Phuket and Phi Phi - Beaches, Part 1

So about 1 month ago, I found myself with a few days on my hands. Surprised by an unexpected Thai holiday, of which I did not know the significance, I had a long weekend in which to begin to begin to explore the beaches and islands of Thailand.

So Carol and I set off – for a girl’s weekend. A weekend of sun, beach, cocktails and dancing and seeing what kind of fun and interesting people we could meet along the way. And yes, the beaches were beautiful. And yes, the water was crystal clear and like a warm bath. I will show you photos….but what I really want to tell you about is the people.

In Thailand you meet so many people… How is this different than the diverse communities of say New York or London you ask? It seems that this is because the people who come here arrive prepared to fully embrace new experiences. (and no I do not mean the sex trade – those of you who thought this, shame on you ☺). What I mean is people are genuinely warm and open - they want to know your story, your beginnings, your experiences, your home culture and they also share theirs. And it is through discovering others in this way, that I believe we can also discover ourselves in new ways. So let me tell you about the people I encountered and don’t worry, you’ll get to see some beach photos too!

We arrived in Phuket on a Saturday morning and checked into our hotel on the beach. As you know Phuket was hit by the tsunami and they are still rebuilding. There are newly erected signs warning against big waves and evacuation routes. But yet, somehow it seems to have recovered in spirit – optimistic and as positive as ever. Within an hour we were on the beach, snacking on fresh mango and sunning ourselves.














It was on arrival that we noticed a group of men – all dressed alike in the same shirts, same caps – team uniforms of some sort. These guys were having an incredible afternoon of male bonding – parasailing on the beach, having a few beers, playing Frisbee, laughing and joking with the occasional good-natured shoulder punch for good measure. Throughout the rest of our day and evening we kept running into this group until finally in a pub we had the occasion to meet them. As it turns out, they were an Aussie Rules Football team on holiday. A group of 15 having a guys weekend. So after discussing the obvious differences between their guys weekend and our girls weekend (ha ha – you can imagine the agendas are a bit different, especially in Thailand – here you are allowed to think sex trade!), we joined forces with them and began to explore the bars and clubs of Phuket. At some pont in the evening we also picked up a bachelorette party along the way who joined us in the festivities!! The evening went until morning - we saw the sunrise on the beach and then went our separate ways. Us on our journey to an island and them to do whatever it is packs of men do when there are no respectable women around.

So what did I learn you ask? Besides learning about Aussie football and discovering I can pass for age 27 (yay!!!), I think I gleaned some important insights. Aaah to be 20 again….some of the guys were quite young, but from them I remembered that how easy and fun it can be to meet new people and to embrace the day and evening, however it unfolds. There is a psychological term for this – called FLOW. Flow is the mental state in which a person is fully immersed in what they are doing, characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process. And we could all use more flow in our lives, don’t you think?




On to Koh Phi Phi….Whereas Phuket was full of bars and chain restaurants, Koh Phi Phi felt just the opposite. Not commercial, not overly swarmed with tacky tourists. Just a simple, incredibly charming island where beach bars had no chairs - only mats on the sand - and where on these mats you could sit and experience one of the most beautiful islands Thailand has to offer. And was it ever gorgeous – see the photos of the scenery and such – quite easily the most extraordinary place that I have had the good fortune to lay eyes on.



Here we met all sorts of people….in 2 days it was like an international sampler of backpacking Europeans, honeymooning Australians, South Americans passionately drinking in the island and some really extraordinary locals who spoke to us about all sorts of island stories and lore.






The most interesting person we met was Eddie. Eddie is a Thai Rastafarian who ran the beach bar that we frequented….he has made a living of working in the islands for the last 29 years and whenever the spirit moves him he goes to another place. He’s loved on 11 islands in Thailand and Malaysia. Eddie sat down with every table, chatted for a bit…talked about his life and inquired about others. By the end of the evening I did not feel like a customer in a bar, but rather a guest in Eddie’s home. And he introduced us to other guests…an English guy who had been backpacking for 1 year and was finishing his trip in Phi Phi, a New York based Argentinian on vacation, an Australian couple on their honeymoon, a Danish guy who runs boat tours of the island….each person on their own journey but embracing the experience of meeting different people from different cultures and feeding curious minds with answers to questions long wondered – how was it living in NY on Sept 11, was what it like to be in Argentinian during the economic crisis and most importantly why is European beer so much better than American beer?

Sometimes I wish I had known this whole other world existed when I was younger. What would it have been like to be the English guy and to backpack around the world for 1 year – going from the Andes mountains to Thai beaches. Would I be different or the same as I am today? But in the end we are all the unique tapestry that our experiences weave, so while it is fun to dream, I also recognize I wouldn’t be right here, right now embracing this experience without the life I have led behind me. And at this moment, I really would not want to be any other place.

To come…Beaches Part Deux - BALI debrief. Bali is truly the most spectacular island I have ever seen. I struggle to imagine how to bring it to life for you in a way that will represent it properly.

Merry Christmas,
Joanna

Tinglish

So, there is this thing called Tinglish. Basically this is Thai + English. When people say, "oh yes, they speak English in Thailand", what they really mean is they speak Tinglish, which is something like.....

Tinglish - Sawasdee ka, I make price good for you, na ka. No paeng. Cheap, na. Other, no good, mai dai. Me good, ka? Discount very special for you, na.

Translation - Hello, I can offer you a good price, OK? I am not expensive, I am cheap, aren't I? Others do not have good merchandise, but mine is good. OK? And I will offer you (and only you) this very special discount.

So conversationally as long as you get every third word or so, things tend to go pretty smoothly. Of course, now I find myself saying "ka" and "na" a lot when unneccessary, out of habit....when talking English to other Westerners, but I hear this is what happens....

So while you don't expect your average street vendor to be fluent, you would imagine the printed billboards in malls or advertisements who do use English to use proper translation services, no? Well, you probably see where I am going here....this is not always the case. Most of the time, one notices the mistakes in passing, but ocassionally one of these signs are unintentionally funny.

For example, my friend recently found this sign and took a photo with his cell phone:

"Experience this world's modest theatrical technology."

This is being used all over the fanciest mall here with this super luxe movie theater who has just installed some cutting edge video and audio technology. I assume they mean "most" instead of "modest".

Road Trip to the Ancient Capital

Carol and I took a day trip to the ancient city of Ayutthaya – about 2 hours north of Bangkok. Ayutthaya in short, is one of Thailand's historical highlights. Serving as the Thai capital for 417 years (1350 -1767), it was once glorified as one of the biggest cities in Southeast Asia. During the 17th century, most foreign visitors to Ayutthaya, traders or diplomats alike, claimed Ayutthaya to be the most illustrious and glittering city that they had ever visited. It was actually compared the city in size and wealth to Paris in its time.

Today, there are but groups of crumbling ruins and rows of headless Buddhas where an empire once thrived. But the temples are still amazing, even if in disrepair.

The three pagodas of Wat Phra Si Sanphet house the remains of King Borommatrailokanat, King Borommarachathirat III and King Ramathibodi II. We climbed to the top of one of the temples - a precarious climb at best, because the steps are only about 5 inches wide. This is why you see me hanging on to the sides (fear of heights sometimes challenges my curiosity).


The amount of detail in these structures is simply incredible. No matter where in the world I go, whenever I visit an ancient city I am unequivocally flabbergasted that these large, intricate structures were actually built with simple tools and hands. See all of the tiers in the temple at left? Amazing.

I still owe you all an entry on Phuket and Koh Phi Phi. But there are so many photos and so much to tell, I have been a bit lazy to sit and write it all. Soon I promise. Life is keeping me quite busy here. I never expected to slide so easily into an active social life with so many fascinating people and so much to see. Sometimes I have to remind myself I am here to work and not play!




Having a grand time...but still missing you all,
Joanna

$15 blueberries

OK, let this be a lesson...always look at the price tag.

While I am not price insensitive, usually it is my assumption that at the grocery store, everything is reasonably priced. Oftentimes I feel like a grocery store millionaire - it is the one place that everything is well within my financial reach. That is, until now...

One of my all time favorite "treats" is yogurt with blueberries and strawberries and a bit of granola. Suddenly hit with a craving, I realized I had not enjoyed this most delicious combination in quite some time. As there is a large market directly across from my new apartment I decided to just dash over and quickly pick up the essential ingredients. Much to my surprise, the checkout register rung up $45 for this seemingly ordinary combination. Astonished that I did not notice the high price of my exotic, imported fruit, I quickly paid the cashier and slunk out. To put this in perspective, I will let you know that your average Thai earns about $15 a week.

Later I sat at my table chewing each expensive berry very slowly. I am not persnicketty enough to count every berry and figure out the cost per berry - but I was tempted to.

OK, so I can afford $15 blueberries, but that is 3 hours worth of massage, people! And I do have my priorities straight. Next time...going local - mango and papaya.

Sawasdee ka,
(Thai for "hello" and "goodbye"....I don't know the word for "stupid foreigner that overpays for fruit")

Joanna

Livin' Large...

OK, folks....tomorrow is moving day. Goodbye Temporium! Hello overly spacious apartment for one person! (but hey, more room for visitors). A lot of you have asked about the apartment and some of you have already seen photos that I took when I signed the lease, see below.

So here's the scoop....190 sq meters / 2000 sq feet of ridiculous luxury. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, laundry room / pantry, storage room. Much more than I would ever have in NYC. But funnily enough I have chosen a "NY style" modern loft with 15 foot ceilings and floor to ceiling windows.

The building is called The Domus. I know the Turkish speakers reading this are having a chuckle at my expense now because "domus" means "pig" in Turkish. So "The Pig" is located in a central expat area called Sukhumvit, with more beautiful restaurants and shopping malls than I will ever have time to frequent. It's right at the interchange of the 2 major public transportation systems, so anywhere they train goes in Bangkok, I can take it from my apartment.

I will follow up with more photos after I move in and give the place a bit of a personal touch.

The Lobby & Pool

The View from my Balcony


The Interior


NEXT POSTING: I will tell you all about my trip last weekend to some Thai beaches. The teaser is....crystal clear water, white sand beaches, cheap massage...with some interesting stories about the characters I came across in my travels - a Thai rastfarian who ran a beach bar, an Aussie Rules Football Team, an English hen party, and a tattooed Malaysian musician who had 90% of his body covered in tattoo art (so he told me, and from what I could see, it seemed so).

Until later,
Joanna

If I had known...

….what I was in for, I might not have gone to Chiang Mai, but in the end it was a really rewarding experience. Now that I think about it, I guess that is a typical euphemism for things that are difficult that we ultimately post rationalize.

Let me explain…

Myself and a Brazilian woman from worked named Carol heard about this guided trip to Chiang Mai from a coworker. The coworker says… “oh, it is a bit of hiking and you swim in a waterfall and ride elephants and it is really great fun, you should do it!” So we did – and here’s what happened.

Chiang Mai is in Northern Thailand – Chiang Mai itself is the 2nd biggest city in Thailand and is notable in a few ways. It is known for the beautiful mountain vistas, the best university in Thailand and it is a weekend destination for many people who want to escape the frenzy of Bangkok.

Well, Carol and I didn’t see much of Chiang Mai. We flew into Chiang Mai on a 1hr flight from Bangkok and then drove 2 hours north to the mountains. It was a lovely morning, we rode elephants, see below the photos. It was actually a little scary in the sense that elephants are pretty tall and we were teetering on their backs on these rickety saddles (saddle is a very, very generous term for the contraption we were on by the way). Here’s us crossing a river on the elephant. And of course the elephant gets a treat afterward (where's my treat?!?)



Then, we visited a village where we saw the Longneck tribe whose women stretch their necks with brass rings and do traditional weaving. They also seem to make a tidy living by selling overpriced scarves to tourists… once you see where they live you feel guilty and buy a few scarves….I guess you all know what you are getting for Christmas now! Here’s me with a Longneck girl.

So it was all fun and games until we were told we were to complete a 5 hour hike to the traditional village where we would stay with a hill tribe for one night. At first Carol and I nervously giggled thinking “gee, 5 hours is a long time” then we saw the trail. Again a generous description…the guide walked in front and cut branches with a machete whilst we traipsed up the mountain. I say traipsed because the first hour was like a pleasure stroll compared to what happened next. It started to rain and I mean REALLY rain. I’ve been in showers where there was less water pressure. So, I could go into the gory details, but I will just short hand it for you…

- the so-called 5 hour hike turned into 8 because of the rain
- my waterproof, super high tech North Face back pack was not so waterproof after 5 hours in the rain in a Thai jungle – my camera and phone were destroyed by water damage
- it was so bad a woman sat down on a rock and cried, begging the guide to carry her or send in help because she simply couldn’t go further – she ended up walking (if this were Survivor, she definitely would have been voted off!)
- there were some areas not passable by foot so we climbed on ropes or laid bamboo poles across and walked them tightrope style
- I found myself knee deep in a few streams

etc, etc…. and no, there are no photos of this, because my camera was swimming in a pool in my backpack about this time.

So by the time we arrived at the hill tribe the straw mats of the hut looked pretty inviting and even more so after a few strong local brewed Thai beers. I didn’t even care that there was no running water…I plopped on my mat, pulled some mosquito netting around me and slept soundly until the village rooster rudely awakened us at 6am.

The next day we whitewater rafted down the mountain. Which all things considered was like a cake walk after the previous day’s events.

So here’s what I learned:

1) Ziploc bags are one of man’s great inventions, they will come with me everywhere I go in the future.
2) When you are halfway up a mountain in the Thai jungle and water gushes out of your shoes with every step, the only thing to do is laugh. Laugh hard, laugh loud.
3) Beer is a suitable sleep aid, especially when one finds oneself sleeping on the floor (uh...I think this is actually a prior known lesson I have reaffirmed).
4) It really is an underrated daily luxury to have a hot shower and sleep on clean sheets in a bed.


So for all of you who believe me to be a bit of NY fashionista, I will have you know that I am made of tougher stuff than we all thought. Too bad my camera and cell phone were not.

That’s it for now. Next weekend, Phuket - - beaches, scuba diving, resorts, spas, massage, cocktails, dinner, dancing and whatever trouble Carol and I can manage to stir up.

As ever,
Joanna

The Office - Expat Style

What is the office like, you ask? Well, it is very different from the CT office.

There is an open floor plan for starters. Translation: no offices, no privacy, desks crammed in bedside each other, everyone can see exactly what you are doing at all times. You'd think this would make us more interactive, but it is quite the opposite somehow. My desk neighbor sends me emails. If I had bad breath she could probably smell it, that's how close she is and yet she actually will write and send emails. But she is not alone, EVERYONE does this.

Is this a Thai thing? No, it is not. Because there are very few Thais in the office. The make up of the office is quite international and includes people from Spain, UK, Mexico, Netherlands, India, Singapore, Philippines, China, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, France, Indonesia and USA.

Another oddity. No one uses the land lines, they use their cell phones for all calls. In fact, when I got my land line I asked how to activate voicemail. No one in my team knew because none of them have operational voice mails! Now, my cell phone.....is amazing. I got a super fancy phone that does everything - in fact it is so capable that I suspect if my work permit does not come through, my cell phone could be programmed to do my job.

The office building itself is in an office park about 30 minutes from the residential area where I live. Despite the fact that we have thousands of employees here, there is no cafeteria. Instead we eat downstairs in one of the many American chains including Starbucks, McDonalds, Au Bon Pain, Western Sizzler -or- alternatively at sit down restaurants which can be best described as international cafes.

But the thing I love the most? They turn off the air con at 6pm every night. So this means there is no one upmanship culture of how late one stayed at the office - this I love. Doesn't mean that I don't do work from home in the evenings. But it is so nice to leave at the same time everyday. I could get used to that.

Until later,
Joanna

News from Asia

So I have been reading a local English language newspaper called the Bangkok Post. It's no New York times, but it pretty good at covering world events, local news and has a pretty robust sports section including American football, baseball, golf and more! (Although I have to say European soccer appears to be the sport of choice here - especially UK Premiere League)

I couldn't resist sharing one of the more odd snippets though that was in this morning's paper. Just further evidence that it is very different here!

Excerpt from Bangkok Post, Oct 2, 2007
Snake bite kills drinker
PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian man who took off his trousers, tied the legs at the bottom and wrangled a 2 meter cobra into them, died when it bit him through the fabric. Chab Kear,36, saw the reptile in a river and captured it in the hopes of selling it. He tied the animal inside his trousers and a scarf around his waist, but as he continued drinking the snake managed to bite Kear three times. His last words were "Don't worry, it's nothing a drink can't fix."

So, I promise more reports from BKK soon....some future entries I have in mind include:

- Expat office life: the who's, what's and how's of my office culture
- It's good to be king: the constitutional monarchy in Thailand
- Chiang Mai: I am headed to the north this weekend and will report back
- The new apartment: moving in soon and will send photos
and more.....


Until later,
Joanna

Will I ever tire of cheap massages?

Probably not. Over the course of 48 hours, I had 3 hours worth of massage for $18. But it wasn’t all lying prone and being manipulated by small, nimble hands. I did manage to fit a few other things in…..saw a few sights, bought some Thai silk and ended up meeting some folks and enjoying some good food an conversation.

It’s always better to experience food with a local
I met a friend of a friend – a Bangkok native – for lunch. She went to graduate school in the US, but has since returned to Bangkok where she lives and works. She took me to a lovely traditional Thai place where we sat in the garden and ate and talked for hours. It is a very old place that the locals have been going to for decades. In fact, I was the only farang (white foreigner) there. We had a medley of fabulous dishes including a green curry, a spicy pork and beef with holy basil and garlic – all served with a variety of wonderful sauces and rices. Some things were quite hot! But it was amazing.

But there is also no substitute for familiar, old favorites
I also met up with an American friend - we watched women’s World Cup soccer in an English pub and ate like kings in the Middle Eastern district. He was breaking fast from Yom Kippur, so we ate an endless meal of hummus, eggplant, mixed grill, fresh bread, pilaf and more. He because he was ravenous from fasting, me because I have little self control when it comes to tasty Middle Eastern food (thank you to Iltug for introducing me to this wonderful cuisine). There really is no shortage of international dining options in the city – anything and everything is available.

So far so good, hey? Between massages and fabulous meals, I cannot complain.

Funny things about BKK

OK - so I have been here now nearly a week and have some initial observations.

1) this place can be cheap or ridiculously expensive - If you insist on eating / shopping Western, be prepared to pay NY prices. If you go local, you can buy a dress for $15 or dinner for $2. I paid $6 for strawberries which happened to be the same brand I used to buy in NY / CT. I hear BKK has the most Western influence of any Asian city. This is evidenced by all of the Western brands / chains you can find. I find it particularly amusing that some of the dining options in my office park include Au Bon Pain, Starbucks, Sizzler (yes, Sizzler), Baskin Robbins, 7-11 and MacDonald's. On the flip side, there are lots of incredibly elegant options. I went to a place last night on the 64th floor of a posh hotel and paid $100 for dinner.

2) any Western male is good looking (to Thai women) - Young or old, hairy or balding, fat or skinny, tall or short...Western men are dripping with Thai women (actually, usually girls). But then again, not all Western men are looking for that sort of thing. I had dinner with a lovely Frenchman who is also here for work who says he is not into that scene (what do you think? should I believe him?).

3) people are really into taking care of their bodies - There are gyms everywhere and they are always full - with Thai and non-Thai alike. For every gym there must be 5 massage spas. And then there are plenty of clinics for lasering, botoxing, liposuctioning....you name it. It can be done here and for about 1/10th of what it would cost in the US. And if you have body image / weight issues, don't live in Asia. There are people so tiny that I swear I could fit them in my [admittedly] large handbag. My thigh is the size of some of the women's waists. No, I am not exaggerating.

4) if you can play charades, you can navigate BKK - I never thought I would say this, but....thank you Grandmother for insisting the kids play charades at family dinners. What I thought was simply amusement for the adults (and torture for shy children like myself) , turns out to have been early childhood training in the art of communicating through gestures, which has proven particularly useful when neither party speaks a common language.

5) wine is expensive (very), beer is not - If you want a beer, it can be had copiously and cheaply. Wine is a different story. While both old and new world options are plentiful, expect to pay handsomely for even an average bottle. This is because the Thai government taxes wine imports at 400%, so your average $20 bottle in the US will run you $80+ here. This is the second highest wine tax in the world (so what is the first, you ask? India at 450%).

6) this is a mall city - Because of the heat, malls are a form of entertainment. It is not unusual to spend an entire day in the mall. (I realize some of you who know me well will find this amusing because this is actually quite normal behavior for me.) The reason why people do so is because of the heat. So on weekends you can find all sorts of indoor entertainment that can keep you occupied for hours. And there is not just shopping. There are elaborate food courts with first rate food. There are Imax movie theaters and aquariums. There are massive expos - right now at the mall next to my hotel / apt there is a live butterfly exhibit with over 4000 exotic butterflies under in a 5000 sq foot, 12 foot tall terrarium.

-Joanna

Welcome to Bangkok

So I have arrived in Bangkok...

It's hot and humid. Very humid. I am told we are entering the winter, so I can only speculate as to what the middle of summer must feel like! But much like the southern US, I find that the indoors is over air conditioned, so I am freezing most of the time.

I am staying at what is called an "executive serviced apartment" called Emporium Suites. This is basically the equivalent of a 4 or 5 star hotel but for longer term stays. Some people actually live in these as permanent residences, but for Unilever it is the place where everyone stays initially - thus it has earned the nickname "the Temporium." While it is certainly posh, I am not keen on viewing the fire exit plan on the back of the door every time I go in the bathroom - a proper apartment would suit me more. And strangely, it smells very heavily of lemongrass. But I am enjoying the view from the 41st floor where I am staying.

My room is actually a 1BR suite which has a kitchen, see the living room at left. So I made my way to the market last night to buy a few items. It was in a fancy mall next door which also had Gucci, Prada, etc...I'm pretty certain I overpaid. (Considering that 2 bags of groceries were $40, and one can eat a lovely shrimp stirfry at a restaurant for $3). Not surprisingly 75% of the items I could not read because they were in Thai characters, however it did surprise me that I could not actually visually recognize a lot of foods. So, I stuck to the basics for now - fruit and yogurt and such. There were quite a lot of American and European foods, at a premium of course - I found my favorite cereal, Haagen Daaz and V8 juice. But it is so cheap to eat out that I really don't need to cook - it hardly seems worth the effort. I just wanted to have some snacks around so I would not be tempted by the sinister Toblerone candy bar and Pringles chips in the mini bar.

Traffic is horrible. Notice the brake lights in this photo - everyone is stopped. It takes about 30 minutes to get to work, but about 1 hour to get home due to the heavy rush hour traffic. Like many developing countries there is really not the proper infrastructure for a truly useful public transportation system. So instead people sit in traffic.

My plans for the rest of the week include a lot of random meetings for drinks and coffee.....friends of friends who happen to be in Bangkok. I have never met these folks before, so I tell them to look for the tall American with the long brown hair. Believe it or not, that it a pretty distinctive description here. If I seemed tall in America, you can only imagine how large I seem here.

From my bird's eye view,

Joanna