Back Home in Bangkok

After our daily adventures in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, it felt like we were back home when we arrived in Bangkok. We knew exactly where to go to get a cab; how much to pay, and what the accommodation would be like, since we were returning to Ou and Ross McClellan’s apartment. Early the next morning, as we set off for the Indian Embassy to pick up our visas, the phone rang. It was Ross. Twenty years ago, a call from Ross often meant that the other party’s lawyer wouldn’t agree to a change in a legal document. Now he was calling to see if we needed some clothes washing!

When we got to the Embassy, we realized that we had forgotten that we could only drop off our passports between 12 and 1 pm. Indian bureaucracy. So we used the extra time to mail a parcel toVancouver, and look after a few personal needs. Sally had her nails done; and I decided to have a haircut. Unfortunately, the hairdresser didn’t speak English and she interpreted my request to take just a little off with leave just a little on. Sally and Ou think the haircut makes me look younger. Ross thinks it makes my ears look much older! At least I won’t need another haircut until we return in September.
Sitting in Ross’s apartment this morning, we reflected on how different travel is today compared to the 60’s when we were both traveling around Europe. Back then, American Express was indispensable. ‘Poste Restante American Express’ was everyone’s address in the major cities of Europe, and Travelers’ Cheques were the standard form of currency. Today we stay in touch through email and blogs, and Travelers’ Cheques are a thing of the past (for most of us). Instead we use ATM machines and credit cards.
Although most banking is now done over the internet, from time to time, it’s nice to be able to walk into a bank. In anticipation of our trip, for a number of reasons, Sally and I switched from CIBC to HSBC. As we were setting off, Maureen Jones, our Account Manager invited us to take advantage of the bank’s international ‘Concierge Service’.
Consequently, when I accidentally left a sweater and memory stick on a bench in Auckland, the bank sent them to me c/o its Melbourne office. When we needed US dollars in Hanoi, we took a taxi to the HSBC Branch Office and had our money in a few minutes. The bank then called us a taxi and even negotiated a better taxi fare to our next destination! We have discovered that some Asian hotels offer better rates to HSBC customers on the Wotif booking site, and restaurants offer a discount if you use an HSBC Credit Card.
It is very comforting to get off a plane in a city and see the HSBC advertisements in the airport. We have been to so many branches, we are sometimes suspected of being two of the bank’s ‘mystery shoppers’. As we travel around the world, the tagline ‘the world’s local bank’ is quite apt. HSBC is our new American Express.

Once again, it was very comfortable staying with Ou and Ross. We were spoilt by them, and could do little in return. But hopefully one day when they visit Vancouver, we can reciprocate. Until then, thanks Ou and Ross.

Now, we're off to Hong Kong and China.

The Temples of Angkor, Siem Reap

“You must go to Angkor Wat.” This was the message from our daughter Claire a year ago, after she left us in Thailand and set off to discover Laos and Cambodia on her own. So we came. We really didn’t know a great deal about the place before leaving Canada, despite the fact that it is generally regarded as one of the Wonders of the World. If I did learn about the Angkor Temples at university, I either was away from class that day, or have simply forgotten what I was taught.

Fortunately, we were given some advice by Gregg Macdonald, a former colleague at SFU, who had been here not so long ago. We also got briefings from the Buckleys in Singapore, the Lloyds in Pattaya, and Ross McClellan, who as residents of Southeast Asia, had all been here. But we really weren’t prepared for what we found.

Angkor Wat is just one of a number of temples located around Siem Reap in Cambodia. Since tourism was renewed about 17 years ago, this community has grown substantially, and become a major international tourist destination. Thousands of new hotel rooms have been built over the past five years in large three and four story complexes, with very similar designs and very similar names. We stayed at the Prince d’Angkor, which was about a year old, and located near the centre of the town. It featured a lot of wood, a very nice bathroom, and a balcony overlooking the pool. It was essential that we have a pool, since April is the hottest month. We have never perspired so much in our lives!

The town itself is not unattractive, with some large park areas. But all of the construction projects make it a very dusty place, and I think it will look much better in a few years when the major road works are finished, and there isn’t so much construction debris lying around.

As for the temples, words and photographs cannot do them justice. Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world. But it is just one of many. They are like the pyramids, in terms of the level of accomplishment they represent, especially given the times during which they were constructed. Some of the temples were built in the 10^th and 11^th centuries. Others were constructed in the 15^th century. Books have been written about each temple. Unfortunately, many years of war and political strife have taken a toll on the temples and the country, and while some of the structures are in better shape than others, many are best described as ruins.

Surprisingly, while the hotel construction is impressive, the arrangements for visitors were not. I thought we would be able to sign up for a tour, or take shuttle buses between the temples, but this wasn’t possible, unless we were Korean! (There were lots of tours for Koreans!) As a result, we had to make our own arrangements. There were a few choices. The hotel could arrange a car and driver and a guide. Alternatively, we could rent a bicycle, an electric bicycle or scooter, or take a tuk tuk. We weren’t really sure what to do, since we are sometimes uncomfortable spending too much time with private guides. We prefer to be able to wander off and not have to listen to their lengthy explanations. We also like being with small groups since we are spending a lot of time together!

We decided to take a tuk tuk our first day, but became so enamored with our driver that we ended up spending three days with him. Like most Cambodians, his family had been tragically affected by the Khmer Rouge; however unlike most of the other tuk-tuk drivers we have come across, he was well educated, had business cards with his email address, and could be reached by cell phone. He really made our stay here very special.

That’s not to say we liked everything we saw. We were very troubled by the results of the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror, and the level of poverty, especially outside the city. At our driver’s suggestion, and the advice of others, we took a boat ride along a muddy river and out to a floating Vietnamese village in a nearby lake. We have never seen such squalid living conditions in our lives. We were also deeply troubled by the women and young children begging for money, or trying to sell you anything for a dollar. We bought a lot of bananas, but couldn’t really deal with the situation.

Another troubling site is the monument to the Killing Fields. A glass cage contains the bones and skulls of some of the victims of the Civil War. Young girls were selling some of the many books that have been written about this period in Cambodia’s history. Sally purchased a very powerful book by a young girl who lived through the period “First they killed my father.”

While the country’s past is very troubled, we both thought that the future looks much brighter for the Cambodian people. The temples of Angkor have the potential to become an even more popular international tourist destination that will benefit the entire country. However, there is still a lot to be done. Much of the countryside has unexploded land mines, which can make certain types of site seeing very treacherous, The country is unbelievably poor, and we were told many children must quit school after grade 6 in order to support their families. The population is greatly distorted with only a very small percentage of the people over 40 years of age, and far more women than men.

To try and sum it all up, we were glad to get the opportunity to see the very magnificent structures and complexes, with impressive carvings and layouts. Our favourites were Ta Phohm where the trees have overtaken the buildings, and Banteay Srei, with its beautiful carvings in a pinkish limestone.

But it was a very sad and difficult place to be. I found it hard to deal with the fact that the bottle of Pellegrino that we had with our last lunch at the Raffles Grand Hotel was equal to a week’s wages for some people. $5 would pay for a month’s schooling for our driver’s son. Some of the housing conditions were the worst we have ever seen, although the people were at least well fed, compared to those in Africa.

Siem Reap is a relatively affluent part of the country with very lovely people, who want to speak English. They made visitors feel very welcome and safe walking the streets. Although we can’t speak for Phnom Penh, since we decided not to go there, this is a country we would recommend for a visit. But it will be a long time before we come back. Perhaps we’ll bring Claire’s children.

Vientiane?

If you are not quite sure where Vientiane is, don’t worry, you are not alone. A month ago, we didn’t know where it was either. But now we know, and we are happy to try and save you the bother and expense of visiting the place.

Vientiane is the current capital city of Laos. I say current since Laos' capital does change from time to time. As you may recall from an earlier blog, Luang Prabang was once the capital. To give you some sense of the place, it has a population of 200,000. It became the capital when Laos became a French protectorate, and it has certainly retained some of its French Colonial character. But it is not an attractive place, and there are a lot of very ugly buildings scattered around the city. However, here are also a number of good French Restaurants, cafes, and bars, and you have a lot of choices if you feel like a croque monsieur for lunch. There are also a couple of landmarks, including their own version of the Arc de Triomph, and a famous temple which adorns the cover of Lonely Planet’s Laos edition. Speaking of which, Sally wanted to purchase some Lonely Planet guides for our next destinations. Not knowing where to go, she befriended Hamid in a restaurant, and he took her off to a bookstore in his Jeep. When she arrived, she discovered that Vientiane is the sort of place where you can only buy counterfeit copies of the Lonely Planet Guides.

While we didn’t really like the place, we did have some good times. The Sala Sunset Khounta Bar was very close to the Novatel Hotel where we stayed. The Lonely Planet guide described it well. “At the western end of a dirt road along the Mekong riverfront, this simple wooden platform made of old boat timbers has been serving beer at sunset for years. Beerlao is the main attraction, but the friendly and enterprising proprietors also offer an array of Lao and Vietnamese snacks including barbq fish, and deep fried cricket. The savory yaw jeun spring rolls are recommended.” We tried it all, except for the crickets!

We also went to the circus. The Vietnamese Circus was in town, and the show was quite different than Cirque Soleil or any other circus that might play Vancouver. I mean, how often does a Vancouver performer entertain people by wandering around the ring smashing coconuts open on his head? Or sticking large needles into his arm? My favourites were the Charlie Chaplin impersonators and the pony-tailed Japanese magician with great stage presence, who pranced around to the sounds of the old hit 'Mambo Italiano'. Unfortunately he had virtually no good tricks. Of course the acrobats were quite good, but the lady with the dogs……

But hey, what do you expect for 2500 kip ($2.50)?

A few other highlights. Our guidebook warned us to watch out for holes in the street and sidewalk since they could result in a shitty end to your day. It was true. Often there were giant holes left in the pavement, where one could easily fall through.

The National Museum is housed in a former palace. It has extensive displays on the role that the Imperialistic American Pigs played in the development of the country. Sadly, the museum is in desperate need of funds and the building and displays were generally in very bad shape, a reflection of the poverty in this country.

On our last night, as we were heading to the elevator from the hotel restaurant, we started chatting to Peter and Kathy, the only other white couple in the restaurant. (Actually, other than one table of Koreans, they were the only other people in the restaurant. “Where are you from?” “Vancouver”. “Oh really, we’re from Vancouver too!” “What part of Vancouver?” “Southlands”. “Oh really, we’re in Southlands too…Angus Lands.”

Within a few minutes we had discovered that they played golf at Shaughnessy; knew the Swifts, Moodies, Horwoods and even Ross McClellan with whom we were staying in Bangkok. It’s truly a small world.

The next morning, we were up at 4:30 to catch a 6:00 am flight to Siem Reap. Unlike Luang Prabang, we have no plans to return to Vientiane, and can't really recommend it to others. But maybe when more road works are finished, and the temperature drops below 35, and there is a bit more tourist infrastructure in place, it will be a good place to see. Especially if you want a croque monsieur for lunch, or a very good French dinner at their Café de Paris for about $6.

Luang Prabang: The Kingdom of Laos

Someone commented that we must be having a good time, based on the number of places we have seen and want to revisit. Well we have another one: Luang Prabang, the former capital of the Laos kingdom, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

Before this trip, we had neither heard of Luang Prabang, nor Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. But we had been told that Laos was a good place to visit since it was somewhat like rural Thailand, with gentle people and interesting sites, but in years gone by.

We knew we would like the place as our small plane from bustling Hanoi came in for the landing. The town seemed quite charming, even from the air, with well kept buildings and gardens scattered along a narrow strip of land, contained by two rivers. There were a few larger homes, and some obvious resorts, but no apartments or industrial buildings.

When we arrived at the airport, we had to purchase a visitor’s visa. We filled out the forms, including our passport numbers, issuance date, expiry date and so on, and lined up to make payment. As we approached the counter, I noticed a faded photocopy setting out the prices. I was quite surprised. The price varied depending on where you were from. If you were from Australia or Germany, you paid $30USD. However, if you were from the Netherlands or England, you paid $35USD. If you were from USA the price was $35USD. If you were from Canada….$42USD, the highest price for anyone in the world! I couldn’t believe it. The Americans had bombed the place, and they were being charged less than us! So we altered our applications, crossing out the Canadian passport information, and substituting our British passport data. We saved $14. But I plan to find out why the price variation. The only thing I can think of is that it is tied to international aid.

Notwithstanding the pricing of visas, we think we have discovered the sort of place most travelers are seeking. It’s authentic, charming, and modest, while at the same time quite elegant. It is of another culture and another era. The river banks and many streets are lined with simple cafes, where food is cooked over burning wood. The people seem genuinely happy and content with their lives. And while there is a lot of poverty and some very run down buildings, one feels that there is a strong sense of community pride.

The town is a mixture of faded French Colonial buildings, temples, shops, night markets, guest houses and restaurants. The majority of people travel around on foot, bicycle, tuk tuk or scooter. There are no Starbucks, McDonalds or KFC outlets. There are numerous internet outlets and tourist offices, but large buses are not allowed on the streets. There are few illuminated signs around town. Instead, the signage is quite coordinated with gold lettering on wooden boards the norm.

The town is starting to attract new residents from around the world. They are setting up craft galleries, restaurants, and other businesses. Amongst the 32 temples is a Jewish Chabad House, which must mean something, although I’m not sure what! As you walk around, you can see the results of international aid programs flowing from the UNESCO designation, including a network of brick alleys and sidewalks, and new curbs and stormwater channels along the streets.

Luang Prabang is unbelievably inexpensive. You can stay in very comfortable accommodation with a private bathroom and air conditioning for $25 USD a night. For $60 USD you get the best room in many of the guesthouses around town. We stayed at the Sayo Xieng Mouane, a converted French Colonial Mansion, which was recommended to our friends Bob Duncan and Janice Brown who coincidentally will be here in a couple of weeks. We hope they find the note we hid for them in their room!

Bob should like the price of drinks. A large bottle of Lao beer costs $1.40 in a restaurant, and less than a dollar on the street. Lao-lao, the local rice whiskey can be purchased almost everywhere for less than 50 cents per 750mL bottle. The first night, we ate at L’Elephant, a French/Lao restaurant recommended by the town’s wine merchant. It was very good. After dinner, we started chatting to an Englishman who had just moved here. He told us his first choice had been to move to Vancouver, where he had spent 6 months last year. But he couldn’t afford it. He could easily afford Luang. He said we were eating in what many considered to be the best and most expensive restaurant in town. The meal for the two of us with a large carafe of wine and a beer cost $39 USD! And this was 5 times what we would have paid for a good dinner at a café by the river!

We booked an outing down the Mekong River. I didn’t expect much, since the five hour cruise, cave and village tours cost only 60,000 kip ($6). On the way, we stopped off at Ban Xang Hai one of many handicraft villages along the river, known for its textiles, whiskey and wine. I have never seen anything quite like it. The simple structures were scattered around the temple. There were no streets as such; just small spaces between the haphazard buildings where women were making textiles on outside looms, and whiskey was being distilled in steel drums. It was delightful, although the whiskey was a bit difficult to take at 10 am. The wine, made from sticky rice, went down more smoothly.

We returned to the boat and set off for our main destination, the Pak Ou Caves. The first cave, only accessible by steps leading from the water, was crammed with hundreds of Buddha images. We reached the other cave by climbing a series of steps. It contained carvings and a variety of statues. But what was far more interesting for me were the young girls lining the steps, trying to earn some pocket change by selling little woven baskets containing….live birds! Apparently it is good luck to let them go. One young girl was desperately trying to sell me a turtle. I didn’t know if it was supposed to be a pet, or something to eat. In Vietnam and Laos, there are many different ways to cook turtle.

In the afternoon, we wandered around town and Sally went off for a one hour massage ($5) and pedicure ($4), while I headed over to a nice spot for Happy Hour (4 Lao-lao sours and tip, $7). Over dinner, Sally said this was probably the most outstanding place we have visited so far. We couldn’t think of anyone who wouldn’t enjoy it, except perhaps for our friend Rubenstein!

We had only planned to spend two days here, but managed to change our flights and stay another day. We would have liked to stay much longer, but are almost half way through the trip, and there is a lot to see before meeting the girls in Greece at the end of May. As it is, we now realize we will have to significantly reduce the amount of time spent in China. But it’s worth it, when we discover places like this. We will definitely be back, and urge you to check it out. Even if you don’t like rice whiskey.

Hanoi

Don't be fooled by this picture! If you have nothing to do on a Saturday night, and want some real adventure and excitement, try taking the 45 minute taxi ride from Hanoi airport into the downtown. It is right up there with every absorbing car chase scene you have seen in the movies, with vehicles going down the wrong side of the street, near collisions every second, and continuous honking and flashing lights. It was a good preview of what was in store over the next few days.

We would have liked to have spent a bit of time in Vietnam, but only had a few days. As a result, we decided to visit Hanoi, rather than Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now called) since a Vietnamese architect once told me in a bar in Taipei that it had wonderful historic buildings that had to be seen before they were demolished. It may well be, but quite honestly, we spent so much time trying to avoid being hit by buses, cars and scooters that we really didn’t get a chance to truly appreciate Hanoi’s architecture.

It is an amazing place. I used to think Bangkok was a difficult city to drive around, but it’s nothing compared to Hanoi. The city doesn’t have as many cars, but seems to have a lot more scooters. I was told there are 4 million people in Hanoi, and 3 million scooters. It’s not true of course, but it sure feels like it. I used to think that more scooters in Vancouver would be a good idea, but now I’m not so sure I want to encourage this!

What saved our sanity was our hotel. We stayed on the executive floor of the Hanoi Horison Hotel, a five star Swiss-Belhotel. It would have cost at least $400 in most places, but cost $130 USD in Hanoi, when booked through…wot else? Wotif. While it wasn’t in the Old Quarter or the French Quarter where we would have preferred to stay, it was close enough. Just a harrowing 15 minute drive away. There was a private lounge that served complimentary meals and afternoon tea, and a private business centre. Each room had wireless internet, a luxury we enjoy, although at times it could be quite slow, like much of the internet over here. (So much so that I joked to someone that I seem to spent 10% of my trip, staring at a computer screen waiting for the Google box to appear!)

On Sunday afternoon, we did something we hadn’t done before; we took rides around the French Quarter in bicycle rickshaws. It was a bit easier than walking, but still somewhat perilous, especially when buses and trucks seemed to be coming right at us. After half an hour, we had had enough, since we were uncomfortable having these slight young men having to pedal so hard to transport our overweight bodies.

On Monday we decided to take a guided tour out to Halong Bay, about 180 km from the city. It included a boat cruise through the limestone outcroppings, and a tour of some caves. Again, the drive out was most frightening. The driver really didn’t show any preference for one side of the road over the other; but then he didn’t need to since he was a bigger than most of the other vehicles.

The trip around Halong Bay was a very unique experience. It was also enhanced by a chance meeting with Olga and Vsevolod Chernenko, a couple from Moscow. They were delightful, worldly, and great traveling companions. While a seafood buffet was served as part of the boat cruise, before lunch we motored up to a floating village. There, a variety of seafood was being sold, including things I had never before seen in my life. We were told that we should buy something to augment the buffet. The ‘chef’ on board would prepare it for us, for a small fee. Everything was sold by the kilo. Vsev and I decided on live prawns. The vendor had his own scales, and what we thought would be about 400 grams ‘weighed’ 1.2 kilos. Who were we to argue? They cost 300,000 dong! About $20 USD! It reminded me of the prawns at the farm in New Zealand. But they were quite delicious. After the purchase, a Vietnamese engineer from Saigon, who I had previously met on board apologized for the way we were treated. He assured me this would never happen in the south, but the northerners were different. “They won’t hesitate to take advantage of you” he said, “especially if they think you are American”. At least one Vietnamese fisherman can now take care of his family for another month!

As we drove back, I realized that the reason I hadn’t seen many new buildings in Hanoi was that I didn’t recognize them…they are designed and built to look like old buildings (just like in Kerrisdale and Shaughnessy). Most of them are very narrow; often no more than 4m in width, and up to five stories in height. They can be 50 m deep, with courtyards and light-wells to make the rooms more livable. Sometimes the ground floor is used for a store or other commercial uses; other times it is a gated courtyard. I read that the reason that the buildings are so tall and narrow is in large part due to the taxation system. Property taxes are based on frontage, rather than value. When you think about it, this makes quite a bit of sense. After all, a narrow building requires less sidewalk, road, and services to be built and maintained.

After three days, we were ready to leave Hanoi. To be fair, we probably needed more time to adjust. At the airport, we met an Australian couple who had spent three weeks traveling around Vietnam. I asked them how they enjoyed the experience. They loved it; especially the beaches and the small towns. They said they would definitely be back. Perhaps we will return one day to see the rest of the country. But we’ll give Hanoi a miss, unless we can be assured of room 1017 in the Horison Hotel at the special Wotif rate!

Pattaya: Part Two

I'm afraid I have fallen behind in the posting of these blogs, since my computer in Pattaya only allowed me to access our site in Thai, and the Vietnamese had blocked me out completely. It was too interesting in Luang Prabang to write, and two hot in Vientiane. But they will all be online soon. In the meanwhile, here's a bit more about Pattaya and environs.Pattaya is a second tier city, famous for Sex Tourism and golf courses. I have a lot of friends who might like it for these very reasons. Tony and Isabel live about 15 minutes south of the city. Like so much of Thailand, the area is full of contrasts. There are some incredible temples, and large modern apartments; but there are also a lot of very run down areas.

I am deeply troubled by the amount of garbage strewn about, and what appears to be a lack of personal pride in the surroundings. Apparently the government did try a “magic eyes” program, to convince people that they were being watched and should therefore not litter. But it didn’t work for very long!

In Australia, there is a National Clean-up Day. It was started by the efforts of one person who initiated a clean up of the parks in his own neighbourhood. Today, it has become a national event when most Australians devote some time to cleaning up their neighbourhood, the parks and the environment. Thailand needs someone to start the same thing here. Coincidentally, one person has made a big difference in this country. His name is Mechai Viravaidya, and his mission was to teach Thais how to control population and disease through the use of condoms. Today, he has two restaurants, “Cabbages and Condoms” in Bangkok and Pattaya, that are popular, high profile destinations. The Pattaya restaurant is part of the “Birds and the Bees” Resort Complex. All of the profits from the restaurants are contributed to education, environmental protection and population reduction in rural Thailand. This man has truly made a difference, and become a well known personality in the country. Now the country needs someone to do the same for garbage pickup!

Two of the highlights of our stay with Tony and Isabel were a tour of a Chinese Museum and nearby botanical gardens. While the Museum a private undertaking was very impressive, I have never seen anything quite like the gardens. They were also created by a private individual, and cover hundreds of hectares. As the photos will hopefully show, they are, as Bill VanderZalm, the former owner of Fantasy Gardens would say, FANTASTIC. There’s no other word for it. There are a variety of gardens throughout the area, and the French Gardens are as impressive as many of the grand gardens around the chateaux in the Loire Valley. They are almost as impressive as the gardens Shahram Malek built at Burnaby’s City in the Park!

Not quite as impressive is the city of Pattaya, especially on a rainy day. The city was made even wetter during our visit as a result of the New Year’s celebrations. At the Thai New Year, and in surrounding countries, it is customary for people to soak one another with water during the week long festivities. Adults and children alike stand by the roadside with hoses and water guns trying to strike unsuspecting passersby. Others drive around in trucks, spraying water. If you venture onto the streets, you have to be prepared to be soaked. The rationale is that the water ‘cleanses’ you for the New Year. I prefer the singing of Auld Lang Syne.

Pattaya: an unexpected delight

We did not plan to come to Pattaya from Bangkok. Instead, we had planned to travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia last Monday. But we were having trouble organizing flights and the itinerary for the balance of South East Asia, so we phoned our old friends Tony Lloyd and Isabel Kelly who we knew lived somewhere outside of Bangkok. Tony was once a social development officer with CMHC, a professor at UBC, and a non-profit housing developer in Victoria. 10 years ago, we traveled together through Indonesia, so he knew what kind of scotch I liked. Isabel was once a Deputy Minister in various Provincial Ministries. She has spent the past 20 years with the Canadian Government, UN and other organizations doing good work in South East Asia. They both know their way around this part of the world.

A few weeks earlier, they had invited us to visit their beach resort south of Pattaya, and we wanted to see if the offer was still on the table! It was difficult for them to say no; especially since they were passing through Bangkok airport the next day from Phnom Penh. We offered to meet them at the arrival gate, not realizing of course, that there are numerous arrival gates. They weren’t there, but we managed to track them down in their car as they were leaving the airport. (Tony had given us directions in case we didn’t connect). We then set out on a 2 hour drive towards Pattaya, through flooded roads and some very ugly landscapes. Eventually, we arrived at the village of Baan Amphur and their resort complex- Baan Somprasong. We quickly settled into a spacious suite overlooking the pool, gardens and beach.

For the past 5 days we have had an idyllic time swimming in the vast pool, drinking, eating, site-seeing, golfing and drinking. The rest of the time has been spent drinking. No, the rest of the time has been spent trying to arrange for plane tickets, visas, hotels, and guides in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. That part hasn't been quite so much fun. (I knew things weren’t going well when an email arrived instructing me to give $1250 in US cash to their agent in Hanoi if I wanted to get the plane tickets!) But we hope that we now have everything finalized and we're planning to leave on the 14th. I just didn’t want to fly on Friday 13^th!

Yesterday we received a long email from Doria Moodie sharing news from back home and asking some good questions. "So what's it really like being on the road for so long?" Do you get homesick? What's been happening that you don't put on the blog, and so on.

Of course Sally would prefer that I not tell you what really goes on.

In some respects, this trip reminds me of the old joke about the man who comes home to tell his wife that his doctor says he only has 12 hours to live. His wife says that’s terrible and they immediately jump into bed. After a couple of hours, the husband taps her on the shoulder and says “Honey, could we do that again?” “Of course she says” and they make passionate love. A couple of hours later, it’s the same thing. At 4 am, he taps her on the shoulder again. “Honey, how about it one more time?” At this point she turns over and looks him in the eye. “Look, I’ve got to get up in the morning and go to work. You don’t!”

Fortunately neither of us has to get up in the morning for work, like many of the people we know. But there seem to be so many things to get done. This blog is a wonderful way to stay in touch, but it takes a bit of time. I’m also writing bi-weekly articles for the Vancouver Sun. Each day starts with the ritual of checking email, and occasionally planning where we should go next. Sally has now set up Skype (if you haven’t done so, you should!) which makes it easier to phone people around the world. She is also constantly learning fascinating things to do with her IPod. These are things we don’t get to do at home. We try to go to the gym, if there is one, or to the pool. Then it’s time for breakfast, and planning the day’s events. As you might imagine, a lot of time is taken up eating and drinking. We are also doing a bit of cooking whenever we can. Tonight we are going to try and do something with some large grotesque prawns with antennae that I purchased at the market.

When we were leaving Canada, someone asked me “When was the last time you spent 8 months with your wife in a hotel room?” Well, it’s often more than a room, but the fact remains we do spend a lot of time together. We only get into spats over access to the computer. We were lucky to find Harley and Joanie who are looking after the house, so we don’t have any concerns about that. (Even though, as a retired lawyer, I’m sure Harley could orchestrate a title transfer while we are away!)

Do we get homesick? Not at all. Sally misses the girls, but they will meet up with us in Greece, all being well. I miss my golfing buddies a bit, although I am told they do not miss me. So all in all, we would have to say this is working out quite well. As we set off for some more unusual and truly foreign destinations, we are anxious to see what they hold in store.

We’re glad we can get up every morning, and not have to go to work. We recommend that you consider it for a while!

Bangkok: Bumrungrad Private Hospital

A lot of men come to Bangkok to have pretty women rub parts of their body in exchange for money. I’m no exception. However, my lady was performing an ultrasound of my stomach, as part of a comprehensive medical check-up at the Bumrungard Private Hospital. The examinations were Sally’s idea, inspired by a conversation with Michael Audain last year in Bangkok. Michael has been coming to Thailand for many years, and mentioned over dinner that some of the city’s private hospitals provide excellent medical treatment. They also offer full preventative check-ups, similar to what one might get at the Mayo Clinic, but for a fraction of the price. While some friends questioned whether we really wanted to know if we were sick while on a world trip, we thought it was better to know sooner, rather than later.

So we tried to book appointments on line with the hospital while in Malaysia. When we didn’t hear back we decided that perhaps we should just give it a pass. However, while checking my email Sunday Morning, I found a message confirming an appointment at the hospital with a prescribed doctor at 10:40 that morning. Fortunately, neither of us had eaten or drunk anything for the previous 8 hours, as instructed, so at 10:25 Ross McClellan, our Bangkok host dropped us off at the very fancy porte-cochere, with wishes for good luck.

It was an amazing experience, especially if you have spent any time in a Canadian Hospital. This hospital is a major complex in the centre of the city. You can check it out at www. bumrungrad.com. The reception area looked like a beautiful hotel, and the nurses all looked like they had been dressed up for roles as nurses in a Hollywood movie. They agreed to see Sally at the same time as my appointment. We filled in the forms selecting the tests we wanted, and then headed over to the cashier. I had the male comprehensive package, and so did Sally, with a couple of obvious exceptions. The process included vital signs and physical examinations, followed by laboratory tests to determine cholesterol levels, kidney and liver function, tumour markers, etc. We then had stool and urine examinations, chest x-rays, EKG and exercise stress test Echocardiograms. This was followed by a full stomach ultrasound, and eye examination. We were then given coupons for lunch.

The facilities were phenomenal. All the equipment seemed so much more modern than what I am used to. The washrooms had Mitsubishi hand dryers that were a joy to behold. The whole process took just over 2 hour and cost 13,000 baht ($450 CDN) each.

The next day, we returned for our results. We were handed elaborate coloured binders with the results of every test, and copies of our EKG’s etc. I have never received anything like this before. We then went in and spoke with the doctor who went over each page. As for the results, only one of us will die prematurely. No, just joking. We’re both fine. But the tests revealed that this trip is taking its toll on our bodies. All the rich foods and wines have affected our weight and cholesterol levels, so there will have to be a few changes over the next 5 months!

I have dwelt on this experience since I think it’s a good idea for all of us to consider regular check-ups. I have tried in the past to do so each year on my birthday. It’s a gift to myself, and I never forget the date. But it’s unfortunate that we can’t arrange the level of comprehensive tests that we had in Bangkok under our public system. I understand there are private centres in Vancouver that perform similar programs, albeit at a much higher cost.

So for what it’s worth, here’s our advice. Arrange a holiday in Thailand, and check into the Bumrungrad Hospital for a few hours. The savings on the examination will pay for a large portion of your trip. You will not regret it. While there, you can also take advantage of the special program for golfers advertised throughout the hospital. Doctor Golf will examine you for the 6 most common injuries and prepare a program for recovery.

If that’s not feasible, then at least check out the private programs available in Vancouver. We think nothing of taking our cars in for their check-ups every 6 months, so why not do the same for ourselves. Now, if you do come to Thailand, to learn more about the other body rubs available, (especially the ones that come with Happy Endings), you’ll have to speak tosomeone else!

Bangkok: a City of Contrasts

A guide book described Bangkok as being like marmite; you either love it or hate it. We don’t totally agree, since we found ourselves loving and hating it on the same day. Instead, we think of it as a city of contrasts.

It is difficult to describe in words what it is like so we are including a few more pictures than normal. Most streets are full of vendors, cars, scooters, hanging wires, dirty signs, and crumbling curbs. And then there are some wonderful temples, or the exquisite King’s Palace, and you are in another world. You are also in another world when you enter the fabulous hotels, or visit the many new shopping centres full of name brand merchandise, generally at good prices compared to Vancouver. After all, much of the luxury footwear and clothing we buy is made just down the street, or in a nearby town.

We came to Bangkok at Christmas 2005 with Claire and Georgia to see friends, and spend time in Phuket on the anniversary of the Tsunami. This time we stayed with Ross McClellan, whose name once adorned the letterhead of a number of highly regarded Vancouver law firms. Today, he and his wife Ou and two maids are squeezed into 3400 square feet on the 29^th floor of a luxury highrise in the centre of the action. Ross now channels the energy he once put into drafting complex legal documents, into his health and well being. He has traded in his Rolls Royce for a Honda SUV that he fearlessly maneuvers through the streets like a local taxi driver. And it appears he speaks and writes Thai as well as, or better than most taxi drivers. He also plays a bit of golf, so it seemed entirely appropriate that we should leave him our cherished golf clubs, for the use of his former partners Dennis Parolin and Jonathan Rubenstein, and any other golfing visitors.

A good way to see Bangkok is to take one of the many boats up and down the Chao Phraya River and its network of canals. In places, the canals become the floating markets we see illustrated in National Geographic or Thai Airlines advertisements. Here you find old temples juxtaposed with ramshackle buildings and luxury new apartments. There is also the Royal Palace, one of the most spectacular complexes we have ever seen. The Royal Family is very prominent in the life of Thais, and one must never show disrespect to the King. Just ask the Swede who, in a drunken stupor recently defaced the King’s portrait, and is now serving 10 years in prison!

To get around, you can take very inexpensive metered taxis. The drop rate is 35 baht ($1) and the fare increases by 2 baht (7 cent) increments very slowly. You can go a long way for 39 baht. But it can take a while, especially when caught up in the city’s notorious traffic congestion. Michael Audain, who has been coming to Thailand for more than 30 years, prefers to get around town on one of the taxi scooters. We admire his courage; we won’t risk it! You can also take the city’s Skytrain that is quite similar to our own, except for the platform stations, and the plethora of advertising. Presently, the transit operators are testing televisions in every car with screaming ads and film previews. We hope this doesn’t continue. The city is noisy enough already.

While in Bangkok, we had two main objectives: to get medical check-ups, and Visas for India. I don’t know why we are bothering with Visas since just about everyone we speak to warns us not to go to Delhi in May when the temperature can rise to the mid 40’s. (That’s centigrade!) Nonetheless, we did go to the Indian Embassy and it was an experience we won’t soon forget. I have never witnessed a more chaotic and disorganized process. Unfortunately many of the people in line had been turned away at the airport since they were not aware Visas had to be obtained at the Embassy beforehand. Moreover, they were quite upset when told by a very miserable clerk that it would take at least 4 working days before the Visas could be issued, and when ready, they must return between 12 and 1 to drop off their passports, and return between 3 and 4:30 to pick up the Visa. If they are late, they must wait another 24 hours! We can’t wait to try and pick up our documents.

Of course Thailand is famous for its food, and we tried a lot of different things. But we couldn’t bring ourselves to eat the fried red ants that Ou and her girlfriends enjoyed after a magnificent dinner at their home Sunday night, while trying on the tiny shorts they had bought at the market earlier in the day (for about $3 a pair). Fortunately ants were not on the menu the previous night at a most enjoyable dinner with Michael Audain and Ross, who is one of the best hosts you can find in the city. Look him up the next time you’re here!

Langkawi, Malaysia

We came to Langkawi on the recommendation of Frank Schliewinsky. Some of you will remember Frank as a housing expert in Vancouver who published the Condominium Handbook. Over the years, we did a lot of work together, although nothing matched the slide presentation we did on ‘Bathrooms-then and now’ at Universal Plumbing’s 1995 Client Appreciation Dinner! Others may remember Frank from our 1985 Halloween Party ‘In the Kitchen’, when he arrived in a military jacket with half a kettle on his head, and coiled telephone wires in his epaulets…He was General Electric.

Frank decided to take a few years off to sail around the world and seems to have got stuck in the waters around Thailand and Malaysia. When he heard we were traveling in SE Asia, he wrote that we had to come to Langkawi. “You’ll like it Michael. They even have a nice Sheraton and a golf course”.

Sensing the sneer in his voice, I decided not to book the Sheraton nor the Four Seasons on the other side of the island. Instead, we picked a resort in the jungle a short distance from the airport. On Frank's suggestion we rented a car. After completing the paperwork, the clerk explained the company’s somewhat unusual gasoline arrangement. You return the car empty, since it is rented empty! But she assured us there was enough gas to get us to the petrol station 3 km away. 15 km later, we still hadn’t found the station, and were getting truly lost. Eventually we found a petrol station, but drove around for an hour and a half looking for the resort. I kept assuring Sally this was an adventure, but after driving past the same building for the third time, and getting conflicting directions from everyone we asked, the adventure started to wear thin. Sally said perhaps we should have stayed at the Sheraton!

We finally found Kampung Tok Senak, a traditional Malay resort spread out over 43 acres of tropical jungle. Not wanting to do any more driving, we decided to have a drink at the Fun Bar, and dinner in the restaurant. Unfortunately, there was no one in the Fun Bar, and we didn’t feel like sitting alone under the flashing disco lights. There was only one other group in the restaurant, but we stayed. The menus arrived. With a couple of exceptions, the dishes were under RM9 ($3 CDN). We had a feast for RM40. There was no wine list, but Sally managed to arrange for a bottle of white. It turned out to be from California, and yes, cost more than the 5 excellent dishes. We returned to the chalet to see if there was anything on the television, and were surprised to find 36 channels; the most we have had anywhere on the trip.

We stayed at two more places over the next two nights, but The Sheraton or Four Seasons would have been much better choices; especially the Four Seasons, which is one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen. But the island is the story. Frank was right. It’s a very special place, with a nice balance between developed and undeveloped areas. There are cows on the beach, wild monkeys on the roads, and lots of good places to stay and eat. One can see that it is undergoing a lot of change, but we both highly recommend it as a wonderful place to come for a relaxing island holiday. In addition to everything else, it’s a Duty Free island.

We had a wonderful dinner at the Coco Beach Restaurant, which consisted of a few tables near the edge of the beach. Our dinner came out of large concrete tanks full of fresh fish, crabs, and lobsters. The next night we took an evening sunset cruise. I hope the photos tell the story. It was my first opportunity to jump off a boat into a waiting fishnet full of beautiful Syrian and

German girls, and pulled along the water . Since Sally had forgotten her swimsuit, she took the photos! After the cruise, she took me for my first Foot Reflexology session. She really enjoyed it.

We would like to have stayed longer in Langkawi, especially since the water festival is starting this weekend. But we also wanted to get to Thailand, where we’re staying for a few days with Ross McClellan. Ross was once one of Vancouver’s most successful real estate lawyers who decided a few years ago to start a new life in Bangkok. It's a very nice life! But as for Langkawi, we'll definitely be back.

Malacca: Venice of the East

We didn’t have anything planned for our first two and a half hours in Malacca, so we spent them trying to find the taxi cab in which I left my shoulder bag with passport, video camera, sun glasses and palm pilot!! After speaking to 25 drivers and the local police, we managed to track our driver down, despite the fact that he looked nothing like the description we gave. (I was right about the mustache.) Everyone was incredibly helpful and compassionate, except for the driver… who kept my video camera! He knew it was missing before I did. In hindsight, I should have realized this when he asked me to check to see if everything was there. Finding my passport and Palm Pilot, I said everything was fine, but he immediately opened his trunk and removed the mat to show me there was nothing there! I only discovered the camera was gone when we got up to our room.

I’m trying to imagine his surprise when he discovered the viewing screen was broken, making the camera virtually worthless to others! I’m happy to replace it, with a new digital hard drive version, but all the cameras over here have a PAL system, and I’m not sure if they are compatible with our NTSC equipment. Consequently, I may have to wait, which means you’ll be spared having to watch the video account of Malaysia!

We came to Malacca because of its incredible history. I remember from school and stamp collecting days that this was once the ‘Venice of the East’. A former Portuguese colony, also under Dutch and English control, Maleka, as it is known locally, offers a unique mixture of cultures. This is particularly evident in the foods. The first night we ate in the lively ‘Portuguese Settlement’. The next night, we had authentic Malay seafood in a remote restaurant complex outside of the city on the river. The third evening we had a combination of Indian, Chinese and Malay food in our hotel.

I know that you must be tired of me going on about our hotels, but the choice can greatly iinfluence how we experience a place. In this instance, I chose what I thought was an old heritage hotel on the outskirts of the city centre. The web photos showed a beautiful stained glass dome in the lobby and a very ornate exterior. You can therefore imagine our surprise when we arrived to discover it was 5 years old. But it was surprisingly luxurious for $70 CDN a night. Again we were spoiled with a separate study area, dimmer switches and night lighting in the bathrooms, separate shower, lots of marble, and a well designed bar, dressing and closet area. The latter is important since it makes it easier for me to forget my clothes when we check out; something I have now done on a couple of occasions!

While we were disappointed with Malacca’s crumbling streets and sidewalks, and generally run down appearance in many areas, it has an attractive historic precinct with museums and historical sites dating back to the 15^th C. But the city needs a Director of Tourism. There is little to help visitors find their way around. There are few brochures, few operating tours, and a very poor Tourist Information Centre. This is quite different from just about every other city we have visited. Given Malacca’s roots and its place in Malaysia’s history, it should be a fabulous tourist destination. And hopefully one day it will be. But at the moment, too much effort seems to be going into building fancy new McDonalds and indoor shopping malls, while older buildings are covered with ‘for rent’ signs and broken windows. It’s a shame.

It was here that we tried to celebrate the first night of Passover. Since I can remember, I have always had a seder with family. We had originally hoped that we would spend Passover with Michael Goldberg who has lived in Singapore for the past few years, since we have spent many seders together in Vancouver. But as soon as we told him we were coming, he and Deb decided to move back to Vancouver! So this year was a bit different.

While I did check the ‘Kosher Malaysia’ website to seek out Jews in the city, I had no luck. Furthermore, the stores must have been sold out of Manischevitz wine and matzoh since there was none on the shelves. But we did our best. We ordered one of the few bottles of red wine in the Hotel. Sally substituted papadams for matzoh; she put something that looked like matzoh balls into something that looked like chicken soup. I found a dish that resembled my mother’s famous chicken fricassee. We had eggs and many other traditional Passover foods. We recited a few excerpts from the service; but we didn’t miss out on the four cups of wine, nor the one we poured for Elijah. We chanted the ten plagues while doing the customary dipping of fingers into the wine as we counted to ten.

Of course, all of this confused the Moslems who were seated near us in the hotel restaurant. I tried to explain to our waitress what was going on, but it was difficult for her to understand. For one thing, she didn’t know what Jews were, let alone a seder! But I think we may have started some new family traditions. Next year, instead of the traditional Odessa Chicken, we may well have a nice curry, and papadams along with the matzoh! And as for Goldberg….of course he’s invited!

KommerciaL Kuala Lampur

As soon as we arrived at KL Airport, recently voted the best airport in the world, we knew this was a consumer dominated society. At 10:30 in the evening, the airport shops were bustling, and the airport was buzzing. We took a train to the baggage collection, and then nearly took another train into the city. “It only takes 28 minutes and costs RM 35 ($12)” said the young hustler trying to sell me a train ticket. “A taxi will take over an hour, and cost three times as much.” Since I wanted to try the train, I asked how close the city station was to our hotel. I was told we would need to take a 15 minute taxi ride, so we took a taxi all the way.

As we left the baggage area, dozens of young men urged us to ride with them. But not having. been to the city before we were cautious, and headed over to the visitor information desk “You should purchase a coupon over there” said the older lady. “Where are you staying? How many are you?’ When I told her, she told me to get a budget cab. It cost RM 67.40, ($23) and took 55 minutes for the 70 km drive.

I tell this story since I am curious as to what will happen when Vancouver’s RAV line is opened. In a number of cities we have visited, it is cheaper and more convenient for two to take a taxi, rather than the airport train. I just hope we price the RAV system properly, to encourage people to actually use it.

As we drove into the city, I was struck by the number of billboards, all in English, and the effort to use every available space for advertising. I was particularly intrigued by the ads on the elevated train pylons. At night they were well lit up, and I thought that perhaps this is something Vancouver should consider. It might help fund new SkyTrain cars, or at least some landscaping along the corridor, like in KL.

When we arrived at the Hotel Istana, I was shocked. I nearly didn’t want to stay here, since the price was so low at RM199 ($66). But it turned out to be as advertised; quite a grand luxury hotel in the city’s Golden Triangle, with a wonderful lobby just hopping with activity.

The next morning we had an expansive buffet breakfast in the garden, and then set out for the Tourist Information Centre to organize a ‘hop on hop off’ bus trip.While I have spent most of my life ridiculing people who do ‘tourist things’, I now seek out a bus tour in every new city. The 3 hour KL trip gave us a great overview of a very busy city with strong Islamic roots. The highlight, without doubt, were the Petronas Towers. They were my main reason for coming here, and I was not disappointed, especially at night, when the buildings glow prominently on the city’s skyline.It was difficult to enjoy certain aspects of KL having just been in Singapore. The inner city seemed quite dirty and disorganized, with little evidence of any overall plan. But there were some lovely parks and garden areas, including the grounds of the King’s Palace. We will always remember this location since I was accosted by a group of tourists from Beijing. They all wanted to have their picture taken with me! One after the other, about fifteen came forward. First they shook my hand, and then posed for the cameras, holding tightly onto my arm. While I wanted to believe they thought I was Steven Spielberg, Sally says it was probably my white beard that attracted them. At any rate, maybe we’ll find out when we’re in Beijing.

We didn’t spend enough time in KL to truly get to know the city. But our impressions are of a very busy, active place, that is a transition between the organized cities we have visited, and the really disorganized ones we are about to visit in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. There are some impressive modern areas, but also much chaos, and a great need for repair of streets and infrastructure. (Although I must add that the landscaping along the main roads in and out of the city was very beautiful and well maintained.) While I would like to have visited some of the suburban areas, two nights were enough, and at Saturday noon, we decided to set off for Malacca, a place I have always been fascinated by, since my days of stamp collecting. Since it was too close to fly, we foolishly decided to take one of the luxury air conditioned buses. It was an experience we won’t soon forget!