Friday, January 20, 2006
PHUKET & CIVILIZED SOCIETY
My 2nd day here, I met my former Thai teacher, Gap and his wife Pui for dinner. Gap was getting his PhD in Communications at Temple when he was teaching me. He has now returned to Bangkok and is a Professor at Sripatum University.
I then went down south to Phuket. While I know many a person who pronounces the island "fuck-it," that is not in fact correct. The correct pronounciation is "poo-get." There are 2 main activities on the island. Golf and Diving. Having never been much of a golfer, I decided to focus on the later.
I first arrived at Patong Beach. This is where most of the touristsare. I happened to come to Thailand in the middle of the tourist season. The major streets are filled with bars and drunken tourists staggering around. There's also a Muay Thai (Thai Kickboxing) stadium where you can watch about a dozen fights a night. Men and women, ranging from 14-30 box in their respective weight classes and genders while Thai people bet furiously and tourists look on. The fights are scored based on leg and knee contact - most punches aren't scored, unless they're really good. I witnessed some really impressive roundhouse kicks and flying elbows but the only time a fighter seemed to win without a decision was when he kicked the other guy in the balls. That person would fall over and the fight was over. Many times, it seemed like one guy would surely win, only to get kicked in the junk and lose the fight. Remind me not to take up this sport. It makes Kung Fu seem like crochet.
I wondered what it would be like around here in the wake (no pun intended) of the tsunami. I would never have been able to tell a few thousand people were killed here a year ago. Everything has been rebuilt. There are a few key exceptions. There are giant blue signs that say "Warning - Tsunami Zone. In case of earthquake, go to high ground." OK. That's blatent. The only other signs of the tsunami were vendors selling DVDs of the tsunami and people selling T-shirts that read:
Phuket, Thailand
2002 - SARS
2003 - Bird Flu
2004 - Tsunami
What's Next?
Capitalism at its best. I talked to some people who said the day after the tsunami there were tourists going to sunbathe on the beach while others were cleaning up the dead. Any hope left for humanity?
Patong was grating on me so I moved down to Kata Beach. In 1982, my parents backpacked around the world. They stayed on Kata beach in thatched huts without electricity and ate seafood and banana pancakes. On the spot they stayed, there is now a Club Med. There are however still banana pancakes and seafood. Delicious prawns and crabs for a dollar or two. Almost all of the tourists in Kata are Scandinavian. It has become the hot place for Swedes and Danes to visit. There were Scandinavian restaurants on every corner.
My first day in Kata I joined up with a dive shop and we went to Ratcha Yai. Phuket is one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world, with great reefs, fish and the occaisional manta ray and whale shark. I however experienced none of this. 5 months ago, while teaching (diving, not English) I blew out my eardrum. It was supposed to be all healed but I found out the hard way that it is not. I made it down 6 feet before such an excruciating pain that I had to surface. Damn. On the boat, my balance was off and I knew something was wrong.
That brought me to my second hospital experience in a month. This hospital was quite different though. Phuket has top of the line facilities and western trained doctors at rock bottom prices. This has turned Phuket into a "health-tourism" destination of sorts. People come for Plastic Surgery and dental work since it's high quality and 10x cheaper than back home. The ENT said I couldn't dive for 2 weeks, killing my planned week of diving. I have a feeling it will be longer than that.
That night, I decided I was done with the blond hair and walked into a "hair salon" to get it taken care of. I'll bet I'm the only person EVER to get a haircut at the whorehouse. For those of you who are confused, all the brothels double as "massage parlors" or "hair salons." I figured what the hell, they say they are a salon, let's see what they can do. It was cheap, and the haircut not great, but I am no longer blond.
I spent a lot of my time at an ex-pat bar right next to my guest house. I was walking by wearing my Grateful Dead shirt when a man who was about 60 said, "Grateful Dead! I used to sell acid at their shows." He introduced himself as "Captain Canada" and said he'd been living in Kata for 27 years. We talked for a while and he told me of going to Jerry Garcia's house and smoking pot with John Lennon. I always seem to meet interesting people in odd places. While I'm on that subject, let me briefly discuss the Dutch. It goes without saying, Dutch people are very liberal. All Dutch people that is, except for the ex-pats. Every single Dutchman I've met who has left Holland permanantly is very very right wing. They talk about how great George Bush is, how the war in Iraq was great and so on. It's bizarre, but I guess the only people who would leave a liberal haven like Holland and the very conservative ones, for whom Holland is too liberal.
Everyone knows the Livestrong wristbands, popularized by Lance Armstrong. Most of you know of the national trend of wristbands for a million different causes. Well, it's not just America. For the King's 73rd birthday in December, Thailand printed up 1,000,000 yellow wristbands proclaiming (in both Thai and English) "I love the King." It took me a few days, but I got one.
Now a brief lesson on Thai politics. The King of Thailand is the longest serving monarch in the world. He's beloved by all Thai people, to the point of worship. While he no longer has any real powers, every building in the country has a picture of him. He's done great things for the country and most citizens would lay down their lives for him. The government is ruled by the Prime Minister, Thaksin. He controls 12% of the economy singlehandedly and has been elected 4 terms. However, people despise him. He is re-electied because he can buy votes in the north. He has continuously tried to consolidate his power (like a certain US president) and last week forced the King to sign a law that said the King could no longer sign laws (anyone see the irony?) In Bangkok there are massive student led weekly anti-Thaksin rallies. The King could tell Thaksin to leave and he would have to, since at the King's request, the entire population would drag Thaksin through the streets. However, he does not. As the King ages, there is much concern as to who will take his place. Most everyone wants the Princess to succeed her father but she is not next in line. The Crown Prince, next in line to the throne is hated by the people. He is corrupt and when he was having marital issues, he made his wife and son "disappear." No one knows what happened to them, but he is remarried now. I also met him at the World Scout Jamboree here in Thailand in 2003.
My 2nd day here, I met my former Thai teacher, Gap and his wife Pui for dinner. Gap was getting his PhD in Communications at Temple when he was teaching me. He has now returned to Bangkok and is a Professor at Sripatum University.
I then went down south to Phuket. While I know many a person who pronounces the island "fuck-it," that is not in fact correct. The correct pronounciation is "poo-get." There are 2 main activities on the island. Golf and Diving. Having never been much of a golfer, I decided to focus on the later.
I first arrived at Patong Beach. This is where most of the touristsare. I happened to come to Thailand in the middle of the tourist season. The major streets are filled with bars and drunken tourists staggering around. There's also a Muay Thai (Thai Kickboxing) stadium where you can watch about a dozen fights a night. Men and women, ranging from 14-30 box in their respective weight classes and genders while Thai people bet furiously and tourists look on. The fights are scored based on leg and knee contact - most punches aren't scored, unless they're really good. I witnessed some really impressive roundhouse kicks and flying elbows but the only time a fighter seemed to win without a decision was when he kicked the other guy in the balls. That person would fall over and the fight was over. Many times, it seemed like one guy would surely win, only to get kicked in the junk and lose the fight. Remind me not to take up this sport. It makes Kung Fu seem like crochet.
I wondered what it would be like around here in the wake (no pun intended) of the tsunami. I would never have been able to tell a few thousand people were killed here a year ago. Everything has been rebuilt. There are a few key exceptions. There are giant blue signs that say "Warning - Tsunami Zone. In case of earthquake, go to high ground." OK. That's blatent. The only other signs of the tsunami were vendors selling DVDs of the tsunami and people selling T-shirts that read:
Phuket, Thailand
2002 - SARS
2003 - Bird Flu
2004 - Tsunami
What's Next?
Capitalism at its best. I talked to some people who said the day after the tsunami there were tourists going to sunbathe on the beach while others were cleaning up the dead. Any hope left for humanity?
Patong was grating on me so I moved down to Kata Beach. In 1982, my parents backpacked around the world. They stayed on Kata beach in thatched huts without electricity and ate seafood and banana pancakes. On the spot they stayed, there is now a Club Med. There are however still banana pancakes and seafood. Delicious prawns and crabs for a dollar or two. Almost all of the tourists in Kata are Scandinavian. It has become the hot place for Swedes and Danes to visit. There were Scandinavian restaurants on every corner.
My first day in Kata I joined up with a dive shop and we went to Ratcha Yai. Phuket is one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world, with great reefs, fish and the occaisional manta ray and whale shark. I however experienced none of this. 5 months ago, while teaching (diving, not English) I blew out my eardrum. It was supposed to be all healed but I found out the hard way that it is not. I made it down 6 feet before such an excruciating pain that I had to surface. Damn. On the boat, my balance was off and I knew something was wrong.
That brought me to my second hospital experience in a month. This hospital was quite different though. Phuket has top of the line facilities and western trained doctors at rock bottom prices. This has turned Phuket into a "health-tourism" destination of sorts. People come for Plastic Surgery and dental work since it's high quality and 10x cheaper than back home. The ENT said I couldn't dive for 2 weeks, killing my planned week of diving. I have a feeling it will be longer than that.
That night, I decided I was done with the blond hair and walked into a "hair salon" to get it taken care of. I'll bet I'm the only person EVER to get a haircut at the whorehouse. For those of you who are confused, all the brothels double as "massage parlors" or "hair salons." I figured what the hell, they say they are a salon, let's see what they can do. It was cheap, and the haircut not great, but I am no longer blond.
I spent a lot of my time at an ex-pat bar right next to my guest house. I was walking by wearing my Grateful Dead shirt when a man who was about 60 said, "Grateful Dead! I used to sell acid at their shows." He introduced himself as "Captain Canada" and said he'd been living in Kata for 27 years. We talked for a while and he told me of going to Jerry Garcia's house and smoking pot with John Lennon. I always seem to meet interesting people in odd places. While I'm on that subject, let me briefly discuss the Dutch. It goes without saying, Dutch people are very liberal. All Dutch people that is, except for the ex-pats. Every single Dutchman I've met who has left Holland permanantly is very very right wing. They talk about how great George Bush is, how the war in Iraq was great and so on. It's bizarre, but I guess the only people who would leave a liberal haven like Holland and the very conservative ones, for whom Holland is too liberal.
Everyone knows the Livestrong wristbands, popularized by Lance Armstrong. Most of you know of the national trend of wristbands for a million different causes. Well, it's not just America. For the King's 73rd birthday in December, Thailand printed up 1,000,000 yellow wristbands proclaiming (in both Thai and English) "I love the King." It took me a few days, but I got one.
Now a brief lesson on Thai politics. The King of Thailand is the longest serving monarch in the world. He's beloved by all Thai people, to the point of worship. While he no longer has any real powers, every building in the country has a picture of him. He's done great things for the country and most citizens would lay down their lives for him. The government is ruled by the Prime Minister, Thaksin. He controls 12% of the economy singlehandedly and has been elected 4 terms. However, people despise him. He is re-electied because he can buy votes in the north. He has continuously tried to consolidate his power (like a certain US president) and last week forced the King to sign a law that said the King could no longer sign laws (anyone see the irony?) In Bangkok there are massive student led weekly anti-Thaksin rallies. The King could tell Thaksin to leave and he would have to, since at the King's request, the entire population would drag Thaksin through the streets. However, he does not. As the King ages, there is much concern as to who will take his place. Most everyone wants the Princess to succeed her father but she is not next in line. The Crown Prince, next in line to the throne is hated by the people. He is corrupt and when he was having marital issues, he made his wife and son "disappear." No one knows what happened to them, but he is remarried now. I also met him at the World Scout Jamboree here in Thailand in 2003.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
BEN'S THAILAND ADVENTURE
My China adventure has been put on hold temporarily while I got to Thailand for a 10 day vacation. The plane ticket cost $120 to get from Kunming to Bangkok and took 2 hours. Although I had to get up at 5am for my 8am flight, it was quite a nice change being able to get to Thailand without a 16 hour flight.
I am staying on Khaosan Road, the "backpacker mecca" of Bangkok. It's odd, while I didn't really have any culture shock when I went to America, I most certainly have some here. It is not however, the shock of Thai culture that so confounds me. It is the backpacker culture. I am staying in a $12/night guesthouse with air conditioning (it is 85 degrees here and humid) and am down the street from a McDonalds, a Burger King, five 7-11's (I did have a Slurpee today though, and it was great,) hundreds of internet cafes and bars and upwards of 5000 foreigners all on one street. This coupled with the Thai people here to sell bootleg cds, tshirts, knick knacks and food makes Khaosan Road quite an intense place to stay. If it gets to be too much, I can always move a few streets over.
Thailand is an interesting place. Taking Bangkok out of the equation, it might be one of my favorite countries. Thai people are a stark contrast to Chinese people. Here, everyone is friendly, can speak some English and are generally easy to deal with. And no one litters. That might be the most amazing difference to me. In China you have some trash, you toss it on the ground. Here the streets seem comparatively pristine. I've already met a half-dozen Thai who speak Chinese (because one of both of their parents was from China) so I've been able to practice my Chinese, while regaining my Thai (the more Chinese I learn, the less Thai I remember.)
After my few days in Bangkok I'll be going down south to the beaches for a few days of diving. I can't decide if I want to go to the Andaman side of the Gulf of Thailand side (read: tsunami side or not.) The diving is better on the Andaman side near Phuket and I am curious to see how much it has been rebuilt after the tsunami. OK, at the beginning of the paragraph I dodn't know what I would do. Now having typed out my reasoning, I think I'll be going to Phuket.
As many of you know, before a last minute change to China, I had been planning a year long study abroad program in Bangkok. In fact, I'm pretty sure my university thinks that's where I am. I would've been studying at Thammasat University in Bangkok, doing a Thai Studies program and learning more Thai. That having been said, I think I made the right choice. China is way less hectic and Chinese is much more useful. I also don't think I would've been happy in Bangkok for that long of a time.
My China adventure has been put on hold temporarily while I got to Thailand for a 10 day vacation. The plane ticket cost $120 to get from Kunming to Bangkok and took 2 hours. Although I had to get up at 5am for my 8am flight, it was quite a nice change being able to get to Thailand without a 16 hour flight.
I am staying on Khaosan Road, the "backpacker mecca" of Bangkok. It's odd, while I didn't really have any culture shock when I went to America, I most certainly have some here. It is not however, the shock of Thai culture that so confounds me. It is the backpacker culture. I am staying in a $12/night guesthouse with air conditioning (it is 85 degrees here and humid) and am down the street from a McDonalds, a Burger King, five 7-11's (I did have a Slurpee today though, and it was great,) hundreds of internet cafes and bars and upwards of 5000 foreigners all on one street. This coupled with the Thai people here to sell bootleg cds, tshirts, knick knacks and food makes Khaosan Road quite an intense place to stay. If it gets to be too much, I can always move a few streets over.
Thailand is an interesting place. Taking Bangkok out of the equation, it might be one of my favorite countries. Thai people are a stark contrast to Chinese people. Here, everyone is friendly, can speak some English and are generally easy to deal with. And no one litters. That might be the most amazing difference to me. In China you have some trash, you toss it on the ground. Here the streets seem comparatively pristine. I've already met a half-dozen Thai who speak Chinese (because one of both of their parents was from China) so I've been able to practice my Chinese, while regaining my Thai (the more Chinese I learn, the less Thai I remember.)
After my few days in Bangkok I'll be going down south to the beaches for a few days of diving. I can't decide if I want to go to the Andaman side of the Gulf of Thailand side (read: tsunami side or not.) The diving is better on the Andaman side near Phuket and I am curious to see how much it has been rebuilt after the tsunami. OK, at the beginning of the paragraph I dodn't know what I would do. Now having typed out my reasoning, I think I'll be going to Phuket.
As many of you know, before a last minute change to China, I had been planning a year long study abroad program in Bangkok. In fact, I'm pretty sure my university thinks that's where I am. I would've been studying at Thammasat University in Bangkok, doing a Thai Studies program and learning more Thai. That having been said, I think I made the right choice. China is way less hectic and Chinese is much more useful. I also don't think I would've been happy in Bangkok for that long of a time.
Monday, January 09, 2006
MMM DOG, CHINESE YOUTH & A NEW PLAN
As tasty as dog is, I've observed that many Chinese people keep dogs as pets too. Now, you might be wondering how one can distinguish between an eating dog and a pet dog. Here, it's easy. Pet dogs wear sweaters. These sweaters, put on by the owners scream "don't eat me" to any hungry passersby. As much as I hate dogs wearing sweaters, this seems to be a good way to demarcate what is acceptible food and what is not. However, none of the pandas wear sweaters and I'm still not allowed to eat them.
The 2 classes I'm currenty teaching are the 11 and 12 year-old classes. 6 year-olds are hard to manage, but these kids aren't. The best part is they are under 14. In China you are a child until age 14, at which point you become an adult. There are no teenage years, no rebelliousness, just a swift transition from youth to adult. This is great for me because while a 14 year-old adult is expected to be reserved and serious, the 12 year-old children are not. I can still sing and dance and play with them in class, making it easier to teach and more entertaining for both me and them.
I have a new plan for my next months here. While I was going to take a month in the middle and travel, I think it will be more effective learning Chinese for a solid 3 months, then travelling. May will be Southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. I will begin my intensive studies again at the start of February, after Chinese New Years (CNY.) The plan for the next 3 weeks consists of going to Thailand for 10ish days (real cheap to get there and I already have $50 in Thai Baht - enough to last me a week,) then returning to China and going to Shanghai for New Years (Jan 28th.) If the biggest CNY party is in China, the biggest CNY party in China is in Shanghai. I don't kow what to expect except that there are 16 million people there and it should be crazy.
As tasty as dog is, I've observed that many Chinese people keep dogs as pets too. Now, you might be wondering how one can distinguish between an eating dog and a pet dog. Here, it's easy. Pet dogs wear sweaters. These sweaters, put on by the owners scream "don't eat me" to any hungry passersby. As much as I hate dogs wearing sweaters, this seems to be a good way to demarcate what is acceptible food and what is not. However, none of the pandas wear sweaters and I'm still not allowed to eat them.
The 2 classes I'm currenty teaching are the 11 and 12 year-old classes. 6 year-olds are hard to manage, but these kids aren't. The best part is they are under 14. In China you are a child until age 14, at which point you become an adult. There are no teenage years, no rebelliousness, just a swift transition from youth to adult. This is great for me because while a 14 year-old adult is expected to be reserved and serious, the 12 year-old children are not. I can still sing and dance and play with them in class, making it easier to teach and more entertaining for both me and them.
I have a new plan for my next months here. While I was going to take a month in the middle and travel, I think it will be more effective learning Chinese for a solid 3 months, then travelling. May will be Southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. I will begin my intensive studies again at the start of February, after Chinese New Years (CNY.) The plan for the next 3 weeks consists of going to Thailand for 10ish days (real cheap to get there and I already have $50 in Thai Baht - enough to last me a week,) then returning to China and going to Shanghai for New Years (Jan 28th.) If the biggest CNY party is in China, the biggest CNY party in China is in Shanghai. I don't kow what to expect except that there are 16 million people there and it should be crazy.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
A SPECIAL GUEST BLOG BY BEN'S MOM
After Ben's trip home to Philly, I flew to Kunming with him to spend 8 nights and get an experience of his life here. Through the years, I've followed him to Australia (with the Boys Choir), to Italy, where he stayed with a family and learned Italian, and now to China. I'm a proud mamma. I'm blown away by his ability to make himself at home in a very foreign city, find an apartment, a job, and create a community so far from home. And he can really speak Chinese!
This week, I've watched him teach English to classes of very cute 12 year olds, met his writing tutor, Money, and been overwhelmed by the hospitality of his homestay family. Ben's taken me to great $1.25 meals (pork Peking, sweet and sour pork; or beef kababs and homemade noodles)the flower market, his favorite hangouts, etc. We've arranged photos on the walls of his apartment, watched some episodes of West Wing, and did a lot of walking, including watching old Chinese people do morning exercises that resemble ballet dancing with swords.
I can now say hello, thanks, goodbye and it was nice meeting you in Chinese, eat with chopsticks a little better, and not fall in the Asian toilet when I squat. It's been a great trip!
After Ben's trip home to Philly, I flew to Kunming with him to spend 8 nights and get an experience of his life here. Through the years, I've followed him to Australia (with the Boys Choir), to Italy, where he stayed with a family and learned Italian, and now to China. I'm a proud mamma. I'm blown away by his ability to make himself at home in a very foreign city, find an apartment, a job, and create a community so far from home. And he can really speak Chinese!
This week, I've watched him teach English to classes of very cute 12 year olds, met his writing tutor, Money, and been overwhelmed by the hospitality of his homestay family. Ben's taken me to great $1.25 meals (pork Peking, sweet and sour pork; or beef kababs and homemade noodles)the flower market, his favorite hangouts, etc. We've arranged photos on the walls of his apartment, watched some episodes of West Wing, and did a lot of walking, including watching old Chinese people do morning exercises that resemble ballet dancing with swords.
I can now say hello, thanks, goodbye and it was nice meeting you in Chinese, eat with chopsticks a little better, and not fall in the Asian toilet when I squat. It's been a great trip!
Thursday, January 05, 2006
THERE AND BACK AGAIN
I'm back in China after a 10 day hiatus back home. The plane trip to the other side of the world took around 13 hours. I slept the entire way.
At home, I didn't do too much back home...and it was great. I never quite adjusted to American time and my daily schedule consisted of waking up at 8pm, being up all night then going to bed at noon. We celebrated both Christmas and Chanukah. Apparently, in my absence my sister converted the family to Christianity (even a bigger feat since she herself is an atheist.) Last year it was Christmas lights, this year I walk in to see a decorated Christmas tree. How many Jews out there have Christmas trees?
Well, just like all Jews (and despite the irony,) on Christmas day we went and ate Chinese food. I missed American Chinese food, it's really quite different. In fact I think I ate Asian food 5 of the 10 days I was home. I also thoroughly enjoyed the American food I had. I visited a lot of friends and family, though it was a tad difficult of the schedule I kept.
The odd thing was I came home feeling really patriotic, almost to the point of excusing all of George Bush's actions. That died quickly. I'm looking forward to Jack Abramoff's testimony taking down 1/4 of Congress too.
Shoutouts: Thanks to all my loyal readers, especially those who send me messages while I'm in China (Dana, Ryan B, Caton, Ollie, Paul and all my family.)
Congratulations to Penn State for willing the Orange Bowl, albeit in triple OT. I'll post more later.
My mom came with me to visit China. She' ll be here for a week. Look for a special guest post on her experiences of China sometime this week.
I'm back in China after a 10 day hiatus back home. The plane trip to the other side of the world took around 13 hours. I slept the entire way.
At home, I didn't do too much back home...and it was great. I never quite adjusted to American time and my daily schedule consisted of waking up at 8pm, being up all night then going to bed at noon. We celebrated both Christmas and Chanukah. Apparently, in my absence my sister converted the family to Christianity (even a bigger feat since she herself is an atheist.) Last year it was Christmas lights, this year I walk in to see a decorated Christmas tree. How many Jews out there have Christmas trees?
Well, just like all Jews (and despite the irony,) on Christmas day we went and ate Chinese food. I missed American Chinese food, it's really quite different. In fact I think I ate Asian food 5 of the 10 days I was home. I also thoroughly enjoyed the American food I had. I visited a lot of friends and family, though it was a tad difficult of the schedule I kept.
The odd thing was I came home feeling really patriotic, almost to the point of excusing all of George Bush's actions. That died quickly. I'm looking forward to Jack Abramoff's testimony taking down 1/4 of Congress too.
Shoutouts: Thanks to all my loyal readers, especially those who send me messages while I'm in China (Dana, Ryan B, Caton, Ollie, Paul and all my family.)
Congratulations to Penn State for willing the Orange Bowl, albeit in triple OT. I'll post more later.
My mom came with me to visit China. She' ll be here for a week. Look for a special guest post on her experiences of China sometime this week.
