October 2010
42 posts
WatchSeven years in Portland, then Kim introduces me to the 24 Hour Church of Elvis.
Top o' the Morning
Intern: (entering Manager's office) Good morn-
Manager: -I’m trying to enjoy a goddamned graprefruit here.
Intern: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.
Manager: It’s not you, it’s the goddamned grapefruit. Have you ever tried to eat one of these things?
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WatchA quick view from a tuk-tuk in Phnom Penh, wherein we end up on the wrong side of the road.
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SE Asia Day 11 (Ho Chi Minh City)
Still on the mend a bit, but feeling much better and rehydrated. Had to check out of the hotel at noon which meant killing nine hours before getting to the airport.
Decided to be total westerners, and grabbed a cab to Vincom Centre, the largest, green shopping mall and residential skyscraper in Saigon, if I recall correctly. Lots of high end shops with high end prices. Wanted shoes, but anything...
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SE Asia Day 10 (Ho Chi Minh City)
GI distress has finally made an appearance. I won’t go into details, and it’s not very severe. It affected my sleep. Meds in the system, but slightly feverish and tired. Rehydration salts taste nasty.
Didn’t leave the hotel until 1PM, but made it to a pho place. It was okay, not a mind-blowing noodle experience.
Made it to the Ben Thanh Market where several vendors wanted to...
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SE Asia Day 9 (Chau Doc to Ho Chi Minh City))
I forgot to mention that Vietnamese hotels hold your passports during the length of your stay.
On the road early, light breakfast. At a ferry crossing we hopped into a market and got some Aloe Vera Juice, Durian Fruit Dumplings and a spice cake of unknown origins.
Lunched at Tram Dung Chan, technically a western style sorta truck/rest stop but with the equivalent of several street food vendors...
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SE Asia Day 8 (Phnom Penh to Chau Doc)
A great day, but not much to say. I’ll keep it simple.
Spent most of the day on a boat headed down the Mekong to arrive at Chau Doc at sunset.
Dinner of Anabas and pork with Vietnamese vodka, and a stroll around the night markets.
Had a few gecko friends in our room. They were nice roommates.
Facebook is blocked by the government here.
Headed to Ho Chi Minh City in the morning.
...
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SE Asia Day 7 (Phnom Penh)
Woke up feeling out of sorts. The crappiest hotel of the trip (stinky towels, mosquitos coming in through a crack in a window sill, crappy lighting and our room information on display at the front desk for strangers to see).
Mood not improved by the royal palace. A friend was turned away because her shirt sleeves were too short. Ladies, cover yourselves in SE Asia, lest you make a monk horny...
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Rain at Tuol Sleng. I took about a dozen photos at...
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WatchSiem Reap at 6AM.
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SE Asia Day 6 (Siem Reap to Phnom Penh)
Sad to leave Siem Reap - probably need another two days to explore. Lots of expats, little bars and dives to check out.
The heat’s been bearable, though it’s common (at least for me) to be totally wet with sweat from tits to taint.
Stopped along the way to use a family’s toilet. They wanted 500 Riel ($0.12). We paid without question or fuss. The median income here is $400 a...
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Buddhist monks chanting in predawn as we await...
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Near the Beantay Srei temple (and tucked a bit...
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Our first night in Siem Reap, live music...
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SE Asia Day 5 (Siem Reap & Ankgor Wat)
It’s 4:48AM, and I’m with 4 others headed to Ankgor Wat in the dark to see the sun rise over the temples and hear chanting.
The temps at this time of morning are pleasant.
Took a long nap since I got up at 3:00AM for Angkor Wat, then a swim.
Had dinner in a local place where there were no other westerners. Cambodians like their beer with ice. Turns out I like it just fine too....
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Workers restoring part of Ta Prohm.
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Rain at Ta Prohm, the first temple we visited in...
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SE Asian Audioboos →
Some folks follow me only on Tumblr, so here’s a link to recent Audioboos I’ve posted from SE Asia.
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SE Asia Day 4 (Siem Reap)
Awake at 3:00AM on the nose. Slept off and on from 4:30 to 6:00. Sleep was good, just interrupted.
Ta Prohm was the morning’s first temple, as tourists usually come to it later in the morning. A beautiful, spooky place that’s suffered 10 centuries of rain, war and looting. It’s being restored, but it seems like a losing battle. Restoring and maintaining all of the temples seems...
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SE Asia Day 3 (Bangkok to Cambodia)
Left the hotel at 7:30 with a four hour ride to the Thai-Cambodian border. Stopped at the Thai side for lunch at an open market.
Getting out of Thailand was a snap. We loaded our bags on a cart for a porter to take them across the border since lugging them for a couple of hours would be painful. Getting into Cambodia required a “facilitation payment” so that two members of our party...
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SE Asia Day 2 (Bangkok)
Went to bed at 11:00, and woke up wide awake at 3:00AM. Kim did too.
We talked, played silly games and finally started drinking beer at 4:00AM. Finally back in the sack at 5:15AM.
Breakfast was bland, but that’s what you get for eating in the hotel, even in Bangkok.
Tried troubleshooting my Cambodian visa problem. That is, not printing the e-Visa before departure, and having to pay for...
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SE Asia Day 1 (Bangkok)
In at 1:00AM, slept like a log.
Tried to go to Wat Pho, but took a wrong turn. Avoided 3 attempted tuk-tuk scams then just started ignoring tuk-tuks altogether (except when crossing streets).
Efforts to buy beer in a corner store failed, as liquor sales are prohibited during certain hours of the day.
Back to hotel after a long walk. Kim inquired about Thai massage. The concierge hooked us up...
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SE Asia Day 0
San Francisco to Incheon to Bangkok
19 hours in the air plus 6 hours of airport waiting and 14 time zones.
3 airline meals eaten out of sheer boredom. I don’t begrudge them their blandness. Everybody knows they’re just to break the monotony.
The flight staff of Japanese Airlines is the most beautiful in the world, especially when there’s 15 of them walking through the airport in their striking,...
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