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!

Relaxing in Bintan

Bintan is a 55 minute fast ferry ride from Singapore. But once you arrive, you are in a completely different world. You are also in a different country…Indonesia. We came here for a few days to relax after four very stimulating days in Singapore. 30 years ago. Bintan was primarily jungle. Then a number of expansive luxury resorts and a Club Med were built along the northern shore of the island, with four designer golf courses: Baker Finch, Nicklaus, Greg Norman and the big one, Rua Bintan, designed by Gary Player. Last week, it was the venue for a stop on the Asian Tour.

Once again, we chose our accommodation through Wotif. There were four choices, but we chose Bintan Lagoon Resort, since it had the most stars at the lowest price. The value was quite unbelievable, especially after Singapore. A $S420 deluxe waterfront room, including breakfast cost $S134. That’s about $100 CDN, including taxes. While some portions of the facility needed upgrading, a major renovation program was underway. Overall, it was very comfortable, with a beautiful pool and beach, and just about everything else that we needed.

The buffet breakfasts were excellent with a choice of traditional English, Western, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Indonesian foods. While I must confess that some of the Asian breakfast items seem a bit strange to me, I can only imagine what streaky bacon and baked beans look like to someone who prefers rice and soup! Actually, the thought of baked beans for breakfast is a bit strange for me. But the Brits insist on it, and it has been a regular item on just about every breakfast buffet we have seen since arriving in Fiji three months ago.

I didn’t get to play all the golf courses, but I played enough. I used a golf cart, and as is the custom in this part of the world, played with a caddie. Unfortunately there were not many people golfing, and one afternoon, Sumatra my caddie and I had the entire course to ourselves. I’m sure it’s an experience Sumatra will try to forget!

My favourite part of each day was ‘Happy Hour’. I have never seen so many different coloured cocktails, so Sally and I tried a few. We had to start with Singapore Slings, followed by Bintan Illusions, and Flying Kangaroos. When Sally, and a lovely German couple we had encouraged to join us, found their drinks too sweet, we switched to Margaritas and Kamikazes.

Dinner was another opportunity to try foods we do not normally eat. Local dishes included a variety of spicy noodle dishes, small crabs, lamb, beef, unusual chicken dishes, prawns, and lots of curries. We tried them all, although Sally always had to leave room for that Indonesian favourite…bread and butter pudding. For some reason, wine was very expensive. Wines from nearby Australia that sell for $8 in Melbourne were over $60 in the restaurant. Average wines were over $80. We decided that we had had enough Australian wine for a while.

Throughout our stay we marveled at the happy disposition and good nature of the Indonesian staff who attended to us. We couldn’t help but think how different their lives are compared to those of the guests they serve on a daily basis. As I watched some construction workers in the hot sun chipping away at a concrete walkway with their bare hands, I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty at our good fortune. But people keep telling me that one has to accept and ‘get used to’ the greater disparity between rich and poor in many parts of Asia, compared to what we generally see in North America.

The irony is that a few hours later, as I toured the vast Duty Free Shopping area in Singapore’s airport, I started to feel like the disadvantaged. I mean, how can so many people buy $300 bottles of whiskey, and even more expensive bottles of cognac? Will someone really buy the $11,400 gold Nikon Camera on sale? Who buys all the ridiculously expensive brand clothing, watches and jewelry that are on display throughout the airport? It’s certainly not us. For one thing, we don’t really want these things; and for another, we can’t carry them. As it is, we are now over our self imposed 20 kilo per person weight limit, although that should change when we plan to drop off the golf clubs in Bangkok. However, there’s a lot to see and do between now and then. We’re off to Malaysia.