Goodbye Asia

It's now 3:00 am and I a, at the brand new Bangkok airport where I have been for several hours now. I spent Saturday night walking along the river in Singapore with a former computer engineer and a Dane that had been sheep farming in Australia. Sunday morning meant a western breakfast at DeliFrance, a family favorite, and then a brief tour of Little India. I didn't want to do the Indians an injustice but there is only so much blaring Hindi music and incense you can take. And just like Chinatown, there is more useless junk to buy than the worst $1 Store imaginable. Well I returned to Bangkok just in time to grab my bags and ironically enough I had dinner with the girl I met on my first flight to Thailand. The Korean barbeque (her treat) might have been the best meal I have had to date. Money is running out on the computer but I will be home before you know it. Goodbye Asia... for now.

Dude... where's my country?

I was initially going to write about the hardships of getting to Singapore (e.g. the "sleeper" car, the airport that opened yesterday, complications with left baggage, etc.) but who cares about all of that... I am in Singapore. Our Singapore, sadly to say, is gone. Last night, I ate at Newton Circus and everything looks modernized (laminated menus, tables with umbrellas, etc.). Even the squat toilets which use to arouse so much interest, have been replaced by something that would be acceptable in South Charlotte. I was sad to find out that you can no longer order stingray, so I ate murtabak for Cameron and drank a tiger beer for Dad. (Sorry Andrew, I gave up pork after living with a Muslim family for three months.) I knew that Orchard Scotts had been torn down but apparently it was rebuilt as luxury condominiums. One of the buildings is built in the shape of a hollow square with an arboretum in the middle! The Malay man that was working there (and who probably worked there when we lived there) said that if I came by today he could give me a tour. It was eerie to walk the loop, passing by the school and the recreation center along the way but I was able to cover about three times the distance and I found that the walk was much simpler than it used to be.
In Thailand, there are at least two guesthouses and three internet cafes on every block. I would be surprised if there were that many in all of Singapore combined. Every accomodation was full, options A through Z fell through, so I had to stay in a "budget hotel" that was exponentially more expensive than the French riverside villa I stayed in in Laos. Tonight I am going to stay at the YMCA on a cot with 8 other travelers. I must have left some of my vital organs in Thailand because I am feeling terrible but I know that I must endure; this opportunity comes but once in a lifetime. My sandal broke and not even the Chinese merchants who sell everything under the sun can find a replacement big enough. For being "communist", Chinese people try to sell more stuff than Wal-Mart. The next time I hear "You want to looking!!!", I am going tell the merchants how truly disinterested I am in their singing plastic frog key chains. Now it's off to drop my bags at the Y-M-C-A and walk down Orchard Road to looking for either a crutch or a new pair of flip flops. Hopefully the next post will include a more comprehensive description of Little India and Delifrance.

Chiang Mai-Bangkok-Singapore

They should call these things "Hangover Cafes"; the internet is just an addendum. Yesterday was spent riding a motorcycle through the mountains of Chiang Mai, stopping occassionally at temples to interact with the monks. The city itself is comfortable and hides its 1.5 million inhabitants well. The climate is cool, due to the altitude, but the people are warm. Food is cheap and good beer is almost too accessible. Almost. Last night we went to a riverside bar and listened to a Thai Simon and Garfunkel/Beatles cover band. I had no idea that this whole time the song was called "Clemson and Crover"! After a great performance of "Rove, Rove Me Do" we sped to the university mostly because my traveling companion has an insatiable desire to meet Thai girls and partially because we wanted to hang out with kids our age. The night club was entertaining and we mingled with a few people, myself always skeptical of the "gender benders" (transexuals) that are so prevalent in Thailand. I was never one for surprises. Today I ride a 14-hour train to Bangkok and then get on a plane to Singapore. I bought "Eleven Minutes" by Paulo Coehlo, a book titled "Any Human Heart", and "Lolita", the Nabakov classic. I anticipate finishing them all before arriving at Charlotte Douglas in T-5 days.

Slinging to Singapore

Every so often fate meets with circumstance and opportunities are created which cannot be denied. Since I will be returning to Bangkok on Friday morning and my flight does not leave for the states until Monday, I have deemed this the perfect opportunity to visit Singapore, the small city/state where I lived nearly 15 years ago. I know that the logistics will be complicated (money, airports, etc.) but I think this opportunity may not come again for a while. Now if I can only find the funds...
I held to my word and had a very cultural day yesterday. After visiting the one time resting place of the famed "emerald buddha", I stopped in the hill tribes museum to learn about the various hill people (Ahka, Lisu, Karen, Hmong, etc) living in the highlands of Thailand. The history is fascinating, particularly the dependence of the villagers on the cultivation of opium (which, to our wellbeing, has been made illegal). Today I wil ride a bus south to "Chiang Mai" which is different than the current "Chiang Rai" and explore the second biggest city in Thiailand. I will try to upload so pictures from my experience to date...

Lao'd and proud/Life under Marshall Law

It has been several days since my last posting but that has not been due to a lack of amusing events. After my adventure with the hill tribes, I was not yet satiated with Lao culture so I went to the biggest discotech (or night club) in Luang Prabang, a country western-like bar with little Asians doing a variant of the electric slide. The next day, I set sail down the Mekong on a two-day slow boat heading west towards the Thai border. Let me tell you first hand, the natural beauty of the Mekong river is absolutely stunning... for the first one or two hours; the 18-hour slow boat ride, however, is gruling. I was able not only to finish "Kim" but also "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" which to me was not a notably easy read. As luck would have it, I got stuck in Laos a few times and spent two nights in some less-than-resortlike transient towns between boat rides and border crossings.
This morning I made my was into Thailand without any calamity and life appears to be normal (at least in Chiang Rai in the North). Marshall Law does not appear to be too devastating, as I have already enjoyed a western cheeseburger and a two-hour massage within hours of my arrival. A Thai massage walks to the line between ultimate relaxation and an elbow-jabbing that is not unlike sitting between Cameron and Andrew on a long station wagon ride. I should not complain; it was the whole $4 I paid for it. I am staying in a decrepit old school building turned villa and I have rented a motorcycle to better view the town. Hopefully my next posting will be more "anthropologic" or "academic" and I will stay far, far away from the nightlife and "delicious beer".

Did someone say "coup"?

"Lao", pronounced with an increasing intonation, means the small Southeast Asian nation of four million people; "lao" pronounced with a decreasing intonation means "whiskey". If you are ever lucky enough to visit the Sae Waterfall 20km east of Luang Prabang, you can try lao lao which is a primative Lao whiskey made from rice. I spent the last 48 hours trekking on foot through the mountains of Northern Laos amid jungles and rice fields. There are no massive temples or bustling cities but there is something to be said about the serenity and "nothingness" of the Lao countryside. I was able to visit many ethnic villages, including the Hmong and Kamu tribes, and it was with the latter that I spent yesterday evening in bungalow free of any modern amenities. One of the many highlights included sharing lunch with a one-eyed, 80-year old rice farmer in a hut on his rice paddy. The journey was over 20 miles and included a motor boat and an old Land Rover but most of the trekking was done on foot. Tomorrow we set off on a 2-day cruise to the Thai border from where we will make our way to Bangkok. I am sure you all assumed it was me in the tank when you heard of a military invasion on Bangkok but I was in the mountains planning the insurgency (Ho Chi Minh style). I am obviously kidding. Although I am taking this very casually, I am certain that the "situation" will be resolved and I will in no way be endangered.

Ever heard of Laos?

This morning I flew into Luang Prabang in Northern Laos. Imagine a town sandwhiched between the Mekong and a tributary full of well-preserved French architechture where the beers are only 0.80 US. Exactly. You may never see me again. Tomorrow I anticipate trekking through the hill sides (via elephant and kayak) and living amongst the Hmong people. I would write more but I am off to explore a Lao night market with the possibility of a "disco". To be heard from again...