Shrines and Jabs

We've been taking it easy in Bangkok, eating lots of mango, sticky rice and Pad Thai, drinking Thai iced tea, getting Hep A/B jabs, and swimming in our pool.

Watching some of the folks swim leads me to believe that learning to swim is not all that common in these parts. I have never seen such thrashing about in a pool by those older than 2!

 We stopped by to see the Erawan Shrine in downtown Bangkok. It is a shrine that houses a statue of the Hindu god of creation, Lord Brahma.

 One can pay Thai dancers to help in getting your prayers to Lord Brahma.

 Lighting incense sticks.

This shrine was bombed in 2015, killing 20 and injuring 125. We moved on after a respectful nod to his Holiness.

This storm came thundering in from the west one night. When it rains here (and it rains frequently), it is like a big fat water hose has opened up.

Love the store names here. We especially liked Super Rich International Exchange (1965) and BCBGMAXAZRIA!

Here's Kirsty with her new Thai friend outside of Harrods (hi Eryn and Isla back in the UK!)

Peace my friends!

Some Observations So Far About Thailand

1. It's hot.

2. Folks smile. A lot.

3. The BTS (elevated subway), stations are very clean.

Even the tracks are spotless!

 Folks getting on the train line up to the left and right of the arrows used by those coming off the train.

Signs to help you queue up, and not get hit by a train should you drop something on the tracks. Thai language, as I understand it, has the consonants going from left to right, no punctuation or capitals, and the vowels can be on the top or bottom of the consonants. Or in between. Or something like that.

4. It's very hot here.

5. Thai folks seem to spend their time going to work, shopping, riding the BTS, sitting in traffic and shopping. Then they go shopping. Hardly anyone walks anywhere, except from a mode of transportation to a building. Riders get off the BTS station 300 meters from our apt and pay for a scooter ride to the apartments.

6. Apartments don't have hot water in the kitchen or bathroom sinks. The shower has an on demand heater for hot water.

7. If there was a cell phone outage here, I think people would throw themselves off the BTS. I have never seen a group of people so engrossed in their cell phones. It is like a religion. I read that it is worse in South Korea.

8. The largest outdoor market in the world is in Bangkok. We went because, well, because... Anyway, you aren't missing anything.

 Buy 10 things you don't need and get one more thing you don't need for free. Lots and lots of things for 100 baht ($2.84).

 Thought of Ryan when I saw these dresses.

 The market is basically hundreds of these enclosed aisles, (8000 stalls), covering about 28 acres. We were there at opening (9 am) and it was, while not quite hell on earth, approaching that stage. We left before the afternoon, when there are thousands of people crammed in these aisles, eating, drinking and buying stuff. Because they want to.

 Sliced fruit is big here.

 Some sort of meat product boiling in oil.

Millions of these items as far as the eye could see. Like I said, you aren't missing anything. We took one for the team so you could avoid the Chatuchak market.

9. It's freaking hot here.

We were dripping on the BTS after the market and this young lady walks in wearing a hoody sweatshirt.

10. There are cool toilets here. I know, seriously.

 I was wondering why the guys were taking so long in the toilet. Now I know.

You know you want one!

11. Lots of people wear masks here.

They stopped at Starbucks on their way into surgery.

Living the dream my friends!

Peace!

Helloooooooooo Thailand!

Just a short post to let you know that we made it out of that God-forsaken hellhole to Bangkok yesterday. What a difference!

 We flew AiraAsia for the first time. Brand new Airbus 321 (still had the new car smell). We have never seen so many seats crammed in a plane as this one. And we fly the infamous Irish Ryanair no-frills, pack 'em in airline. My knees were into the magazine holder.

Thai beer and a Thai iced tea! Delicious!

View from our hotel room of the Chao Phraya river. That is our boat with the white top. We take that back and forth to the BTS (elevated train) station.

On the boat.

 Pick up your Mai Tais there at the poolside bar.

My lovely bride in the pool.

Peace my friends!

Adios Malaysia

We depart for Thailand tomorrow, and our departure couldn't come soon enough. Our hopes were high, based on internet reviews, blogs and pictures. The reality of the place soon put those hopes to bed. We went mostly for the food, and it was often very good. But just as often it was not.
Kirsty said she didn't know whether Malaysia was a third-world country on its way up, or a first-world country on its way down. New buildings are next to rotting buildings all over the place. The buildings that have been up for just a few years look like they have a skin disease. Garbage is strewn everywhere and there is sort of a grimy existence to the place. Georgetown, once a beautiful place, is a very sad shell of its former self.

One of the highlights was seeing the art work of Ernest Zacharevic, a Lithuanian artist. Take a look at his work here, to understand what he did. We thought Georgetown and Malaysia would be more like this work, but instead...

This, at the world famous Chew Jetty, is more like what you will see. Not always, but far too many times for it to be enjoyable. Don't get me started on the smell of the open drains. Here is a tip for you: don't visit the jetties when the tide is low. It makes the open drains smell like roses.

But hey, experiencing other cultures is what traveling is all about.

 This is where you feed your kids to the nice lizard.

 Not too sure what a White Mexico is...

 This sign is ubiquitous.

This is for granddaughter Ryan: the smallest box of Froot Loops we've ever seen!

Did I mention it was hot here? Its the "Feel Like" at 106 that kind of gets to a person of my heritage.

This about says it all.

Thailand awaits!

Peace my friends!

Green Cup for Ramadan

I am truly blessed!

Peace my friends!

Things I've Learned About Malaysia

Although most cars will follow the direction of traffic, scooters will, if it suits them, go against traffic, or sideways through the line of cars. Like bumper cars without the crashing into each other.

A helmet is required for scooter drivers, but not for the toddlers and infants they carry standing in the foot well or riding on the backseat.

One must look left, right, front, back and sideways before crossing a street.

Dilarang merokok (no smoking), is the most ignored sign in Malaysia. Folks often smoke right under it or beside it.

There are no stop signs from a side street onto a main street, so cars and scooters will not stop when entering a main street unless absolutely necessary. Especially the scooters, who just flow around the corner like a slinky, onto the far left side of the road. Sometimes, they meet another scooter coming at them. It is fun to watch the dance that ensues.

Busses rule the road and don’t care about scooters, or any other vehicles for that matter. I think everyone knows this so it is ok.

Parking? Fuhgetaboutit! The only place that is usually clear on the street is the bus stop. See above. 

Do not disrupt the free flow of the traffic or the horns will start and not let up until the cars start to move.

No matter where you stay, a mosque will be within spitting distance and you will listen to the call to prayers 5 times a day. Sometimes you get to hear the whole goings on, whatever that is called, lasting an hour or so.

Women don’t get asked questions if they are with a man, the man does. Women are usually ignored and even if a woman asks a question, the man will usually get the answer.

Malaysians have a very, very, very sweet tooth. Sugary snacks are everywhere and the teas usually have a sugary syrup in them. Kirsty ordered water and got it with a sugary syrup in it. 

Every female over the age of 14 has a cellphone in her hand, selfies are a national past time for locals and tourists, especially the Chinese and Japanese.

Apparently there is a severe toilet paper and napkin shortage in Malaysia. Wise to carry your own, even when using upscale mall toilets.

Different strokes for different folks:

 Other styles of beach wear here.

 Waiting for a parasailing ride.

 He's all for it. She's thinking: Wait a minute, what?!

 We thought we heard the guy running the rides yell "adios" as the boat started to pull them up.

Help me you know who! I wasn't able to get a picture of them landing because they fell into the sea while trying to come in for a landing. Seriously. The kid was picked up by a boat and the mother was picked up on a jet ski. She fell off the back of the jet ski when it came ashore.

 Hairy trees.

 We had breakfast here.

 Roti canai, one with egg, one plain, along with a curry dipping sauce. Popular breakfast food, with pulled tea, $1.01 for all.

When we first arrived the ocean water was brownish, like from silt. The next day, after a torrential rain the night before, the water was gunmetal gray. This is the actual color of the water.

The water left a gray-ish stain on the sand. Think we will skip the swimming here.

Peace my friends!

Island Life

Coming off of the mountains, we soon were on the ferry over to Penang Island, home of George Town and its superior Malaysian cuisine. A mixture of Indian, Malay and Chinese influences, the food is delicious. The problem is eating it in the 90-100 heat, since most of the best, authentic food is on the street in the hawker areas. Did I mention it was hot here? Well, it is. So one can go to the malls where they have moved some of the hawker stalls and eat in air-conditioned bliss (but not as good), or suffer the heat. Occasionally there is a somewhat cool undercover eating place. But not many.

Here are a few pictures of life around our hotel. More to come as soon as I un-stick myself from the pavement.

 Nice breeze as we ferry over to Penang.

Cars go on first, then people willy-nilly let on until they have enough. Cost about 30 cents for foot passengers. For two of us. Round trip. Seriously.

 Old cart outside of our hotel. The vendor sold fried bread for .50 sens, about 12 cents.

 Redone shop house. Living space above, shop below.

 Tiles on the ground of the shophouse above.

Tiles on the wall of the shophouse above.

 Unfortunately, most of the houses resemble the next few pictures. George Town is an old man gone to seed.

 Having breakfast.

Tripe J Motor is the place to get your scooter fixed. There are little canals next to the sidewalks that flow with any and all sorts of liquids and garbage. Including motor oil and assorted greasy bits. Have been for centuries no doubt.

 This is for Manono in Hawaii!

 We went to Kwan here for some delicious fried rice and jawa mee (noodles). She was out of my favorite, nasa lemak (coconut rice).

Jawa mee $1 and fried rice .75 cents.

 Getting ready to fry!

Quick as you like!

Peace my friends!