Hitler-Mustache-Cat says Goodbye Thailand.

Today is my last day in Thailand! I fly out at midnight tonight (to Tokyo to DC to RDU!!). I can't beleive my summer is already over--I was just getting settled in to Bangkok! This summer has been amazing--I went to so many places that I never thought I'd see in my lifetime.

Now I go home to my own hitler-mustache cat and his master, pouncey. and their minder/feeder/poop scooper.

Things I'll Miss: Thailand

Thai Ice Tea! These bright orange drinks are amazing. It's basically a really sweet tea mixed with condenses milk on ice (or, frappe style means its blended with whipped cream on top). If I ever found these in the US, I would drink them everyday.

(photo: our whole intern group loved them!)

Same Same

...But Different. I stopped by a record store in Chiang Mai. The owner thought for sure all Americans loved Lynyrd Skynyrd. I'm busting stereotypes everywhere I go!

Chiang Mai Adventures!

Sometimes you have to ignore the current and just JUMP IN!

(I should make inspirational posters with all my photos)

This weekend, we went to Chiang Mai in the northern part of the country. Aside from being a few degrees cooler than Bangkok, the city is smaller and located in the mountains. We did this really cool day tour on Saturday: Elephant Trekking through the jungle, mountain biking through a village, and whitewater rafting. It was a LOT of fun!

This photo is from rafting, we all jumped off some rocks into a deep part of the river. If only I had turned to face the camera! Our tour guide, Win, took photos of us all day. Our River guide, Chai, was insane: He was a young 19-year old with one eye who thought it was funny to make us flip. He also forgot to direct us through the last rapid and we all had near-death experiences. Now, I know I exaggerate a lot. A LOT. Hyperbole is practically my middle name. But this was serious! Our entire boat flipped at the beginning of the rapids and we all tumbled out. We all held onto the boat and thought we were safe until we hit another series of rocks. I felt like i was somersaulting underwater and running into rocks. I also got caught underneath the boat and barely made it out. My friend Megan got a concussion and we are all bruised and scratched up.

It was pretty unbeleiveable since we had successfully navigated through the rougher rapids earlier! I knew we were in trouble when the other river guide who was much more experienced than our guide was freaking out and yelling at everyone to swim to the shore immediately. Also, people in the villages along the river ran down to help us out. In the end, we all survived and have an exciting story to bring back home!

more Ayutthuya, please

These photos are from the fanciest wat in Ayutthuya. the walls are lined with meditating buddhas!


MONEY SHOT. the city was abandoned hundreds of years ago when the burmese attacked (that's when the capital was moved to Bangkok). everything was abandoned and the temples turned to ruins and trees grew around everything.


buddha.


brick buddha. i love this. I LOVE BRICK!

Ayutthuya, the ancient Siamese Capital

I don't remember the name of this Wat but these were definitely the coolest. Three in a row and they were huge!


more temples


I love the saffron silks on the statues.


every wat needs a line of lions for protection

Shabu Shi

 

Dinner tonight at a sushi bar with conveyer belt.  BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!  Not only was it a buffet but you also got a pot of boiling soup and could make your own noodle soup with ingredients on the belt.  It may exist in the USA but I still enjoyed it a lot!

Phi Phi Island, Krabi

 

The Canon Powershot SD1000 does not dissappoint.

Durian Fruit

 

Dried durian shells.  Durian is this fruit that smells disgusting like sewer.  Somehow people are able to tolerate it and they love it.  

Penang, Malaysia's British-Asian Phuket

Penang is an island on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. It's kind of like Phuket: famous beach resort island. But, it has a much more interesting history: it's mostly populated by Chinese, but was a British colony for a long time. It's mix of historic architecture is A-Mazing. I loved it! I also loved spending a full day next to the pool at our hotel. And, the food: the island has attracted people from all over the world and has some of the best indian and middle eastern food.


Malaysia has some really nice examples of sino-portugese shophouses. or, chinese shophouses. or just shophouses. Thailand is full of buildings like these but i haven't seen as many interesting ones as I did in Penang. I took a bunch of photos of the front of these buildings and I want to arrange them into a large poster and print it out and frame it (kind of like those posters of various doors in cities). These shophouses are pretty self-explanatory: shop on the ground floor, owner lives above. They usually have porch-areas in the front and doors can vary from regular-sized to the entire front face.


Another nice shophouse.


You can see why I'd describe it as "Charleston meets China"

Boy oh Boy, does time fly.

a Chinese temple in Penang.

i have two busy weeks and suddenly, i'm behind on posts and only 10 days away from saying goodbye to Thailand!

Let me catch up...

So after Malaysia, work kicked into high gear as we started "seeing the light at the end of the tunnel" and also realized our deadlines were soon. I went back down to Phang-nga last week and just returned tonight. My last trip to the province was mostly tying loose ends and coordinating with the rest of my team for our presentation on Thursday to community members in Phang-nga. I spent the weekend in Phuket (one last time!) and went on a boat tour of some nearby islands. I went snorkelling for the first time ever which was awesome! My heart sank a little when I saw ignorant tourists stabbing coral with sticks and did my best to yell at them underwater (it was especially sad since I'm here to promote sustainable tourism!).

Now for the last 10 days....we have to make another big presentations to our company, Kenan Institute Asia, next week. This weekend we are squeezing in a visit to Chang Mai. It will be fun--Chang Mai is supposed to have great shopping and amazing history (and buildings!). And, its supposed to be a little cooler than the rest of the country--that will be a relief.

Other "last-minute-to-do" items include visiting various bars and restaurants that I haven't been to yet, picking up my 2 custom-made shirts from the tailor, visiting the night market in Bangkok, and doing a little more souvenir shopping.

also, i apologize for a lack of postcard sending. post offices are tucked away in buildings so they fail to serve as visual reminders. also, souvenir shops typically have a really bad selection for some weird reason.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Truly Asia)

Some photos from my walk through Kuala Lumpur!

This is in Merdeka Square, an old parades ground/cricket field. The grounds are behind me. You can see the KL tower in the background.


I'd call this Rainbow Row.


I LOVED old buildings in KL--they were always concrete or stucco with bright windows or doors!


Traffic.


Islamic architecture.

Petronas Towers

 

or Malaysian abstract art

More sunset

 

It sets every night and every night it's a show worth documenting!

Sunset at the Anantara

 

The Anantara

 

Read the NY Times?  You may recognize this place...a few of us arrived at the airport 5 hours early on our way to Malaysia so instead of waiting in the tiny Phuket airport we decided to do a "site visit" to one of the most lux properties on the island.  The Anantara is newly built and the buildings are supposed to resemble a rice paddy plantation.  This, though, is the crown jewel of the property:  the pool is divided into three sections:  a normal pool, a jacuzzi/pool bar, and this part with beds IN the water.  The white things are BEDS!!  and the bar serves you drinks (very good ones, we had some served to us while we lounged in the pool on beds!).    The beds all face the ocean, too.  It was unreal.

They also had cool "Treehouse" bars and every villa has a sitting area that faces the ocean.  Maybe one day when I'm a big city planner I'll come back (HA HA HA).

Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

 

These were the tallest buildings in the world in 2004, then some taller building in Taiwan was built.  I didn't get a chance to go up to them (which isn't as awesome as it sounds, you only go to the skybridge) because you had to get up at 6am to line up for tickets.  That's not going to happen in a town known for its nightlife.

A View From My Window

Khao Lak, Phang Nga, 6:00pm

Mangrove Forest

 

This is a mangrove forest.  They help protect the inland from tidal waves and they do a lot more.  One of my tasks this summer is to convince government people to protect them more.  I think they look like they might stand up and walk away with all those legs.

Thai Kid's Marching Band

Okay, one more post because this was so awesome I must share it with the world: we went to a mangrove forest behind a primary school and we arrived during marching band practice. if you don't find this to be the most precious thing ever, then you are soulless.









the chubby kid carrying the big drum is just so adorable. i want to take him home.

well that was a lot for one day...

that flood of posts will have to last until next week---I'm going to Malaysia (Truly Asia*!) tomorrow for 4 days. (National Buddhist Holiday lets us off work Monday and Tuesday).

2 nights in Kuala Lumpur, 2 nights in Penang with 10 other interns! until then, have a good fourth of july back home!

I forgot about my Pattong Beach photos!

 

I thought I had posted Patong Beach photos but it looks like they were saved as drafts.  This pretty much sums up Pattong: Sex, Sex, and more in-your-face sex.  

these reminded me of Borat.  I also enjoyed the variety in animal head front-pieces.