Tak Bart Ceremony

The Thai are both a devout and superstitious people. In taxis you’ll find flowers hanging from rear view mirrors as good luck, you’ll hear prayers whispered in a few words, and see small Buddhist shrines everywhere. These shrines are important, sometimes taxis will even lightly honk at them as they drive by for luck. Thais make offerings of simple but meaningful gifts such as soup, water, flowers, etc. It is both charming and fascinating to a westerner such as myself.

I’ve enjoyed hearing stories and watching the rituals despite that I’m not in the least bit religious. Thais call these mini-shrines shan-pa-poom (my spelling). Each house has one and someone makes an offering to it every day.

In addition, there is a ceremony called Tak Bart, in which prayers are made, blessings given, and offerings to monks made in the form of food. This is how the monks subsist and the blessings are meant to nurture your body and soul.

I had the opportunity to observe Tak Bart and was quite honored to do so. A senior monk sat on a platform with a sacred vessel in front of him. Prayers and chants were said for about 20 minutes. At times the faithful repeated them, bowed to the floor, and during the entire ceremony hands were held in prayer.

After the blessings were complete, each person offered food. It was placed in the sacred vessel and a bow was offered.

I believe in learning about cultures and experiencing new things, not just sitting at the beach in oblivion (although that is exactly what you need sometimes). I’m glad I took the time to do this during the R&R portion of my expedition. I hope you do something similar during your next voyage!

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Location:Hua Hin, Thailand

Cooking School Instructor

Market Visit with Cooking School

Among the many things to do in Thailand are attending day long cooking schools. After talking to locals, I cancelled my planned class at the Blue Elephant in Bangkok. Instead, I went to the Thai Cookery School in Chiang Mai. It turned out to be a great choice.

We went to the local food market which was just food and none of the trinkets found at markets near tourist hotels. There they taught us to pick the best of Thai ingredients, gave us shopping lists and off we individually went to buy our supplies. It’s an inspired way to do it, most schools just have you tag along with the leader and they buy while you watch. 

Armed with my newfound knowledge, off I went to buy pea eggplant, prawns, raw cashews, and Thai cilantro (which doesn’t look anything like ours). We also have an extra 20 minutes or so to explore, taste, smell, learn on our own. I found delightful little custards, mini coffees (oh Caribou, how I miss you), tasted varieties of limes, sampled fruits and peppers (stick with bigger ones to burn less or smaller to burn more!), watched a pig carcass get butchered, longed to buy curry pastes (they only last 3 days, so I couldn’t), and had an absolute ball.

Back at the school kitchens, they demonstrated a dish start to finish and then sent us to our stations to do the same. I had to leave early to catch my flight, but during my half day I made cashew chicken (different and much better than what you might have had in the States), yellow curry with pork, steamed fish in banana leaves, and big noodles with sweet soy sauce. After we finished everything, we sat down to eat our creations. I was astounded how good everything was. The curry was my favorite, the steamed fish was good but nuclear (I might have used a little too much pepper for my untrained palate), and I was a happy camper. I’m embarrassed to admit a rookie mistake, but my camera died on the first picture of the class. Fortunately, they said they would take some and send them to me, though. (Since I haven’t gotten them, I’m using their pix from their website).  All in all, it was a great experience I would highly recommend.

www.thaicookeryschool.com

Big Noodles with Sweet Soy Sauce - Phad Siewe - ผัดซีอิ๊ว

Chicken with Cashew Nuts - Gai Phad Med Mamuang - ไก่ผัดเม็ดมะม่วง

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Location:Chareonprathet Soi 2,Chang Moi,Thailand

I spent a morning zip lining and abseiling (after I’d had such an amazing experience doing it in Kauai) in the mountains of northern Thailand. My driver was fascinating. Having spent many years as a monk in Malaysia and Laos, he decided to marry his wife and settle down in his hometown of Chiang Mai.

En route to mountains

I spent two hours with him driving roundtrip, during which time I taught him some English and he taught me about Thailand. It was among the best two hours of my whole trip.

Khamu Village entrance

Once we arrived, I was suited up and ready to fly. The guides were absolutely hilarious and kept me in stitches the whole time. I flew through 34 different stages down a mountain that was stunningly beautiful. My guides started calling me Jennifer Lopez (I think because my ample derriere bubbled out of my harness!) and since I was alone, we had extra time. They spun me around, took pictures of me wide eyed, and even zipped with me a few times. It was an amazing adventure.

Abseiling Free Fall!

I'm Flying!

Abseiling Free Fall

Wheee!

The feeling of flying through the air, arms and legs wide, is unlike anything else. While abseiling (dropping down a rope vertically) there were moments of free fall that must be like bungee jumping. All in all, it was an adrenaline pumping, enormously fun way to spend a few hours.

Lunch with Villagers

Afterwards, the villagers cooked us a lunch that was lovely. Vegetables stir fried, chicken and potato curry, some kind of vegetable in broth, and an omlette unlike any I’ve ever had.

Aussie students in my group

It was fun but I promise there wasn't a 'happy ending!'

On the way home my driver took me to a place where I bought a traditional wok. I’d asked him where I should go and he took the time to take me at no extra cost and even negotiated the rate for me. What a wonderful guy.

How lucky am I to have met such incredible people on my journey?

View of a temple

Information from the zip line company, Jungle Flight:
Situated at our location, Baan Nam Khong, lies a Non-tourist Khamu village at the end of the peaceful village road, which recently ended the populations isolated life. It is ensconced on one of Thailand’s 5th highest mountains, Doi Lungka. The village offers luscious rainforest views and sublime panoramic sunsets, in a climate that remains at a comfortable 18 to 28 Celsius all year round. Baan Nam Khong area is a natural and wild plant gene bank, the wildlife is abundant.

Nam Khong villagers have been growing tea and coffee since they migrated from Laos over 100 years ago. They also collect delicious wild Yang-na Tree Honey from the same giant trees we use for our zip wiring, using their special ancient method. For 100 years, the villagers have helped to conserve our environment by not cutting down big trees for timber

Jungle Flight is dedicated to helping Baan Nam Khong’s villagers improve their livelihoods and environment through our JF Project at BNK.
http://www.jungle-flight.com

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Location:Chareonprathet Soi 2,Chang Moi,Thailand

Since I travel a lot for work, my personal travel is largely free. I cash in miles to fly first class and I use points for free hotel rooms. Since I’m a frequent traveler, I wait for planes in comfy lounges, get the best rooms in the hotel, eat and drink for free in Hyatt lounges…basically I contribute spending money and a sense of adventure.

View from Hyatt Bangkok

On this trip there were no Hyatts in Chiang Mai so I decided to embark on an experiment. I wanted to know, am I so spoiled that I can’t take a rougher route? Contemplating starting my own company and not having my regular creature comforts, it is an important question to ask myself. So for transport from Bangkok to Chiang Mai I booked an overnight train rather than a flight. For a hotel, I booked a guest house rather than a hotel, and I limited myself to about $30 per day spending (granted, which is more than most spend per day on the famed backpacker trail in SE Asia).

At the very start I had a few hiccups…my train ticket, confirmed online weeks before my trip, was no longer available. All they could offer was a third class ticket (which is even below the backpacker standard). So I booked a plane ticket – not off to a good start! It did get better, though….

Galare Guest House

My Room at Galare Guest House

View of River from Galare's little restaurant

I arrived at the Galare Guest House via taxi. We drove down a small, dark alley to what turned out to be an oasis on the Ping River. Galare cost me about $35 dollars a night, for which I got a comfy bed, my own bathroom with a hot shower, and great views of the Ping River from their waterfront restaurant. $35 is more than what backpackers usually pay, but it served my purposes well. The only thing I had a hard time getting accustomed to was the bathroom. The sink drained through a hole in the floor, which splashed your feet. Eeeww. Not as bad as an Asian squat toilet, but still a bit gross.

Clean Asian Squat Toilet I used somewhere

Other than that, I survived the backpacker experiment with flying colors. A lover of street food, I ate on very little money. I even shopped the markets and came away with bargains like $8 pearl earrings, $5 silk scarves. Also, the environment in the guest house was endearing. People are more friendly, fellow travelers are interested in your adventures, and there is a sense of camaraderie that I’ve never experienced in any upscale hotel. In fact, I might do this when alone abroad just for the interaction with people.

I met a lovely couple from Canada who were en route to Laos and stopped me in the breezeway just to say hello and chat, a couple from Australia who wanted to know everything about my iPad, and a father and son who insisted I had lunch with them. I make friends just about everywhere I go, but this was more than easy!

Maybe I can develop my own version of backpacker…first class plane tickets are much more comfortable after all. (Ex. My trip over resulted in only having slept in a bed two nights between Wednesday and Sunday, which would have been literally painful in coach). And I need more than one backpack to survive – toiletries, clothes, shoes (yes, I need two pair), iPad, book…it takes two bags.

What shall I call my version? Half packer sounds a bit weird – like a man with one testicle. Less packer, comfort packer, guest house guru…All I know is if it means I get to travel more and perhaps even have a better experience, I’m there!

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Location:Chareonprathet Soi 2,Chang Moi,Thailand

The two most famous markets in Chiang Mai were within walking distance from my residence, the Galare Guest House. They are Warorot daytime market, and the Night Bazaar.

Pork Skins - Just Like Home

Mounds of Fried Meats

Fruit Stands Everywhere

Meat Stalls - with everything you could imagine!

Dried Fish Vendors

Market Hall

The daytime market has everything you can imagine, produce, flowers, seafood, meat, textiles galore, trinkets, clothes, shoes, and lots of junk! I spent several hours wandering around, getting lost. My favorite area is just outside of the market, along Tha Phae (the main street before the market) where there are lots of shops with items from hilltribes, jewelry, silks, antiques, and clothes. Once you get into the main areas, there is a lot of stuff that instantly reminds me of ‘made in China’ but if you look closely, there are some amazing things to be had….handmade bags, local silks and textiles, artisan silver.

Night Bazaar - so much fun!

Streets alive at night market

The Night Bazaar was the best market I’ve been to in Thailand. It was extraordinary. There were lots of trinkets and silks, which became repetitive, but the atmosphere was infectious. The streets were lit with twinkling lights, people are full of energy and smiling, the food section has better food than I’ve gotten in some Michelin starred restaurants, there are fish pedicure spas out in the open, outdoor massage areas, an area with tourists and Thais alike wandering about. This is what a market should be….I wish there were something like it at home. I’d never go to a mall or grocery store again! Oops, don’t tell anyone since I actually work for a grocery chain.

Chiang Mai has so much to offer, if you are considering a trip to Thailand, cut your time in Bangkok short and come here, you won’t be sorry!

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Location:Chareonprathet Soi 2,Chang Moi,Thailand

Erawan Shrine

After a day of temple sightseeing, I was hot, sweaty, and covered with what I liken to ‘airport funk.’ I’d hopped out of the cab just before my hotel because traffic was at a complete standstill. Adjacent to the Hyatt is the Erawan Shrine. Listed in all the tourist books and a shrine for Buddhists to give offerings and pray, it is a horribly crowded spot. After fighting through the throngs of people, I finally reached the side entrance to the hotel.

Adorable Thai Girl

Sitting on the steps was a little Thai girl about as hot and cranky as I was. Scowling away, she was none-the-less adorable and instantly gave me pause. Clearly she wanted to be anywhere else, but her family was apparently paying homage to Phra Phrom. I asked the woman with her if I could take her picture. After snapping away, I sat next to her and offered a red lollipop. Suddenly her face transformed with a smile a mile wide.

It occurred to me that kids are all the same at heart no matter where they are from. Good moods, bad moods, love of candy. Actually, that goes for adults as well. We would be well served to remember that…

Grand Palace Guard

Grand Palace Guards

Afterwards, in my room I recalled another incident from earlier in the day that reinforced my thoughts. There were young men serving as guards at the Grand Palace area. Of course, tourist that I am, I took their picture and gave them a big smile to see if they would budge. An hour later or so, as I was about to leave, the same two guards came running up to me. Not sure what to think, I obediently stopped and held my breath. Was I to be arrested for my scandalous ankles? Did they find out I secretly snapped a forbidden picture in the building where kings lie in state? Was something I did enormously offensive?

Nope. It turns out they just wanted to take my picture, too. They found it amusing that a western woman was by herself and wanted a picture with someone who had blue eyes. Ultimately we are all pretty much the same, just with different colored eyes!

As always, I’m convinced that to get to know a culture and a people, you must experience the food as locals do. As such, I sought out an area widely considered by locals as Bangkok’s finest street food. For years Thai media have reported that Saochingcha produces the most perfectly prepared dishes in a sanitary and affordable setting. When I asked the hotel concierge about it, she agreed and even told me which spot was her favorite place to eat in all of Bangkok.

Armed with her advice, a map I found online, and my usual lack of hesitation when it comes to food, I set out on the greatest adventure I’ve had here so far! If you go, simply ask a cabbie to take you to the Giant Swing and take this map with you:

http://www.import food.com/saochingcha_guide.html

Saochingcha Streets

I wound up only eating at five spots, which was way more than I could hold. None of the stalls and most of the streets don’t have signs or English, so thank goodness I’m a researcher by trade. Despite my lack of reservation, I nonetheless began to feel very conspicious. There wasn’t another farang (westerner) anywhere in sight and people stared, though they tried not to. I simply responded by smiling, nodding, and after I was through eating, asked if I could take their picture. Miraculously, that broke the ice. They were clearly flattered I wanted to remember them and their food. They had smiles a mile wide and continuously thanked me, saying kraa (females) or krap (males) over and over again. Here’s a breakdown of where I went:

1. Gai Yang Boran
To find this one, look for the rotisserie stand outside and a wooden restaurant door next to it. The people here were extraordinarily nice and gave me pictures of meals so I could order. Known for their bbq chicken, I ordered just that. It came with two sauces, one very spicy and one sweet. The chicken was a little lemony with a very light, crunchy roasted skin. With a soda and blessed air conditioning, it was 122 baht, or about $4.

BBQ Chicken

Cooks at Gai Yang Boran

2. Udom Pochana
My concierge’s favorite place to eat, it was more difficult to find. On a side street where there was’t a lick of English, I resorted to looking for people eating noodle soup. This spot is known for that in addition to stews. Run by a father and his lovely daughter, she served me a beef stew over rice with peppers on the side (I couldn’t figure out how to say soup). Again, like the chicken, it had an aromatic and slightly lemony note. With a bottle of water, it cost 48 baht, about $1.50.

Udom Pochana

Udom Pochana - father and daughter

3. Samong Moo Shell Shuan Shim
This by far was my most adventurous meal. When I sat, I thought of the advice my Uncle Tim gave me when I left for North Carolina after college. He said don’t eat chitlins or anything that looks like parts! My palate is a bit more sophisticated now and I don’t mind ‘parts’ but this took it to a whole new level. Samong only offers one dish, pig brain stew. Served in a wonderful, light, slightly salty broth were pig brains, fish balls, fried fish parts, testicles, tripe, liver, and some other unidentifiable chunks. I was already full, but felt it would have been rude to not eat most of it. Surprisingly, the brain was the best part. Creamy and soft, with a delicate texture. Cost 75 baht, $2.50.

Pig Brain and Parts Soup

Samong Moo Shell Shuan Shim

By now, the lunch crowd from area businesses were descending. People in ties, men in uniform, manual workers, and ladies were all out in force. It became so full, I was elbow to elbow with people. At Samong, I was next to an important looking man in a military uniform and his very nicely dressed wife.

4. Nattaporn Ice Cream
Known for their coconut ice cream, I stopped, even though I felt I couldn’t possibly choke down another bite. I did need a palate cleanser after the brain soup, though. I sat and they brought me a small bowl with peanuts on top. Not creamy like ice cream, it was more like sorbet but somehow even lighter than that. The coconut flavor wasn’t overpowering or too sweet and the peanuts gave it a perfect blend of salty and sweet. The military guy and his wife also showed up here and sat with me again. They turned out to be really nice people and I took their picture along with the woman who runs the stall. Then they wanted their picture with me! Cost 20 baht, about 60 cents.

Nattaporn Coconut Ice Cream

Nattaporn Coconut Ice Cream

5. Kor Panich
Finally I stopped for mango and sticky rice to go. Look for the ladies selling mangos on the sidewalk, in front of an open air shop. They were kind enough to give me my loot to go, as by now my belly was so distended from all the food I looked about 5 months pregnant! Later, back in my hotel room, I finally tried what turned out to be the most divine dessert in recent memory. The rice was definitely sticky and slightly sweet, the sliced mango amazingly fresh, sweet, and perfectly ripe. It comes with a coconut sauce that is slightly sweet which you drizzle on top. Oh, I will be dreaming about this one for a while.

Kor Panich

Kor Panich

Ultimately, this turned out to be a great way to spend a few hours. Afterwards, I felt I had a better grasp on Thai people and their food. I’m proud of venturing to a place where no others like me were and my heart was warmed by the generosity of the people. Getting home was surprisingly an ordeal – I got kicked out of 2 cabs because they didn’t want to cross town back to where all of ‘my kind’ were. All just part of the adventure!

PS
I was infinitely relieved when my heartburn turned out to be only that…I had visions of a night being spent hugging the bathroom floor. Apparently the stories about it being the most hygenic street food were right!

PPS

Bill Gates is a pain in my tuckus…why can’t he make his products work with the rest of the world?  Sorry this post is all screwy with pictures…ipad growing pains!

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Like Notre Dame in Paris, Big Ben in London, you must visit the extraordinary temples while in Bangkok. I spent one day visiting three of the most popular one, The Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Po, and Wat Arun (the temple of the dawn).

I can’t even begin to describe how enormous and opulent these holy places are. Similar to the scale of St. Peters in Rome, everything glittered with gold, glass, ceramic, and more gold.

Wat Phra Kaew

Sandstone model of Angkor Wat

These particular temples and palaces were home to former kings, are venues for royalty and visiting heads of state, temples for anointing kings, temples for lying in state, home of the Emerald Buddha (most revered Buddha image) as well as the reclining Buddha. The reclining Buddha is enormous in scale, in fact the picture below shoes the toes on the right side to give you some scale. Truly magnificent, these temples are not to be missed.

Reclining Buddha in Gold

Wat Po

Wat Pho

If you do go, make sure to wear long pants. My long capris were not sufficient. Funnily enough, they gave me a sarong to covered my sacrilegious ankles but it wasn’t made for 5’10 western women so it was actually shorter than my pants! Also, be sure to not fall for scams. I’d read about people seeming to be nice by giving you directions and then telling you the temples were closed for a couple hours, with subsequent advice to go on a river boat tour. Don’t fall for it!

I do suggest you go early, it is oppressively hot and crowded and I can’t imagine how much more so it would be in the steamier afternoon. Also, do walk along the river front between Phra Kaew and Po for stunning views of Wat Arun.

Location:Soi Mahatlek Luang 1,Lumphini,Thailand

Fireworks - Hong Kong New Years!

Lucky girl that I am, I arrived in Hong Kong just in time for the Chinese New Year celebration. Welcoming the year of the Rabbit, the town produces an annual fireworks display that far outdid any I’ve ever seen. Rather than fight the masses on crowded streets, I went up to the Hyatt club lounge and watched them over Victoria Harbour from the 30th floor.

One of the benefits of being preferred with Hyatt is the use of club lounges and I took full advantage. For several hours I sipped champagne (which seems to be a theme for this trip so far), munched on salmon rolls, goose liver pate, stinky cheeses, Thai shrimp balls, katsu, and mango custard – all for free. I highly recommend becoming a frequent guest of Hyatt and enrolling in their Gold Passport program. Once again I reminded myself what a charmed life I lead.

Despite the smog, the fireworks were spectacular as was my company. I met a couple from outside Chicago who were also on holiday. They were absolutely delightful and offered to share their table with me as the lounge had filled up. I think everyone in Hong Kong was out celebrating! It turns out they are also travel junkies and Hyatt groupies so we exchanged tales from around the world. Their fav Hyatt lounge is Macau, mine Bali. They are the kind of guys you would want as friends…funny as all get out, witty, insightful, intriguing….thanks Bill and Dave for making it a great night!

For 23 minutes, the light was ablaze with fiery colors and Kowloon in the background. It was also timed to music, which made it all the more exciting. I can’t seem to get my video converted to Steve Jobs liking, but here’s a YouTube clip of it: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=kQgpUN2rl5o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

By now jet lag was setting in with full force so I resigned to not join the masses in celebration but rather soak in my lovely suite which had a gilded tub (okay, not really but it felt like it)! Just to end a day of decadence on the right note, I settled into the most comfortable bed, complete with a fluffy down comforter, super soft robe, and a box of chocolates the hotel had left for me. They looked like little oranges or apricots and reminded me of home in Florida. Life is good!

Bangkok, here I come!

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Location:Harbour Rd,,Hong Kong