profoundfluxpudding

I got off the airplane in KL about two hours before I had to meet Tom Abang Saufi, a famous Malaysian designer. This would have been easy except that the airport is one hour away from downtown and I had no idea where her home was in relation to my hotel. And I could not figure out how to buy a bus ticket. Lost at the airport and under a time restrain, I stopped the first friendly face and asked for directions. Luckily for me, the friendly face was a British girl who had been traveling for the past six months and had been to KL a bunch of times. She must have sympathy for confused travelers because she took me to the ticket booth. We sat next to each other on the bus. When it started to downpour she offered me an umbrella from Sri Lanka. I gratefully accepted.

Once on the bus, I was worried that I would not make it to my hotel and the the interview in time. It was fate that the bus stop, KL Sentral was located right next to my hotel. I received an amazing deal at Le Meridien for one night through a friend.

I made it to the interview in time. As we were chatting, Saufi asked if I had evening plans. Of course I did not. So she invited me to attend a fashion show with her. My first night in Malaysia and I was sitting between two sister designers at a fashion show for the Prime Minister and Royal family. I literally rubbed shoulders with royalty. I was so excited to be there, but so self-conscious of my vintage Bangkok dress that showed my knees. Everyone around me was covered from head to toe and I stuck out like a hernia. Carrie Bradshaw would have been dressed in the traditional wear …. I have a suspicion this will not be my last fashion show as a journalist. Next time I will dress better!

Back at Le Meridien, I needed help with everything. I was probably just overtired, but I called the operator a number of times to ask how to change the air conditioning settings and how to get on the internet. By the end of the night they knew me by my first name: “How can we help you, Julia?”

I spent the day today shopping in Bangsar and then attending a girl’s day out sponsored by the main fashion blog in KL, http://www.tonguechic.com/. I loved chatting with the managing editor and she offered so much knowledge. I wish I had more time in KL to check out all the street markets and shops she told me about.

Now I am sitting at Bubu bar in Bukit Bintang. When I could not plug in my computer charger because I did not have an adapter, the owner of the bar (sitting next to me) sent one of his staff to buy one.  When the owner saw me awkwardly adjusting because the bar was too high, he brought me a pillow. I feel like the Princess in the Pea.

This weekend has been exhausting, but successful. I could not have done it without the help along the way (maybe I’ve been in Hanoi for too long, but I am shocked every time someone goes out of his/her own way to lend some help).

Visit Kuala Lumpur:

STAY: Le Meridien or Green Hut. Take a guess at which one offers free wifi…

SHOP: I can’t divulge too much info. But do check out tonguechic.com

EAT: I basically ran around the whole weekend, subsisting on Starbucks and nuts. But did get an organic/vegan meal at Woods

SEE: Oops, I only saw malls, stores, fashion shows, and a fashion event. I guess I have to come back to discover what else the city has to offer.

From something as small as soap to something as big as Angkor Wat, Siem Reap is full of awesomeness:

1. The temples – this is obvious. Besides the famed Angkor Wat, there are many more amazing temples. Some of the other ones we saw: Angkor Thom, Bayon, the Women’s Temple, and the Jungle Temple.  I felt really sick during the tour of the Jungle Temple – but still found it amazing. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was filmed here.
2. Wanderlust store – I love the owner of this store and everything in it. Read about it in the Huffington Post article I wrote  on the founder of Wanderlust.
3. Our tour guide Phal. In his spare time, he coordinates the building of wells for communities near Siem Reap. Just $100 can build a well for 6 families. He also encouraged these communities to set up small stores and now they sell some really cool bracelets made from repurposed water bottles. All around awesome.
4. Gourmet Khmer food. Especially loved lunch at Sugar Palm  and dinner at Aha.
5. The land mine museum was especially powerful. The soap sold at the museum, created by NYU School of Design students to “wash away the mines” is a great example of using design for good.
6. Tuk tuk rides to the temples.
7. Bicycling through the village with my mom and dad. And then relaxing at the pool afterwards.
8. The beautiful and extravagant suite at Le Residence. My parents deserve that level of luxury, not me. But luckily, they are generous to share. Everyone knew our name at this place!
9. I got lots great recommendations from friends. We couldn’t even try them all! Be sure to have brunch at the Grand hotel, pastries at Blue Pumpkin, drinks at the FCC, Khmer food at Viroth’s and Continental food at Nest.
10. My floppy hat. I bought this hat in Bangkok for a few bucks. It saved me on in Siem Reap during the hottest month of the year. And, as my sister pointed out from the pictures – it totally pulled together all my outfits.

I have been in Bangkok for one week now. Despite the fact that I still have to sit at a desk from 9-5, I have taken this opportunity to explore the city. Here are some of my favorite spots so far. I don’t pretend to be an expert on this city, but if I had to write a New York Times 36 hours in Bangkok or a Daily Candy Goes to Bangkok, this is what I would include:

Saturday

MORNING: Even if you had a late night at Zense enjoying great cocktails at the sky bar in Central World, wake up early to go for a walk or jog at Chatachuk park before it gets too hot (MRT/BTS Mo Chit). When you are sufficiently sweaty and hungry, walk over to the MRT and go one stop south to Kamphaeng Phet. Here you will find a beautiful fruit and vegetable market. There are also several venders cooking up every Thai dish under the sun. I strongly recommend the fresh fruit juices and the coconut sweets.

If you are not in dire need of a shower, cross the street and take this opportunity to explore the Chatachuk Weekend market. According to Lonely Planet, this market sets the standards for markets around the world. It is huge and overwhelming, but filled with so many treasures – from dog clothes to house plants. My favorite parts of this market are the endless amounts of hipster tees and vintage dresses. Nancy Chandler’s map is really helpful and can come in handy if you get lost somewhere around the army attire.

AFTERNOON: No time to rest because the Grand Palace closes at 4 PM! This place is swarming with tourists so its hard to concentrate on its beauty  and history. Everyone jokes about the tour guides holding up umbrellas, but they are for real here. I was angry because the guard did not think my knee length skirt was long enough or that my wrap sufficiently covered my shoulder so I had to rent clothes to wear. Its an important site to see, but get out of the tourist trap as fast as possible and head down to the river. For 3 baht, take a ferry across to stop 10 and go to Wan Long market, a second hand market with no tourists. You have to dig around a bit, but the market is full of  vintage dresses and shirts, acid washed jeans, gems, vests, and shoes. Grab some street food for a snack if you are tired/hungry. I recommend the rice crepes with raisins.

EVENING: Head back across the river and walk to Khao San Road, where backpacker culture began. If you do this soon, you might walk through the Red Shirts camp like I did. I was nervous to be walking into a government protest, but it turned out fine. There is even more shopping to do on Khao San, but at this point, it all might start to blend together! Its time for a drink! Sit by one of the outdoor bars and enjoy some fine people-watching.

Eat some pad thai on the street before heading over to Suansae Bar and Mertz art space. This place was created by a group of young Thai friends and is at the epicenter of Thai hipster culture. Enjoy a movie in the art space followed by a discussion.  The party goes on all night long on Khao Son Road. You may find yourself swept up and taken to a bar in the heart of the red shirts camp. If not, look here for more bars and going-ons in this area this traditionally backpacker area that has been reclaimed by hip young Thais.

Sunday

MORNING: grab a smoothie and some vegetarian food at Banana Family Park in Ari. There are delicious smoothies and food that is so yummy that most people cannot believe its meatless… If you need more market time, jump on the BTS and go two stops to Mo Chit for round two of Chatuchak. If you are done with that craziness, get a Thai message at Body Tune, right next to the BTS stop in Ari.

AFTERNOON: Spend the hottest hours of the day at the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center. The place has spunky, funky exhibits ranging from wall graffiti to influences from Japanese pop art. Apparently, since World War II, Japan is the country that has had the most influence on Thailand and this is visible through art. There is also an art library on the first floor. This is a trendy place to grab a coffee and read a book. There is a really cool ice cream shop with flavors like global warming.

MBK is right across the street – enter this shopping center and gawk at all the gadgets and stuff you never knew you could buy.

Its hot outside, but don’t less this dissuade you from taking a HOT YOGA class at Absolute Yoga (BTS Chit Lom). If visiting the Grand Palace gives you a taste of history, taking a yoga class among the fitness-minded modern Thais gives you a taste of today’s culture. There are nice showers so that you can refresh for the evening.

EVENING: End your busy weekend with a relaxing evening of hummus and shisha on Soi Arab. Experience the cross-roads of culture and wonder at how much Bangkok has to offer.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS (compiled from my trip and insight from Bangkok residents and friends who have visited):

• Suan Lum night bazaar
• evening flower market in Chinatown
• Wat Pho and Wat Arun temples
• Jim Thompson House
• Saxophone at Victory Monument (Thursday nights are best). There is lots of street food outside
• Prime Massage – ask for Jit or Bob
• Dasa used bookstore/cafe (near Phrom Pong BTS)

At exactly this time last year, I had fled finals at Dartmouth to join my mom for a weekend yoga retreat at Kripalu, a famous yoga retreat center in western Massachusetts. On the first night of the retreat, I received an email on my Blackberry that I was being considered for a position in Hanoi, Vietnam through Princeton in Asia. For the next few days, as I tried to concentrate on my breathing and yoga practice, my mind kept wandering as I envisioned what my life might be like in Vietnam.

Well, now I am in Vietnam and in some ways, life has been completely different to anything I knew before, but some things never change. I am still attending yoga retreats.  I just returned from a fantastic weekend in Mai Chau. The yoga studio I go to here (in NYC I made a hobby out  of exploring new studios, in Hanoi there is only one to choose from) organized the whole weekend so all I had to do was show up for the bus. There was no big name rockstar yogi, but it was just as rejuvenating and came at a fraction of the price of Kripalu.

The retreat was held at Mai Chau lodge, a beautiful hotel about four hours outside of Hanoi. Since my friend Betty and I signed up late, we had to stay inside the lodge instead of in one of the traditional-looking cottages.  The room was much more luxurious than the cell my mom and I stayed in at Kripalu.

We practiced yoga both in an outdoor space over the water and in a massive cave. The cave was used by the Vietnamese to hold ammunitions during the war. We also did some meditation, including a meditative walk around the lake. Some of the yoga was really serious, but some of it was totally silly. I cracked up during laughter yoga, which I guess is the point….

This retreat was less rigid than the one at Kripalu. The cafeteria at Kripalu is vegan and has no refined sugar, etc. At Mai Chau, we ate delicious meals at the lodge. I tried to to stay in yoga retreat mode and did not eat any meat or desserts, but plenty of people were downing bacon, pastries, and ice cream. I did enjoy some delicious banana flower salad, spring rolls, tofu kebabs, and fresh mango juice. mmm mmm.

In addition to yoga, we went on a mountain bike ride, relaxed by the pool, explored the huge cave, and had a chance to go to a local market to buy some ethnic handicrafts. At Kripalu, extracurricular activities included a walk through a meditation garden.

During the nights at Mai Chau, there was some traditional singing and dancing. Everyone was encouraged to join the stick dancing and hold hands and walk in circles. This reminded me of the Krishna Das concert at Kripalu where people were so moved by the devotional chanting that they stood up and danced in a holy trance.

It is great to finally be part of a yoga community in Hanoi and a treat to be able to attend a luxurious retreat in Mai Chau. I did not get much of a feel for Mai Chau so I might want to go back there some day to spend more time trekking and biking and interacting with locals.

Well, soon I will have to make more decisions about my future. To some extent, meditation has helped and I no longer fret. I know that whatever I am doing and wherever I am,  I will still be me – going to yoga retreats and falling over with laughter during laughing yoga.

* I will add some really cool pictures to my Flickr account soon!

*This is really in-depth and probably not that interesting unless you really love me or you are planning a trip to Burma.

DAY 5:

• Spent the morning enjoying the relaxing town around Inlay Lake. We bicycled 45 minutes on a rural path to a hot springs. The road seemed to go to no where, so we climbed a deserted pagoda for a better view. Sure enough, the hot springs were just around the corner! There were only a few other people there. Each pool got hotter and I felt my circulation and digestive system improving with each wince of heat. We another typical multi-course meal at Smiling Moon. I was most excited by the avocado with rice crackers and fried bananas. We relished every moment of the day and finally showed up at the hotel at 4 pm to begin another long drive to Mandalay.
• The roads were not good. In some parts, they were just dirt. We shook and rattled for many hours. We stopped to get dinner along the road and continued driving into the night. We finally arrived at the ET hotel in Mandalay at 2 am.  From my 2 am viewpoint, Mandalay seemed big, dirty, and unspectacular.

DAY 6:

• We spent the day around Mandalay. It is the places nearby that drive tourists to this sprawling and dusty city. We wanted to be in the monastery at Amarapura by 10:30 AM so that we could see the thousands of monks line up and eat breakfast. This turned out to be kind of uncomfortable because there were many tourists who wanted to watch monks eat.  We felt guilty taking photos and quickly left to go to the longest teak bridge in the world.
• The bridge was also a touristy attraction, but the little cafe that we found to drink a strawberry drink at was authentic and delicious (The outhouse I peed in afterwards was also authentic, but not delicious).
• Next, we went to Sagaing Hill, a hillside that is full of monasteries and pagodas. It is the place were monks go when they are stressed out. One monk quietly showed us around. He kept wanting to take photos of me in particular places with my camera. What I really wanted was a photo of him taking a photo because his maroon robe matched my camera perfectly.
• Stopped by a few more pagodas, got picked up by another monk who sat down with us for tea, and then headed back to the city.
• That night, we walked through a night market on our way to see The Mustache Brothers – the comedy/dancing troupe that is infamous for criticizing the government.  The main guy talked about how the government was rich and the people were poor, about how the government is always watching, and about one of the brothers that was sentenced to jail. And then there was a lot of silly dancing.
• We tried to grab a late dinner, but the city was dead by 10 pm. We finally found some Indian briyani on the street, but the little children begging by my side made me completely lose my appetite.

DAY 7:

• We rented bikes for the day – a clutch decision.
• Started the day with a climb up Mandalay Hill to a pagoda. I really enjoyed the morning stair workout. Besides this hill, the city is completely flat.
• There just was not that much to do in Mandalay and it was hot so we decided to go to the pool. The local Olympic-sized pool looked great for swimming laps, but not that inviting for reading besides it. We sauntered in with an affected air to the Mandalay Hill Resort and enjoyed a lovely afternoon of dipping in the pool and reading. It was a nice break for us, but seriously, I cannot believe that people would come to Myanmar to stay at 5-star resorts and hang out by the pool the whole time. What’s the point? If that is what you want, sit by the beach in Thailand!
• After a five-star shower, went to TooToo, a home style restaurant. While it is listed as a MUST go in Lonely Planet, there are no signs of it selling out to tourists. Completely authentic mush!!
• Savored our last hours playing connect four in a bar and then at 8 pm, began the overnight drive back to Yangon. This drive was really scary because I knew the driver must be getting tired. The night was a complete haze of roadside tea and peeing off the side of the road.

DAY 8:

• Finally arrived back in Yangon around 10 AM. I was dizzy and exhausted.  I really wanted to run the Hash House Harriers at 3 pm so I set out to energize myself: a lemongrass drink, a lime drink, and a coffee drink.
• Still felt woozy, but really wanted to run. Good thing because the Hash turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. We met a bunch of expats and were able to get a feeling for the expat life. Turns out, they were surprisingly normal! The run was about an hour – through thatched-roof huts and dry fields. At one point, the monks and villagers were pointing us which way to go!
• By the time the run and following festivities ended, I was exhausted and satisfied. Tomorrow we would leave early and spend the day shopping at the weekend market, getting Thai massages, seeing old friends, and eating pad thai in Bangkok

People seem to want more information on this trip. Vietnam Airlines is opening up a direct flight from Hanoi – Yangon soon so I think more and more people from Hanoi plan to go to Myanmar.  While everything is still fresh in my mind, I might as well craft a little travel guide based on my trip. My friend Dave sent us a lot of information from his trip that was really helpful. There really is a dearth of information flowing in and out of Myanmar so this is my attempt to help others who want to go!

DAY 1:

• We arrived to Yangon and were met by the friendly staff from The Motherland Inn (2). This backpacker hostel is Lonely Planet’s “our pick.” It was not glamorous, but the people were really nice and there was a good breakfast. One of the staff members, Zaw Zaw, helped us plan our whole trip. He convinced us to go by car with a driver so that we could see more of the country and save time commuting around airports. I HATE car trips so was wary, but ultimately decided it was the best decision. Based on what we wanted, Zaw Zaw said we should go to Bago (spend the night in Taugwoo), Kalaw, Lake Inlay, Mandalay, Amarapura and Sagaing, and then back to Yangon
• We spent the rest of the day exploring Yangon – went to the market, ate a questionable cold rice noodle      salad (the woman mixed it with her bare hands), walked along the Strand and stopped in at one of the   fancy hotels near the British Embassy, and saw the very impressive Shwedagon Pagoda during sunset.

DAY 2 (Valentine’s Day):

• Ate a dosa for breakfast on the street (for some reason the idea of eggs at hostels makes me squirm). The dosa was delicious and we enjoyed it with Myanmar tea – like Indian tea, but not spicy and with condensed milk…hmm…. We got in our car, our home away from home for the next few days, and headed to Bago.  Our driver did not speak any English, so Aung was there to be our semi-guide. He was nice and easy-going, but did not speak enough English to really tell us much about the sites.
• Bago is like a miniature Bagan – we went to so many pagodas that it became an endurance event. After not being able to walk around and have our shoeless feet burn anymore, we decided to get our palms read. According to some guy at a pagoda in Bago, I have a brave mind and a lot of leadership capabilities (well he said some other things too, but I only chose to remember what I liked). We ate some mushy curry and headed to Taugwoo. On the way we saw a little fair and asked the driver to stop. It was such a “genuine” and not touristy experience. I bought some sticky rice in bamboo and we rode possibly the sketchiest fair ride ever.
• I think we stayed at a nice place in Taugwoo but we never saw it in the daylight because we arrived after       dark and left before dawn.

DAY 3:

• Started with one of the longest and most uncomfortable car rides of my life. We finally arrived to the quaint town of Kalaw and had lunch at Everest Nepali restaurant. We did not have time for the standard hike from Kalaw to Lake Inlay, so we did a five hour trek. It felt so great to stretch my legs.
• Our guide was a really interesting and well-educated man in his 50s. He told us  about his life and a lot about his thoughts on the government and the people. He thinks that tourists are important because they help inform Burmese people about the world outside. He asked as a lot of questions about American politics that we tried to answer as honestly as we could. He said that most people do not know about other types of government, all they know is fear. He tried to compare the Burmese people to an Aesop’s fable called “We got the leader we deserve.” His point was that the people are smiling Buddhists who do not plan for the future. Our trekking guide seemed to double as a medicine man for the towns that we visited. Ha handed out medication to an old woman and a young girl. Tourists give him money to buy medicine so we chipped in as well.
• We bought some really cool paintings from Law Ka Nat art gallery and went to Sam’s Family Restaurant for dinner.

DAY 4:

• After buying some warm blankets at the market, we are off again. I was not happy to get back in the car, but the ride to Lake Inlay was only three hours. We arrived to our hotel and immediately rented bicycles.
• Biking on retro bikes around the paths outside of town made me feel like I was in another era, in another world. I immediately thought how good of a place this would be for a fashion catalogue photo shoot.  We stopped for lunch at Green Chili, a really beautiful restaurant that looks way more expensive than it actually is.
• For the afternoon, we did our tour of the lake. I did not realize that the lake was so inaccessible – you have to get on guided motorboats to get there. The boat ride was great, but the whole tour seemed a little weird. A big draw is a monastery where bored monks have taught cats to jump…did I mention I am NOT a cat person? We went to a cigarette-making workshop and a weaving workshop. We opted out of seeing the women with long necks. These women wear metal braces that elongate their necks. It was first done so that young girls would not be attractive to men, but now more and more girls get this treatment because tourists like to take photos. Lonely Planet advised us not to stop for photos. It is times like these that you realize what profound impacts tourism can have on society. I will forever be a more conscience tourist.
• We went to a winery restaurant called The Viewpoint for dinner. Shan food is better than most Myanmar food – lots of soups, salad, and avocado! Apparently Shan kings would be served 300 plates at each meal. Five was way too much for me… Still, it was another gorgeous restaurant. Not exactly what I was expecting from Myanmar, but there is definitely some upscale tourism here (with money oftentimes going straight into the the hands of the government)

* I am really not a numbers person, but sometimes numbers can provide worthwhile insight…

• 1,000 kyat. The largest note in Myanmar is about $1 USD. When you exchange a crispy $100 bill, you receive 960 of these oversized notes that do not fit in any standard wallet. I walked around with my kyat in a rubber band in my purse.
• 15 hours. The length of our longest drive from Mandalay back to Yangon. We did this drive during the night and the roads were not as bad as some that we had been on.
• 1 in 3. A combination that people in Myanmar love. Whether it is coffee, tea, lime drink, ovaltine, or cereal, so many products are advertised as being one in three. I was guilty of enjoying many a sweet coffee combo drink.
• 400,000. About the number of monks in Myanmar (which is 90% devout Buddhist). This number is about equal to the number of army personnel that terrorize the country.
• 2005. The year that the government decided to move the capital from Yangon to Nay Pwi Daw – a random dusty wasteland that we drove past on the way to Kalaw. Some say that they moved the government for security reasons. The wide empty streets with brand new buildings are eerie. It is illegal to stop for photos.
• 1.2 km. The longest teak bridge in the world is located in Amarapura, just a few kilometers away from Mandalay. We walked across this bridge, drank a strawberry drink besides it, and took a colorful boat back to the other side.
• 7 years. The amount of time that Pa Pa Lay, one of the mustache brothers that perform a comedy routine we saw in Mandalay, was sentenced to jail for telling jokes against the government.

I returned to Hanoi yesterday morning after ten days in Bangkok and Burma. I have a lot of unpacking to do – lots of dirty clothes and souvenirs, yes – but I am referring to the experience. When I have an experience that is so far removed from my normal life, it takes me a while to digest it. Just ask my parents about the times they have picked me up from the airport after an adventure and I have remained silent because I had so much going on in my mind that I could not talk.

It will take me a few days to upload photos and relate stories of the trip, but I will start now with a video I put together called Myanmar: Sights and Sounds.

I hope this video gives some insight into the opposing sights and sounds – some harmonious and beautiful and others unsettling and a complete cacophony. I have lots of thoughts on the people, the government, Buddhism, development, and tourism that I began to wrestle with when I was hearing and seeing some of these things last week.

I am leaving in a week and a half (!) to go to Burma. When I first decided to take this trip, Burma sounded like an exotic, faraway land and I knew very little about it. In the past few weeks, I have been trying to do more research. I have received a lot of information from my boss who runs at NGO in Burma, my good friend who traveled there last year, the owner of Exotissmo tours, and a Lonely Planet writer.

There is an official travel ban on the country, but everyone I have talked to says, “go! go! go!” Lonely Planet outlines some of the ethical controversy: here. For me, experiencing something for myself makes it seem so real and I believe that after visiting Burma, I will be better able to discuss and act and have a deeper understanding of the situation.

One militant feminist urges a traveler not to visit Burma, but instead to take a vacation to San Francisco to experience human rights violations:

My suggestion to you is to go on vacation in San Francisco.

Visit a juvenile detention center and spend a night in a homeless shelter. Walk around the streets all day and see the people you have closed your eyes to. Harness all of the energy you might experience by feeling “bad” and all the money you might spend going to Burma, and figure out ways to make a difference in your own city.

Read the rest of what “Inga la Gringa” has to say here.

I respect Inga la Gringa’s sentiment, but, living in Vietnam, its a lot more local to travel to Burma than San Francisco. I am trying to be informed about the situation by reading everything I can about the country and its history and tragedies. Slate.com provided a few good suggestions.

There are a lot of things I have to consider – we are traveling for 8 days and want to see so much, but don’t want to waste half our time traveling around so what do we leave out: a trek? Bagan, a city of temples that rivals Angkor Wat?

Also of note: there are no ATMS in the whole country so it is necessary to bring in all the money that we will need in cash – my friend stresses the importance of perfectly stressed $100 bills.

I hope that my readers can learn more about this country as I do so that we can all become more informed citizens of this world.

Everyone loves the sun, but I really love it. More than that, I need it. I tell people that I have some chlorophyll cells and like plants, I need sunlight to create photosynthesis so I can survive… and then I got weird looks and they say, “you mean Vitamin D?” Whatever, I rely on the sun so much that used to have a sunlamp to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I thought moving to SE Asia would mean the end to SAD days, but I guess I should have figured the sun never rises in the winter in Hanoi.