We started off at 9:30 and went to Prahladh's. His parents are also charming and we
sat there a bit before setting off to Thanjavur. A friend of Prahladh's father
joined us for the day. We started at the Brihadishwara temple which is almost
identical to the one we saw the previous day, but much more active and bustling with
tourists and pilgrims. We hired a guide who was extremely amusing. He told us of the
wonders of the digit 9, and tried to impress us (unsuccessfully) with some very silly
arithmetic magic - he was much impressed by the contra-trick Yuval showed him. We
did the rounds of the deities, admired the sculptures and talked to some pilgrims -
the guide almost undressed a very cute young man to show us all the pilgrim stuff he
was carrying - rosaries and bells on strings under his shirt. We broke for lunch and
decided we ate at enough hotels so Prahladh took us to a place where the lcoals eat
(and which of course costs less than a 1/0 of what we paid at the other places).
This was very nice - we ate off banana leaves using our hands and it was delicious.
No ill effects so far so we will try and repeat this. After lunch we went to see a
crafts bazarre which was pathetic and did not satisfy our consumerism and then to
the Royal Museum. It houses some amazing sculptures of Shiva, Vishna, Parvati etc.
which date back to the 11th century and later. It was a bit worrying to see all the
sculptures there completely unprotected and everybody able to touch them. We also
climbed the bell tower to enjoy the views and see the skeleton of a whale which
washed out to the shore 400 years ago. The sign said it belongs to the "particular
class of whale-bone whales!". Next we went to the Saraswati Mahal Libraries and
looked at the eclectic collection of books that the king had at the beginning of the
19th century.
We took a different way back and visited the ancient Kallanai dam and bridge over the Cauvery delta. Theway was much less busy than the highway and very beatiful - lots of trees and vegetation. We walked over the bridges and then continued to Prahladh's parent wherewe dropped Prahladh off and then to the hotel for dinner. It was nice that we got in a bit earlier today so we could have a nice relaxed evening.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
December 20
The day started with a visit to Gopoal, Jaikumar's cousin. He lives in a small
village and manages a large farm. We were not sure how to get to his house but that
turned out to be easy as there was a young man on a scooter who waited for us at a
crossroads and had us follow him - a live GPS (it seems that neither GPSs or Google
Maps work in India). Gopal took us for a tour of parts of his farms - rice paddies,
a nice summer house of his uncle's where we ate pomellas and drank cocnut water from
trees which grow around the property. Everything is very lush and beautiful and
Gopal was very nice and hospitable.
We stopped for lunch at a hotel which Gopal recommended (a nice buffet) and we
continued to the Airavatershwara Temple in Darasuram. We took a guide there but he
was not very good and did not amuse us much. This temple is inactive and is run by
the Indian Archeological Survey - they take amazing care of these sites which are
extremeley clean and well maintained.
Next we went to the Brihadishwara Temple in the village which has the short name of
Gangaikondacholapuram (literally - the town of the Chola king who took the Ganges).
This is an active temple, and there were quite a few Indian tourists there. The
structure is very impressive and it was fun walking around it and visiting the
different dogs. We had ashes smeared on our foreheads and a red dot applied to our
foreheads. The visit ended with a race along the nice lawn between Yuval and Na'ama
which Na'ama won and another race between Na'ama & Avi which Avi won.
The road to Trichi (or Tiruchirapalli) is most bizarre. Large parts of it are
supposed to be a 4 lane highway but the project seems to have been abandoned
mid-stream. So you drive for 5 km on a nice wide road - as usual there are many
lanes of traffic going in the same direction - bikes, tuk-tuks, cars, lorries, cows,
goats, people (the last 3 might be going in any direction or just standing in the
middle of the road), when suddenly everything ends and you jump over a very bumpy
unpaved stretch of 100m or so, after which all the traffic in the opposite direction
is suddenly added to the mix (with their share of cows etc.). So you crawl for 5
km, where the lanes separate again and so it continues. This is somehow even more
nerve wracking than the regular nervousness associated with driving in India, but
our driver Ramu is very skillful, so we skip a beat only every other minute.
The hotel is much more expensive than the previous one but hardly any better (the
water is slightly warmer but far from hot). We ate supper in the Hotel restaurant
and Prahladh went to his parents' house.
village and manages a large farm. We were not sure how to get to his house but that
turned out to be easy as there was a young man on a scooter who waited for us at a
crossroads and had us follow him - a live GPS (it seems that neither GPSs or Google
Maps work in India). Gopal took us for a tour of parts of his farms - rice paddies,
a nice summer house of his uncle's where we ate pomellas and drank cocnut water from
trees which grow around the property. Everything is very lush and beautiful and
Gopal was very nice and hospitable.
We stopped for lunch at a hotel which Gopal recommended (a nice buffet) and we
continued to the Airavatershwara Temple in Darasuram. We took a guide there but he
was not very good and did not amuse us much. This temple is inactive and is run by
the Indian Archeological Survey - they take amazing care of these sites which are
extremeley clean and well maintained.
Next we went to the Brihadishwara Temple in the village which has the short name of
Gangaikondacholapuram (literally - the town of the Chola king who took the Ganges).
This is an active temple, and there were quite a few Indian tourists there. The
structure is very impressive and it was fun walking around it and visiting the
different dogs. We had ashes smeared on our foreheads and a red dot applied to our
foreheads. The visit ended with a race along the nice lawn between Yuval and Na'ama
which Na'ama won and another race between Na'ama & Avi which Avi won.
The road to Trichi (or Tiruchirapalli) is most bizarre. Large parts of it are
supposed to be a 4 lane highway but the project seems to have been abandoned
mid-stream. So you drive for 5 km on a nice wide road - as usual there are many
lanes of traffic going in the same direction - bikes, tuk-tuks, cars, lorries, cows,
goats, people (the last 3 might be going in any direction or just standing in the
middle of the road), when suddenly everything ends and you jump over a very bumpy
unpaved stretch of 100m or so, after which all the traffic in the opposite direction
is suddenly added to the mix (with their share of cows etc.). So you crawl for 5
km, where the lanes separate again and so it continues. This is somehow even more
nerve wracking than the regular nervousness associated with driving in India, but
our driver Ramu is very skillful, so we skip a beat only every other minute.
The hotel is much more expensive than the previous one but hardly any better (the
water is slightly warmer but far from hot). We ate supper in the Hotel restaurant
and Prahladh went to his parents' house.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
December 19
The driver finally arrived, and we went to pick Prahladh up from his uncle's and continued south to Dakshina Chitra - a reconstructed village depicting the art and architecture of Tamil Nadhu. It was quite nice, and not too much of a tourist trap. Avi bought a scroll depicting the story of Ganesh and N'ama had henna applied to her left hand and arm.
The next stop was at Mahabalipuram which is a complex of temples of different styles. We took a local guide there who was very passionate but Praladh said he also made a lot of stuff up. The guy apparently finished 10 grades (in a Tamil school) and then taught himself Engish. It was not always easy to understand what he said but it was amusing nonetheless. The first temple was by the ocean - a bit worse for wear due to the proximity to the sea. Then we went to an area containing 5 pagodas and a few other structures - called 5 Brothers. And finally to another site whose main attraction was a huge wall intricately carved, which created the most amazing bas-relief.
We continued from there to a very nice hotel for a very late lunch. The setting was beautiful, the food mediocre but we enjoyed it nonetheless.
Our hotel was in Mayapuram which was quite a drive so we decided to skip the last temple on the itinerary. We drove and drove, bought some snacks so we don't have to stop for dinner and then around 9:30pm the drive stopped and said that we did arrive at that temple - Chidambaram. So we decided to look at it quickly and were very glad we did - it was just amazing and seeing it at night made it even better, especially when the gongs started tolling and people ran in for the last prayer.
We got to the hotel after 11 extremely tired. The hotel was not very nice but we were too exhausted to notice and even the cold showers did not matter at that point.
Avi's laptop seems to have a bad fan, so I will stop before describing today's events in fear it will melt down. Hopefully we can still turn it on tomorrow!
The next stop was at Mahabalipuram which is a complex of temples of different styles. We took a local guide there who was very passionate but Praladh said he also made a lot of stuff up. The guy apparently finished 10 grades (in a Tamil school) and then taught himself Engish. It was not always easy to understand what he said but it was amusing nonetheless. The first temple was by the ocean - a bit worse for wear due to the proximity to the sea. Then we went to an area containing 5 pagodas and a few other structures - called 5 Brothers. And finally to another site whose main attraction was a huge wall intricately carved, which created the most amazing bas-relief.
We continued from there to a very nice hotel for a very late lunch. The setting was beautiful, the food mediocre but we enjoyed it nonetheless.
Our hotel was in Mayapuram which was quite a drive so we decided to skip the last temple on the itinerary. We drove and drove, bought some snacks so we don't have to stop for dinner and then around 9:30pm the drive stopped and said that we did arrive at that temple - Chidambaram. So we decided to look at it quickly and were very glad we did - it was just amazing and seeing it at night made it even better, especially when the gongs started tolling and people ran in for the last prayer.
We got to the hotel after 11 extremely tired. The hotel was not very nice but we were too exhausted to notice and even the cold showers did not matter at that point.
Avi's laptop seems to have a bad fan, so I will stop before describing today's events in fear it will melt down. Hopefully we can still turn it on tomorrow!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Getting there - dec. 16-18
The trip over was long but uneventful. We left Newark around 8:30pm on the 16th, arrived in Mumbai on the 17th close to midnight, transferred to the domestic terminal and sat there waiting for the 6:25am flight on the 18th to Chennai. In truth, the whole thing took about 30 hours, rather than 72 but with the time changes it was quite impressive.
We were very impressed with:
- the Indian food on Continental
- the airports. 6 years ago the Mumbai airport was awful and now it was modern and clean and with friendly staff.
We all converged in the hotel around 10am, and Prahladh, our friend arrived as well.
Prahladh will travel with us in the next 5 days. His parents are from Madurai and Trichi, temple cities in the south that we'll eventually get to.
He made many plans already, so Edna and the kids had no time to rest, just quick showers.
Here are the highlights of this full day.
Kuchipudi dance school.
Kuchipudi is one of 6 Indian dance forms, which Prahladh is very seriously into. We went to his old school, where he studied during his undergrad days in IIT Chennai. We sat hypnotized (Yuval and Na'ama dozing at the same time) during a regular lesson. Hopefully the pictures and short video reveal some of this sense - here is a more professional clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEUFNSlxpKk
Then to lunch at K.V.'s. KV is a friend who is at CMI (Chnnai Math Institute) who helped organized our stay here.
On a short notice he cooked a delicious lunch for us at home. His wife, a poet, was at work, teaching poetry at IIT Chennai, but we got one of her books of poems as gift (this seems to be a trend - we are accumulating books as you'll see).
Then, to pick up the tix for the evening performances we were going to see. They were purchased by Prahlad's great aunt, a lady of about 85, and the visit to her house was an event on its own. She is a famous music scholar, as was her father- both taught and have written many books (we got one of each). She is also a famous veena player and teacher, and has a beautiful music room in the basement which is full of them. It was really interesting talking to her, and get a glimpse of Prahladh's illustrious family. One of her brothers, and another cousin, are both Nobel laurates in Physics!
Finally Edna and the kids got to rest a bit in the hotel, while Prahladh and I strolled the streets.
We left the hotel again at 6pm and went to a music concert - a woman singer, a drummer and a violonisit. It was a bi monotone so we kept dozing off. We spent the 1/2 hour until the dance performance in a sari shop - it was huge and full of customers (locals, not tourists) - Indian consumerism seems to be definitely on the rise!
It was funny to look at the 2 Santas the store had - they wore rather scary masks, but did the Santa thing of giving out candy, and the children did not seem scared. We were of course followed by a salesgirl who must have been disappointed with our meager purchases - a pair of leggings for Na'ama.
The dance performance was very interesting - and the most amazing part was the involvement of the dancer's face and in particular her eyes in the dance - they were most expressive. The dances had some mythological themes and there was a short explanation to each dance which was helpful.
We ended the evening at a nice buffet in a nearby hotel - lots of food and very tasty. Nobody had any trouble falling asleep after this long day.
We are now waiting for our driver who is late and stuck in traffic, then will pick Praladh up and start our trip south.
We were very impressed with:
- the Indian food on Continental
- the airports. 6 years ago the Mumbai airport was awful and now it was modern and clean and with friendly staff.
We all converged in the hotel around 10am, and Prahladh, our friend arrived as well.
Prahladh will travel with us in the next 5 days. His parents are from Madurai and Trichi, temple cities in the south that we'll eventually get to.
He made many plans already, so Edna and the kids had no time to rest, just quick showers.
Here are the highlights of this full day.
Kuchipudi dance school.
Kuchipudi is one of 6 Indian dance forms, which Prahladh is very seriously into. We went to his old school, where he studied during his undergrad days in IIT Chennai. We sat hypnotized (Yuval and Na'ama dozing at the same time) during a regular lesson. Hopefully the pictures and short video reveal some of this sense - here is a more professional clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEUFNSlxpKk
Then to lunch at K.V.'s. KV is a friend who is at CMI (Chnnai Math Institute) who helped organized our stay here.
On a short notice he cooked a delicious lunch for us at home. His wife, a poet, was at work, teaching poetry at IIT Chennai, but we got one of her books of poems as gift (this seems to be a trend - we are accumulating books as you'll see).
Then, to pick up the tix for the evening performances we were going to see. They were purchased by Prahlad's great aunt, a lady of about 85, and the visit to her house was an event on its own. She is a famous music scholar, as was her father- both taught and have written many books (we got one of each). She is also a famous veena player and teacher, and has a beautiful music room in the basement which is full of them. It was really interesting talking to her, and get a glimpse of Prahladh's illustrious family. One of her brothers, and another cousin, are both Nobel laurates in Physics!
Finally Edna and the kids got to rest a bit in the hotel, while Prahladh and I strolled the streets.
We left the hotel again at 6pm and went to a music concert - a woman singer, a drummer and a violonisit. It was a bi monotone so we kept dozing off. We spent the 1/2 hour until the dance performance in a sari shop - it was huge and full of customers (locals, not tourists) - Indian consumerism seems to be definitely on the rise!
It was funny to look at the 2 Santas the store had - they wore rather scary masks, but did the Santa thing of giving out candy, and the children did not seem scared. We were of course followed by a salesgirl who must have been disappointed with our meager purchases - a pair of leggings for Na'ama.
The dance performance was very interesting - and the most amazing part was the involvement of the dancer's face and in particular her eyes in the dance - they were most expressive. The dances had some mythological themes and there was a short explanation to each dance which was helpful.
We ended the evening at a nice buffet in a nearby hotel - lots of food and very tasty. Nobody had any trouble falling asleep after this long day.
We are now waiting for our driver who is late and stuck in traffic, then will pick Praladh up and start our trip south.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
India trip - Getting ready...
Avi left yesterday - he arrived in Delhi late in the evening, slept for a few hours and flew on to Lucknow from where he was driven to the conference in Kanpur.
Yuval and I picked Na'ama up at Newark and we all went to celebrate his birthday at the Fs - it was a surprise - he really did not expect any birthday festivities and was very happy.
Tomorrow Yuval will go to school, I will go to work and Na'ama will work on her essay here. We'll leave for the airport around 4:30. The flight is almost 15 hours and then we have quite a long time at the airport before we catch the 6:25am flight to Chenai. Avi will arrive there the previous evening.
The time difference is very confusing - 10.5 hours ahead of NY, 3.5 hours ahead of Israel, and 13.5 hours ahead of California. Oh well.
Yuval and I picked Na'ama up at Newark and we all went to celebrate his birthday at the Fs - it was a surprise - he really did not expect any birthday festivities and was very happy.
Tomorrow Yuval will go to school, I will go to work and Na'ama will work on her essay here. We'll leave for the airport around 4:30. The flight is almost 15 hours and then we have quite a long time at the airport before we catch the 6:25am flight to Chenai. Avi will arrive there the previous evening.
The time difference is very confusing - 10.5 hours ahead of NY, 3.5 hours ahead of Israel, and 13.5 hours ahead of California. Oh well.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Beijing - last day
This morning I went on a private tour of the Bird's Nest And the Water Cube. As usual I had a driver, a guide and a student to escort me and see I behave. The Olympic Village is not very interesting from inside - the Bird's Nest is just a stadium, the Water Cube just a bunch of swimming pools... So I asked if we could stop at a market to try and spend some money. They took me for a market frequented by students (close to a few universities) which was cute and I did manage to buy a couple of things.
A few minutes after I came down to the Hotel Lobby to take a last look my student-escort ran up to me very upset as I had disappeared from my room and she wanted me to eat lunch. My excuse of not being hungry was no answer so we compromised on me going to the hotel restaurant with her. I did manage to leave there without eating - I think that when I told her Avi will be back just before we are to leave for the airport confused her enough she let me escape.
Avi arrived, we did grab a bite, said our farewells and wanted to get into the limo and go. That is when Amy realized that our oil portraits have not arrived yet and she would not let us go. The photographer was there too and kept talking on his phone to the courier and reassuring us that they will arrive "in 5 minutes". We finally put our foot down and the compromise was that the courier will chase us to the airport.
Our escort informed us a few minutes before arriving that the courier should arrive soon so we waited on the shoulder... the few minutes stretched to almost 10 at which point we insisted we cannot wait anymore. That was a good thing as they let us off at Terminal 2, told us to check in and they will join us soon, hopefully with the pictures. But it was the wrong terminal... Back into the limo, many excited cell conversations (all Chinese to us) and 10 minutes later we arrived at Terminal 3, ran in, checked-in our luggage, and........... the driver ran in with 3 huge bags - a portrait of Avi, a portrait of me, and a portrait of the two of us, all in heavy golden frames... Each was in its own bag but of course they could not be checked in so we hurried to the gate dangling the bags and wondering if they will fit in the security x-ray machine. Alas, they did. We got to the gate very late and thirsty, but had an uneventful flight, slept well, ate not very well, and finally got home with the pictures intact!
Was great to see Yuval, and now it is time to plan the next trip (India in December).
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| From China2009 |
A few minutes after I came down to the Hotel Lobby to take a last look my student-escort ran up to me very upset as I had disappeared from my room and she wanted me to eat lunch. My excuse of not being hungry was no answer so we compromised on me going to the hotel restaurant with her. I did manage to leave there without eating - I think that when I told her Avi will be back just before we are to leave for the airport confused her enough she let me escape.
Avi arrived, we did grab a bite, said our farewells and wanted to get into the limo and go. That is when Amy realized that our oil portraits have not arrived yet and she would not let us go. The photographer was there too and kept talking on his phone to the courier and reassuring us that they will arrive "in 5 minutes". We finally put our foot down and the compromise was that the courier will chase us to the airport.
Our escort informed us a few minutes before arriving that the courier should arrive soon so we waited on the shoulder... the few minutes stretched to almost 10 at which point we insisted we cannot wait anymore. That was a good thing as they let us off at Terminal 2, told us to check in and they will join us soon, hopefully with the pictures. But it was the wrong terminal... Back into the limo, many excited cell conversations (all Chinese to us) and 10 minutes later we arrived at Terminal 3, ran in, checked-in our luggage, and........... the driver ran in with 3 huge bags - a portrait of Avi, a portrait of me, and a portrait of the two of us, all in heavy golden frames... Each was in its own bag but of course they could not be checked in so we hurried to the gate dangling the bags and wondering if they will fit in the security x-ray machine. Alas, they did. We got to the gate very late and thirsty, but had an uneventful flight, slept well, ate not very well, and finally got home with the pictures intact!
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| From China2009 |
Was great to see Yuval, and now it is time to plan the next trip (India in December).
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| From China2009 |
Beijing - Day 3
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| From China2009 |
There were 5 of us on the tour - Ruth (accompanied by her wheelchair), MaryJo, Joan, Sylvia and myself. The ride to the Badaling section of the Great Wall took about an hour and a half, and when we arrived I realized this is the same section we climbed in 2001. And the same restrooms, with the same smell, the same store and I was afraid that it will be the same restaurant with a memorably bad lunch. We started climbing, and some of us stopped and turned around after a while. The weather and visibility were perfect, but it was terribly crowded as the opposite section (the harder one which we climbed last time) was closed due to a visit of some Leaders. (The procession of black-windowed black cars reminded Ruth & me of similar caravans in Jerusalem). Most of the tourists were Chinese, and in fact a few were so excited to see Westerners that they asked Sylvia & me to pose for photos.
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| From China2009 |
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| From China2009 |
Finally we two also had to turn around so that Sylvia makes it down on time to transfer to the car which picked her up and drove her to the airport. The rest of us went back on the bus and went to a most amazing spa-hotel (http://www.commune.com.cn/en/) for lunch. The food was excellent and I was so relieved not to have to see the other place's food again.
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| From China2009 |
After that we continued to the Ming Tombs which were as I remembered them. By then our small group had formed tight connections and we spent the whole afternoon and evening giggling and joking - everybody was having a great time.
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| From China2009 |
From the Ming Tombs we went back to Beijing directly to The National Center for the Performing Arts, which is a most amazing building. The problem was that we arrived around 5:30 when it was still closed and we knew that the conference participants would not get there before 7 or so. They let us go in and sit in the private dining hall, and we understood that we will be served a fancy dinner before the performance (in fact they wanted us to eat immediately but we rebelled and said we will wait for the others). That was a bit puzzling as it was to start at 7:30 and the schedule seemed too tight. They did arrive around 7:10, we ate and were ushered into the performance hall a bit late. The performance was by the Stuttgart Ballet and very beautiful, as was the venue itself. But everybody was very tired and decided on another rebellion during the second break. This caused some confusion but finally the bus was summoned and we were all safely deposited back in the hotel.
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| From China2009 |
Monday, October 12, 2009
Beijing - Day 2
First a follow-up to the photos - seems like the photographer is also an oil painter and everybody will be presented with an oil portrait based on the photos. Cannot wait!
The day started with pomp & circumstance at the opening ceremony - huge posters of all the speakers, they all got an orchid boutonniere for their jacket lapels (slight problem - Avi was wearing a polo shirt, no jacket so that looked even sillier on him), and were marched down to their seats to wild applause. Some dignitaries spoke in Chinese, some others in English and the poor translator had to keep it all straight.
So Sylvia and I decided to go to the Pearl Market, and tiptoed out of the room. We were detained immediately by the students who were assigned to us and it took quite an effort to convince them that we are old enough to take a cab and that they should stop worrying. We agreed to a curfew of 1:15pm when we were to get on the bus for the tour of the Lama Temple, and were finally let go. Sylvia is certain we got them into trouble by not sticking to the plan.
The market was fun as always and we bought a few things. Got back to the hotel on time for a quick lunch and a summary of what we missed during the rest of the opening exercises and then went on the tour.
When we got there I realized I had visited the temple already, but it was nice nonetheless. Lots of Buddha statues in various sizes, poses and specialties (health, wisdom, finances etc.) living in pretty temples.
The evening festivities were a very long dinner with live entertainment - singing, dancing, taichi, sword dances etc. Did not make for good dinner conversation as we were very close to the stage... We went out with an Israeli postdoc after that to a nice part of town with bars and shops in a spruced up hutong. Was interesting to hear his perspective of living for 3 years in China.
Today the ladies are going to the wall and the Ming tombs. We'll meet the others at the Opera for dinner and a Chinese Opera performance - will probably be a better variation of last night's entertainment... oh well.
The day started with pomp & circumstance at the opening ceremony - huge posters of all the speakers, they all got an orchid boutonniere for their jacket lapels (slight problem - Avi was wearing a polo shirt, no jacket so that looked even sillier on him), and were marched down to their seats to wild applause. Some dignitaries spoke in Chinese, some others in English and the poor translator had to keep it all straight.
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| From China2009 |
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| From China2009 |
So Sylvia and I decided to go to the Pearl Market, and tiptoed out of the room. We were detained immediately by the students who were assigned to us and it took quite an effort to convince them that we are old enough to take a cab and that they should stop worrying. We agreed to a curfew of 1:15pm when we were to get on the bus for the tour of the Lama Temple, and were finally let go. Sylvia is certain we got them into trouble by not sticking to the plan.
The market was fun as always and we bought a few things. Got back to the hotel on time for a quick lunch and a summary of what we missed during the rest of the opening exercises and then went on the tour.
When we got there I realized I had visited the temple already, but it was nice nonetheless. Lots of Buddha statues in various sizes, poses and specialties (health, wisdom, finances etc.) living in pretty temples.
The evening festivities were a very long dinner with live entertainment - singing, dancing, taichi, sword dances etc. Did not make for good dinner conversation as we were very close to the stage... We went out with an Israeli postdoc after that to a nice part of town with bars and shops in a spruced up hutong. Was interesting to hear his perspective of living for 3 years in China.
Today the ladies are going to the wall and the Ming tombs. We'll meet the others at the Opera for dinner and a Chinese Opera performance - will probably be a better variation of last night's entertainment... oh well.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Beijing
We had the funniest experience tonight. As expected, a student and a driver waited for us at the airport and delivered us to the hotel. The assistant manager deposited us in our room (very fancy & large), and then came back a few minutes later to take us to be photographed. We were slightly puzzled. Anyway - we were brought to a photography studio in the hotel and were told that our photos will be taken separately and also jointly. More puzzlement. The photographer, who spoke no English but was clearly a very artisitic type started out by throwing a fit at the fact that Avi was wearing a t-shirt and not a jacket. But after he understood that that is all Avi has, he started seeing the potential in his unusual face and in his clowning around. So he took something like a 100 shots (seriously) of Avi in all kinds of poses ranging from Rodin's The Thinker to Avi making silly faces. It was completely hilarious. Then I had a session too (only 30 photos or so, with my glasses at an angle and holding them in my hand in a pensive pose), and finally he positioned us in all kinds of loving embraces. He promised to give us copies tomorrow and we ended the evening with his assistant taking photos of all 3 of us together. We had to sign releases allowing him to use our photos and I bet Avi's will be centrally positioned in his advertising.
Hong Kong - Day 2
Andrej suggested we go visit the Big Buddha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian_Tan_Buddha) which lives on a mountaintop very close to the airport. This was a marvelous idea - we left the suitcases at the airport, took a bus to the base of the mountain and then took the cable car up to the mountain. It's a very long (5.7 km each direction) and beautiful ride (http://np360.com.hk/html/eng/front/index.asp) . Because we were in a bit of a hurry we bought the more expensive tickets for the glass-floored cars. That was marvelous - not only was the view beautiful but looking down at the top of the trees on the mountain was quite an unusual view. And the Buddha itself (very young - was completed in 1993) is one of the best we have seen, and we have seen quite a few!
Had a very nice Italian meal at the airport before saying goodbye to Andrej and heading for the business lounge. Have to board in a few minutes.
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| From China2009 |
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| From China2009 |
Had a very nice Italian meal at the airport before saying goodbye to Andrej and heading for the business lounge. Have to board in a few minutes.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Hong Kong
The flight over was very uneventful - and flying business has its advantages - the food is decent and I slept for about 9 hours. Turns out I slept way too well and have very unusual jetlag since.
Andrej waited for us at the airport (very modern and beautiful) and we took a bus to the suburb where he lives. A 30 minute ride on the top of a double decker bus gave us a great preview of the HK sights.
Yesterday morning we started in Kowloon from which we took a ferry to HK Island. Everything is very clean and an interesting mixture of Chinatown with a very modern downtown. In fact, probably more of the latter. They build very tall buildings which allow them to keep lots of green spaces in between. It is very refreshing to see a lot of green so close to 60 story buildings.
We ate some very nice and authentic dim sum followed by coffee (different place obviously) and then walked to the funicular which took us up to the peak - a very steep mountain which towers above the City with breathtaking views. The haze had almost burnt off by then and everything was beautiful. We walked around the peak on a 2km long circular path and enjoyed every minute.
Back in the city we took a subway and met up with Andrej's girl friend Maggie. Had some tea, browsed a few markets, and then went for dinner to a very authentic seafood restaurant.
We were quite surprised to learn how separate HK is from China - they totally run their own affairs and in fact mainlanders need visas to visit HK! It's also much more expensive than China - electronics in particular seem to have prices not far off from those in the US.
Finally a bus back to Andrej's place - we both kept falling asleep there and a shower and bed were most welcome.
A few more hours in HK today (will probably go up to visit the large Buddha by the airport and off to Beijing!
Andrej waited for us at the airport (very modern and beautiful) and we took a bus to the suburb where he lives. A 30 minute ride on the top of a double decker bus gave us a great preview of the HK sights.
Yesterday morning we started in Kowloon from which we took a ferry to HK Island. Everything is very clean and an interesting mixture of Chinatown with a very modern downtown. In fact, probably more of the latter. They build very tall buildings which allow them to keep lots of green spaces in between. It is very refreshing to see a lot of green so close to 60 story buildings.
We ate some very nice and authentic dim sum followed by coffee (different place obviously) and then walked to the funicular which took us up to the peak - a very steep mountain which towers above the City with breathtaking views. The haze had almost burnt off by then and everything was beautiful. We walked around the peak on a 2km long circular path and enjoyed every minute.
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| From China2009 |
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| From China2009 |
Back in the city we took a subway and met up with Andrej's girl friend Maggie. Had some tea, browsed a few markets, and then went for dinner to a very authentic seafood restaurant.
We were quite surprised to learn how separate HK is from China - they totally run their own affairs and in fact mainlanders need visas to visit HK! It's also much more expensive than China - electronics in particular seem to have prices not far off from those in the US.
Finally a bus back to Andrej's place - we both kept falling asleep there and a shower and bed were most welcome.
A few more hours in HK today (will probably go up to visit the large Buddha by the airport and off to Beijing!
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Off Tomorrow
Another China trip - very quick this time - 2 days in Hong Kong, 2.5 days in Beijing. More to follow...
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The rest of the trip
that amazing internet place in Mandalay was the last real internet place we saw. There were a couple of times I managed to send a quick email to Avi from a dialup place but there was no hope of updating the blog.
I have put up some photos and here are some words to go with them:
March 1 afternoon: we went to Kuthodaw Paya - a site containing the 15 books of the Tripitaka on 729 marble slabs. Then we climbed up Mandalay Hill (lots of steps - took about 45 minutes) and had a lively discussion with a young monk. We had a few more days when monks attached themselves to us - they do not have much to do and like talking to tourists and improving their English. It's always fun but a bit odd.
The ET Motel where we stayed was the place with the only nasty hotel keepers we met in Myanmar. Not recommended....
March 2: we took the boat to Bagan on the Ayeyarwady river. That took all day and not always interesting but very relaxing. We stayed for 2 nights in Bagan in the Eden Motel which was nice (especially the breakfast on the rooftop). Ate pizza which was much nicer than the local food.
March 3: We explored Bagan's pagodas in by horse and carriage. The number of pagodas is just stunning - the landscape looks like a sparsely planted forest where every tree has been replaced by a pagoda. Some big, some small, some falling apart, some under construction, many have Buddha statues and quite a few are gold-gilded (but there is a big lack of food and a lot of poverty. sigh.). Decided to stick with the pizza for dinner. Very good!
March 4: Flew to Heho and took a cab to Nyaungshwe on the shore of Inle Lake. Stayed at the Aquarius Inn which was charming and extremely friendly - the nicest place we stayed in! We took a canoe trip in the canal in the afternoon and ate Shan food which was very salty but the woman running the restaurant was very nice.
March 5: Took a motor boat ride on the lake for most of the day. Visited the floating market and some craftmen - cigar makers, paper makers, weavers, blacksmiths.... Also visited some women from the Long-Neck tribe which we found quite disturbing. Found the best pizza place for dinner (by then we were so hungry we were quite obsessed with food and talked about food most of the time).
March 6-7: Treked to Kalaw (about 30-35 km). Slept in a monastery on the way. The guide Sein Chu was great and highly recommended (The Aquarius Inn people put us in touch with him). A french woman joined us for the trek and we all enjoyed it a lot even though I found it a bit difficult. We decided to cut it about 2 hours short and caught some pick-up trucks for the last few miles. Quite amazing we lived to tell the tale!
March 8: Flew back to Yangon. Was hard to find accomodations (we got in around 6pm). We ended up in a triple room very close to Sula Paya - was nice but no hot water.
March 9: Went to see a movie - World Trade Center in one of those old fashioned huge cinemas. We were very moved by the movie but everybody else was busy eating, laughing, coming and going and making a lot of noise. At least one rat was spotted - also seemed indifferent to the movie. Then we went to high tea in the Strand Hotel (supposedly $500 a night for a room there! amazing). Was not the best tea we ever had but we enjoyed it immensly.
March 10: Flew back to Bangkok and had a great lunch on the street. What a difference! Went to the night market which was great.
March 11-12: Wondered around Bangkok, shopped, ate and had a good time. Einat & Yogi went with me to the airport in the evening. When I asked for a window or aisle seat I was told that my seat is "next to the aisle seat", which I found very funny and after some arm twisting got changed. I took a bag for them home. Was nice to come back to civilization but I would not have minded staying a bit longer with them....
I have put up some photos and here are some words to go with them:
March 1 afternoon: we went to Kuthodaw Paya - a site containing the 15 books of the Tripitaka on 729 marble slabs. Then we climbed up Mandalay Hill (lots of steps - took about 45 minutes) and had a lively discussion with a young monk. We had a few more days when monks attached themselves to us - they do not have much to do and like talking to tourists and improving their English. It's always fun but a bit odd.
The ET Motel where we stayed was the place with the only nasty hotel keepers we met in Myanmar. Not recommended....
March 2: we took the boat to Bagan on the Ayeyarwady river. That took all day and not always interesting but very relaxing. We stayed for 2 nights in Bagan in the Eden Motel which was nice (especially the breakfast on the rooftop). Ate pizza which was much nicer than the local food.
March 3: We explored Bagan's pagodas in by horse and carriage. The number of pagodas is just stunning - the landscape looks like a sparsely planted forest where every tree has been replaced by a pagoda. Some big, some small, some falling apart, some under construction, many have Buddha statues and quite a few are gold-gilded (but there is a big lack of food and a lot of poverty. sigh.). Decided to stick with the pizza for dinner. Very good!
March 4: Flew to Heho and took a cab to Nyaungshwe on the shore of Inle Lake. Stayed at the Aquarius Inn which was charming and extremely friendly - the nicest place we stayed in! We took a canoe trip in the canal in the afternoon and ate Shan food which was very salty but the woman running the restaurant was very nice.
March 5: Took a motor boat ride on the lake for most of the day. Visited the floating market and some craftmen - cigar makers, paper makers, weavers, blacksmiths.... Also visited some women from the Long-Neck tribe which we found quite disturbing. Found the best pizza place for dinner (by then we were so hungry we were quite obsessed with food and talked about food most of the time).
March 6-7: Treked to Kalaw (about 30-35 km). Slept in a monastery on the way. The guide Sein Chu was great and highly recommended (The Aquarius Inn people put us in touch with him). A french woman joined us for the trek and we all enjoyed it a lot even though I found it a bit difficult. We decided to cut it about 2 hours short and caught some pick-up trucks for the last few miles. Quite amazing we lived to tell the tale!
March 8: Flew back to Yangon. Was hard to find accomodations (we got in around 6pm). We ended up in a triple room very close to Sula Paya - was nice but no hot water.
March 9: Went to see a movie - World Trade Center in one of those old fashioned huge cinemas. We were very moved by the movie but everybody else was busy eating, laughing, coming and going and making a lot of noise. At least one rat was spotted - also seemed indifferent to the movie. Then we went to high tea in the Strand Hotel (supposedly $500 a night for a room there! amazing). Was not the best tea we ever had but we enjoyed it immensly.
March 10: Flew back to Bangkok and had a great lunch on the street. What a difference! Went to the night market which was great.
March 11-12: Wondered around Bangkok, shopped, ate and had a good time. Einat & Yogi went with me to the airport in the evening. When I asked for a window or aisle seat I was told that my seat is "next to the aisle seat", which I found very funny and after some arm twisting got changed. I took a bag for them home. Was nice to come back to civilization but I would not have minded staying a bit longer with them....
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Mandalay
See Photos!
Leaving the Internet place yesterday, we found Yogi in a beauty salon getting a combination shave and foot massage. He looked very happy even though he said the shaving lady clearly did not know how to shave but the foot lady compensated.
The plane ride to Mandalay was horrible. We sat for an hour in a non-AC terminal and then for another 30 minutes or so in the hottest stuffiest plane ever. I was really afraid we'll get heat stroke. But His Excellency the Police Chief was on the plane with us with a whole retinue of officials, so that was a compensation. We had a stopover in heho which meant we had 2 take-offs and 2 landings in this very rickety looking plane but we survived.... Only 2 more flights planned in Myanmar which is a blessing.
The guesthouse we went to was full but the next one had a vacancy so we got 2 rooms - reasonably nice, for a total of $20. My main complaint is with all the bathrooms here - for some reason the sink drains to the floor which then drains to the sewer - that makes a big mess and I am half inclined to add my own piping to all the bathrooms. Oh well. We got rooms with AC, but as there was no electricity they did not work. The hotel has a generator so the ceiling fans did work and that was pleasant enough.
We went for a Chinese dinner... ha. I will be way thinner by the end of this trip. After that we took a 'cab' - a tiny truck ("Blue Taxi"), where the passengers sit on benches in the back facing each other - something like the tiyuliot we had in Israel 30 years ago but tiny, to the Mustach Brothers show. This is a local version of a standup comedy act - they are famous for being jailed , and they voice some criticism of the country but the whole thing was more bizarre than funny. All the extended family performs traditional dances and 'cutting edge' comedy, in something which sounds like English but is very hard to understand. Was great because it was so weird.
This morning we took a cab to the world's longest teak bridge. Next to it is a huge monastery with thousands of young monks and like all good tourists we went there to see them at their daily meal. Was rather depressing as it's like watching the feeding of dolphins in the zoo or something, but interesting nonetheless. Before that we talked to one of the monks - he was around 16 years old. He and Yogi had a lively discussion about soccer and then he showed us a book he bought about Israel - he claimed he was very interested in Israel as its people were very smart.
We took a long walk on the bridge to the village on the other side of the lake, visited the required huge Buddha and walked back. The hawkers were not too bad but I did buy a funny folding hat and got a melon seed bracelet as a gift. It seems ridiculous to haggle over prices with the people here so I did not.
Our cab driver had waited for us and drove us back to town. He claimed that new cars cost $300,000 and motocycles $20,000-30,000. As the Lonely Planet has a section about how the people here confuse large numbers, he probably was wrong (we hope). He also told us his wife had died on Feb. 20 and that his son promised her to become a doctor before she died. Was very sad.
We asked to get off at a huge mall we saw in passing this morning and again fell through a rabbit hole into a completely different world - very new, modern and relatively fancy shops, with prices which are not very different from the street prices (Einat bought a cap which cost about the same as my hat, but no bracelet!) We found a 'Japanese' Cafe here and had a decent meal - not great but the best so far. And the Cyber cafe next to it is amazingly modern with about 40 top of the line computers, decent connectivity and our gmail/yahoo accounts are not not blocked here. Go figure.
Many plas for the afternoon and tomorrow we are taking the boat to Bagan.
Riddle: Why are there no more night trains from Yangon to Mandalay?
Answer (according to the cab dirver yesterday): Because Yangon is the capital. ??!???
Leaving the Internet place yesterday, we found Yogi in a beauty salon getting a combination shave and foot massage. He looked very happy even though he said the shaving lady clearly did not know how to shave but the foot lady compensated.
The plane ride to Mandalay was horrible. We sat for an hour in a non-AC terminal and then for another 30 minutes or so in the hottest stuffiest plane ever. I was really afraid we'll get heat stroke. But His Excellency the Police Chief was on the plane with us with a whole retinue of officials, so that was a compensation. We had a stopover in heho which meant we had 2 take-offs and 2 landings in this very rickety looking plane but we survived.... Only 2 more flights planned in Myanmar which is a blessing.
The guesthouse we went to was full but the next one had a vacancy so we got 2 rooms - reasonably nice, for a total of $20. My main complaint is with all the bathrooms here - for some reason the sink drains to the floor which then drains to the sewer - that makes a big mess and I am half inclined to add my own piping to all the bathrooms. Oh well. We got rooms with AC, but as there was no electricity they did not work. The hotel has a generator so the ceiling fans did work and that was pleasant enough.
We went for a Chinese dinner... ha. I will be way thinner by the end of this trip. After that we took a 'cab' - a tiny truck ("Blue Taxi"), where the passengers sit on benches in the back facing each other - something like the tiyuliot we had in Israel 30 years ago but tiny, to the Mustach Brothers show. This is a local version of a standup comedy act - they are famous for being jailed , and they voice some criticism of the country but the whole thing was more bizarre than funny. All the extended family performs traditional dances and 'cutting edge' comedy, in something which sounds like English but is very hard to understand. Was great because it was so weird.
This morning we took a cab to the world's longest teak bridge. Next to it is a huge monastery with thousands of young monks and like all good tourists we went there to see them at their daily meal. Was rather depressing as it's like watching the feeding of dolphins in the zoo or something, but interesting nonetheless. Before that we talked to one of the monks - he was around 16 years old. He and Yogi had a lively discussion about soccer and then he showed us a book he bought about Israel - he claimed he was very interested in Israel as its people were very smart.
We took a long walk on the bridge to the village on the other side of the lake, visited the required huge Buddha and walked back. The hawkers were not too bad but I did buy a funny folding hat and got a melon seed bracelet as a gift. It seems ridiculous to haggle over prices with the people here so I did not.
Our cab driver had waited for us and drove us back to town. He claimed that new cars cost $300,000 and motocycles $20,000-30,000. As the Lonely Planet has a section about how the people here confuse large numbers, he probably was wrong (we hope). He also told us his wife had died on Feb. 20 and that his son promised her to become a doctor before she died. Was very sad.
We asked to get off at a huge mall we saw in passing this morning and again fell through a rabbit hole into a completely different world - very new, modern and relatively fancy shops, with prices which are not very different from the street prices (Einat bought a cap which cost about the same as my hat, but no bracelet!) We found a 'Japanese' Cafe here and had a decent meal - not great but the best so far. And the Cyber cafe next to it is amazingly modern with about 40 top of the line computers, decent connectivity and our gmail/yahoo accounts are not not blocked here. Go figure.
Many plas for the afternoon and tomorrow we are taking the boat to Bagan.
Riddle: Why are there no more night trains from Yangon to Mandalay?
Answer (according to the cab dirver yesterday): Because Yangon is the capital. ??!???
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Yangon
After a very early taxi ride to the airport and a short flight we arrived in a completely different world. Very wide avenues, not much traffic and most of it in very old and battered cars with a few WWII vintage buses and some trikshaws thrown in. It is easy to see that this city was rebuilt by the British, and not much has been done since, but it's just fascinating and we are having a great time.
The biggest surprise was Udi, Yogi's friend, who surprised Yogi in the airport. We all went together to our guest house and then took a walk with him in the downtown and visited the Sula Paya - a very large buddhist stupa which also functions as the main traffic circle of the city!
By then it turned too hot to be outside so we returned to the hotel for a rest. We had 2 rooms in the hotel - each with drk wood floors and walls and an A/C and a fan so it was relatively comfortable. The main problem is the lack of any window so it's hard to tell what time it is. The people are very nice, served us breakfast as we arrived and arrnaged our plane tickets to Mandalay for today. We had originally planned to take the night train but it seems the night train has been cancelled a while back...
The highlight of the day was the visit to the Shedawgon - a huge complex of buddhist stupas and pagodas. It's just unbelievable - all gold gilded or plated, a gazilion Buddhas in any possible size and color and tons of nats (the Myanmar spirits which are part of their version of Buddhism) all over the place. Was just stupifying.
We had a nice conversation with a n 85 year old monk who told us parts of his life story - he used to be Christian (went to the Missionarie's school), then became a Buddhist and also was an office in the Army. He was really charming. When asked about current conditions he complained that he cannot get chocolate and that the butter and jam are not as good as they used to be!
Finally we met Udi at the Sakura Tower - the tallest buidling in Yangon and had dinner with him on the top (20th) floor. This was a fancy restaurant and the food was rather awful... Not clear what we'll eat from now on as Yango is supposedly the gourmet capital... But the view was worth it - and we had a lot of fun.
We tried to read email but are unable to access it. The cellphone does not work either, so I think our main mode of communciation is this blog. Anybody who reads this might drop Avi a line and remind him that this is the way to know that we are well and enjoying ourselves! I am not sure if we will be able to read comments but it might be worth a short as I don't think email will work at other places either.
The biggest surprise was Udi, Yogi's friend, who surprised Yogi in the airport. We all went together to our guest house and then took a walk with him in the downtown and visited the Sula Paya - a very large buddhist stupa which also functions as the main traffic circle of the city!
By then it turned too hot to be outside so we returned to the hotel for a rest. We had 2 rooms in the hotel - each with drk wood floors and walls and an A/C and a fan so it was relatively comfortable. The main problem is the lack of any window so it's hard to tell what time it is. The people are very nice, served us breakfast as we arrived and arrnaged our plane tickets to Mandalay for today. We had originally planned to take the night train but it seems the night train has been cancelled a while back...
The highlight of the day was the visit to the Shedawgon - a huge complex of buddhist stupas and pagodas. It's just unbelievable - all gold gilded or plated, a gazilion Buddhas in any possible size and color and tons of nats (the Myanmar spirits which are part of their version of Buddhism) all over the place. Was just stupifying.
We had a nice conversation with a n 85 year old monk who told us parts of his life story - he used to be Christian (went to the Missionarie's school), then became a Buddhist and also was an office in the Army. He was really charming. When asked about current conditions he complained that he cannot get chocolate and that the butter and jam are not as good as they used to be!
Finally we met Udi at the Sakura Tower - the tallest buidling in Yangon and had dinner with him on the top (20th) floor. This was a fancy restaurant and the food was rather awful... Not clear what we'll eat from now on as Yango is supposedly the gourmet capital... But the view was worth it - and we had a lot of fun.
We tried to read email but are unable to access it. The cellphone does not work either, so I think our main mode of communciation is this blog. Anybody who reads this might drop Avi a line and remind him that this is the way to know that we are well and enjoying ourselves! I am not sure if we will be able to read comments but it might be worth a short as I don't think email will work at other places either.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Koh Samui and back to Bangkok
After all the cooking and walking around on Saturday we did not feel like going back to the beach. Instead we ended up in a huge mall - it's one of the largest Cosco's I ever saw with lots of smaller shops around it. Einat had wanted to try Black Canyon Coffee since she was first in Thailand and this was the perfect opportunity, and it was indeed very good. We sat there quite a qhile people watching and sipping our drinks. My conclusion is that the Thais are really quiet - quite a lot of people in the mall but not much moise and not the horrible music/announcements you ehar other places - was very nice.
After that we also stopped in a night market on the way back to the hotel and Einat bought some sun glasses. I must say it was a relief to get back to the hotel intact after 2 days in the jeep - it clearly was not in the best of conditions and the driving on the LHS, with all the scooters zooming by was rather scary (but not half as bad as India).
Yesterday we spent the morning by the pool. We took the 1pm shuttle to Nathon - the capital of Samui - nothing to write home about, but they also had a small Cosco and a Black Canyon Coffee so that was ok. At 5pm we went to a 2 hour massage, body wrap and other assorted treatments - was nice but I am never a huge fan. And then we ran to catch the shuttle back to Chaweng Beach for a farewell dinner. We ended up in a wonderful Italian restaurant and enjoyed it a lot.
Today we spent some time by the pool and then checked out of the hotel, went to the airport and flew back to Bangkok. Yogi arrived before us at the hotel but he went out and Einat is waiting for him there. We will be off to an early start tomorrow - a 7:15am flight to Yangoon. Hope I can continue the blog in Myanmar - not clear at all.
After that we also stopped in a night market on the way back to the hotel and Einat bought some sun glasses. I must say it was a relief to get back to the hotel intact after 2 days in the jeep - it clearly was not in the best of conditions and the driving on the LHS, with all the scooters zooming by was rather scary (but not half as bad as India).
Yesterday we spent the morning by the pool. We took the 1pm shuttle to Nathon - the capital of Samui - nothing to write home about, but they also had a small Cosco and a Black Canyon Coffee so that was ok. At 5pm we went to a 2 hour massage, body wrap and other assorted treatments - was nice but I am never a huge fan. And then we ran to catch the shuttle back to Chaweng Beach for a farewell dinner. We ended up in a wonderful Italian restaurant and enjoyed it a lot.
Today we spent some time by the pool and then checked out of the hotel, went to the airport and flew back to Bangkok. Yogi arrived before us at the hotel but he went out and Einat is waiting for him there. We will be off to an early start tomorrow - a 7:15am flight to Yangoon. Hope I can continue the blog in Myanmar - not clear at all.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Koh Samui
We spent the rest of yesterday afternoon on the beach - Chenang is on another side of the island so the sea was a bit less shallow and there were a few waves. Our side of the island is completely calm and very shallow for a very long distance.
We had planned to drive out again for dinner but I was so tired we ate again in the hotel. The food is very good but as usual I get tired of eating outside very quickly.
This morning we drove back to Chenang to the cooking class we had registered to yesterday. This was a great class - we prepared a green curry paste from scratch, then made a seafood green curry dish with fish balls (like gefiltefish, but much better...) and a noodles-seafood dish and a tom-kah seafood soup. They were all excellent and the only problem was we could not finish a tenth of the food - hate to see such good stuff going to waste.
We are now exploring the main street - lots of shops and quite nice. Also lots of interesting looking restaurants, ice cream shops and cafes.... Now if we were not so stuffed...
We will probably go to the beach and then drive back to the hotel the long way - which will give us a chance to see a bit more of the island's interior.
We had planned to drive out again for dinner but I was so tired we ate again in the hotel. The food is very good but as usual I get tired of eating outside very quickly.
This morning we drove back to Chenang to the cooking class we had registered to yesterday. This was a great class - we prepared a green curry paste from scratch, then made a seafood green curry dish with fish balls (like gefiltefish, but much better...) and a noodles-seafood dish and a tom-kah seafood soup. They were all excellent and the only problem was we could not finish a tenth of the food - hate to see such good stuff going to waste.
We are now exploring the main street - lots of shops and quite nice. Also lots of interesting looking restaurants, ice cream shops and cafes.... Now if we were not so stuffed...
We will probably go to the beach and then drive back to the hotel the long way - which will give us a chance to see a bit more of the island's interior.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Bangkok and Koh Samui
After the Myanmar embassy trip we spent the rest of the day packing, storing equipment we do not need for now and wandering around the Khausan - tons of stores, eating spots (like in all of Asia people seem to be constantly eating) and lots of noise and bustling. We also took the ferry down the river and visited the flower market - we came towards the end of the day when people were packing up but even so there were lots of beautiful flowers. Lots of wome sit there stringing flowers and petals on strings and creating very beautiful arrangements which we think are mainly used in temples and such. I managed to sleep the whole night after not having slept at all the previous night so I got up very happy.
Einat got up complaining of a sore throat. Never a good sign...
We took a cab back to the embassy, collected our passports, went a bit on the Silum which is a fancy street with lots of high end shops and malls and airline offices, ate something and then said goodbye to Yogi. Einat & I took the monorail to Victory Monument, and were disappointed that the view was not better. We were supposed to catch the bus to the airport there but after circling about half of the permiter of the huge circle could not find it and the bag got heavier and the weather hotter... so we took a cab.
While waiting to get on the flight Einat started shivering and piling on all the long sleeved shirts (2) we had and her shawl. Even worse sign... The Advil did help and she got off the plane feeling reasonably ok. We took a shuttle to the hotel - a long ride made longer by the fact that the driver stopped at every resort on the way trying to find a room for some tourists who did not have a booking.
By the time we got to the resort Einat was again rather miserable and even the beauty of the place did not help much. Dinner was good, the night was misearble and in the morning I asked about a doctor. We were told the drive will take us to the Bangkok International Hospital - "it's a complimentary ride".
No wonder - this was the funniest hospital visit ever. It's beautiful - looks like a 5-star hotel, and the patients are treated as hotel visitors and charged accordingly.
The doctor was very concerned, explained that the previous antibiotics Eint got for her sinus infection in Vietnam were no good and prescribed 5 different medicines! Was no way to explain we really are only interested in antibiotics. The best was when he asked about her appetite and when she said it's not too good he suggest hospitalizing her! We declined politely... He also said she has to come back for a checkup on Sunday but we will forget that appointment (Einat is sure the ploice will come to our hotel to look for her).
Anyway - today (Friday) she woke up with very little fever, and we rented a jeep and drove to the next town. The jeep has very odd gears but Einat drives it bravely (on the left of course, which means that 2 out of 9 times she turns on the windscreen wipers when she wants to signal). We will go check out a cooking class soon and are debating a canopy-top adventure (the guy in this coffeeshop did not really think it's very good, but did recommend the cooking).
And of course the sun is shining the island is beautiful and life is good (but I did get a sunburn...)
Einat got up complaining of a sore throat. Never a good sign...
We took a cab back to the embassy, collected our passports, went a bit on the Silum which is a fancy street with lots of high end shops and malls and airline offices, ate something and then said goodbye to Yogi. Einat & I took the monorail to Victory Monument, and were disappointed that the view was not better. We were supposed to catch the bus to the airport there but after circling about half of the permiter of the huge circle could not find it and the bag got heavier and the weather hotter... so we took a cab.
While waiting to get on the flight Einat started shivering and piling on all the long sleeved shirts (2) we had and her shawl. Even worse sign... The Advil did help and she got off the plane feeling reasonably ok. We took a shuttle to the hotel - a long ride made longer by the fact that the driver stopped at every resort on the way trying to find a room for some tourists who did not have a booking.
By the time we got to the resort Einat was again rather miserable and even the beauty of the place did not help much. Dinner was good, the night was misearble and in the morning I asked about a doctor. We were told the drive will take us to the Bangkok International Hospital - "it's a complimentary ride".
No wonder - this was the funniest hospital visit ever. It's beautiful - looks like a 5-star hotel, and the patients are treated as hotel visitors and charged accordingly.
The doctor was very concerned, explained that the previous antibiotics Eint got for her sinus infection in Vietnam were no good and prescribed 5 different medicines! Was no way to explain we really are only interested in antibiotics. The best was when he asked about her appetite and when she said it's not too good he suggest hospitalizing her! We declined politely... He also said she has to come back for a checkup on Sunday but we will forget that appointment (Einat is sure the ploice will come to our hotel to look for her).
Anyway - today (Friday) she woke up with very little fever, and we rented a jeep and drove to the next town. The jeep has very odd gears but Einat drives it bravely (on the left of course, which means that 2 out of 9 times she turns on the windscreen wipers when she wants to signal). We will go check out a cooking class soon and are debating a canopy-top adventure (the guy in this coffeeshop did not really think it's very good, but did recommend the cooking).
And of course the sun is shining the island is beautiful and life is good (but I did get a sunburn...)
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Bangkok
After all the excitement the flights were very easy and I slept about 10 hours on 4 seats. Einat & Yogi waited for me and it was great to see them.
This morning we went to the Burmese embassy and will get our visas tomorrow. After that Einat & I will fly to Koh Samui.
Money running out on this internet connection...later.
This morning we went to the Burmese embassy and will get our visas tomorrow. After that Einat & I will fly to Koh Samui.
Money running out on this internet connection...later.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Thailand and Myanmar
This trip started out on the wrong foot - my flight from Newark to London was canceled, and BA put me on a flight 24 hours later. That really would have messed things up.
To make a long story short - I arrived at JFK at 10am today as instructed and after dealing with many nice people and having a few more mix-ups I am booked on a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong and a connection to Bangkok tonight. If all goes well I will arrive about 8 hours later than expected - definitely better than a 24 hour dealy. And the flight to Hong Kong is almost empty so I should get some of the sleep I did not get the last few days!
Einat & Yogi promised to meet me at the airport - we will go to the Myanmar embassy on Tuesday and after that Einat & I will spend 4 days in a Koh Samui resort before meeting Yogi again in Bangkok and flying to Myanmar on the 27th.
To make a long story short - I arrived at JFK at 10am today as instructed and after dealing with many nice people and having a few more mix-ups I am booked on a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong and a connection to Bangkok tonight. If all goes well I will arrive about 8 hours later than expected - definitely better than a 24 hour dealy. And the flight to Hong Kong is almost empty so I should get some of the sleep I did not get the last few days!
Einat & Yogi promised to meet me at the airport - we will go to the Myanmar embassy on Tuesday and after that Einat & I will spend 4 days in a Koh Samui resort before meeting Yogi again in Bangkok and flying to Myanmar on the 27th.