Bangkok's Coup Season

It's already been over six months since Pierre and I arrived in Bangkok. And nearly two months since I went part-time with my job. It's always astounding how quickly the days pass. I'm disappointed that I haven't been able to write more here in recent months, but I'm hoping that will change soon. 

These past few months have been filled with travel, Thai New Year celebrations, spending time with family, making new friends and re-discovering Asia's City of Angels. Bangkok has been an interesting place to be during the past half year, especially over the last week. A lot about Thailand has been revealed through the ongoing political crisis that has kept the country on its toes since last October. It's been an excellent crash course on Thailand's political and social situation!

This past weekend was the first time that I've had to worry about getting home before curfew in about a decade (!). Now past the "roaring" phase of my twenties, I'll admit I'm somewhat pleased there's a military order backing my homebody nightlife. So what is there to do in the sweltering Big Mango when a coup's been declared and a curfew is in effect? 

DO - Check out Bangkok's happening coffee shop scene. Funky cafes with artisanal pastries and latte art are popping up all over the city. My new fave is Casa Lapin on Sukhumvit Soi 26 with comfy, copious seating, free wi-fi, a mouthwatering pastry display and creamy, ice-cold lattes. Your daily buzz never looked so hip. 

DO - Check the news and/or Twitter feeds (such as Richard Barrow's) for updates about the political situation before heading out of the house/hotel in the morning. The security situation can change literally overnight and areas that may have been fine to visit yesterday may not be safe today.

DON'T - Let anyone persuade you that key tourist sites such as the Emerald Buddha or Grand Palace complex are closed. These con guys try their schtick on all tourist-looking types to rope them into an elaborate gem scam all year round, but may take advantage of the uncertain security situation to further convince victims they are "helping" them. Check the place out yourself first and never trust a tuk-tuk driver that will take a fare lower than 100 baht unless you're that confident about your bargaining skills!

DO - Stay indoors as much as possible. The humidity and heat are not to be reckoned with, especially during mid-day when you break a sweat before you even step outside. Pay a visit to the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC) or an art space like Speedy Grandma (I just love their name!). The Thailand Creative and Design Centre (TCDC) in the Emporium Mall is great for marketing and design buffs. TCDC has a lovely library and workspace, design exhibition space and store with unique, local products that make great gifts. 

DON'T - Attempt to visit an anti-coup or other protest site or take #selfies with armed soldiers. Though the city is mostly safe and calm, you can end up being in the wrong place at the wrong time in the blink of an eye. Stay up to date on what areas of the city to avoid and stay well away! 

DO - Try your hand at Thai cooking! Learn all the fragrant, exotic spices that go into crowd favorites such as green curry, papaya salad and tom yum soup. The best part is that you have total control over the spice level and you get to enjoy it all afterward! The Blue Elephant is one of Bangkok's oldest, most prestigious culinary institutions but there are several more now around the city for differing tastes and budgets. 

DO - Stop by for a refreshing tipple at one of Bangkok's many watering holes during early evening - chances are, there's a happy hour deal. Pomelo margaritas at Opposite Mess Hall, bespoke cocktails at U.N.C.L.E passion fruit pisco sours at Above Eleven, and tamarind margaritas at Maya are some of the best drinks I've had in this city thus far.

DON'T - Knock back too many drinks. This may sound obvious but I've heard some scary stories about foreigners getting spiked drinks and almost being mugged just a few minutes away from home. It's not common, but drunk foreigners are pretty obvious targets. Especially late at night in small, dark sois. Sip slowly, stick with friends and always be aware of your surroundings!

 

DON'T - Miss curfew! It's true that the curfew enforcement has been fairly relaxed in most areas of the city and some bars and nightclubs will stay open well past 10 pm. Thailand isn't a place you want to get caught missing curfew. Those lame excuses for missing curfew didn't work on your parents and they won't work now. 

DO - Keep friends and family updated of your whereabouts. Every day. Don't assume no news is good news.

DON'T  - Try to talk serious politics with locals and exert your opinion as a foreigner. Light-hearted chatting about the situation is fine (like the terrible traffic!), but be sensitive and aware this is a tense time where the unsolicited opinions of passing foreigners are not particularly welcome. 

DO - Remember that a smile and a "kop khun kha" (thank you) will take you a long way here.

Bangkok is a sprawling, incredibly complex mess of an urban soul. Spend a little while and uncover some of its mysteries...

In the Corridors of Kings

Back in February, a long-awaited travel dream of mine was finally fulfilled. Angkor Wat was everything I thought it would be - stunning feats of artistry and architecture that speak volumes about those ancient civilizations in a way that no book can. To see up close the intricate bas-reliefs carved centuries ago, and then refurbished and re-assembled in more recent decades, is incredibly powerful. I didn't always find ruins so interesting, especially in Southeast Asia where many ancient temples all start looking the same after awhile (to the untrained eye at least!). But recently, I've been fascinated by imagining what these places tell us about our predecessors, and about ourselves.

On our last morning in Siem Reap, we took a bumpy tuk-tuk ride out to Banteay Srei. We clattered along as other tuk-tuks, cars and cyclists overtook us. We passed small villages of stilt houses with immaculately swept dirt yards and chickens strutting about. Palm oil simmered in stainless steel bowls. perched on clay stoves by the roadside. The air was perfumed with the scent of the eucalyptus trees that lined the road. It was one of those wonderful moments that remind us why we travel.

In addition to Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Phrom, Banteay Srei is not to be missed. Though much smaller than the others, the intricacy of the carvings is unparalleled among the temples. The pink sandstone burns beautifully as the sun rises. Despite the gaggle of tourists around taking selfies, it wasn't too difficult to imagine the sophistication and spirituality of the kingdom that built Banteay Srei back in the 10th Century.

I pondered this as a taxi whisked Pem and I back into glittering downtown Bangkok from the airport later that evening. In another thousand years, what will the monuments and structures of our era say about us? With daily news about the effects of climate change on our planet, I'm less certain our lasting legacy will be one we would claim with pride.

Some photos below from my trip, if you'd like to see... 

"Myth: we have to save the earth. Frankly, the earth doesn't need to be saved. 

Nature doesn't give a hoot if human beings are here or not. The planet has survived cataclysmic and catastrophic changes for millions upon millions of years. Over that time, it is widely believed, 99 percent of all species have come and gone while the planet has remained. Saving the environment is really about saving our environment - making it safe for ourselves, our children, and the world as we know it. If more people saw the issue as one of saving themselves, we would probably see increased motivation and commitment to do so" 

- Robert M. Lilienfeld & William L. Rathje, The Sun Magazine

Breathe

"Why do monks live in seclusion? That is asking why does a scientist work in a laboratory, or why does a sailor go on a ship or why does a duck swim in water. Why does a man go to his bedroom and get in bed when he wants to go to sleep? Why doesn’t he lie down in the middle of the street? A monk seeks silence and solitude because there his mind and heart can relax and expand and attain to a new perspective: there too he can hear the Word of God. . . ."   - Thomas Merton

Whew! Nearly three months into the new year, I feel like I've finally had a chance to come up for air. Somehow the work, the social events, and the travels stitch together in such a way that life gets fast forwarded without your realizing it. Though I'd never take back any of those experiences, it's come at the cost of being able to regularly and deeply reflect on them. I'm grateful for this moment now, to breathe, on a rare quiet Saturday while on business travel in Vietnam.

As an only child, I've always cherished being alone. If there's anything only children are surely to be spoiled by, it would be the time left to be with their own selves and thoughts. While I love spending time with family and friends, learning from and socializing with others, I've always felt the most profoundly spiritual moments in my life come at times I am alone. I remember, when I was 15, my parents and I visited a wind farm in Western Australia. My parents were taking pictures, as I hiked up and up to the top of a small hill. Standing amidst tall grass shuffling in the wind, and looking out at all those massive white turbines, as they eerily turned in unison. That image is forever etched in my mind, as a souvenir of that moment my teenaged curiosity turned to life's larger questions like, who are we? and, what are we doing here? 

Interestingly, my parents are now on a ten day silent meditation retreat in Eastern Thailand. No talking, no electronics, no books - only 2 meals and 11 hours of sitting a day. I'm not sure I'm quite there yet, despite my general eagerness of alone time. For now, a quiet morning alone with a pen and notebook will do just fine. 

More thoughts worth sharing on being alone in this month's issue of The Sun Magazine...

Best of 2013 - Top Eats

With new places always come encounters with new, unusual flavors. Travelers are rewarded with tasty experiences that cannot be found elsewhere. Som tum (papaya salad) eaten while sitting on the sidewalk of a busy Bangkok soi is not the same as som tum eaten in your neighborhood Thai restaurant (it's probably a fair bit spicier too!). So my top eats from 2013 are not so much about the tastiest things I've eaten, or the fanciest restaurants I've been to, but more about my best food-related memories. 

1) Crunching into a freshly baked banh mi (above), after we stumbled upon a bakery while roaming Hoi An's old city. Nothing can compare with this light-as-air baguette, still warm from the oven - and it cost about 10 cents.  

2) After a full day of touring Fes, nursing warm, fragrant mint tea and nibbling on buttery almond biscuits on the rooftop of our riad and hearing the calls to prayer from the medina's one hundred mosques build and blend until there is no other sound in the evening sky.

3) Tucking into a steaming plate of stir-fried noodles with crunchy spring onions and tofu, sitting amidst rice paddies and soaking in the sweeping scenes of the verdant Sapa valley below. 

4) Sharing a gigantic paper dosa (nearly two feet tall!) and fragrant, richly flavored curries with Pem and my parents at Hanoi's best Indian restaurant, Namaste, whose veg-friendly food we enjoyed at least once a week! 

5) Savouring a slice of my mum's incredible bourbon pecan pumpkin pie after a family lunch once I returned home from a challenging and draining work assignment. 

Now that this trip down memory lane has my mouth watering and my mind wandering, I'll leave it at that. Up next are some of the top drinks I've downed in 2013!

Happy New Year + 2013 "Best Of" Top Travels

 

Happy New Year, everyone! Wow, I cannot believe it's 2014. This past year has truly flown by. It's been a year of wonder, and I look forward to the adventures 2014 will surely bring! But before looking ahead, I'd like to take a quick look back on the "best of" 2013 moments. 

First up in this short series...

By far, this year brought me to more new destinations in a 12-month period than any other. I was delighted to spend 10 months in Vietnam, an absolutely captivating country, and to set foot onto the African continent for the first time. I also felt blessed to be able to see family and old friends in Bangkok, Singapore and Jakarta. But there are a few stand-out places which stirred the traveler's soul in me and yielded some unforgettable moments. 

1) Hoi An, Vietnam - This UNESCO World Heritage site's charm and sheer beauty is a photographer's delight. This city of lanterns, quite simply, illuminates the soul.

2) Hanoi, Vietnam - To me, Hanoi is the heart of Vietnam. The history, the ancient architecture, the sophistication in its street food and, of course, the society, are mesmerizing. Some travelers prefer "more exotic" destinations like Sapa, Halong Bay or Nha Trang. I think the more time you spend in Hanoi, the more its hidden treasures will be revealed to you.

3) Sapa, Vietnam - No doubt touristy, but its natural beauty is too breath-taking to miss. 

4) Meknes, Morocco - We only had a day and a half to explore, but Meknes seems to me a humbler version of Fes. The people are friendlier and the beauty less... polished than Fes or Marrakesh, in a good way.

To be continued next, with 2013 Top Eats...