I realize this post is a little late, but oh well.
For the 4th of July, there is a group of Americans in Singapore that hold a big event each year. There is lots of BBQ, live music and fireworks. We went to it and had a lot of fun. The one scary thing was the fireworks. They were really really close to us and pieces of fireworks kept falling on us. I don't just means ashes either. Pieces about 1 square inch fell on people, including myself.
Overall, there has not been much reaction to us being American. Especially outside of Singapore, nobody over guesses we are American. People generally assume we are either British or Australian. I think I have met more Canadians than Americans while traveling. It really puts into perspective how little world traveling most Americans do. I know that after this trip I definitely have the travel bug and want to do a lot more (though I am also looking forward to eventually going home). It's now going to be my mission to convince all of my friends and family to do more world traveling with me ;-) The good thing about Asia is that other than the plane ticket here, everything is cheap!
The one place there was some reaction to us being American was in Bangkok. A few times after telling people we were from the US, they would say "Obama!!" and it was very clear they were big fans. You all know my personal feelings on this, but I figured that in the name of international diplomacy, I would not say anything.
For one of the taxi rides, it was myself, a guy whose parents are from Taiwan, and a guy whose father is from Nigeria. The driver was very very confused on how we all knew each other and could all be from the US. It made me realize that while we may not get out much, America really is still the melting pot of the world.
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Bangkok
I have survived another trip to Thailand. Bangkok is very very different from Phuket. Phuket is a more relaxed beach town while Bangkok is an incredibly busy city. If I were to choose, I'd definitely go to Phuket again and skip over Bangkok. If nothing else, I would never go to Bangkok with a family. While going to the red light district was our own choosing, it is impossible to avoid all of the sex in the city. The hotel that half the group stayed at had minibars stocked with fruit flavored condoms. One of the restraunts we ate at had pictures of naked women on the walls. During one of the taxi rides, a guy in our group made a reference to the song, "Boom, Boom, Pow." The taxi driver thought that meant the guy wanted to some "boom, boom, pow" and pulled out a handy flyer for a "real Thai massage" where you can get two girls!
By the way, Maria, since you found out the meaning of the ping pong shows, you are welcome to explain to Mom.
The other problem with the city is the traffic. Many of you have experienced Atlanta rush hour and probably think that is bad. I can tell you that traffic at 11 am on a Saturday in Bangkok is far worse than anything I have ever experienced in Atlanta. Now I understand how all of those people on the Amazing Race feel in traffic jams. The one good thing is that taxis are cheap and tuk tuks are even cheaper. I actually really enjoyed riding around in the tuk tuks. They definitely give you a sense of adventure. Also, both the taxis and tuk tuks have no limit for the number of people. We went on a 30 minute taxi ride with 6 passengers plus the driver.
The site seeing we did consisted of going to the floating market, the bridge over the River Kwai, and the grand palace. The floating market was very cool, though not how I would want to shop on any sort of regular basis. You rent a boat and driver and go around to other boats that are selling various goods. The best part is seeing all of the people trying to cook soup in a boat. You truly can see nothing like it in the US. As much as I enjoy history, the bridge was not as exciting as I had hoped. It really was just a railway bridge over the river. I was somewhat surprised that more people in our group had no idea what it was, but then I realized I only knew because I had seen the movie many many years ago. The Grand Palace was interesting. My biggest takeway was that it looks much better from far away than up close. Up close, you can see that everything is kind of falling apart and all the decor is fading. It was built in 1782 and I have a hard time imagining what condition it will be in after another 200 years.
By the way, I hope everyone's been cheering on the Cardinals now that they've taken sole possesion of 1st!
By the way, Maria, since you found out the meaning of the ping pong shows, you are welcome to explain to Mom.
The other problem with the city is the traffic. Many of you have experienced Atlanta rush hour and probably think that is bad. I can tell you that traffic at 11 am on a Saturday in Bangkok is far worse than anything I have ever experienced in Atlanta. Now I understand how all of those people on the Amazing Race feel in traffic jams. The one good thing is that taxis are cheap and tuk tuks are even cheaper. I actually really enjoyed riding around in the tuk tuks. They definitely give you a sense of adventure. Also, both the taxis and tuk tuks have no limit for the number of people. We went on a 30 minute taxi ride with 6 passengers plus the driver.
The site seeing we did consisted of going to the floating market, the bridge over the River Kwai, and the grand palace. The floating market was very cool, though not how I would want to shop on any sort of regular basis. You rent a boat and driver and go around to other boats that are selling various goods. The best part is seeing all of the people trying to cook soup in a boat. You truly can see nothing like it in the US. As much as I enjoy history, the bridge was not as exciting as I had hoped. It really was just a railway bridge over the river. I was somewhat surprised that more people in our group had no idea what it was, but then I realized I only knew because I had seen the movie many many years ago. The Grand Palace was interesting. My biggest takeway was that it looks much better from far away than up close. Up close, you can see that everything is kind of falling apart and all the decor is fading. It was built in 1782 and I have a hard time imagining what condition it will be in after another 200 years.
By the way, I hope everyone's been cheering on the Cardinals now that they've taken sole possesion of 1st!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Red Lights
Yes, these are those notorious red lights. The lights of the red light district. We are in Bangkok this weekend, so of course all of the guys wanted to experience the true Thailand experience, so we went to a "ping pong" show. If you try googling that, I will warn you that it was in the red light district of Bangkok, so it's not exactly safe for work. From what I understand of American strip clubs, the only things these places have in common is the naked girls. The things they do here are completely unnatural. I think I am scared for life.
For all the boys out there (and girls, actually), if you're ever feeling low on self-esteem, go to a bar in Bangkok. No girl will ever turn you down. If they can physically reach you, they will hit on you. They do not discriminate between males and females and they're not afraid to start touching if it looks like you're not going to say yes. Needless to say, I have never seen so many middle aged, balding white guys with young, Asian companions.
Today we are off to the temples and palace. Sorry I haven't been updating more.
For all the boys out there (and girls, actually), if you're ever feeling low on self-esteem, go to a bar in Bangkok. No girl will ever turn you down. If they can physically reach you, they will hit on you. They do not discriminate between males and females and they're not afraid to start touching if it looks like you're not going to say yes. Needless to say, I have never seen so many middle aged, balding white guys with young, Asian companions.
Today we are off to the temples and palace. Sorry I haven't been updating more.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Toilet Adventures
One of the things I've been intrigued by here are the restrooms. I think the U.S. has some of the most boring bathrooms in the world. You can expect the same things in almost any bathroom you enter: a toilet, toilet paper, a sink with soap, paper towels, and a hand dryer. Sure, the level of cleanliness changes, but not much.
In the countries I have visited thus far, the possibilities when you enter a restroom are much more exciting. First, not all of the stalls have toilets. You'll notice I didn't say restooms, I said stalls. At least half of the restrooms I've been in have given you an option, you can sit or squat. Why would someone choose to squat instead of sit? I have no idea. I think it's supposed to be a cleanliness thing, but that is still always going to be perplexing to me. I am at least thankful there are actual toilets everyone I've been so that I have not been caught pulling a Rachel ;-)
The next thing that is different is toilet paper. Many places do not have any. Some have places to put it and are simply out while other do not even seem to have an option. One place in Thailand had toilet paper hanging outside of the stall, so you had to decide how much you wanted in advance. Instead of toilet paper, most places have a hose. I have not tried this and do not care to. I cannot imagine how this can be done without making an even bigger mess.
The next thing is paying. I know that paying to use a restroom is not exclusive to Asia, however, I do not think I will ever understand it. It's never more than a few cents, but the principle of the matter still gets me. Also, I was at a mall in Malaysia and needed to use the restroom.. I started to walk in when I saw a sign that said this restoom was a "premier restroom" and would cost me 2 ringgit to enter. However, the restrooms on every other floor were free. I went to another restroom and it was perfectly fine. Since then, I keep wondering what could possibly make one restroom so much better that you have to pay for it.
The final thing that gets me are the handdryers. Think of all the different handdryers in the United States. The only real differences are whether or not the are automatic and the pressure the air blows. Here, that is just the beginning of the differences. Some make you put your hands down between two pieces of plastic and blow the air from both directions. Some are like the ones in the US. Many blow the air out at an angle. One blew the air straight out towards me. This was one of the worst and worked terribly. I'm getting better, but for awhile it was taking me 5 minutes to figure out how to use every dryer.
In the countries I have visited thus far, the possibilities when you enter a restroom are much more exciting. First, not all of the stalls have toilets. You'll notice I didn't say restooms, I said stalls. At least half of the restrooms I've been in have given you an option, you can sit or squat. Why would someone choose to squat instead of sit? I have no idea. I think it's supposed to be a cleanliness thing, but that is still always going to be perplexing to me. I am at least thankful there are actual toilets everyone I've been so that I have not been caught pulling a Rachel ;-)
The next thing that is different is toilet paper. Many places do not have any. Some have places to put it and are simply out while other do not even seem to have an option. One place in Thailand had toilet paper hanging outside of the stall, so you had to decide how much you wanted in advance. Instead of toilet paper, most places have a hose. I have not tried this and do not care to. I cannot imagine how this can be done without making an even bigger mess.
The next thing is paying. I know that paying to use a restroom is not exclusive to Asia, however, I do not think I will ever understand it. It's never more than a few cents, but the principle of the matter still gets me. Also, I was at a mall in Malaysia and needed to use the restroom.. I started to walk in when I saw a sign that said this restoom was a "premier restroom" and would cost me 2 ringgit to enter. However, the restrooms on every other floor were free. I went to another restroom and it was perfectly fine. Since then, I keep wondering what could possibly make one restroom so much better that you have to pay for it.
The final thing that gets me are the handdryers. Think of all the different handdryers in the United States. The only real differences are whether or not the are automatic and the pressure the air blows. Here, that is just the beginning of the differences. Some make you put your hands down between two pieces of plastic and blow the air from both directions. Some are like the ones in the US. Many blow the air out at an angle. One blew the air straight out towards me. This was one of the worst and worked terribly. I'm getting better, but for awhile it was taking me 5 minutes to figure out how to use every dryer.
Thailand - - My New Favorite Country
A few business items before we begin.
1) I have stopped being lazy and finally posted pictures to facebook. You can all see them at:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=15924600&k=SYLTZXV6R4YM5AGBVD23S3 for Singapore
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=15924600&k=Z6ETY6UR355GUCGCSEYXQVY for Malaysia
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=15924600&k=SWAZ32QRW64M5AGBVD23S3 for Thailand
2) To those of you reading this through facebook, I didn't mean to freak out/confuse anyone with the "Asian Boyfriend" blog. I posted the blog to the website http://asiawithoutrice.blogspot.com/ and there the video showed up.
3) To those of you who did see the video, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I do what I can.
4) I have written some postcards! Now I just need to find a postoffice. I'm told it's in the student center, which means I need to find the student center.
So for those of you who haven't heard, I absolutely loved Thailand. The country was gorgeous. The people were incredibly friendly. Everything was unbelievably cheap. It was once again a trip to a foreign country that cost under $300, including travel, lodging, food, souvenirs and excursions. It helps that when you do the exchange rate, you first remove two zeroes from the price there.
One of my favorite things about Thailand was that it featured both beautiful beaches and mountains. Most of you know that I'm not a huge fan of beaches. However, we went snorkeling, which I haven't done since I was about 7, and I really enjoyed that. That water was really salty, so I could easily float on my stomach with my face in the water and see all of the reefs and fish.
The elephant ride was really fun. My elephant had a mind of it's own and it seemed clear that the guide had little to no control over it, but that just made it more fun. At one point, my elephant decided it was time to drink some water. This turned into him giving himself a bath. That turned into me getting a bath as he sprayed water everywhere. It was fun.
We went during the off-season (it's apparently monsoon season right now), so the hotel was fairly empty. The pool was amazing. I do not have any pictures, but I think some other people do, so I will try to steal them at some point. There were actually three pools, but the big one was big enough that it had a grass covered island in the middle. It also had a swim-up bar where we got mai thais in pineapple (or mahi mahis as I like to call them). They were amazingly good. I want to learn how to make them. One thing that I loved there (and in Singapore), is that there is tons of fresh fruit. I don't know when, if ever, I've had fresh pineapple. It was incredibly good. Actually, all Thai food is incredibly good.
Many of you have heard me say that I have some interest in doing Teach for America when I graduate. After traveling around here and realizing the food is in fact edible, I've started thinking about doing the Peace Corps as well. I obviously don't know for sure, but it's something I'm considering. I would want to go somewhere like Thailand or the Pacific islands.
By the way, some of you should stop stalking and start commenting :-P To those of you who have commented, I enjoy reading them! I miss everyone, though not so much that I'm ready to come home quite yet!
1) I have stopped being lazy and finally posted pictures to facebook. You can all see them at:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=15924600&k=SYLTZXV6R4YM5AGBVD23S3 for Singapore
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=15924600&k=Z6ETY6UR355GUCGCSEYXQVY for Malaysia
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=15924600&k=SWAZ32QRW64M5AGBVD23S3 for Thailand
2) To those of you reading this through facebook, I didn't mean to freak out/confuse anyone with the "Asian Boyfriend" blog. I posted the blog to the website http://asiawithoutrice.blogspot.com/ and there the video showed up.
3) To those of you who did see the video, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I do what I can.
4) I have written some postcards! Now I just need to find a postoffice. I'm told it's in the student center, which means I need to find the student center.
So for those of you who haven't heard, I absolutely loved Thailand. The country was gorgeous. The people were incredibly friendly. Everything was unbelievably cheap. It was once again a trip to a foreign country that cost under $300, including travel, lodging, food, souvenirs and excursions. It helps that when you do the exchange rate, you first remove two zeroes from the price there.
One of my favorite things about Thailand was that it featured both beautiful beaches and mountains. Most of you know that I'm not a huge fan of beaches. However, we went snorkeling, which I haven't done since I was about 7, and I really enjoyed that. That water was really salty, so I could easily float on my stomach with my face in the water and see all of the reefs and fish.
The elephant ride was really fun. My elephant had a mind of it's own and it seemed clear that the guide had little to no control over it, but that just made it more fun. At one point, my elephant decided it was time to drink some water. This turned into him giving himself a bath. That turned into me getting a bath as he sprayed water everywhere. It was fun.
We went during the off-season (it's apparently monsoon season right now), so the hotel was fairly empty. The pool was amazing. I do not have any pictures, but I think some other people do, so I will try to steal them at some point. There were actually three pools, but the big one was big enough that it had a grass covered island in the middle. It also had a swim-up bar where we got mai thais in pineapple (or mahi mahis as I like to call them). They were amazingly good. I want to learn how to make them. One thing that I loved there (and in Singapore), is that there is tons of fresh fruit. I don't know when, if ever, I've had fresh pineapple. It was incredibly good. Actually, all Thai food is incredibly good.
Many of you have heard me say that I have some interest in doing Teach for America when I graduate. After traveling around here and realizing the food is in fact edible, I've started thinking about doing the Peace Corps as well. I obviously don't know for sure, but it's something I'm considering. I would want to go somewhere like Thailand or the Pacific islands.
By the way, some of you should stop stalking and start commenting :-P To those of you who have commented, I enjoy reading them! I miss everyone, though not so much that I'm ready to come home quite yet!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Asian Boyfriend
Mom, Dad, I want to let you know about my Asian boyfriend. I figured that since we've now taken it to a physical level, it was time for you to meet.
Thailand Update Coming
I will soon write all about the wonders of Thailand. For now, I am finishing the second of my two papers due tomorrow. I will say that I am very sunburned and in a bit of pain, but I loved Thailand and am convinced Mom or Dad should take the family there for our next family vacation.
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