Syd in Asia March/April 2008

Wednesday, April 23 (8:36PM)

2008-04-23T10:51:00.001-07:00

I've been procrastinating, I don't really know how to end this blog. I'm back in Boston, avoiding the unpacking process and trying to get things sorted out for summer. I went to pick up my guinea pig yesterday, he's on the floor eating carrots. Things are as they should be.

The trip was awesome, I got to see things I'd never seen and eat things that I may not eat again. All the places I went had good and bad points, which all evened out, and the overall experience was one that I will never forget and will be talking about for a long time to come.

Even though the places I traveled were wonderful there was an unexpected outcome of my trip that is probably the most valuable. Being able to spend time with my Mother as an adult for the first time. We were able to share experiences that I'm sure very few parents and children get to share together. And it was nice to be able to get to know her as a person that's separate from my parent for the first time in our relationship.

So although I just completed what many people have told me was the trip of a lifetime in many ways it's just the beginning of a lot of things for me. I'm really grateful for the time I got to spend not only with my Mum, but also in so many different cultures in a bunch of countries. These things have given me some extra insight on myself, and the goals I have. And all this extra information I've gathered should do nothing but help me in the future.

Tuesday, April 22 (9:32AM)

2008-04-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

More photos from the trip.

Mum haggling at the market (Bali)

Turkey/Duck birds at the market (Bali)

Me in the giant infinity pool (Bali)

The Long Bar at Raffles Hotel, where the Singapore Sling was invented (Singapore)

Dumpling from a Hawker Center (Singapore)

Tuesday, April 22 (9:02AM)

2008-04-22T05:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some cool photos that I'm pretty sure I haven't posted yet.

Floating fish farm on Halong Bay (Vietnam).

Night Market Stall (Laos).

Monks (Laos).

Mekong River (Laos).

10,000 Buddhas (Laos).

Angkor Wat (Cambodia).

Tsukiji Market (Tokyo).

Fisherman on truck at Tsukiji Market (Tokyo).

Saturday, April 19 (2:05AM)

2008-04-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

In Toronto, drinking wine and eating pizza with old friends. Really nice to be back.

Monday back in Boston.

Friday, April 18 (3:15PM)

2008-04-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

At the Narita Airport again, about to get on my last plane in Asia. Its been an amazing trip.

Mum is being nice enough to wait in the huge line at the Air Canada desk to check the rest of our luggage, which is why I have time to post briefly.

We went and had breakfast at the Tsukiji Market this morning, at the place both me and Mum think is awesome. The sushi place we went to twice our last time in Tokyo that's covered in hula dolls and generally all things Hawaii, and always has reggae playing. Not Garnet Silk this time, something a tad more generic. Had a fresh bowl of tuna covered rice, with some beautiful sea urchin. Delicious. We then went and got a box of Tamago (rolled egg) and some eel to have for dinner on the plane. The weather was miserable, pouring rain. I am going to be slightly damp for my 12 hour flight. Definitely worth the quick trip in for one last peek though.

I'll be arriving in Toronto at around 4 in the afternoon on the same day that I departed Tokyo at 5pm. Which means today is a very long day. This trip was a good length of time, I'm excited to go home and still feeling good about everything that I've done with my time here.

I feel about as deep as a saucer right now. Maybe I'll be more insightful from Toronto, no guarantees though.

Thursday, April 17 (5:32PM)

2008-04-17T03:32:00.001-07:00

Leaving Jakarta, the hotel was nice enough to give us late check out so we could once again repack all our stuff so that we can take it with us. Damn weight restrictions.

Hopefully I'll have the internet at Narita airport tomorrow, we're going to go in for one last meal at the Tsukiji market during our lay-over. Then back into North America to deal with jet-lag again.

It's been a really awesome trip. I'm too in the middle of traveling to give it proper consideration at this point, but I'll have lots of time to think about it on the plane.

Going back through some pictures I really noticed this one, it's from a Temple in Cambodia.

I'm going to have to go through my images more thoroughly and do a pictures that should have been posted post. Or something.

Wednesday, April 16 (5:40PM)

2008-04-16T03:39:00.000-07:00

I flew on Garuda Indonesia yesterday. Which along with other Indonesian Airlines are banned from flying in Europe and are not approved by any major international air safety groups.

It was an uneventful flight, but I managed to get myself really worked up before we took off. It's funny how little bits of information can seep into your head and totally change your perception of a situation. Needless to say I spent the flight freaking out.

Although it was freaky moment on my trip, it was also a good experience looking back on how I reacted to the situation. It may be a good idea for me to learn to relax a bit more when it comes to situations that are out of my control.

Wednesday, April 16 (11:03AM)

2008-04-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Just a few more images from Bali.

Me in front of a rice paddy.

From inside the infinity pool in Ubud.

Monkey with peanut.

Me and Mum wearing mandatory sarongs in front of a sacred tree.

Wednesday, April 16 (9:34AM)

2008-04-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm alone in Jakarta today, Mum is off doing business somewhere North of here. It's nice to be totally alone for the first time in a long while, although other than being relieved at the quiet I'm already trying to figure out what to do. Other then room service which actually sounds pretty good.

I'm also thinking about my trip. Tomorrow I'll start the trip back home. Red-eye from here to Tokyo, and then after a 7 hour lay over in Tokyo we're off to Toronto. Back in Boston on Monday. So tonight is my last night in a bed for two nights.

A day in bed might not be such a bad idea.

Tuesday, April 15 (10:06PM)

2008-04-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

It turned out that the dinner was more a Mexican themed dinner rather than a Mexican restaurant. I had the chicken enchilada's, which were good if not actually enchilada's.

They were more of a burritos/taco thing. Made with the local chili's not anything South American that I could identify at least. Although I wouldn't bet the farm on the name of the chili. Other than the tortilla there really wasn't anything that South American about the dish outside of the name. Which was actually kinda fun. It was nice to see a different take on a dish that has really been wrung out in most of it's incarnations.

Looking forward to getting back to Boston.

Tuesday, April 15 (7:20PM)

2008-04-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

We're in Jakarta, and the hotel we're staying in gave us a free dinner with our stay. It's at the Mexican Restaurant in the lobby, so I'm actually kinda excited. It should be interesting at the least, and possibly really good.

I've been really craving some more Western food lately, it's probably a good thing we're coming home soon, or I may be tempted by the KFC that are everywhere in the big Asian cities I've been in.

The day was eaten up by travel and Mum doing business, so there's not that much to say. I'll post about my Indonesian Mexican experience after dinner.

But here's some more images of Bali.

Salt making on the beach.

Rice paddies.

Pigs at the local market.

Monday, April 14 (6:07PM)

2008-04-14T03:07:00.000-07:00

It's my last night in Bali, tomorrow we're off to Jakarta. We were very busy yesterday, seeing temples and bat caves and salt making (even though it's not salt making season) very full day.

The internet here is being spotty, so images are going to take forever. But I'll upload the ones that I think are the coolest. Hopefully the internet in Jakarta will be a bit faster and I can do a more thorough posting about Bali.

Black sand beaches.

Bats in the crazy bat cave temple (those dark spots on the rocks are all bats, it was pretty amazing)

More tomorrow I promise.

Saturday, April 12 (3:08PM)

2008-04-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

I got groomed by a monkey.

If regular monkeys are kinda neat, then sacred monkeys are awesome. We stopped at the Sacred Monkey Temple on our way from Ubud to Manggis, and it was an amazing experience. The monkeys were very welcoming, except for the one that tried to steal my glasses.

Monkey.

Monkey's.

Monkey's having an intimate moment.

Me being groomed by a monkey.

Monkey trying to get in my shirt.

And for a brief moment I felt like Master of the Monkey's.

Saturday, April 12 (9:42AM)

2008-04-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today we are moving to a place closer to the ocean. I'm excited to see the beaches here.

Went into the town of Ubud yesterday, it's the biggest town closest to where we're staying. It reminded me a little of Luang Prabng, there were temples and shrines everywhere. There was also a real hustle to the town, people flying by on motorcycle's, giant chicken coops on wheels squaking through the streets, tour buses everywhere. Very different to that I was expecting for some reason. I've always associated Bali with a tranquil oasis not a bustling center.

Shrine in Ubud.

Gate to temple in Ubud.

Balinese cuisine is good. There are a lot of meat dishes paired with lightly pickled vegetables and stir fired tofu and vegetable dishes with sweet soy sauces. There is also a lot of banana leaf used to wrap and steam food, the most interesting use I've seen was in place of a dumpling wrapper. You unwrap the banana leaf and what you're left with is just a steamed dumpling filling. Very good.

The market in Ubud is massive, two floors of things to buy. There is a lot fo silver here and also a lot of carving both of wood and local stone. Some of them are huge, bigger than me. There is also a lot of really incredible weaving, both textiles and traditional baskets.

Local baskets at the market.

Also a lot of spices. Although what they were selling as saffron was definitely not saffron.

The vanilla was real though.

I think it will definitely be time to go home soon. It's been a great trip but as good as the food is here I am starting to really want a grilled cheese.

Thursday, April 10 (9:22PM)

2008-04-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

I am so relaxed. I've just finished a bottle of champagne with Mum and we're now in our room having a night cap. It's nice to be in one place for a little while. We'll be in Bali for six nights.

We spent the day close to where we are staying, just trying to get a feel for the place. Tomorrow we're going into town, and the next day we are moving to a place closer to the water. We're in the center of the island right now.

I'm excited to see more of Bali tomorrow, but here are some pictures of what I'm living in right now.

Bush in Bali.

Trees in Bali.

Wednesday, April 9 (11:41PM)

2008-04-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

Just arrived in Bali, it's nice to be out of Singapore.

Singapore was a nice place to visit, but the more time I spent there the more I felt like there were reasons to keep my mouth shut and look over my shoulder. The culture has so many laws, many of which when they're broken lead to capital punishment or caning. And it's not like you have to kill someone to end up on the gallows (which is the method of choice). They use the death sentence primarily for drug traffickers, anything over 20grams is a capital crime. Coming from Canada where the legalization of pot seems to lurk on the horizon this was a little shocking to me.

They also just banned poppy seeds for the small levels of opiates that they contain.

It just seems like a culture that has to be so regulated to function may have some more serious underlying issues than grass. But who knows, I was only there a couple days.

I don't have internet access in my hotel room here, so I'm sitting outside of a closed bar getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. Tomorrow the manager has promised to move us to a room with the internet. Keeping fingers crossed on that one.

Tuesday, April 8 (10:44PM)

2008-04-08T02:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Gerlinde!

My day in Singapore started with me, being very ill in the early hours of the morning. This was probably a result of something I ate in the last 48 hours. Which means I didn't really get out on the town until 11am.

We went around the city until we decided to go and see some of the hawker centers just outside of the downtown core. They were really wonderful, an great example of what food can be, and why fast food in North America is not all it could be, to put it politely.

One of the stalls at the hawkers centers.

Stall at a different location downtown.

After seeing some hawker centers, and food stalls around town Mum and I took a duck tour, my first time on those amphibious car things, which was fun. But at that point my insides were starting to give out again and we headed back to the hotel. I still got to see some of the neat parts about Singapore that I wouldn't have without the tour.

This is the lion/fish, which is the emblem of Singapore. Very neat to see from the water, on a duckboat.

Once I was rested Mum and I went to Raffles Hotel, which is a beautiful old hotel in the center of Singapore. This is where the cocktail the Singapore Sling was invented, I sampled one while I was there. It was good enough, a tad sweet for my tastes though.

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant called Michelangelo's, the International Gourmet Summit is being held here this month and the chef at did a six course sake pairing with Italian food. Mum had the sake pairing menu, but due to things beyond my control I ate decided it was better for everyone if I stuck to something a little simpler. I had a very good antipasto, with smoked snowfish that was unbelievable.

Right now I am back at the hotel, feeling sick in the tummy again. Tomorrow we're leaving for Bali for a week. But we've still got most of the day here in Singapore, so I should have more to say tomorrow.

I really hope I kick this bug soon, it's really putting a kink in my armor.

Monday, April 7 (11:01PM)

2008-04-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Dinner at the hotel (New Majestic Hotel) was amazing. I started with oxtail and tongue with a green salad, then had fried sea bass with champagne sauce and then braised abalone with house made bean curd. This abalone made me realize why people eat abalone, it was tender and had a lovely subtle flavour. None of the rubbery popping of my last abalone experience in Japan.

Every bite was delicious, and the plating (although it may have been a tad precious) was very pretty.

I didn't take pictures, but in a perfect world I'll have more to say about this tomorrow.

I feel bad posting without a picture so here's some pictures from Laos.

I loved these birds, they were all over the rural villages but we didn't see them in Luang Prabang. They're like a turkey/duck hybrid.

This is from a whiskey village in Laos. These are the medicinal bottles of whiskey, the ones with the snakes are specifically for womens health. Not sure what the scorpion whiskey is for.

Monday, April 7 (8:04PM)

2008-04-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

We arrived safely in Singapore. The Airport here is absolutely amazing, we arrived at the airport, the doors to the plane opened adn 15 minutes later we were in a taxi. We cleared customs and got three checked bags in that time as well. Truly an amazing airport.

Singapore is very different than the last three countries I've been in. It's impressively modern and amazingly clean. Coming from Hanoi these two facts made the arrival slightly jarring. Singapore is also very manicures, all the trees and gardens are clipped and groomed, It really is a remarkably attractive city.

We arrived at cocktail hour so we're going to the hotel restaurant, which recieved some awards when it opened last year.

More tomorrow, my camera died when I was trying to take pictures out the hotel window. I'll get lots tomorrow.

But here's a good one from Vietnam.

For some reason all the garbage cans in the caves at Halong Bay were penguins. Which I thought sent a weird message about penguins to be honest, but what do I know about Vietnamese penguins.

Sunday, April 6 (9:50PM)

2008-04-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day in Vietnam. We spent it at Halong Bay, which was beautiful despite the crap weather. It was cloudy and dull all day.

We were on a boat that's called a junk. It's this big flat bottomed boat that doesn't move very fast. Lunch on the boat was great, made by the family who operates the boat. Spring rolls, fried whole fish, fried tofu, steamed rice, a weird very glutinous soup. Pretty tasty.

There were a bunch of James Bond movies filmed in Halong Bay, which I thought was really cool. I love James Bond, but I've had some trouble getting into the newer ones, I think Roger Moore was the best, followed shortly by Sean Connery. I had a hard time connecting the actual bay with the movies, let me know if anyone can recognize which ones were filmed here.

Bay with Junk.

Neat looking rock sticking out of the bay.

I've now had the traditional noodle soup pho in both Saigon/Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, and I prefer Saigon's pho hands down. The meat in all the soups I've had in Hanoi has been really chewy and cooked to hell. Granted I did not have enough time to truly search out the best pho in the city, but from my new experience with this soup Saigon/Ho Chi Minh trumps Hanoi.

But even imperfect PHO is still the best breakfast ever.

If I'm going to get into the various noodle soups I've had since I've gotten here, and I've averaged at 1 a day since we've arrived, Cambodia and Laos had better noodle soups than Vietnam and Japan. The noodle soup I had in Cambodia had wonderful spiced pork meat balls and a poached egg floating in the broth. Once you broke the yolk and it mixed with the hot broth it became this wonderful rich lovely soup. Laos was more familiar to me, a bowl of noodle soup with some meats, and then a plate of accompaniments (in my experience usually bean sprouts, chili's, sweet basil and lime) but in Laos it was green beans, mint, watercress and lettuce. The lettuce threw me a little but turned out to be delicious and the hot broth cooked the beans perfectly. I didn't get an image of the Cambodian soup but I managed to remember to take some in Laos.

Before.

After.

I'm looking forward to eating at the Hawker Center's when I get to Singapore. That and the Chili Crab. If anyone has any advice on how or what to order while I'm there I'd be much obliged.

Saturday, April 5 (3:15PM)

2008-04-05T01:15:00.000-07:00

Hanoi is a very busy bustling city. Mum and I spent most of the day at a tailor's down the street getting some clothes made. The malaria medication that we're both on is starting to make Mum really sick so we're back at the hotel after getting measured for some new clothes. It's raining out anyway.

The silks and linen here are really beautiful. Anyone looking to take a long trip for a new wardrobe should think about Hanoi as a possibility.

We're spending tomorrow on Halong Bay, where they shot some James Bond movies so there should be lots of good pictures then. But here's some from this afternoon.

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Street Corner, in the Old Quarter.

Tree.

Saturday, April 5 (9:26AM)

2008-04-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

Feeling much better this morning, having breakfast at the hotel. I seem to be stuck on noodle soup for breakfast. It's been on every breakfast menu since I've arrived in Asia. It's really the prefect meal for first thing in the morning.

I want to go back to Laos for a minute before officially moving on the Hanoi. Laos was probably my favorite country we've been in to date, which is saying a lot because I've really been enjoying myself all through this trip.

There was a huge emphasis on food in Luang Prabang, our only stop in Laos. There were ladies making sandwiches to order lining the main street and the evening food market went on every night.

This is the street we stayed on, it's hard to see but all the vendors that are facing the street were selling food. Fruit drinks, coffee's, sandwiches, beer it was really great.

This is the beginning of the night market, it went on for about a block down an alley between the hotel we stayed in and another government building.

This is a grill, with a man cooking fish. They strap the fish between two pieces of bamboo and use the stick to turn the fish. As far as I could tell they didn't gut the fish either. But I'm not totally sure about that.

Jelly donuts are a big deal here. Lots of sweets in general but I thought these were pretty funny amongst all the unfamiliar dishes.

Luang Prabang itself is a world heritage site. The town has so many temples that UNESCO decided to declare the whole thing a protected area. Which means that there will never be any major hotel chains, just local businesses. But it's still a relatively new area to tourism so there are still some kinks that are getting worked out, which are really more charming than a nuisance.

The food is excellent, the sticky rice that is served along with more traditional meals is amazing, sticking to itself and not to your fingers or the bowl. Tasting more like a pasta then any other grain I've had before. The meat dishes seem like they are mostly made with ground meats, which never seem greasy and are all very spicy without either burning your mouth or making you reach immediately for your water glass. Their local mint is also used in most dishes and cuts the hotness of the food in a very complimentary way. Laos also has some excellent spring rolls, they are tiny and filled with various vegetables and glass noodles, a normal number to a serving is six and they are always served cut into even smaller pieces. They are however very, very greasy. Which I enjoyed, but Mum had some issues with. Their fresh rolls seem to always be vegetarian and have a large amount of local herbs in them making them really refreshing. And it's important to feel refreshed because it's extremely hot and humid in Laos, and the sun going down doesn't seem to help matters. It seems like the heat seeps up from the ground. Really, really hot.

Laos was great but we're now in Hanoi. Where the exhaust fumes seem just as oppressive as the heat was in Laos. I'll post later about Hanoi, so far breakfast has been good.

Friday, April 4 ( 8:55PM)

2008-04-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Hanoi, got in late and had a quick dinner with Mum. The hotel is nice, in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. More on Hanoi and Laos tomorrow, sorry about being lame but I'm still feeling a tad under the weather.

Friday, April 4 ( 10:57AM)

2008-04-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

I got my ass kicked by the elements yesterday, which is why there was no update. To be honest I napped instead. I finally got a sun burn, and the eating at street vendors and open markets as delicious as it can be took it's toll on my insides.

Feeling much better today, right now I'm trying to stay out of Mum's way as she tries to fit all of our new treasures gotten from various markets into our ever bulging suitcases. We are going to Hanoi this afternoon, we will be there for three nights, then we'll be in Singapore for a couple days. Then finally Bali and Jakarta. Two weeks today we'll be back in Toronto. I'll post again from Hanoi tonight, if the internet is working. Keeping my fingers crossed.

It took a few glances for me to figure out what this next image is, it was part of the evening food market we were at last night. Have a guess and I'll let you know if anyone gets it right.

Wednesday, April 2 (4:56PM)

2008-04-02T02:56:00.000-07:00

Laos is a beautiful place. This was one of the destinations that I knew the least about when Mum and I began this trip, she was totally set on getting to Luang Prabang (where we are now) if it killed her. I now understand why. It is lush, and warm and the people are very kind and the food is amazing.

Here is a view from the plane, but as with most spectacular views framing it takes away some of what made it so magnificent.

After we settled in to the hotel we decided to go check out the market across the street, we wandered down an alley and we found it lined with street vendors selling food of all description. Sandwiches (there was one lonesome doner stand), various spring rolls, roasting whole pigs, noodles of all kinds, whole roasted birds whose colour ranged from a deep orange to a stunning red. They were beginning to break down their stalls but the aroma of smoke and spice still lingered as we walked along.

For some reason I had decided before leaving that I had spent too much time behind a camera and left it at the hotel for this walk. Very dumb in retrospect.

This is what's left of my snack.

The use of the baggy all through Asia has been remarkable. Every food you can imagine can, and is, served in a baggy. It's amazing. The smaller clear baggy is the dipping sauce that came with the spring rolls, which could have been tricky but worked out surprisingly well as I walked through the market munching these yummy but definitely greasy spring rolls filled with some sort of sweet potato/squash and glass noodles. The sauce itself had three different parts that were combined in the bag. The first was a dried chili powder mixture, the second was a brown powder that looked somewhere between dried chicken stock and dashi flakes, and the last was the liquid, which as far as I could tell was a stock of some sort.

I also found the local beer, appropriately called Beerlao, which comes in both a lager and a dark beer. I have tried both in my short time here but they are both very good. Better then the Cambodian beer in my opinion. I like the dark beer better than the lager, which surprises me because I generally favor light beers. Although I did see on BBC world news that Guinness is becoming very popular in Asia because of how it pairs with the local cuisines.

Right now I am finishing my Beerlao dark on the porch of our hotel watching the night market being set up. I'm alone except for the lizards, which are everywhere. There haven't been quite this many lizards anywhere else.

Lizards directly above my head.

Night Market being set up.

I'm looking forward to more food in baggy's tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 2 (8:56AM)

2008-04-01T18:56:00.001-07:00

Just some quick thoughts. There have been a few instances where I have really taken notice of music while I've been here. The first is that Nick Cage seemed unexplainable excellent in Japan (I craved it for some reason), the second is that for some reason the Hotel de la Paix, where I've been staying in Cambodia plays Bjork all the time, and the third is that the sashimi restaurant that I loved at the Tsukiji fish market had Garnet Silk playing both times I was there. The sashimi Chef also seemed to have a real love of Hawaii, and had Luau themed decorations all over the restaurant.

I was thinking about these things over breakfast and thought that I should record them before I lose them.

On to Laos.

Buddha.

Tuesday, April 1 (2:32PM)

2008-03-31T23:31:00.000-07:00

When it rains in Cambodia the Internet stops working. Something I was not aware of until I arrived here.

Yesterday we left Ho Chi Minh, but not before both Mum and I graduated from the Vietnam Cookery Center. We spent the morning before out flight at the center learning about Vietnamese cuisine and also practicing a few dishes. It was nice to be in a kitchen again, I finally felt like I was mildly in my element for the first time since we arrived in Asia.

Mies.

Mum.

Meal. (Caramelized sea bass and sour fish soup.)

Our flight into Cambodia was forced to circle the runway due to rain, the same rain the killed my Internet access for the last 24 hours. Once we landed we were picked up by our hotel (Hotel de la Paix), which is a very swanky place by the way, and taken to our room. We then went to the Hotel restaurant for a seven course meal. The meal was different. The word I would use to describe Cambodian food is pungent, lots of fermented flavours and fish sauce. An experience worth having though, especially for 28$, plus a wine pairing for 17$. Things are very inexpensive in Cambodia.

This morning we went to Angkor Wat, we were up at 4:30AM and arrived at the temple at 5AM. The sunrise over the temple was a tad underwhelming because of clouds but the temple itself is pretty unbelievable.

Angkor Wat before dawn.

Saying Hello to my Favorite restaurant in Boston, owned by a Cambodian family.

Inside Angkor Wat, a view across one of the pools in the temple.

The other temples near Angkor Wat were equally if not more exciting. Mum missed out on those due to stomach issues, which she blames on the Cooking School. Miraculously, I was fine.

Giant tree growing out of Temple.

Buddha face on gate to Buddha Temple.

Some of the 400 Buddha faces carved into Temple.

Cambodia is a very interesting place, there are still live land mines scattered around the country and yet in Siem Reap there are literally dozens of expensive hotels either already operating or being built. Last year there were 2 million tourists that visited, this year they are expecting 5 million. These are just a couple of things that makes Cambodia a place unlike I have ever been before. It's hard to describe.

Tomorrow we leave for Laos.

Sunday, March 30 (4:34PM)

2008-03-30T02:34:00.000-07:00

Spent the last 8 hours walking around Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. I think I've had a very complete experience for one day. I saw an old temple, spent lots of time at the huge central market and got ripped off by the local transport. I've enjoyed myself a lot today.

Our hotel is beautiful, and very old world, classic. Everything is wood. We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, fresh fruit and a wonderful bowl of noodle soup. I have always thought that soup was the best possible breakfast, and I think that the very little time I have spent in Vietnam has proved my theory beyond a doubt. We then walked to the Ben Thanh Market, which is huge and has everything. Shoes, bananas, birds, coffee of all descriptions, all different types of meat, dried everything, oreos. I managed to buy three pairs of prescription glass and two prescription sunglasses. The lovely lady who owned the stall took my prescription off the glasses I was wearing.

Ben Thanh Market stall.

Flowers at Ben Thanh.

Meat at Ben Thanh.

Oreo's at Ben Thanh.

Pigs ears at Ben Thanh.

After that we went to another market, in one of those bike carts. The men who took us were very charming but managed to WAY overcharge us in the end. But the temple they took us too was beautiful. And in reality the extra twenty bucks probably makes more of a difference in their lives than it does in ours. All part of the experience.

The temple itself was beautiful. Very old, very Buddhist. The decorations were worth the trip there, and probably the extra cash spent on the sketchy drivers. I can see why people find Buddhism so alluring, it was very beautiful, and even though I have never been a religious person there was something very mystical about this place.

Me outside the temple.

Inside the temple.

Alter in the Temple.

Amazing giant incense cones hanging from ceiling in the temple.

Lunch was delicious. Shrimp paste on sugar cane, rolled rice flour rolls with crab, beef and pork pho and grilled meat vermicelli. The freshness of the flavours in the food here is eye opening. Even with the meats that were served in the pho, which had been cooked for hours there was something very fresh and clean tasting. I've also tried two of the beers here, Tiger and 333. I like both, their light and crisp like the food here. They are also very helpful in taking the edge off the oppressive heat.

Partially through lunch (I forgot about the camera.)

Pho.

Beer.

We are leaving tomorrow afternoon for Cambodia. Definitely not enough time for this city, but it is worth a trip back here at some point.

Sunday, March 30 (7:07AM)

2008-03-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

We arrived late in Ho Chi Minh City last night. There's a whole process of getting a VISA that I have never gone through before, involving giving the Vietnamese Government two copies of my passport photo.

I haven't gone out yet, but here's some photo's I took of the balcony of the hotel room.

Road.

Building.

I just ate a piece of mango, it was awesome. I also just woke up, so I've really got nothing much to say, still getting used to mornings here. I'll post again later today, hopefully with a better impression of Saigon.

Saturday, March 29 (12:16PM)

2008-03-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

I've fully recovered from my bleeding heart yesterday. Back at the market this morning. Fresh fish really is one of the great foods out there. And I now understand why people love sea urchin, the uni they have here is creamy and subtle and not at all bitter like the stuff at home.

Japan was great. I'll let you know how I do in Ho Chi Minh City.

Leaving Tokyo today. Going to Vietnam.

Cherry Blossoms.

Friday, March 28 ( 2:36PM)

2008-03-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

I saw someone kill a turtle this morning. At Tsukiji Market, for breakfast again. This market is of the least romantic places I've ever seen. It's amazing to see and an experience that is hard to forget but it is not at all a nice or comfortable place. Which to me has been a good reminder of exactly what the price of my food is. There is an amazing amount of garbage and waste, and the amount of fish and shellfish there on a daily basis just reinforces the fact that sustainable food and agriculture really need to have a more prevalent place in the global market place.

Bulldozing the styrofoam packaging outside the Tsukiji Market.

And yet I can't stay away. The amazing breakfast I ate this morning was a direct result of all the garbage, and waste of the market. I may be having a crisis of self. My meal was a bowl of rice topped with a selection of different fish and shell fish and served with pickled vegetables, miso soup and fresh grated wasabi root. Once I started picking at the different fish pulling back the layers to expose the white rice all the flavours of ingredients like uni (sea urchin) and ikura (fish roe) began to mix with the rice and once I was down to the last few bites it was a decadent mix of flavours and textures that was delicious and rewarding. It was amazing. If ever in the Tsukiji Market, it's in building 8, and there was a line up when we got there at 6am.

This is the menu for my favorite breakfast spot in Tokyo thus far. It's big board outside the restaurant and you have to order before you actually go inside and sit down. This is how they manage to keep the massive line that formed outside the restaurant moving.

I digress. The crisis that came out of my fish market experience can be seen very clearly when you juxtapose these two following images.

Tuna.

Tuna.

It is the transformation of an ingredient like tuna, that to me is so startling, really highlights my own hypocrisy. Other than admit that hypocrisy I'm not sure what else I am going to do with it. There is no vegetarianism in my future, although I did have an amazing Buddhist lunch that really opened my eyes to the potential of the soy bean.

Or could my recent predicament have stemmed out of my childhood pets? I kept tortoises as a child, and could the sight of this turtle (that I saw die this morning) have brought back memories of those childhood pets. Maybe I am experiencing a blurring of the line between animal and pet, and cherished childhood playmate and dinner.

Either scenario really shows the complicated relationships that people can have with their food. Or at least shows the complicated relationship I have with my food. Maybe I should have gone to Pastry School.

Thursday, March 27 (8:33AM)

2008-03-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I was not able to get into the Red Sox game in the Tokyo Dome. But I did get to see some of the game on the jumbotron. Here's a home run.

This morning I awoke afer a very refreshing 7 hours sleep and finally went to the Tsukiji Fish Market. It was everything I had heard it would be, huge, loud, bustling, more than a little intimidating. A great experience.

I also managed to get a glimpse at the Tuna Auctions, which I thought were closed to the public, but seemed pretty open this morning.

This is an auction about to begin.

Just after I shot that video, my camera died. But here are some images I managed to get before that.

The market.

Scallops, not cleaned. These reminded me of how scallops are served in Peru, with their bright orange liver still attached.

Tuna, from what I could tell at the very hurried pace they were being driven past me.

I also want to show you an image of the beef that I've seen here. I ate some of it last night for dinner and was blown away by how tender it was when it was well done. Marbeled does not even begin to describe it.

The food here is different. I'm sure I'm not totally processing the impact this trip is making on how I will perceive food in the future.

Wednesday, March 26 (3:38PM)

2008-03-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

Waking up at 3 this morning is beginning to get to me. Other than being exhausted things are good.

Went to the Meiji Shinto Temple today, which was very cool. The grounds were beautiful, and the buildings themselves were stoic, the temple had to be rebuilt after the Second World War, but these are apparently exact replicas. The tour guide also said that many people in Japan follow both Shinto and Buddhism. Shinto speaks to the living whereas Buddhism deals more with the after life. When babies are born they are brought to the Shinto Temples, but all funerals are done in a Buddhist style. Seems pretty well balanced to me.

This is the gate to the Meiji Shinto Temple.

This is the actual Temple.

I thought the best part was on the walk up the the Temple you come across two giant walls, one is sake and the other is wine. The sake is used as a gift to people who make big donations to the temple from the monks. The wine is from Burgundy and is sent there by winemaker's to try and gain good luck with their crops.

Sake.

Wine.

I have also been able to have a few meals since I got here. The first was last night, and was sushi at the hotel sushi bar. The difference in the fish really is amazing. None of the fish tasted, for lack of a better word, fishy. It was all rich, or sublte, or sweet. But never really fishy. Every piece I had was delicious, with one exception. Abalone. It had really no taste, nothing objectionable for sure, but the texture was like nothing I have ever had before. When I first put it in my mouth if felt like a thickish piece of rubber. Hard to chew. When I finally managed to bite through it it made a very disconcerting popping sensation. If anyone has ever had it and wishes to comment please enlighten me. I cannot for the life of me figure out what that is about.

There was also a small bowl of truly memorable soup. Actually it was not the soup itself but what was in the soup. The soup for all intensive purposes was a broth made from clam, the juices that are left after cooking clams. But in the soup were the smallest clams I have ever seen. It was amazing, I have never seen clams this small, much less tasted them. The broth itself seems to have taken on the essence of these tiny clams specifically, it was light and a tiny bit salty and tasted like the ocean in a way I have only experienced with certain oysters before.

I actually stole the leftover shells from the restaurant.

For the benefit of all, those are both an American and Canadian dime.

The two other meals I've had was breakfast today. Which was at the hotel buffet, after a failed attempt to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market. And lunch today, which was a very good bowl of udon soup. The noodles were very good. Slightly more tender then I've possibly had before but nothing like the impossibly small clam soup.

The rest of my day is going to be spent trying not to go to sleep and thinking about how I am going to get into the last Red Sox game in Tokyo.

It's sold out. We'll see.

Wednesday, March 26 (5:27AM)

2008-03-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

We got to the Tsukiji fish market and it was closed. Second and fourth Wednesday of the month apparently.

That is a very closed market. On the bright side my team won.

The Japanese Times. That's a very comforting thing to see in a newspaper to me right now.

Wednesday, March 26 (3:54AM)

2008-03-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

Jetlag is setting in. I was up at 3am Tokyo time, after about 5 hours of sleep. I don't think that's too bad. I've lived on less.

We're just about to leave for the Tsukiji fish market for a very early breakfast. It doesn't open until 5am though, so I"m killing some time. I thought I would post a picture of the buttons on the toilet, which controls all the different things it can do to your bottom.

Enjoy.

Hello from Tokyo

2008-03-25T04:15:00.001-07:00

I just arrived in Tokyo, it's very bright. Lots of big colourful neon signs. After some complications getting the internet setup I am finally here.

I'm hungry and tired and Mum and I are going to go get something to eat.

We managed to accidentally be in Tokyo during the Cherry Blossom blooming, which apparently only happens for a couple weeks a year. It looks pretty so far, but it's dark out so it's hard to tell.

Leaving for Tokyo Today

2008-03-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

My flight is at 330 this afternoon. I woke up at 530 this morning, really anxious. I think that was probably the result of the hangover caused by Easter Brunch.

We'll be arriving in Tokyo at 330PM tomorrow Tokyo time. Which is 230AM Boston/Toronto time.

Right now I'm nervous about the flight. I hate flying. Wondering which pills to take on the airplane, and how many mini bottles of wine I should drink.

I hope there's no turbulence.

I like to leave my computer unattended

2008-03-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

I really really do.

My luggage

2008-03-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is my luggage for the trip. I've either done an excellent job packing, or I've screwed myself.

FLIGHT CANCELLED

2008-03-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Which was both a negative and positive. This cancellation does not interfere with my flight to Tokyo, just Easter parties in Toronto this weekend. I will be flying out of Boston tomorrow morning which still gives me enough time to spend Easter with my family. These situations, when life throws you an unexpected change of plans are some of the best parts of traveling, and I feel can be rewarding experiences themselves.

It's the little changes caused by these circumstances that can actually improve the quality of the entire experience. Instead of getting in late Friday and waking up Saturday with the inevitable hangover that always follows my initial arrival to Toronto, I get in Saturday morning and go straight to my Grandmothers to make strudel for Easter. After strudel I can go right into spending Saturday night with old friends. I'm sure my Grannie will be much happier getting me in a well rested fresh state, rather than the stinking mess she would get if I would have been in Toronto on Friday night.

It's a little bit of a bother to have to move the arrival celebrations from Friday to Saturday night, and I hope everyone can still make it, but it's much better to focus on the more positive aspects of the situation which really I have no control over.

One less hangover, and a better quality strudel for Easter Sunday.

Day Before Leaving Boston

2008-03-20T06:42:00.001-07:00

Someone pointed out to me that my math is off, sorry about that. Numbers have never been my strong suit.

I'm leaving Boston tomorrow, I'll be in Toronto for the Easter weekend, flying to Tokyo on Monday.

At this point I'm packed. Except for the trivial things, like this computer, and my books. I'm having some problems deciding which books to bring with me, I know I'm bringing the complete Short Stories by Evelyn Waugh. Other than that I'm at a loss, ideally I will pick a book up at the airport. A paperback that I can leave behind at a hotel somewhere along the way. I'm thinking I'd like to read a Graham Greene while I'm gone too. I just finished Our Man In Havana, and I'm thinking of bringing The Comedians.

I"m not nervous today, just excited. And I officially have a sore throat, which I'm assuming will only get worse with the festivities that I will be participating in this weekend. I've resigned myself to a scratchy throat and sore ears on the flight. Hopefully I can sleep through it.

One Day Before Leaving Boston

2008-03-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

Today is about being nervous and excited. I'm nervous and excited about the same things, being somewhere different, being somewhere so far away from home, experiencing a totally different culture. I'm just nervous about the flight, I'm an edgy flyer.

I think it's good to be a little on edge, makes the whole experience just a little more interesting.

Two Days Before Leaving Boston

2008-03-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

I started packing today. One carry-on sized bag with wheels, and my back pack. The carry on bag is definitely full, and I still have two more items to fit in it. The issue I'm having is shoes, how many shoes, what kind of shoes. Shoes will be the thing that I wont find in Asia. Not that there aren't shoes in the countries I'm going to, but there is no way that I am just going to wander into a store in Hanoi, or Luang Prabang, that carries womens shoes in a size eleven. Quite frankly it's not that easy in Boston.

I am also thinking about getting a airplane power cord for my computer for the flight. I checked and the plane I'm flying on and it has power outlets in the seats, just wondering if it will be worth it. I'm guessing it probably will be, fourteen hours is a long flight.

Three Days Before Leaving Boston

2008-03-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking about packing, and getting nervous about what I am going to do on a fourteen hour flight. I am also hoping that the flight isn't going to be full, but I'm sure it will be. Not very cost effective to fly a half full plane across the ocean.

Four weeks is starting to seem like a really long time. I'm excited though.

Four Days Before Leaving Boston

2008-03-16T13:35:00.001-07:00

I didn't do anything with regards to my trip this weekend, nothing really to say.

St. Patrick's Day in Allston is a trip, green puke on the side walks this morning.

Six days before leaving Boston

2008-03-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

I went and had a bowl of pho by myself this afternoon. I've been trying to avoid eating too much Asian food before I leave but I couldn't get it out of my head, and it was that or watch daytime TV. I'm excited to compare what I feel is excellent pho here in Boston, to pho in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. I realize it will be different but I'm wondering how different it can be. Broth, noodles, various meats, various accompaniments. The ingredients always vary between restaurants, but there is something comfortingly consistent about this dish. Sometimes nothing can soothe you like a big bowl of pho that you know you wont finish.

Seven days before leaving Boston

2008-03-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

I got my last round of shots this morning, chicken pox. I have fainted while getting needles in the past. I once got a flu shot standing in my Doctors kitchen and woke up on the floor to the nurse (who is also the Doctors wife) telling me I would never be able to have children if I couldn't take the pain of a needle. She's a piece of work. But these nurses were lovely, I even got a sucker at the end.

Having just moved to Boston from Canada a year ago, I have been compiling a list of things that are just slightly different here then they are at home. Candy after needles goes on my list of reasons I like living in the US. The first was paper bags in the grocery stores (Canada is all plastic, with the exception of Whole Foods), the second is movies that come out on time (as advertised on the trailers, they generally come out a little later in Canada) and now the third is the doctors actually give you candy after a needle (which possibly happens in Canada, it has just never happened to me.)

Eight days before leaving Boston

2008-03-12T11:31:00.001-07:00

I think I may be getting sick, so I'm staying in bed today. I've decided to err on the side of hypochondria, rather then risk being sick on a 14 hour flight. It's a shitty day outside anyway.

Balls.

Nine Days before leaving Boston

2008-03-11T07:11:00.001-07:00

I'm sorting out my life in Boston today. Dealing with university, trying to get an internship over the summer. I'm certain that all these things will be much harder from a different time zone. Actually a little scary if I think about it too much.

The time change is actually the one thing I'm concentrating on. Of all the little details this is the one I'm focusing on.

I'm beginning to think that I've started this blog too early...

Ten days before leaving Boston.

2008-03-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

At this stage I am thinking about packing and getting shots. I got my first round of shots a few weeks ago and I'm trying to go back to get the follow ups and another chicken pox shot.

I've gone out and bought a giant box of imodium.

I've also decided to go carry-on for the four weeks. Which is either a great idea, or a disaster. I figure I'm not above washing my underwear in the sink, and all the images of vibrant markets makes me think I'll need the extra room on the way home.

Damn luggage restrictions.