Khao Sarn Road

Khao Sarn Road (KSR), for those who haven't had the pleasure, is the ultimate backpacker's ghetto in Bangkok. By day it does brisk business in Thai tourist trinkets, bags, shirts, books, fake university degrees and such - but KSR exists for the night. The real excitement takes place under gaudy neon. Katoey (lady-boy) look for unknowing Johns straight off the plane, who haven't yet learned that Thai women never have deep voices and big hands. Pickpockets have a heyday with the drunkards. Taxi drivers loiter about searching for someone to "take for a ride". It's a concentration of the worst of Bangkok, but it's a brilliant spot for people watching.

KSR is not Bangkok at all, but a kind of vortex that pulls tourists in, and doesn't allow them to leave. Inconveniently located away from the city center, it takes great motivation and strength of mind for the average visitor to leave the road and see other parts of Bangkok, which is a great shame. I would assert that if all you've seen of it is KSR, you haven't actually been to Bangkok. It's like transiting in Istanbul and saying you've been to Turkey. You've just been in the waiting lounge.

The Many Faces of Kuala Lumpur

Walk down the street in Kuala Lumpur and the variety of Asian ethnicity really blows me away. Smiling, headscarf donning young Muslim women mix with Indian women in saris, Chinese in business suits, and so on. Refreshingly, caucasion faces are rather few. This is, after all, Asia. I've not been in a country before with such a variety of Asian ethnicities living together, and as a first time visitor it looks like a great model of different races with different beliefs living together in peace. After talking to friends I've come to realize the situation is not as perfect as it seems.

The primary racial groups are the ethnic Malays, and then the Chinese and Indian minorities. Malays are granted a certain amount of preferential treatment in university admission and government job placements, among other things, but the other side of the coin is that they have additional prohibitions placed on them by law, like being unable to eat pork, which the other ethnic groups are not subject to.

Things move along with relative peace, but there are deeper underlying problems with the current arrangement, which reached a bloody climax in 1969 when the ruling coalition was momentarily deprived of power in place a of a pro-chinese party, resulting in street violence with the Chinese being targeted specifically and suffering the worst as people were killed and business burned.

It's a complex subject that I have an admittedly basic Understanding of, and it's tempting to say that, well, today's Malaysia is among the most prosperous nation in South-East Asia, so why rock the political boat? But that is exactly the justification the goverment puts forth to stay in power. If you take us out of power, they say, you'll be inviting a repeat of the bloody events of '69. Malaysia is under pretty heavy surveilence by a sort of secret police, and the media doesn't enjoy nearly the freedom I'm seen in places like Thailand, the Philippines, or even Cambodia.

And on I go about a subject that I know little about. Any Malaysians care to comment?

All that said, I had a brilliant time in the country and met lots of interesting people, thanks to my gracious hosts, Sze and Spes. Thanks guys!

The Subterranean River at Sabang

Like entering the mouth of some mythical beast, the boat journey into this, the longest known navigable underground river on earth, is an awe inspiring moment. The darkness sucks the 8 man paddle boat into it's womb and the only thing seperating you from the pitch black is a light and car battery.

As you journey further into the depths the guide points out rock formations in the caves. There's it is, a mushroom. And over to your left, the virgin Mary. Look closely fellas, a naked female form is just around the next corner. Do you see the banana flower?

Actually the rock growths and formations could be anything your mind wants, like an inkblot test that envelops you, and the guides' constant suggestions become an annoyance seperating your from what could be a truly meditative experience.

All in all the trip was unforgettable. It's a shame that along with easier accessibility (the road was built in the early 90's - before that you had to take a boat some three hours up the coastline, through devil's point, a dangerous whirlpool) comes hordes of tourists and the corresponding price hikes, crowds, and waits. I must have seen too many Indiana Jones movies.

Sea Woes, Bad Meat, and Russian Cinema

First off, let me apologize for the lack of photos in my recent posts. There's a lot of pitfalls on the road to getting photos online when traveling. I won't bore you with the details. I'll be going back and adding them to the posts at a later date.

I awoke to the sounds of chickens. It must be morning, I thought. But no, outside it was still dark. Where was I? The swaying motion brought it rushing back. I'm on a boat. Why are there chickens on the boat? I hadn't noticed them the night before. Maybe they're coming from some distance, somewhere outside, a nearby island. No, they're too loud. My head was groggy. Shouldn't have had that beer. I had to pee. I'm too lazy to pee. I struggled to get back to sleep, ignoring the pleas of my bladder. Why do they leave the bright florescent lighting on all night? I expertly positioned a sheet over my eyes.

Suddenly, we were docking. Must be the Cuyo islands. We're gonna be here for 7 hours, until 3 P.M. What are we supposed to do all day? The ticket vendor had said they had to unload a lot of goods. But 7 hours? At least this will get us to Puerto Princessa in the morning rather than at night.

Maybe the Cuyo islands are nice. I can do some sightseeing. Check out the town. Eat real food. My bowels ached. I'd had nothing but MSG-laden snacks all the day before, not out of choice but because I hadn't had any time. I'd planned to have plenty of time. Where did I go wrong? I barely made the boat. It was the traffic in Ilo Ilo city on the way to the port. There was a festival starting. It had thrown my calculations off.

So here we are in the middle of the Sulu sea, on a rural little island. All I want is some nice food. There has to be something good to eat here. It's sometimes hard to find good food in the Philippines. They're big on the buffet-which-has-been-sitting-out-all-day style of restaurant, and big into meat too. It scares me. My mission this afternoon will be to find a good, wholesome meal. I will reward my stomach for 25 years of good service, overlooking the 6 weeks in India last year. I'm a generous employer. I want to eat fresh vegetables, sanitary protein sources, and rice without rocks in it - is that too much to ask? The boat has food, but it's buffet style and scary. I am a Russian soldier from Battleship Potemkin. Take back your rotting, maggot ridden meat! This is a mutiny! Throw the captain overboard! Storm the palaces! We won't take it anymore!

Screw the Jet, Get Your Feet Wet!

One of the highlights of traveling around the archipelago that is the Philippines is that it affords me the opportunity to ride on many a boat, one of my favorite forms of transport. The country abounds with reasonably priced airlines to whisk people from place to place, but I prefer the simplicity and old-time romanticism of boat travel. There's nothing quite like gazing out onto the open sea, witnessing strings of uninhabited craggy coastlines, and breathing in the salty air.

I'm now in Boracay, a tourist trap of a beach that I ended up at because of a reckless spur of the moment decision. I've had enough now, and this morning embark on a solid 2 day combined boat/bus trip to the finger shaped, far eastern island of Palawan, home to the world's longest subterrainian river, idyllic scenery and stunning landscapes, and top notch wreck diving (the aftermath of an American WWII bombardment of Japanese ships), or so I read in the tourist brochure.

The boat really has it all. You get a bed, a top notch restaurant serving a wide variety of cuisine (they have 3 flavors of cup of noodle!), and best of all, the chance to mix, mingle, and trade stories with the locals.