It's been a little over a week since I've gotten back from my trip to Asia and reality has hit me... hard! It's so difficult for me to believe that in just over 2 weeks, I'm going to be living over 2000 miles away from everyone I know and love! While I'm still super excited about moving to NYC, I know these next couple of weeks are tinged with a little sadness and nostalgia.
At this point, my Columbia to-do list has twindled down to just the last few administrative things, like order business cards, update my student profile, oh.. and pay tuition (ahh!). In retrospect, I'm very glad that I did all of the Columbia pre-MBA coursework in May/June, because now I can focus on other important things, like setting up dates with all of my close friends and family before I leave :)
Onwards and upwards!
Till next time,
xoxo
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Ni Hao Ma, Hong Kong!
We wrapped up our trip with three days in Hong Kong. Our time in Hong Kong was a whirlwind of sightseeing, xiao long bao feasting and an infinite number of mall trips (sometimes to shop, mostly to avoid the humidity). After visiting HK, I have a newfound appreciation for air-con...
Too lazy for words so a picture diary to sum up our time!
Till next time!
xoxo
Too lazy for words so a picture diary to sum up our time!
Till next time!
xoxo
Friday, July 15, 2011
Back to Bangkok (Thailand 7)
Today was a relatively uneventful day. After flying back into Bangkok, we headed to our hotel. We're becoming quite good at getting around Bangkok on public transit now! Good thing too, because the taxi-drivers here aren't very honest and it's all too easy to get ripped off.
On our second go in Bangkok, we're staying in the Sukhumvit area, a super touristy part of town that includes lots of eateries and trendy bars/clubs. For lunch, we did the buffet at the JW Marriott. It was good, but it ended up being super expensive, especially for Thai standards. In the afternoon, we loitered in the hotel a bit, watching TV, visiting the gym (true story), and hitting up the rooftop pool.
At night we decided to go out, so we got dressed up and headed out to Sukhumvit Soi 11, THE street to go out on. What we didn't realize was that today actually is the start to the Buddhist Lenten season. Thai law actually dictates that alcohol cannot be served/purchased (?) on the first two days of Lent (today and tomorrow). That being the case, many of the popular/famous bars/clubs were closed for the day. Kind of a bummer, but there was still enough life in the streets to walk around and enjoy the slightly cooler weather.
Even though our last night in Thailand wasn't super exciting, I still really enjoyed the opportunity to spend some quality time with H :) One week into our trip and I'm already starting to feel a little homesick. I find myself daydreaming about NYC, SF, and all that's going to happen in the next month in preparation for that transition. Reality awaits back in the states, but I'll worry about that later!
Till next time,
xoxo
On our second go in Bangkok, we're staying in the Sukhumvit area, a super touristy part of town that includes lots of eateries and trendy bars/clubs. For lunch, we did the buffet at the JW Marriott. It was good, but it ended up being super expensive, especially for Thai standards. In the afternoon, we loitered in the hotel a bit, watching TV, visiting the gym (true story), and hitting up the rooftop pool.
At night we decided to go out, so we got dressed up and headed out to Sukhumvit Soi 11, THE street to go out on. What we didn't realize was that today actually is the start to the Buddhist Lenten season. Thai law actually dictates that alcohol cannot be served/purchased (?) on the first two days of Lent (today and tomorrow). That being the case, many of the popular/famous bars/clubs were closed for the day. Kind of a bummer, but there was still enough life in the streets to walk around and enjoy the slightly cooler weather.
Even though our last night in Thailand wasn't super exciting, I still really enjoyed the opportunity to spend some quality time with H :) One week into our trip and I'm already starting to feel a little homesick. I find myself daydreaming about NYC, SF, and all that's going to happen in the next month in preparation for that transition. Reality awaits back in the states, but I'll worry about that later!
Till next time,
xoxo
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Cooking School! (Thailand 6)
Today we went to a half-day cooking course at Siam Rice Thai Cooking School. We first began our trip with a visit to the market, where our host taught us about a lot of the different herbs and veggies commonly used in Thai cooking. The food market is outside in a tented-area, so a lot of the different scents stay trapped in. With all of the colors and smells, it was a sensory overload!
Once we arrived to the school, we selected which items we wanted to learn how to make from a menu. H and I both ended up making a soup, a stir-fry, and a curry. Both being relatively new to cooking, we were a little daunted by the menu, but everything ended up being relatively simple to make (except the curry!) and tasted delicious! I definitely plan on practicing a bit in the month I have left before moving to NYC :)
Once we got back to the hotel, we decided to treat ourselves to a trip to the spa at our hotel. The spa was super fancy but was having a good deal on some of the treatments. After my traumatic experience with Thai massages, I opted for a good ole' Swedish treatment. I also got a facial to (hopefully) help sooth my skin, which has been unhappy with me for the last few days, especially with all the pollution and overall dirtiness in Bangkok!
After our massages, we rushed out to to the streets of Chiang Mai to check out a famous bakery called Love at First Bite. They are known for their cheesecake and you know H loves himself a good cheesecake. We got there just 15 or 20 minutes before closing, but were able to score a piece of coconut cream pie and a slice of brownie cheesecake. The sweets weren't outstandingly delicious, but they were good enough.
Tomorrow, we jet back to Bangkok where we'll stay overnight before heading to Hong Kong. I've really enjoyed my time in Thailand, but I gotta admit - I'm super excited about going to HK!!! :)
Till next time,
xoxo
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| Learning about the different herbs and spices |
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| Our instructor for the day |
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| Dried silkworms... yikes! |
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| Dried fruits... yum! |
Once we arrived to the school, we selected which items we wanted to learn how to make from a menu. H and I both ended up making a soup, a stir-fry, and a curry. Both being relatively new to cooking, we were a little daunted by the menu, but everything ended up being relatively simple to make (except the curry!) and tasted delicious! I definitely plan on practicing a bit in the month I have left before moving to NYC :)
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| Making soup |
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| Aww, such a cutie :) |
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| FIRE!!! |
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| Making curry paste... |
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| Finished product! |
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| Enjoying the fruits (curries) of our labor! |
Once we got back to the hotel, we decided to treat ourselves to a trip to the spa at our hotel. The spa was super fancy but was having a good deal on some of the treatments. After my traumatic experience with Thai massages, I opted for a good ole' Swedish treatment. I also got a facial to (hopefully) help sooth my skin, which has been unhappy with me for the last few days, especially with all the pollution and overall dirtiness in Bangkok!
After our massages, we rushed out to to the streets of Chiang Mai to check out a famous bakery called Love at First Bite. They are known for their cheesecake and you know H loves himself a good cheesecake. We got there just 15 or 20 minutes before closing, but were able to score a piece of coconut cream pie and a slice of brownie cheesecake. The sweets weren't outstandingly delicious, but they were good enough.
Tomorrow, we jet back to Bangkok where we'll stay overnight before heading to Hong Kong. I've really enjoyed my time in Thailand, but I gotta admit - I'm super excited about going to HK!!! :)
Till next time,
xoxo
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
City by Scooter (Thailand 5)
Without a specific activity planned for today, H and I decided to rent a scooter. After witnessing the chaos of the streets of Bangkok, we decided to hold off on renting a scooter there, but after the past day or two in Chiang Mai, we felt pretty comfortable with the idea.
Good thing we decided to do this -- today was easily one of my most favorite days of the trip so far! Because H rides a motorcycle back home, he was quick to pick up on how to ride it and because I've ridden as a passager a lot over the last 5 years, I had no qualms about hopping onto the back of the scooter. We zipped around the Old City for a while before deciding to venture out a little further. It was such an fun and carefree experience - no agendas or final destinations planned. It felt nice truly just wandering around the city, nothing to care or worry about.
We ended up visiting another (and our last!) temple today. We arrived basically by accident but I'm glad that we did. The Wat Doi Suthep is one of Chiang Mai's most famous temples. The temple sits on a mountain that overlooks the city. The weather today was mild, but no rain clouds so we were able to take in the view from the mountain top.
At night, we decided to head out west to the area near Chiang Mai University. Near the school, there were lots of trendy restaurants, dessert shops and... of course, bars. The bars in this part of town had interesting names like "Give Friends 100%" and, our favorite, "Blar Blar Bar". The crowd was young, but the atmosphere was fun. A nice way to end a wonderful day.
Till next time,
xoxo
Good thing we decided to do this -- today was easily one of my most favorite days of the trip so far! Because H rides a motorcycle back home, he was quick to pick up on how to ride it and because I've ridden as a passager a lot over the last 5 years, I had no qualms about hopping onto the back of the scooter. We zipped around the Old City for a while before deciding to venture out a little further. It was such an fun and carefree experience - no agendas or final destinations planned. It felt nice truly just wandering around the city, nothing to care or worry about.
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| Scooter time! |
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| Pit stop for some khao soy in the outskirts of town |
We ended up visiting another (and our last!) temple today. We arrived basically by accident but I'm glad that we did. The Wat Doi Suthep is one of Chiang Mai's most famous temples. The temple sits on a mountain that overlooks the city. The weather today was mild, but no rain clouds so we were able to take in the view from the mountain top.
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| Chillen! (About to accidentally discover temple) |
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| Yes, he made me climb up all those stairs... |
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| This is how I felt about it. |
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| But it was worth it for the view! |
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| Beautiful temple grounds |
Till next time,
xoxo
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Elephant Nature Park (Thailand 4)
Still victims of jetlag, we have been constantly waking up at 7am. With some time before our shuttle pick up for the Elephant Nature Park, we decided to go get some breakfast. Walking around Chiang Mai in the early morning was kind of uneventful as the city doesn't really wake up until a little later. We ended up getting some porridge for breakfast from a street car near the hotel and it was delicious. Best 30baht (~$1USD) I ever spent!!
Just before 9am, we were picked up from the hotel for the Elephant Nature Park. Our tour group consisted of 3 other couples from all around the world (UK, Sweden, and Spain!). Our guide, Sai, was a chipper young Thai fellow whose humor and wit kept the day interesting. The ENP is more of an elephant sanctuary and rehabilitation center then it is an elephant camp, so the day was more educational than it typically is. We spent the day feeding, washing, and just hanging out with the elephants. Many of the elephants at the park had tragic stories, but it was wonderful to see them in such a safe and happy environment. They had distinct personalities and it was fun to get up close and personal with these gentle giants.
Once we got back to the city, we were kind of pooped (and were rocking awesome farmer tans). Lazy and wanting a low-key dinner, we went to the Kalare Night Bazaar, which was a food court across the street. We actually read about the food court from the Lonely Planet guide but wandered into the market as it was just across the street from the hotel. The food court consists of about 8-9 different vendors who have similar but different menus. Instead of buying the food directly from the stalls, you first purchase vouchers and use those coupons to buy the food. I'm not 100% what the rationale is for that, but the food was good and super cheap. The meal for 2 ended up being about $5USD.
Right outside of the hotel was the night market. In Chiang Mai, the vendors were as fierce as the Bangkok vendors (at least in my experience). That kind of dampened my shopping spirit as it seemed less likely that I'd be able to strike a good bargain.
After some walking, I decided to get another Thai massage at Fah Lanna, a well-ranked spa on TripAdvisor. The massage was moderately priced ($10USD/hour) but my masseuse had hands of STEEL. Afterwards, I ended up being sore from my massage. Ahh!! I guess that's a good problem to have though...
No big plans for tomorrow, so it should be a chill day :)
Till next time, xoxo
Just before 9am, we were picked up from the hotel for the Elephant Nature Park. Our tour group consisted of 3 other couples from all around the world (UK, Sweden, and Spain!). Our guide, Sai, was a chipper young Thai fellow whose humor and wit kept the day interesting. The ENP is more of an elephant sanctuary and rehabilitation center then it is an elephant camp, so the day was more educational than it typically is. We spent the day feeding, washing, and just hanging out with the elephants. Many of the elephants at the park had tragic stories, but it was wonderful to see them in such a safe and happy environment. They had distinct personalities and it was fun to get up close and personal with these gentle giants.
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| Enjoying the shade during snack time |
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| After bathing |
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| Playing in the river |
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| The herd |
Right outside of the hotel was the night market. In Chiang Mai, the vendors were as fierce as the Bangkok vendors (at least in my experience). That kind of dampened my shopping spirit as it seemed less likely that I'd be able to strike a good bargain.
After some walking, I decided to get another Thai massage at Fah Lanna, a well-ranked spa on TripAdvisor. The massage was moderately priced ($10USD/hour) but my masseuse had hands of STEEL. Afterwards, I ended up being sore from my massage. Ahh!! I guess that's a good problem to have though...
No big plans for tomorrow, so it should be a chill day :)
Till next time, xoxo
Monday, July 11, 2011
Arrival into Chiang Mai (Thailand 3)
Today we flew into Chiang Mai. It is gorgeous here and the people are very nice and super friendly. The picturesque, lush greenery is a welcome change from the pollution and hassle of Bangkok! Even though the city is just a short 1.5 hour flight away from Bangkok, it almost feels like a different country. The city has a totally different vibe.
Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and is a cultural hub for the country. There are temples EVERYWHERE and the city has a lot of history. The city itself is relatively small and is very tourist friendly. At the center of Chiang Mai is the "Old City", the original city complete with a moat and city gates. As the city started to expand, there was overflow to the outside of the gates. We stayed at Dusit D2, on the east side outside of Old City, right next to the night bazaar. There was a lot to do right outside of the hotel and we enjoyed staying so close to the action!
Today was a productive day. We did a quick walking tour of the "Old City" and went to visit the city's largest temple. We decided that we are officially temple'd out and probably won't see any more temples this trip. After visiting Wat Phra Singh, we toured the rest of the area and even stopped to get cheap massages ($6USD an hour)!
Chiang Mai is the home of a delicious soup called khao soi. The soup is a curry-based dish that is served with egg noodles (both wet and crispy), shallots, pickled veggies and (of course) spicy chili! We were told by friends that it was a "must try" in Chiang Mai and I'm so glad that we did because it's probably one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten. I hope that one day it gets popular enough that I can find it in the states!! We were so enamored with the dish that we had it for both lunch and dinner today.
Tomorrow we are going to the Elephant Nature Park, an elephant conversation camp, about an 1 hour away from town. Luckily the park has a shuttle, so we just have to focus on waking up on time!
Till next time,
xoxo
Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and is a cultural hub for the country. There are temples EVERYWHERE and the city has a lot of history. The city itself is relatively small and is very tourist friendly. At the center of Chiang Mai is the "Old City", the original city complete with a moat and city gates. As the city started to expand, there was overflow to the outside of the gates. We stayed at Dusit D2, on the east side outside of Old City, right next to the night bazaar. There was a lot to do right outside of the hotel and we enjoyed staying so close to the action!
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| Night Bazaar |
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| Wat Phra Singh - outside garden |
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| So serene! |
Chiang Mai is the home of a delicious soup called khao soi. The soup is a curry-based dish that is served with egg noodles (both wet and crispy), shallots, pickled veggies and (of course) spicy chili! We were told by friends that it was a "must try" in Chiang Mai and I'm so glad that we did because it's probably one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten. I hope that one day it gets popular enough that I can find it in the states!! We were so enamored with the dish that we had it for both lunch and dinner today.
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| Heavenly deliciousness |
Till next time,
xoxo
Exploring Bangkok (Thailand 2)
Day 2 in Bangkok was far more adventurous than day 1... and with way more walking. I'm not sure whether or not we were tired from the first day, exhausted from the humidity, or finally succumbing to jet-lag but for some reason, day 2 was SUPER tiring even though we probably saw/explored the same amount of city as day 1.
First up was a trip to Wat Arun, one of the oldest temples in Bangkok. While most of the temples we had read/seen featured a beautiful Buddha or some kind, this one seemed to be just a collection of temples, beautifully painted and tall. There were steps to climb for the largest temple that seemingly reached the sky. Climbing them was a little tricky (they were steep and very shallow) but the view from the top was way worth it, even for H who is scared of heights.
Upon leaving the temple, we headed to the ferry to cross the Chao Phraya River, but not without first doing a quick photoshoot in tradition Thai garb...
Once we got to the east side of the river, we were on a mission to hit up the Grand Palace and to see the Wat Phra Kaew (the Emerald Buddha). Aside from the Wat Pho, this is probably one of the most famous temples in the city. The Grand Palace was super touristy -- people EVERYWHERE and from every corner of the palace grounds, you could hear different languages. The grounds itself were simply gorgeous, decorated with lush landscaping and beautifully ornate architecture. Nested in the center of the Grand Palace grounds was Wat Phra Kaew. Unfortunately, you are not able to take pictures inside the actual temple, but to give you a quick description, once inside the temple, you saw a wall of gold statues, and in the middle, there sat a small glowing green Buddha. The "Emerald" Buddha was actually won by the Thais during a war with Laos and actually isn't even emerald -- he is made of Jade. However, at the time, the Thais believed it was made of emerald and the name stuck.
After visiting the Grand Palace, we decided to check out Khao San Road (the backpacker's ghetto) to see what treasures we may find there. Because it was within walking distance from the Palace, we set forth on foot, eager to cross town to reach our final destination.
The walk was made very interesting by a run in we had with some local scam artists. After crossing a very busy street, H and I were ambushed with a group of about 5 locals. They started off nice, albeit a little pushy, shoving little sandwich bags filled with corn kernels into our palms, even draping a set of tied baggies around our wrists so that we had maybe 5-6 in each hand. Confused, we tried to decline, saying that we were in a hurry, but they kept insisting "Gift for you!", "Happy new year!", "Good luck for you!". An elderly Thai lady then took my hand and led me to a pack of pigeons. She took my hand and made me empty one of the sandwich bags. This caused quite the uproar with the pigeons and before I knew it, there were 50 birds swarming the area near my feet. Slightly amused, I laughed and the lady took this as a sign that it was okay to empty out the other bags. After one or two bags, I decided to go with it and empty them out myself as well, as I thought they were truly were a gift. Once, I was done, the lady then held out a hand and said "now, 150 baht" (roughly $5USD). At this point, I was confused. I glanced at H and saw that he was encountering a similar issue maybe 40 feet away. I looked at the old lady and told her I was going to talk to H about paying. As I started to walk towards H, a younger guy came up to me, firmly planting himself directly in front of me - "You pay her NOW. She separate from him.", gesturing to the man who was now yelling at H. Annoyed, I reached into my bag to take out some money, figuring the baht wasn't worth the hassle. As I opened my bag, the lady tugged at it, trying to see what bills I had. That was my tipping point. I moved swiftly, yanking my bag away from her grasp and said very firmly, "I got it. Stop touching my stuff." I handed her 2 100baht bills (the smallest bills I had). Hearing my voice change, she suddenly became very aggressive. "900 baht" she insisted.
"What? I just gave you 200baht -- you owe me 50 back."
"No. 150baht for one bag. You take a lot of bags. 900 baht."
At that point, the situation went from annoying to infuriating. I glanced at H and started to make my way to him again. Then the old lady and the younger guy physically pushed me back, yelling "PAY SEPARATE, PAY SEPARATE." Surprised that they would get physical with me, I raised my voice saying "I'm going to talk to him first. I already paid you." They continued to push back and tug at my purse. Finally, tears sprung to my eyes and I just exploded "LET ME GO. GET OUT OF MY WAY", and I barreled towards H. Meanwhile, H was already in a rift of his own. I learned later that one of the guys had pulled a very large bill (500baht) from his wallet and was now demanding more. They were in a yelling match already, but at soon as H saw my tear-stained face, the tension escalated. "WHO DID THIS?", he shouted, pointing to me, walking around them excitedly. I could feel his anger and I'm sure the locals hustling us could too. They backed away from him, but continued to jeer and demand more money. H walked over to the guy who was hassling me and got into his face, asking him if he touched me. He scampered away, but continued to yell. H then walked up to the loudest one and grabbed his shirt and pushed him, telling us to give us back our money or else. Scared, the guy gave H back some (but not all of it). He told H that the grandma had the rest. The old lady had long retreated back to the far side of the sidewalk after seeing H react. It caused quite the commotion on the sideway, detouring locals and tourists both. H was absolutely steaming, I was sobbing, and there was just a whole bunch of yelling. After a few more lines back and forth (of explicit nature), I pulled H away, scared that things would get physical. A passing local asked us what happened and told us she'd accompany us to the police station so we could file a report. We thanked her but at that point, H was in no mood to talk anything out.
As intense as that situation was, the tension dissipated after we had reached Khao San Road after another 10 minutes. H had been clearly upset but was now just quiet and all my anger had turned into worry. Eventually, we decided that we were just glad it was over.
That evening, after such a crazy ordeal, we decided to relieve all that tension by setting massages. We decided to check out a spa recommended by our good ole Lonely Planet guide and headed to the Siam area after a quick trip to the hotel to clean up. The Siam area of Bangkok actually really reminds me of the Powell area in SF. Like Union Square, there is a public transit stop that dumps you right into the mall. The Siam area is super clean and modern, with a series of three shopping centers all interconnected. The smalls were upscale and everything was expensive, with prices similar to or exceeding US prices.
The recommended spa was in the further center (Siam Discovery Center). For being in a mall, the spa was super nice. I decided to try getting a traditional Thai massage because I was in Thailand for the first time and the spa menu touted it as the ultimate way to get rid of tension and stress (which sounded perfect after the morning that we had). This was to be my first time getting this type of massage and I was eager to try something new.
Now, many of my close friends and family have probably heard about my "lesbian" massage experience in SF. As a quick recap, over the past few years I have become a fan of Swedish massages. As part of my 25th birthday surprise, H made me an appointment for a Swedish massage at Tru Spa, a very fancy spa in downtown SF. The experience quickly went from normal to (what I thought then was) Lesbian when 1) during the massage masseuse told me repeatedly that I had "such a nice body" and 2) when, at some points during the massage, she got onto the table with me and straddled me/massaged my bottom,etc.
Up until this trip, I had always looked back at that experience with amusement and a little big of confused. What I've learned from my first Thai massage experience is that 1) Thai people are generally very nice people and enjoy giving complements and 2) a Thai massage is basically a therapeutic wrestling match. The massage is very interactive and the masseuse uses all parts of her body and a whole variation of positions to help you stretch and relieve tension in your muscles. The whole experience was very interesting, but I could see how it is relaxing (in its own way) and probably very good for your body. During my Thai massage experience, I realized the similarities to my Lesbian experience. This is when it occurred to me that maybe this wasn't my first time getting a Thai-style massage. The realization almost made me laugh, but hey, at least now I'm not so confused about my birthday "surprise" now :)
All in all, a very eventful day. The next day we were headed to Chiang Mai... and the adventures continue.
Till next time,
xoxo
First up was a trip to Wat Arun, one of the oldest temples in Bangkok. While most of the temples we had read/seen featured a beautiful Buddha or some kind, this one seemed to be just a collection of temples, beautifully painted and tall. There were steps to climb for the largest temple that seemingly reached the sky. Climbing them was a little tricky (they were steep and very shallow) but the view from the top was way worth it, even for H who is scared of heights.
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| Side temple at Wat Arun |
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| Stairmaster Pros |
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| View of Chao Phraya River from Wat Arun |
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| Sawadee! |
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| Just outside of the Wat |
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| Grand Palace |
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| On the grounds |
The walk was made very interesting by a run in we had with some local scam artists. After crossing a very busy street, H and I were ambushed with a group of about 5 locals. They started off nice, albeit a little pushy, shoving little sandwich bags filled with corn kernels into our palms, even draping a set of tied baggies around our wrists so that we had maybe 5-6 in each hand. Confused, we tried to decline, saying that we were in a hurry, but they kept insisting "Gift for you!", "Happy new year!", "Good luck for you!". An elderly Thai lady then took my hand and led me to a pack of pigeons. She took my hand and made me empty one of the sandwich bags. This caused quite the uproar with the pigeons and before I knew it, there were 50 birds swarming the area near my feet. Slightly amused, I laughed and the lady took this as a sign that it was okay to empty out the other bags. After one or two bags, I decided to go with it and empty them out myself as well, as I thought they were truly were a gift. Once, I was done, the lady then held out a hand and said "now, 150 baht" (roughly $5USD). At this point, I was confused. I glanced at H and saw that he was encountering a similar issue maybe 40 feet away. I looked at the old lady and told her I was going to talk to H about paying. As I started to walk towards H, a younger guy came up to me, firmly planting himself directly in front of me - "You pay her NOW. She separate from him.", gesturing to the man who was now yelling at H. Annoyed, I reached into my bag to take out some money, figuring the baht wasn't worth the hassle. As I opened my bag, the lady tugged at it, trying to see what bills I had. That was my tipping point. I moved swiftly, yanking my bag away from her grasp and said very firmly, "I got it. Stop touching my stuff." I handed her 2 100baht bills (the smallest bills I had). Hearing my voice change, she suddenly became very aggressive. "900 baht" she insisted.
"What? I just gave you 200baht -- you owe me 50 back."
"No. 150baht for one bag. You take a lot of bags. 900 baht."
At that point, the situation went from annoying to infuriating. I glanced at H and started to make my way to him again. Then the old lady and the younger guy physically pushed me back, yelling "PAY SEPARATE, PAY SEPARATE." Surprised that they would get physical with me, I raised my voice saying "I'm going to talk to him first. I already paid you." They continued to push back and tug at my purse. Finally, tears sprung to my eyes and I just exploded "LET ME GO. GET OUT OF MY WAY", and I barreled towards H. Meanwhile, H was already in a rift of his own. I learned later that one of the guys had pulled a very large bill (500baht) from his wallet and was now demanding more. They were in a yelling match already, but at soon as H saw my tear-stained face, the tension escalated. "WHO DID THIS?", he shouted, pointing to me, walking around them excitedly. I could feel his anger and I'm sure the locals hustling us could too. They backed away from him, but continued to jeer and demand more money. H walked over to the guy who was hassling me and got into his face, asking him if he touched me. He scampered away, but continued to yell. H then walked up to the loudest one and grabbed his shirt and pushed him, telling us to give us back our money or else. Scared, the guy gave H back some (but not all of it). He told H that the grandma had the rest. The old lady had long retreated back to the far side of the sidewalk after seeing H react. It caused quite the commotion on the sideway, detouring locals and tourists both. H was absolutely steaming, I was sobbing, and there was just a whole bunch of yelling. After a few more lines back and forth (of explicit nature), I pulled H away, scared that things would get physical. A passing local asked us what happened and told us she'd accompany us to the police station so we could file a report. We thanked her but at that point, H was in no mood to talk anything out.
As intense as that situation was, the tension dissipated after we had reached Khao San Road after another 10 minutes. H had been clearly upset but was now just quiet and all my anger had turned into worry. Eventually, we decided that we were just glad it was over.
That evening, after such a crazy ordeal, we decided to relieve all that tension by setting massages. We decided to check out a spa recommended by our good ole Lonely Planet guide and headed to the Siam area after a quick trip to the hotel to clean up. The Siam area of Bangkok actually really reminds me of the Powell area in SF. Like Union Square, there is a public transit stop that dumps you right into the mall. The Siam area is super clean and modern, with a series of three shopping centers all interconnected. The smalls were upscale and everything was expensive, with prices similar to or exceeding US prices.
The recommended spa was in the further center (Siam Discovery Center). For being in a mall, the spa was super nice. I decided to try getting a traditional Thai massage because I was in Thailand for the first time and the spa menu touted it as the ultimate way to get rid of tension and stress (which sounded perfect after the morning that we had). This was to be my first time getting this type of massage and I was eager to try something new.
Now, many of my close friends and family have probably heard about my "lesbian" massage experience in SF. As a quick recap, over the past few years I have become a fan of Swedish massages. As part of my 25th birthday surprise, H made me an appointment for a Swedish massage at Tru Spa, a very fancy spa in downtown SF. The experience quickly went from normal to (what I thought then was) Lesbian when 1) during the massage masseuse told me repeatedly that I had "such a nice body" and 2) when, at some points during the massage, she got onto the table with me and straddled me/massaged my bottom,etc.
Up until this trip, I had always looked back at that experience with amusement and a little big of confused. What I've learned from my first Thai massage experience is that 1) Thai people are generally very nice people and enjoy giving complements and 2) a Thai massage is basically a therapeutic wrestling match. The massage is very interactive and the masseuse uses all parts of her body and a whole variation of positions to help you stretch and relieve tension in your muscles. The whole experience was very interesting, but I could see how it is relaxing (in its own way) and probably very good for your body. During my Thai massage experience, I realized the similarities to my Lesbian experience. This is when it occurred to me that maybe this wasn't my first time getting a Thai-style massage. The realization almost made me laugh, but hey, at least now I'm not so confused about my birthday "surprise" now :)
All in all, a very eventful day. The next day we were headed to Chiang Mai... and the adventures continue.
Till next time,
xoxo
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Ohai, Bangkok! (Thailand 1)
Sawadee Kha, Bangkok!
After nearly 22 hours of travel, including a movie marathon and 2 flights, we finally arrived in Bangkok! Finally, our trip had come, after 3 months of anticipation. So far its been a whirlwind of crowded street markets, colorful taxis and vibrant, smiling people.
In our first full day in Bangkok, we decided to venture out to the much-lauded Chatuchak Market, supposedly the largest open-air market in the world. To get there, we tried out the Thai public transit system and rode the SkyTrain. The skytrain is very reminiscent of BART, save that trip is much more scenic as the rails travel along the Bangkok skyline. Fare was very reasonable -- about 25 baht a person (less than $1USD) to travel from Wongwian Yai station to Mo Chit station, literally as far as you could go on public transit, and all the way across the city. The SkyTrain traveled pretty quickly (about a 20-25 minute ride) and clean and COOL (very important when it's 90F and incredibly humid outside).
The market itself is truly remarkable. Sure, it's one thing to read the brochure, but when you actually see the market, with all of its tents stretching out as far as the eye can see, you are in for a shock! Because we're still a little jetlagged, we arrived to the market around 8:30am, which was a little early we discovered later. Walking through the labyrinth of alleyways and shops, you can truly find almost anything, from pets (miniature dogs, cats and guineas) to knock off purses. There was a so much variety and interesting little booths that you could literally spend an entire day there, if you can stand the heat. The tented shops did a good job blocking out the sun, but trapped the hot, humid and dusty air so after a couple hours, it gets kind of stuffy and tough to breathe. The vendors are nice, but it's really important to bargain. I'm not naturally the most aggressive or pushy person so H had to coach me in the art of negotiation. I ended up bargaining for a few things and got better as the morning went on - great success!! I still have a ways to go, but the trip has just started :)
In the afternoon, we explored some of the "Old City" and visited Wat Pho, the reclining Buddha. The Buddha here was HUGE, stretching from wall to wall of the temple and towering above the temple go-ers. It was really tricky to get all of him in a picture but it was truly a beautiful thing to see and experience.
For a late lunch, we went to Chote Chitr for some of their famous red curry. Recommended by both friends and our trusty Lonely Planet guide, we were excited to get in on the action. The restaurant itself was a little tricky to get to, but luckily H has a wonderful internal compass as we were able to find it on first try (which is great because I was getting hungry/grumpy....)
At night, we went out to Patpong Night Market to check out the markets and nightlife. The vendors here were super pushy (much more than the market in the morning) and sold lots of the same, lots of trinkets and souvenirs. A lot of the bars and clubs featured go-go dancers, but by far, the nightlife scene here was male-dominated. Guys were everywhere and outnumber women by a long shot. The few women that I did see looked like escorts. Overall, a fun area but it wasn't really our scene (... "pingpong shows"?? - yikes!!).
Tomorrow looks to be an exciting day, with more sightseeing, more shopping and ... most important, more good food!!
Till next time, xoxo
After nearly 22 hours of travel, including a movie marathon and 2 flights, we finally arrived in Bangkok! Finally, our trip had come, after 3 months of anticipation. So far its been a whirlwind of crowded street markets, colorful taxis and vibrant, smiling people.
In our first full day in Bangkok, we decided to venture out to the much-lauded Chatuchak Market, supposedly the largest open-air market in the world. To get there, we tried out the Thai public transit system and rode the SkyTrain. The skytrain is very reminiscent of BART, save that trip is much more scenic as the rails travel along the Bangkok skyline. Fare was very reasonable -- about 25 baht a person (less than $1USD) to travel from Wongwian Yai station to Mo Chit station, literally as far as you could go on public transit, and all the way across the city. The SkyTrain traveled pretty quickly (about a 20-25 minute ride) and clean and COOL (very important when it's 90F and incredibly humid outside).
The market itself is truly remarkable. Sure, it's one thing to read the brochure, but when you actually see the market, with all of its tents stretching out as far as the eye can see, you are in for a shock! Because we're still a little jetlagged, we arrived to the market around 8:30am, which was a little early we discovered later. Walking through the labyrinth of alleyways and shops, you can truly find almost anything, from pets (miniature dogs, cats and guineas) to knock off purses. There was a so much variety and interesting little booths that you could literally spend an entire day there, if you can stand the heat. The tented shops did a good job blocking out the sun, but trapped the hot, humid and dusty air so after a couple hours, it gets kind of stuffy and tough to breathe. The vendors are nice, but it's really important to bargain. I'm not naturally the most aggressive or pushy person so H had to coach me in the art of negotiation. I ended up bargaining for a few things and got better as the morning went on - great success!! I still have a ways to go, but the trip has just started :)
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| Chatuchak Market |
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| Canvas Totes |
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| Yarn Lanterns |
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| Buddha and elephant statues everywhere! |
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| My loot (grand total of $32USD!) |
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| Gate to the Wat |
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| Trying out the new camera lens! |
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| Wat Pho (reclining Buddha) |
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| Red curry with prawns |
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| Banana leaf salad |
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| Mee krab |
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| Clubs/bars at Patpong Night Market |
Till next time, xoxo
Friday, July 1, 2011
Housing... check!
So late last week, I got some fantastic news -- I got approved for campus housing! I'm going to be living just a couple blocks away from campus and the rent is pretty reasonable, about equivalent to what I was paying in San Francisco. I hear that the campus housing apartments are pretty hit or miss, but the proximity to school, reasonable rent and certainty of un-homelessness are well worth the risk in my opinion! The university housing office does not do much in providing any color as to the unit you are offered aside from the address, rent and potential apartment-mates. For some units, the housing office has a floor plan which they send to you with your offer, but for me personally, I had no such luck. It was a little strange for me to commit to housing without any idea of what the unit looked like (except the Google Maps image I found of the outside of the building), but I'm still very excited at what will hopefully be a nice surprise, and to meet my new apartment-mates!
This first week post-internship really flew by. This week a few of the staff members from the Columbia Career Management Center (CMC) were in town on business and hosted a few events in San Francisco for the future class of 2013. It was great to have the opportunity to meet some of the CMC staff and some of my future classmates! As nerdy as it sounds, I was really excited to hear about all the recruiting stuff that is to come during first year. I was also super stoked to meet some genuinely cool, driven and nice people who I'm sure I'll get to know a lot better of the next two years. I was really impressed by the type of caliber of my peers -- everyone has such successful careers pre-MBA already, what comes next is sure to be amazing! It was kind of humbling, but I'm happy to be considered a peer and am starting to really look forward to meeting the rest of the class. It sounds like there were more than a handful of people who were really committed to coming back to the West Coast after school. Hopefully we'll all find a way to make it happen!
This past Thursday, I also helped host an alumni event for the RPAA, a non-profit organization that I am involved in. It turned out to be a fun and successful event, which made all our planning efforts feel well worth it.
And with July 1st comes to the end of my "no-shopping-month"! Admittedly, there were a few incidents in June where I succumbed to temptation, but as a whole, I did a pretty good job of restraining impulse and unnecessary purchases! Getting used to a student budget is going to be a challenge for me -- I am totally calling it now. The past four years, I got so used to a paycheck and being able to afford (most) of the things I wanted without having to put too much thought in it. That's going to have to seriously change for at least the next two years though -- gotta dust off my food-scavenging, bargain-hunting skills! I got my last paycheck for my internship today and depositing it felt weird, because I knew that it would be my last deposit for a while ...potentially in a year (eek!!).
My Thailand trip is fast approaching -- I leave next Wednesday! I've already dug up and dragged my suitcase from storage into my room. I've filled it to the brim with clothes I want to wear and will have to spend some time over the weekend editing my selections to an "essential" core. I used to have a horrible habit of overpacking (i.e. 6 outfits, 4 shoes for a weekend trip to LA....), but believe that I have gotten better in the past few years! Sadly, probably a large motivator in that is the purchase of my "professional" Victorinox suitcase which, while beautiful and durable, weighs as much as a baby elephant... and that's without anything inside. Since getting the suitcase, I try to pack smartly because I can barely lift the empty suitcase over my head to stack it into the overhead compartment, much less filled with clothes. Oh, the shame!!
Till next time!
xoxo
This first week post-internship really flew by. This week a few of the staff members from the Columbia Career Management Center (CMC) were in town on business and hosted a few events in San Francisco for the future class of 2013. It was great to have the opportunity to meet some of the CMC staff and some of my future classmates! As nerdy as it sounds, I was really excited to hear about all the recruiting stuff that is to come during first year. I was also super stoked to meet some genuinely cool, driven and nice people who I'm sure I'll get to know a lot better of the next two years. I was really impressed by the type of caliber of my peers -- everyone has such successful careers pre-MBA already, what comes next is sure to be amazing! It was kind of humbling, but I'm happy to be considered a peer and am starting to really look forward to meeting the rest of the class. It sounds like there were more than a handful of people who were really committed to coming back to the West Coast after school. Hopefully we'll all find a way to make it happen!
This past Thursday, I also helped host an alumni event for the RPAA, a non-profit organization that I am involved in. It turned out to be a fun and successful event, which made all our planning efforts feel well worth it.
And with July 1st comes to the end of my "no-shopping-month"! Admittedly, there were a few incidents in June where I succumbed to temptation, but as a whole, I did a pretty good job of restraining impulse and unnecessary purchases! Getting used to a student budget is going to be a challenge for me -- I am totally calling it now. The past four years, I got so used to a paycheck and being able to afford (most) of the things I wanted without having to put too much thought in it. That's going to have to seriously change for at least the next two years though -- gotta dust off my food-scavenging, bargain-hunting skills! I got my last paycheck for my internship today and depositing it felt weird, because I knew that it would be my last deposit for a while ...potentially in a year (eek!!).
My Thailand trip is fast approaching -- I leave next Wednesday! I've already dug up and dragged my suitcase from storage into my room. I've filled it to the brim with clothes I want to wear and will have to spend some time over the weekend editing my selections to an "essential" core. I used to have a horrible habit of overpacking (i.e. 6 outfits, 4 shoes for a weekend trip to LA....), but believe that I have gotten better in the past few years! Sadly, probably a large motivator in that is the purchase of my "professional" Victorinox suitcase which, while beautiful and durable, weighs as much as a baby elephant... and that's without anything inside. Since getting the suitcase, I try to pack smartly because I can barely lift the empty suitcase over my head to stack it into the overhead compartment, much less filled with clothes. Oh, the shame!!
Till next time!
xoxo
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