Siem Reap, Cambodia: 4/9-4/13

So when Kerry and I started planning this trip, we thought we would visit 3 different countries, each for 1 week. We soon realized that Thailand was enough to entertain us for much longer than our trip allowed, but we still wanted to visit one other country while we were here. Given the world-reknown status of Angkor Wat, the temple complex outside of Siem Reap in Cambodia, and the ease of obtaining a tourist visa at the border we decided that it would be a good use of our budgeted 4 days.

We stayed at Babel Siem Reap guesthouse, which is well situated near downtown but on a quieter alley. They have their own tuk tuk drivers, which was very helpful throughout our stay since it was over 100 degrees F and many places we wanted to go were far away. It wasn't as nice as some of our previous lodgings, but it had what we needed. 

And since Angkor Wat might be one temple, the ticket gets you so much more so see my next post about what you can do with a 3 day pass. 

I credit Kerry for a lot of these activities. She did a lot of research for this entire trip, but I really think that Siem Reap would've been "boring" without her finds.

Night Market - While this has been a staple everywhere, it was fun to see another country's version. The food was good and cheap, the beer was cold and $0.50, and there were plenty of things to buy. The nearby Pub Street was flooded with more food, making the options endless. 

 

 

Phare, the Cambodian Circus - Outside of the temples discussed in my next post, this was probably my favorite part of Siem Reap. This circus is associated with a school for rhe arts that accepts poor children and helps them find a better life. They have many different shows, and we got to see Eclipse, a story of a pariah who is finally accepted after being blessed by the gods and having a devil spirit cast out of him. The acrobats were amazing. I've never seen Cirque du Soleil, but it's the same concept of circus, with amazing gymnastic feats. It felt great to contribute to responsible tourism, and the show was incredible. Plus our guesthouse reserved our seat and our tuk tuk driver to/from the show.

 

Traditional Apsara dancing - This was something else our guesthouse helped us with. We knew we wanted to see a show, and they recommended one with an included buffet. They got us seats at the front, and we were excited. The buffet was nothing to write home about, but we got to try lots of different foods and desserts with no concern about wasting our money if we didn't like it. However, it was overrun with buses of Asian tourists who were loud and disrespectful once the dancing start and most of whom left before the show was complete. There were also a fair share of non-Asian tourists, walking between us and the stage and standing in front of us to record videos. I did enjoy parts of the dancing, but I was so turned off by the actions of the other tourists that it was difficult to focus. I think another venue for Apsara would have been more enjoyable. 

 

Landmine Museum - I wasn't sure where to put this, since we visited it along with some temples I will discuss in my next post but it was a separate $5 entrance fee. It is a collection of disarmed explosive devices and stories from a Cambodian man who was a child soldier and then started disarming landmines to protect his people, eventually forming a NGO. The museum also has a school for orphaned and impoverished children, originally for victims of landmines although it has expanded its assistance. It was a great stop on the way back from Banteay Srei, especially since I don't know if I would have learned so much about Cambodia's history otherwise. 

 

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While Angkor Wat and the other temples are  the obvious highlight of the trip, there are definitely things to see in Siem Reap. I think it would be a shame to miss out on the city while visiting the temple complex. That being said, I won't miss the oppressive heat. 

Day trip to Doi Tung

I wanted to write a separate post on our day to Doi Tung, because I felt like my Chiang Rai post would be too crowded and I wouldn't do Doi Tung justice if I combined them.

Doi Tung is a mountain close to the border with Burma, about an hour north of downtown Chiang Rai. Previously, it was known for its opium fields and participation in the drug trade that made the Golden Triangle (where Burma, Laos, and Thailand meet) region famous. However the mother of the most recent past king, grandmother of the current king, helped completely change the landscape, physically and spiritually. She created programs to end the opium trade, get people into drug rehabilitation, and grow a new economy for the people of the area. She also built a palace there, where she would spend time working on her projects and where her granddaughter continues her work today. 

I got to learn all of this history through the audio guide of Doi Tung Royal Villa and the Hall of Inspiration, a small museum that tells her story and the story of the region. 

But let's talk about the food, before we get ahead of ourselves. There is a fancy restaurant with marked up prices advertised next to information and prior to the entrance to the villa. We followed our noses to a small market closer to the entrance, and discovered small cafés (that's the best description I have) hidden down a set of stairs. Our driver, the younger brother of our normal driver, was already sitting eating lunch, and explained he is a regular there when he brings tourists. We were happy to find 40 baht price tags instead of 200 at the restaurant. And the food was delicious. I ate red pork with rice, covered in a yummy sweet sauce. 

Hall of Inspiration - This is a small, free museum right across from the market. It details the life of the late Princess Mother, who I mentioned above, as well as all of the work she and her son did in the region and the country to help improve the lives of their people. It was great to get some history before visiting the villa, and of course enjoy some air conditioning. 

 

Pricing - Upon arrival, we discovered that each of the three attractions were 90 baht. They included the Royal Villa, the Gardens, and the Arboretum (9 km away). Each had a 45 baht discount for seniors, children, and students with valid ID. Because it was so hot, and we had visited the gardens of the winter palace on Doi Suthep, we decided that the Royal Villa would be worth our time and out of the sun. I was lucky enough to have my student ID with me, and received the discount.

Royal Villa - After a steep driveway, and a pause for everyone to make sure they were dressed modestly, we arrived at the Villa. It is a very beautiful wooden building, with a small front garden. We were pleased to discover that our entry fee included an audio tour, making the steep price worth it for the others. We learned about the building, its former occupant, and her many projects and hobbies. I even learned that I could see Burma from the balconies, just behind the next mountain. I really enjoyed getting a history lesson in a more active way, without reading a boring book or spending hours in a museum. 

 

Wat Doi Tung - This title is actually misleading, as there are two temples whose names can be shortened to this one. They sit next to each other across a valley from the Royal Villa, and are featured in paintings displayed there. We went to Wat Phathat Doitung, per our driver the better of the two, although "not much to see" in his opinion. The view was obscured by the steaminess in the air, but you could still make out the structures across the valley. The temple itself was simple but beautiful, and there was a long staircase from the neighboring town with bells all along it that was very pretty. It was worth visiting because we were already there. 

 

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We added a few things into this day at the beginning and the end, because they were on the way to/from, saving us a separate drive. On a different day we may have toured the gardens or the arboretum, but it wasn't what we wanted to do in the heat on that day in particular. 

Chiang Rai (with Soraya!): 4/6-4/9

This time, I'm coming to you from the Chiang Rai airport, waiting for our flights to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

My friend Soraya, who I mentioned in my last post, joined us for this part of the trip. Truthfully, we probably wouldn't have gone to Chiang Rai without her, simply because it wouldn't have been on our radar. But we are very glad we did. 

One thing that might turn people off of a visit to Chiang Rai is how spread out it is. It's definitely not the walkable place that Chiang Mai was, or at least about half of the cool stuff isn't. We got to see the temples downtown, wander the Night Bazaar, and even experience their Saturday Walking Street. But the best places required at least a short drive, if not a dedicated day trip. Our solution was to hire the driver that Soraya's cousin used on his visit, getting us our own mini-bus, air conditioning, and a cooler to store water in. It wasn't cheap, but if you're going to experience Chiang Rai I think you've got to choose a method of transportation besides your own feet. We got the benefit of having a local drive us around and point out interesting sites, recommend places to eat, and navigate the winding streets and backroads. 

The White Temple - High on Soraya's list, this was the first stop. It is a beautiful temple designed by a well known architect. They even have an art museum of his other work, and if you walk a bit you can peek in the sculpting studio. It's definitely a different aesthetic, given that most temples here are brightly colored. 

 

Black House (Baan Dam) - A stark contrast to the temple above, this museum is by another architect/artist, who has collected skins, bones, and other animal products and displayed them in his unique buildings. The 80 baht price tag was a little steap, but it is almost 40 buildings so there's a lot of weird to see.

 

Other Wats - We also visited some of the other temples in the area. My favorite was Wat Rong Suea Ten, a relatively new temple with a beautiful blue themed decor. We also visited Doi In See, a mountain-top monastery that is in the process of building their main wat, hidden in a valley next to a lake. They care for the animals of the area and support the reforestation efforts. Others that we checked out were The Buddha Cave Temple, Wat Ming Muang (the oldest temple in Chiang Rai),  Wat Jedyod, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Phra Kaew, The Pagoda Temple, and Wat Doi Tung (more on that in my Doi Tung post to follow). I could probably write a whole post on each of these, because they were all very unique. And having Soraya with us, we could ask questions to fill in our knowledge gaps about the traditions and architecture.

 

Choui Fong Tea Plantation - This was another fun trip that wouldn't have been possible without transportation. Their website was useless, so we weren't exactly sure what we would see besides rows of tea leaves. But we were actually able to try three of their Oolong tea varieties, and get some drinks from the cafe. We even got to watch workers move through the rows to pick tea near the restaurant. It was fun to see where/how tea is made, and take fun pictures of the landscape.

 

Khon Kun Waterfall - the blogosphere is not as helpful as I would've hoped with regards to this waterfall, but it was definitely worth it. Even though it is the dry season, it was still incredibly impressive and refreshing to stand in the mist. You can easily find that the walk is 1400 km one way, mostly shaded, and free (aka no park entrance). However, no one warned that with the terrain and necessity of stream crossings, the "walk" would probably be a medium hike in the US. I was very glad I used my inhaler and wore my sneakers, because otherwise I would've been miserable. In addition, there was a much easier path the started near the restrooms that we took on the way back, saving us multiple difficult stream crossings almost resulting in sandal losses for Kerry and Soraya. I also wish I'd had a bathing suit or at least shorts on, so that I could've waded farther into the water. But overall, it was definitely worth the trip, and an amazing site to see. I'd be curious to see what it looks like during or after the rainy season, although I imagine the hike would become more treacherous.

 

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Overall, I was suprised at how much there was  to do in and around Chiang Rai, and grateful that we had Soraya and our driver. It's definitely one of my favorite places in terms of what we got to see, and how many new temple styles we encountered. Plus, the food continued to be delicious and we tried two typical northern dishes, khao soi and nam ngew. 

And, I've got to include a shout-out to our guesthouse, Baan Malai. They were perfectly located near the Night Bazaar and many of the downtown temples. The breakfast was delicious and provided us with bananas to carry as snacks and extra water to fill up our bottles for the road. They were also very helpful in getting our drain fixed, helping us do our laundry, and ordering an airport taxi. Overall a great place to stay!!

Chiang Mai: 4/1 to 4/6

As I type this, we sit in our taxi on our way to Chiang Rai, a city even further to the north of Thailand. We were supposed to be on a bus, but they were sold out until 2:30 pm, so here we are. But more about that later.

After arriving in Bangkok on 3/31, we slept one short night and then flew to Chiang Mai. It is a must-see tourist destination here in Thailand, and we decided it should be our first stop. We stayed in a wonderful guesthouse called Chowdhury House, where we had a very filling breakfast everyday as well as infinite kindness and assistance in planning our time there. My favorite memory is when we were leaving for our massages, the manager/owner said "have joy," when we would usually say "have fun." We were also perfectly located in Old Town/The Walled City, making most of the star attractions very walkable. 

In no particular order, here are the highlights of what we did while we were there:

Visiting Wats - the three main temples (wats) in the Old City are Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, and Wat Chiang Man. We hit all of them in one day, as well as a few smaller temples whose names I can't tell you because they only have signs in Thai script. I really enjoyed the architecture, particularly the undulating snake-dragons that guide you up to the main building at each. I'm toying with turning them into a photography project when I get back. My favorite temple was Wat Chiang Man, because we were welcomed to join the festivities celebrating a new statue of the first king of Chiang Mai, who is buried behind the main chedi of this temple. A kind man explained the reason for the celebration and some of the history of the temple, just because we were standing together speaking in English and he approached us. Another gestured to the food, inviting us to eat with them. And a woman spoke to us while we were eating and invited us to pour water on the Buddha for good luck. 

 

Thai Cooking Class - This was a definite tourist attraction but I am so glad we did it. Kerry found a place called Thai Orchid Cookery School that had a great reviews so we reserved spots ahead of time. Turns out we found one of the original four cooking schools in Chiang Mai (there are more than 40 now). I learned so much about thai cooking, herbs, fruits, and vegetables that I never would have been able to figure out on my own. And we got a recipe book to take home so we can cook all we learned back in the States! Our hosts were a wonderful husband and wife team, and I hope other people who visit Chiang Mai can spend a class with them.

 

Elephant Sanctuary - There are no elephants in the city, of course, but a day trip to visit them in the surrounding hills is worth it. There are many camps that do not treat their elephants humanely, so we took care to find a sanctuary where they are not ridden or tortured. I found Hug Elephant Sanctuary through a friend I studied abroad with in college, and I'm so glad we went there. It was a small operation, but I felt good about supporting the local people. We were with a Polish family, and there were plenty of elephants to go around (even though they only have 2). Sadly one of their elephants died a few months ago, but they are charging forward to take care of the two they have left, Wandee and Yo. I left feeling honored to have spent time with these magnificent creatures and to have learned more about the conservation efforts surrounding them. 

 

Doi Suthep - One of the larger mountains near Chiang Mai houses a very important temple, the short name of which is Wat Doi Suthep. We were told by many it was a "must-see", so we dedicated a morning to visit. This was one temple where I definitely wished I had a guide, or someone to explain what everything was, because it was complex and intricate. Additionally, one of the royal family's palaces is on this mountain as well as a small Hmong village with a hill tribe museum. We visited all three places in a "red taxi" (songthaew in Thai). It was fun to get out of the city and see what life is like in non-urban Thailand.

 

Shopping - Chiang Mai is known to be a great place to buy souvenirs, both for yourself and for family. My friend Soraya, whose family lives in Bangkok, has to set herself a limit so she doesn't buy too many pieces of clothing when she visits because last time she bought 40 lbs of clothes. And there are plenty of venues besides permanent shops. There is the Saturday Walking Street, a pop up evening market on the south edge of the old city outside the wall, as well as the Sunday Walking Street, a larger version on one of the main streets inside the wall. Both reminded me of El Rastro, the Sunday morning market in Madrid I visited most weeks for shopping and for gift buying. There are food carts, plastic chairs set up for streetside massages, tables filled with jewelry and trinkets, and of course racks and racks of the infamous Elephant Pants. While you don't see too many local people wearing the ones with elephants in the pattern, these light, cotton, one-size-fits-most pants are ideal with the humid heat here in Thailand. Every tourist gets a least one pair (I got 2), because besides looking cool they are also the perfect bottoms to visit temples in, being both respectful and comfortable. 

In addition to these two street markets, there is the Night Bazaar, a nightly market mostly contained in a few concrete buildings but spilling out onto the street as well, located east of the Old City near the river. There were amazing artists there, painting and drawing as they sat next to their works for sale. More clothing and jewelry could be found, along with massage stations not offering a human's touch but the nibble of a fish to eat away your dead skin (no I did not try this). All of these large markets are at night, allowing people to come after work and also avoid the daytime sun and heat. 

 

Massage - As I mentioned before, there are plenty opportunities on the street during the markets as well as among the shops to get a massage. But with a bit of research on Kerry's party, we went all out and it was worth it. There is an amazing Spa in the Old City called Fah Lanna Spa, that has received great reviews online and boasts a complete experience. And they did not disappoint. We were picked up from our guesthouse and taken to the spa where we were served an iced tea. Our feet were washed and scrubbed before we were led to our room to change into provided clothes. We each got a Traditional Thai Massage, which was one hour of pressure and manipulation, using their hands, feet, knees, and elbows. It was nothing like the massage I had in the US, and I think it was way better. I didn't realize how sore my legs were until they   were becoming relaxed. Afterwards, we were served hot ginger tea and a rice cracker before being driven back. The best part is that it only cost $20 USD!!

 

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In between all these larger activities, we wandered the streets, browsed shops, and ate food in various restaurants and from street stalls. We walked to the river, checked out a used bookstore, and visited a market to buy fruit and basil seeds. There is so much to see in Chiang Mai, that you could spend a long time there, although we felt that we experienced everything we wanted in the four and a half days we were there.

Thailand here we come!!

So we are at the airport, aggressively early at our gate. But we've been ready for 2 says so it's definitely time to go. I don't think I've ever packed so light on a trip before. This rivals Ecuador when I packed a duffel and a backpack for 8 weeks. 

I made this cool itinerary map on a free website to demonstrate our plans. I'm not sure what the quality will be when it's blown up om a computer but hopefully it's discernible. I'm so excited to start this journey with Kerry and Patrick!

(In case it's not, you can pop over to Kerry's blog because she typed out our itinerary with the dates we are in each place.)

Nashville, land of bachelorettes and Kentucky fans... 3/8-3/12

I was very excited to visit Nashville. My mom had previously been for work trips, and said it was a fun place to go out on the town. But when we started looking for AirBnBs, I started to think maybe it was a bit too pricey of a city for us, being on a medical student/living-on-loans kind of budget. So we went the hostel route, booking the Downtown location of the two hostels total in all of Nashville. And it wasn't until we were wandering around the city looking for dinner, that we realized why it seemed like a financially insurmountable city: SEC Tournament. College basketball. While I love watching the Terps in person and on TV, I was not exactly thrilled to share the city with hundreds and hundreds of Kentucky fans, dressed completely in Royal Blue, taking up space in every bar and restaurant, gobbling up the reasonably priced AirBnBs, and even invading our hostel. Kerry and I agreed we would have enjoyed Nashville more if it hadn't been saturated with blue.

That being said, we did have a good time. It definitely is a more expensive city than we are used to, but it just posed a challenge of finding good ways to spend our money, and fun free things to do. The things we always spend money on (food, beer, souvenirs) didn't change much, but our two splurges were pretty great:

Belle Meade Plantation: A very cool manor house with grounds that was active for over 100 years in the various economies of Nashville, now a museum, restaurant, and winery. We got a tour of the house by a man in period dress and a wine tasting of 4 of their house wines at the end. It was a beautiful, sunny day when we were there, so we enjoyed wandering the grounds afterwards.






Musicians Hall of Fame: I'm sure some people are shocked that we bypassed the Country Music HoF, because it's the big attraction in Nashville. But Kerry and I are admittedly not huge country music fans, and were worried we wouldn't appreciate the homage to country enough to spend $20. Our trusty free map from our hostel showed us that there was another HoF in town, and Kerry found a Group-on bringing the admission down to $14.50 each! This wonderful museum is dedicated to all the people behind the albums we enjoy so much, as well as the Grammy awards. I really enjoyed learning about the process and all the un-sung heroes. They even had an interactive section which was awesome! Well worth the price.

I don't have a long list of free things to recommend, but they are definitely worth checking out:
- Tennessee State Capitol (free tours but we did self guided)
- Tennessee State Museum
- Hatch Print Show (you can just wander the gallery and watch them work for free)
- Warner park (two different parts, lots of trails)
- Frist Art Museum (just had to show a key proving you were staying downtown!)
- Bicentennial Park and Centennial Park
- Nashville Farmer's Market (we didn't make it but it looked really cool to wander in)

And as always, we ate amazing food and drank some delicious beer. Yazoo Brewing Co. gives an awesome tour that includes 3.5 samples, so it was pretty much a flight + a fun tour.

We were super excited to get home on Sunday, and finally sleep in our own beds. I think Nashville is a place I would enjoy even more if (1) it weren't SEC weekend, (2) it didn't snow and drop to such cold temperatures, and (3) I wasn't on such a low budget. Definitely a place to consider re-visiting later in life.

Austin, aka our dream home: 3/3-3/7

We had such an amazing time in Austin, we didn't want to leave! I'm so glad that we made this part of our road trip, because it is now a must see in my opinion. Every day was filled with new food, new beer, and new sights to see. We didn't even get to accomplish everything or taste everything we wanted, so I guess that means we have to go back!

I think one of the coolest things we did was a mural tour. Kerry had looked up some murals that are great photo spots throughout the city, and then discovered that someone had made a Google maps tour that we could follow around. Since it was drizzling Sunday morning (and parking was conveniently free downtown), we decided to embark on this tour. It was like a Chinese fire drill tour! I would pull over in a nearby parking lot or street parking spot, all 3 of us would climb out and take photos, and then run back to the car out of the rain! We realized about halfway through that this mural tour from Google maps was incomplete, so we quickly drew up our own additions and pretty much doubled the number of spots. It definitely made the tour a bit on the longer side, but there were just so many murals to see! We didn't even get to them all (even more things to do on our next visit). The coolest place was the Hope Outdoor Gallery, which is often filled with people but was abandoned on this soggy Sunday morning, so our photos turned out great.

Another one of my favorite experiences was getting to eat breakfast tacos at Taco Deli with Aditi! She is a friend who I met while doing my away rotation in San Francisco, who goes to Texas A&M School of Medicine. Ironically, she was in DC for the last month on a rotation, but got back the night before we left. Without her recommendations, we wouldn't have had such an amazing time. And it was great to catch up and hear about what she has been up to since I saw her in September. I can't wait until we meet again!

I could rave about all the food we ate, all the local beer and coffee we drank, and all the cool hikes we did for pages and pages, but I want to keep it brief. We had an awesome time despite the rain, and I really hope to go back some day. Here are some of my favorites:

Favorite coffee: Taco Deli Blend at Taco Deli
Favorite BBQ: Rudy's Country Store & Bar-B-Q
Favorite taco: Fried avocado taco at Torchy's Taco
Favorite beer: Wait you want me to pick just one?! :P
                        but probably Stranger Friends by Austin Beerworks
Favorite hike: to Sculpture Falls in the Greenbelt
Favorite mural: