In the last two month I have spent more time outside Thailand than I have in the country...my travels have been wonderful but are bittersweet as I realize I have less than two weeks!
I spent 17 days traveling in Laos and Vietnam in early April. Followed by a wonderful visit from Kelly and Brian and the celebration of Songkran (Thai new year).
Laos was a beautiful country but reminded me a lot of my travels in Northern Thailand. We were on the go the entire 6 days in the country...biking around the capital, Vientiane, exploring the mysterious Plain of Jars on foot in Phonsovan and riding elephants along Nam Khan river in Luang Prabang.
The Plain of Jars are large stone jars, some the size of me, that are found in clusters on the hillsides near Phonsovan (kinda like Stonehenge). Their age and purpose are unknown, and their mysterious and somewhat errie nature matched that of the town. The three sights that are open to the public are really fascinating and offer spectacular views. The sixteen hour trip was well worth it as the sights are scattered among small villages...the ride out to the Jars was an awesome way to see the way traditional Lao people live.
Thirty-six hours on buses later we arrived in central Vietnam in a quaint-beach town called Hoi An. After our unexpectedly long journey it was wonderful to relax on the beach and take advantage of one tailor shop after another. Almost needed to buy another bag to leave the town.
Heading south, I crawled through the Vietcong tunnels outside of Ho Chi Mihn City and took a boat tour of the Mekong Delta.
Ho Chi Mihn City was such a lively and vibrant city! There are parks throughout the city that are occupied by locals at all hours of the day...women doing aerobics at the crack of dawn, men drinking ice coffees (the best I have ever had!) during lunch and young couples sitting on their motorbikes and hanging out at night.
I attended Easter Vigil Mass at the cathedral...the place was packed! We all held candles...which was beautiful...except for the fact that they would then turn off ALL the fans when the candles were lite and there is no AC! 500 people + no AC + 85 degree weather = my Easter sacrifice.
Definitely a really cool experience but I prefer the traditional McKellogg/Miller family Easter egg hunt and arriving at Easter Sunday church a hour and a half early to claim our seats in the air-conditioned splendor that we call St. Leos.
Kelly and Brian arrived the Easter Sunday...the same day I returned...and with them came the Thai New Year! Celebrated for three days straight, Thai people of all ages throw water on each all day everyday. We all had lots of fun celebrating considering everywhere you went you had to be prepared to get water poured on you! Kelly found it less than amusing by day 3! I had a fabulous time showing them around Bangkok and surrounding areas and was sad to see them go after 4 short days...they headed to the Phuket and I back to school!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Same Same but Different
Everything in Southeast Asia is referred to as "Same Same but Different" Why? We are all still trying to figure out..and not sure if anyone really knows...but in a lot of ways many things are the same same but also different!
A few weeks ago I made my first journey out of Thailand to visit their eastern neighbor, Cambodia. I loved it!!! I loved the bakeries on every corner, I loved the traditional Khmer food(much like Thai but not as spicy) and the people were wonderful! I went with my friends Jill(New Jersey) and Christoph(Germany). We flew to the capital of Phnom Penh enjoyed dinner in one of the restaurants on the Mekong River and then woke up the next morning to catch an early bus to Siem Reap to visit Angkor (ancient temple ruins of the old Khmer kingdom...also known as the the place where they filmed Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie).
We arrived in the heat of the day to several tuk-tuk(motorcycles with sidecars attached = taxi) drivers waiting to give us the "best deal." Difference #1: bargaining is way easier in Cambodia --(turn around and take two steps in the other direction and they will come running over and give you the price you want!) Our tuk-tuk driver became our best friend...We must have been looking really hot and miserable in the 95 degree weather so being his clever self he took us to a guest house with a beautiful pool! We immediately said YES! May have been one of the best splurges I have made since I have been here. After a quick swim in the irrestible pool our tuk-tuk driver returned to take us to watch the sunset at a Hindu temple at Angkor. The sunset was beautiful and the temple was unbelievable! Every wall is carved out and tells a story...I could only wonder who had the patience to create such uniform and magnificent artwork!
After having traditional Khmer food for dinner nothing seemed more appropriate then heading to one of the many bakeries (in typical JulieAnn fashion) where I indulged in a nice large brownie sundae!!! Difference #2: There are NO bakeries/good ice cream places that I have found in Thailand! So it was well deserved...since I have comed to accept 7-11 pre-packaged ice cream as my substitute for good ice cream!
Before heading back to Angkor the next day for a day-long tour of the temples, we had baugettes and omelettes for breakfast at our guest house! Difference #3: Bread!!!! and French colonization. The French influence in Cambodia is evident everywhere. From the architecture to the food even the road signs. The combination of traditional Khmer architecture, which is much like Thailand, and that of the French makes for very interesting yet beautiful cities. The bakeries as already mentioned are everywhere and baugettes come with everything! Since Thailand was never colonized seeing colonial influence was something very different.
We spent the entire next day exploring Angkor which our loyal tuk-tuk driver...who brought his brother along to drive so he could sit in the back with us and give us a little history! He also had a few questions for us...for example: "Do lots of people say 'whats up dude in America?'", "what about 'whats hanging?'" and the grand finale "do you know that song 'I like to move it, move it'?" After a little cultural exchange on both ends we headed back to the guest house to make sure we got our money's worth on the pool!
That night we had an interesting experience at the night market...markets very same same as Thailand but the foot massage was very different! We all got massages from "Dr. Fish." We sat around a jacuzzi filled with fish and let them eat the dead skin off our feet....after paying for it I freaked out and the man working the stand had to force my legs into the water! It was a bizarre feeling...little mouths nibbling at your feet. Needless to say the man did not have to tell me twice to take my feet out after my 15 minutes were up. He also shared with us that he submerges his entire body in the pool of fish each day...you couldn't pay me!
The rest of our Cambodian adventure took place back in Phnom Penh where we visited their genocide museum and the "Killing Fields." It was a very enlightening experiences given I knew nothing about the Khmer Rouge and the genocide that occured there in the late 1970s. It made me really reflect on my Cambodian experience and the perseverence of the people given that each person living there today in some way had to have been directly effected since it happened so recently and since 1/4 of the population was killed. Difference #4: There was far more begging and we saw far more children working. We sat in a restaurant our last night in Phnom Penh talking to a 13-year-old boy who was selling books. He said he gets up at 5am and goes to school at 6:30-12 and then home for lunch before going back to school until 5 and then work from 6-11. We saw him riding a bike in front of the same restaurant the next day before we left...so not sure if he was taking the day off from school or if he made up the story...but either way he was such a strong and vibrant child given his life as a child selling books on the street. And Difference #5: So many people speak English...far more than in Thailand! We stayed in pretty touristy areas which always makes a difference...but even more than in the touristy areas of Thailand. Nice for us considering we knew none of the language.
Cambodia was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone heading this way!
It was then back to Thailand to finish up exams and head to the Andaman coast for a few days rest before I started on my next and most recent adventure!
Laos and Vietnam. Stay tuned for "Same Same but Different II."
Coming VERY soon!
(Sorry for the lack of pictures...I am at an internet cafe in Vietnam...also Sara I worked on controlling my enthusiasm and use of exclamation points...hope you weren't as exhausted when you finished reading this post!!!!)
A few weeks ago I made my first journey out of Thailand to visit their eastern neighbor, Cambodia. I loved it!!! I loved the bakeries on every corner, I loved the traditional Khmer food(much like Thai but not as spicy) and the people were wonderful! I went with my friends Jill(New Jersey) and Christoph(Germany). We flew to the capital of Phnom Penh enjoyed dinner in one of the restaurants on the Mekong River and then woke up the next morning to catch an early bus to Siem Reap to visit Angkor (ancient temple ruins of the old Khmer kingdom...also known as the the place where they filmed Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie).
We arrived in the heat of the day to several tuk-tuk(motorcycles with sidecars attached = taxi) drivers waiting to give us the "best deal." Difference #1: bargaining is way easier in Cambodia --(turn around and take two steps in the other direction and they will come running over and give you the price you want!) Our tuk-tuk driver became our best friend...We must have been looking really hot and miserable in the 95 degree weather so being his clever self he took us to a guest house with a beautiful pool! We immediately said YES! May have been one of the best splurges I have made since I have been here. After a quick swim in the irrestible pool our tuk-tuk driver returned to take us to watch the sunset at a Hindu temple at Angkor. The sunset was beautiful and the temple was unbelievable! Every wall is carved out and tells a story...I could only wonder who had the patience to create such uniform and magnificent artwork!
After having traditional Khmer food for dinner nothing seemed more appropriate then heading to one of the many bakeries (in typical JulieAnn fashion) where I indulged in a nice large brownie sundae!!! Difference #2: There are NO bakeries/good ice cream places that I have found in Thailand! So it was well deserved...since I have comed to accept 7-11 pre-packaged ice cream as my substitute for good ice cream!
Before heading back to Angkor the next day for a day-long tour of the temples, we had baugettes and omelettes for breakfast at our guest house! Difference #3: Bread!!!! and French colonization. The French influence in Cambodia is evident everywhere. From the architecture to the food even the road signs. The combination of traditional Khmer architecture, which is much like Thailand, and that of the French makes for very interesting yet beautiful cities. The bakeries as already mentioned are everywhere and baugettes come with everything! Since Thailand was never colonized seeing colonial influence was something very different.
We spent the entire next day exploring Angkor which our loyal tuk-tuk driver...who brought his brother along to drive so he could sit in the back with us and give us a little history! He also had a few questions for us...for example: "Do lots of people say 'whats up dude in America?'", "what about 'whats hanging?'" and the grand finale "do you know that song 'I like to move it, move it'?" After a little cultural exchange on both ends we headed back to the guest house to make sure we got our money's worth on the pool!
That night we had an interesting experience at the night market...markets very same same as Thailand but the foot massage was very different! We all got massages from "Dr. Fish." We sat around a jacuzzi filled with fish and let them eat the dead skin off our feet....after paying for it I freaked out and the man working the stand had to force my legs into the water! It was a bizarre feeling...little mouths nibbling at your feet. Needless to say the man did not have to tell me twice to take my feet out after my 15 minutes were up. He also shared with us that he submerges his entire body in the pool of fish each day...you couldn't pay me!
The rest of our Cambodian adventure took place back in Phnom Penh where we visited their genocide museum and the "Killing Fields." It was a very enlightening experiences given I knew nothing about the Khmer Rouge and the genocide that occured there in the late 1970s. It made me really reflect on my Cambodian experience and the perseverence of the people given that each person living there today in some way had to have been directly effected since it happened so recently and since 1/4 of the population was killed. Difference #4: There was far more begging and we saw far more children working. We sat in a restaurant our last night in Phnom Penh talking to a 13-year-old boy who was selling books. He said he gets up at 5am and goes to school at 6:30-12 and then home for lunch before going back to school until 5 and then work from 6-11. We saw him riding a bike in front of the same restaurant the next day before we left...so not sure if he was taking the day off from school or if he made up the story...but either way he was such a strong and vibrant child given his life as a child selling books on the street. And Difference #5: So many people speak English...far more than in Thailand! We stayed in pretty touristy areas which always makes a difference...but even more than in the touristy areas of Thailand. Nice for us considering we knew none of the language.
Cambodia was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone heading this way!
It was then back to Thailand to finish up exams and head to the Andaman coast for a few days rest before I started on my next and most recent adventure!
Laos and Vietnam. Stay tuned for "Same Same but Different II."
Coming VERY soon!
(Sorry for the lack of pictures...I am at an internet cafe in Vietnam...also Sara I worked on controlling my enthusiasm and use of exclamation points...hope you weren't as exhausted when you finished reading this post!!!!)
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