Archive for March, 2010

Layover in Beijing

Posted in China on March 29th, 2010 by Vagablonding – Be the first to comment

A heavy blanket of snow covered Beijing, China on Sunday, March 14th. My flight to Beijing out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the morning of Monday, March 15th, was delayed 6 hours. I had a 6 hour 20 minute layover in Beijing, so we landed 20 minutes before my next flight left, not enough time to catch it.

Upon leaving the gate in Beijing I followed the mass of other people who had missed their flights to a counter where they were putting us all on the next flights to wherever we were going. I was headed to San Francisco, and the next flight wasn’t for 24 hours. They booked the flight for me and then put a sticker on my passport and told me to go through the diplomat line at customs.

At the customs desk they stamped a full page of my passport with a “stay visa” saying I was allowed to be in China until the 16th. Normally you can’t get into China without arranging a visa in advance, so if you accidentally get stuck in China like I did this is what they will give you.

I proceeded to the Air China ticket counter on the Departures level. There they had me wait with 8 or so other people to be taken to a hotel that would be paid for by Air China since it was their fault we missed our flights.

A van took us to the Jinhangxian International Hotel. It was just after 2:00pm when we were done checking in. Because of the time Air China would not pay for us to have lunch in the hotel, and none of us had Chinese money to buy food. Luckily for me I had purchased a bagel in the Kuala Lumpur airport, but everyone else was pretty pissed and had to wait for dinner. I was so tired I went to my (fairly nice) room, put the “do not disturb” sign on my door, and slept 13 hours straight, right through dinner.

On the morning of Tuesday, March 16th, I woke up at 5am and went to breakfast at 6. None of the hotel restaurant staff knew what “vegetarian” meant or which foods at the buffet had meat in them and which didn’t. I quickly learned that when a Chinese person has no clue what you are talking about they just say “yes.” I opted for lots of tea and rice for breakfast and avoided all the weird and unidentifiable Chinese dishes in the buffet.

The hotel also didn’t include drinkable water, but they did have a hot water pot in each room so you could boil your own. There was also free internet in the room, though lots of sites, like facebook, are blocked in all of China.

At 9am a van took me back to the airport and it was all smooth sailing from there. I arrived home in Portland, Oregon, on March 16th (I crossed the international date line so I got 48 hours of March 16th.)

This adventure is over, but soon there will be another. I’m already planning my next escape 🙂
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Scenes from Kuala Lumpur

Posted in Malaysia on March 17th, 2010 by Vagablonding – Be the first to comment

I was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from Thursday, March 11th, till Sunday, March 14th. Below are some of my favorite pictures from my 4 days there. You can also check out my posts on the Islamic Art Museum and my visit to the Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge.

I flew with Air Asia from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was treated to a lovely sunset in the air:

Sunset from an airplane over Malaysia

Sunset from an airplane over Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia and is home to almost 2 million people. Unlike Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital which has a higher population and only 1 significantly tall building, Kuala Lumpur is full of skyscrapers. It also has multiple rapid train systems which keep the various areas of the city well connected.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

While wandering around near Pasar Seni (Central Market) I saw some Graffiti I really liked:

Graffiti near Pasar Seni - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Graffiti near Pasar Seni - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

If you’re a shopper you should check out Petaling Street (Jalan Petaling) in Chinatown. There’s plenty to buy during the day, and a whooole lot more at night when the street gets so packed with stalls and shoppers it takes you 5 minutes to walk 50 feet. It was so dense I couldn’t even get a picture! I personally liked the markets in Phnom Penh better because I found clothes that were more my style there, but there is something for everyone on Petaling Street, and the prices are great! Bargain hard, though. The prices will start out incredibly inflated and you can usually end up paying 1/4th or less of the first price a seller gives you. The walk-away tactic works exceptionally well here.

Petaling Street - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Petaling Street entrance - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Another interesting place to check out is Little India. There’s plenty of great food to try, and there’s decent shopping too, especially during the weekly night market on Saturdays.

Saturday Night Market - Little India, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

In Little India I bought myself a Punjabi Suit (beautifully decorated colorful long tunic + pants + scarf). I had been wanting one for a while, and after trying a bunch of shops I found one that I knew was made for me as soon as I saw it. I got the price down from 280rm to 120rm, including adjustments done in shop to make it fit me exactly. I love it so much I want to go to India just so I can wear it all the time 🙂

So there’s this fruit called Durian that smells incredibly terrible. Like gagging when you smell it terrible. Apparently it tastes fantastic though; the saying is “tastes like heaven, smells like hell”. Anyway, durian is banned from most hotels and hostels because of the smell, so you see signs like this up all over:

No durian sign - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

When it came time for me to leave Kuala Lumpur to go home I went to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and found out that my flight was delayed 6 hours due to snow in Beijing. Lame. I passed the time by walking around and taking pictures.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport

People in Kuala Lumpur International Airport

People in Kuala Lumpur International Airport

People in Kuala Lumpur International Airport

People in Kuala Lumpur International Airport

I ended up missing my 2nd flight and getting stuck in China for 24 hours. Post about that next time on vagablonding dot com!

Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge visit

Posted in Malaysia on March 17th, 2010 by Vagablonding – 3 Comments

On Friday, March 12th, I got up early to get in line for one of the limited free tickets for the Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge. The Petronas Twin Towers are the headquarters for the Petronas oil and gas company. Standing 452 m (1,483 ft) tall, the towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004, and they remain the tallest twin buildings in the world today.

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

At 8am I took the train from Pasar Seni to KLCC for 1.6rm.

LTR, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The line for the tickets can be found in the basement of the towers. I was in line at 8:15am, they started giving out tickets at 8:30am. You can choose what time you would like your visit to be. Only 40 people are allowed to go up every 15 minutes, so if you care what time slot you get it is best to get there early to be in the front of the line. I chose to go up at 1:15pm to avoid the daily late afternoon monsoon.

Ticket line - Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I spent the rest of the morning messing around online and getting lunch on Petaling Street. There’s a place where you can get a bunch of vegetarian food for 1rm per scoop, so I got a scoop of cooked veggies and a scoop of bbq tofu, plus soy milk (yay!) for 1.5rm and jackfruit for 1rm. That’s a lot of food for 4.5rm (about $1.35). Food here is very cheap, even cheaper than Cambodia (but not as tasty).

Vegetarian food - Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Vegetarian food - Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I returned to KLCC at 12:15pm and killed time by going to the Galeri Petronas, an art gallery, in Suria KLCC which is a giant shopping mall attached to the Petronas Towers.

Suria Shopping Complex - KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Galeri was great, it had lots of captivating photographs. I took pictures, but apparently you’re not supposed to and a guard made me delete them. I highly recommend checking out Galeri Petronas if you have 30 minutes to spare. Admission is free. Afterwards I went to the Petronas Towers gift shop where I bought 2 postcards for 0.8rm each.

At 1:05pm I and 39 others queued up to visit the Skybridge on floor 41 which is 170m (558 ft) above ground. The towers have 88 floors but tourists are only allowed to go to the Skybridge. First we were directed into a small film viewing room where we watched a short 3D movie about the Petronas company. I was delighted; I’ll watch anything in 3D.

3D Movie - Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Next we went through a security check before going up to the Skybridge in a high speed elevator. You can really feel the increase in altitude when you expierience your ears popping and lightheadedness. It reminded me of going up the Eiffle Tower.

Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We were allowed to walk around on the bridge and take pictures for 15 minutes. It was a great view to enjoy for free!

View from Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

View from Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

View from Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

View from Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

View from Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

View from Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

View from Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur

Posted in Malaysia on March 14th, 2010 by Vagablonding – 3 Comments

I got in to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the night of Thursday, March 11th, and checked into the Monkee Inn, a hostel in Chinatown run by Americans. For 30rm (rm = Malaysian Ringgit, 1rm = $0.30) I had a very small single fan room with a really comfy bed, free wifi and breakfast, and a shared bath. Just fine for the price.

On Friday, March 12th, after a welcome breakfast of pb&j, coffee, and Sting for background music, I took a taxi to the Islamic Arts Museum for 10rm (overpaid!). I paid the 6rm student price to get into the the museum, so that makes up for the ripoff taxi.

Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The museum’s current feature exhibit was Steve McCurry’s photography and it was AMAZING! Here are some of the many pictures that were there:

Steve McCurry - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Steve McCurry - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Steve McCurry - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Steve McCurry - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Steve McCurry - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Steve McCurry - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

There was a big group of university-aged Muslim women there, and some wanted to take pictures with me. I’ll miss people asking to take pictures with me when I get home, haha.

Ariel and Muslim girl - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The permanent collection of the museum includes many manuscripts, metal work, ceramics, jewelry, weapons, textiles and more. Below are some of my favorite items from the collection.

Enameled Porcelain Bowl and Cover, China, 1772 CE:

Enameled Porcelain Bowl and Cover, China, 1772 CE - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hukkah Base, India, 19th century CE:

Hukkah Base, India, 19th century CE - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Fly Whisk, Horsehair with Silver Mounted Horn Handle, India, 19th century CE:

Fly Whisk, Horsehair with Silver Mounted Horn Handle, India, 19th century CE - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kitab Tuhfat Al-Husain Madaih A’Immah, Iran, 1859 CE:

Kitab Tuhfat Al-Husain Madaih A'Immah, Iran, 1859 CE - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tashrih Al-Badan (Anatomy of the Body), Iran, 17th century CE:

Tashrih Al-Badan (Anatomy of the Body), Iran, 17th century CE - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Al Qur’an, Ottoman Turkey, 1852 CE:

Al Qur'an, Ottoman Turkey, 1852 CE - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Detail of above:

Al Qur'an, Ottoman Turkey, 1852 CE - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Bridal Crown, Uzbekistan, 18th century CE:

Bridal Crown, Uzbekistan, 18th century CE - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The museum itself is pretty neat also. Every room has an intricate domed ceiling.

Ceiling - Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I wanted to go to their apparently amazing Lebanese restaurant, but they were only doing a buffet of non-vegetarian food so that was a no-go. I bought 2 postcards for 2rm each, and took another 10rm taxi back. Tomorrow I’m visiting the Petronas Twin Towers!

Attempted purse-snatching and resulting injury

Posted in Cambodia on March 13th, 2010 by Vagablonding – 2 Comments

On Saturday, March 6th, after a long day of classes in the morning, afternoon, and evening, 5 of us English teachers (3 girls 2 guys) took a tuk-tuk to Phnom Penh and went to the bars by the Boeung Kak Lake (big backpacker area). We hung around the area having a great time until around 3am when we went to the Heart of Darkness, one of Phnom Penh’s most popular clubs. We had a blast dancing with the security guards and laughing at all the ugly old white guys with their hookers. We stayed till closing at about 4:30am. We figured since we were still so awake we’d walk to the river to watch the sunrise.

We didn’t make it to the river. As we were walking and laughing, all in a great tipsy mood, something terrible happened. A motorbike drove by and grabbed the purse of one of the other girls to try to steal it, but the strap didn’t break. She was lifted up, swept along, and slammed into the ground, landing on her shoulder and head. I didn’t see it because I was ahead of her, but I turned around when one of the guys yelled her name. She was lying in the road and was unconscious until we ran to her and shook her awake. We sat her up and the other girl and I held her up supporting her head while one of the guys got a tuk-tuk.

The tuk-tuk driver took us to Calmette Hospital, a Cambodian hospital where they don’t speak English much at all. I wanted to go to the International SOS Medical Center, a clinic for tourists where they speak perfect English and have Western doctors, but the other 3 in the group decided we should stay where we were. We communicated to the doctors that her head hurt and she couldn’t hear out of one ear. She was very confused, but conscious, and bleeding out of her ear at this point. The doctors decided to do a cat scan, this cost $115 and we all pooled our money to pay for it, but we were still $3 short and they wouldn’t do it. I guess we found another $3, I don’t know I was on my way to the SOS clinic to see if they were open (they were, they’re 24 hours), but anyway they did the scan.

The cat scan results came back and the doctors said everything was ok. There was one more bill to pay and I waited in the bill line forever and started getting upset because I was very frustrated, worried, overwhelmed, dehydrated and still drunk by now. It was 8:30am. The 4 others went back to SCAO and I went back to Okay Guesthouse.

We all slept the entire next day.

They day after that, Monday, March 8th, I went to SCAO and the girl still wasn’t feeling well at all. Her head still hurt a lot and she still couldn’t hear, so she decided to go to the SOS clinic. The doctors there took her injury very seriously and decided to medevac her to Bangkok in a private plane that night. In Bangkok she got another cat scan and it turns out she has a skull fracture.

She’s fine now and currently recovering in the super posh Bangkok hospital, but man was it a scary experience!

Lesson learned: Do NOT walk around in the streets that late at night, no matter how short the distance is or how safe you feel in a group. This can happen to anyone. Be careful; we weren’t careful enough.

Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO)

Posted in Cambodia on March 11th, 2010 by Vagablonding – 1 Comment

For the past week I have been volunteering every day at the Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO). SCAO is both an orphanage housing 19 children and an English school where about 100 village children total each attend 1 of 4 English classes every day except Sunday. SCAO charges nothing for the classes; it is a non-profit NGO. Located 7km North of Phnom Penh in Boeng Chhouk village, SCAO is run by Mr. Sath Samith who is one of the kindest people I have ever met.

English School at Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

English School at Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

English School at Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

English School at Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

English School at Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

One of the lessons for the Lets Go 1 and 2 kids. English words with Khmer translation written next to them. Notice that coat, jacket, pajamas, and sweater are all the same word in Khmer. It doesn’t really get cold in Cambodia….

English School at Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

English School at Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

English School at Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The 19 children, Mr. and Mrs. Samith, their wonderful cook Poly, and usually 5-7 volunteer English teachers all live together in a 4 bedroom house. Hanging out there is amazing; I have never seen a more cohesive and loving family. The children range in age from 3 to 20. Most are from poor single-parent families that can’t afford to support them. Many of the older children lost parents in the fight against the Khmer Rouge. 2 of the children are Mr. and Mrs. Samith’s own.

Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

SCAO always needs volunteers to teach the English classes. If you want to volunteer it is best to first call ahead and then come sit in on one of the classes and meet the kids. If you like it you are welcome to come volunteer as much as you want, and even stay at the center if you choose, after talking with Mr. Samith of course.

Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

SCAO also needs donations of money, food, clothing, and school supplies. If you visit you can also buy a tshirt, or a wallet or purse made by students at the school.

Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

If nothing else, just drop by to play with and read to the kids for a couple hours. They love having a chance to practice their English!

Please visit the Save Poor Children in Asia Organization website to learn more, and consider making a donation to SCAO, or sponsor one of the kids so they can go to Khmer school.

Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (SCAO) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh’s Markets

Posted in Cambodia on March 11th, 2010 by Vagablonding – Be the first to comment

Phnom Penh is an excellent place to buy cheap knockoff clothes and accessories, beautiful fabrics, and Cambodian souvenirs. The best market for everything is the Russian Market in the south part of town. I visited this market about 5 times and bought, among other things, $2 tshirts, $1 tanktops $4 purses, $4 skirts, $3 dresses, an $8 Central America on a Shoestring Lonely Planet, and a lovely stone statue of an Apsara dancer for $25. The Russian Market, so called because the Russians used to shop there, is also known as Psar Toul Tom Pong. Don’t confuse it with the Orussey Market, they are totally different and are quite far away from each other. Apparently back in the day the Russian Market was a place you could buy literally everything: guns, drugs, children, you name it. Now it is an innocent market full of bargains for tourists and locals alike. It gets going at around 8 in the morning and is totally closed at 6pm.

Fabric - Russian Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Russian Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Food stalls - Russian Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Another great market for clothes, bags and shoes is the Central Market. It’s in a large ugly yellow art deco nightmare of a building in the center of town. I bought a ton of clothes here, but be warned: you won’t find much if you don’t wear small sizes. I wear an extra small shirt in the US and I bought larges here. They do have a range of sizes for men, though. The Central Market is really big and confusing to navigate. I still have no idea exactly how much of it I saw on my 3 trips there. It also opens around 8am and starts closing between 5 and 6pm.

Central Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Tshirts - Central Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Shoes - Central Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Central Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Clothes - Central Market, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

On the weekends you can go to the Night Market. The Night Market is fairly new and is aimed at tourists, so bargain hard for low prices. Anything you see at the Night Market can also be found at Russian Market or Central Market, often for a better price. Located on the Riverfront near Wat Phnom, The Night Market begins setup around 5pm and starts winding down at 9pm.

There are also many traditional markets which are great for buying fruit, ugly shoes, or getting your nails done for $1; assuming you can stand the overpowering fish smell! These markets are where Cambodians go to shop for themselves. They are full of excellent photo opportunities, as well as stalls selling those delicious little bananas I have become addicted to. Take a wander through at least one, but be prepared to hold your breath, the smell of meat and fish can be quite strong.