Monday, May 25, 2009
Pictures that correspond with the last post
And I almost forgot, I'm going to Cambodia on Wednesday!
Art Museum:
This was actually more of a gallery than a museum. I found it fascinating, because there were many photographs of Bangkok, both from amateurs and professionals. The amateur photographs were a part of a contest in the gallery, so it was interesting to see which photos were ranked higher than the others. It was also cool to see that some places that I had previously visited in Bangkok were captured in the photographs. The gallery also had a contest for professional artists (mostly in prints), which were from countries around the world. The part that made the gallery particularly fascinating to me was the exhibit surrounding the founding of the museum. A few years ago, artists from throughout the city protested the building of the malls in the area. They believed that Bangkok needed a place to showcase art (which is indeed true). To make their statement heard, they decorated canvas bags, strung them together, and dragged them while marching through the city. Locals and passersby joined in the effort by designing their own bags and marching with the artists. In the gallery, the hundreds (maybe thousands?) of bags were on display.
Floating Market:
The name pretty much describes the excursion. Some friends and I ventured an hour and a half outside the city to our destination (which is a popular tourist thing to do). We rode throughout the canals in canoe-type boats and stopped to look at the floating sellers along the way. All of the merchandise was overpriced, but the scenery was well worth the trip.
Royal Palace:
The Cal Poly group took a short day trip to this site. The palace is surrounded by Wat Phra Kaew, which is a beautiful temple adorned with gems and gold. It houses the Emerald Buddha, which is the most important Buddha in all of Thailand. The palace itself reminded me of Buckingham Palace, since its facade was very European. Our group was allowed to enter inside (which other visitors are not allowed to do). Although the current king does not reside here, it was amazing to see the interior. It was again, very European, and reminded me of the inside of Versailles.
Slums:
This was also a Cal Poly field trip. We met with an NGO that started educational and community programming in the poorest areas of Bangkok. The organization allowed us to walk throughout the squatter community (made up of residents who are illegally residing on the land). There were shacks smashed up against one another, and the residents were obviously very poor. The streets were covered in litter and filthy water. I found it very interesting to compare the areas of Bangkok that we've visited: from the ritziest malls and health spas to the most destitute of families.
This was actually more of a gallery than a museum. I found it fascinating, because there were many photographs of Bangkok, both from amateurs and professionals. The amateur photographs were a part of a contest in the gallery, so it was interesting to see which photos were ranked higher than the others. It was also cool to see that some places that I had previously visited in Bangkok were captured in the photographs. The gallery also had a contest for professional artists (mostly in prints), which were from countries around the world. The part that made the gallery particularly fascinating to me was the exhibit surrounding the founding of the museum. A few years ago, artists from throughout the city protested the building of the malls in the area. They believed that Bangkok needed a place to showcase art (which is indeed true). To make their statement heard, they decorated canvas bags, strung them together, and dragged them while marching through the city. Locals and passersby joined in the effort by designing their own bags and marching with the artists. In the gallery, the hundreds (maybe thousands?) of bags were on display.
Floating Market:
The name pretty much describes the excursion. Some friends and I ventured an hour and a half outside the city to our destination (which is a popular tourist thing to do). We rode throughout the canals in canoe-type boats and stopped to look at the floating sellers along the way. All of the merchandise was overpriced, but the scenery was well worth the trip.
Royal Palace:
The Cal Poly group took a short day trip to this site. The palace is surrounded by Wat Phra Kaew, which is a beautiful temple adorned with gems and gold. It houses the Emerald Buddha, which is the most important Buddha in all of Thailand. The palace itself reminded me of Buckingham Palace, since its facade was very European. Our group was allowed to enter inside (which other visitors are not allowed to do). Although the current king does not reside here, it was amazing to see the interior. It was again, very European, and reminded me of the inside of Versailles.
Slums:
This was also a Cal Poly field trip. We met with an NGO that started educational and community programming in the poorest areas of Bangkok. The organization allowed us to walk throughout the squatter community (made up of residents who are illegally residing on the land). There were shacks smashed up against one another, and the residents were obviously very poor. The streets were covered in litter and filthy water. I found it very interesting to compare the areas of Bangkok that we've visited: from the ritziest malls and health spas to the most destitute of families.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
A little more about Bangkok
The shopping has ceased to end, since it is pretty much unavoidable in this city. But don't worry, I'm not blowing all of my funds! There are plenty of bargains to be found. There is also a plethora of international food (definitely a bonus). I haven't done anything majorly exciting since I last posted. My friends and I have just been exploring the city, revisiting Kao San Road, celebrating birthdays, and going to class (I know, hard to believe!). Oh, and I went to the Dusit Zoo! The highlight of that trip was playing with baby goats. So adorable.
I've been attending Bikram Yoga during the last couple of days with Sarah, Emma, and Laura. It's held at the classiest, most state-of-the art gym I have ever seen. It's on the 9th-11th floors of a tower and looks over the city of Bangkok. I'm pretty sure all of the rich people of Bangkok are members. Anyway, the yoga class is awesome! I plan on attending as much as I can.
This weekend, I'll be partaking in more productive outings (since class won't get in the way). I really love being in a big city. The only downside: lots and lots of traffic. It's not very fun riding in a taxi for more than 30 minutes.
Monday, May 18, 2009
I'm in BANGKOK!
I love it here! It's so full of life.
My stay here has mostly consisted of shopping, and I'm not ashamed to say it! The malls are massive and are all connected with pathways. I've taken the Skytrain, saw Angels and Demons at a 1200 seat theater, visited Kao San Road (market/restaurants/clubs/lots of white foreigners), and gone on a boat tour along the Chao Praya River and through the canals of the city.
I'll update more later!
My stay here has mostly consisted of shopping, and I'm not ashamed to say it! The malls are massive and are all connected with pathways. I've taken the Skytrain, saw Angels and Demons at a 1200 seat theater, visited Kao San Road (market/restaurants/clubs/lots of white foreigners), and gone on a boat tour along the Chao Praya River and through the canals of the city.
I'll update more later!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Since I rarely update anymore...
Here is a bit more about our stay in Nong Khai. The pace of life here is unquestionably relaxed. As I mentioned before, our guest house is on the edge of the Mekong River, and one could easily waste a day lounging outside. This is what many of us do on a daily basis.
When we got back from Laos, we were bombarded with activities surrounding the Rocket Festival (a one day celebration in which large rockets are lit off into the sky, so that they bring rain). Some of the students participated in a fashion show, where they displayed Thai outfits. The group also attended a pre-Rocket Festival parade, where some of the same students performed a traditional Thai dance. This parade was hot and chaotic (and not very enjoyable). The next day was finally the actual Rocket Festival. It was hot and chaotic again, and we only stayed a short while to watch some of the rockets launch.
There is a group of Thai students studying at First Global Community College (where we are studying), and many of us have befriended them. Two girls (I can't pronounce or spell their names) have been hanging out with my friends and showing us around town. On a Buddhist holiday, they took us to a wat and showed us how to participate. We walked around the temple 3 times for luck and had our fortunes read. They then took us to a riverside buffet (not really a restaurant), where we cooked our food in a hot pot. Today, some of us visited the statue park (Nong Khai's most famed attraction). It was strange and beautiful. Look at my pictures on Facebook!
When we got back from Laos, we were bombarded with activities surrounding the Rocket Festival (a one day celebration in which large rockets are lit off into the sky, so that they bring rain). Some of the students participated in a fashion show, where they displayed Thai outfits. The group also attended a pre-Rocket Festival parade, where some of the same students performed a traditional Thai dance. This parade was hot and chaotic (and not very enjoyable). The next day was finally the actual Rocket Festival. It was hot and chaotic again, and we only stayed a short while to watch some of the rockets launch.
There is a group of Thai students studying at First Global Community College (where we are studying), and many of us have befriended them. Two girls (I can't pronounce or spell their names) have been hanging out with my friends and showing us around town. On a Buddhist holiday, they took us to a wat and showed us how to participate. We walked around the temple 3 times for luck and had our fortunes read. They then took us to a riverside buffet (not really a restaurant), where we cooked our food in a hot pot. Today, some of us visited the statue park (Nong Khai's most famed attraction). It was strange and beautiful. Look at my pictures on Facebook!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Laos!
What a fascinating country. My trip here lasted from Thursday evening to Wednesday evening (which was longer than I had initially planned). Eight other girls and I crossed the border to the capital city of Vientiane. Here, we:
-ate an amazing Italian dinner at Cote d'Azur
-stayed in a cheap/basic guest house
-ate a delicious breakfast at a French cafe (one of the best croissants I've ever had!)
-visited Phra That Luang (a stupa that is the symbol of Laos)
-saw a monument that is an imitation of L'Arc de Triomphe
-enjoyed lunch at a westernized fancy restaurant (and rid ourselves of sweat in the A/C)
All of these French elements are a result of the French colonizing Laos, and are pretty evident everywhere. From Vientiane, we took a 3 hour van ride to Vang Vieng and met up with the rest of the Cal Poly crowd. Here, we:
-stayed in a guest house along the river
-ate sandwiches on baguettes
-kayaked on the Nam Song River
-enjoyed the incredible mountains along the river
-went caving
-ate some awesome Indian food
-went tubing down the Nam Song (Vang Vieng's main attraction) and stopped at the rope swings and bars along the way
This city is a popular destination for white, young tourists who love adventures and crazy nightlife! I met quite a few who decided to extend their vacation there to last a few months! After Vang Vieng, Emma, Laura, and I decided to skip class so that we could travel further into Laos to Luang Prabang. We took a 6 hour van ride (with plenty of curves along treacherous cliffs) to our next destination. In contrast to Vang Vieng, this town was filled with the older crowd of tourists. It was a beautiful town. My friend Emma described it perfectly when she said, "It looks like someone picked up all of the Asian people and just put them in a French town!". I could've sworn I was in Europe. Here, we:
-stayed in a large room in an old guesthouse
-shopped for handicrafts in the night market
-ate some delicious food, once again (modern Lao food, baguettes, etc.)
-walked throughout the town
-visited waterfalls with clear blue water
-ventured to the top of a hill, stopping at Buddhist shrines along the way, and watched the sunset from the peak
To end this adventure, we took a 10 hour bus ride back to the border. It was definitely an exhausting trip, but well worth it! Laos has probably been my favorite part of the trip so far.
-ate an amazing Italian dinner at Cote d'Azur
-stayed in a cheap/basic guest house
-ate a delicious breakfast at a French cafe (one of the best croissants I've ever had!)
-visited Phra That Luang (a stupa that is the symbol of Laos)
-saw a monument that is an imitation of L'Arc de Triomphe
-enjoyed lunch at a westernized fancy restaurant (and rid ourselves of sweat in the A/C)
All of these French elements are a result of the French colonizing Laos, and are pretty evident everywhere. From Vientiane, we took a 3 hour van ride to Vang Vieng and met up with the rest of the Cal Poly crowd. Here, we:
-stayed in a guest house along the river
-ate sandwiches on baguettes
-kayaked on the Nam Song River
-enjoyed the incredible mountains along the river
-went caving
-ate some awesome Indian food
-went tubing down the Nam Song (Vang Vieng's main attraction) and stopped at the rope swings and bars along the way
This city is a popular destination for white, young tourists who love adventures and crazy nightlife! I met quite a few who decided to extend their vacation there to last a few months! After Vang Vieng, Emma, Laura, and I decided to skip class so that we could travel further into Laos to Luang Prabang. We took a 6 hour van ride (with plenty of curves along treacherous cliffs) to our next destination. In contrast to Vang Vieng, this town was filled with the older crowd of tourists. It was a beautiful town. My friend Emma described it perfectly when she said, "It looks like someone picked up all of the Asian people and just put them in a French town!". I could've sworn I was in Europe. Here, we:
-stayed in a large room in an old guesthouse
-shopped for handicrafts in the night market
-ate some delicious food, once again (modern Lao food, baguettes, etc.)
-walked throughout the town
-visited waterfalls with clear blue water
-ventured to the top of a hill, stopping at Buddhist shrines along the way, and watched the sunset from the peak
To end this adventure, we took a 10 hour bus ride back to the border. It was definitely an exhausting trip, but well worth it! Laos has probably been my favorite part of the trip so far.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
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