After returning to Shanghai, I had one week before heading back to Phoenix, and it flew by in such a blur. I honestly wasn't mentally ready to leave. I've come to the opinion that the problem with plane travel is that there'e no "travel" involved--one minute, I'm in an air-conditioned airport in Shanghai, listening to Chinese chatter. A few (well, 11) hours later, I'm in an air-conditioned airport in Vancouver, surrounded by English. Very disorienting.
Overall I am glad to be home, although all those pesky things I've put off thinking about while in China have all leapt up on me. I have mini panic attacks when I do grad school research--there are so many things to think about and consider, like applications, GREs, funding, worry about my own qualifications and/or lack thereof. Then there is the usual parental pressure which makes things even harder. I almost want to just work instead or move to a third world country where no one can trace me. But immediate concerns are finding a place to live (thank goodness I already have two great friends to be roommates with) and finding a job for this year.
In high school, I decided to study architecture only in my last year. I don't remember what it felt like to make that decision against my parents' very strong wishes for me to go into medicine/engineering/something befitting a star Chinese-American pupil. Was I merely rebelliously defiant? Mostly apprehensive? I've completely fallen off the ambitious, self-glorifying track but I'm not sure where to get back on. Join the ranks of Starbucks baristas? They sure seem happy about working there... I don't think I've lowered my standards of success, but rather I just see success differently now.
7/13/2010
Sabaidy...
is hello in Lao! Luang Prabang is a small, quaint, laid-back town that's full of Buddhist monks and French baguettes. Even though tourism is growing quickly there, there is still a relaxed atmosphere that is very different from Thailand and Cambodia; no tuk-tuk drivers hassliing you, no bedraggled children tugging on your sleeve pitifully, no vendors constantly calling out "Lady lady, look look!" The two days I spent there were the best part of my trip in every sense.
The town is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its mixed cultural traditions, and the fusion of French and Lao culture produces some amazing things. The National Museum is in the French Beaux Arts style, but is full of Lao motifs. Sandwich carts sell Lao style sandwiches on fresh baguettes. There is such wonderful thing as a banana expresso smoothie. I spent most of my time traveling with Paran, a Sri Lankan Australian guy who was chief navigator (very fortunate for me, I have an atrocious sense for directions) and together we toured the town and had tons of Lao food. I felt like a lot of the food was just like Chinese stir fry, with slightly different flavors, but there are a few unique dishes: laap, which is kinda like cooked ceviche with fresh bean sprouts; Mekong riverweed chips, seasoned with sesame seeds and garlic; fish steamed in a banana leaf with dill; and traditional Lao sticky rice, which is eaten with the hands and magically only sticks to itself but not to you. But seriously, a third of our diet consisted of strong Lao coffee and fresh fruit shakes with condensed milk, both equally addicting.
In the morning we would watch the hundreds of monks walking through the streets collecting alms. After several hours of wat-hopping, we'd take a long, long lunch break and wait the midday heat out at Utopia, a utopic cafe built on a bamboo platform over the Mekong River. At night, after a 10,000 kip ($1.25) all you can eat street food meal, we would go to the night market, which is probably the most laidback market in the world...it seems like vendors really don't care if you buy anything, which makes souvenir shopping actually pleasant. Then back to the hostel to watch the World Cup with an ice cold Beerlao and to chat with the young staff who are trying to improve their English. We also went to see the Kuang Si waterfall park nearby, but most of the time we just relaxed and did nothing...a perfect vacation.
The capital Vientiane is quite boring in comparison, since it's in the awkward stage of not quite a big city, although the international food scene there is amazing. I'm all about eating local food, but I decided to splurge ($5) at a French restaurant and I do not regret it. After an uneventful half day there, I took a 13 hour overnight bus to Bangkok and saw a few more sights, some not worth seeing. Khao San road was awful, full of drunk tourists and annoying vendors. I was too cheap to pay 350 baht for the royal palace, but I really enjoyed Jim Thompson's House Museum. He was an American architect who was in the CIA, fell in love with Thailand while stationed there, revived its silk industry, built an amazing traditional teakwood house, and then one day just disappeared in Malaysia and was never found.
On the bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, I was reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and I came across the line "Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive". At the time I didn't appreciate the statement; it was an excruciatingly slow 12 hour ride on winding mountain roads with poor AC and broken seats, as well as 30 obnoxious British backpackers. But there really is something addictive about traveling, about following your progress on a map and watching the scenery slowly change outside your window. Already I'm planning my next trip, any suggestions are welcome.
The town is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its mixed cultural traditions, and the fusion of French and Lao culture produces some amazing things. The National Museum is in the French Beaux Arts style, but is full of Lao motifs. Sandwich carts sell Lao style sandwiches on fresh baguettes. There is such wonderful thing as a banana expresso smoothie. I spent most of my time traveling with Paran, a Sri Lankan Australian guy who was chief navigator (very fortunate for me, I have an atrocious sense for directions) and together we toured the town and had tons of Lao food. I felt like a lot of the food was just like Chinese stir fry, with slightly different flavors, but there are a few unique dishes: laap, which is kinda like cooked ceviche with fresh bean sprouts; Mekong riverweed chips, seasoned with sesame seeds and garlic; fish steamed in a banana leaf with dill; and traditional Lao sticky rice, which is eaten with the hands and magically only sticks to itself but not to you. But seriously, a third of our diet consisted of strong Lao coffee and fresh fruit shakes with condensed milk, both equally addicting.
In the morning we would watch the hundreds of monks walking through the streets collecting alms. After several hours of wat-hopping, we'd take a long, long lunch break and wait the midday heat out at Utopia, a utopic cafe built on a bamboo platform over the Mekong River. At night, after a 10,000 kip ($1.25) all you can eat street food meal, we would go to the night market, which is probably the most laidback market in the world...it seems like vendors really don't care if you buy anything, which makes souvenir shopping actually pleasant. Then back to the hostel to watch the World Cup with an ice cold Beerlao and to chat with the young staff who are trying to improve their English. We also went to see the Kuang Si waterfall park nearby, but most of the time we just relaxed and did nothing...a perfect vacation.
The capital Vientiane is quite boring in comparison, since it's in the awkward stage of not quite a big city, although the international food scene there is amazing. I'm all about eating local food, but I decided to splurge ($5) at a French restaurant and I do not regret it. After an uneventful half day there, I took a 13 hour overnight bus to Bangkok and saw a few more sights, some not worth seeing. Khao San road was awful, full of drunk tourists and annoying vendors. I was too cheap to pay 350 baht for the royal palace, but I really enjoyed Jim Thompson's House Museum. He was an American architect who was in the CIA, fell in love with Thailand while stationed there, revived its silk industry, built an amazing traditional teakwood house, and then one day just disappeared in Malaysia and was never found.
On the bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, I was reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and I came across the line "Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive". At the time I didn't appreciate the statement; it was an excruciatingly slow 12 hour ride on winding mountain roads with poor AC and broken seats, as well as 30 obnoxious British backpackers. But there really is something addictive about traveling, about following your progress on a map and watching the scenery slowly change outside your window. Already I'm planning my next trip, any suggestions are welcome.
Angkor Wat/another overland border crossing
After three days of Angkor temples, Lee, Lisa and I took a long bus ride to Phnom Penh. They had an old classmate there who is working at an NGO, as seem to be all the expats in Cambodia. Even though it's exciting to get lost in a new city, it's also nice to be with someone who knows the place and what's fun about it. Shannon took us to a nice vegan Khmer restaurant, and we had some amazing curries and stir-fries.
But overall for me, Phnom Penh was a rather depressing trip. I visited the S-21 museum the first afternoon. It used to be a school, but during the Khmer Rouge's deranged regime, it was turned into a prison and interrogation center for intellectuals, monks, children, Vietnamese, and later on even the party's own members. In many ways, I was more touched than when I saw the Nanjing massacre museum--or at the very least, more chilled. Rusty beds and ankle shackles are still in the classrooms. The officials kept meticulous records of all their 20,000 prisoners, and their severe, black and white headshots are on exhibit in mind-numbing rows. I'm by no means superstitious, but when I walked through the hallways of tiny, brick cells, I felt as if there are ghosts there. One point of controversy for the survivors' families is that the remains at Choeung Ek (the killing fields) are either memorialized in a stupa or are still buried---Buddhist traditions call for cremation so that souls may be at rest. The killing fields were also very depressing to visit, but the grassy fields are much less jarring than the prison.
Sadness aside, Phnom Penh was actually a very nice city, despite the massive amounts of construction and car exhaust. I suppose that's the price of modernization. I would have liked to do a cyclo architecture tour and learn more about the French history as well as the New Khmer Architecture movement, but my itinerary was relentless...bus to Pakse, Laos and then plane to Luang Prabang.
I want to describe the border crossing, since I had some trouble finding information on this online and maybe this can help other travelers. As of this year, VOA for overland crossings is available for the Cambodia-Laos crossing--you do not need to get a visa in Phnom Penh, unless you just want the extra peace of mind. I took a 12 hour bus from Phnom Penh to Pakse with Soray Transport for $26, which seems to be the only transportation option. The first travel place told me there was a 9 hour minibus, but upon further inquiry, it was no longer in service and 9 hours would have been impossible anyway.
The ride was uneventful, up until we got close to the border. The Sorya bus guy told us we would all have to pay $1 on the Cambodian side and $2 on the Laos side for fees--but he would take care of everything for us if we gave him just $1 more. Everyone just ignored him, which was good because it turned out that the border crossing is incredibly easy. Pay $1 for who knows what at the Cambodian side, get some stamps. Walk maybe 30 meters to the Laos side. Pay for your visa and $1 for overtime at the first window. Walk to the next window and pay another $1 overtime fee to get your passport back. All the overtime fees are BS, since there's no way you can possibly get to the border before 4 PM, but it's not worth the arguing to get out of it, because the guards won't budge.
By the time we got to Pakse exactly 12 hours after starting, it was dark and pouring rain. I paid $3 for a tuk-tuk ride to a hostel, and then left the next day for Luang Prabang. Not much to do in Pakse.
But overall for me, Phnom Penh was a rather depressing trip. I visited the S-21 museum the first afternoon. It used to be a school, but during the Khmer Rouge's deranged regime, it was turned into a prison and interrogation center for intellectuals, monks, children, Vietnamese, and later on even the party's own members. In many ways, I was more touched than when I saw the Nanjing massacre museum--or at the very least, more chilled. Rusty beds and ankle shackles are still in the classrooms. The officials kept meticulous records of all their 20,000 prisoners, and their severe, black and white headshots are on exhibit in mind-numbing rows. I'm by no means superstitious, but when I walked through the hallways of tiny, brick cells, I felt as if there are ghosts there. One point of controversy for the survivors' families is that the remains at Choeung Ek (the killing fields) are either memorialized in a stupa or are still buried---Buddhist traditions call for cremation so that souls may be at rest. The killing fields were also very depressing to visit, but the grassy fields are much less jarring than the prison.
Sadness aside, Phnom Penh was actually a very nice city, despite the massive amounts of construction and car exhaust. I suppose that's the price of modernization. I would have liked to do a cyclo architecture tour and learn more about the French history as well as the New Khmer Architecture movement, but my itinerary was relentless...bus to Pakse, Laos and then plane to Luang Prabang.
___________________
I want to describe the border crossing, since I had some trouble finding information on this online and maybe this can help other travelers. As of this year, VOA for overland crossings is available for the Cambodia-Laos crossing--you do not need to get a visa in Phnom Penh, unless you just want the extra peace of mind. I took a 12 hour bus from Phnom Penh to Pakse with Soray Transport for $26, which seems to be the only transportation option. The first travel place told me there was a 9 hour minibus, but upon further inquiry, it was no longer in service and 9 hours would have been impossible anyway.
The ride was uneventful, up until we got close to the border. The Sorya bus guy told us we would all have to pay $1 on the Cambodian side and $2 on the Laos side for fees--but he would take care of everything for us if we gave him just $1 more. Everyone just ignored him, which was good because it turned out that the border crossing is incredibly easy. Pay $1 for who knows what at the Cambodian side, get some stamps. Walk maybe 30 meters to the Laos side. Pay for your visa and $1 for overtime at the first window. Walk to the next window and pay another $1 overtime fee to get your passport back. All the overtime fees are BS, since there's no way you can possibly get to the border before 4 PM, but it's not worth the arguing to get out of it, because the guards won't budge.
By the time we got to Pakse exactly 12 hours after starting, it was dark and pouring rain. I paid $3 for a tuk-tuk ride to a hostel, and then left the next day for Luang Prabang. Not much to do in Pakse.
Bangkok to Angkor Wat
I got to Bangkok the 17th and stayed 2 days, but honestly I didn't do all that much. I felt like it's a great city if you like shopping, drinking or lady boys, but those aren't exactly my favorite pursuits... The highlight for me was Wat Pho. The day I went, there were hardly any visitors so I just wandered around the maze of courtyards. Eventually I got to the sanctuary with the world's biggest reclining Buddha, a giant, gold-leafed Buddha with a cheeky grin. You can pay 20 baht for a bowl of little coins, which you drop one by one into a row of about 50 pots all along the wall. Throughout the whole temple you can hear the "plink plink" sound of coins.
I got to Cambodia 3 days later and my first impression wasn't great. The border crossing town Poipet is basically a crappy version of Las Vegas, and everywhere people are trying their hardest to scam you. It was really difficult to know who to trust, but thankfully I had met two Italian guys (Marco and Paolo) on the bus over, so we stuck together and managed to get through. We couldn't get out of the 100 baht ""processing fee" though... Also the 34 C weather and 60% humidity made me want to lie down in an ice bath and die. By the time I actually got to Siem Reap (the town right by Angkor Wat), I was hot, cranky, and exhausted.
However, I ended up really enjoying the place. I met up with a flagship friend and his fiance, and we were temple trekking every day. The Angkor temples are beautiful, and even though I've gotten all the names mixed up, I have a lot of photos of intricate stone carvings, weathered stone faces, and jungle trees splitting apart entire stone foundations. Other than the incredible heat, I enjoyed every minute and even gotten used to being constantly sweaty and covered with red dust. The pace of life is very slow, and I miss the midday naps, reading during the afternoon rainstorms and 50 cent banana pancakes at night.
I got to Cambodia 3 days later and my first impression wasn't great. The border crossing town Poipet is basically a crappy version of Las Vegas, and everywhere people are trying their hardest to scam you. It was really difficult to know who to trust, but thankfully I had met two Italian guys (Marco and Paolo) on the bus over, so we stuck together and managed to get through. We couldn't get out of the 100 baht ""processing fee" though... Also the 34 C weather and 60% humidity made me want to lie down in an ice bath and die. By the time I actually got to Siem Reap (the town right by Angkor Wat), I was hot, cranky, and exhausted.
However, I ended up really enjoying the place. I met up with a flagship friend and his fiance, and we were temple trekking every day. The Angkor temples are beautiful, and even though I've gotten all the names mixed up, I have a lot of photos of intricate stone carvings, weathered stone faces, and jungle trees splitting apart entire stone foundations. Other than the incredible heat, I enjoyed every minute and even gotten used to being constantly sweaty and covered with red dust. The pace of life is very slow, and I miss the midday naps, reading during the afternoon rainstorms and 50 cent banana pancakes at night.
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