bev-er-ij, bev-rij
(noun)any potable liquid, esp. one other than water, as tea, coffee, beer, or milk
the fine selection of beverages offered at our last hostelFriday, January 28, 2011
loose definitions
beverage:
bev-er-ij, bev-rij
(noun)any potable liquid, esp. one other than water, as tea, coffee, beer, or milk
the fine selection of beverages offered at our last hostel
bev-er-ij, bev-rij
(noun)any potable liquid, esp. one other than water, as tea, coffee, beer, or milk
the fine selection of beverages offered at our last hostel
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
(pt 2) Can I get a Wat Wat
After exploring Bangkok, the four of us flew to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. There are so many temples (wats) that you could spend a full week exploring and still not see everything. The temples were spectacular, and its easy to see how powerful the Khmer empire was one thousand years ago.
Even in the tourist oasis of Siem Reap, the country's tragic history and crushing poverty are on full display. Cambodia's civil war and lunatic government lead to the torture and death of 1/3 of the country's population just a few decades ago, including everyone with any education at all. One of our guides lost his father and three brothers as a child. Young children swarm tourists, begging and selling knickknacks. Groups of musicians crippled by leftover landmines play music for tourists in hope of living with some dignity. A cab driver waited for us for three hours in order to get a $2 fare. A massage costs $2 or $3 an hour, and the masseuse probably takes home half of that.
Preah Kahn. This massive temple is filled with a maze of corridors, and the pictures don't do justice to just how endless the halls are. As you walk through, each door gets smaller and smaller, giving the impression of looking into a mirror. The temple was designed this way intentionally, forcing visitors to respectfully bow lower and lower the closer to the holy statues they got.
Preah Neak Poan. A small temple surrounded by water. In it's heyday the four pools surrounding the central pool were believed to have healing powers. Our guide described it as an ancient hospital.
Eastern Meborn. By the third temple of the day, we were all exhausted and had yet to eat lunch.
Bantai Srei. This small, well preserved temple has some of the best stone carvings in the world. Every inch of stone is beautifully carved.
Pre Rup. We went to this temple for sunset. By now we were so tired and had seen enough temples that we didn't even bother looking around. We just sat with a bunch of other tourists and watched a mediocre sunset.
Even in the tourist oasis of Siem Reap, the country's tragic history and crushing poverty are on full display. Cambodia's civil war and lunatic government lead to the torture and death of 1/3 of the country's population just a few decades ago, including everyone with any education at all. One of our guides lost his father and three brothers as a child. Young children swarm tourists, begging and selling knickknacks. Groups of musicians crippled by leftover landmines play music for tourists in hope of living with some dignity. A cab driver waited for us for three hours in order to get a $2 fare. A massage costs $2 or $3 an hour, and the masseuse probably takes home half of that.
Day 1
Preah Kahn. This massive temple is filled with a maze of corridors, and the pictures don't do justice to just how endless the halls are. As you walk through, each door gets smaller and smaller, giving the impression of looking into a mirror. The temple was designed this way intentionally, forcing visitors to respectfully bow lower and lower the closer to the holy statues they got.
Preah Neak Poan. A small temple surrounded by water. In it's heyday the four pools surrounding the central pool were believed to have healing powers. Our guide described it as an ancient hospital.
Eastern Meborn. By the third temple of the day, we were all exhausted and had yet to eat lunch.
Bantai Srei. This small, well preserved temple has some of the best stone carvings in the world. Every inch of stone is beautifully carved.
Pre Rup. We went to this temple for sunset. By now we were so tired and had seen enough temples that we didn't even bother looking around. We just sat with a bunch of other tourists and watched a mediocre sunset.
Day 2
Angkor Wat. Still tired from the day before, we woke up at 4 AM to catch sunrise at Angkor Wat. This is the biggest temple in the region. Before we got to Cambodia I thought that all of the temples in the area were called Angkor Wat, but no.. It's just one of many temples.
Angkor Wat from a distance. Great shot Janet.
The first level of the temple contains nearly 1 kilometer of intricately carved bas reliefs telling Hindu stories.
These patched bullet holes are remnants of the recent civil war.
Our guide explaining the Hindu stories.
The back of Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat from a distance. Great shot Janet.
The first level of the temple contains nearly 1 kilometer of intricately carved bas reliefs telling Hindu stories.
These patched bullet holes are remnants of the recent civil war.
Our guide explaining the Hindu stories.
The back of Angkor Wat.Ta Phrom. The guides also call this temple "Tomb Raider" as this is where the movie was shot. Nature wants this land back.
Baphoun. The world's biggest jigsaw puzzle. The temple was dismantled as part of restoration efforts, but then the civil war broke out and all of the records of how to put it back together were destroyed. It's been halfway restored in the last 15 years.
Bayon. One of the coolest temples. Four expressive faces are carved into 54 towers.
The post is getting long, so we'll talk about Cambodia Day 3 tomorrow! Preview: After two days of wats, we were templed out, so we went to a centuries old village that is under water half of the year.
Baphoun. The world's biggest jigsaw puzzle. The temple was dismantled as part of restoration efforts, but then the civil war broke out and all of the records of how to put it back together were destroyed. It's been halfway restored in the last 15 years.
Bayon. One of the coolest temples. Four expressive faces are carved into 54 towers.
The post is getting long, so we'll talk about Cambodia Day 3 tomorrow! Preview: After two days of wats, we were templed out, so we went to a centuries old village that is under water half of the year.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Bangkok: adventures of martha and jim (part I)
- basically, this is going to be a multi-part post - think harry potter
After a few (quiet) months in Hong Kong we met Martha and Jim in Bangkok, Thailand! And we probably did more in these last two weeks than we have in the last six months. They definitely kept us on our toes (though more accurately, ran circles around us). We had an incredible time and here is our top ten list of Bangkok
#10 The National Gallery
Read all about the history of Thailand and the Siamese. We were slightly underwhelmed by the display but didn't realize there were actually five additional buildings that housed national treasures and art...including a teak house that used to be the residence of the King's sister.#9 Taking the Ferry along Chao Phraya
Bangkok used to be called "Venice of the East" and with all the waterways and canals (as we discovered) it's FAR more convenient to take a boat than sit in traffic for hours...also super inexpensive - approximately $0.40 a trip.#8 Grand Palace
Packer-Kramer family. Jim sizing up the guards with guns.
Packer-Kramer family. Jim sizing up the guards with guns.
Everything was covered in gold or made of gold or made of and covered in gold. Surprisingly, there is no reflection that can be seen from space.
#7 Wat Pho
The oldest and largest temple in Bangkok. With over 1000 images of the Buddha (the most famous being the reclining Buddha) it is also the national headquarters for traditional Thai medicine, including Thai massage.#6 The Floating Market
Taking the water taxi to the floating market
Selling souvenirs, snacks, fruit and full meals.#5 Shopping
This doesn't quite give the markets of Bangkok justice but imagine having this much variety in anything you could ever want, now multiply that times a thousand, and square that. That number is an approximation of things to buy in one street market in Bangkok. At some point I will drag Ari to the largest market in Bangkok, the lonely planet recommends you purchase a map for this market before venturing out.
That gold spot in the middle is the Emerald Buddha clothed in his "winter outfit" which- SURPRISE - is made of gold! He has a change of clothes for all seasons. I would say it reminds me of barbie but I'm pretty sure in my next life I would be reincarnated into a rock.#3 Reclining Buddha
At 46 m long and 15 m high the reclining buddha is a symbol of buddha passing into nirvana. Here Ari and Jim discuss the intricacies of 108 images made of mother of pearl on the soles of the feet.#2 Solid Gold Buddha
Three meters tall and 5.5 tonnes of solid gold this buddha was once covered in stucco to hide it from looters and the solid gold inside was forgotten about for centuries until it was accidentally dropped.#1 The Wildlife
Martha feeding an elephant bananas!
The Martha and Jim dead skin buffet. Fish feeding on...them. Reversing the food chain.So we packed A LOT into our three days in Bangkok. And surprisingly Martha and Jim showed no signs of jet lag. They kept going and going and going. Most nights we headed to bed as they went for a "night cap".
More to come when we work up the energy to post about Siem Reap, Cambodia and Chiang Mai, Thailand...
More to come when we work up the energy to post about Siem Reap, Cambodia and Chiang Mai, Thailand...
Saturday, December 18, 2010
counting my blessings
Me on the left sporting the bowl cut. Thrilled to be in a pink dress. Taiwanese Whitney Houston "sound-alike" on the right. Excited to be in a bow tie and sweater vest.
As Ari said, there was a high probability that I could have grown up to look identical to Mr. Whitney Houston.
Somehow this really puts things into perspective.
hahaha
Happy Holidays!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Musik Indonesia
Apparently YouTube has advanced copyright protection, so I'm now trying Yahoo Video. Please let me know if this works. Also, let me know if anyone wants me to send them the higher quality mp3 version.
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Had to repost.. I guess the video file didn't work before.
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Saturday, December 11, 2010
Anthony Bourdain in Indonesia
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Bule gila masuk Hong Kong
I arrived in Jakarta on Monday morning and spent the day killing time using the internet and drinking coffee. My plan was to meet up with Lia from CouchSurfing for dinner, and then take a cab to the airport and sleep on some benches. (Damairia - thanks so much for your offer! I just thought it would be easiest to sleep at the airport since my flight left so early.) Anyways, Lia showed up with several other friends, and after dinner we went to one of their apartments. We hung out until 2 AM, and from there I took a cab to the airport. I was able to take a shower and even take a nap for an hour. Thanks Lia et al! By now I'm completely sold on the CouchSurfing project. It's such a great global support network for travelers.
Jakarta CouchSurfing crew (click the image to zoom in).
I previously mentioned that I was traveling light. Well, this is it! It was quite a lesson in minimalism. I used this day pack for the entire month in Sumatra, and I LOVED it! I never felt that I was missing anything, except that one time when I dropped my soap down the toilet..
And finally.. From one month in Sumatra (left) to one day in Hong Kong (right).
Jakarta CouchSurfing crew (click the image to zoom in).
I previously mentioned that I was traveling light. Well, this is it! It was quite a lesson in minimalism. I used this day pack for the entire month in Sumatra, and I LOVED it! I never felt that I was missing anything, except that one time when I dropped my soap down the toilet..
And finally.. From one month in Sumatra (left) to one day in Hong Kong (right).Saturday, December 4, 2010
Moving on
I've been CouchSurfing in Bandar Lampung for a couple of days now. Later today I will take an overnight bus to Jakarta, stay there for one night, and then it's back to Hong Kong. My current plan is to walk around Jakarta all day with my uber-light pack and then sleep at the airport, since none of my last-minute CouchSurfing requests came through. That's a lesson for me: Next time contact more people!
Jakarta, one of the largest cities in the world, has a population of over 22 million. It's nicknamed the big Durian, but I've been told that the name has nothing to do with the smell.. Silvi's cousin David, who is from Jakarta, taught me a local saying: Better to be with your mother-in-law than in Jakarta. No offense to all the mother-in-laws!
Silvi, my host, and her entire family have been great. I haven't been this well fed since Hong Kong (ok, maybe in Penang). Silvi has previously hosted two Couch Surfers are they both only knew one word: Terima kasih (thank you), and Silvi's non-English speaking parents are so excited that I can speak some Indonesian that they are always trying to help me learn more.
Clockwise from me: Silvi, Purwati, and Silvi's sister Vera.
Silvi's cousin David
Bapak Rudy
Ibu Lydia
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Jakarta, one of the largest cities in the world, has a population of over 22 million. It's nicknamed the big Durian, but I've been told that the name has nothing to do with the smell.. Silvi's cousin David, who is from Jakarta, taught me a local saying: Better to be with your mother-in-law than in Jakarta. No offense to all the mother-in-laws!
Silvi, my host, and her entire family have been great. I haven't been this well fed since Hong Kong (ok, maybe in Penang). Silvi has previously hosted two Couch Surfers are they both only knew one word: Terima kasih (thank you), and Silvi's non-English speaking parents are so excited that I can speak some Indonesian that they are always trying to help me learn more.
Clockwise from me: Silvi, Purwati, and Silvi's sister Vera.
Silvi's cousin David
Bapak Rudy
Ibu Lydia---
There was an earthquake in Padang two days ago, less than a week after I left. It was a relatively small earthquake (4.x), but it caused a lot of panic because of the recent tsunami and since the city was nearly destroyed by an earthquake a few years ago. I contacted all of my Padang friends and they are all safe.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Jalan-jalan
Two weeks ago there was an earthquake at sea and a tsunami hit the Mantawi islands near Padang. I don't know how these things work, but there is apparently still a tsunami warning in effect for Bengkulu. I'm not dumb. I did search for news on the area before I went to Bengkulu, but I didn't see anything in English. While chatting with some drivers, one mentioned something about a tsunami to me. "Siap mati?" (Ready to die?), he asked. Siap, I replied. "And you?", I asked. Siap. We gave each other a high-five and laughed. Since my Indonesian comprehension is still a little lacking, I figured he was joking. Later that night when talking to a Chinese/Indonesian family, the mother mentioned the tsunami warning and asked if I was afriad. I told her that she didn't seem afraid, so why should I be? She answered "We're not afraid because we have God." Perhaps I should be afraid, I thought. You'll be glad to know that I am now far away from Bengkulu and out of harms way.
I chatted with the Chinese/Indonesian family for over an hour, and the mother was surprised that I hadn't seen anything in Bengkulu and was leaving the next day, so she ordered her 14 year old son to take me on a motorcycle tour of the city. We saw an old British fort, the beach, night market, Chinese neighborhood, and mall. I'm impressed by how clean the city is.
Last night I arrived in Krui. Today I walked around town and then headed to the beach. Near the beach was a family cutting up three goats. They called me over. I ended up chatting with them for a couple of hours while they cut up the goats into tiny pieces to make satay (grilled meat on a stick). I ate grilled goat testicle. I was a little hesitant, but I would come across as arrogant if I declined the offer. It wasn't too bad. It was salty, fatty, and had slight bitter taste. When they asked if I liked it, I responded "It's my first time having it." Since that answer was too vague, they asked again. I responded "Mmmmmmmm," still being completely vague. I didn't dislike it, but I wouldn't say that I liked it. Later I came back and played a big 10 vs 10 soccer match with all of the boys.
I'm off to Bandar Lampung in the morning, the last stop in Sumatra before Jakarta. I checked the guide book earlier today and it seems that the town is lacking in budget accommodation, so early this evening I decided to see if there were any CouchSurfing hosts there. There were three. I messaged them all, applogizing for the short notice (since I'm arriving tomorrow), and giving them my cell phone number. One responded! So I will go stay with Silvi of Bandar Lampung tomorrow.
I chatted with the Chinese/Indonesian family for over an hour, and the mother was surprised that I hadn't seen anything in Bengkulu and was leaving the next day, so she ordered her 14 year old son to take me on a motorcycle tour of the city. We saw an old British fort, the beach, night market, Chinese neighborhood, and mall. I'm impressed by how clean the city is.
Last night I arrived in Krui. Today I walked around town and then headed to the beach. Near the beach was a family cutting up three goats. They called me over. I ended up chatting with them for a couple of hours while they cut up the goats into tiny pieces to make satay (grilled meat on a stick). I ate grilled goat testicle. I was a little hesitant, but I would come across as arrogant if I declined the offer. It wasn't too bad. It was salty, fatty, and had slight bitter taste. When they asked if I liked it, I responded "It's my first time having it." Since that answer was too vague, they asked again. I responded "Mmmmmmmm," still being completely vague. I didn't dislike it, but I wouldn't say that I liked it. Later I came back and played a big 10 vs 10 soccer match with all of the boys.
I'm off to Bandar Lampung in the morning, the last stop in Sumatra before Jakarta. I checked the guide book earlier today and it seems that the town is lacking in budget accommodation, so early this evening I decided to see if there were any CouchSurfing hosts there. There were three. I messaged them all, applogizing for the short notice (since I'm arriving tomorrow), and giving them my cell phone number. One responded! So I will go stay with Silvi of Bandar Lampung tomorrow.
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