Bali

Merry Christmas from Bali!

I'm in Sanur with Lisa and Al, and despite the tropical setting, its not as hard as we thought to get in the holiday spirit. Or maybe that's because of the santa hats that we've been wearing all day. We splurged on a nice holiday dinner (almost $10 per person) at a place where all the servers were wearing hats like us. After dinner, I was invited to sing with the band... kinda scary, for those of you who have shared karaoke moments with me.

Merry Christmas!!

love,
jen (aka jennifer lopez, as everyone here keeps calling me)

Mae Sot, Thailand

I'm in Mae Sot, Thailand, halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai and towards the Burmese border. It's a really interesting mix of Burmese monks, Thais and NGO workers (there are something like 30 NGOs in this area, as its so close to Burma). And it seems all the NGO workers are staying at my hostel, so I've met lots of cool people. Mae Sot is really the Thailand I came here to see -- as far as I can tell there aren't many (or any) tourists. Its somewhere between small city and large village, with just a few traffic lights.

I dropped the bag of kids clothing/shoes Charity Begins gathered for me in New York at Dr. Cynthia's clinic, a medical clinic near the border that treats Burmese refugees who have crossed over for the day. The Thai police could technically shut it down anytime, as its operating illegally, but so far they've chosen not to. Dr. Cynthia is a Burmese woman who started the clinic to treat the students involved in the 1988 gov't uprising. The clinic does medical procedures, often to treat malaria, as well as eye surgeries, deliveries and education. I was able to distribute the entire bag of clothing and shoes, piece by piece, to the kids who were being treated there, and will hopefully be able to swing by again later in the trip to teach english.

Also, I had a long conversation with a monk today - he had to flee Burma in 2003 after leading a hunger strike, and is moving to the United States in a few months (after you cross the border and register to be a refugee, you can either stay in the Thai camps, or apply for resettlement. Its a really controversial topic, because the Burmese who pass the interviews are always the educated or accomplished ones, which takes all the smart, accomplished Burmese out of Burma). He wanted to know about the United States, and whether people care about the plight of his people. So he's telling me his life story and he's only 24 and has been through more than a person who's four times his age. It really makes you realize what a charmed life we all lead.

Anyways, sorry for the somber post. This town is depressing and inspiring at the same time, because there is so much conflict here, but also many people who are trying to make a difference...

Shopping in Chiang Mai

I caught a flight out of Bangkok to Chiang Mai in the north, one of the larger cities in Thailand. It's really cute, with pieces of the old wall still intact and a moat surrounding the city, although much more touristy than I thought it would be. Every other shop is selling a tour package of some sort (popular ones from here are 2-3 day treks further into the jungle, usually with a 1/2 day of rafting and riding elephants, as well as cooking, massage and boxing classes). I do plan to come back here though, even to use it as a base to explore this part of Thailand. And maybe I'll finally learn how to cook! hahaha

The other interesting thing about Chiang Mai is its the land of markets. In the two days I've been here, I've seen a day market, a night market, and the weekly Sunday Night market. They're all very similar, with artisans selling handbags, scarves, pillowcases, blankets (textiles are big here), knock-off designer brands and lots of things you would never use. But you can't beat these prices (33.33 baht to one dollar), although bartering's not quite as fun when you know you really just saved the equivelent of a nickel.

I'm leaving tomorrow for Mae Sot, a small Thai town near the Burmese border, and it's probably for the best as I don't have room in my bag for any more shopping....

(picture at right is a lantern christmas tree, which is standing outside the main gate to the old city beside a picture of the king, of course)

The positive thing about jet lag is I wake up really early now, and plan to enjoy it while it lasts! I hopped on a water taxi to the Grand Palace, which is really amazing and can't quite be captured on film. It's best known for being home to the monarch, many of the government's administrative funtions and the famous Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The temple complex is huge, tiled in gold mosaic and alters, and filled with a mix of monks giving alms, tourists and school kids on a field trip. My pictures won't really do it justice.

One of the other interesting things about Bangkok is the prevalance of pink and yellow polo shirts. They are everywhere! Thai's wear them, street vendors sells them... People wear yellows on Mondays to celebrate the king's birthday (he was born on a Monday) and any day of the week really, and yellow has become known as the King's color. Pink is a more recent fashion trend, also inspired by the well-loved monarch, who was spotted wearing pink after a recent release from the hospital. So, donning pink is like toasting to his good health. (It's also okay for westerners, or farangs, to wear these colors, although every shirt I've seen sold on the street is in a tiny Thai size.)

After the Grand Palace, I had my first Thai meal at the market next door - duck noodle soup for 40 baht (just over $1). Now, that's what I'm talking about! It will be hard to adjust to those inflated U.S. prices...

Bangkok

24+ hours later, I've made it to Bangkok! I was not prepared for this level of heat and stickiness, and that's even after dealing with a few NYC summers. I pulled an all-nighter in order to sleep as much as possible on the 17 hour flight. And of course, once I get to JFK I find out the plane was delayed by another 4 hours. Despite this, Thai Airways gets points for having (hands-down) the best airline food ever, so after that and a few glasses of wine I was out for almost the entire trip, amazingly!

I'm staying at a great little hostel Jen Mahran recommended called Suk 11, in the Sukhamvit area of the city. It's not Kho San Road, but is still in a high-density of massage parlors, hence the most prominent sign behind the front desk: "No Sex Visitors In Rooms." Still, it's really easy to get around from here on the new Sky Train that runs just above. I took a bunch of pics to add into this, but the blog is being really lame and not letting me do that now. So, stay tuned! Hope everyone is doing well.

xoxo
jen

New York City

So, I'm leaving in under one week for Bangkok. The best part of the trip, besides all the cool new people and places, will be avoiding another chilly winter (fourteen years in Alaska was enough!)

The next 5 days will be nothing but stress as I try to wrap up my jobs here, there and pack, but it will be nice to have a place to come back to (thanks, Celine!). FYI, our subletter bailed at the last minute, so if anyone needs an apt in the East Village, please let me know. (I just have to plug it for a second -- cheap rent for the area, good location, neighborhood just voted #1 in NYC).

Anyways, this is kind of a boring post as I haven't actually gone anywhere yet, but I wanted to let you know my plan so 1) we can laugh about it later when I'm back in New York, as I've never taken a trip that's gone according to plan and because b) I'd LOVE to hear your travel tips and recos if you've been to any of these places...

Dec. 12-21
Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Mae Sot

Dec. 21
Fly from Bangkok to Bali

Dec. 22-Jan 5
Holidays in and around Bali, beach-hopping with Lisa and Al

Jan. 5-30
Fly to Hong Kong to meet Derek, travel to mainland China, through Xi'an, Shanghai, Hangzhou, end in Beijing

Jan. 31-???
Not sure. Might head farther east or southeast again. I definitely will be going back to Thailand again at some point, as well as Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and possibly Japan and/or the Philippines.

April 1
Bangkok to New York City

You can reach me on my gmail account always, and please keep me posted on what's going on back home. And if anyone needs a last-minute vacation, now you have someone to visit!

cheers,
jen