunday, June 21, 2009--Phnom Penh
It is hot and humid here. The guidebooks warn to go to places early and state that all sensible Cambodians go to their homes from 11:00 until 14:00 to eat and nap. So I went across the street to see the Royal Palace at 9:00. That was too late! It was HOT! But it is a beautifully maintained complex. Of course, there is a set price for foreigners which locals do not pay. And there really isn't much to see other than to walk through the complex. The only two buildings that were worth seeing inside were the Throne Room (gorgeous) and the Silver Pagoda (named that because the floor has silver tiles). I stayed in the complex, however, wandering and eventually sitting in a shaded area while watching the local people who were visiting. There was an interesting group that had to be peasants from outside the city there together and dressed for their big day in town. There were many families with cute children.
After spending from 11:00 until 16:00 in my room, I went out again. I wandered close by, because there were clouds and some showers could be seen in the distance. As I walked by a temple, there were hundreds of monks leaving. Many were getting onto buses and trucks, but some were walking in the direction I was going. I just fell in with them so that I could have their protection for getting across the streets. Drivers are much less aggressive when monks are in the street than when others are. Eventually, two of the monks spoke to me in English. They had been shy at first, but both spoke English quite well. They asked me if I would go to their pagoda (temple) with them saying that it was nearby. I walked and we talked. Very quickly, we were at their pagoda and walked into the complex and to the back where their building was. There are many buildings in the complex with each housing about 60 people--monks, students, teachers, etc. We sat downstairs, and soon there were about 10 people there all speaking English with me. One was a teacher who will help train Peace Corps volunteers from the U.S. this summer. Some were students there to study while assisting the monks. A couple of others were monks. We visited about 45 minutes with me asking lots of questions. The two who had spoken with me were returning from classes they attended. They had been monks for about 10 years and were in their early 20s. After about 45 minutes, I excused myself, because I knew they had homework to do and probably prayers to perform before their day would be over.
I walked back down the street and into the parks where I had been the night before. I sat on a bench near the dancing fountains and just listened to the music, watched the fountains, and observed the people. Finally, around 19:00, I went back to the room and ate more of the food I had bought the night before.
Monday, June 22, 2009--Phnom Penh
I went to the Genocide Museum today. It is a former school building that became a prison during the Khmer Rouge/Pol Pot period in the 1970s. It was a long walk and I was perspiring by the time I got there even though I left the hotel at 7:45. It was about a 50 minute walk to the museum. I saw the jail cells, I saw the photos of the prisoners (about 20,000 of whom only 7, I think, left alive), I read about the forced exodus of people from Phnom Penh to the farms, etc. I also saw a documentary about it all. And finally, I saw the skulls which everyone associates with this museum. Today, the number of skulls is very limited due to some people's complaints. Anyway, I was an interesting museum to visit and helped remind me of what I remember reading about during that period of time.
I tried to eat lunch at a local place on the way back, but they did not start serving food until noon, and it was only 11:00. So I just continued walking. As I got to my guest house, I paused to buy a bus ticket to go to Siem Reap tomorrow. I will be there for 4 days and then return here for two more.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Vicarious Trip to Japan
Thursday, June 18, 2009--Bangkok
I am a bit worried about my hotel here. Today, they changed breakfast from a buffet to serving plates of food as people entered. Apparently there are not enough guests to justify the buffet. They told me when I checked in that their newly remodeled tower would be opening next month, and they sounded positive as if it would mean more business. But things are really slow now. I have a reservation for 4 more days when I return from Cambodia week-after-next. I hope they will still be open for business then! And the future doesn't seem to bode well for them. I've discovered that the construction site across the street where the fish market and surrounding shops were torn down is for a new Novotel to give them competition.
I went to several of the airline offices this morning to check on my seat assignments. Fortunately, my travel agency had already made them for me. That has not happened when Thai Airways has sold me the ticket directly; I've had to go to each office and ask for seats. The only ones that were unacceptable were on United where I had been given window seats. I prefer aisle seats so, they quickly made the change.
From there, I walked to the shopping district. I went through two of the malls that have floors with contemporary furniture stores. I didn't see anything that I liked better than what I already have. I tried to look at light fixtures, but none of the stores had much on display. While there at the mall, I went through the Gourmet Market at Paragon. It is such a wonderful place--much nicer than Central Market or Whole Foods. There are so many delicacies of all kinds to see and buy.
For the past 40 years or so it has been traditional for universities to have a multicultural course which is required of all students. The courses usually have a poor reputation. Students tend to select an ethnic group and do research and a class presentation. In some areas, too much emphasis is put on the subcultural group that is predominant in that area in an apparent attempt to try to force understanding of their suffering through the years at the hands of the majority. I've always felt that a better way to organize a multicultural course would be around selected scenes from films representing events in various cultures--births, cooking and consuming food, coming-of-age ceremonies, school activities, weddings, funerals, etc. Using selections from various films for each category, students could watch the films, discuss what they observed as differences and similaries between cultures, and then discuss how such things in their lives would be similar or different. To me, it seems a much better way to learn about cultural differences, to learn tolerance for others, to grow in understanding. That's one of the reasons I have always enjoyed seeing foreign films. The right film can take a person into the culture of the society where it was made, teach about that society, cause reflection on likes and differences between that society and our own, etc.
Today, I made such a vicarious journey into a culture I did not know--the procedures involving the treatment of the body after death in Japan--by seeing the Japanese film Departures which won the Academy Award as the best foreign language film last year. It was fascinating. And it is one of the best films I have seen in a year or so. It's guaranteed to be a tear-jerker, too. But the film is much more than just the treatment of the dead. It also has scenes in a traditional Japanese bath house, deals with the topic of absent parents, shows traditional ways of living in Japan, deals with the stigma attached to certain occupations, etc. I highly recommend the film to anyone. And if it is too late to see it in the cinema where you live, you can go to Netflix and SAVE it so that it will go into your queue when it is released on DVD.
I will depart for Cambodia tomorrow. It is the just about the only country in Southeast Asia that I have not yet visited. (The only other one I can recall now is Papua New Guinea which is very difficult to visit due to the fact that few airlines go there.) I will be there until a week from Monday when I will return to Bangkok.
I am a bit worried about my hotel here. Today, they changed breakfast from a buffet to serving plates of food as people entered. Apparently there are not enough guests to justify the buffet. They told me when I checked in that their newly remodeled tower would be opening next month, and they sounded positive as if it would mean more business. But things are really slow now. I have a reservation for 4 more days when I return from Cambodia week-after-next. I hope they will still be open for business then! And the future doesn't seem to bode well for them. I've discovered that the construction site across the street where the fish market and surrounding shops were torn down is for a new Novotel to give them competition.
I went to several of the airline offices this morning to check on my seat assignments. Fortunately, my travel agency had already made them for me. That has not happened when Thai Airways has sold me the ticket directly; I've had to go to each office and ask for seats. The only ones that were unacceptable were on United where I had been given window seats. I prefer aisle seats so, they quickly made the change.
From there, I walked to the shopping district. I went through two of the malls that have floors with contemporary furniture stores. I didn't see anything that I liked better than what I already have. I tried to look at light fixtures, but none of the stores had much on display. While there at the mall, I went through the Gourmet Market at Paragon. It is such a wonderful place--much nicer than Central Market or Whole Foods. There are so many delicacies of all kinds to see and buy.
For the past 40 years or so it has been traditional for universities to have a multicultural course which is required of all students. The courses usually have a poor reputation. Students tend to select an ethnic group and do research and a class presentation. In some areas, too much emphasis is put on the subcultural group that is predominant in that area in an apparent attempt to try to force understanding of their suffering through the years at the hands of the majority. I've always felt that a better way to organize a multicultural course would be around selected scenes from films representing events in various cultures--births, cooking and consuming food, coming-of-age ceremonies, school activities, weddings, funerals, etc. Using selections from various films for each category, students could watch the films, discuss what they observed as differences and similaries between cultures, and then discuss how such things in their lives would be similar or different. To me, it seems a much better way to learn about cultural differences, to learn tolerance for others, to grow in understanding. That's one of the reasons I have always enjoyed seeing foreign films. The right film can take a person into the culture of the society where it was made, teach about that society, cause reflection on likes and differences between that society and our own, etc.
Today, I made such a vicarious journey into a culture I did not know--the procedures involving the treatment of the body after death in Japan--by seeing the Japanese film Departures which won the Academy Award as the best foreign language film last year. It was fascinating. And it is one of the best films I have seen in a year or so. It's guaranteed to be a tear-jerker, too. But the film is much more than just the treatment of the dead. It also has scenes in a traditional Japanese bath house, deals with the topic of absent parents, shows traditional ways of living in Japan, deals with the stigma attached to certain occupations, etc. I highly recommend the film to anyone. And if it is too late to see it in the cinema where you live, you can go to Netflix and SAVE it so that it will go into your queue when it is released on DVD.
I will depart for Cambodia tomorrow. It is the just about the only country in Southeast Asia that I have not yet visited. (The only other one I can recall now is Papua New Guinea which is very difficult to visit due to the fact that few airlines go there.) I will be there until a week from Monday when I will return to Bangkok.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Lazy Days in Bangkok
Wednesday, June 17, 2009--Bangkok
After posting yesterday, I returned to my dental office for my appointment with the specialist to rebuild my partial plate. The plate itself is made of titanium and is strong. But after 35 years, the two teeth that are built into it have worn down. The dentist, as all are, was amazed at my plate which clips onto my existing teeth so well and which has two parts hinged together so that it will float and not cause so much friction against the gums when I chew. She took impressions of my bottom and top teeth (YUCK!), and that was it. I have an appointment with here again in two weeks to pick up the plate with the rebuilt teeth. The appointment last night for seeing her and having the impressions made cost only $23 U.S. My earlier appointment to have my teeth inspected and cleaned cost only $25 U.S. It's so nice to have good dental service for such low prices. By the way, my dental company now has offices in Japan, Taiwan, and Australia in addition to its offices around Thailand.
I stopped on the sidewalk and had a dish with sliced pork, sliced sausage, and rice for my dinner. As usual, it was good and cost only 85 cents U.S.
Today, my hotel had French toast for me for breakfast. The manager came to me and asked if I had seen what she had done for me. Then she made sure they took the toast to the back and heated it up, since she thought maybe it wasn't warm enough from the heated tray where they had it in the buffet. What service!! I hope they have it each morning while I am here.
Today I decided to go get a massage at the Center for the Blind. It is far across town. I had to walk down to the river and take a boat from there. Then I had to take a bus from the last boat stop. I'm not really sure if what I got should be called a massage or torture, though. It would be considered a GREAT Thai massage, I'm sure. There was so much pushing, and pulling of muscles and tendens with special attention paid to whichever ones caused me to moan in pain. And there was pushing and twisting of my legs in ways that legs were never intended to go. A guidebook I read compared Thai massage to yoga. In respect that it involves forcing the body in to shapes that are not easy or natural, they definitely are similar. The guy who gave me the massage kept asking, "OK?" But I wasn't the only person feeling the pain. The room had about 5 other people, and there were often moans and grunts that were audible. I can feel sore spots over my body today. I'll probably feel even more by tomorrow morning. Due to the distance, it took 5 1/2 hours to go there, get the massage, and return.
I have watched a made-for-TV film the past two afternoons dealing with Human Trafficking. It hasn't been easy to watch. But Bangkok is one of the places to see such a film, because Thailand has a known problem with the subject--especially with children sold into sexual slavery by their parents who are poor. I remember a vivid documentary that I watched once in Copenhagen that had been made by Swedish TV as an expose of the child sex problem related to tourists to Thailand. They had undercover shots of a Swedish man being caught having sex with a young boy. The film I watched this week followed two tracks--the Thailand story of child trafficking and the trafficking of young women from former USSR republics to the western world. How sad that young people can get trapped in such situations!
I passed a small restaurant today that had wonderful looking green curry on display in the window. I think I will go back there to look for dinner tonight. Tomorrow is my last day in Bangkok until after I visit Cambodia, and the Japanese film that won the Academy Award as best foreign language film will open here tomorrow. I think I will see it and go check out the contemporary furniture stores nearby to pass the day.
After posting yesterday, I returned to my dental office for my appointment with the specialist to rebuild my partial plate. The plate itself is made of titanium and is strong. But after 35 years, the two teeth that are built into it have worn down. The dentist, as all are, was amazed at my plate which clips onto my existing teeth so well and which has two parts hinged together so that it will float and not cause so much friction against the gums when I chew. She took impressions of my bottom and top teeth (YUCK!), and that was it. I have an appointment with here again in two weeks to pick up the plate with the rebuilt teeth. The appointment last night for seeing her and having the impressions made cost only $23 U.S. My earlier appointment to have my teeth inspected and cleaned cost only $25 U.S. It's so nice to have good dental service for such low prices. By the way, my dental company now has offices in Japan, Taiwan, and Australia in addition to its offices around Thailand.
I stopped on the sidewalk and had a dish with sliced pork, sliced sausage, and rice for my dinner. As usual, it was good and cost only 85 cents U.S.
Today, my hotel had French toast for me for breakfast. The manager came to me and asked if I had seen what she had done for me. Then she made sure they took the toast to the back and heated it up, since she thought maybe it wasn't warm enough from the heated tray where they had it in the buffet. What service!! I hope they have it each morning while I am here.
Today I decided to go get a massage at the Center for the Blind. It is far across town. I had to walk down to the river and take a boat from there. Then I had to take a bus from the last boat stop. I'm not really sure if what I got should be called a massage or torture, though. It would be considered a GREAT Thai massage, I'm sure. There was so much pushing, and pulling of muscles and tendens with special attention paid to whichever ones caused me to moan in pain. And there was pushing and twisting of my legs in ways that legs were never intended to go. A guidebook I read compared Thai massage to yoga. In respect that it involves forcing the body in to shapes that are not easy or natural, they definitely are similar. The guy who gave me the massage kept asking, "OK?" But I wasn't the only person feeling the pain. The room had about 5 other people, and there were often moans and grunts that were audible. I can feel sore spots over my body today. I'll probably feel even more by tomorrow morning. Due to the distance, it took 5 1/2 hours to go there, get the massage, and return.
I have watched a made-for-TV film the past two afternoons dealing with Human Trafficking. It hasn't been easy to watch. But Bangkok is one of the places to see such a film, because Thailand has a known problem with the subject--especially with children sold into sexual slavery by their parents who are poor. I remember a vivid documentary that I watched once in Copenhagen that had been made by Swedish TV as an expose of the child sex problem related to tourists to Thailand. They had undercover shots of a Swedish man being caught having sex with a young boy. The film I watched this week followed two tracks--the Thailand story of child trafficking and the trafficking of young women from former USSR republics to the western world. How sad that young people can get trapped in such situations!
I passed a small restaurant today that had wonderful looking green curry on display in the window. I think I will go back there to look for dinner tonight. Tomorrow is my last day in Bangkok until after I visit Cambodia, and the Japanese film that won the Academy Award as best foreign language film will open here tomorrow. I think I will see it and go check out the contemporary furniture stores nearby to pass the day.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Dealing with Business
Tuesday, June 16, 2009--Bangkok
The breakfast buffet was better than I expected this morning even though it has been moved to a smaller venue. The only thing I was missing from the previous one was French toast. When I left, I walked over to the hotel manager and told her that I was happy to see that it was almost as good as it was in the ballroom. Then I pointed out to her that what I missed most was the French toast and suggested that one of the THREE kinds of eggs could be changed to offering French toast, since it is also an egg choice. Later in the day, I was told that the manager had requested that French toast be offered tomorrow. I have my fingers crossed!
I made one of my usual stops to see the art on exhibit at the gallery on the campus of Chulalonghorn University. There were two exhibitions. One was of photography. Most of the work I did not like, but there were two really special photographs. One was a photo of the riverside of the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar that looked almost like a painting. The other was a photo of a landscape during a colorful sunset. A big portion of it was the black sky with the crescent moon and a star shining brightly at the top.
My dental appointment went well. My teeth were cleaned, and nothing else was found to be a problem. They made me an appointment for tonight with a specialist to help me with my partial plate. I need the two artificial teeth that are a part of it rebuilt. That's the main reason I am returning to Bangkok after my trip to Cambodia. I had been told previously that it would take 10 days to do that work.
Because they have free internet at the dentist's office and I considered it to be safe from password copying software, I went online to check my credit union accounts where I have my travel credit cards. I discovered a problem. Just before leaving on my trip, I transferred $5000 to my "cash" card I use from there. I always do that so that I have a negative balance. That way, I never have to pay interest on cash withdrawals. I also have a letter in my file there requesting that the negative balance be maintained (since they will otherwise move it back into my savings account). Well, there was no negative balance in the account. Because a special program is needed to see the history of the account (through a download), I could not see what had happened. My guess is that they moved the balance back into my savings account. I went into my e-mail and wrote them explaining the problem, asking them to fix it, and requesting that they reverse any charges to my account that were made because of this mistake. Why can't people do their jobs right without having to be corrected?!!!
Actually, one person really impressed me today. From the dental office, I went to Chawla Travel. They are a private agency which specializes in around-the-world tickets and special tickets of other kinds (such as one-way tickets). I decided to use them this time to purchase my ticket rather than going directly to Thai Airways. Well, what a good choice that was. I had my ticket in my hands within 45 minutes of arriving at the office. Ranee, the lady who assisted me, took my itinerary and put it directly into the computer quicker than anyone ever has before. Only one problem cropped up, a change in schedules at Tap Portugal Airlines meant that I had to adjust the dates of my flights from Morocco to Lisbon and on to Caraccas to a day later than originally planned. A few minutes later, she had all the taxes figured and I was making my payment. The ticket was cheaper this year, but not by much. The ticket with all taxes and fees included came to $4285 U.S.--about $400 less than last year.
After resting and watching a TV film in my room, I am now headed for my night appointment with the dentist. When that is finished, I will stop at a food stall to eat dinner. Last night, I had a bowl of noodle soup with chicken for about 60 cents U.S.
The breakfast buffet was better than I expected this morning even though it has been moved to a smaller venue. The only thing I was missing from the previous one was French toast. When I left, I walked over to the hotel manager and told her that I was happy to see that it was almost as good as it was in the ballroom. Then I pointed out to her that what I missed most was the French toast and suggested that one of the THREE kinds of eggs could be changed to offering French toast, since it is also an egg choice. Later in the day, I was told that the manager had requested that French toast be offered tomorrow. I have my fingers crossed!
I made one of my usual stops to see the art on exhibit at the gallery on the campus of Chulalonghorn University. There were two exhibitions. One was of photography. Most of the work I did not like, but there were two really special photographs. One was a photo of the riverside of the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar that looked almost like a painting. The other was a photo of a landscape during a colorful sunset. A big portion of it was the black sky with the crescent moon and a star shining brightly at the top.
My dental appointment went well. My teeth were cleaned, and nothing else was found to be a problem. They made me an appointment for tonight with a specialist to help me with my partial plate. I need the two artificial teeth that are a part of it rebuilt. That's the main reason I am returning to Bangkok after my trip to Cambodia. I had been told previously that it would take 10 days to do that work.
Because they have free internet at the dentist's office and I considered it to be safe from password copying software, I went online to check my credit union accounts where I have my travel credit cards. I discovered a problem. Just before leaving on my trip, I transferred $5000 to my "cash" card I use from there. I always do that so that I have a negative balance. That way, I never have to pay interest on cash withdrawals. I also have a letter in my file there requesting that the negative balance be maintained (since they will otherwise move it back into my savings account). Well, there was no negative balance in the account. Because a special program is needed to see the history of the account (through a download), I could not see what had happened. My guess is that they moved the balance back into my savings account. I went into my e-mail and wrote them explaining the problem, asking them to fix it, and requesting that they reverse any charges to my account that were made because of this mistake. Why can't people do their jobs right without having to be corrected?!!!
Actually, one person really impressed me today. From the dental office, I went to Chawla Travel. They are a private agency which specializes in around-the-world tickets and special tickets of other kinds (such as one-way tickets). I decided to use them this time to purchase my ticket rather than going directly to Thai Airways. Well, what a good choice that was. I had my ticket in my hands within 45 minutes of arriving at the office. Ranee, the lady who assisted me, took my itinerary and put it directly into the computer quicker than anyone ever has before. Only one problem cropped up, a change in schedules at Tap Portugal Airlines meant that I had to adjust the dates of my flights from Morocco to Lisbon and on to Caraccas to a day later than originally planned. A few minutes later, she had all the taxes figured and I was making my payment. The ticket was cheaper this year, but not by much. The ticket with all taxes and fees included came to $4285 U.S.--about $400 less than last year.
After resting and watching a TV film in my room, I am now headed for my night appointment with the dentist. When that is finished, I will stop at a food stall to eat dinner. Last night, I had a bowl of noodle soup with chicken for about 60 cents U.S.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Leaving for Kuala Lumpur, then Bangkok
Sunday, June 14, 2009--Kuching to Kuala Lumpur
I am packed and am hoping for no weight problems for my flight. I am flying Air Asia for the first time today. It is a low-cost airline that is popular here. The checked weight limit is 15 kg. Because my bag usually weighs about 19 km, I paid for an extra 5 km. When I checked in for my flight to Borneo, however, it was about 20.4 kg!! I've finished reading two books that are no longer there, and one of them was a BIG book. So that means I should be okay.
At the airport, there was confusion checking in. There were 4 windows open, and one had a sign for my flight number and a long line. The other windows had no signs and had only 1-2 people in line. I got in the line that had the sign for my flight. But as time passed, I kept seeing people leave the back of my line to go to the other counters. They were getting checked in! There should be one queue, or they should have signs up at EVERY counter saying which flights they are serving. My bag, by the way, weighed 18.6 kg, so I was okay. And they didn't weigh the carry-on luggage which I thought they might do, since their website also sets a 7 kg limit for it. I think mine was about 5 kg, so I would have been safe.
The flight on Air Asia was okay. There was very limited seat room, but the person in front of me did not lower his seatback. In fact, few people seem to do that now. I guess they realize how uncomfortable it makes the passenger behind when they do. Anyway, the flight was fine. I had a nice spicy biriyani which I had pre-ordered. I took the bus which had also been pre-paid to get to downtown.
My friend Chris was at the bus station to meet me when I got to town. We had made arrangements to go to the mountains together for the night. He is a gambler and had enough points to get us a free room at Genting Highlands, a major gambling resort about an hour outside of town and located on top of a mountain. We got there, however, only to find that all 6188 rooms at the resort where he normally stays were full. He had not made an advance reservation. We drove back down the mountain about 8 minutes to another nice hotel and got a room there.
I had heard about the Genting Highlands. I had expected them to be much like the Cameron Highlands where I have been near here--an old resort where the British used to go in the summers to get away from the heat. But the Genting Highlands are new. They have been purposely developed as an entertainment mecca with casinos, amusement parks, hotels, etc.
We ate at a small local place that is popular with people who go there. They gave us large quantities of chopped raw garlic. We put some in a small dish and poured soy sauce over it. Then as we ate our food--fried rice and a crispy noodle dish with seafood--we stirred in portions of the garlic to add flavor.
After dinner, we went to the casino. Chris showed me a game he likes called Big/Little (or is it something else similar to that?). It uses 3 die and one votes for either a big combination number (less than 11) or a big one (ll or more). If there is a triple, everyone loses unless someone has specifically bet on there being a triple. Anyway, he showed me around about 30 minutes. Then he began to play. I wandered around looking at everyone noticing that most people were 50 or over and that few young people were there gambling. I got a pastry to eat and had a couple of free non-alcoholic drinks. Then I was bored. I went down to the hotel lobby and sat in a chair. I had brought a book with me and I read.
Chris checked on me a couple of times, but he was enjoying gambling and wanted to continued. I eventually finished my book, Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It was a very well written, but disturbing novel. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. After that, I became bored. Fortunately, Chris came down about 30 minutes later. We walked through the indoor theme park that is attached to the casino/hotel. Then we went to the hotel. It was about 1:00.
The hotel has a calendar which has a section that suggests the best times for good things to happen through the day. It's a Chinese form of guidance. Anyway, because of this calendar saying that 3-7 a.m. would be good, Chris got up at 3 and headed back to the casino. I stayed in the room and slept.
Monday, June 15, 2009--Genting Highlands to Bangkok
I spent much of today feeling tense. First, I awoke at 8:00 and got ready to leave. By 8:30, there still was no sign of Chris. He was still gambling. We had already figured out that I needed to be at the bus station no later than 10:00 to catch a bus to the airport. And it is an hour drive from the Genting Highlands to downtown Kuala Lumpur without any traffic problems. Also, we had a free breakfast Chris had been talking about since we arrived that I expected him to want to eat. Finally, he arrived about 8:45. We ate breakfast which was mostly Asian foods, but also included toast, peanut butter, and jams which I enjoyed. By then, it was 9:15, and he was about to get in the shower. I reminded him that I was supposed to take the bus in 45 minutes! So he packed and we left.
On the way down the mountain, I could tell he was tired. He drove cautiously and occasionally left his lane or put on the brakes suddenly. I started trying to keep a conversation going while wondering whether I would ever make it. As we drove into KL, there was a traffic jam, but it proved to be a temporary clog-up caused by the police checking out every car passing through. However, when it was 10:15 and we were nearing the bus station, we got into stalled traffic due to an accident. It was obvius I would not be able to get to the airport in time via bus. Therefore, Chris decided to leave the lane and go on the adjoining expressway and drive me straight to the airport--another 45 minutes or so away.
We finally did arrive at the airport about 11:15--fifteen minutes before I needed to be there and a LOT earlier than I would have arrived if I had tried to take the bus. I got checked in with less hassle today at Air Asia. Then Chris and I visited while he ate more food at McDonalds.
The airport at Kuala Lumpur has a low-cost airlines terminal. That was where we were. It's further out than the main terminal. And it is built more like a temporary structure than the usual grand terminal. It has no jetways, and people walk to their planes outdoors for quite a distance from the gates. Indoors, there is a/c, but the terminal looks more like a warehouse than a terminal. It is fine, though, and it allows the airline to pay lower fees and, therefore, have cheaper fares.
It was interesting that the emigration procedure to check us out of Malaysia was a slow process. Usually, that goes fast. But I noticed it was the processing of the foreign workers (especially Indians) that was slowing the process. My guess is that they had entered on a tourist visa rather than a work visa and had over-stayed the length of time that was allowed. I couldn't hear the specific questions, but they were being asked many.
Today, I ate a different dish on the plane. It was good, too, but not nearly as good as the biriyani I had yesterday. I turned to the entertainment page of the onboard magazine and completed a couple of puzzles to pass the time during the flight.
It was a long day of travel. I didn't arrive at my hotel in Bangkok until 17:15. At the airport, it took a VERY long time for the luggage to arrive, and then it came through so slowly with bags spread far apart. But I caught a quick bus from the terminal. Then I switched to the MRT subway to make a better and faster connection for getting to my hotel than I otherwise could.
I was disappointed upon my arrival to find that the wonderful breakfasts I have always enjoyed at this hotel will be different this time. There are few tourists here, so they no longer have the huge ballroom buffet. Instead, breakfast in served in a lobby in the cafe. I am still hoping for something good, but I doubt that it can be much compared to what they used to offer. I had been looking forward to those breakfasts for the past few days!!
Heavy blowing rain began within 30 minutes after I got into the hotel room. Thank goodness I made it here okay in advance. I organized things and watched TV for about 2 hours. By then, the rain had turned to a sprinkle, so I left to eat and come to the cyber cafe. That's when I got another surprise. Most of the neighborhood that had existed across the street from my hotel is gone. Fortunately, the street with the cyber cafes is still here, but the market, the small restaurants, etc., have all been bulldozed. I guess there will be another huge shopping development built, as if Bangkok needed another one of those!!
Spending Update: I spent $377.77 (including two air tickets) during the 11 days of the second pdart of my visit in Malaysian Borneo for an average of $34.34 per day. Over the 35 days since I left Texas, I have spent $1580.85 for an average of $45.17 per day.
Note to Grethe and to Jens and Robert: My many mails of the past two weeks keep being returned to me saying that there was a failure by Webspeed to accept them. You need to contact Webspeed and see what the problem is. Jens, I have a birthday card for you for the 17th, but I doubt if you will get it if Webspeed doesn't get their problems fixed!
I am packed and am hoping for no weight problems for my flight. I am flying Air Asia for the first time today. It is a low-cost airline that is popular here. The checked weight limit is 15 kg. Because my bag usually weighs about 19 km, I paid for an extra 5 km. When I checked in for my flight to Borneo, however, it was about 20.4 kg!! I've finished reading two books that are no longer there, and one of them was a BIG book. So that means I should be okay.
At the airport, there was confusion checking in. There were 4 windows open, and one had a sign for my flight number and a long line. The other windows had no signs and had only 1-2 people in line. I got in the line that had the sign for my flight. But as time passed, I kept seeing people leave the back of my line to go to the other counters. They were getting checked in! There should be one queue, or they should have signs up at EVERY counter saying which flights they are serving. My bag, by the way, weighed 18.6 kg, so I was okay. And they didn't weigh the carry-on luggage which I thought they might do, since their website also sets a 7 kg limit for it. I think mine was about 5 kg, so I would have been safe.
The flight on Air Asia was okay. There was very limited seat room, but the person in front of me did not lower his seatback. In fact, few people seem to do that now. I guess they realize how uncomfortable it makes the passenger behind when they do. Anyway, the flight was fine. I had a nice spicy biriyani which I had pre-ordered. I took the bus which had also been pre-paid to get to downtown.
My friend Chris was at the bus station to meet me when I got to town. We had made arrangements to go to the mountains together for the night. He is a gambler and had enough points to get us a free room at Genting Highlands, a major gambling resort about an hour outside of town and located on top of a mountain. We got there, however, only to find that all 6188 rooms at the resort where he normally stays were full. He had not made an advance reservation. We drove back down the mountain about 8 minutes to another nice hotel and got a room there.
I had heard about the Genting Highlands. I had expected them to be much like the Cameron Highlands where I have been near here--an old resort where the British used to go in the summers to get away from the heat. But the Genting Highlands are new. They have been purposely developed as an entertainment mecca with casinos, amusement parks, hotels, etc.
We ate at a small local place that is popular with people who go there. They gave us large quantities of chopped raw garlic. We put some in a small dish and poured soy sauce over it. Then as we ate our food--fried rice and a crispy noodle dish with seafood--we stirred in portions of the garlic to add flavor.
After dinner, we went to the casino. Chris showed me a game he likes called Big/Little (or is it something else similar to that?). It uses 3 die and one votes for either a big combination number (less than 11) or a big one (ll or more). If there is a triple, everyone loses unless someone has specifically bet on there being a triple. Anyway, he showed me around about 30 minutes. Then he began to play. I wandered around looking at everyone noticing that most people were 50 or over and that few young people were there gambling. I got a pastry to eat and had a couple of free non-alcoholic drinks. Then I was bored. I went down to the hotel lobby and sat in a chair. I had brought a book with me and I read.
Chris checked on me a couple of times, but he was enjoying gambling and wanted to continued. I eventually finished my book, Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It was a very well written, but disturbing novel. I gave it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. After that, I became bored. Fortunately, Chris came down about 30 minutes later. We walked through the indoor theme park that is attached to the casino/hotel. Then we went to the hotel. It was about 1:00.
The hotel has a calendar which has a section that suggests the best times for good things to happen through the day. It's a Chinese form of guidance. Anyway, because of this calendar saying that 3-7 a.m. would be good, Chris got up at 3 and headed back to the casino. I stayed in the room and slept.
Monday, June 15, 2009--Genting Highlands to Bangkok
I spent much of today feeling tense. First, I awoke at 8:00 and got ready to leave. By 8:30, there still was no sign of Chris. He was still gambling. We had already figured out that I needed to be at the bus station no later than 10:00 to catch a bus to the airport. And it is an hour drive from the Genting Highlands to downtown Kuala Lumpur without any traffic problems. Also, we had a free breakfast Chris had been talking about since we arrived that I expected him to want to eat. Finally, he arrived about 8:45. We ate breakfast which was mostly Asian foods, but also included toast, peanut butter, and jams which I enjoyed. By then, it was 9:15, and he was about to get in the shower. I reminded him that I was supposed to take the bus in 45 minutes! So he packed and we left.
On the way down the mountain, I could tell he was tired. He drove cautiously and occasionally left his lane or put on the brakes suddenly. I started trying to keep a conversation going while wondering whether I would ever make it. As we drove into KL, there was a traffic jam, but it proved to be a temporary clog-up caused by the police checking out every car passing through. However, when it was 10:15 and we were nearing the bus station, we got into stalled traffic due to an accident. It was obvius I would not be able to get to the airport in time via bus. Therefore, Chris decided to leave the lane and go on the adjoining expressway and drive me straight to the airport--another 45 minutes or so away.
We finally did arrive at the airport about 11:15--fifteen minutes before I needed to be there and a LOT earlier than I would have arrived if I had tried to take the bus. I got checked in with less hassle today at Air Asia. Then Chris and I visited while he ate more food at McDonalds.
The airport at Kuala Lumpur has a low-cost airlines terminal. That was where we were. It's further out than the main terminal. And it is built more like a temporary structure than the usual grand terminal. It has no jetways, and people walk to their planes outdoors for quite a distance from the gates. Indoors, there is a/c, but the terminal looks more like a warehouse than a terminal. It is fine, though, and it allows the airline to pay lower fees and, therefore, have cheaper fares.
It was interesting that the emigration procedure to check us out of Malaysia was a slow process. Usually, that goes fast. But I noticed it was the processing of the foreign workers (especially Indians) that was slowing the process. My guess is that they had entered on a tourist visa rather than a work visa and had over-stayed the length of time that was allowed. I couldn't hear the specific questions, but they were being asked many.
Today, I ate a different dish on the plane. It was good, too, but not nearly as good as the biriyani I had yesterday. I turned to the entertainment page of the onboard magazine and completed a couple of puzzles to pass the time during the flight.
It was a long day of travel. I didn't arrive at my hotel in Bangkok until 17:15. At the airport, it took a VERY long time for the luggage to arrive, and then it came through so slowly with bags spread far apart. But I caught a quick bus from the terminal. Then I switched to the MRT subway to make a better and faster connection for getting to my hotel than I otherwise could.
I was disappointed upon my arrival to find that the wonderful breakfasts I have always enjoyed at this hotel will be different this time. There are few tourists here, so they no longer have the huge ballroom buffet. Instead, breakfast in served in a lobby in the cafe. I am still hoping for something good, but I doubt that it can be much compared to what they used to offer. I had been looking forward to those breakfasts for the past few days!!
Heavy blowing rain began within 30 minutes after I got into the hotel room. Thank goodness I made it here okay in advance. I organized things and watched TV for about 2 hours. By then, the rain had turned to a sprinkle, so I left to eat and come to the cyber cafe. That's when I got another surprise. Most of the neighborhood that had existed across the street from my hotel is gone. Fortunately, the street with the cyber cafes is still here, but the market, the small restaurants, etc., have all been bulldozed. I guess there will be another huge shopping development built, as if Bangkok needed another one of those!!
Spending Update: I spent $377.77 (including two air tickets) during the 11 days of the second pdart of my visit in Malaysian Borneo for an average of $34.34 per day. Over the 35 days since I left Texas, I have spent $1580.85 for an average of $45.17 per day.
Note to Grethe and to Jens and Robert: My many mails of the past two weeks keep being returned to me saying that there was a failure by Webspeed to accept them. You need to contact Webspeed and see what the problem is. Jens, I have a birthday card for you for the 17th, but I doubt if you will get it if Webspeed doesn't get their problems fixed!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Ending My Travels on Borneo
Saturday, June 13, 2009--Kuching
Today is my last full day on Borneo. Tomorrow morning I will fly to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, where I will spend one night. Then Monday morning I will fly to Bangkok for my usual visit to see the dentist, buy my new ticket, go to films, etc.
I finished reading another book today: The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. It was an interesting story about the people living in the Dust Bowl during the 1930s drought--those who stayed there through all the dust storms and hard times. It centered around persons living in Dalhart, Texas; Boise City, Oklahoma; and Baca County, Colorado. I gave the book 3 1/2 stars out of 4. I gave the book to an Irish man staying at my hotel this morning so I won't have it among my luggage when I travel tomorrow.
I walked through park areas behind my hotel this morning. I knew they were back there but had not been there yet. It was so HOT, though. Kuching is a pretty city with nice parks, however. And I have seen no shanty towns here like are often seen in other parts of Asia. Somehow, Malaysia has reached a balance economically that other area countries have yet to find in terms of basic living conditions for their citizens.
I returned to town to the riverside. I sat in the shade with a slight breeze and read from a new book I have started. Then I bought a Chinese barbecue pork steamed bun and ate it for my lunch.
Tonight is a big Harvest Festival event here. However, it is across town in a stadium that would difficult for me to reach. Instead, I think I will go back to the park behind my hotel. They are having free outdoor films this weekend. At 19:00 today, they are showing the feature-length cartoon Madagascar II. It should be fun to watch the film outdoors among local people.
I will be flying Air Asia for the first time tomorrow. It is one of the major low-cost airlines in Asia. I bought several supplemental tickets on Air Asia when planning my travels, since the Star Alliance could not get me out of Borneo and over to Thailand without sending me backwards to Seoul (which would cause me to have to backtrack to Kota Kinabalu and then have too many extra miles added to my ticket). It will be interesting to see how much seat room there will be on the airline. Also, I had to pay extra for luggage, since my checked luggage is heavier than their 15 km limit. Still, my ticket from here to Kuala Lumpur, including 5 extra kg of checked weight, a meal on board, and transportation from the airport into town, cost me only 217 ringgets--about $62. And my ticket from there to Bangkok with an extra 5 kg of checked weight and a meal cost me only 138 ringgets--about $40.
Related to the above, I have read that some people are now choosing to skip the purchase of around-the-world tickets when they are traveling around the world. Instead, they are putting together itineraries using low-cost airlines. One advantage of that is that not as much advance planning is needed. They can fly from Bangkok to India, for instance, on a one-way low-cost ticket. Travel around India as much and as long as they want (including using low-cost tickets there), then move on from India to the Middle East or Europe on another low-cost one-way ticket. Etc., etc., etc.
Today is my last full day on Borneo. Tomorrow morning I will fly to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, where I will spend one night. Then Monday morning I will fly to Bangkok for my usual visit to see the dentist, buy my new ticket, go to films, etc.
I finished reading another book today: The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. It was an interesting story about the people living in the Dust Bowl during the 1930s drought--those who stayed there through all the dust storms and hard times. It centered around persons living in Dalhart, Texas; Boise City, Oklahoma; and Baca County, Colorado. I gave the book 3 1/2 stars out of 4. I gave the book to an Irish man staying at my hotel this morning so I won't have it among my luggage when I travel tomorrow.
I walked through park areas behind my hotel this morning. I knew they were back there but had not been there yet. It was so HOT, though. Kuching is a pretty city with nice parks, however. And I have seen no shanty towns here like are often seen in other parts of Asia. Somehow, Malaysia has reached a balance economically that other area countries have yet to find in terms of basic living conditions for their citizens.
I returned to town to the riverside. I sat in the shade with a slight breeze and read from a new book I have started. Then I bought a Chinese barbecue pork steamed bun and ate it for my lunch.
Tonight is a big Harvest Festival event here. However, it is across town in a stadium that would difficult for me to reach. Instead, I think I will go back to the park behind my hotel. They are having free outdoor films this weekend. At 19:00 today, they are showing the feature-length cartoon Madagascar II. It should be fun to watch the film outdoors among local people.
I will be flying Air Asia for the first time tomorrow. It is one of the major low-cost airlines in Asia. I bought several supplemental tickets on Air Asia when planning my travels, since the Star Alliance could not get me out of Borneo and over to Thailand without sending me backwards to Seoul (which would cause me to have to backtrack to Kota Kinabalu and then have too many extra miles added to my ticket). It will be interesting to see how much seat room there will be on the airline. Also, I had to pay extra for luggage, since my checked luggage is heavier than their 15 km limit. Still, my ticket from here to Kuala Lumpur, including 5 extra kg of checked weight, a meal on board, and transportation from the airport into town, cost me only 217 ringgets--about $62. And my ticket from there to Bangkok with an extra 5 kg of checked weight and a meal cost me only 138 ringgets--about $40.
Related to the above, I have read that some people are now choosing to skip the purchase of around-the-world tickets when they are traveling around the world. Instead, they are putting together itineraries using low-cost airlines. One advantage of that is that not as much advance planning is needed. They can fly from Bangkok to India, for instance, on a one-way low-cost ticket. Travel around India as much and as long as they want (including using low-cost tickets there), then move on from India to the Middle East or Europe on another low-cost one-way ticket. Etc., etc., etc.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Suffering a Cold
Thursday, June 11, 2009--Kuching (Continued)
When I went back to the room, I had every intention of going back out in the evening. However, in response to some suggestions I had been given by one of my Internet contacts about where to visit in Romania, I pulled out my travel literature and began marking and reading about the places. I had not read any of the literature I had brought with me for my travels in Eastern Europe in August and early September. So I read the entire Romania section and marked things that sounded interesting to me. Then, I started thinking about where I would cross the border to enter Romania. That made me start researching two of the adjoining countries I will visit--Bulgaria and Moldova. I pulled out the literature for them and started reading and underlining. Before I knew it, time had passed and it was almost 22:00! I just snacked on some chips and some nut candy that I had in the room and never went out. All the research, however, was worthwhile and has me really thinking about routes I will take, what I want to see, etc.
Friday, June 12, 2009--Kuching
I am using the best earplugs I have ever found this year. The brand name is Flents. They are longer than most earplugs and are tapered. These features make it easier to insert them. And when they expland (after I have rolled them in my fingers and inserted them), they fit nicely without putting too much pressure on the edges of the ear where they seal out the sound. Previous earplugs I have used have been too short, their pressure has caused soreness, and have not blocked out the sound as well as the Flents.
What I thought was a cold starting a few days ago actually was. Yesterday, I was quite miserable with my nose dripping on the left side. One problem I always have is that I do not usually have a cold on both sides of my head at once. Therefore, only after it migrates to the other side do I know that I will eventually become well in a few days. Well, last night, it migrated. Today, my left side is much better and my right side is stuffy. Maybe I will be better by the time I fly on Sunday. I don't want to have a cold that causes a slight fever that day. The way the world is panicking about the H1N1, they might pull me off the plane and put me in isolation for a couple of weeks! I was just reading about the diplomat who has been stranded in China under quarantine because he just happened to be on a plane with someone else suspected of having the flu!!
Today, I went wandering in a village area outside of town. It had been recommended to my by a man at the tourist office when I told him I liked to see the old wooden houses and liked to walk through neighborhoods to see how people live their lives. I encountered several local people while walking. They all seemed so happy to see a tourist in their neighborhood--and surprised, too! I stopped for a while just to listen, because someone in a house was playing some type of native musical instrument.
I can see why the boom and bust economic cycles seem to affect Asia worse than the rest of the world on a regular basis. Everywhere here has too many shopping malls, too many hotels, too many office buildings, too many high-rise apartment buildings, etc. Some of them are built in horrible locations. There must be a problem with lending practices for money to be approved for many of these projects. What seems to happen is that a project gets approved. Then it is either built, or partially built. If only partially built, a construction hulk can stand on a piece of land for years until someone takes it over and finishes it. (Last year, a huge abandoned project from the last big bust in Asia about 10 years ago, was finally completed.) If it is completed, then there is the problem of lack of demand. That causes maintenance to be poor and the building to look bad quickly--fading paint, broken escalators, etc., and lots of unused space within. And sometimes the locations just make no sense. Today I saw a nice hotel that is away from the downtown area in a part of town occupied by run-down markets and poor housing, yet when I checked online the Dormani Hotel has rates in the high range for Malaysia (145 ringgets [$40 U.S.] vs. the 65 ringgets [$18 U.S.] I am paying for a decent business hotel). I know that U.S. banks have taken a big hit on their easy lending practices related to home ownership lately, but at least cities of 400,000 there don't have 5 malls with only 1/3 to 2/3 of the space in each one rented out. And if a construction project is abandoned there, it is usually because of a lawsuit rather than it not being a viable project.
For lunch today, I had barbecue pork with crispy skin on the edges. It was served with rice, a nice sweet soy sauce, and a spicy sambal sauce.
As I wander around town today, I can see families that have come here for the weekend. This is the last weekend of the school holidays here, so people from small towns and villages are apparently coming to the city before they get tied down to regular routines again. One group asked if they could have their photo taken with me. That's a common thing in Asia, and I never object to it.
I've done lots of research on the computer today. I came up with many questions as I did my travel planning last night. I wrote them all on a piece of paper, and I have been keeping Google busy.
When I went back to the room, I had every intention of going back out in the evening. However, in response to some suggestions I had been given by one of my Internet contacts about where to visit in Romania, I pulled out my travel literature and began marking and reading about the places. I had not read any of the literature I had brought with me for my travels in Eastern Europe in August and early September. So I read the entire Romania section and marked things that sounded interesting to me. Then, I started thinking about where I would cross the border to enter Romania. That made me start researching two of the adjoining countries I will visit--Bulgaria and Moldova. I pulled out the literature for them and started reading and underlining. Before I knew it, time had passed and it was almost 22:00! I just snacked on some chips and some nut candy that I had in the room and never went out. All the research, however, was worthwhile and has me really thinking about routes I will take, what I want to see, etc.
Friday, June 12, 2009--Kuching
I am using the best earplugs I have ever found this year. The brand name is Flents. They are longer than most earplugs and are tapered. These features make it easier to insert them. And when they expland (after I have rolled them in my fingers and inserted them), they fit nicely without putting too much pressure on the edges of the ear where they seal out the sound. Previous earplugs I have used have been too short, their pressure has caused soreness, and have not blocked out the sound as well as the Flents.
What I thought was a cold starting a few days ago actually was. Yesterday, I was quite miserable with my nose dripping on the left side. One problem I always have is that I do not usually have a cold on both sides of my head at once. Therefore, only after it migrates to the other side do I know that I will eventually become well in a few days. Well, last night, it migrated. Today, my left side is much better and my right side is stuffy. Maybe I will be better by the time I fly on Sunday. I don't want to have a cold that causes a slight fever that day. The way the world is panicking about the H1N1, they might pull me off the plane and put me in isolation for a couple of weeks! I was just reading about the diplomat who has been stranded in China under quarantine because he just happened to be on a plane with someone else suspected of having the flu!!
Today, I went wandering in a village area outside of town. It had been recommended to my by a man at the tourist office when I told him I liked to see the old wooden houses and liked to walk through neighborhoods to see how people live their lives. I encountered several local people while walking. They all seemed so happy to see a tourist in their neighborhood--and surprised, too! I stopped for a while just to listen, because someone in a house was playing some type of native musical instrument.
I can see why the boom and bust economic cycles seem to affect Asia worse than the rest of the world on a regular basis. Everywhere here has too many shopping malls, too many hotels, too many office buildings, too many high-rise apartment buildings, etc. Some of them are built in horrible locations. There must be a problem with lending practices for money to be approved for many of these projects. What seems to happen is that a project gets approved. Then it is either built, or partially built. If only partially built, a construction hulk can stand on a piece of land for years until someone takes it over and finishes it. (Last year, a huge abandoned project from the last big bust in Asia about 10 years ago, was finally completed.) If it is completed, then there is the problem of lack of demand. That causes maintenance to be poor and the building to look bad quickly--fading paint, broken escalators, etc., and lots of unused space within. And sometimes the locations just make no sense. Today I saw a nice hotel that is away from the downtown area in a part of town occupied by run-down markets and poor housing, yet when I checked online the Dormani Hotel has rates in the high range for Malaysia (145 ringgets [$40 U.S.] vs. the 65 ringgets [$18 U.S.] I am paying for a decent business hotel). I know that U.S. banks have taken a big hit on their easy lending practices related to home ownership lately, but at least cities of 400,000 there don't have 5 malls with only 1/3 to 2/3 of the space in each one rented out. And if a construction project is abandoned there, it is usually because of a lawsuit rather than it not being a viable project.
For lunch today, I had barbecue pork with crispy skin on the edges. It was served with rice, a nice sweet soy sauce, and a spicy sambal sauce.
As I wander around town today, I can see families that have come here for the weekend. This is the last weekend of the school holidays here, so people from small towns and villages are apparently coming to the city before they get tied down to regular routines again. One group asked if they could have their photo taken with me. That's a common thing in Asia, and I never object to it.
I've done lots of research on the computer today. I came up with many questions as I did my travel planning last night. I wrote them all on a piece of paper, and I have been keeping Google busy.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Hot Wanderings
Wednesday, June 10, 2009--Kuching (Continued)
After resting at the hotel during the hottest part of the afternoon, I went back out. I watched young men practicing in their longboats along the river. I explored some of the shopping centers in town. Mainly, I just walked and looked.
I really couldn't find a restaurant where I wanted to eat, so I went to a supermarket and bought some snacks for the room. Then I returned there and stayed in for the night.
Correction: In my entry for the first half of today, I said that Arne died 10 years ago. Of course, it was 5 years ago. I guess 10 was on my mind due to it being June 10! I have gone back and edited that entry but thought I would write this here for those of you who have already read it and won't be going back there.
Thursday, June 11, 2009--Kuching
I went away from the tourist area to explore other parts of town this morning. I walked far eastward, then turned back toward the river eventually making a big loop. One of the streets that I walked is a Chinese street with block after block of nice Chinese stores, restaurants, etc. I bought a Chinese bun with meat inside to eat as a snack. Then I bought a bag of candy that I like (peanuts and sesame seeds held together by a hard sugar mixture) at one of the shops.
Kuching is associated with cats for some reason. There are several cat sculptures around town. I have found 4 of them and taken photos. There is also a cat museum. Also, some of the manhole plates have cat images on them.
I met a British man on the street about my age. I gave him my copy of the book Europe Central which I wanted to give to someone I thought would read it. He is living here for a year. He has a daughter living in Brunei, and he said he thinks Kuching is pretty, the people are friendly, and that the cost of living is low. He seemed happy to have the book. Now I don't have to worry about the weight of it as I fly AirAsia, a low cost airline with strict weight limits, this weekend to get me back to where I can continue with Star Alliance flights.
I went to the Textile Museum and to the handicrafts shop next door. Both were very nice. Like Brunei, the museums here in Sarawak are free. When I was complaining about the extra cost for foreigners at museums and parks in Sabah, I thought it was probably Malaysia-wide. But I have since read that Sabah and Sarawak entered the Malaysian Federation with certain independent rights preserved. I guess gouging tourists is a right that have that Sabah has decided to take advantage of and that Sarawak has so far passed over. Hurrah or Sarawak and thumbs down for Sabah!
It's now hot afternoon again. After being here at the cyber cafe, I will go to the hotel. Then I will wander out again in the evening. I think I will go back to the Chinese street I found to get dinner tonight. Maybe I will have roast duck, since many of the small places there had it hanging in their display cases.
After resting at the hotel during the hottest part of the afternoon, I went back out. I watched young men practicing in their longboats along the river. I explored some of the shopping centers in town. Mainly, I just walked and looked.
I really couldn't find a restaurant where I wanted to eat, so I went to a supermarket and bought some snacks for the room. Then I returned there and stayed in for the night.
Correction: In my entry for the first half of today, I said that Arne died 10 years ago. Of course, it was 5 years ago. I guess 10 was on my mind due to it being June 10! I have gone back and edited that entry but thought I would write this here for those of you who have already read it and won't be going back there.
Thursday, June 11, 2009--Kuching
I went away from the tourist area to explore other parts of town this morning. I walked far eastward, then turned back toward the river eventually making a big loop. One of the streets that I walked is a Chinese street with block after block of nice Chinese stores, restaurants, etc. I bought a Chinese bun with meat inside to eat as a snack. Then I bought a bag of candy that I like (peanuts and sesame seeds held together by a hard sugar mixture) at one of the shops.
Kuching is associated with cats for some reason. There are several cat sculptures around town. I have found 4 of them and taken photos. There is also a cat museum. Also, some of the manhole plates have cat images on them.
I met a British man on the street about my age. I gave him my copy of the book Europe Central which I wanted to give to someone I thought would read it. He is living here for a year. He has a daughter living in Brunei, and he said he thinks Kuching is pretty, the people are friendly, and that the cost of living is low. He seemed happy to have the book. Now I don't have to worry about the weight of it as I fly AirAsia, a low cost airline with strict weight limits, this weekend to get me back to where I can continue with Star Alliance flights.
I went to the Textile Museum and to the handicrafts shop next door. Both were very nice. Like Brunei, the museums here in Sarawak are free. When I was complaining about the extra cost for foreigners at museums and parks in Sabah, I thought it was probably Malaysia-wide. But I have since read that Sabah and Sarawak entered the Malaysian Federation with certain independent rights preserved. I guess gouging tourists is a right that have that Sabah has decided to take advantage of and that Sarawak has so far passed over. Hurrah or Sarawak and thumbs down for Sabah!
It's now hot afternoon again. After being here at the cyber cafe, I will go to the hotel. Then I will wander out again in the evening. I think I will go back to the Chinese street I found to get dinner tonight. Maybe I will have roast duck, since many of the small places there had it hanging in their display cases.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Lot, Lazy Days
Tuesday, June 9, 2009--Kuching (Continued)
It was frustratingly slow at the cyber cafe when I updated the blog yesterday. It's strange that I have had good connections until these last two cities. And Kuching is the capital of this state and the biggest city in it. It should have a great connections.
I stopped at a food center on the way back to my room and ate a fried noodle dish that had tofu, beef, and peppers in it and a fried egg on top. I drank iced Chinese tea with it.
I headed for the coolness of my room and lay in bed reading. I finished the book that I started 2 1/2 weeks again when I arrived here--an 800-page tome entitled Europe Central and written by William F. Vollmann. It is a series of stories about people on the German and the USSR sides of WWII and tells the story of the war from their perspectives. The first 150 pages bothered me, because the stores were about an artist and a musician and Vollmann put too much effort in trying to tell their stories by relating them to art and music concepts. I gave those first pages only 2 1/2 stars out of 4. But the rest of the book was fantastic. He went directly to story telling. It was so detailed and so vivid. Those last 600+ pages I give 4 stars out of 4! I highly recommend the book and encourage any reader just to keep chugging along through those first 150 pages, because it will pay off in the end. The book won the National Book Award in the U.S.
I ended up staying in the room all evening. I ate some peanuts that I had in my bag rather than going out for dinner. And I watched the news on TV and a National Geographic program about the use of Crittercams.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009--Kuching
For those of you who knew and loved him, Arne died 5 years ago today.
I went to the Sarawak Museum today. Actually, it is a complex of museum buildings, most of them being old colonial buildings clustered on a hilltop. I spent almost 2 hours going through them seeing the exhibits. Much of what I saw I had already seen in other museums or already knew from my readings. But their model of the typical longhouse had something none of the others had included--the skulls of the enemies they had killed as a headhunter hanging from the ceiling rafters!
I am feeling a bit sluggish today. Yesterday morning, I felt a raspy feeling in the back of my throat from sleeping under too cool a breeze from the air conditioner during the evening. All day, I thought I might be getting a cold. Well, the feeling is still there, but not worse. Yet my whole body feels sluggish. I hope it is just temporary and that I will be fine tomorrow.
I sat on the riverside and read from my new book for a while today. I was waiting for the sun to shift to get good photos of the river and the buildings across the river. I stopped at a small eating place and had chicken-rice for lunch. Unfortunately, there were too many bones in the chopped chicken, so I don't feel I got much to eat. The passion fruit juice I had was great, though.
It was frustratingly slow at the cyber cafe when I updated the blog yesterday. It's strange that I have had good connections until these last two cities. And Kuching is the capital of this state and the biggest city in it. It should have a great connections.
I stopped at a food center on the way back to my room and ate a fried noodle dish that had tofu, beef, and peppers in it and a fried egg on top. I drank iced Chinese tea with it.
I headed for the coolness of my room and lay in bed reading. I finished the book that I started 2 1/2 weeks again when I arrived here--an 800-page tome entitled Europe Central and written by William F. Vollmann. It is a series of stories about people on the German and the USSR sides of WWII and tells the story of the war from their perspectives. The first 150 pages bothered me, because the stores were about an artist and a musician and Vollmann put too much effort in trying to tell their stories by relating them to art and music concepts. I gave those first pages only 2 1/2 stars out of 4. But the rest of the book was fantastic. He went directly to story telling. It was so detailed and so vivid. Those last 600+ pages I give 4 stars out of 4! I highly recommend the book and encourage any reader just to keep chugging along through those first 150 pages, because it will pay off in the end. The book won the National Book Award in the U.S.
I ended up staying in the room all evening. I ate some peanuts that I had in my bag rather than going out for dinner. And I watched the news on TV and a National Geographic program about the use of Crittercams.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009--Kuching
For those of you who knew and loved him, Arne died 5 years ago today.
I went to the Sarawak Museum today. Actually, it is a complex of museum buildings, most of them being old colonial buildings clustered on a hilltop. I spent almost 2 hours going through them seeing the exhibits. Much of what I saw I had already seen in other museums or already knew from my readings. But their model of the typical longhouse had something none of the others had included--the skulls of the enemies they had killed as a headhunter hanging from the ceiling rafters!
I am feeling a bit sluggish today. Yesterday morning, I felt a raspy feeling in the back of my throat from sleeping under too cool a breeze from the air conditioner during the evening. All day, I thought I might be getting a cold. Well, the feeling is still there, but not worse. Yet my whole body feels sluggish. I hope it is just temporary and that I will be fine tomorrow.
I sat on the riverside and read from my new book for a while today. I was waiting for the sun to shift to get good photos of the river and the buildings across the river. I stopped at a small eating place and had chicken-rice for lunch. Unfortunately, there were too many bones in the chopped chicken, so I don't feel I got much to eat. The passion fruit juice I had was great, though.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Last Stop in Borneo
Sunday, June 7, 2009--Sibu (Continued)
It was hot and I had done the little there was to do here. Therefore, I ate lunch and went to my room for the afternoon. I decided to eat at KFC. It's the most popular franchise in all of Asia. One is more likely to find it than any other. If a city has only one international franchise, it will be KFC here. I had a spicy chicken sandwich with fries covered in a spicy hot sauce. At the room, I watched two films on HBO. While watching, it rained some--the first rain since I was in the mountains at the beginning of my visit to Borneo.
The night market is just next to my hotel, so I went out only to go there and eat dinner. I was still rather full from lunch, so I bought 3 curry potato pies and ate them as I walked around looking at the other foods in the market.
Monday, June 8-2009--Sibu to Kuching
Every hotel so far in Malaysia has had the air conditioner positioned so that it blows directly at the bed. I hate that!! I keep worrying that I will get a cold, and I have to keep my head under the covers too much of the night.
I'm taking the boat to Kuching rather than the bus. It leaves at 11:30, so that meant that I needed to eat a late breakfast/early lunch. I went around the corner to a food stall. Three young ladies were eating something that looked good, so I asked them what it was. I ordered the same--Tedai, a roti-style thin pancake which is folded over to make an envelope. Inside was a fried egg. It came with a bowl of spicy dipping sauce and was delicious. Then walking back around the corner to the room, I noticed the Hong Kong Confectionery bakery where I had seen crowds yesterday. There were only 5 people there today, so I stood in line. They bake small pound cakes in individual metal containers. I ordered 1 ringett's worth (18 cents) and got 4 of the small cakes hot out of the oven. I walked around to my hotel and sat in the lobby eating them. They were so good. While sitting there, the man from the bakery came in with some of the cakes for the staff. When he saw me, he left and returned with another style of cake (more flavorful and less sweet) baked in a paper muffin cup.
The docks here in Sibu remind me of Manaus. There are many boats that go upriver, and that is the only mode of transportation to those towns and villages. There were crowds of people milling around and getting on boats. People were on tops of boats as well as in them. There was a festive air. And people carried anything and everything--bags of things they had bought, chickens in hand-carrier baskets, etc. It was exciting!
Seats were assigned on the boat. Fortunately, my seat was an aisle one and I was next to three cousins (two boys and a girl) who are students in Kuching and had traveled to their home village during the school holidays to visit their grandmother. The one next to me spoke perfect English. His parents died of cancer when they were in their early 40s, so his uncle (the father of the two cousins) took him in at age 13 and raised him. They all live in Kuching and the three of them are students at university now. We talked about lots of things during the 5 1/2 hour boat trip.
When we arrived in Kuching, everyone told me to get a taxi, but I kept telling them that taxis are a problem for tourists in eastern Asia. My guidebook had told me there were two buses serving the port area, so I walked about 1/2 km out of the port to the main road and found a bus stop. I waited there for an hour with no bus before giving up. I started walking toward town and stopped at another bus stop at a busy intersection about another 1/2 km away. A bus was coming, so I waived for it. The driver waived back and kept going. Then a car, whose driver had seen this, pulled over. He told me that the bus drivers are on strike and there are no buses. He and his wife told me to get in, and they drove me to the tourist hotel area downtown.
By then it was 18:30. But he had let me out in front of one of the hotels I had marked as a possible choice. I didn't feel like looking around a lot, so I just went in and took a room. The rates were reasonable, and the room was nice enough. The bed was good and everything was very clean. But the TV does not have the international channels that I have had elsewhere.
I went out searching for a better hotel where I could move tomorrow. But I didn't find anything better. I ate dinner--laksa, the same spicy soup with shrimp that I had in KK several days ago. This time, it lacked the don't-ask-don't-tell ingredient and had more shrimp.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009--Kuching
I got up early and went to check one more hotel. I liked it, so I went back and checked out of the Mandarin and moved to the Fata. The Fata has a larger room, a larger bath, a better view, satellite TV, a phone in the room, and a sofa in addition to the bed. All that for only $1.80 U.S. more per day.
So far, I have wandered around Kuching getting cash, stopping at the tourist office for literature and a map, and looking for this cyber cafe (which has a connection that is too slow). It's a nice looking town with lots of old colonial buildings, a beautiful paved riverside promenade, nice shopping facilities, etc. I will be here for 4 days exploring in the city and in the area.
It was hot and I had done the little there was to do here. Therefore, I ate lunch and went to my room for the afternoon. I decided to eat at KFC. It's the most popular franchise in all of Asia. One is more likely to find it than any other. If a city has only one international franchise, it will be KFC here. I had a spicy chicken sandwich with fries covered in a spicy hot sauce. At the room, I watched two films on HBO. While watching, it rained some--the first rain since I was in the mountains at the beginning of my visit to Borneo.
The night market is just next to my hotel, so I went out only to go there and eat dinner. I was still rather full from lunch, so I bought 3 curry potato pies and ate them as I walked around looking at the other foods in the market.
Monday, June 8-2009--Sibu to Kuching
Every hotel so far in Malaysia has had the air conditioner positioned so that it blows directly at the bed. I hate that!! I keep worrying that I will get a cold, and I have to keep my head under the covers too much of the night.
I'm taking the boat to Kuching rather than the bus. It leaves at 11:30, so that meant that I needed to eat a late breakfast/early lunch. I went around the corner to a food stall. Three young ladies were eating something that looked good, so I asked them what it was. I ordered the same--Tedai, a roti-style thin pancake which is folded over to make an envelope. Inside was a fried egg. It came with a bowl of spicy dipping sauce and was delicious. Then walking back around the corner to the room, I noticed the Hong Kong Confectionery bakery where I had seen crowds yesterday. There were only 5 people there today, so I stood in line. They bake small pound cakes in individual metal containers. I ordered 1 ringett's worth (18 cents) and got 4 of the small cakes hot out of the oven. I walked around to my hotel and sat in the lobby eating them. They were so good. While sitting there, the man from the bakery came in with some of the cakes for the staff. When he saw me, he left and returned with another style of cake (more flavorful and less sweet) baked in a paper muffin cup.
The docks here in Sibu remind me of Manaus. There are many boats that go upriver, and that is the only mode of transportation to those towns and villages. There were crowds of people milling around and getting on boats. People were on tops of boats as well as in them. There was a festive air. And people carried anything and everything--bags of things they had bought, chickens in hand-carrier baskets, etc. It was exciting!
Seats were assigned on the boat. Fortunately, my seat was an aisle one and I was next to three cousins (two boys and a girl) who are students in Kuching and had traveled to their home village during the school holidays to visit their grandmother. The one next to me spoke perfect English. His parents died of cancer when they were in their early 40s, so his uncle (the father of the two cousins) took him in at age 13 and raised him. They all live in Kuching and the three of them are students at university now. We talked about lots of things during the 5 1/2 hour boat trip.
When we arrived in Kuching, everyone told me to get a taxi, but I kept telling them that taxis are a problem for tourists in eastern Asia. My guidebook had told me there were two buses serving the port area, so I walked about 1/2 km out of the port to the main road and found a bus stop. I waited there for an hour with no bus before giving up. I started walking toward town and stopped at another bus stop at a busy intersection about another 1/2 km away. A bus was coming, so I waived for it. The driver waived back and kept going. Then a car, whose driver had seen this, pulled over. He told me that the bus drivers are on strike and there are no buses. He and his wife told me to get in, and they drove me to the tourist hotel area downtown.
By then it was 18:30. But he had let me out in front of one of the hotels I had marked as a possible choice. I didn't feel like looking around a lot, so I just went in and took a room. The rates were reasonable, and the room was nice enough. The bed was good and everything was very clean. But the TV does not have the international channels that I have had elsewhere.
I went out searching for a better hotel where I could move tomorrow. But I didn't find anything better. I ate dinner--laksa, the same spicy soup with shrimp that I had in KK several days ago. This time, it lacked the don't-ask-don't-tell ingredient and had more shrimp.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009--Kuching
I got up early and went to check one more hotel. I liked it, so I went back and checked out of the Mandarin and moved to the Fata. The Fata has a larger room, a larger bath, a better view, satellite TV, a phone in the room, and a sofa in addition to the bed. All that for only $1.80 U.S. more per day.
So far, I have wandered around Kuching getting cash, stopping at the tourist office for literature and a map, and looking for this cyber cafe (which has a connection that is too slow). It's a nice looking town with lots of old colonial buildings, a beautiful paved riverside promenade, nice shopping facilities, etc. I will be here for 4 days exploring in the city and in the area.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Slow Computer in Borneo
Friday, June 5, 2009--Miri
I threw away one pair of my travel pants today--the pair that I had carried with me and worn some last year. The seat was getting thin and tore in a couple of spots. I had expected it, though. I have two other pair with me--one new pair and another pair that has not been worn much.
I explored the markets and a temple here. Then I spent time online. There just isn't much to see or do here in Miri.
I ate curried lamb with garlic naan for lunch. It was delicious, but the lamb pieces all had bones that had to be dealt with.
Since I had nothing to see or do, I stayed in my hotel and read through the hottest part of the afternoon. Then I walked to a park that had a public swimming pool. Unfortunately, I was ejected! They do not allow boxer short swimsuits in the pool. Only knit swimsuits are allowed. My guess is that it is because people would want to start wearing regular shorts rather than swimsuits. My protests that my suimsuit was a Speedo and truly a swimsuit fell on deaf ears!
From the pool, I walked to a nearby shopping mall that is the biggest and nicest in town. In fact, there was a whole new section that was just opening. I had fun watching the locals gape at the look of the new section and explore which stores were available there.
Saturday, June 6, 2009--Miri to Sibu
I was up at 7:00 and lucky to catch a bus at 7:50 just as I entered the bus station. Because it is a weekend and is during school holidays, I was a bit worried about whether I would find a bus that had a seat available.
It was a much longer trip to Sibu than I expected. It took us 7 hours to cover the 400 km with rest stops every 100 km. We passed by large plantations growing palm trees for palm oil. One of our stops was the Niah Caves rest stop. Many tourists go there, but I decided to skip it. It is the largest limestone caves in the world, I think, and it is where the skull of the earliest homo sapien, I think, was found--at least the earliest in this part of the world.
Unfortunately, there was a new bus station far out in the country when we arrived. I walked maybe 5 km into town. Then I had trouble finding a hotel. Due to the school holidays, the bigger cities are swamped on weekends with families from the villages. And Sibu is on a river that has many remote villages upriver from it. I also realized quickly that the hotels were not as nice as described in my guidebook. For some reason, they seem to have deteriorated more than the hotels in the other cities I have visited. Anyway, one of the hotels I had picked out had only one small single room available. It had a single bed, a TV, a/c, and a private bath, but it felt as if it had been built out of an old broom closet. I took it since I was tired and it was late.
The tourist office had already closed, so I relied on my guidebook map and information. I wandered the waterfront, went by a Chinese pagoda, and went up and down the major streets. I stopped to eat Campur Special--fried noodles in a spicy sauce with caramelized onions, chicken, pork, and a fried egg on top. It was good.
I walked to a nearby mall to try to be on the Internet, but there connection was broken. I just returned to the room and relaxed.
Sunday, June 7, 2009--Sibu
I was up early this morning and read in bed for a while. Then I cleaned up and went looking for a better hotel room. After checking several places, I saw a rather new looking hotel and checked with them. They had a nice room with a double bed, a/c, cable TV, private bath, etc. It looked like heaven compared to the room I had overnight. So I took it and returned to check out of my other hotel and to get my luggage.
I went to the ferry terminal and bought a ticket to go to Cushing tomorrow by boat. It is the same distance from Sibu as Miri is. Rather than a 7-8 hour bus trip, I will take a 5-hour boat trip to get there. Neither sounds appealing, but 5 hours sounds better than the other.
I had trouble getting on the Internet again today. The place at the mall where I was last night had a slow connection. At least they were nice enough to tell me. I came to another place, and they put me on a computer without saying anything. I have found it to be a slow connection, too. I hope that this will post after all the time I have spent typing it. There are no links, because the connection is too slow for me to search for them. But any of you readers who want to know about anything I've written knows how to use Google. Right?
I threw away one pair of my travel pants today--the pair that I had carried with me and worn some last year. The seat was getting thin and tore in a couple of spots. I had expected it, though. I have two other pair with me--one new pair and another pair that has not been worn much.
I explored the markets and a temple here. Then I spent time online. There just isn't much to see or do here in Miri.
I ate curried lamb with garlic naan for lunch. It was delicious, but the lamb pieces all had bones that had to be dealt with.
Since I had nothing to see or do, I stayed in my hotel and read through the hottest part of the afternoon. Then I walked to a park that had a public swimming pool. Unfortunately, I was ejected! They do not allow boxer short swimsuits in the pool. Only knit swimsuits are allowed. My guess is that it is because people would want to start wearing regular shorts rather than swimsuits. My protests that my suimsuit was a Speedo and truly a swimsuit fell on deaf ears!
From the pool, I walked to a nearby shopping mall that is the biggest and nicest in town. In fact, there was a whole new section that was just opening. I had fun watching the locals gape at the look of the new section and explore which stores were available there.
Saturday, June 6, 2009--Miri to Sibu
I was up at 7:00 and lucky to catch a bus at 7:50 just as I entered the bus station. Because it is a weekend and is during school holidays, I was a bit worried about whether I would find a bus that had a seat available.
It was a much longer trip to Sibu than I expected. It took us 7 hours to cover the 400 km with rest stops every 100 km. We passed by large plantations growing palm trees for palm oil. One of our stops was the Niah Caves rest stop. Many tourists go there, but I decided to skip it. It is the largest limestone caves in the world, I think, and it is where the skull of the earliest homo sapien, I think, was found--at least the earliest in this part of the world.
Unfortunately, there was a new bus station far out in the country when we arrived. I walked maybe 5 km into town. Then I had trouble finding a hotel. Due to the school holidays, the bigger cities are swamped on weekends with families from the villages. And Sibu is on a river that has many remote villages upriver from it. I also realized quickly that the hotels were not as nice as described in my guidebook. For some reason, they seem to have deteriorated more than the hotels in the other cities I have visited. Anyway, one of the hotels I had picked out had only one small single room available. It had a single bed, a TV, a/c, and a private bath, but it felt as if it had been built out of an old broom closet. I took it since I was tired and it was late.
The tourist office had already closed, so I relied on my guidebook map and information. I wandered the waterfront, went by a Chinese pagoda, and went up and down the major streets. I stopped to eat Campur Special--fried noodles in a spicy sauce with caramelized onions, chicken, pork, and a fried egg on top. It was good.
I walked to a nearby mall to try to be on the Internet, but there connection was broken. I just returned to the room and relaxed.
Sunday, June 7, 2009--Sibu
I was up early this morning and read in bed for a while. Then I cleaned up and went looking for a better hotel room. After checking several places, I saw a rather new looking hotel and checked with them. They had a nice room with a double bed, a/c, cable TV, private bath, etc. It looked like heaven compared to the room I had overnight. So I took it and returned to check out of my other hotel and to get my luggage.
I went to the ferry terminal and bought a ticket to go to Cushing tomorrow by boat. It is the same distance from Sibu as Miri is. Rather than a 7-8 hour bus trip, I will take a 5-hour boat trip to get there. Neither sounds appealing, but 5 hours sounds better than the other.
I had trouble getting on the Internet again today. The place at the mall where I was last night had a slow connection. At least they were nice enough to tell me. I came to another place, and they put me on a computer without saying anything. I have found it to be a slow connection, too. I hope that this will post after all the time I have spent typing it. There are no links, because the connection is too slow for me to search for them. But any of you readers who want to know about anything I've written knows how to use Google. Right?
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Leaving Brunei for Sarawak
Thursday, June 4, 2009--Brunei to Miri
All the literature I had suggested that I should get an early start for going from BSB, the capital of Brunei, to Miri in Sarawak. They said it would take a minimum of 5 hours time and that there were problems with buses connecting the two border towns due to a large toll on a bridge which some of the bus drivers refused to pay. So I was up at 6:20 and out of my hotel at 6:48. As I walked into the bus station three minutes later (a block away), the bus for Seria, my first stop was backing out. I jumped aboard. That trip went well. In Seria, I switched almost immediately to another bus for Kuala Belait, the border town. I arrived there at 9:50. And that is where I encountered the problem.
The sign at the bus station said that there are now only two buses per day to Miri, my destination. One leaves at 9:30, so I had just missed it. The other doesn't leave until 15:30. So I faced a 5 1/2 hour wait for my next bus.
Another man was going to Miri. I asked about the possibility of taking a taxi together to the border. At first, he got excited and thought I was proposing paying for a taxi all the way to Miri. After clarifying myself, he left and returned saying a taxi would be 80 ringgets and not offering to pay any of the cost himself. I laughed and said that I would walk the 5 km at that price! He eventually disappeared, and I never saw him again. I guess he found another way to go and never thought about including me.
I read in my current book for two hours. Then I went to lunch at a nearby restaurant and had chicken biriyani. I returned to the bus station and read some more. The agent for the bus to the border arrived with the paperwork for it, so I took mine and filled it out. Eventually 15:30 arrived and we departed. On the bus were two western couples who had arrived much later than I had. If I had known about the bus schedule, I could have stayed in my a/c room and read and relaxed until about noon before taking a bus!
The border crossing went well, although they asked a lot of questions about where I had been in reference to their health check. Asia is getting worried because of the high number of flu cases in Australia in recent days.
I finally arrived in Miri at 17:30, almost 11 hours after I had left BSB. Fortunately, the bus brought us all the way to the center of town instead of stopping at the big bus station that is 4 km out of town. It let us out right by the Tourist Information office, so one of the couples and I went in there to get information about hotels and ongoing transportation.
I went to three hotels to see them. One was about $5 U.S. cheaper than the other two, but it seemed somewhat depressing to me. Of the other two, one was obviously much nicer. So I am staying at the Miri Hotel with all the usual features.
Miri is an interesting town. There are many sidewalk cafes. Because of its proximity to Brunei and because of Brunei's restrictive laws (no alcohol, no prostitution, etc.), Miri is popular with guests from there who want to let their hair down. There are many outdoor bars with big-screen TVs. It's also a boomtown because this is one of the centers for Malaysian oil production. It has a pleasant feel about it as I walk around.
That's what I did in the evening. I walked for several blocks exploring the entertainment and shopping district. Then I returned to my room and read the newspaper provided by the hotel.
Spending Updates:
During my 9 days in Sabah, I spent $300.41 for an average of $33.38 per day. During my 2 days in Brunei, I spent $72.20 for an average of $36.10 per day. Since leaving Texas, I have spent $1212.08 over 24 days for an average of $50.55 per day. That average is slowing coming down, since it was high due to my first stop being Canada, one of the more expensive countries I will visit.
All the literature I had suggested that I should get an early start for going from BSB, the capital of Brunei, to Miri in Sarawak. They said it would take a minimum of 5 hours time and that there were problems with buses connecting the two border towns due to a large toll on a bridge which some of the bus drivers refused to pay. So I was up at 6:20 and out of my hotel at 6:48. As I walked into the bus station three minutes later (a block away), the bus for Seria, my first stop was backing out. I jumped aboard. That trip went well. In Seria, I switched almost immediately to another bus for Kuala Belait, the border town. I arrived there at 9:50. And that is where I encountered the problem.
The sign at the bus station said that there are now only two buses per day to Miri, my destination. One leaves at 9:30, so I had just missed it. The other doesn't leave until 15:30. So I faced a 5 1/2 hour wait for my next bus.
Another man was going to Miri. I asked about the possibility of taking a taxi together to the border. At first, he got excited and thought I was proposing paying for a taxi all the way to Miri. After clarifying myself, he left and returned saying a taxi would be 80 ringgets and not offering to pay any of the cost himself. I laughed and said that I would walk the 5 km at that price! He eventually disappeared, and I never saw him again. I guess he found another way to go and never thought about including me.
I read in my current book for two hours. Then I went to lunch at a nearby restaurant and had chicken biriyani. I returned to the bus station and read some more. The agent for the bus to the border arrived with the paperwork for it, so I took mine and filled it out. Eventually 15:30 arrived and we departed. On the bus were two western couples who had arrived much later than I had. If I had known about the bus schedule, I could have stayed in my a/c room and read and relaxed until about noon before taking a bus!
The border crossing went well, although they asked a lot of questions about where I had been in reference to their health check. Asia is getting worried because of the high number of flu cases in Australia in recent days.
I finally arrived in Miri at 17:30, almost 11 hours after I had left BSB. Fortunately, the bus brought us all the way to the center of town instead of stopping at the big bus station that is 4 km out of town. It let us out right by the Tourist Information office, so one of the couples and I went in there to get information about hotels and ongoing transportation.
I went to three hotels to see them. One was about $5 U.S. cheaper than the other two, but it seemed somewhat depressing to me. Of the other two, one was obviously much nicer. So I am staying at the Miri Hotel with all the usual features.
Miri is an interesting town. There are many sidewalk cafes. Because of its proximity to Brunei and because of Brunei's restrictive laws (no alcohol, no prostitution, etc.), Miri is popular with guests from there who want to let their hair down. There are many outdoor bars with big-screen TVs. It's also a boomtown because this is one of the centers for Malaysian oil production. It has a pleasant feel about it as I walk around.
That's what I did in the evening. I walked for several blocks exploring the entertainment and shopping district. Then I returned to my room and read the newspaper provided by the hotel.
Spending Updates:
During my 9 days in Sabah, I spent $300.41 for an average of $33.38 per day. During my 2 days in Brunei, I spent $72.20 for an average of $36.10 per day. Since leaving Texas, I have spent $1212.08 over 24 days for an average of $50.55 per day. That average is slowing coming down, since it was high due to my first stop being Canada, one of the more expensive countries I will visit.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Brunei
Tuesday, June 2, 2009--Labuan to Brunei
There are many oil tankers in the water around here. This is a big oil producing area. That's why the Sultan of Brunei has been one of the richest men in the world since the 1960s and lives in the largest (300+ rooms) royal palace in the world. Many of the tankers are supertankers which I have never seen before, since they don't come into port in the Texas cities where I have been. I was surprised to see what a supertanker looks like. I always imagined a bigger ship in all dimensions. But instead, they seem to have about the same size footprint as a regular tanker. They just happen to be 2-3 times taller. That's why they can't get into the ports, I guess; bridge height is the main factor.
The ferry is about like one of those glass-topped tour boats in Paris or Amsterdam, expect there is a hard top instead of a glass top. The design bothers me, since there seems to be limited means of escape if anything went wrong. There are two doors at the front for all these passengers to get to and out of! Thank goodness the weather for my trip was good and no problems occured. It took about 1 1/2 hours to get from Labuan to the port outside BSB (Brunei City).
I exchanged a few Malaysian ringgets for Brunei dollars at the terminal so I could get the bus into town--about 30 minutes away. Everything went smoothly. Only a few of us took the bus, though. Most people here have cars.
It was stressful arriving downtown. There was no information booth at the bus station. I looked around the area and could not find one anywhere. Since then, I have found no evenidence of one, so Brunei is a country that does not operate a tourist information office. But my stress was also due to the fact that I had only limited information I had printed off the internet and no map. Having no map was the biggest problem, especially since I quickly learned that the people here do not know the street names in their city. They know where to go when they want to go someplace, but they apparently just ignore the names of streets when doing so. I asked for a particular street and was sent further and further away from it by two different people. When I returned to the area where it should be and asked someone about it, they didn't know it; yet I discovered seconds later that the shop where I had asked is actually located ON THAT STREET!! When I walked out their door and looked down the street, I saw the sign for the resthouse I wanted.
My room is okay. It is plain and simple, but it is clean, has a bath and good a/c, and has a nice bed. It is centrally located. There is another place I would have prefered staying, but I didn't have enough information to find it on my own without a map or knowing what bus route to take, since it is away from the center of town.
It was easy to find my way around the center of town just by exploring. It's a rather pleasant place with limited traffic problems. The buttons for walk signals actually WORK here and stop all traffic from all directions for 15 seconds. I walked by the big mosque in the center of town, to the waterfront where I could look across and see the water village consisting of hundreds of homes on stilts with many motorboat taxis buzzing back and forth between there and where I was. Looking out over the water, domes of other mosques can be seen in all directions. I found the Yayasan Complex, a shopping mall that is not very successful, partially because it is in two separate buildings with one housing only a large department store and the other one housing only small shops and also partially due to the escalators for getting upstairs in the small shop building being at the ends of the building rather than in the center.
Near my hotel, there is an Indian halal restaurant that seemed popular. I decided to go there for dinner. What a great choice. I ordered paneer palak and two chipatis. The spinach dish was VERY spicy and was filled with lots of chunks of cheese. The chipatis were soft and fresh. UMMM. And it cost only $2.30 U.S. total!
I returned to the waterfront to relax as it got later in the evening. Green lights came on inside the rotunda and in the minerets of the gold-domed Sultan Omar Mosque that is in the center of town. Tired of the water taxi drivers wanting to give me a tour, I finally returned to my room to read for the evening.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009--Brunei
It was cloudy and comfortable this morning, so I went out with plans to walk. I haven't done enough of that on this trip yet.
I stopped at a fancy hotel and asked if they had a map. They gave me one. I could see where I wanted to go, so I headed that way. First, I stopped at the Handicraft Center to see some of the work on display there. It was all nice, but none of it appealed to me personally. Then I contined for about 5-6 km (3.5 miles). Across from the roadway were the water villages, and I even passed buildings out there that are obviusly schools built on stilts, too, to serve the children living there. I stopped at the tombs of two of the former sultans of Brunei. Then I arrived at the Brunei Museum which was my ultimate destination.
The Brunei Museum is large. The building is unimpressive on the exterior, but the interior is well cooled and has nice exhibits about the country. Best of all, admission is FREE! I spent 1 1/2 hours seeing the exhibits about the history, the animal species living in the area, the native costumes and culture, etc. I really didn't know much about Brunei other than it's sultan being rich from the oil revenues. I was surprised to learn at the museum that the original sultan came here from Saudia Arabia and claimed the area with the promise to "protect" the local residents. He ruled all of Borneo and part of the Philippines at that time. The people seem to have put up with it now for hundreds of years! Yes, the U.S. is governed by people who came from elsewhere and lorded themselves over the natives, but what if just one Englishman had come and established rule over all the natives? Would they have allowed it to happen, much less to continue for centuries?
I went outside to wait for the bus to return to town, since the sun was now out and it was near noon. A few minutes later, one of the ladies working inside rushed out with a bottle of water for me, because they felt sorry for me having to be in the heat waiting for the bus.
I explored the colorful market which is under rainbow-colored umbrellas and beside one of the waterways. Mostly, it has lots of dried fish. But it also has fruits and vegetables.
I returned to my Indian restaurant for lunch. This time, I had butter chicken with rice. Again, it was very spicy and delicious. The only problem is that the bones were left in the chicken. That required me to occasionally have to pick up a piece to eat the meat off it. And that meant that I had orange-colored fingertips afterwards.
After resting and reading for about 1 1/2 hours, I went out again. This time I went to the Royal Regalia Museum. It is much like a Presidential Library in the U.S. There are exhibits about the life of the Sultan, displays of the gifts he has been given by various dignitaries, and displays of the royal floats and the costumes of the men who march beside them when he has an official function, the most recent of which was his silver anniversary as the Sultan. Again, the museum was free.
I returned to the Omar Sultan mosque and glanced inside, since it had been closed when I was there earlier. It is a beautifully maintained building.
The day is coming to a close. I've seen everything I need to see here. It's been interesting. Tomrrow, I will take a series of buses to get to southward through Brunei and into Sarawak, another of the Malaysian provinces.
There are many oil tankers in the water around here. This is a big oil producing area. That's why the Sultan of Brunei has been one of the richest men in the world since the 1960s and lives in the largest (300+ rooms) royal palace in the world. Many of the tankers are supertankers which I have never seen before, since they don't come into port in the Texas cities where I have been. I was surprised to see what a supertanker looks like. I always imagined a bigger ship in all dimensions. But instead, they seem to have about the same size footprint as a regular tanker. They just happen to be 2-3 times taller. That's why they can't get into the ports, I guess; bridge height is the main factor.
The ferry is about like one of those glass-topped tour boats in Paris or Amsterdam, expect there is a hard top instead of a glass top. The design bothers me, since there seems to be limited means of escape if anything went wrong. There are two doors at the front for all these passengers to get to and out of! Thank goodness the weather for my trip was good and no problems occured. It took about 1 1/2 hours to get from Labuan to the port outside BSB (Brunei City).
I exchanged a few Malaysian ringgets for Brunei dollars at the terminal so I could get the bus into town--about 30 minutes away. Everything went smoothly. Only a few of us took the bus, though. Most people here have cars.
It was stressful arriving downtown. There was no information booth at the bus station. I looked around the area and could not find one anywhere. Since then, I have found no evenidence of one, so Brunei is a country that does not operate a tourist information office. But my stress was also due to the fact that I had only limited information I had printed off the internet and no map. Having no map was the biggest problem, especially since I quickly learned that the people here do not know the street names in their city. They know where to go when they want to go someplace, but they apparently just ignore the names of streets when doing so. I asked for a particular street and was sent further and further away from it by two different people. When I returned to the area where it should be and asked someone about it, they didn't know it; yet I discovered seconds later that the shop where I had asked is actually located ON THAT STREET!! When I walked out their door and looked down the street, I saw the sign for the resthouse I wanted.
My room is okay. It is plain and simple, but it is clean, has a bath and good a/c, and has a nice bed. It is centrally located. There is another place I would have prefered staying, but I didn't have enough information to find it on my own without a map or knowing what bus route to take, since it is away from the center of town.
It was easy to find my way around the center of town just by exploring. It's a rather pleasant place with limited traffic problems. The buttons for walk signals actually WORK here and stop all traffic from all directions for 15 seconds. I walked by the big mosque in the center of town, to the waterfront where I could look across and see the water village consisting of hundreds of homes on stilts with many motorboat taxis buzzing back and forth between there and where I was. Looking out over the water, domes of other mosques can be seen in all directions. I found the Yayasan Complex, a shopping mall that is not very successful, partially because it is in two separate buildings with one housing only a large department store and the other one housing only small shops and also partially due to the escalators for getting upstairs in the small shop building being at the ends of the building rather than in the center.
Near my hotel, there is an Indian halal restaurant that seemed popular. I decided to go there for dinner. What a great choice. I ordered paneer palak and two chipatis. The spinach dish was VERY spicy and was filled with lots of chunks of cheese. The chipatis were soft and fresh. UMMM. And it cost only $2.30 U.S. total!
I returned to the waterfront to relax as it got later in the evening. Green lights came on inside the rotunda and in the minerets of the gold-domed Sultan Omar Mosque that is in the center of town. Tired of the water taxi drivers wanting to give me a tour, I finally returned to my room to read for the evening.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009--Brunei
It was cloudy and comfortable this morning, so I went out with plans to walk. I haven't done enough of that on this trip yet.
I stopped at a fancy hotel and asked if they had a map. They gave me one. I could see where I wanted to go, so I headed that way. First, I stopped at the Handicraft Center to see some of the work on display there. It was all nice, but none of it appealed to me personally. Then I contined for about 5-6 km (3.5 miles). Across from the roadway were the water villages, and I even passed buildings out there that are obviusly schools built on stilts, too, to serve the children living there. I stopped at the tombs of two of the former sultans of Brunei. Then I arrived at the Brunei Museum which was my ultimate destination.
The Brunei Museum is large. The building is unimpressive on the exterior, but the interior is well cooled and has nice exhibits about the country. Best of all, admission is FREE! I spent 1 1/2 hours seeing the exhibits about the history, the animal species living in the area, the native costumes and culture, etc. I really didn't know much about Brunei other than it's sultan being rich from the oil revenues. I was surprised to learn at the museum that the original sultan came here from Saudia Arabia and claimed the area with the promise to "protect" the local residents. He ruled all of Borneo and part of the Philippines at that time. The people seem to have put up with it now for hundreds of years! Yes, the U.S. is governed by people who came from elsewhere and lorded themselves over the natives, but what if just one Englishman had come and established rule over all the natives? Would they have allowed it to happen, much less to continue for centuries?
I went outside to wait for the bus to return to town, since the sun was now out and it was near noon. A few minutes later, one of the ladies working inside rushed out with a bottle of water for me, because they felt sorry for me having to be in the heat waiting for the bus.
I explored the colorful market which is under rainbow-colored umbrellas and beside one of the waterways. Mostly, it has lots of dried fish. But it also has fruits and vegetables.
I returned to my Indian restaurant for lunch. This time, I had butter chicken with rice. Again, it was very spicy and delicious. The only problem is that the bones were left in the chicken. That required me to occasionally have to pick up a piece to eat the meat off it. And that meant that I had orange-colored fingertips afterwards.
After resting and reading for about 1 1/2 hours, I went out again. This time I went to the Royal Regalia Museum. It is much like a Presidential Library in the U.S. There are exhibits about the life of the Sultan, displays of the gifts he has been given by various dignitaries, and displays of the royal floats and the costumes of the men who march beside them when he has an official function, the most recent of which was his silver anniversary as the Sultan. Again, the museum was free.
I returned to the Omar Sultan mosque and glanced inside, since it had been closed when I was there earlier. It is a beautifully maintained building.
The day is coming to a close. I've seen everything I need to see here. It's been interesting. Tomrrow, I will take a series of buses to get to southward through Brunei and into Sarawak, another of the Malaysian provinces.
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