January 28, 2007

• Asian Vacation 2003

  Warning:  Most of the places visited on this trip are Buddhist.  Please advise.

   

  February 4, 2003 – THE SAGA BEGINS

  Things got off to a hectic start as my mother and I forgot a relatively large luggage at home.  We only realized this once we got to LAX.  Fortunately we still had about two hours before boarding.  That gave my brother sufficient time to get it (and a belt for me).  We were both thankful for that and that he was a good sport. 

  We took off on EVA Air at around 11:50 PM, economy class, of course.  During our flight, I watched Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, Simone (only the latter third since I was asleep early on), some Japanese flick, I Spy, and The Tuxedo.  Next to me I chatted with some Singapore dude named Kevin.  He’s studying computer graphics.  You know what that means…he’s into video games! Yeah!  That’s pretty much all there is to say about this day.

   

  February 6 – TAIWAN TO THAILAND

  We arrived at Chiangd Kai-Shek International Airport in Taiwan.  Two hours later we took off for Bangkok.  I watched The Transporter.  We arrived at 11:19 AM.  I personally felt lousy.  My head hurt, my nose ran, and my throat felt funny. 

  My mom’s eldest sister (Taew) picked us up and we stayed with her and chilled the rest of the day and getting caught up on old times.  Aunt Taew stays with my mom’s next oldest sister Tik.  My mother is the middle child amongst five siblings.  If you’re wondering about February 5^th, I never experienced it.  Once I crossed the International Date Line, I lost a day.  For the not-as-familiar, when I refer to the International Date Line, I don’t mean the phone service where you search for eligible foreign singles.

   

  February 7 – MEET THE RELATIVES

  I came upon the chilling realization that my aunts’ place did not have hot water when I tried to shower.  It took a while for me to get somewhat accustomed to this.  Also the water did not stream out like a regular shower.  It was a mere trickle.  Due to this it took a longer time for me to wash off the soap; thus, more exposure to the cold water.  FYI, I have always showered with warm, gushing water on quite the hot side so this was quite the wake up call. 

  My mom and I had breakfast with Aunt Tik at a place called Cool Kitchen.  It’s an eatery inside a supermarket called Tops. 

  To meet up with my father’s sister, Ting, we went to Chulalongkorn University where she is an English professor.  There was a swap meet going on there in a concentrated sector.  There was lots of food and some people sold toys and other knick knacks and trinkets.  Once Aunt Ting met us, we had lunch at a Japanese joint with a name a true Lakers fan could love, the Kobe Steakhouse.  The Kobe beef was really tender, fatty, salty, and oh so good.  I struggled to finish it all because there was lots of other stuff: sushi, kim chi, miso soup, rice, vegetables, and fruit, to name a few things.

  We then visited Aunt Chai.  She’s an older sister of Aunt Ting’s husband.  Like my mom, Aunt Chai is a seamstress.  They had a very riveting conversation about dressmaking, silk, and other cloth-related stuff.  I was more into my tasty chrysanthemum tea.

  Afterwards we dropped my mom off at Aunt Taew and Tik’s place.  I chewed the fat with Aunt Ting.  We picked up her kids (Kong and Keng) and one of their friends (Park) after school and went to dinner at another Japanese place called Shabushi.  It’s an all-you-can-eat sushi and shabu shabu place.  The tables are set around a little conveyor belt that goes around in an elongated oval.  In the middle of the oval are two chefs preparing sushi and shabu shabu stuff.  You simply grab whatever you want to eat and feast to your heart’s content.  In front of each seat is a boiler for water so if you like shabu shabu, just grab whatever you want and boil away.

   

  February 8 – FROM CHINA WITH LOVE

  This morning my mom’s younger sister, Aunt Tim, joined Aunt Taew, Aunt Tik, my mom, and I for breakfast at Took Lae Dee, an eatery inside Foodland Supermarket.  Aunt Tik went back home to tend to the dogs.  Their place has about nine dogs though I had never bothered to count. 

  We went to a section of Bangkok called Yaowarat.  It is almost completely Chinese.  I guess you can say it is Bangkok’s Chinatown.  At a gold shop there my mom exchanged my old necklace along with a few pieces of her own for a necklace with a larger band which is my new necklace I wear these days.

  The rest of us ventured from Bangkok to Nakhon Pathom.  Here lies the largest stupa in all of Thailand.  A stupa, pagoda, and jedi (pronounced “JD”) are all the same thing – a building that houses a Buddhist object(s) of importance like a Buddha statue or a Buddha relic.  I’ll probably use these words interchangeably.  This stupa towers above the city.  I could not photograph the entire structure due to the sheer size.  I bought a postcard instead that has a good picture of it.

  Later we went to Puttamonton, site of a large standing Buddha.  It was erected in 1957 which is equivalent to the Buddhist year 2500.  Buddhists believe that the world as we know it will last until 5,000 years after the passing of the Buddha; thus, we consider 2500 the midpoint.  The statue was therefore built in commemoration of this moment.  It is very tall and black.  However on this day the statue was not the main attraction here. 

  According to Buddhist lore, after the cremation of Buddha’s corpse, all that remained were crystalline structures called dhatus or Buddha relics in common terms.  Originally they were split into seven parts to be kept in seven separate provinces.  However due to wars and other acts of mankind, the Buddha relics have been sacked, broken apart, separated, and moved to various locations throughout Asia and I believe a few parts were taken by outsiders.

  China has the upper right canine.  In commemoration of the 75^th birthday of the His Majesty King Bhumibol of Thailand, China lent Thailand this Buddha relic for 76 days until February 28.  Asian culture usually adds one to the age in hopes of continued longevity.  In Thailand this relic was housed within a building in Puttamonton.

  There were many people there.  They came by the busloads including monks, too.  All wanted to be in the presence of the Buddha relic.  Some believe being around a Buddha relic is like being around Buddha himself, like there is still a bond.  This belief is not different to Sauron’s bond with the Ring of Power in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.  They did not allow cameras or any sort of bag inside so I could not take any pictures.  The relic is housed in an ornate gold conical thing.  We could not actually see the relic itself but we’ll take China’s word for it.  I had a weird eerie feeling as I closed in towards the room with the relic.  It’s like being an archaeologist coming across an artifact with such a long and tantalizing history.  We were all very grateful to have gotten this rare opportunity.

  Later that night my mom and I went with Aunt Ting, her husband Uncle Singto, and his buddy to a restaurant called Ruean Dum.  The food was excellent.  Most of it was seafood items I have not tried before like fried mussel cakes.

   

  February 9 – GETTIN’ READY ‘CAUSE HERE I COME

  After breakfast at Cool Kitchen, my mom and I went to a temple called Wat Nakprok where the Venerable Setthakit Samahito is the abbot.  We went there for the orientation by NC Tours, the ones arranging the tour of India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka of which we will embark on tomorrow.  One by one we met most of my mom’s friends who also made the trip from the United States to take part.  After we all are present and accounted for, the orientation began.  The tour guide gave us a brief travel itinerary and many words of warning.  She warned us not to drink the water; thus, if we needed any she will have plenty of bottled water for us.  Since this is a religious pilgrimage, we’re going to need lots of candles, incense, and a mat or cloth to sit on the ground.  Only US dollars will be accepted for currency exchange in India.  Most importantly, she told us to mentally prepare ourselves.  Accommodations there are going to seem substandard to what we’re accustomed to, especially in the United States.  She also told us there were going to be lengthy bus rides from 7-8 hours.  She also warned that India is very dusty and encouraged socks we don’t treasure so that if necessary we can pitch them without a second thought.

    They served lunch at the temple.  It looked pretty good but my mom and I already told Aunt Tim we were going to join her for lunch.  We only had a little there and then left. 

            We arrived at a shopping mall called Silom Complex.  We met up with Aunt Tim and had lunch.  We also bought some essentials for this trek to the subcontinent.  I got some sandals and sitting mats.

            That night we had dinner with some family members from my mom’s side.  There was Grandma Paw, Aunt Koi, Uncle Piak, his wife Niramon and son Tonpalm, Uncle Singto, and Aunt Taew along with my mom, Aunt Tim, and I.  The eatery, Niranam, specializes in seafood and it was superb.  There were large shrimps, salmon cooked with milk, shells, more fish, and an omelette.  There was more food but I cannot recall exactly what.

   

  February 10 – I SHALL RETURN

  We had breakfast with Aunt Tik at Took Lae Dee inside Foodland supermarket.  We then went to see a dentist for my mom for she needed affordable dental work.  It’s Dr. Adisorn Hangworawong.  He’s my cousin Paega’s boyfriend.  Though we insisted, he wouldn’t take a single baht (Thai monetary unit) from us for he feared Paega’s wrath.

            Afterwards we went to a nearby mall called Tesco Lotus to pick up lunch for us along with Aunt Taew and Tik.  It’s just nice to have a relaxing meal with relatives.

            That night we took off from Bangkok at 6:30 PM and touch downed at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka at 12:30 AM.  Once again, the onboard movie was The Transporter.  We stayed at the Tamarind Tree Resort.

   

  February 11 – THE PILGRIMAGE BEGINS

            The bathroom at the Tamarind Tree was quite noteworthy.  The shower door is completely transparent.  Plus there is no door between the bathroom and the bedroom.  There were also a sizable amount of insects present.  If you flush the toilet, the water purges like a tsunami.  However it is the very first time I had hot water on my Asian vacation so I’m not going to complain.

   

            The weather was not that hot but it was very humid.  We had some breakfast and took photos of this attractive resort.  There was a picturesque swimming pool with coconut trees in the background.  I played foosball with one of my mom’s friends, Toom, as a means of killing time before beginning the pilgrimage.

            At 12:05 PM we took off from Colombo and three hours later arrived in Gaya, India.  By the way, I saw The Transporter.  It took us two hours to get out of the tiny airport.  The officials there are really full of it.  They keep talking to one another.  Then they try to make you think they’re important by requesting to check this and that plus ridiculous inquiry which serves no useful purpose.  There is no conceivable system or method of operation of any kind.

  However they got a cleverly built toilet.  It can accommodate both sitters and squatters.  The first toilet seat is made for squatting but if that’s not your thing then you bring down the second seat which is for sitting.  Some people on our tour tried it out but I was not so courageous.

  Finally we left the airport.  It’s rural out here.  The cows are skinny along with the dogs.  The people look unbathed, wearing tattered cloths.  We also noticed that our bus driver along with other drivers kept using their car horns.  I guess they blow their horns all the time here.  At last arrived at Wat Thai Buddhagaya (Thai Temple of Buddhagaya), our residence where we will stay for two nights.  This temple was also established in the Buddhist year 2500 for the same reason Puttamonton was erected in Bangkok.

  On a Buddhist pilgrimage there are four holy sites.  Gaya is one of them.  Some call it Buddhagaya or Bodhgaya.  In this village is The Bodhi Tree under which Prince Siddhartha attained Enlightenment and became The Buddha.

  That night we went to the Tree.  When you get there you notice many vendors and beggars.  As you walk towards the tree you are constantly hounded by beggars.  I do feel sorry for them but was warned that if you give to one, then the others will flock to you.  Then it becomes difficult.  The children beggars are so tiny and look very frail.  It’s really a sad sight.

  We had to take off our shoes so we left them at a designated shoe area.  After a short walk there was a towering pagoda which appears so suddenly because you really don’t see it until you pass some walls.  I was awestruck at the height and artwork of the structure.  We descended to the ground of the structure.  There were many people there of various cultures – Tibetan, Indian, Sri Lankan, Korean, Americans, Europeans.  They all came there to pray, meditate, or both.  The Bodhi Tree is right next to the pagoda.  We lit incense and candles and walked around the tree and chanted a common Buddhist chant.

  We then returned to Wat Thai Buddhagaya for our rest.  Gaya is filled with mosquitoes.  These mosquitoes were as big as large ants.  Our room had mosquitoes swarming everywhere.  We lit incense to drive them out.  Incense works really well.  Unlike most people, I was lucky enough to have a mosquito net on my bed.

  There was also no hot water or a showerhead.  What they had was a large barrel filled with cold water and a small bowl to scoop it.  The first splash had me shaking and breathing heavily.  Man, was I missing the hot water at the Tamarind Tree Resort.

   

  February 12 – TREE AND THEN SOME

  Some people woke up at 5 AM to go back to the tree.  I was one of the few on our 31 person tour group who declined because I wanted my sleep.  Besides, we’re going back there after breakfast anyways so it’s not like I’m missing anything plus I get an extra two hours of precious sleep.

            Breakfast was sort of funny.  There was another tour, also by NC Tours, that coincided with ours for most of the trip but they will conclude after visiting Lumbini, Nepal.  Unlike our group, they wore all white clothing, upheld eight precepts (most Buddhists uphold five.  These precepts are similar to the Ten Commandments), and eat a vegan diet.  Due to this the temple prepared two sets of food, regular and vegan.  When my group got there, we noticed that our chicken was gone.  There was nobody who came before us except the other tour.  Yup, you guessed it.  The vegans ate our chicken!

            After breakfast, we signed our names along with loved ones’ names on a long cloth.  We then went back to The Bodhi Tree.  We wrapped the cloth around the tree.  Venerable Samahito then told us a brief history of the tree.  I could not hear him too well because he had a soft voice aided by a crappy mini-megaphone.  That’s not too bad except there were hundreds of Tibetan monks chanting.  When Tibetans chant, it’s accompanied by drums, cymbals, and trumpets.  During this, a small twig fell from the tree onto my head.  We kept it as a memento.  We came back to the temple for lunch.  We pasted gold leaf onto what represents Buddha’s first footprint after leaving the tree.  Thais like to paste gold leaf onto icons.  It’s believed to bring good luck and merit.

            We then trekked across the Neranjara River to an archaeological dig where they uncovered the ruins of a house belonging to a woman named Sujata.  Over two millennia ago Sujata was the last person to offer food to Prince Siddhartha before he became The Buddha.  From here in the distance we could see the mountain where Prince Siddhartha practiced self-mortification (asceticism).  Fortunately he came to the realization that this was not the way to Enlightenment so he discontinued it.  Beggars kept following us everywhere we went but that is a norm here.

            Next we walked along the Neranjara River to a site where we must revisit Buddhist lore.  It states that Prince Siddhartha made a proclamation saying if he attains Enlightenment, then may this tray (he held) float upstream in the Neranjara River.  We went to the place where that tray supposedly took off from.  From here in the distance across the river we could see the Bodhi Tree Pagoda.  The river is quite wide but bone dry when we went.  It’s only a true river during the monsoon.

            Afterwards we visited several Buddhist temples.  Here in Gaya all countries with a strong Buddhist presence have a temple here.  We visited the Tibetan, Bhutanese, Burmese, and Japanese temples.  The Burmese one has many paintings within.  The Tibetan one is garish and multicolored.  They use drums, horns, and cymbals during their chants.  The Japanese one had a huge Buddha statue.  On both sides are eight significantly smaller statues of arahantas (those bound for Nirvana).  The Bhutanese one is similar in design and artistry to the Tibetan.  The ones we did not visit are by Bangladesh and Vietnam.

            That night we returned to Wat Thai Buddhagaya.  We made some offerings and donations to the temple’s monks.  That ended this night.  Some people went out to The Tree again.  As for me, twice is enough.  Besides, I love my mosquito net.

   

  February 13 – THE NEVERENDING JOURNEY

            I woke up with a nasty kink in my neck.  All of us had to wake up early due to the bus’ early departure.  The entire trek was seven hours from Buddhagaya to Varanasi.  The road was quite bumpy.  What was worse was the poor or lack of suspension in the rear tires.  By backside got sore from the bumps and the insufficiently cushioned seat.  I was literally launched airborne numerous times.

            For this bus ride, the women were encouraged to wear dresses.  That is because there are no rest areas along the way.  After two hours, we stopped at the side of a road.

            Two hours later we stopped at a little roadside motel called the Hotel Anamika.  There we ate.  Most of us ate food prepared by the tour.  We also had some bread called japati and a bean dip called dal which was good.  I washed it all down with Fanta and Mirinda, both are orange sodas.

            At long last we arrived at Varanasi, the holy city of Hinduism.  First we went to the Archaeology Museum of Buddhism.  I could not bring my camera inside.  There were many ancient Buddhist and Hindu statues dating back as far as 100 BC.

            Varanasi also happens to be the second of Buddhism’s holy sites.  Within this city is the Sarnath Deer Park.  This is where Buddha delivered his first sermon to the first five disciples; thus, Buddhism was born.  There is a stupa commemorating the event.  Also here are five pillars erected by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka representing the five original disciples.  There were also ruins of a house belonging to the wealthy Kassapa family from that time (over 2500 years ago).  Similar to the Bodhi Tree, there were lots of monks, Theravada and Tibetan, at the stupa praying and chanting.  We pasted some gold leaf onto the stupa.  Also located here is the ruin of Buddha’s first abode after the Enlightenment.

            Right next to this place is Mujagandhikuti Temple.  It was founded by Anagarika Dharmapala, a Sri Lankan who formed the Maha Bodhi Society.  He had a major part in Buddhism’s revival in India.  Though the religion was born here, it disappeared for over 900 years.

            We then shopped briefly at some silk shop.  They specialized in rugs but also made dresses, shirts, and ties.  They also had the best cinnamon tea I ever had.

            We ate at the Hotel Clarks Varanasi.  We ate mutton, japati, dal, potatoes in mild Indian curry, lemon chicken, grilled fish, rice, and bananas.  The dal at Hotel Anamika was worlds better.  We slept at the adjacent Hotel Clarks Tower.  It’s the second day in my entire Asian vacation that I had hot water.  I was most satisfied.

   

  February 14 – CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?

            On this traditional day for love in the western world, we woke up before sunrise and made our way to the legendary Ganges River, the holy river of Hinduism.  There we boarded rowboats and onto the river we went.  We stayed there until sunrise which was beautiful.  Varanasi lies on the side of the river called heaven.  Corpses are floated from Varanasi everyday.  They always wind up on the other side of the river which the locals call hell.  Nobody lives on the hellish side of the river due to this.  Actually there are a handful of isolated huts most likely inhabited by hermits, drug users, or outcasts.  We saw monkeys running around the tops of some structures.  There were people bathing in the river.  Some drank from it.  We saw the Burning Ghat where corpses are burned every day.  That fire has not gone out for hundreds of years, perhaps a millennium or two.

            Some people shopped.  I, on the other hand, chilled at the hotel.  We then ate at the hotel and then it’s off on another bumpy 8-hour bus ride.  We departed from Varanasi and headed for Kushinagar.  To keep people entertained, we all took turns with the microphone where you can choose to tell a little about yourself or sing.  I told them of my accounts when I was on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”

            We arrived that night at a Thai temple called Wat Thai Kushinagar.  From within was a golden stupa that shined bright amidst the pitch black sky.  It was tall and of great beauty.  It turns out that the King of Thailand designed this particular structure.  That night we slept at the temple.  One thing I noticed was that the temple covered a lot of acreage.

   

  February 16 – PASSING AND CREMATION

            When it came to breakfast, the frickin’ vegans ate our meat again!  Those bastards!  What a bunch of &^%$#@&^ hypocrites!

            Anyhow, the weather was absolutely fantastic.  It reminded me of a lovely spring day in Los Angeles.  After breakfast we went to the site where Buddha passed away.  This is what makes Kushinagar the third holy Buddhist site.  At the site was a shrine that holds a long statue of Buddha on his side in final repose with one hand under his head.  Next to the shrine was a stupa.  We prayed, walked around and chanted, and meditated at the stupa.  We wanted to paste gold leaf onto the Buddha statue but had to wait for some Japanese people praying to finish and move along.  Like the Bodhi Tree, we signed our names on a gold cloth and covered the statue with it.

            Surrounding the shrine and stupa were ruins of ancient monasteries where some of Buddha’s disciples stayed.  There was less than a quarter number of beggars here as compared to Gaya.

            After lunch, we went to where Buddha’s body was cremated.  It’s an archaeological ruin of a stupa that was once taller than this.  We prayed and meditated there, too.  Atop the structure we saw a monkey and dog doing battle which was quite humorous.  It’s definitely something you don’t see everyday.

            That night we made offerings to the monks at Wat Thai Kushinagar.  Later my mom, one of her friends, and I went to the workshop to help a couple of temple builders apply gold leaf onto these square tiles with carvings of flowers.  Eventually all these tiles will be affixed to the inside of the altar.  It’s our little way of lending a hand.  All in all it’s quite fun.

   

  February 17 – TO NIRVANA

            As a trivial tidbit, today is a Buddhist holiday called Maka Puja.  After we planted two trees for the temple, the monks showed us where they keep a Buddha relic.  It’s in a safe covered by an orange cloth.  It takes two keys to open it.  One of the keys is at this temple; the other is in Bangkok, Thailand.

            We were joined by Venerable Wirayut, the abbot of Wat Thai Lumbini who will serve as guide as we venture to the last of Buddhism’s four holy sites.

            At 8:30 AM we departed for the six hours bumpy bus ride from Kushinagar to Siddhartha Nagar, Nepal.  Before reaching the border, we stopped at a roadside eatery.  We had japati, dal, bananas, sticky rice, pork (our own), Indian potatoes and broccoli.

            It took some time for us to pass the India-Nepal border.  During this time buses were in line awaiting customs to clear us.  Next to us were lots of shops and eateries.  The women wanted to shop (what a surprise).  However at an eatery, we saw the cook skin a recently killed goat.  That was quite unsightly as he hung the goat on a hook, and then slowly pulls off the black skin to reveal white meat.

            At 2:30 PM we arrived at the Nirvana Hotel in Siddhartha Nagar for lunch.  We then went to Lumbini Park to the Mahadevi Temple which sits on the birthplace of Buddha.  There was a ruin of a structure most likely built by Emperor Ashoka.

            According to Buddhist lore, his mother, Queen Maya, was on her way back to her home land where she was born to deliver her child but did not make it in time.  She clutched the branch of a tree in Lumbini Park, stood, and delivered.

            In the middle of the structure was a barren area near the center.  The tree Queen Maya clung to was located there.  However the roots were doing damage to the surrounding structure so they had to remove the tree.  We prayed, walked and chanted one round around the structure.

            We then toured Wat Thai Lumbini.  There we made offerings and planted a tree.  We also wrote our names on bricks which will be used to continue construction of this unfinished Thai temple.  Venerable Wirayut thanked us all.  I found him to be quite humorous and in good spirits.

            We had dinner and stayed at the Nirvana Hotel.  My mom and her friend Oui were not feeling that great.  I realized that here in Nepal, I ran into only three beggars as opposed to the throngs in India.

   

  February 19 – TAKE THE LAST TRAIN TO AGRA

            We took off at 6 AM on our way to Sravasti, India.  I was a bit disappointed to have come to Nepal and not see Mount Everest.  I would have settled for K2, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, or Annapurna but maybe some other time.  Bad news was that I had forgotten the belt my brother brought to me back at LAX at the hotel.  Shucks!  I really liked that belt.

            On the way we stopped at a ruin of a site where according to Buddhist lore, Buddha demonstrated some of his powers to an audience of skeptics before spending a Vassa (time period coinciding with Asian monsoon) in heaven.

            Finally after I don’t know how many hours we made it to Sravasti.  Here lie the ruins, Chetuwan Temple, a large temple built by a wealthy man where Buddha resided for 19 years.  Venerable Samahito pointed out the abodes of numerous famous arahantas (e.g. Sariputta, Mogallana, Kassapa, Sivali, and Rahula) and Buddha’s abode itself.

            Nearby this temple are two spots on the ground where according to Buddhist lore, Buddha’s arch nemesis Devadatta and this woman Jinja were sucked by the earth on their way to hell.  We did not visit these two spots.  I wanted to see it and take photos.  Oh well.  It is said that some locals will not visit these places fearing they too will be inhaled by the earth and go to hell.

            Still in Sravasti we visited nearby ruins.  One is of the abode of the wealthy man who built Chetuwan Temple.  There was a deep pit in the ruins.  Some believe he kept his riches there.

            Across the way was the home of the father of Angulimala, a well-known disciple of Buddha.  There is a tunnel that goes through this ruin.  It is believed that those who crawl through will be blessed with strength and good health.  We all got down and dirty.  Parts of this tunnel were so low I was virtually on my stomach to get through.  I don’t know if I got any stronger or healthier but did feel a sense of accomplishment by getting pass that narrow section.  Originally this tunnel was a doorway.  After time (>2,500 years) the ceiling got lower and dirt and dust accumulated on the ground eventually making this a low tunnel.

            We then traveled 6 hours on that blasted bus from Sravasti to Lucknow.  I had some tasty samosas at a roadside eatery on the way.  At Lucknow we went to a Chinese restaurant with the most intimidating name, Vegetaria.  Fortunately they had chicken and fish so I was saved.

            Finally we came to Lucknow Train station.  The outside is majestic.  It looked like an old Indian fort with red bricks and white plaster.  There were about ten porters.  They carried our bags on their heads!  One person could lift three huge luggages on his head.  I found this to be quite unique and amazing.

            Our midnight train was delayed for 45 minutes.  I laid out a rug onto the ground and my mom and I sat on it waiting.  I passed the time by doing crossword puzzles.  I noticed several people sleeping on the ground.  There were no chairs or benches so everyone is either standing or on the ground.  These sleepers are passengers whose trains were severely delayed.  Delays can be up to 18 hours.

            At long last there was an announcement that our train will be arriving on track 6.  Originally we were told track 3.  We had to gather our belongings, go back up the stairs that led to track 3, walk all the way over the tracks via a bridge, and come down to track 6.

            Once our train arrived, we had to climb a short ladder to get on.  It was taxing to the elder members of our tour.  We got sleeper cars.  Our beds are lightly-cushioned boards that folded against the wall.  We simply pull them down and walla!  There was a thin blanket and a small pillow.  It’s not the Orient Express but it will do.  One of my mom’s friends, Toom, did not want to sleep in a compartment with three other Indian men.  She wanted to exchange with me.  I told her I’ll do it but I thought she would have enjoy being with three men.  My mom and friends got a good chuckle out of that one.  So I fell asleep and will wake up in Agra.

   

  February 18 – BUILT BY MUGHALS

            We woke up shortly before arriving at our stop in Agra.  The station here is worlds cleaner than the one in Lucknow.  Right next to the station was the Agra Fort.  We checked into and ate at the Mughal Sheraton.  We were supposed to go to the Taj Mahal in the morning but due to the rain, we decided to go shopping first and hope the rain clears up later.

            After lunch at the Sheraton, the rains did in fact die down and we went to the fabulous Taj Mahal.  It is made out of marble making it white.  It does not look that big from afar but when you get close, you realize the grand scale of this marvel.  The beauty of the Taj Mahal is unquestioned and to me, it’s no wonder why it is world-renowned.  To walk on the Taj Mahal, we had to take our shoes off.  That’s when the rains restarted.  Due to my stupidity, I left my socks on.  While walking on the Taj Mahal, my socks were hopelessly drenched.  We walked inside and saw caskets of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his most beloved concubine, Mumtaz.  Outside we saw the nearby Jamuna River.

            In short, the Taj Mahal was a love shrine built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for Mumtaz.  Mumtaz was supposedly a woman of great beauty who was also a military strategist who took up arms in battle.  In her travels, Mumtaz loved the snowy white peaks of the Himalayas.  She asked Shah Jahan that if she dies, she wants him to build something that resembled those snowy peaks.  Due to this, we have the Taj Mahal.  As for the architect, Shah Jahan ordered that he is to be blinded and his hands cut off so that he could not erect another like the Taj Mahal for anyone else.

            Next we visited the Agra Fort.  This huge sandstone structure was the home of the Mughals, a dynasty that ruled India for I really don’t know how many years.  There were at least five emperors in this dynasty.   The tops of the fort had monkeys running around.  There was a large area where in the past you would have prisoners battle wild animals as the emperor watched.  There was also a dancing area for the concubines to entertain the emperor.  We also passed by the prison.  The structure was too large to cover in an afternoon and it rained, too.  By the way if you really must know, I removed my drenched socks and wore my sneakers sans socks the rest of the day.

            We then returned to the Sheraton to eat and sleep.

   

  February 19 – MAY I TAKE YOUR ORDER?

            After breakfast, we took off for New Delhi.  There we ate at a Chinese place called The Lotus Pond.  We visited a Baha’i House of Worship.  It is a place to meditate.  Talking is not allowed inside.  The Baha’i believe in cleanliness so this was by far the cleanest place in all of India that I had visited.  The grass was cut and freshly green.  The trees were trimmed.  The structure was modeled after a lotus blossom.  However I could not take my camera inside.  On the way to the bus, I saw a little shop that sold “Burger Paties and Sandwitches”.

            We then visited the place where Mahatma Gandhi’s body was cremated.  The fire burns everlasting.  It is also very neat and spanking clean.

            We then went to the India Gate.  It looks similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.  It has a similar meaning as it commemorates freedom from the English.  While taking pictures, some Indian dude told his monkey to grab my leg as my mom’s friend was about to take my picture with my mom.  Afterwards, the monkey’s owner came to me asking for money saying it’s his business.  I was ticked off at this guy and just walked away.

            The tour allowed us to shop for two hours until the bus comes to pick us up.  We did not want to shop any more so we chilled at the lofty Imperial Hotel lobby.   My mom then decided to buy Indian pants for Aunt Taew.  Afterwards we went to McDonald’s so to rest and use the restroom.  I had to hold in my laughter when I first saw the menu including the Veggie Pizza McPuff, the Chicken Maharaja Mac, and the Chicken Mexican Wrap.  I ordered the Chicken Maharaja Mac meal while restraining my laughter.  It’s a Big Mac except you replace the beef patties with chicken patties and the special sauce is an orange-colored sauce with a definite Indian flair to it.  It was OK but I miss the original Big Mac.  The menu reminded me of the fact that beef is not eaten here.  All beefy burgers are replaced with chicken or veggie patties.  I also got a horrid scratcher.  I tried to scratch off the gray area to see what I won.  A light scratch won’t remove it so I put some emphasis into it.  In turn, the gray smeared all over the scratcher making it illegible.  I then said screw it.

            After dinner at a place called the Rice Bowl, we came to the airport.  Here we go the counter as usual and check in your bags.  The difference is that we have to go to this room and ensure that the bags are truly ours.  Then it gets onto the conveyor belt.  Our flight will arrive in Sri Lanka at 3 AM.  I saw The Transporter.

   

  February 20 – SRI’S KANDY

            After all that, we arrived at the Galadari Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka at around 5:50 am.  I could not fall asleep on the plane so I felt weary and mentally out of whack.  It did not help either that it was very hot and humid.  The hotel is fabulous.  It has a fountain, stream, and decorated in an Arabic motif.

            We went to a manmade lake.  There was a Buddhist shrine floating on the lake.  It’s similar to the 17th Hole island green at Sawgrass for you golf fans.  For the golf-challenged, it’s a manmade, midwater platform connected by a bridge.  There was also a small stupa on this island.

            Next we visited a Buddhist temple.  There was the Venerable Piyananda, whom our family knew when he was in Los Angeles years ago.  We also met an American monk named Dennis.  Phra (means monk) Dennis remembers me when I was a monk.  Inside the main altar were gigantic carvings and statues of Buddhist things.  Instead of paintings, I guess they use carvings instead.

            There was also an elephant on the temple grounds.  It was bound at one foot so it had to stay where it was at.  I took a photo from a distance.

            There was also a bodhi tree present here.  Phra Dennis told me that a piece was once taken from the original Bodhi Tree and planted in another location.  Once it grew, somebody cut off a number of pieces (20 possibly though I don’t recall) to be planted in various place.  This tree here derived from one of the many cut off pieces.

            On the way from Colombo to the mountainous city of Kandy, we stopped off at another temple with quite a unique history, as Phra Dennis suggested.  There we made offerings to the monks.  We also met another familiar monk in Venerable Ananda who also used to be in Los Angeles along with Venerable Piyananda.  Venerable Ananda has become quite an influential figure in Sri Lanka.  He is highly respected by all including political figures.

            As told to me by Phra Dennis, a long time ago (over 1700 years) there was a king.  He feared that one day his brother would usurp the throne so he ordered that whoever can bring his brother’s head and present it to him would receive a hefty reward.  The brother fled to where this temple is currently located.  It is within the mountains here.  There is vegetation and coconuts all year long and it is secluded making it a perfect hiding location.  The brother in fact never had any intentions of taking the throne from the king.  In addition, he wanted to be an arahanta.  Due to how quiet this place is, it was perfect for practicing meditation.  In the meantime, people were being decapitated left and right by wishful people hoping to claim the reward.  Numerous heads were presented to the king but of course none were his brother’s.  The brother, in time, did become an arahant.  He told a woman (probably a nun) to take his head to his brother, the king, so this senseless bloodshed will cease.  The arahant then decapitated himself and the woman showed this head to the king.  According to legend, some people would add that the king, so accustomed to declaring that every head presented to him was not that of his brother, also said that this was not his brother.  The head then replied that he is his brother.  The bloodshed then stopped.

            At this temple was a statue of the brother with one arm pulling his hair up ready to cut his head off and in front of it was the statue of the woman listening to his instruction.  Phra Dennis told me that after the arahanta died, his body was cremated and the remains were placed inside a small stupa that was present at the temple.

            Our bus was too big to get to the hotel so we had to wait for the smaller hotel shuttles to take us there.  After a winding ascent up the mountains we arrived at Le Kandyan Hotel.  It’s located in Kandy which used to serve as Sri Lankan capital.  The guide says that in fact the city used to be called Kanda or Kanta, meaning mountain.  However during the English occupation, the British had trouble pronouncing it so they changed it to Kandy.  The hotel is located on the mountaintop and it’s very, very nice.  Along with the Galadari it’s the best hotel we had stayed on this trip so far.  For dinner we listened to a trio perform while we ate.

            Additionally the tour bus actually stopped somewhere in Colombo to see another old temple.  I never saw it because I was asleep on the bus and nobody woke me up until they came back.  I was weary from the flight.

   

  February 21 – THE BONE COLLECTOR

            Before leaving the Le Kandyan hotel, my mom and I played some ping pong.  It turns out she’s quite good.  I saw the table the night before and thought I was going to miss out but fortunately my mom was there to save the day.

            Kandy is the home of a well-known Buddha relic (the left upper canine).  As I was about to enter the temple grounds, the guards grabbed my shorts and pulled them down, pulled out my shirt, and made me look like a sagger.  I did not know what the big idea was.  After thirty steps, I vehemently pulled my shorts back up.  The guards did not even say a word to explain their actions so I had not many nice to things to say about them.  It then hit me that everybody here was wearing either long pants or a cloth around their waist.  I then realized that in their custom everyone must wear long pants/dresses to enter these grounds.  I was less angry upon this revelation (if the guide would have told me I would have been more than willing to wear long pants). 

            Like the right upper canine, it is housed in an ornate gold container that looks like a stupa.  I did not actually see the tooth but I’ll take their word for it.  In another part of the temple were many paintings depicting the history of this Buddha relics and how it made its way to Kandy.  We also met with the head man of the facility.  He is the key holder to the relic so if anyone wants to access it, it has to go through him.  We got his autograph.

            After lunch we made our way to the next city.  On the way we stopped at an ayurvedic medicine shop.  It’s basically holistic medicine.  The guy showed us the many plants they grew there (e.g. aloe vera, heerassa, vanilla) and their medicinal qualities.  My mom bought stuff like her friends, as usual.  I on the other hand was more interested in photographing these large squirrels that resembled monkeys.  I got a picture with two of them in it.  Unfortunately after developing the film I could not find them.  They blended in so well with their surroundings.

            After trekking over 100 kilometers we arrived at Anuradhapura, another former Sri Lankan capital.  They were not going to let me in because of my shorts so I paid them 50 rupees for a cloth to cover myself.  Freaking mercenaries!  There was a tree that originated from the original Bodhi Tree.  We then visited the Jetavana Dagaba.  It is a stupa that stands over 400 feet tall and holds two Buddha relics but it is unclear what pieces they are.  We also saw the first stupa in Sri Lanka which is nearby.  It holds another Buddha relic (right collarbone).

            We ate and slept at the Galway Miridiya Hotel.  Dinner was not all that great.  What was entertaining was the quartet that went to each table and sang.  There were two guitarists, a bongo drummer, and the other one scratched some ridged thing).  First they sang some native song that I did not recognize.  Then they surprised me with Sukiyaki.  I laughed out of surprise and joy when they followed it with Besame Mucho.  Other songs they sang at other tables included Country Roads and Simon and Garfunkel’s El Condor Pasa.  Other than that the hotel was shoddy compared to the rest.  There was no TV or refrigerator.  The shower was a corner of the bathroom indented about two inches lower than the floor and a curtain to surround you.  The shower head was directly over your head.  There was not a place for soap or shampoo.  I had to set these things on the sink.  When my mom used it, all she was trying to do was grab the towel from the towel bar.  It broke off.  Lastly the toilet flusher required pump action.  You had to pump the flusher down at least three times for it to flush.

   

  February 22 – LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU

            I woke up with a slight sniffle.  It’s possible I caught it from my mother who was not feeling well.  My breakfast was not one to cherish.  There was no syrup for the French toast, the ketchup was sweet, the sausages were more like hot dog wieners, and the orange juice was syrupy with a pinch of salt.

            I walked to admire the nearby lake with my mom’s friend Toom.  We saw fruits the hotel grew and the lake was pretty.

            As we’re about to leave, there was a beggar who made his living charming a cobra.  No flute or musical instrument was needed in this case.  He used his hand/fist.  I had my picture taken with the snake though I still kept my distance.

            We went to Mihindale, the birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.  There was a large mountaintop stupa we climbed to (>200 steps).  There was a spectacular view from here.  We can even see Anuradhapura.  What were annoying were these locals who try to be “helpful” by accompanying the older folks helping them walk up and down the steps.  By the time we got to the bottom, they demanded money for helping them.  Then some other dude who did not even help us came begging for dough.  This did not leave the best of impressions for me.

            On the bus, my sniffles persisted.  However that did not stop me from taking the microphone.  I wowed the tour group with old songs (Yesterday, Dock of the Bay, Pretty Woman, Sea of Love, Proud Mary [Tina Turner style], Killing Me Softly, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, Country Roads, Twilight Time, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You [Frankie Valle style], and closed with Strangers in the Night).  Someone gave me 100 rupees for my renditions of these hits.  Another person gave me 100 Thai bahts.  The only drawback is that now whenever my mom asks me if I am able to sing I cannot say no anymore.  She’s wondered for a long time but I always denied it for years and years.

            I could not eat much for lunch because I came down with a fever.  I just kept throwing water on my face and let it evaporate.  This is a slow process because of the humidity around here.

            We then traveled to another former capital called Polonnaruwa.  There we saw ruins of the 7-story royal palace, assembly hall, Sangha (Buddhist monks) council, a stupa, royal bathing area, and a stone dragged from Mihindale by hearty individuals with Sutra inscribed onto it.

            Nearby in Polonnaruwa is an area called Galvihara.  Located here are three Buddha statues carved out of the rock face – one standing, one sitting, and one lying down.  There were lots of monkeys here.  The fever was bad especially with the scorching sun.  My mom bought me a hat to wear.  I wore that hat the rest of my Asian travels.

            We had dinner at stayed at the Culture Club Resort in Dambulla.  It was very nice and worlds apart from the Galway Miridiya Hotel.  There was plenty of food including barbecues.

   

  February 23 – WHERE’S THE BEEF?

            My fever and stuffy nose has subsided.  Instead I have a sore throat and a loose stool.

            In Dambulla there are caves.  Inside these caves are filled with Buddha statues and cave paintings.  Though the paintings are over two thousand years old, the color is still very bright and the detail vivid, probably from the lack of exposure to sunlight.  There was yet another Bodhi tree here.

            We returned to the Culture Club Resort for lunch.  While time permitted I bought myself a half hour of billiards.  The guy bringing out my equipment asked if he can play, too.  I said “Sure!”  We both struggled to put balls into the pockets.  I finally won but it took me three tries to sink the 8-ball.  Honestly I believe he let me win.  I was well ahead of him when I noticed he sank a ball and spun the cue ball back for a perfectly-placed next shot.

            On our way to Colombo we stopped at Henry Patiks’.  Yup, there were cloths, shirts, etc.  Some of the images were quite racy.  Others were all right.

            Next is the tour’s favorite thing (unless you’re me and a few others) - shopping!  We got a shirt for my brother, tea, and postcards.  Then it was more shopping for my mom and company.  Don’t get in front of these people during a sale!  They’re worse than the bulls in Pamplona.

            We came back to the fabulous Galadari Hotel.  My stool got worse.  Upon the third time to the toilet in three hours, I officially came to the obviously conclusion that I was not well.  To harden it, I gave up on the native foods like beans and concentrated on harder to digest foods.  I ate Chinese beef, Japanese beef, pizza, and washed it down with three bottles of Coke.  You know what?  That did the trick.

            On a side note, I saw two billboards I found amusing.  First there was one for Horlick (it’s chocolate drink mix like Ovaltine or Nestle Quik) which I referred to my friends as a brothel drink based from its name.  It says “Horlick: The Great Nourisher”.  My reaction, “I’ll bet.”  The other one was for Sothys.  There was a dude in high school my friends and I knew name Sothy.  This one states “Sothys: The Signature of Professional Skin Care”.  Way to go, Sothy.  Our “Most Likely to Succeed” has succeeded, I guess.

   

  February 24 – SRI YOU LATER

            We left the hotel at 4 AM.  We took off from Colombo and arrived in Bangkok at noon.  My aunt Ting picked us up and dropped my mom off at the dentist (cousin Paega’s boyfriend).  My aunt and I went to the Phuket (pronounced Poo Get) Airlines office to arrange travel to Myanmar.

            Later that night we dropped Paega off at her on-campus abode.  I had dinner with Aunt Ting and her son Keng at the Kobe Steakhouse.  My stool is solid again but it hurts to swallow.

   

  February 25 – GO NORTH, YOUNG MAN

            We woke up at 4AM to go to Bangkok International Airport.  There we took off for the northern city of Chiang Mai.  We arrived at 7:30 AM with my mom and several of her friends.  We then picked up a couple more of my mom’s friends who took the train there.

            We stayed at one of my mom’s friend’s place which was very nice.  It’s next to a little lake with three bedrooms.  We dropped off our stuff there and then the trekking began.

            We had breakfast at Huen Pen, renowned for their traditional northern Thai food.  This place has had some notable clientele: the second eldest princess of Thailand, Martin Yan (from Yan Can Cook), men’s top 20 tennis player Paradorn Srichaphan, and Thai singing legend Bird McIntyre.  If you ever want to experience authentic northern cuisine, this is the place to go. 

            We sent to what’s called the Temple of Four Footprints.  It’s a remote, little known temple situated within the mountains around Chiang Mai.  So remote is this place we were the only car there.  It houses what represents four large footprints of the four Buddhas.  According to Buddhist lore, in this current age this is the fourth Buddha and there were three previous Buddhas in three previous ages of mankind.  It’s somewhat like Neo is the sixth “One” in this sixth version of “The Matrix”.  See The Matrix Reloaded for reference. 

            For lunch we went to my mom’s friend Oui’s favorite little noodle place.  Afterwards we visited three more temples.  The first temple had a really attractive white and gold entranceway.  I donated 100 bahts there.

            The second temple we visited is very large and unfinished.  There was a monastery made of teak.  When this one is complete, it will be very large in scale and the structures very tall.

            The third temple we visited is situated amidst a forest.  It is definitely not as large as the two aforementioned temples.

            Northern Thailand is filled with temples.  You basically have to visit them while you’re here.  Most well known are Wat Doi Suthep and Wat Doi Saket.  However we did not visit them this time.

            That night I rested as I was not feeling well.  Everyone else went sightseeing.

   

  February 26 - EAT, SLEEP, BE WEARY

            I felt horrible.  My throat felt better but I cough all the time.  I had a fever that night and I have not fully recovered so today I just stayed at my mom’s friend’s residence while the others traveled.  I watched TV all day.

            As for the others, they visited Wat Doi Thanon, which very close to the highest point in Thailand.  Actually it might be the highest point in Thailand.  There was a neat thing you can do there.  You can dress up as a northerner.  They’ll take care of your makeup and then have your photo taken.  My mom and a couple of her friends did this and the pictures look really good.

            At night we returned to Bangkok.

   

  February 27 – UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

            I rested at Aunt Taew’s place.  It’s also the last I’ll see my mom until I come back to Los Angeles.  She’ll be going back to Los Angeles while I’m traveling in Myanmar.  I slept at Aunt Ting’s place.

   

  February 28 – SHIRE!  BAGAN!

            I went with Aunt Ting, Uncle Lek, and their friends aboard Phuket Air to Mandalay, Myanmar (the country formerly known as Burma) for a brief stopover before switching to Yangon Airlines for a flight to Bagan, also in Myanmar.  The Yangon plane was one of those with propellers instead of jets.

            We stayed at The Hotel at Tharabar Gate.  It’s quite new so everything is very nice.  The rooms are individual bungalows.  There was a nice dinner atmosphere with a Burmese band and dancer.  I had quite a choice of curries – lamb, chicken, or fish.

            I have no more pain when I swallow but my cough remains.

   

  March 1 – GOIN’ TO THE TEMPLE AND WE’RE…

            We went to a marketplace.  There were lots and lots of people.  There were also nuns and samanera (novice monks) going around accepting alms.  It’s like those typical outdoor places with fruits laid out in the open.  Our guide is a Burmese man who spoke good Thai though never being in Thailand before.

            We first went to Shwezigon Pagoda, the most beautiful in Bagan.  It is the only pagoda here made of stone.  The stone was transported here from the opposite side of the Irrawaddy River.  You couldn’t tell that it was stone because it is gilded.  This makes it shine brightly in the sun.

            Next we went to Upalithein.  It’s an old structure that houses Buddhist wall painting from over 200 years ago.  I was not allowed to take pictures so I did not have any to show.

            Then we went to Ananda Phaya Pagoda.   It is the most cleverly constructed pagoda here.  Inside is a large standing Buddha statue made of wood.  There is no light needed here.  There are strategically situated openings in the structure that allows natural light to come in and brighten the room which would normally be pitch black.

            Now it’s off to Mahuna Temple.  It’s built by the Mon, a people indigenous to this area and northern Thailand.  You can tell from the architecture.  Also on our tour is Thailand’s leading historian on this area which is great because you can learn a lot from him.

            We then went to Lawkananda Temple.  It is currently being renovated.  Around the pagoda is a wooden framework that looks like a net around the temple.  This is what the workers climb on to renovate the structure.  I thought it was the temple itself initially.

            After lunch (choice of fish, pork, beef, and chicken curry), we went to a lacquerware shop.  As usual, I bought nothing.  We returned to the hotel for a little rest.

            After the rest a few of us went to That Byan Yu, the tallest pagoda in Bagan.  Then we went to Gu Byauk Gyi temple.  This one has lots of paintings on stucco walls.  We have to use flashlights to see them.  The structure is dark and unlit.

            We came back to pick up the others and went to Vwi Haung Gyi.  This is a pagoda that we can actually climb onto.  I climbed to flights of stairs and got a great view of Bagan.  This is a land loaded with pagodas as far as the eye can see in every direction.  The ceilings of the stairs are very low so you’ll have to be in a low crouching position and really watch your head.

            We then took a boat ride on the Irrawaddy River to watch the beautiful sunset.  That was really pretty.  It’s neat to watch the sunrise on the Ganges and now the sunset here.  There were tasty snacks on board, too which I definitely took advantage of.

            At night, we went to Damayangyi Temple.  According to legend, the king told the architect who built it that if he can slip a hair into any crack of this temple, the architect will lose a hand.  I don’t know the fate of the architect but the temple still stands in great condition, seemingly unchanged.

   

  March 2 – LIVE FROM MANDALAY BAY

            We flew from Bagan to Mandalay.  We dropped our stuff off at the fabulous Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel.  When then went to the Mandalay Palace.  It is a large area surrounded by a moat.  The architecture is typical Burmese.  Most of the structures are concubine housing.  Most of the palace is wooden with brown as the primary color with touches of gold. 

            After lunch, we went to the Golden Palace Monastery.  This building is actually made of teak. It has fine woodwork which is typical of Burmese art.

            We then went to nearby Atumashi (Incomparable) Temple.  It is very large.  However it is not the original structure but rebuilt.  The original was bombed by the Japanese during World War II.

            Next, it’s Kuthodaw Temple.  The Tripitak is Buddhism’s holy text.  It’s quite long.  Imagine etching the text onto flat slabs of stone about 4 feet high and 3 fee wide.  This, of course, would require lots of stones.  Imagine each stone housed in its own little structure.  Well, that’s Kuthodaw Temple which advertises itself as the world’s largest book.  In the middle of it all is a white and gold pagoda which looks a lot like Shwezigon.

            We then went to a mountaintop temple called Mandalay Hill.  For the hearty adventurers, there is a 1,700 step stairway leading to this temple.  We copped out and rode a car there.  From atop you can see the nearby Irrawaddy River.  I could also see the Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel from here.  There is a young man painting with only black paint.  He was very fast and good.  The ride to and from this temple is quite exciting due to the funky drivers as they twist and turn through the winding road.

            We had dinner at the Mandalay Swan Hotel.  We were thoroughly entertained by dancers, puppet show, and the band.  It’s a trio of lanart (wooden xylophone), drums (similar to an assortment of congas), and a percussionist (little cymbals and wood blocks similar to glockenspiel). 

   

  March 3 – TERRA BURMA

            We went to Mahamuni Temple, site of the most revered Buddha statue in Mandalay.  Like many temples in Myanmar, only men are allowed to make contact with the statue.  I also stuck some gold leaf onto it.  It’s hard to tell how many layers of gold leaf have been affixed over the years.

            We then took a boat to cross the Irrawaddy River.  We then rode two-wheeled carriages pulled by little horses.  I liked our horse.  It had a lot of spunk as we zoomed by the other carriages.  They took us to Inwa, site of an old Burmese capital.  There was a teak temple there with fine artistry.

            We then took the carriages back to the river, crossed it, and made our way to Amarapura where we had some food at a Thai restaurant of the same name.  We went to a teak bridge called U Pain.  We went halfway and walked back.  There was a little boy and girl who tried to sell us necklaces.  My aunt bought one.  I did not want to buy but did want to give the girl some money.  She spoke really good English that she learned from a monastery.  I gave her some money but she looked a bit sad I did not want anything.  I guess she preferred to be a vendor rather than a beggar.  She’s such an adorable little girl.  I wished I had taken a picture of both of them.

            Afterwards we went to Mandalay Airport and flew back to Bangkok.

            During my time in Myanmar I had some observations.  First of all, due to the English occupation, they used English weights and measures (e.g. miles, feet).  However in opposition to the English, they drove on the right side of the roads but the steering wheel remains on the right side.  It is a military-controlled country that is still pretty much closed to the outside world.  It is an older culture than Thailand (>200 years) but not as modernized due to the closure.  The men don’t wear pants but instead a cloth similar to Indians.

   

  March 4 – LUNCH AND A MOVIE

            I had lunch with my cousin Paega along with six of her college girlfriends.  We went to a Japanese joint called Zen.  I noticed that she and her friends are very chatty.  That’s OK.  Girls will be girls, I guess.

            Afterwards Paega and I watched a movie in EGV class.  In this class, we sit in LaZBoys that are adjustable and massages.  They even serve drinks and snacks.  I wanted to watch Shanghai Knights but the only thing showing at the time was a Hong Kong flick called Infernal Affairs so we caught that.  The movie was all right, typical Hong Kong.  One thing we both noted was that since the accommodations were so comfy, if the movie was bad or boring, one would easily fall asleep.

            I ate a pre-dinner meal at the Chulalongkorn University student food court.  I got a bowl of noodles for only 15 bahts!  About 42 bahts equaled a US dollar.  And it was good, too!  Students have it good when it comes to eating.  Like in the US, students generally don’t want to have to spend a lot of money.

            I moved from Aunt Taew’s place to Aunt Ting’s since I will be traveling with Aunt Ting from this point on.

   

  March 5 – SHOPPING

            I went with Paega to Ma Boon Krong, one of Bangkok’s most renowned shopping centers.  It’s a gigantic mall with just about everything.  I bought a belt to replace the one I lost in Nepal.  I also bought little trinkets for friends in the states.  There was one shop that had a brainteaser where you have 27 wooden blocks connected to each other in such a fashion where you have to twist and turn until it becomes a 3x3x3 cube.  I would not leave until I solved the darn thing.  They have these, too at stores here like Game Keeper.  At least I did so I leave with a certain degree of satisfaction.  That’s about it today.

   

  March 6 – JACKIE CHAN ON SCREEN

            This is my final “rest” day before my next trek.  I simply went with Aunt Ting to watch Shanghai Knights.  I liked Shanghai Noon and felt that this one was even better.  I did notice something in the malls of Bangkok.  Karaoke is very popular.  They have karaoke booths everywhere.  Basically you put in some money, choose a song, and wail away.  Nobody outside the booth can hear you so it gives you the wonderful gift of privacy.  In addition, it doesn’t matter if you’re Pavarotti or Roseanne, you can sing and not be fearful!  You all know how much I love to sing.  However, I did not take advantage of any of these because I still had the cough and I was, well, fiscally challenged (if you could believe that).

   

  March 7 – SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

            My aunt, cousin Thom, and I flew to the southern resort town of Krabi.  We visited the hot springs down there.  This hot spring eventually flows and becomes a hot waterfall.  This waterfall winds up in a cool lagoon.  We all waded and soaked ourselves in the hot falls.  It’s like a natural jacuzzi.  My aunt and Thom went to the lagoon to cool off.  I eventually went to the lagoon, too.  There were kids playing around there.  There were also other tourists, Japanese and European, who were there.

            We then went to the picturesque beach called Ao Nang.  This used to be a secluded area but now it’s a resort town.  The beach is situated next to a beautiful rocky hill.

            Next we walked on Nopparat Tara Beach during low tide.  We walked all the way to a rock island.  We noticed many tiny shells and crabs.  The crabs all went under the sand as we approached.

            We stayed at the Viengthong Hotel owned by Subin, a friend of my aunt’s.

   

  March 8 – ISLAND HOPPING AND JACKIE CHAN LIVE

            My aunt is still nursing a recently separated shoulder.  Due to this it’s Thom and I who went island hopping.  On a speedboat, there were about 12 of us tourists and three crew who went on this gorgeous tour.  First we went to Princess Cove.  There was a huge, magnificent limestone rock there.  We walked past some caves to Railay Beach.  Since the Princess Cove was prettier, we walked back there.

            Next we went to Tup Island.  This island is best for swimmers and sun tanners.  The water is clear and warm.  During low tide, we can actually walk from this island to Chicken Island and some people did.  However during high tide, this path is underwater and boats can actually cross over it.  It did not take long at all for the tide to rise.  It actually took under an hour.  That’s what our boat did to get to the famous side of Chicken Island.

            Chicken Island is one of the more well-known islands.  It’s called that because of a unique rock formation that rises on one side that resembles a chicken head making the rest of the island the body.  As the boat passed by we took photos.

            The fourth island we visited allowed the tourists to snorkel in the clear water with the fish.  Everyone went snorkeling but me.  I stayed and kept throwing bread in the water.  The water is so clear you can see the schools of fish come eat away at the bread.  I would throw the bread pieces near, far, and everywhere and you can see the fish just flock there.  I also like throwing them near snorkelers so the fish would swarm that guy, like Thom.

            We had lunch at Poda Island.  They tour served sticky rice and drumsticks.  They also had pineapple and watermelon.  From the shores of the beach here there is a neat rock island which I took several photos.  It’s narrow and tall covered by vegetation.

            We then returned to Krabi.  This is where I got my tan.

            We found out that in nearby Maritime Resort, they were filming “Around the World in 80 Days” starring Jackie Chan.  Since Subin knew the owner of Maritime, we figured we could see Jackie Chan himself and maybe even get a picture.  When we all got there, it turns out that Jackie Chan had just finished lunch and left the dining hall minutes beforehand.  Aunt Ting and Subin returned to Viengthong.  Thom and I perused the premises and noticed that it is very big and it’s next to one of Krabi’s signature rock formations, the Kanabnam Rocks.  This is the fourth movie being shot here at Maritime.  The previous three flicks were Cutthroat Island, The Phantom, and The Beach.  We could see the set where filming will take place.  My understanding is that the set is to represent India.

            There is a gorgeous pool here.  Alongside there were many tables set up along with a stage for the pre-shoot party.  A stage is set up for the entertainment.  There were sound checks all the time.  At 6 PM guests slowly came.  Thom and I sat at a secluded table next to a path where all party guests have to pass by.  We figure if Jackie Chan comes down, he has to pass by us.  At 7 PM, Jackie Chan had not appeared yet.  Thom wanted to go back and have dinner at Viengthong.  I stupidly agreed to go back with him.

            After dinner we returned to Maritime at 9:30 PM.  We walked into the party as if we knew everyone.  My aunt then approached one of the busgirls and asked her where is the owner of the hotel, blah, blah, blah, and where is the star of this flick.  It turns out Jackie Chan had returned to his hotel about a minute before our arrival.  AAH!!!!!!!!  This would have been the cherry on top of my Asian adventure.  Grr!

            One thing I did notice while island hopping was that several Caucasians like going topless while sunbathing.  The thing is all but one of them were old, fat, and wrinkled or a combination of two of three.

   

  March 9 – CAVE AND A GHOST

            Thom and I went boating on what’s called a long-tailed boat.  The “tail” is this long rod that connects the motor to the rotor.  We went to the Kanabnam Rocks.  There are two on either side of the waterway, one of them upright and the other is slanted.  We went to the slanted one.  Inside there is a spacious cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites.  It was formerly used by the Japanese during World War II.

            We then went to a fishery.  They showed us two kinds of puffer fish.  It has a rubbery feel to it. 

            Aunt Ting, Thom, and I then returned to Bangkok.  On board I met an architecture student from Montana named Kieran and his girlfriend Paige.  We had a nice conversation ranging from where we had traveled to, basketball, and politics.

            I then prepared for my flight back home.  Before then, I had lots of fun with a ghost image I love spreading to people’s emails.  I successfully tricked Aunt Ting, her kids, and her maids to staring at the computer when suddenly a howling ghost appeared!  HA!  HA!  HA!  HA!  HA!  HA!  HA!  HA! 

   

  March 10 – I LOVE L.A.

            Aunt Tik dropped off some stuff.  I then visited Aunt Taew and Tik basically to say goodbye.  I told them about my adventures in Krabi.

            My aunt told me I had one too many a luggage allowable.  I left it at my Aunt Ting’s place and my father can bring it back when he goes to Thailand shortly after I come back.

            I took off on EVA Air at 5:40 PM.  I watched Antwone Fisher on the flight to Taiwan.  The plane arrived in Taiwan at 10:30 PM.  It then took off from Taiwan at midnight.  On this leg I watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and, surprise, The Transporter (for the nth time).  I arrived in LAX at 6:20 PM.  I had myself a wonderful time but it is great to be back.  First thing I want is a big, juicy burger, not the Chicken Maharaja Mac.

  • 12:48 pm
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