Sunday brunch

You have without a doubt been utterly perplexed by the lack of pictures, comments or general bragabonding discussion around Champagne, yes? But even John reached his limit here. The average crappy glass of wine is about 10 USD (often just 2 choices: red or white). Sparking wines seem to be running 40$ per GLASS so we just haven't had any. We finally found a brunch place on Sunday with an affordable cava. Here's he deal: luxury import taxes 400% on some items. Even luxury brands like Coach or Gucci are actually WAY more expensive than full retail in the US, and anyone with money here wants nothing to do with the fakes.

So looks like we will be waiting until Australia to scratch the wine itch.

Hanging out with Wanvipa

I contacted the woman who used to run Thailand for Pitney Bowes. When we launched our products in Asia market, she and her team were the first country to sell our complex solutions. Wanvipa is fearless, well connected and highly respected in the business community here because she takes great care of her customers. Al S and Jeff D you will also remember Monchai will also try to see before we leave next week. Wanvipa took us for a clean massage (not sure how else we would figure out the difference between clean and dirty on our own unless we just went to an expensive hotel) but she assured us that the traditional Thai massage would hurt too much so we should choose a Swedish massage. A great recommendation as they immediately hop up on the table and practically sit on your legs to get the right leverage. John's lady was so strong he was convinced she could have snapped his neck had the mood struck. After the massage we went to the river and boarded a dinner cruise boat - the river is really one of the best ways to see Bangkok. We lucked out because it was Iranian night - a large group from Iran. Those guys (and only the guys) love to dance. The band had lots or Iranian tunes up their sleeves so once the party started they kept it going! A fun night!

Street food

Street food is a way of life in Bangkok. There are street restaurants set up on the sidewalks everywhere. Don't think hot dog carts, this is an actual restaurant set up with real cooking, real food, tables and chairs. They make everything and cook it in every way - woks, grills, soup pots, you name it. Most of the food looks and smells great and these places are usually very crowded. Of course they also do take away, usually putting the food, including soup, into plastic bags as you see in the picture. It all looks pretty inviting until you see them washing up on the street at night, then not so much. I'm pretty sure this is safe to eat but there just doesn't seem to be much point in taking the chance with so many great restaurants and such cheap prices, but I can tell you that for Thais this is a major way to dine.

Roof top at the State Tower Building, Bangkok

This is the Skybar at The Dome at Lebua State Tower in Bangkok. 64th floor and straight down. Fantastic view of the Chao Phraya River as the sun sets. The river snakes through the middle of Bangkok on its way to the Gulf of Thailand and eventually the South China Sea. It's also a great way to travel around the city by river taxi - cheap, great views from the river, and lots of fun. This is a beautiful building and the Skybar is a great place for a cocktail but not for a meal even though there are several different restaurants. The prices are astronomical and we understand the food is so so. So the general consensus is come for the view, have a drink, and then move on.

Pantip Plaza Bangkok

This is the place to come if you need anything computer related, from the smallest memory chip to the most powerful desktop. Six floors and hundreds of shops, some with nothing more than plastic bins filled with parts. Plenty of software too. The software shops basically just have stacks and stacks of plastic sleeves, each sleeve containing the copy of a cover for a box of software. Page through the sleeves, find what you want and tell the clerk. He gets on his cell phone and calls someone, then tells you it will be about 10 minutes. The person on the other end then burns an illegal copy and when you return, there are your discs. They have virtually everything from entire operating systems to utitities and games. Cost? Generally 100 Thai Baht each; about $3 USD. Thai authorities claim to be cracking down on this sort of theft of intellectual property but you'd never know it at Pantip.

Preparing for The Year of the Rabbit

Chinese New Year is Thursday night and they are decked out here like it was Christmas. Lots of red and lots of rabbits.

A "must read" trip through Thailand's healthcare system

First I'll reassure there is no health crisis here. Elizabeth knew a lot of people who came to Thailand from all over Asia to see doctors, so she wanted "in" on the medical tourism and decided to get a small rash on her hand checked out (happened before in the US twice and went away quickly) but .... why not try here? This experience was really something. We had purchased a medical insurance policy before we left so we could be assured of coverage for a medical evacuation to the States if we needed it on our trip. Part of that policy was a referral service if we needed a doctor while traveling. We contacted the insurance company and requested an appointment online. We got a quick response and referral to a number of doctors, including their credentials and office locations. We selected a doctor who not only spoke English but was trained at the University of Texas, was Board Certified in the US, and who had an office only a few blocks from our hotel. The first surprise we had was that we were offered an immediate appointment on a SATURDAY! What we didn't realize was that the office was in a huge hospital complex that was literally a five minute walk away. In fact, as we stand on our balcony we are looking right at the hospital but didn't know it.

To say we were unprepared for this would be a gross understatement. Walking into the main reception area of the hospital was more like walking into a styling Ritz Carlton hotel. We were immediately greeted by a smartly dressed woman who came over to us and asked if she could help us. Note she came over to us. There were receptionists behind the main desk, dressed the same way, but we never needed to go to them since she gave us immediate attention. She explained that our appointment was in the building next door, that we would need to go to the tenth floor to register, and then would see the doctor on the 15th floor. Then she asked if she could help with anything else and walked us to the front door.

The next building was bascially the same experience. We took the elevator to the 10th floor "Skylobby" and again had the impression we were checking into a five star hotel, not a hospital. The entire setup was so remarkably clean, appointed and lit that you simply could not believe you were in a hospital. You would have had to see this set up to believe it. In less than five minutes Elizabeth was registered and up we went to 15. The entire 15th floor seemed to be one big waiting area divided into many smaller areas with comfortable furniture, big flat screen TVs and, get this, small refreshment areas where you could get water, juice, etc. All complimentary. And of course there was WIFI, not free but avaiable. A nurse came out in short order and took Elizabeth back for the usual height, weight, BP, etc., then she was back out in the waiting room. A few minutes later another nurse came out to apologize that the doctor would be about 1/2 hour late. This was the only negative we had. He actually was about 45 minutes late. Some things are the same the world over. Eventually Elizabeth was taken back to meet with the doctor so I'll let her take over.

First, profuse and sincere apologies from the doctor for keeping me waiting. You are in his office, not a room that he bops in and out of to squeeze 10 patients at a time. You sit at his desk, chat about whatever. He gave a thorough exam, talked some more, and suggested we do a lab test to see if there was any fungal condition causing the rash. Results would be ready in 45 minutes. Got that? He's going to have the test done right now while we wait. Given the chance to catch his ear, I then explained to him every possible other malady I had experienced in the last 6 months; sore throat last week, cough and cold when in India, the bad cold after Argentina. More examination and chatting. There are no symptoms of anything abnormal, but he's perfectly happy to talk. Any other questions? Nope, so we will discuss test results in 45 minutes when the results come back. Back out to the waiting room. In 45 minutes they brought me back to his office. There was no fungal condition but he could prescribe a few topical gels to help. He gives the nurse the papers, she does something on the computer then tells me I can pick up prescriptions and pay down the hall. The offices are beautiful and all in all a great experience.

So now we're ready to wrap up. Back to the 10th floor for check out. Again, a beautiful, efficient set up. Cashier and pharmacy are sort of right in one big area. Pay to the left, turn around and get your meds on the right. All smooth and fast. Now the bill. We are paying for:

1. A Saturday doctor's appointment for a first time patient.
2. A fairly complete medical exam.
3. An on-the-spot test and results.
4. 2 prescriptions for the skin cream.

Tota cost. Drum roll please. In US dollars???? $72.00. Total. All in. Done. Not because they took insurance - that was the total cash cost period.

We have no idea how this can work. This was not a hospital just for foreigners, although it clearly caters to them. Many signs were in English, Thai, Japanese and Arabic. Even so, wouldn't you expect that to be more not less expensive? We are dumbfounded as to how they can provide this level of service at that price.

Elizabeth liked it so much she is going back for a full physical on Tuesday! Seriously! We booked it online today, Sunday morning and received a confirmation within about 1 hour.

Pics from WHERE? Yes, the hospital/clinic in Bangkok.

Zoom in on the second floor to see the cafe. Other floors are the waiting areas described in other post.

Mega Sushi at Tsu

This may be the largest piece of sushi I have ever eaten. Delicious too.

Bangkok big business

No surprise here. Some men are in Bangkok on business with a side of pleasure but many actually are here strictly as part of the gigantic sexual tourism trade. You can be in a 5 star hotel and have working girls walking through the lobby on the arm of a customer. They don't hang out in the lobbies looking for business but it is big business so you see it everywhere. And yes, you'll recognize this shot as it is our very own pool at the hotel/apartment. We hadn't seen this before but I guess it's a Friday afternoon . . . (she was accompanying an older gentleman to lunch by the pool) but she became bored (or disgusted) as he chatted on his phone while shoveling french fries into his mouth, so she had to step aside and text. It can be very gross to catch this scene. A few times a day John will tell you I exclaim "poor thing".

Where is the beach?

It says "Beach" and this is a beach resort. Hmmmmmm . . . where exactly is that beach. It must be here somewhere. I mean there's the water, so where is it?

Aha!!

There it is. Lucky it's low tide. Quick grab me a chair and an umbrella, I've got 10 minutes before the tide comes in.

And I quote (photo)

And I quote. . .

"$&@#%! This margarita keeps dripping freezing cold water on me every time I take a sip!". Really, first the rain and now this? A seriously beauuuutiful day here. We are lounge lizards vs. last few days driving around in rain just trying to stay on the left side of the road and not knock off some crazy couple on a motorbike! and last few weeks with a lot of running around.

Behind John you'll see the hotel has an awesome floating dock that extends about 200 yards into the ocean - sweet! On the horizon you'll see a reef where the water is breaking. The depth of water out to the reef is maybe chest high. There were guys standing in the water and fishing out there all day and right up until dark. They outlasted us for sure and we sat out there about 8+ hours. We never figured out if they had nets or what out there or were all just waiting to capture a whale. Often the best response communication when we attempt to ask a question (even at this HK HQ hotel) is a big smile one word answer like "fishing". Thai people have a lovely natural/cultural disposition. And they love to laugh.

It begins to come together

Now boys and girls if you've been following along you will recall that after achieving enlightenment Buddha delivered his first sermon at where ? . . . that's right, at Sarnath, outside Varanasi. That sermon was delivered to his five disciples as he sat under a tree. This is a detail from a temple on Koh Samui depicting that moment.

By the way, the first sermon is so imprtant because it laid out what Budhdists refer to as The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. What are the Four Noble Truths?

1. Life is Suffering. So the desire to be cremated at Varanasi and have your ashes thrown in the Ganges is to help end the cycle of rebirth. Shirley McLain may think reincarnation is cool but to a Buddhist who believes the First Noble Truth, you'd just as soon not have another go round.
2. The causes of suffering are desire and ignorance.
3. Suffering can be stopped. This is believed by many to be the main purpose of Buddha's teaching. He was a pragmatic guy and not interested in answers to metaphysical qustions that would not actually help to stop suffering.
4. The way to stop suffering and to achieve nirvana is the Eightfold Path. Live your life according to these eight points and you'll be good to go.

Got that?

Strike a pose

She couldn't resist.

Sunset Koh Samui

The sun finally came out and sunset was beautiful.

They like'm BIG

The Big Buddha is a term you will hear often in Asia. No matter where you go there is likely to be one. These are pics of the one on Koh Samui. Not the biggest by far but does give you an idea of what we mean. Seems that with statues of Buddha, the bigger the better.

Spending too much time indoors

Because it's raining. I know, you feel our pain. Our room in Ko Samui incuding bedroom area and looking from bath past plunge pool to bedroom. I forced myself into that pool yesterday just to say I did it. Perfect size for our back patio. About 8 feet across by about 12 feet long with a great built in bench. The sun is actually out now. Well, sort of out. Had the best pad thai ever at a surprising place last night for less than $4USD.

South Delhi: Jyoti's living room, and the nice neighborhood market

Fwd: Cooking Class in Delhi with Jyoti

Our last day in Delhi we had a cooking class with Jyoti in her home.
The food great fresh ingredients were mostly already washed and
chopped (by 2 live-in teenagers who are her help) so we spent most of
the time talking about the spices, techniques, and then actually
watching her cook. She made it look simple but most recipes have quite
a few ingredients and tons of spices. Watch out because I'm coming
back with plenty of recipes. They were all delicious!  The best part
was seeing a typical middle or upper middle class living, complete
with the teenage son sleeping late then getting up, eating, and going
back to his room to watch a blaring episode of Modern Family.  The
house was in an area of housing for government officials that belonged
to her father in law.  It is typical for a married couple to move in
with the father's parents, so the houses tend to have lots of people
living in a relatively small space. One of our guides lived with his
parents, 4 brothers and wives and kids for a total of 18 in the house.
Everyone of any means has help, as the labor pool is huge and very
inexpensive. Even if they don't live-in they come every day to help
with cooking and cleaning.

Jyoti took us for a tour of a beautiful food and spice market (what
produce!), a sweet shop (wow they love the sweet sweets) and found us
some safe typical street food called gol goppa (a deep fried hollow
shell, in this case filled with spiced chickpeas then dunked in mint
water right before you pop it in your mouth). We could barely choke
down else when Jyoti determined that it's wouldn't be right for us to
leave without sampling some southern Indian food so we then went to a
southern Indian restaurant in the Defense Colony area for some dosas
with special sauces. We finally had to scream uncle - no more food!

Somebody is starting to cut loose

Check the shirt and the MC Hammer pants, all purchased at a street market for less than $12USD Perhaps you'd like video of the MC Hammer performance?

Couldn't resist the close up

Great rig for the roast.

Ko samui restaurants

This was a great looking roast pig, even better close up. We are definitely doing this next 4th of July. The seafood was displayed next to it. I'm pretty sure that's a barracuda in the middle, and the one on the right is definitely a shark, but not too sure about the one on the left. Or maybe the one in the middle is the dreaded snake head? Have seen that on menus here listed as "serpent head". Sounds somewhat better I guess. Hey Al, do you know what that is. I forgot to ask.

Where we are

The map shows our current location, about 250 miles south of Bangkok. We flew here this morning but so far the weather is not cooperating. Driest season of the year and it's pouring. Ah well, things could be far worse.

We get live weather forecasts in our room!

Koh Samui is a beautiful island on the southeast coast in the Gulf of Siam. Fortunately we got a steal on a last minute reservation at this hotel, the Langham Place. Very cool room with a little open courtyard separating the bedroom from the bath area. There is a soaking/plunge pool there which enables us to see exactly how hard it is raining at any given time! Was I the one who was supposed to check the forecast before we jumped on a plane in sunny balmy Bangkok to come to the beach? This is the dry season but we have somehow angered the weather gods.

The funniest thing John ever saw

So he says . . . I may not have lasted even this long but this was about my fifth try. Since the parlor owner helped at one point by actually holding my legs down (before this photo was taken) I realized I wasn't going to be permitted to spend 150 Bhat (about 5$ which is a lot here) without really letting those fish get a few good nibbles of any dead skin they could find on my feet. If you want to torture me, now you know how. But we laughed so hard and they let me swap for a traditional foot massage after this.

Temple and market quota exceeded

Today it is all about pool time at the hotel. Tomorrow we leave early for Koh Samui, about 1 hour away by plane.

On the Chao Phraya river

We spent much of the day on or around the river going to and from the Bangkok backpacker area. It's actually a really nice area which is busy and crazy but still far from the main actions so it actually seems quiet. It's also cheap cheap cheap. 1.5 USD for a beer in a nice place right on the river. The food and touristy things are also inexpensive here, because most of the people stay here because you can get a nice room for 30-40$. I mean one that Champagne J himself would stay in!

Bangkok from our apartment

This is a view of Bangkok looking toward the river from our apartment in Sukhumvit on the 15th floor of the Fraser Suites. Great night views and a nice balcony which extends the full length of the living and bedrooms, both of which have floor to ceiling windows. I would say our apartment is about the size of our basement, excluding our fitness room, with a full kitchen (completely stocked with everything but food, including a full size refrigerator), huge bath, big flat screen TVs in both LR and BR, great storage, king size bed, daily maid service, and a terrific breakfast by the pool every morning for about $150 a day. This is a GREAT deal.

Final thoughts on Turkey

After a little time to reflect we both agree that Turkey was a great place and we would definitely return. But this is a summer place. It's so closely tied to the water that warm weather is required to see Istanbul at it's best. This is a city with an amazing history. Really the most important city in the world for centuries. Capital of the Byzantine and Roman Empires and at the center of the silk and spice routes. So there is a lot of history to see but also a lot of great restaurants, cafes and bars, many with spectacular water views. Turks seem to love to be outside to eat, even when it's only 45 degrees, so in summer these places must be swarmed. A lot has been written in the last few years about Turkey's turn to the right politically and about the increasing influence of Islam on the government. Turkey has been a secular state since 1935 and Istanbul clearly enjoys it's weatern influences, including more than a nodding acquaintance with alcohol, western dress and so on. Considering Turkey is 97% muslim we looked at Istanbul and thought how hard it would be to put the genie back in the bottle so to speak. It's especially hard to envision younger Turkish women embracing some of the more conservative practices. But Islam is a big part of Turkey, a fact you are reminded of several times a day when the call to prayer is heard from the hundreds of mosques throughout the city. Turks are unfailingly polite, friendly, helpful and eager to speak and practice their English. It is expensive but no more than big western cities. So for something a little more exotic, try a summer visit to Istanbul and leave time to explore more far flung areas as well, something we didn't do. Turkey has been a popular beach destination for the Brits for years. Anyway, two thumbs up for Istanbul.

Appetizer at Basil in Bangkok

Betel leaf served with a bunch of little bowls containing toasted coconut, dried shrimp, peanuts, fresh pieces of chili peppers, lime, ginger and onions, plus a sweet/hot chili sauce. You basically dress and roll your own, down the hatch. The betel leaf is the same one that Indians wrap around areca nut and lime paste or tobacco or sweets, then sort of chew. The areca nut really stains the teeth and causes probably 5-10 billion spits daily of grotesque red saliva all over India and Pakistan. But Thai style if very different, delicious combo, no areca nut, and nobody really spits much (especially not in a place like Basil which was lovely and interestingly seemed to cater to Japanese). Always a good sign, as they are aficionados of clean places and super fresh food.

Street performer Bangkok market

This kid was really great.

And they say Americans are obnoxious

We were on the Skytrain (elevated subway) today in Bangkok. A 70 something anglo looking guy turns to us and says to me, "Where did you get those shoes, here or in Europe?" so I say, "Actually I got them in the US". "Oh, but you're European, right?" he says. "No, why do you think that?", I say. "Well because of your accent, where are you from". "We live in Washington, DC". "Oh, I do too. I live in Georgetown." Now comes the good part. "God is punishing me by making me live in the US", is his next comment. "Where are you from?", asks Elizabeth. The answer - "I'm French". And a pleasure to meet you too sir.

Back to Varanasi

These pics are from our first night in India. We were walking to the Ganges, maybe about a half a mile through crowds you cannot believe. The closer you get the more people there are begging. Our guide suggested we buy some biscuits to give out. These pics are of Betty and the guide (in the brown coat) handing them out. It's heartbreaking to think what this tiny gesture could mean to someone, especially the little kids.

Sorry so sweaty

But even with just a T-shirt and sandals, you can quickly work up a sweat when it's nearly 90 degrees. Oh yikes, sorry to complain! Is it a little cooler where you are? ;)

Bangkok: the view straight down from our balcony

Not the Taj, but nice digs here at the Fraser Suites, in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. It's sort of the center of things with lots of restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. This is a "serviced apartment" building - sort of an apartment with hotel amenities like maid service. This pic is from our balcony on the 15th floor looking down at the pool on the rooftop of the 5th floor. Nice restaurant with a great breakfast that is included with our room. Mercifully, there is also a large well equipped gym at the hotel. We've been there every day so far, So what if that only represents 2 days? It's a start, as all the walking hasn't yet balanced out all the chow. We will send some pics of the room.

A word about comments

Apparently some of you are posting comments that are not showing up on our blog. Each post has a comment link at the bottom of the post. If you post a comment please make sure it actually appears or let me know so we can figure outnwhat's wrong. Thanks and thanks for your comments. We love them and look forward to them.

To clear up the artsy thing

It's not a painting, it's a photo. Same place, different light. Our guide took this.

Elephants in India

Elephants are revered in Hindu culture, and 80% of India is Hindu, so way over  1 billion just in this country.  A favorite god is Ganesh, the elephant god.  One of the only gods depicted with an animal head, he’s usually shown with 4-10 arms, and using a rat as his vehicle.   He holds (among other things) a rope and an axe:  the axe to cut off attachments to worldly things and rope to pull his devotees nearer to the truth.  By riding the rat, he’s able to go even small places to do these things.  But I’m convinced most other elephants in India would give their trunks to join the circus. They’ve been worked like slaves here forever.

“Forts” in India are really just palaces with lots of protection.  During construction of Jaipur’s Amber Fort below,  two elephants had to stand on the roof of the structure for days, just to see if it could take the weight required for gigantic chandeliers that were to be installed.   

Amber Fort Jaipur

Check out the silver urn.  It's about 6 feet high and holds 900 gallons.  Elephants were used to carry water from the Ganges river in 4 of these massive containers for hundreds of miles over land so they could be loaded on ships and taken to London.  There was no way the Maharaja of Jaipur was going to drink water from the Thames river during his trip).  Once loaded on board, the weight was too much for the boat, so they just threw 2 of them over the side in a hurry – silver urns and all.

Elephant Memorial at Fatepur Sikri.
Fields of mustard in bloom in
the background.

The Mughal emperor Akbar  actually had a large sandstone ring in his courtyard at Fatepur Sikri where tied his wise elephant.  When people were to be brought to justice , he would hear the case, then put them before the elephant.  If the elephant trampled them, so be it, they must have deserved to die.  If the elephant spared them, they were allowed to just walk away.  When the elephant died, the emperor built a memorial for him.  This showplace of a palace from around 1500 was occupied for less than 12 years because of a severe drought, his HQ had to be moved back to Agra around 15 KM away.

In wars, elephants often led the charge, which sometimes backfired because if the enemy spooked the lead elephants, they would sometimes turn and trample their own army.  Because elephants were used to break down the gates of a fort, most doors are styled with multiple knobby things on the front.  They look decorative now but they were originally fashioned with very sharp and long pointed ends to keep the elephants from busting through the doors.