As Jen and I were contemplating how to waste four hours at Bangkok International Airport, we walked down to the food court-ish level. On the lookout for one last mango shake, we both stopped dead in our tracks at a familiar, if elusive, smell: the waffle. We hurried forward, and lo and behold, a waffle stand, the same as the Bangkok train station. This city is aces when it comes to sustenance at transit locations. As if it could get any better, there was a smoothie place right next door, serving something called Mango Madness.
Continuing my older Australian man tradition, I was chatted up by steel businessman Andrew in the immigration line. Jen and I were in separate lines (racing, duh), and I had been calling out to her when he took his place in line behind me. We started talking, and quickly covered the normal bases: we'd just come from Phuket and were headed home. He was headed to Singapore for a night, and then onto Europe, for business. He wanted to know if my desire to return home had increased or decreased, the longer I was gone. Both, I answered. My desire to see my husband increased, but my desire to be home in general decreased, what with the pleasure of trying to find a new job, etc. We then moved onto politics (our line was moving much slower than Jen's) and discussed the upcoming US presidential elections, of which I felt a little out of the loop. He informed me that Hillary was out, and Obama in. Then he asked if I was democrat. Before I could respond, he gave me a once over and said, "well, look at you, of course you are!" I'm not quite sure what he meant by that...
Contrary to popular belief, two women can travel together for six weeks and still be on speaking terms when they return. Jen and I spent nearly every moment of the trip within a ten foot distance of each other and managed to make it out unscathed. No bitchy comments, no silent treatments, no hair pulling and only one pillow thrown. (Yes, we were in our pajamas, and No, it wasn't like that!)
And now we're home! I'll be posting more pictures soon, once I get over this jet lag. That international date line is a pain in the arse, I tell ya.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Phuk Et
In the absence of cats, and with only a few dogs to be found, Jen has taken to feeding the local birds. (Local restaurants, I'm sure, are absolutely thrilled about this.) We discovered an Italian-style cracker called Scrack, and if she waits long enough, they'll come up and eat it from her hand.
She's also been a hit with one of the local beach bum pooches, Scoobes. (Seriously, I've taken to calling her the animal whisperer.) Twice he has joined us in our afternoon sunbathing, huddled in the shade beneath her chair.
As for me, I have only attracted the attention of an older Australian gentleman while out for a walk on the beach one morning. As I walked briskly by the water, I overtook him as he ambled in the same direction. I was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. (In other words, so NOT hot.) He wore a black speedo, and about 100 extra pounds.
He called out to me as I walked past, offering me a piggy-back ride if I got tired. I laughed, briefly, and picked up my pace. In parting, he said, "or maybe you could give me one." I kept walking.
Once I reached the end of the beach, I turned to make my way back. This time, I walked farther from the shore, in the softer sand. I saw my Australian friend closing in, still headed in the opposite direction. I turned my gaze towards the tree-lined street that bordered the beach and tried to avoid eye contact.
Unfortunately, he changed course and made straight for me. He told me I was a "ray of sunshine" and had made the morning walk worthwhile. I thanked him and he chuckled, adding "I'm an old dog, aren't I?" I laughed and told him to enjoy the rest of his walk as I hurried back to the hotel.
See, Frank? Nothing to worry about!
For dinner Saturday night, we tried a Thai place that sat right on the beach. I don't remember much about the food, only the conversation at a neighboring table that we couldn't help but overhear. There were two older British men and three, rather young, British girls. What caught my attention initially was their comments on penises: whether size mattered (not necessarily), if circumsised or not was preferred (no definite consensus here). It was hard to ignore, as they were drinking heavily and talking loudly. The conversation then moved onto the topic of Thai girls, and how one of the men in particular had found a few who wanted to sleep with him for free, but begged him for some money so they wouldn't lose face in front of their friends.
I was appalled, both that this might happen and that he was talking about it so nonchalantly. He went on to describe how he'd gotten one girl pregnant, and it was years before he even bothered to meet his daughter. He talked about how "they" all had different men, each paying for some aspect of their life: car, house, the multiple children running around, etc.
Now, I don't know a lot about this sort of thing, like how prevalent it is, or whether or not some of the older-white-man-and-young-Thai-girl couples you see here are genuinely based in love. But on the surface, I find it disturbing in the very least.
And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, one of the girls changed the subject to how much she hated all Americans. No explanation, no exceptions. At this point I was seriously tempted to turn around and interrupt, but I bit my tongue (what good would it really have done?), we paid our bill and went to find some ice cream...
There's a security guard at our hotel. He stays mainly in the front, with his handy whistle to help direct parking efforts. Every time we walk by, he clicks his shoes together and salutes us. He adds a somewhat sinister chuckle after we've passed by. Charming, really.
And thus, our time in SE Asia is nearly up. We leave at 7:00am Thursday morning, which is 5:00pm Wednesday, LA-time. Then, after approx. 29 hours of traveling, we land back in reality. Or, as close to reality as La La Land can be!
Safe travel wishes to Audrey, who'll head in the opposite direction on Friday!
And I'll see if I can't come up with some type of conclusion to post when I get home!
She's also been a hit with one of the local beach bum pooches, Scoobes. (Seriously, I've taken to calling her the animal whisperer.) Twice he has joined us in our afternoon sunbathing, huddled in the shade beneath her chair.
As for me, I have only attracted the attention of an older Australian gentleman while out for a walk on the beach one morning. As I walked briskly by the water, I overtook him as he ambled in the same direction. I was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. (In other words, so NOT hot.) He wore a black speedo, and about 100 extra pounds.
He called out to me as I walked past, offering me a piggy-back ride if I got tired. I laughed, briefly, and picked up my pace. In parting, he said, "or maybe you could give me one." I kept walking.
Once I reached the end of the beach, I turned to make my way back. This time, I walked farther from the shore, in the softer sand. I saw my Australian friend closing in, still headed in the opposite direction. I turned my gaze towards the tree-lined street that bordered the beach and tried to avoid eye contact.
Unfortunately, he changed course and made straight for me. He told me I was a "ray of sunshine" and had made the morning walk worthwhile. I thanked him and he chuckled, adding "I'm an old dog, aren't I?" I laughed and told him to enjoy the rest of his walk as I hurried back to the hotel.
See, Frank? Nothing to worry about!
For dinner Saturday night, we tried a Thai place that sat right on the beach. I don't remember much about the food, only the conversation at a neighboring table that we couldn't help but overhear. There were two older British men and three, rather young, British girls. What caught my attention initially was their comments on penises: whether size mattered (not necessarily), if circumsised or not was preferred (no definite consensus here). It was hard to ignore, as they were drinking heavily and talking loudly. The conversation then moved onto the topic of Thai girls, and how one of the men in particular had found a few who wanted to sleep with him for free, but begged him for some money so they wouldn't lose face in front of their friends.
I was appalled, both that this might happen and that he was talking about it so nonchalantly. He went on to describe how he'd gotten one girl pregnant, and it was years before he even bothered to meet his daughter. He talked about how "they" all had different men, each paying for some aspect of their life: car, house, the multiple children running around, etc.
Now, I don't know a lot about this sort of thing, like how prevalent it is, or whether or not some of the older-white-man-and-young-Thai-girl couples you see here are genuinely based in love. But on the surface, I find it disturbing in the very least.
And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, one of the girls changed the subject to how much she hated all Americans. No explanation, no exceptions. At this point I was seriously tempted to turn around and interrupt, but I bit my tongue (what good would it really have done?), we paid our bill and went to find some ice cream...
There's a security guard at our hotel. He stays mainly in the front, with his handy whistle to help direct parking efforts. Every time we walk by, he clicks his shoes together and salutes us. He adds a somewhat sinister chuckle after we've passed by. Charming, really.
And thus, our time in SE Asia is nearly up. We leave at 7:00am Thursday morning, which is 5:00pm Wednesday, LA-time. Then, after approx. 29 hours of traveling, we land back in reality. Or, as close to reality as La La Land can be!
Safe travel wishes to Audrey, who'll head in the opposite direction on Friday!
And I'll see if I can't come up with some type of conclusion to post when I get home!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Rai Lay All the Way
Let me start this post by saying: I LOVE Rai Lay. If it had a few more good food options, I probably would've begged Jen to stay there for the remainder of our trip. But, alas, all good things must come to an end.
But first, more climbing! On Wednesday, we spent the morning lying by the pool where Jen burned herself right good. In the afternoon, we went back to Hot Rocks to rent some climbing gear and headed to the 1-2-3 Wall for Jen's first lead climb EVER!!!
Here, take a look:
Impressive, no? And for good measure, me, her humble belay slave:
The rest of the afternoon was spent climbing, and then relaxing, followed by some delicious pizza for dinner. (What? A girl can only eat so much rice and noodles!)
We left Rai Lay on Thursday, taking a speedboat to Phuket Town, and then a van to Kata Beach, where we're spending the last week of our trip.
After checking into the hotel, I made the fatal mistake of turning on the tv. By some mysterious hand of fate, it was programmed to ESPN and they were showing a replay of the Chelsea v. Manchester United Champions League game. Jen and I took it as a sign and spent a good portion of the afternoon watching the game, as it stretched into overtime and eventually progressed to a shoot out. I think we were both crying with John Terry when Chelsea lost, after playing so well, and down a man in the end.
But we shook off the malaise and explored Kata during the afternoon. Friday was spent at the beach, with Jen checking out the waves for a possible surfing excursion later in the week and me burning myself rather successfully...
We both decided to avoid too much sun exposure yesterday, and instead walked toward Karon Beach and played a round of mini golf. (It was awesome!)
And now it's Sunday, and we're headed back to the beach. We leave Kata early Thursday morning, to fly to Bangkok, catch another flight to Hong Kong and then from where, LA. I cannot believe it's been almost six weeks...
But first, more climbing! On Wednesday, we spent the morning lying by the pool where Jen burned herself right good. In the afternoon, we went back to Hot Rocks to rent some climbing gear and headed to the 1-2-3 Wall for Jen's first lead climb EVER!!!
Here, take a look:
Impressive, no? And for good measure, me, her humble belay slave:
The rest of the afternoon was spent climbing, and then relaxing, followed by some delicious pizza for dinner. (What? A girl can only eat so much rice and noodles!)
We left Rai Lay on Thursday, taking a speedboat to Phuket Town, and then a van to Kata Beach, where we're spending the last week of our trip.
After checking into the hotel, I made the fatal mistake of turning on the tv. By some mysterious hand of fate, it was programmed to ESPN and they were showing a replay of the Chelsea v. Manchester United Champions League game. Jen and I took it as a sign and spent a good portion of the afternoon watching the game, as it stretched into overtime and eventually progressed to a shoot out. I think we were both crying with John Terry when Chelsea lost, after playing so well, and down a man in the end.
But we shook off the malaise and explored Kata during the afternoon. Friday was spent at the beach, with Jen checking out the waves for a possible surfing excursion later in the week and me burning myself rather successfully...
We both decided to avoid too much sun exposure yesterday, and instead walked toward Karon Beach and played a round of mini golf. (It was awesome!)
And now it's Sunday, and we're headed back to the beach. We leave Kata early Thursday morning, to fly to Bangkok, catch another flight to Hong Kong and then from where, LA. I cannot believe it's been almost six weeks...
Adventure Race-ing It
When the alarm went off at the un-Godly early hour of 6am on Monday, Jen and I both groaned and then dragged ourselves out of bed. We hadn't been able to book our flight to Bangkok ahead of time (apparently the airlines are closed on the weekends?!) so we were planning on getting to the airport around 9am to finagle our way into a flight later that morning.
We had been warned about Monday morning traffic in HCMC and it's no joke. It took nearly two hours to go the 7km from center city to the international terminal. Along the way we passed a parade in honor of Uncle Ho's 118th birthday. Because, why wouldn't you hold that on a Monday morning at 8am?
We arrived at the airport and went to the ticketing counter. We asked the woman if there were any flights available to Bangkok. She asked, increduously, "today?" Um, yes please. We soon had our one-way tickets in hand and were checking our baggage. (Which seemed to have gained a couple kilos unbeknownst to us...)
After making it through immigration and security, we passed two wankers, one wearing an iPood t-shirt, with a picture of a man sitting on a toilet, and the other wearing a FedSex t-shirt... seriously, what were they thinking?! We killed the time until our flight buy ordering over-priced drinks at the Illy cafe and perusing the duty free shops, where water was more expensive than LAX.
The short flight on Vietnam Airlines (have I told you how much I love their hand wipes? They smell SO good!) was uneventful and we soon landed at Bangkok. We went through immigration, yet again, collected our bags and hiked the three flights up to domestic departures, to book our flights to Krabi. After getting the run-around by a travel agent, we decided to go directly to the AirAsia counter and book there. Right as we were about to pay, their computer system crashed. So we sat in front of the counter for over an hour while they tried to get back online.
Luckily, they pulled it off, we booked our tickets, checked our baggage, walked to our boarding gate and bum-rushed the airplane (apparently, AirAsia is a free-for-all seating arrangement, a la Southwest). This flight was also short and sweet and we soon found ourselves at Krabi Internation airport. After collecting our packs (I swear they get heavier each time) we hopped a shuttle to the Ao Nang pier, got an (expensive) long-tail boat ride to Rai Lay (it's only accessible by boat) and found a hotel for the evening.
The next day, we awoke to the sounds of construction outside our door. The sounds stopped for awhile after Jen went out and spoke to the workmen, but we decided to find a new hotel after breakfast. When that was all sorted out, we rented some climbing gear and set off for Diamond Cave. As soon as we got there, it started to rain, so we sought refuge in the bar situated next to the crag
(I could really get used to that kind of layout...) and waited it out. Soon the sky cleared and I was on my first lead in quite some time. We stuck with some of the easier climbs (rated 5s on the French scale) and had a wonderful time.
(The view from the top.)
Of course, even when you're not in LA, you're still in LA, and the couple climbing nearest us was comprised of some guy named Luke and Peta "La Femme Nikita" Wilson. Random.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing around the pool and enjoying our swank digs:
We had been warned about Monday morning traffic in HCMC and it's no joke. It took nearly two hours to go the 7km from center city to the international terminal. Along the way we passed a parade in honor of Uncle Ho's 118th birthday. Because, why wouldn't you hold that on a Monday morning at 8am?
We arrived at the airport and went to the ticketing counter. We asked the woman if there were any flights available to Bangkok. She asked, increduously, "today?" Um, yes please. We soon had our one-way tickets in hand and were checking our baggage. (Which seemed to have gained a couple kilos unbeknownst to us...)
After making it through immigration and security, we passed two wankers, one wearing an iPood t-shirt, with a picture of a man sitting on a toilet, and the other wearing a FedSex t-shirt... seriously, what were they thinking?! We killed the time until our flight buy ordering over-priced drinks at the Illy cafe and perusing the duty free shops, where water was more expensive than LAX.
The short flight on Vietnam Airlines (have I told you how much I love their hand wipes? They smell SO good!) was uneventful and we soon landed at Bangkok. We went through immigration, yet again, collected our bags and hiked the three flights up to domestic departures, to book our flights to Krabi. After getting the run-around by a travel agent, we decided to go directly to the AirAsia counter and book there. Right as we were about to pay, their computer system crashed. So we sat in front of the counter for over an hour while they tried to get back online.
Luckily, they pulled it off, we booked our tickets, checked our baggage, walked to our boarding gate and bum-rushed the airplane (apparently, AirAsia is a free-for-all seating arrangement, a la Southwest). This flight was also short and sweet and we soon found ourselves at Krabi Internation airport. After collecting our packs (I swear they get heavier each time) we hopped a shuttle to the Ao Nang pier, got an (expensive) long-tail boat ride to Rai Lay (it's only accessible by boat) and found a hotel for the evening.
The next day, we awoke to the sounds of construction outside our door. The sounds stopped for awhile after Jen went out and spoke to the workmen, but we decided to find a new hotel after breakfast. When that was all sorted out, we rented some climbing gear and set off for Diamond Cave. As soon as we got there, it started to rain, so we sought refuge in the bar situated next to the crag
(I could really get used to that kind of layout...) and waited it out. Soon the sky cleared and I was on my first lead in quite some time. We stuck with some of the easier climbs (rated 5s on the French scale) and had a wonderful time. 
(The view from the top.)Of course, even when you're not in LA, you're still in LA, and the couple climbing nearest us was comprised of some guy named Luke and Peta "La Femme Nikita" Wilson. Random.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing around the pool and enjoying our swank digs:
Stop the Presses!
I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you. Please, PLEASE, say you'll forgive me? Really, I can't go on until I know that you don't hold it against me...
It's ok? Really? Okay, well, then-
On our last night in HCMC, we went out to dinner. It was a local place, around the corner from the apartment. I played it pretty straight with some fried rice and spring rolls. But Jen, ooh boy. Jen went all out...
Jen ate SCORPION!!! And washed it all down with some crocodile!
(I would love to attach the picture here, but I have stupidly forgotten the cord. Which, admittedly, is better than the time I forgot the camera.)
So, picture(s) to follow. My sincerest apologies. But you've already said you forgive me, so there!
ADDENDUM: the photos!
It's ok? Really? Okay, well, then-
On our last night in HCMC, we went out to dinner. It was a local place, around the corner from the apartment. I played it pretty straight with some fried rice and spring rolls. But Jen, ooh boy. Jen went all out...
Jen ate SCORPION!!! And washed it all down with some crocodile!
(I would love to attach the picture here, but I have stupidly forgotten the cord. Which, admittedly, is better than the time I forgot the camera.)
So, picture(s) to follow. My sincerest apologies. But you've already said you forgive me, so there!
ADDENDUM: the photos!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Uncle Ho
I am only slightly ashamed to admit that Jen and I spent our first full day in Ho Chi Minh doing laundry... do you have any idea how dirty clothes get after four weeks?!
But on Friday, we ventured out to see the sights. First on our list was the Reunification Palace:
For the low, low price of 15,000 dong (approx. $1) we got a guided tour of the entire palace, including the game room (with its moh jong table) and the bomb shelter. Unfortunately, for no added cost, we also got an extremely irritating girl who flirted with our guide part of the time and neglected to pay attention the rest of the time, so the poor guy had to repeat himself. But then she gave him her cell phone to play mah jong on, so maybe it was ok...
We decided to stop for lunch at a place that our hosts had recommended: Pho 2000. Apparently, it is highly recommended by a lot of people, as there was a photo of President Clinton eating there during his 1999 visit. Who knew we were so cool?
That evening we couldn't hold out any longer (ok, I couldn't) and we stopped at Cantina, a Mexican restaurant run by a Californian. I have to say, the chips were delicious, the choice of salsas not bad and my burrito was pretty good too. Oh, and the margaritas were excellent :) However, it was no Los Jerritos, so I'll be making a stop there (almost) as soon as I get home!
Saturday, we visited the War Remnants Museum. There was an exhibit on war photographers who had been killed while reporting, malformed fetuses due to Agent Orange exposure on display and "tiger cages" (where prisoners were kept) that you could walk through. Not fun.
We tried to lighten the mood that evening with a water puppet show. The show itself was highly entertaining. I tried to take lots of pictures, but the lighting wasn't the greatest:
The rest of our time in HCMC was spent wandering around, bargaining over pearls and fake Rolexes and maybe getting pampered a little bit at the spa... It was a nice mix of sight-seeing and relaxing. Ya know, to better prepare us for Rai Lay and Kata, which would be ALL relaxing!
But on Friday, we ventured out to see the sights. First on our list was the Reunification Palace:
For the low, low price of 15,000 dong (approx. $1) we got a guided tour of the entire palace, including the game room (with its moh jong table) and the bomb shelter. Unfortunately, for no added cost, we also got an extremely irritating girl who flirted with our guide part of the time and neglected to pay attention the rest of the time, so the poor guy had to repeat himself. But then she gave him her cell phone to play mah jong on, so maybe it was ok...
We decided to stop for lunch at a place that our hosts had recommended: Pho 2000. Apparently, it is highly recommended by a lot of people, as there was a photo of President Clinton eating there during his 1999 visit. Who knew we were so cool?
That evening we couldn't hold out any longer (ok, I couldn't) and we stopped at Cantina, a Mexican restaurant run by a Californian. I have to say, the chips were delicious, the choice of salsas not bad and my burrito was pretty good too. Oh, and the margaritas were excellent :) However, it was no Los Jerritos, so I'll be making a stop there (almost) as soon as I get home!
Saturday, we visited the War Remnants Museum. There was an exhibit on war photographers who had been killed while reporting, malformed fetuses due to Agent Orange exposure on display and "tiger cages" (where prisoners were kept) that you could walk through. Not fun.
We tried to lighten the mood that evening with a water puppet show. The show itself was highly entertaining. I tried to take lots of pictures, but the lighting wasn't the greatest:
The rest of our time in HCMC was spent wandering around, bargaining over pearls and fake Rolexes and maybe getting pampered a little bit at the spa... It was a nice mix of sight-seeing and relaxing. Ya know, to better prepare us for Rai Lay and Kata, which would be ALL relaxing!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Forgotten Gems
In the rush of writing posts to keep up with the demands of our (approximately 2-4) readers, I've forgotten some particularly funny little gems. So, here you go:
While walking around Bangkok early in our trip, a tuk tuk driver offered us a ride for 15B. We declined and started to walk away. He called after us, "ok, 20B!" This man needs a lesson in bargaining technique. One does not get much business by raising prices.
During our exploration of the Pak Ou Caves north of Luang Prabang, we came across some children selling little birds in cages. Apparently, if we bought them, we could set them free. (An excellent selling tactic, I might add, that appeals to all the guilt-ridden tourists, especially Americans, who can't bear the thought of poor, innocent creatures behind bars.) As disturbing as this was, it wasn't nearly as bad as the two captive moles, each tethered by a string around one foot, as the children casually hung them upside down. Jen still cries herself to sleep at night for neglecting to save them from their captors.
I've already mentioned the multitude of children selling postcards, guide books, water, etc at the Temples of Angkor. I was proud, and then ashamed, when I bargained one of them down from $2 to $1 for a 10-pack of postcards. A little while later, as we walked to the next temple, one of the girls approached Jen, selling postcards. She suggested that she could send one to her husband. Jen mentioned that she didn't have a husband. "Well, then, your boyfriend," said the girl. Jen told her that she didn't have a boyfriend. "Wanna know why you have no boyfriend?" the girl asked. "Because you no buy postcards." Clever, that one.
Later that day, as we splashed through puddles on our spiffy bicycles, a couple on a moto nearly took Jen out as they turned into her from a side road. Jen stopped suddenly and said "dude!" At which they laughed. Since Jen was not run over, I feel okay admitting that I too laughed when I heard the story afterwards. The girl has been in LA way too long!
I often marvel at the optimism of the (mostly female) tourists who wear white pants while out and about. It's just not a good idea.
In an effort to decrease the weight of my pack, I've taken to leaving something behind everywhere we go. In Bangkok, it was a book. (Which, admittedly, I was able to sell, so I didn't exactly leave it, I suppose.) Same in Kanchanaburi and Chiang Mai. In Luang Prabang, I left behind a pair of cheap convertible pants that had never fit quite right. In Phnom Penh, another book, this time sitting on the nightstand, waiting for the next unsuspecting tourist. (It was a really wretched book.) In Hanoi, a book and a pair of shorts I had bought in Luang Prabang in an ill-advised moment of consumerism. I tried to leave a tank top on the boat, but the crew found it before we disembarked and I had to take it with. Suddenly, I'm reminded of that Mitch Hedburg line about people passing out flyers on the street. "Here, you throw this away..."
The inevitable finally happened in Hanoi: our van driver hit a moto. It was a narrow street, with motos all around, and suddenly, thud. Luckily, she looked surprised more than injured, so the people on the sidewalk (and I use that term loosely) helped her up, righted her bike, and we kept driving.
We're staying in Ho Chi Minh City right now, at the apartment of my best friend's old bosses. They are currently out of town, and were incredibly kind in offering us their place to stay for the duration of our visit. (Their generosity overwhelms me, and I hope in the future I am able to reciprocate in some way.) They also arranged for the building's van to pick us up from the airport, thus eliminating the possibility of another errant taxi driver. When we came out of the airport with our baggage, the driver was holding a sign that said "Welcome Ms. Kristen Jerry and Ms. Jen Dusik..."
While walking around Bangkok early in our trip, a tuk tuk driver offered us a ride for 15B. We declined and started to walk away. He called after us, "ok, 20B!" This man needs a lesson in bargaining technique. One does not get much business by raising prices.
During our exploration of the Pak Ou Caves north of Luang Prabang, we came across some children selling little birds in cages. Apparently, if we bought them, we could set them free. (An excellent selling tactic, I might add, that appeals to all the guilt-ridden tourists, especially Americans, who can't bear the thought of poor, innocent creatures behind bars.) As disturbing as this was, it wasn't nearly as bad as the two captive moles, each tethered by a string around one foot, as the children casually hung them upside down. Jen still cries herself to sleep at night for neglecting to save them from their captors.
I've already mentioned the multitude of children selling postcards, guide books, water, etc at the Temples of Angkor. I was proud, and then ashamed, when I bargained one of them down from $2 to $1 for a 10-pack of postcards. A little while later, as we walked to the next temple, one of the girls approached Jen, selling postcards. She suggested that she could send one to her husband. Jen mentioned that she didn't have a husband. "Well, then, your boyfriend," said the girl. Jen told her that she didn't have a boyfriend. "Wanna know why you have no boyfriend?" the girl asked. "Because you no buy postcards." Clever, that one.
Later that day, as we splashed through puddles on our spiffy bicycles, a couple on a moto nearly took Jen out as they turned into her from a side road. Jen stopped suddenly and said "dude!" At which they laughed. Since Jen was not run over, I feel okay admitting that I too laughed when I heard the story afterwards. The girl has been in LA way too long!
I often marvel at the optimism of the (mostly female) tourists who wear white pants while out and about. It's just not a good idea.
In an effort to decrease the weight of my pack, I've taken to leaving something behind everywhere we go. In Bangkok, it was a book. (Which, admittedly, I was able to sell, so I didn't exactly leave it, I suppose.) Same in Kanchanaburi and Chiang Mai. In Luang Prabang, I left behind a pair of cheap convertible pants that had never fit quite right. In Phnom Penh, another book, this time sitting on the nightstand, waiting for the next unsuspecting tourist. (It was a really wretched book.) In Hanoi, a book and a pair of shorts I had bought in Luang Prabang in an ill-advised moment of consumerism. I tried to leave a tank top on the boat, but the crew found it before we disembarked and I had to take it with. Suddenly, I'm reminded of that Mitch Hedburg line about people passing out flyers on the street. "Here, you throw this away..."
The inevitable finally happened in Hanoi: our van driver hit a moto. It was a narrow street, with motos all around, and suddenly, thud. Luckily, she looked surprised more than injured, so the people on the sidewalk (and I use that term loosely) helped her up, righted her bike, and we kept driving.
We're staying in Ho Chi Minh City right now, at the apartment of my best friend's old bosses. They are currently out of town, and were incredibly kind in offering us their place to stay for the duration of our visit. (Their generosity overwhelms me, and I hope in the future I am able to reciprocate in some way.) They also arranged for the building's van to pick us up from the airport, thus eliminating the possibility of another errant taxi driver. When we came out of the airport with our baggage, the driver was holding a sign that said "Welcome Ms. Kristen Jerry and Ms. Jen Dusik..."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)