Thursday, October 29, 2009

Angkor temples & Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap has changed in the 5 years since I was there. I knew this, intellectually, hearing about the building boom and exponential growth of tourism. One of the main reasons I wanted to go back on this trip was to catch it before the essential character of the town and temples vanished under the heaving tides of tourists and visitor centers. Sadly, this pretty much has already happened. What amazed me the most was the lack of noise. I have very strong memories of Siem Reap; the incessant whirring and buzzing of motorbikes that often carried whole families, traffic at all hours of the day and night, the smell of petrol and burning vegetation. All of that is gone, along with regular Cambodians. The town center has been abandoned to tourists, touts & tuk tuk drivers. Instead of the buzz of motorbikes, you hear incessant calls of “tuk tuk” “massage” “tuk tuk” “tuk tuk” with the occasional nighttime solicitation from prostitutes & drug dealers thrown in. While I am certainly a fan of upscale niceties like fancy spas and gourmet ice cream, the town itself felt rather sterile. I missed the bustle and life it used to hold. I don’t think I would go back, sadly, because there isn't much left of what I loved about that slice of Cambodia. And it was already a pretty sanitized version in 2004, don't get me wrong, but at least it still felt like a living, breathing town, with chickens and children running underfoot in the roadside night market.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. We left Ho Chi Min City early in the morning for a 6 hour trip on the Mekong Express bus to Phenom Phen and then another 5 hours to Siem Reap. I would highly recommend that company, the bus was very clean and they gave us tasty snacks and cold water on our journey. The border crossing was fairly easy, if a little confusing for a sleepy, cranky girl (not to mention a boyfriend suddenly confronted by a tired, cranky girlfriend). The guide more or less walked us through the process, and we were on our way pretty quickly, with a minimum amount of fuss (ok, I made most of the fuss, mostly because I slept through the minimal instructions given on the bus and was very confused about what we were supposed to do). It was interesting to see the huge difference in the landscape when crossing from Vietnam into Cambodia – Vietnam has a population of 85 million, and Cambodia only 14 million with 30% under age 14. The orderly fields of Vietnam gave way to jungle upon crossing the border, with only little agriculture in evidence from the road. The evidence of poverty changed very little, though, with ramshackle roadside stalls in evidence in both countries. It sometimes seemed everyone is selling something, either near their farm fields or in front of their homes. I kept wondering how anyone can make any money, since there are thousands of little stalls selling the same products, food, and produce. For a tourist, anyway, it is pretty hard to differentiate between them.

We arrived in Siem Riep well after dark, and took a tuk tuk to our guesthouse. We stayed at Golden Temple Villa, which was close to the center if town and has\d a nice garden and public spaces. We were starving and a little wiped out from the long bus ride, so we just ate dinner at their restaurant and planned out what we wanted to do for the next couple of days. The food was decent, if nothing to write about, and certainly affordable enough. After dinner and a complimentary drink, we got the key to our room and went to unpack. The room was on the top floor, didn’t have wireless, and had an odd and rather unpleasant smell to it, so we ended up moving down a few floors the next day (we always seemed to end up on the top floor, I have no idea why). We then walked over to the night market, which is totally different from the night markets I remembered (which featured a lot of food vendors, dogs and children). The new night market is a permanent feature, with fancy stalls selling tourist souvenirs, a bar, and, best of all, Dr. Fish. What is Dr. Fish, you ask? Dr. Fish, also known as fish massage, is a tank full of little fish that, and I quote “eat the dead skin off of your feet.” Oh boy, sign me up! We both decided to pass, thank you very much, but those tanks were everywhere and seemed quite popular!

In the morning we had breakfast and arranged for a tuk tuk driver out to the temples in the afternoon, then wandered into town to get oriented and find a good temple guidebook. After lunch, we headed out to Angkor Thom, which was built in the late 12th century as one of the last capital cities of the Khmer empire. The city contains the Bayon, Baphuon, and Phimeanakas temples, as well as several highly decorated terraces and other ruins. We started at the Bayon, which is mostly known for the huge, smiling faces adorning the 37 four-sided towers of the complex. It is amazing and gorgeous.

The Bayon also has several sets of magnificent bas-reliefs, which depict scenes of daily life and famous battles from the Khymer empire. The Bayon was actually a large part of why I wanted to go back to Angkor, as I’d felt very rushed by my guide the first time I was there. My goal was to wander, relax and take as much time as I wanted to view the bas reliefs, without pressure to hold to an itinerary or "see it all." It was fantastic to walk up the stairs and see those serene, mystical faces again. The temple was sparsely populated when we were there, which made it all that much better.



I was completely blissed out to have all the time I wanted; wandering, climbing, taking photos. I was finally able to see all the reliefs, and take the time to puzzle out what I thought they represented (with the help of a book, of course). I think my boyfriend might have suffered for the lack of a coherent guide, but I doubt he would say, or think, so.

After the Bayon, we walked to the Baphuon, which is a huge temple that is in the process of being reconstructed. You can’t really get too close to the site, but even so we wandered around the huge base, hoping to get a glimpse of the reclining Buddha, but weren’t able to see it clearly since theat side of the temple was closed off as well.

Then we walked by Phimeanakas, which for me is mostly notable for the statues of what look suspiciously like sheep but are probably some sort of lion, and headed to the Elephant Terrace.

Recent rains had made a pond out of the front of the terrace, so we couldn’t get close enough to see the carving of elephants (which was too bad, because I remember them being very cool). We also saw the hidden walls of the terrace of the Leper King, which have gorgeous carvings of a five-headed horse and other mythological creatures.



We found our tuk tuk driver and headed over to Ta Phrom, a wonderful temple that has been left in much the same condition in which it was found; with huge silk cottonwood and strangler fig trees growing out of the ruins. It is very picturesque, and made for a nice stroll as the day was getting late. We wandered around there, then walked back to the jungle to meet our tuk tuk driver again. At this point, it was getting late (due mostly to my dawdling at the Bayon), so we decided to head back into town for the evening.




After a little chill-out time, we walked to Khymer Kitchen, a restaurant on pub street that I’d read was really good. It was – we had an excellent meal. I ordered pumpkin with ground pork, which was one of the best things I ate in Cambodia. A few Angkor beers washed down the meal, and after a quick stop for a scoop of green lemon and kaffir lime sorbet from Blue Pumpkin (OMG, delicious) it was off to sleep!

In the morning, we headed off to Banteay Srei (citadel of the women), a beautiful little 10th century pink sandstone temple that has intricate carvings dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It is about 25 km (15 miles) from the main Angkor temples, and the ride out there is almost as interesting as the temples, passing the stalls of basket vendors and small Cambodian villages set between glowing green rice paddies.

The last time I was there it was considered quite out of the way and almost off of the tourist map. Not any more. I was dismayed to pull up in our tuk tuk and see a huge parking lot and a built-up souvenir village and visitor center. The entire area has been transformed, and is chock a block with tourist services and masses of tourists pouring off huge air-conditioned busses. Much of the interior has been roped off, so you can’t get close enough to see the details on the small buildings, and even if you could, you would have to push through a sea of humanity to get a glimpse. I found it almost unspeakably disappointing; Banteay Srei was one of my favorite temples and it seemed lost behind all of build up around it. The site has been badly looted and damaged in the past, and from what I read continues to have a problems with theft and vandalism, so I can understand that it requires protection. It was still hard for me to see it so changed, especially since I didn’t see any guards or monitors or anyone working on protecting the site, just hoards of tourists and people trying to sell things to them. I wonder if at some point they are going to have to limit access to some of the sites, or will continue to have people packed cheek to jowl, until the ruins are simply submerged in the sheer weight of the tides of humanity consuming them. Like I said, I found it depressing. In spite of all of my doom and gloom, the temple is stunning, and boasts some of the most exquisite sandstone carvings in the world. There is a reason all of those people, and us, were there.

After walking through Banteay Srei, we headed to East Mabon, a large and less visited temple on the way back to Siem Reap. I hadn’t been to this temple before and really enjoyed it, it is a fairly large site with buildings in various states of repair and some particularly nice elephants and lions, as well as lintel carvings. It’s relative abandonment was a nice break after the madness at Banteay Srei.


We concluded or day of temple viewing at Angkor Wat, the most famous of the temples at Angkor.

It has become a symbol of the country, even appearing on the national flag. The basic plan of Angkor Wat comes from Hindu mythology of the sacred five-peak Mount Meru, the center of the universe and the home of Brahma. The mountain is surrounded by the cosmic ocean, which is represented at Angkor Wat (and other sites) by a large moat. I think it creates a beautiful and balanced set of buildings, with a large causeway over the moat leading to the outer wall, through the entryway and into the main complex, where the mountain-temple rises above you with its five central towers. In addition to the towers, there are some fantastic bas reliefs in the outer galleries, which I was anxious to look at again. Unfortunately, the top level and one of the main sections of bas reliefs were closed, so the boyfriend didn’t get to do the full tour of the site. It was a day of minor disappointments, temple wise. I wandered all around the walls, looking at the reliefs and carvings, and was happy to be able to do so, as this was another area I’d felt I’d skimped on my first trip.
At this point, we were getting a little of the “temple death march” syndrome, so we decided to go back into town and rest up before dinner. That night we went to the Red Piano, which makes my favorite, if a bit expensive, version of Amok Trey, which is fish and coconut curry steamed in a banana leaf. I like the Red Piano’s version because they use some sort of tasty green I’ve never seen in any other version.

We decided to take the next day off, and just stick around town. I took the opportunity to go shopping at the various shops and markets around town. The boyfriend decided to opt out on the shopping, so I went off by myself. There are a lot of small boutiques in town that carry locally produced silk and other crafts. Cambodia has a long history of exquisite stone and wood carving, silk weaving and silver crafting. Unfortunately, as part of the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970’s, the arts were considered elitist and artisans were forced into farming or murdered on the killing fields, As a result, the arts were decimated and much traditional knowledge lost. Since the ouster of the Khmer Rough, many rural development programs and NGO’s have been teaching young artisans traditional arts and crafts, both to revive the traditions and help give rural, disadvantaged people a chance for a livelihood. I started my shopping day at Artisans d'Angkor, one of the oldest of these organizations. They have beautiful products that are locally produced in their workshops, some of which are on site. I ended up splurging and bought myself a gorgeous black and red silk dress. You can find silk and other products for far cheaper in the markets and bazaars, but you don’t know where they were produced or even if they are really silk (I’m not an expert). Plus, I felt like it was important to support the work being done to restore Cambodia, as opposed to something produced in a big factory in China. I wandered around to several other NGO shops, buying tea and silk and spices, then amused myself in the old market until lunch time, where I had a lovely, and very, very spicy banana flower salad at Le Tigre de Papier. I topped off with this amazing ice cream concoction at the Blue Pumpkin – ginger black sesame and burnt caramel cashew ice cream, topped with chunks of crispy meringue and chocolate sauce. It was ice cream from heaven, and was as good as anything I’ve had at the gourmet shops in San Francisco, or anywhere else, for that matter. Gods, it was so good, I’m drooling a little just thinking about it. After lunch, I was feeling shopped out, so I decided to spend my afternoon being pampered at one of the local spas, Bodia. This was one of the best splurges I made on the whole trip – 5 hours of total bliss. Oil massage, herbal scrub, lemongrass wrap, pedicure…ah… After the spa, I went back to the hotel and met up with the man. We ended up going back to Le Tigre de Papier and ordering pizza, since he wasn’t feeling particularly well and wanted to avoid spicy or street food. The pizza was very good and a little bit of a guilty treat after the ice cream earlier in the afternoon. Hey, I was on vacation, right?

I decided to get up in the morning and go see the sun rise over Angkor Wat, which I remember being amazing on my last trip. I made arrangements with the hotel staff to be picked up by tuk tuk at 5am and went to bed with that hanging over my head. In the “morning,” I stumbled blearily into the tuk tuk, almost forgetting my pass to the temples. After a quick run back up the stairs, pass in hand, we headed out to Angkor Wat in the pre-dawn blackness. It was worth it. Truly, sunrise over the temple is one of the most magnificent sights on earth. And this one was spectacular, going from deep red to pink, to a blazing orange to light yellow, and finally to a pale blue. It far eclipsed the two other times I’d gone to see the sunrise on my last trip, in the duration and plain beauty of the sky. Spectacular and marvelous, all you could ever wish for. The photos actually do it justice, which is something of a miracle for my crappy little point and shoot camera!

We decided we’d spent enough time in Cambodia at that point (because really, what could possibly top that sunrise), and decided to head back to Thailand and get some beach time in. We had decided to go to Ko Maak, a small island near the major tourist island of Ko Chang, in the eastern part of the Gulf of Thailand, which is pretty close to the Cambodian border. I almost got taken in by the offers for the “scam bus” but came to my senses at the last moment, thanks to some internet research. Refund in hand, we decided to follow the instructions of travelfish and do the taxi-tuk tuk-bus border crossing. The rest of the day was spent doing errands and generally wrapping up the things we wanted to do in Cambodia, including another massage and more ice cream for me!

All in all, it was a good visit, and I’m happy I made it back to the temples. I don’t think I will return, though, as I foresee that the changes I saw will only accelerate in the future, and I want to preserve the memories I have of both the temples and the town.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Saigon (Ho Chi Min City)

Ah, bustling, urban, cosmopolitan Ho Chi Min City. A city I can imagine spending time in.

Getting to Saigon was a bit of a challenge. We’d booked a flight on Australian super-budget airline JetStar, after we had decided not to brave the rain in central Vietnam and fly instead of taking a bus down the coast. In the morning, we’d received an email telling us the flight was cancelled and they had rebooked us on a later flight. No big deal, we filled in the time in Hanoi and then headed to the airport. When we go there, we found the flight was delayed several more hours. The waiting area was pretty dismal, but we managed. We arrived in Ho Chi Min very late, and discovered that the guest house had given up on us & given the room we had reserved away. It wasn’t a problem, though, as the owner put us up down the alley at her sister's guest house. We gathered up our bags and walked the 10 meters or so to the new guest house. I was fearing the worst, but it was very clean and comfortable. They actually did us quite a favor, as became apparent the next day when we went back to the original guest house. After breakfast, we were shown to our room. Ugh! It was horrible, black mold splotches on the walls & in the bathroom, and both the room and the matress smelled awful (it was so bad, the clothes we wore stunk like mold days later. Gah! To the laundry!) . There wasn’t another room available, so I decided to try to not be a princess and just suck it up. I was not happy, though. The people running the place were nice enough, but I have no idea how it got such good reviews on HostelWorld. Not recommended, not at all. However, we were there, and in Ho Chi Min! Out into the world we went!

We decided to go to the War Remnants Museum, once known as the Museum of American War Crimes, then as the War Crimes Museum until as recently as 1993. We had both heard it was a must-see in the city. We got a bit lost on the way, and ran into a group of university students as we were walking through a park. They said they were studying English and asked if they could talk to us, as one of their assignments was to talk English with tourists. I braced myself for a scam, but this was totally legitimate, they walked with us to the museum (actually directed our lost asses to the museum, so it helped everyone involved). It was really fun; they asked a lot of questions & also answered many that I asked. It is nice to know that tourists aren’t always seen as walking wallets and targets.

We arrived at the museum and said goodbye to our pack of students. The War Museum, while obviously one sided and pretty heavy on propaganda, was very sobering and offered a view you don’t see in the USA. It was absolutely worth seeing, no matter how depressing.
After the museum, we wandered around for a while, and ended up at a coffeehouse, where I had an excellent cafe su da and a decent bahn mi sandwich.

After lunch, we headed to Ben Thanh market, a sprawling indoor affair that is the largest old-style market in the central district. It has hundreds small stalls jammed into the building, with tiny, crammed aisles. It is full of both tourist crap (clothes and souvenirs) and more locally useful items like pickled fruits and candies. The vendors were pretty aggressive, and it got annoying quickly. I was able to find a memory card for my camera and a shoulder strap for my suitcase, so the trip was successful. The foods section was, of course, of more interest to me, and it was fun to see the huge variety of goods on offer, from dried fish to gorgeous shiny candied fruits. We tried some fantastic fresh sugarcane juice with lime, which was one of the best drinks of the whole trip, in my opinion. After the market, we slowly headed back towards the guesthouse to research dinner and things to do in the evening. The neighborhood between was touristy but also had a lot of local vendors; I loved the seeing soup and durian carts dotting the streets. Lots of bars and backpacker restaurants as well.

For dinner, we ended up heading back to the market, this time for the outdoor night market in the streets surrounding it. After working our way around, we found a huge place that was packed with people; Hai Lua.

This was the Vietnam eating experience I was looking for.! They were doing a brisk business in fried and grilled fish and crab, which all looked tempting. I especially loved the big, fried flat fish, served on a wooden plate with dowels to hold it standing upright, Beautiful! We decided to get some staples, though, and ordered Goi Cuon (fresh spring rolls), Bánh Xèo (crepe made from rice flour and turmeric and stuffed with bean sprouts and pork or shrimp), and Banh Hoi Thit Nuong (grilled pork with rice noodle cakes).

Everything was very fresh and very tasty. I was sort of surprised to find that the Vietnamese food I get at home, particularly in San Jose, compares favorably to the food we ate in Vietnam. Who would have guessed? After dinner we took a walk to the river and got rained on pretty heavily. After waiting out the rain, which only lasted about 20 minutes, we wandered through Dong Khoi, a gorgeous and upscale shopping area that features local silk clothing and products. We ended up at a local movie theater, but they weren’t showing anything we were interested in, so it was back to the tourist district to find a place for a beer. We had an early bus to catch to get to Cambodia, so we decided to retire to our smelly, moldy room and call it a night.

I loved Vietnam. We looked at this as a scouting mission, especially since rain made it impractical to visit the central part of the country. With only 5 days it is really hard to get a feel for any country, but I absolutely will be returning for a longer stay at some point.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Hanoi

Hanoi is, in my mind, as much of an experience as a place. I think of the crazy, hectic traffic, motorbikes crowded up on the sidewalks, the food vendors with their little plastic stools squeezed on every corner and in between the motorbikes on the sidewalks. Decaying, classical buildings, narrow and tall, made of concrete and stucco with only the facades painted. I never found out why this is so prevalent. Crossing the street is an exercise on controlling fear; the motorbikes dodge you as long as you stay on a straight, slow path. Take a deep breath, make sure no busses or cars are bearing down on you (these will not stop, you must work around them), hope for a small break in traffic, take a deep breath, and then just walk. Walk right out into traffic, slow, measured steps, being predictable. If you do this, you are fine. Once I got used to it, crossing the street was easier than in New York or Paris, because the rules are pretty simple in Vietnam. Walk slowly. This is what I think of when I imagine Hanoi. It has a charm that appealed to me, in all of its chaotic bustle. It reminds me a bit of Cambodia, except with paved streets and no burning leaves smell on the air.

We checked into our guesthouse, which was a bit tatty around the edges, but very clean and the room was large and had air conditioning and a mini-fridge. The people working there were very nice and extremely helpful, and the location was great. On to the most important this: food! Vietnamese is one of my favorite cuisines, and I was so looking forward to eating in Vietnam. The nice girl working at our hostel directed us to a local favorite, which didn’t have a menu (as far as we could tell). Instead, we were served fried spring rolls and a bowl of ground pork patties and pork belly (I think it was Bun Cha Hanoi Nem Ran), served with rice vermicelli and a big plate of lettuce and herbs; I only recognized a few of them. Ngoc Cham and a bowl of chopped red chilies and garlic were served on the side. The spring rolls were excellent, wrapped in chewy, crispy rice paper and full of ground pork. Exactly what I was looking for!
After lunch, we walked around the Old Quarter for a while, and then we split up and I visited the shrine in Hoan Kiem lake and then walked out to the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu ), which was founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong to educate Vietnam's administrative and warriors class. It was a longer walk than I expected, so I didn't have much time to look around the temple itself. I hustled back to the guesthouse, relaxed a bit, and then we headed out to dinner before going to see the water puppet show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. Water puppetry dates back to the 11th century and is unique to Northern Vietnam. The voice-over at the theater claimed it was developed as entertainment during the wet season by farmers in villages. You could tell it came from rural Vietnam since the stories are all about farming and fishing. It was a bit touristy, but a very interesting and enjoyable look into the culture. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Afterward, we watched tons of Vietnamese couples riding around on scooters; according to the people at the guesthouse it was a local holiday where men give flowers to their wives and sweethearts (no idea what it is called. After being in Bangkok, I really noticed that Vietnamese couples were much more publicly affectionate.


In the morning, we had a quick bowl of pho and were picked up for our tour of Halong Bay. There are a lot of horror stories online about terrible trips and tour boat operators, especially in the budget bracket, so I did a lot of research and decided to splurge a bit on one of the better mid-range companies, Columbus. They had good reviews on several sites, including Tripadvisor, so I booked a two day, one night cruise on their lower end boat, the Pinta Cruiser. They picked us up in a minivan that was pretty comfortable and we departed on the three and a half hour trip. I enjoyed the bus ride; it was a chance to see the countryside outside of the city. It was pretty, squares and rows of farmland, everything very green. Most of the land is devoted to rice paddies, which had just been harvested, and were beginning to turn golden or brown. We would occasionally see the rice spread out on bamboo mats, drying in the sun. I was surprised to see so many people in the typical conical bamboo hats, riding bicycles and working in the fields. And, of course, on motorbikes; everywhere, the motorbikes.



We arrived at the Halong City pier, and after a slightly confusing process, were ferried out to the boat. We started with lunch, which was pretty good and featured tons of dishes (fruit salad made with mayonnaise being the sole exception. The only hitch was that beverages were not included, even water, which I thought their literature claimed was part of the price. We sailed for a couple of hours, and then stopped to tour a “famous” cave. I’m guessing it is famous because they take all of the tourists there! It was just ok, and not exceptionally interesting; I would have preferred more time for cruising the islands. After the cave we cruised out to where we would spend the night. The bay lived up to expectations; a thousand rocky, beautiful islands off in the slightly misty distance. It was really nice, relaxing on the top deck in the cool air, watching the limestone kharsts pass by. After the bustle of both Bangkok and Hanoi, it was nice to chill out and have some peace. The itinerary had said there would be time for swimming, but it was too late by the time we got to our destination. We had dinner around 7 pm, which wasn't nearly as good as lunch (fairly awful, in fact, but there was a lot of it). The cabin was a bit musty, but acceptable, especially since they turned the motor off at night (many other boats run the engines all night, and the noise and diesel fumes are said to be overpowering). Slept ok, had a decent breakfast, then went kayaking. We had a double kayak, it was really fun and the scenery was spectacular. I really loved it! 40 minutes didn't seem like enough, but it was still great and my arms will probably thank me for not doing more. We then headed back to the pier, spending most of the time sitting on the top deck. It is beautiful. I definitely think booking the more deluxe company was the right choice, it was a nice trip and was well worth the money.
The bus ride back was uneventful, which I suppose was a good thing. I had used some points that were going to expire to stay at the Hilton for a night, so we were dropped off there. It was funny; the Hilton seemed so sterile and uninteresting. It is funny how you get used to all of the thing that are typically included at hostels and guesthouse rates, but never at luxury hotel chains. The Hilton didn't include Internet or breakfast, for example, even though it would have been ten times the prices. Actually, one day of internet alone cost more we were spending per night at most places. Sure the room was nice and huge, and the bathroom welcome luxury, but whatever. Glad it was only 1 night. We went out for Cha Ca, which is grilled catfish with dill. I thought it wasn’t as good as versions I've had at home. In Hanoi, the fish is marinated in turmeric, then cooked at the table on a grill with onions, and wrapped with herbs, including dill. The grill had a ton of oil, so the fish ended up being very greasy. I’ve had it where the fish was marinated in the herbs and cooked without all of the oil, which I prefer. It was ok but not great. On the way home we stopped at Kem Tràng Tiền, close to the lake, for ice cream, which neither of us was impressed by (although the crowds of scooters on the sidewalk were impressive).
In the morning we got up early and went to Pho 24 for breakfast. It is a Vietnam-based chain, and was pretty good, but I found the broth to be a little flavorless. I was a little surprised to find that the Vietnamese food in the Bay Area is just as good as what I was getting in Vietnam; I guess I’m spoiled and lucky for that! We went back to the hotel and packed up our stuff, then checked out. We had several hours before our flight to Ho Chi Min, as we decided to go for a wander around town. Eventually, we headed in the direction of the Temple of Literature. On the way, we stopped for hot pot of seafood and vegetables for lunch. The place was very local and very good, no English menu here! Thew walk to the Temple seemed shorter this time, maybe because I knew the way! It was nice to actually have time to see the temple, it is very pretty. After wandering around the temple for a while, we headed back to the Hilton to get a taxi to the airport.

Monday, October 19, 2009

photos from Bangkok




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more on Bangkok

Bangkok is a huge, hectic city. The subways are expensive and don't really go anywhere near the old city or where most of the guesthouses are located, including ours. Taxis are cheap when they use the meter, but getting one willing to do so can be difficult. The Thai language and lack of street signs can be a bit of a challenge when walking, but all in all it isn't difficult to walk around in.

In retrospect, going out of town for the weekend and coming back on Monday and getting the visa would have made more sense, but it worked out fine, and we had plenty of time to get a feel for Bangkok, since we did a lot of walking and checking out the city. The street food is fantastic, our best meal was had on a little fold-out table on the street, where we ate green curry chicken, chili paste squid, and thick rice noodles with chicken & vegetables, plus a big beer and a soda, all for about $5. So good! The guesthouse we stayed in also took us on a market tour and we tried a ton of different items, mostly desserts & sweet snacks which was wonderful, since I have very little experience with Thai sweets. My favorites were a coconut custard that is made in little bowls and is both sweet and a little salty, and some tiny mochi-like rice balls filled with a coconut shrimp paste, sweet pork, or fish. Too many things to list, but everything was very tasty.

On Saturday we decided to go to the weekend market, which is gigantic. It seems like everything in the world ends up here, from plastic jigsaw lamps (very cool, I want) to used T-shirts (I saw a Pizza My Heart Capitola shirt, I've been to the San Jose Pizza My Heart more than once - it was odd to see it on a rack here on the other side of the world). Fashionable new clothes, housewares, crappy souveniers; it's all there. Lots of good street food too; we had excellent fried chicken with yellow rice and sweet chili sauce ( meal for two with drinks cost $3.50) & green apple popcicles. Lots of fun. We basically spent the entire day wandering the market & snacking! That night, we got excellent Thai massages to sooth our aching bones!

We finally decided to do some sightseeing, and on the way to the Grand Palace we got taken in by a scam, our first tourist tax, but it only cost us 45 minutes of our time & no money, so if that's the worst we do on this trip I guess we are pretty well off. It was pretty funny since all of the guidebooks warn about the "attraction is closed" scam and we both knew about it, but fell for it all the same! We got shunted off into a tuk tuk and dropped off at a bunch of shops, which pay the driver and tout a comission for the tourists they bring in. Simple, but apparently effective. It's a numbers game for them.

After that, we were feeling a bit touristed out, so decided to wait until the next morning to visit the palace and Wat Bo. We headed back to the market and took a boat tour of the river, followed by dinner and some Chang beer.

Next morning, we made it to the Grand Palace without any pitfalls. It is beautiful and gaudy at the same time; lots of gold leaf and colored mirrors on the buildings. It is a pretty large complex, with the major buildings crammed together, so it took a fair bit of time and wandering to go through. We then went to Wat Bo, and saw the famous reclining Budda there. The massage school on the grounds is famous, butit was also 3x more expensive than other places in town, so we decided aganst trying it. These sights took up most of the day, so we grabbed dinner and had a relaxing evening, easing our aching feet.

The next day, we picked up our visas for Vietnam and did some shopping. We wanted to go back to the good little streetside place, but it was closed. We tried a backpacker place close by, which was awful & left both of us not feeling well. At this point, I was pretty ready to get out of Bangkok, which is not one of my favorite cities. It was interesting to visit, once, but I can't see spening more time there, at least as a tourist. Next stop: Hanoi!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Arrival in Bangkok

Flying into most Southeast Asian countries from the US means you get in late at night, and Bangkok was no exception; my flight got in at 11pm. The airport was pretty empty but very efficient, and I was met by the driver from the hotel with no problems. I was most excited to see my boyfriend after a month apart!

Our guesthouse/hotel is adorable and very peaceful with a lovely garden on the ground level, and nice, basic rooms with comfortable beds, air con, and private bath with warm shower. They have an organic vegetable garden that supplies the kitchen, especially the tasty vegetarian breakfasts. My first meal in Thailand was simple vegetable soup, pineapple fried rice with egg, amazing sweet, fresh pineapple, and pineapple/carrot juice, with a good cup of Thai tea. Oh, did I mention it is pineapple season?

We didn't stress ourselves out today, taking a liesurely lunch (enforced by a torrential downpour) of fried fish with papaya salad and chicken larb, washed down with Chang beer. Went to the Vietnamese embassy to apply for our visas (planning on flying to Hanoi on Oct 20th), sampled a street food festival, and then escaped another massive thunderstorm by watching a movie. We walked through the streets, got lost, then found our way and walked some more.

First impressions; wow, it smells like fish sauce (and some better things, and some worse things). There is a street vendor every 2 feet or so. After the rain stopped, water was pooled in the streets and pouring off rooftops and overhangs. Reminded me a lot of Blade Runner, without all the neon (and androids, grin), but filled with the aroma of charcoal and cooking food. Awesome. I'm having so much fun, and I've only been here 24 hours.

We worked out a rough itinerary today. We're going to fly to Hanoi on October 20, spend a couple of days there, take a 2 night tour to Halong Bay, then take a bus tour down the coast, through Hue & Nha Trang and ending in Ho Chi Min City (Saigon). From there, we will head to Cambodia, going through Phenom Phen and a river boat up to Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor for 3-4 days. Then it will be back to Thailand for 10 days on the beaches!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Petit Chocolate Torte

I love this recipe. It is a perfect size for a small gathering or party, looks fantastic and tastes amazing. You can make 1 day ahead. The recipe doubles easily if you want a larger cake; just cut each cake into 2 pieces instead of four. It is very rich.


Petit Chocolate Torte
Makes 10 to 12 servings.

CAKE
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

2 large eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup hazelnuts, ground

FILLING
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

GLAZE
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon light or dark corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Large chocolate shards or curls (from 1- to 2-inch-thick 8-ounce piece bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)

FOR CAKE:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 13x9x1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper; butter parchment. Combine first 4 ingredients in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water; stir until chocolate and butter melt. Remove bowl from over water; stir in salt (mixture will be grainy).

Beat eggs and 2 tablespoons sugar in another medium bowl until pale, about 6 minutes; fold into chocolate mixture. Fold in flour, then hazelnuts. Spread batter evenly on baking sheet (you might not fill the entire length of the pan, I usually leave 2-3 inces bare). Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 13 minutes (cake will be thin). Transfer pan to rack. Cool cake completely.

FOR FILLING:
Combine chocolates in medium metal bowl. Bring 1 cup cream to simmer in small saucepan; pour cream over chocolates and let stand 1 minute. Stir until melted and smooth. Chill mixture until firm, about 2 hours.

Place bowl with chilled chocolate mixture over saucepan of barely simmering water until mixture is partially melted (do not stir), about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from over water; add butter to bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until filling is thick and glossy, about 3 minutes. Using clean dry beaters, beat 1/2 cup chilled whipping cream in another medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into filling.

Cover 9x5-inch cardboard rectangle with foil. Invert cake onto work surface; remove parchment. Cut cake lengthwise in half, and then each half in half again (should end up with 4 evenly sized pieces). Place 1 cake layer on foil-covered cardboard. Spread 1/4 of the chocolate filling over. Top with second cake half. Top with filling, then repeat until the last layer of cake is places. Top with the remaining filling, then smooth top. Chill until filling is firm, at least 1 hour and up to overnight. You can trim the cake sides to make smooth, or leave for a rustic feel.

FOR GLAZE:
Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add butter; stir until melted. Let stand until barely lukewarm but still pourable, about 20 minutes.

Place cardboard base with cake on rack set over rimmed baking sheet. Spoon glaze over top of cake, allowing glaze to run down sides. Using offset spatula, smooth glaze over sides. Mound chocolate shards or curls over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until glaze is set, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Grandma’s No-Fail Pie Crust

This really is a no-fail pie crust, and is wonderfully flaky to boot. As a bonus, it makes 4 crusts, which you can freeze and use later. It is very forgiving and adjustable - I've made it with all butter, a mix of butter and shortening, and all shortening. You can also use 2 cups of whole wheat white flour and 2 cups all-purpose if you want a little more robust and slightly more health-conscious crust. I recommend using a good brand of unbleached all-purpose flour; I have had some trouble with store brand flours not having enough gluten and turning the dough into something resembling library paste.

Grandma’s No-Fail Pie Crust
Makes 4 9-inch pie crusts

4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 ¾ cup cold Crisco or unsalted butter, or a combination, cut into pieces
½ cup cold water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 large egg

Stir flour, sugar, and salt together. Cut fat into dry ingredients. Beat together water, vinegar, and egg and add in batches to the dry ingredients - you may not use all of the liquid. Dough should be soft and moist, but not overly sticky. Divide into 4 pieces, the bake a ball out of each piece. Flatten the balls into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour before using.

Crusts can be wrapped in plastic wrap and then a freezer Ziploc bag and frozen. Defrost in refrigerator before using.

Beef and Guinness Pie

I decided to make this for a friend's birthday dinner, since the weather has turned cooler and she wanted something meaty. The original recipe called for using puff pastry as the crust, but I'm a pie lovin' girl, so I made an all-butter pie crust to top it with. I think it makes it better, but it is prefectly acceptable with store-bought puff pastry. Do me a favor and don't even think about buying some disgusting Pillsbury pie crust at the store, please. Stick to puff pastry if you don't want to tackle homemade pie crust. And that's an order!

Beef and Guinness Pie
Serves 4-6

Stew (without pastry) can be made 2 days ahead, cooled completely, and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before using. Is also good served as stew without the pastry.

2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons water
1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 cup Guinness or other Irish stout
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
5 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed
2 bay leaves
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
Pastry for a 2-crust 9" pie, or 1 sheet puff pastry dough

Stir together 2 tablespoons of the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add beef peices, turning to coat, then shake off excess and transfer to a plate. Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat, then brown meat in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a bowl.

Add onion, garlic, and water to pot and cook, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot and stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add three tablespoons of flour and stir to combine. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add about 1/2 cup of the beef broth and stir to combine, then quickly stir in beef with accumulated juices, the rest of the broth, beer, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until beef is very tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 ½ hours. Add the carrots and mushrooms and cook for 20 minutes. Add the peas and cook for another 10 minutes. Discard bay leavesand cool stew completely, uncovered, about 30 minutes. (If stew is warm while assembling pies, it will melt uncooked pastry top.)

Put a shallow baking pan on middle rack of oven and preheat the oven to 425°F.

Place to stew in an a deep 9x13 baking dish or ovenproof casserole dish. Roll out pastry dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into the shape of the dish with a 2-inch edge. Invert the pastry over the dish, evenly on all sides/ Fold the dough edges under inside, and press against the interior walls of the dish, making sute to seal the crust to the sides. Prick the top with a fork to allow venting.

Bake pie in preheated shallow baking pan until pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Chicken with Grapes and Balsamic Vinegar

I'm not a huge fan of grapes. Therefore, the black grapes I've gotten fairly consistently in my CSA box this summer/fall have proven to be a bit of a challenge. I've made a grape and cardamom vodka cocktail, eaten way to many in fruit salads, etc. I'm not feeling well (a bit of a cold), so I didn't feel up to making anything challenging, but the grapes were sitting there, mocking me. So, I decided to try to recreate a dimly remembered dish from the 7o's - chicken with grapes. I used sweet, seedless black grapes in this dish, and it turned out really delicious! I served it over brown rice with a side dish of sauteed zucchini, red bell peppers, and corn.


Chicken with Grapes and Balsamic Vinegar

Serves 2

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
generous grind of fresh pepper
2/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
3 cups seedless black or red grapes

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add grapes broth, vinegar, thyme, bay leaves and agave nectar and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the grapes are softened and the skins are loosened. Remove the bay leaves, check for seasonings, and serve.