Madrid

Madrid, Spain – 20-27 May 2019

Got myself to the train station for my trip on the AVE high-speed train to Madrid – in fancy Preferente class! Actually, it’s not all that fancy – mainly a roomier seat than Turista class. It did include access to a “lounge” at the station, which was nothing to write home about…

When it was time to board, there was again not much to differentiate the Preferente experience from an ordinary ticket. There was no one to assist with luggage during boarding and when there was no room for my suitcase in the storage area at the back of the coach, I asked the attendant what I could do. She suggested their might be room in another coach and shrugged. So fancy!

I did manage to find some space at the front of the car (once I rearranged a bunch of other luggage) and was looking forward to sitting down and relaxing – I was sweaty and anxious after the not-very-soothing boarding process. And OF COURSE there was someone in my seat. Sigh…

It was kind of surprising since it seemed to be a couple traveling together – maybe they’d been unable to book two seats together and she was hoping no one would show up? But here I was, so I indicated that I suspected she was in the wrong seat, smugly showing my ticket and seat assignment – and she responded by pointing out that my seat was in Coach 3 and this was Coach 2.

MODED. CORRODED. MY BOOTY EXPLODED.

How humiliating! I can’t tell you how many times my eyes have rolled into the back of my head on planes and trains at people who can’t figure out where there g.d. seat is, despite them being clearly labeled. And now, here I was being THAT person in front of a whole train full of strangers rolling their eyes at the stupid rube who’s apparently never traveled before since he can’t even figure out where his seat is. What a maroon!

Oh, except it wasn’t a coach full of strangers – the couple I’d met the other night at Taberna del Rey just happened to be on this train and were witness to my idiocy. Happily, they weren’t as judgey as I usually am and we swapped a few updates on our trips, before I made my way to my actual assigned seat.

It turned out to be the best seat on the train though – given that the passenger sitting next to me was traveling with his cat (in a carrier, mind you)! And really, what could be better than taking a three-hour train ride with an adorable cat?

The trip went quickly and soon enough I’d arrived in Madrid at Atocha Station. “Can’t wait to check into my apartment!” I thought to myself, not realizing I’d be spending a substantial amount of time trapped in the station, given that it was pretty much impossible to determine where to get a taxi. There was one large sign that said “TAXI” with an up arrow. Does that mean I go upstairs? Or straight ahead? I did manage to find the end of the enormous line of taxis – but they disappeared up ramp to a destination that remained shrouded in secrecy.

Finally, after several trips up and down the escalators and walking in and out of several doors, I asked a police officer where to find a taxi – and she pointed me in the direction of another building on the opposite side of the parking lot, because where else would one think to hail a taxi than in a building other than the station in which one arrived?

Anyway, I finally made it to my apartment and got settled in – though not too settled. Due to a snafu with my original reservation, I had to reserve an extra night in a different category of apartment – meaning I’d have to move to a different room the next day. NBD, I thought – and boy was I wrong, as I’d find out the next day.

In the meantime, I had to make my way to Barberia Bearbero, about a 20-minute walk from my apartment. I’d been on the road about two weeks, so was definitely in need of a fresh fade. My appointment was with Jonathan, who had an impressive beard of his own – sufficiently so that I included a beard trim in my appointment. Typically, I wait ‘til I’m back home for Luis, my regular barber in SF, to trim my beard, since I’ve had many sub-par beard trims. I’m happy to report that Jonathan provided me with both a great haircut AND an amazing beard trim. So, if you need to clean up your Madrid lewk, Bearbero is the place to go!

Spent a quiet night back at my apartment. My GI tract had been feeling a little iffy since yesterday and this evening it started veering into “I think I’ve got food poisoning” territory. I felt lousy and didn’t want to stray too far from the bathroom. Ugh. By the time I woke up the next morning, I was completely miserable, with body aches, chills and fatigue added to the mix.

And here is where I was reminded of the difference between staying in an actual hotel and this apartment/hotel hybrid I was in: they aren’t very well-equipped to cater to guests’ needs beyond collecting your money. The staff were sympathetic to my plight – but insufficiently so to come up with some solution for my changing apartments that didn’t involve me having to wander the streets of Madrid from the 11AM checkout time to the 2PM check-in time. I remain unclear on why they couldn’t either let me stay in my room for an extra couple of hours or why they couldn’t have my new room cleaned up immediately – or even offered me some other room.

So, yes, I spent the next several hours ambling through the neighborhood, praying that I didn’t shit myself (which, I’m happy to report, I did not). I spent a fair amount of time in a small plaza that was frequented by locals and their dogs – so that was kind of nice, other than painful cramps and feverishness.

Finally, my new apartment was ready and I immediately got into bed so I could wallow in self-pity. I’d just arrived in Madrid and all my carefully-laid touring plans were at risk. Plus, you know how when you’re sick and you feel like you’ll never be well again? Yeah, that was me. Sure, I was being a little dramatic, but I’d been on the road for two weeks already and I was feeling lonely and unhappy – and complained about it on Facebook. It was very nice to hear sympathetic words from all my friends back home and elsewhere – and really helped to improve my mood.

Not only that, Enger, my BFF back home (and despite my instructions not to do so), contacted his mom who lives in Madrid and is a nurse and had her checking in with me regularly via text. Even though I was a little embarrassed by the whole episode, it was really comforting to know there was someone in town who could help me out if things took a turn for the worse. I’ve got a lot of good people in my life…

But I survived – miraculously! And I was able to re-arrange the schedules for all my local tours with the exception of a bike tour, so things worked out OK. All things considered (and with the notable exception of the unpleasant three-hour wait for my new apartment), the timing of this wasn’t so bad – and it was nice to be in a spacious apartment rather than a small hotel room while I was recuperating.

My first major foray back into being a tourist was a visit to the Prado, along with a guide from Context Travel, about whose tours I’ve raved in the past. And this tour was excellent! Andrea, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable about the many different works we saw – and clearly passionate about art in general. And while Las Meninas was amazing and fascinating, I was bowled over by El Greco’s work.

His large scale portraits of scenes from the Bible are astonishing – wild, even – and his painting feels so modern. But it’s the six small portraits in the second gallery that really took my breath away. As described on the Prado’s site, “El Greco was fully able to imbue this portrait with a remarkable formal tension between the visible and the hidden.”

I did a couple of other walks with Context, one focused on the Spanish Civil War and the other giving a general overview of Spain’s history. Both very good and got to see some parts of Madrid I might’ve missed otherwise.

One morning, I was craving an American-style breakfast and took the subway across town to someplace I found online – and had huevos rancheros, which I guess is American-style… They were OK, but sadly did not really hit the spot I was hoping for.

From there, I walked for about 20 minutes to what appeared to be the flagship location of El Corte Inglés – that is, their largest location in Madrid. And, it turned out to just be a big Macy’s style department store – in other words, nothing to write home about. As I eventually learned, the store started out quite small and began expansion after WW II, largely via the acquisition of other local retailers. Thus, they never really had a big fancy location like Galeries Lafayette or Selfridges.

I took the subway back over to my apartment near Chueca – and this is when I learned that, while the Madrid metro system is extensive, it’s not especially rapid. There are kind of long waits (by which I mean 10+ minutes – which is not nightmarish or anything but adds to the travel time) and there are long walks at transfer stations. And the trains are always packed. Anyway, walking is usually a more pleasant option and often won’t take much longer.

I did get a chance to visit my local branch of El Corte Inglés – and it was frankly a lot more interesting than the one I’d schlepped too. This was thanks to the supermarket in the basement and the gourmet shop up on the top floor, where they sell both fresh and packaged gourmet foods and have a bunch of different counters for tapas and other tasty bites.

I really love visiting supermarkets in other countries and this one was no exception. There was a whole aisle of tinned tuna and seafood; and another dedicated solely to canned white asparagus. And, like at supermarkets the world over, there were slow-moving, oblivious patrons getting in my way regularly. Just like being back home!

I was quite happy that I chose Chueca as my homebase. I was actually just off Gran Via, across from Chueca proper, which is Madrid’s gayborhood. I didn’t really sample any of the gay nightlife, thanks to both my being down for the count for a couple of days and not really being properly adjusted to local time, i.e. going out to a bar at 1AM. But the ‘hood itself is both lively and charming, with plenty of nice streets to wander, some cute shops and tons of cafes and restaurants.

A particular favorite of mine was Casa Lolea. First of all, they served great sangria – by which I mean sangria that was made with wine, juices, fruit and spices. As I’d learned in Sevilla, to my great and long-lasting chagrin, restaurants most often prepare sangria by combining wine and orange soda pop. Not good. At all. But Lolea has very good bottled sangria, made even better with some fresh fruits and other flavorings. Plus the place is cute and comfy for a drink; the food was tasty; and the servers were all charming and friendly. This was my home-away-from-home-away-from-home here in Madrid.

Since I liked this place, it’s also where I took Arelis, my friend Enger’s mother. When I told him I was going to Madrid, he said I had to meet her and I was excited to do so – though when he followed it up with, “Oh, and she doesn’t speak any English,” I was somewhat more apprehensive. As it turned out, we were fine. It was a little easier talking via text (since I can copy/paste to and from Google Translate) but we made it work in person too. Though let’s face it – I think both of us felt like everything got a little easier once we were at Casa Lolea, sipping on sangria.

Another neighborhood place I enjoyed was Conservas Nudista. I mean, yes, sure, it was the name that caught my eye (heh) – but it’s got a cool modern vibe and menu full of their own conserved foods, mostly seafood, but with some vegetables as well. I had a nice afternoon snack there and stocked up on tinned tuna and mussels to bring back home with me. I’d’ve included some of the vegetables and beans, but they were packed in glass with brine or oil and I was worried about the hassle of getting them onto a U.S.-bound aircraft. Sigh… It’s the same reason I didn’t bring a case of Lolea sangria home with me. Guess I’ll just have to back to Madrid to have them again.

Arelis stopped by my apartment a couple of days later on Sunday, my last day in Spain. She had a couple of things for me to bring home for Enger. She also surprised me with a gift for me: three bottles of wine! She already knows me well…  Though when I was messaging with Enger later, I did inquire, “What exactly did you tell your mom about my drinking habits?”

I loved Madrid – and all the places I visited in Spain – but between my illness and the fact that I was at the end of three weeks on the road, I was a bit lazy about documenting my activities – and most of the museums don’t allow any photography (which ultimately is a good thing – but it def means I have fewer photos of this leg of my trip). I probably didn’t get to try as many places to eat as I’d’ve liked, given that I spent a few days just eating rice and heat-and-serve tortilla española from the supermarket. Though, TBH, I spent most of the time when not on a walking tour either wandering on my own or relaxing with a glass of wine and a plate of jamon somewhere… This by no means a complaint! And I hope the photos I’ve posted give some idea of how wonderful Madrid is and how much I enjoyed my visit.

I flew home on Iberia. Madrid’s airport is pretty nice – though getting through immigration at the satellite terminal was a bit of shit show. Iberia’s lounge was OK. Very spacious, yet still quite full. The selection of food that morning was not extensive, though the tortilla española was fine.

Boarding turned out to be fairly annoying, thanks to the dreaded SSSSS notation on my boarding pass that flagged me randomly for additional security check at the gate. The process was not especially well-managed and they had hordes of other SSSSS designees crammed into a dingy office space adjacent to the gates.

Once I’d passed muster, I got back to the gate and had my boarding delayed by a tour group leader arguing with the gate agent about boarding group numbers. It was very tempting to pull an, “I’m in business class, let me through!” but tempers were flaring and I didn’t want to add to the agita.

There’d been an equipment change – I think when I booked, it was an old A340, but instead we got a nearly brand-new A350! It was a real treat. Seats comfy, food decent and flight uneventful. I had a couple of hours layover in JFK, relaxing in the Alaska Airlines lounge before my connecting flight home in Alaska’s business class – which was perfectly fine, though after starting my trip in Lufthansa first and having just been on Iberia’s long-haul business class, the Alaska Airlines 737 business class was, while serviceable, a much less deluxe experience – but def an upgrade from coach!

And soon enough, I was back home – and planning my return to Spain same time next year.

Lounge at the Sevilla Stn
Preferente
Deluxe!
My travel neighbor
Freshly shorn
Bienvenidos a Madrid
Not feeling great…
Trying not to poop
A turn for the worse…
Much better today
Back on the move!
A shop just for me!
First “real” meal
Heh
That logo!
Mm-hmm
“Do these come in anything other than white..?”
Plaza
Street
Si, por favor
Lolea
#5
This is the life
Life in Madrid
Subway
Si, es verdad
El león
No, gracias
#3
I approve this message
My dream home
Amazing
Postre
Yum!
Conserva Nudista
Tuna and mussels
Late night snack
Heh heh heh
O la la!
Arelis y yo
Anchoas
Doggo!
Granny lewkz
Si, por favor
Pintxos
Tapas
Tee hee
Metro
Madrid
Blue sky
Palace
I bought two
Some last jamon…
MAD-bound
JFK-bound
This helps!
Olives
Lunch
Loungin’ at JFK
SFO-bound
And back home at SFO

Sevilla

Sevilla, Spain – 15-20 May 2019

Up early the next morning and I took the ALSA Supra Economy bus to Sevilla. I’d’ve taken the train, but apparently track construction meant the train only went part of the way and then you transferred to a bus… A non-stop “affordable luxury” bus ride seemed preferable. 

Took a taxi to my home for the next five days, the Rey Alfonso X, smack-dab in the middle of Centro. I followed along on Google Maps for the short ride – and I was pretty convinced once I got to the hotel, I’d never find my way out of this maze of narrow twisty streets.

The hotel was very nice – though I got not-so-great room. It was large-ish, with a separate living area – but it was in the basement and only had one window, which looked out on an interior lightwell. And the bathroom was on the other side of the living room and down three steps – making for quite a trek when I’d wake up to pee in the middle of the night. I mean, it was all fine – but I got to peek into some of the other rooms, which appeared a little smaller but filled with natural light and some of them looking out onto the plaza in front of the hotel. Eh, I didn’t come to Granada to sit in my hotel room anyway…

Once I’d settled in, I headed out in search of tapas – and I didn’t have to go far. There are restaurants everywhere! I chose a place with good online reviews that was about a two minute walk from my hotel. It was fine – nothing to write home about. I sat at the bar, next to a foursome of loud Brits and got to hear the following exchange.

Loud Brit, speaking loudly in English: “I’ll have a glass of rosé.”

Barman: “Rosado?”

LB: “Rosé!”

Barman: “Rosado?”

LB: “ROSÉ!”

Sigh… I mean he did say “thank you” – but would it really have killed him to learn the word “gracias”?

After dinner, I met up with some new friends I’d met online, an American couple – Ralph and James – visiting from Alaska, of all places. We met for a glass of wine at a place just around the corner from my hotel. Our itineraries had some overlap, so they shared some good tips on what they’d done so far.

The next day, I had a morning bike tour, which gave me a nice overview of the city and some much needed time in the saddle. The other riders weren’t the friendliest, but it was a small group and the guide was very knowledgeable. Several places would warrant a return visit on my own. 

Sevilla is really just gorgeous. Beautiful architecture, the charming and narrow cobblestone streets of El Centro, jacaranda trees blooming everywhere. Just an absolutely lovely place. Sure, it’s touristy – but for whatever reason didn’t feel overwhelmingly so.

In the afternoon, I took a tour of the Alcazar Real. First off, some advice for anyone planning to visit the Alcazar: sign up for a tour! It’s worth every penny if only to skip the insanely long general admission line. Mine was with Amigo Tours and I really enjoyed it. The group was a bit on the large side – though we were all provided with headphones to listen to our guide, so it was easy to hear her descriptions of what we were seeing. She also pointed out my “twin” in one of the tapestries – some old guy with a crazy beard. I liked her.

The palace is quite beautiful – and the gardens even more so. TBH, my photos don’t do it sufficient justice – it’s an incredible place. Sadly, I probably didn’t spend enough time wandering the gardens – I think they were a lot more extensive than I’d realized. But it was already feeling like a long day – and Ralph and James had invited me to join them for a glass of wine, so…

I met up with them nearby and we ambled across the river and walked around Triana for a bit, stopping for a glass of wine and taking in local religious celebrations that filled some of the streets. We ended up back in El Centro and had a bite to eat next to the cathedral as dusk slowly settled over Seville. It was a lovely way to wrap up the day.

The next morning, I was up early and headed to the train station for a day trip to Cordoba, about a 45-minute ride on the high-speed AVE train. My visit coincided with Cordoba’s annual Patio Festival, in which locals open their beautifully decorated courtyards to the public and compete for the honor of best patio. I’d signed up for a tour and was very excited for this visit.

I met up with the group at the appointed location and the fellow leading the tour couldn’t find my name on his list of attendees. I was going to show him my email confirmation but he said it was no big deal and just come on along.

After about 25 minutes of walking and our guide sharing lots of details on the history of Cordoba, I wondered why we still hadn’t seen any patios – and experienced a sinking feeling as I began to suspect this wasn’t the right tour. I asked the guide and he confirmed that I was in fact on the free “Walking Tour of Cordoba” – not the patios tour. 

He called HQ to figure out a solution – which consisted of giving me a location on a map and advising that I “might” find my tour group there. This was about one km from our current location. So, off I sprinted. 

I have to confess, I was pretty unhappy about this turn of events. It was very tempting to just say “fuck it” and head back to the train station (or at least to get some wine somewhere) but I was really eager to take this tour, so I continued on my way, feeling quite confident that this was a wild goose chase and the likelihood of me finding my group was about zero.

I made my way to the location I’d been given (once again, thank you Google Maps!) and it was one of the patios. I poked my head in, looked around for the blue-shirted guide, asked one of the local fellows working there about any tour groups – and as I expected, no dice. 

I walked up and down the street I was on, checking the vicinity and around the corners. No luck. What a shitty day this had turned out to be. Was trudging back the way I came, when I see a fellow in a bright blue shirt with the tour company name on it, along with a small group of tourists. I run up to him, panting, as I say, “PERDONA ME, ARE YOU ALEJANDRO?” Apparently, unused to sweaty, wild-eyed, hobo-ish foreigners getting up in his grill, he was a bit taken aback, but did confirm that he was Alejandro and that – miraculously – I’d found my group. Who’d’ve thunk it?

Spent the next hour-and-a-half walking the streets of Cordoba and looking at the beautiful courtyards all gussied up for the festival. It was an enjoyable visit – though the morning’s adventure had left me feeling a bit frazzled. 

After the tour, I found a nice place to eat and had some albondigas and rosado – both of which helped my mood quite a bit. Got the train back to Seville and other than being very crowded, it was uneventful. 

A bit later, I was wandering Sevilla trying to find someplace to get a bite. For whatever reason, this proved challenging – and given all the agita from my adventures in Cordoba, I was feeling a bit blue. I walked past a little tapas bar that looked nice but was empty and I felt a little weird about being the only patron, so I kept going. But then I said to myself, “Self, stop second guessing! Just go have a glass of wine and a snack.” And so I did! And what a great decision that turned out to be.

The fellow behind the bar at Taberna del Rey was so nice, not only advising me on the menu but tolerating my fractured Spanish. And the tapas were delicious! Started with a montadito stuffed with meat, along with an ensalada rusa – which is essentially potato salad with tuna added, so of course it’s great. Then at the barkeep’s recommendation, I tried what I think translated as “beef in red sauce” – a small dish of simple beef stew. The meat was tender and tasty and I loved it.

The place had filled up some and I’d also had a couple refills of my glass of rosado, so I was feeling AOK and a bit loquacious – sufficiently so that I struck up a conversation with the English-speaking couple sitting nearby, recommending the beef stew. Turns out they were New Yorkers and had visited some of the same places I’d been, so we had a really nice time trading tips and experiences. 

Anyway, this turned out to be one of my favorite evenings in Seville, bringing together all of the things that make travel fun: meeting new folks, trading stories and good food and wine. What more could I ask for?

Spent the remainder of the weekend wandering Sevilla. Well, except for Saturday evening, which I spent watching Eurovision Song Contest on my laptop while gossiping/criticizing with one friend in Milan and another in Zurich. I’m so international!

My visit to the Plaza España was a little intimidating at first, as there was some sort of military ceremony being set up – which meant the plaza was densely populated with Spanish soldiers, many of them carrying large automatic weapons. So, yes, a little daunting – but who doesn’t love a man in uniform? It also helped that many of them were bearded and beefy. <fans self>

I walked past an outpost of El Corte Inglés, Spain’s only remaining department store. Sadly, they were closed on Sunday so I didn’t get to visit – but I will say this: their building in Sevilla is a really cool ’60s style and their mid-century logo is an amazing bit of design.

Another stop over the weekend was at the Museo De Bellas Artes De Sevilla. I was actually just looking for someplace to kill a bit of time – and what a good choice it turned out to be! Housed in a beautiful old palace with many courtyards, the collection covers several hundred years of Spanish arts. 

I recall specifically walking into one large gallery, filled with large-scale paintings, only to find my eyes drawn immediately to a smallish portrait of a bearded man. Turns out, this was my first encounter with El Greco and it was a portrait of his son, Jorge Manuel. It was exquisite – and made me all the more eager to see more of his work when I get to the Prado in Madrid. 

As much as I was eager to see Madrid, saying goodbye to Sevilla was not easy. Truly one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited: amazing architecture everywhere along the charming little streets winding through the center – plus great food and friendly folks. I hope I’ll be back again soon.

Bussin’
On the road
iSalud!
Guisado
Bridge
Triana
Street
Catedral
Tourists
Wall
Crenelations
Horsie
Alcazar Real
Archway
Las Flores
Moorish
Selfie time!
Ceiline
Tiles
Pattern
Courtyard
Balcony
Twinsies
Peen
Flowers
Garden
Cathedral
Dusk
Evening
Plaza
Si, es verdad
iHOOOOOOLAAAAA!
Taste the shame…
Bitch stole my lewk
Cordoba
Trumpet
No one expects it…
On the street
Patio Festival
Granny lewkz
Las flores
Pots
Awards
Plants
Balcony
Pinkie
Smiley
Clocks
Oranges
Arches
Blooms
Red & yellow
Puerta
Banner
Doorway
Church
Meats
Albondigas
Almond cake
El sexy!
Train station
My favorite spot in Sevilla
Cheers!
Montadito
Ensalada rusa
Meat in red sauce
Plaza de España
Plaza do Pose4UrLyfe
Blue and white
(fans self)
Los soldados
Watching Eurovision
Grafitti
Fantastic logo
Museo des Bellas Artes
Santo Domingo de Guzman penitente
iHola, señor!
Art fair
Siesta

 

 

Granada

Granada, Spain – 12-14 May 2019

Said my farewell to David and soon enough, I was at the lovely-to-look-at-but-terrible-to-navigate Bilbao Airport – the most onerous part being the main entrance to the gates after security. There are three poles dividing the entry and the departure monitors are immediately inside – so every jackass stops literally blocking the door staring at the screen while the rest of the crowd bottlenecks behind. Really shockingly poor design. 

Anyway, I hustled myself to the Sala VIP (thanks, Priority Pass!) which was not much to behold, but was a nice space to chill with a reasonable selection of food and drink. The staff were especially nice – actively shushing the loud-mouthed-English-speakers (not sure of their nationalities, but it was a bunch of 40-ish white dudes traveling on business, natch) as we rolled our eyes at one another in disdain. Perfecto!

Once it was time to board, it was at the dreaded remote gate. I’d booked on Iberia since it’s a “real” airline as opposed to the budget Vueling. WELL! My money was not well-spent! In addition to the 30 euro (!) charge to check my bag (and which I’m pretty sure wasn’t made clear during my original booking), they were VERY strict about boarding by group number – which normally I’d be a fan of (even though I was in the sad Grupo 4 this trip). However, they maintained this rule FOR BOARDING THE BUS TO GET TO THE AIRCRAFT! Once we were out there, it was every person for themselves. The whole process was ridiculous and the ground crew were pretty surly.

Once on-board, all was OK. There was one FA who was Not The One and honestly, I want her on every flight I take. Every time some dumb asshole put their backpack or tote in the overhead, she was all, “You need to put that under your seat. The overhead is for suitcases. Are you fucking stupid?” (I think I’ve translated correctly). There was a similar lecture delivered to jerks trying to put more than one piece of luggage up there too. She was as vigilant as an eagle and I appreciated that. 

Initially, I thought the middle seat in my row empty – but there were still two more busloads of passengers to board and the flight was at capacity. But I had a quiet row – though the row across from me had a couple with their baby traveling in mom’s lap while dad had three different bags of food and toys to keep the little one occupied. 

He was pretty cute and we played peek-a-boo throughout the flight. Little kids are typically either terrified or fascinated by my beard and he was the latter. I think I earned some good travel karma, as I made a small contribution to distracting him from crying over the hour-long flight. The parents even thanked me on the jetway in Madrid! Not all heroes wear capes…

Made my way to the Plaza Mayor Sala VIP in Madrid during my short layover (thanks again, Priority Pass!) and it was pretty nice! Good views of the tarmac, not crowded and a nice selection of drinks. 

Boarding time again and my gate was naturally at the complete opposite end of the airport – and I was last in line save for a handful of other stragglers… Which was worrisome until I realized we were flying one of those commuter jets where you load your carry-on bag into the hold from the tarmac – so no fretting about fighting for overhead space. 

In front of me while in line to board was rich-looking business fellow having a bizarre conversation with some other dude about the relative downsides of various violent methods of death. It was semi-creepy. And he literally never stopped talking the entire time we were in line and walking down the jetway and across the tarmac. And lucky me, he was sitting directly in front of me on-board. Thank Zeus for my noise-canceling cans!

Soon enough, we were on the ground in Granada and I made my to the Gar Anat Hotel, my home for the next couple of days. The place was very nice and my greeting from Lorena at the front desk was lovely. She was kind and helpful throughout my stay.

The next morning, I had to present myself at the entrance to the Alhambra at 8AM. Given that it was about a 30-minute walk, it was an early start to the day – so early, that I’d miss out on breakfast at my hotel, though Lorena had arranged for a bag lunch to be prepared for me which was great. 

The walk up there was lovely and I arrived early which gave me a chance to take several hundred photos of a couple stray cats chilling near the gate. I found my guide Gabriella by the appointed time and was lucky that it turned out to be a small group. 

I didn’t know much (OK, anything) about the Alhambra and Gabriella was excellent, thanks to her broad knowledge of both the history and architecture of the site. We spent most of the first part of the morning in the fort – which also had amazing views of the city of Granada and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains. 

We spent three hours visiting the complex, ending at the Generalife, the palace and gardens of the Nasrid rulers who built the Alhambra. And yes, it was lovely. In fact, while I understand the tour saving the best for last, it might’ve been nicer to start there, given that by the time we arrived the crowds were pretty intense by this relatively late hour. 

Headed back into town after the tour and popped into Bodegas Castañeda where I had my first encounter with tapas as they are served in Granada – they’re included with your drink! I was a little confused at first. I’d ordered wine, obv, along with tortilla española and jamon iberico. I was presented with my tortilla along with a little slice of bread with some cooked ham and tomato sauce. I figured I’d mispronounced something when I ordered, so NBD especially since the ham was delicious. But then, I was brought my plate of jamon iberico – at which point I also ordered another drink and was brought a plate of chips and marinated anchovies. I finally figured out that with each drink, one is served a tapas of choice from the bar. As it turned out, this is the custom in Granada – and it’s one I can get on board with!

Anyway, had a little siesta back at the hotel and soon enough it was time for an early-by-local-standards dinner. I decided to check out El Bar de Fede, as it’s apparently “gay-ish”, if the internetz are to be believed. Well, I think they were referring to the very cute, very nice staff – at least one of whom I recognized from one of the “dating” apps I use. The patrons were a pretty standard crowd. 

Happily, the food was quite good. I had albondigas which were very tasty – though sadly, only came in a full portion, meaning I both ate too much and didn’t finish. There are worse things in life…

The next day I didn’t really have anything on my agenda. In fact, I wasn’t sure how much I was enjoying Granada. The central tourist area around the Plaza Nueva is very touristy indeed and it felt very crowded. 

But my first order of business was to find some breakfast – after poking around online, I found Café 4 Gatos which sounded nice. So, I followed my map and found myself walking up the hill along cobblestone streets lined with beautiful carmenes – the walled houses that make up this lovely part of the city. 

The cafe was great – it seemed to be serving mostly tourists, but I bellied up to the small bar and had a simple and delicious tosta with ham and cheese, along with an ice cold Coca-Cola. Perfection.

After breakfast, I just wandered the neighborhood. It was really quite lovely and very quiet. Eventually, as I strolled past many lovely carmenes, I stumbled across one that had been the home of Belgian artist Max Moreau – and it was open to the public and free to visit. 

WELL. I immediately fell in love with the place. Several small buildings made up the residence and his studio, plus a large lower garden and a smaller rooftop terrace – all with spectacular views of The Alhambra. It was such an unexpected experience and felt like I’d discovered a local secret. In fact, I saw a couple who’d I’d exchanged “hellos” with at breakfast as I left and I caught up to them and insisted they retrace their steps and visit! Yes, I’m a busybody.

As I kept wandering up the hill, I stumbled across one of the several spots in the neighborhood providing amazing views of the Alhambra and the mountains. My mixed feelings about Granada had obviously disappeared at this point. It was really good for me to spend some time in this tranquil and beautiful part of this city.

Spent the afternoon doing more tourist stuff – cathedral, museum, shopping, tapas – followed by a nap, then another dinner at the same place as last night. Why not make things easy on my last night? Tomorrow I’m off to Sevilla!

So long, Bilbao!
Old school
Bus to aircraft
Layover loungin’…
Granada!
Long day
Es verdad
Map
“Do you mind?”
The Alhambra
Hola, gato!
Fortress
Door
Entrance
Puerta
Columns
Curves
Steps
Directions
Within the walls
Las Rosas
Looking down
Alhambra
Window
Mountains
Sleepy
So many cats!
Glowing
Church
Residence
Flora
Las flores
Lizzies!
Rosado
Fauna
Yellow
Hi there!
Fountain
Gardens
Pool
View
Arch
Grafitti
Tortilla
Anchovies
Jamon
Street
Green
Mas jamon
De nada
Tapas
Albondigas
Alhambra
Walking
Black cat
Cafe
Tosta
Portals
Casa Max Moreau
Studio
Painting
Doorway
The view
Snowcaps
Church
Carmen
Peek-a-boo
Street scene
On patrol
“Follow me…”
Sculpture
Rosado and tapas

Bilbao

Bilbao & San Sebastián, Spain  – 10-12 May 2019

Up early this morning and met David down in the lobby before heading to the bus station for our trip to San Sebastián to meet up with my friends Michael and Justin visiting from NYC. I suspect I could have figured it out on my own – though probably with lots of agita and stress, so having David to get me there was fantastic

We arrived mostly without incident, despite missing the 11AM bus and having to take the noon instead. It was just more opportunity for us to yak (esp since someone who shall remain nameless but whose name rhymes with Gayvid slept for most of the ride).

Granted, by the time we arrived, I was very nervous about making it on-time to our lunch reservation at 1:30 – but we took a cab and arrived at the restaurant Justin had reserved for us at exactly 1:30! And yet, neither he nor Michael were anywhere to be seen… I was convinced we’d arrived at the wrong place and was having a mild panic attack – especially since my phone wasn’t working. Oh, I didn’t mention that I’d re-started my phone at the bus station in Bilbao, but didn’t remember my local SIM card PIN and was locked out of my phone? Yeah, that happened.

Luckily, David convinced the lady at the restaurant to grant us access to wifi and I called Justin – who advised they were already on “Spanish time” and were on their way to our (correct) location. Phew!

Lunch was lovely – the restaurant located next to the sea with views of both the ocean and the charming town of San Sebastian. Food was great, though as always, the talking was even better – and everyone was super impressed by my mind-reading trick that involved an illustration of a duck. Just ask Justin!

After lunch, we ambled about the town a bit – it was lovely despite the overcast weather. We ended up back at the apartment Justin and Michael had let – so nice! On the top floor right in the center with a lovely terrace where we had a bit of bubbly… This is really the fucking life.

Sadly, it was soon time to say our farewells to Michael and Justin. We caught our bus back to Bilbao, walked around a bit before dinner, then hung out for awhile at my hotel, talking about everything under the sun. Finally, it was 1AM – time to go out for drinks, which is still crazy to me, but is the custom here.

Had a few drinks at a couple of different bars. I got to meet lots of David’s friends (he seems to run into someone he knows every time we walk down the street) who were all so nice and welcoming to me, despite the language differences. I made it ‘til about 2:30AM before I had to call it a night and everyone else went out to go dancing until morning.

I was up at a relatively reasonable hour and spent the morning and early afternoon exploring Old Town. I also had my first pintxos! David had promised to teach me how the “system” works that evening, but I was on my own and hungry when I stumbled across Mercado Ribera – with an entire first floor dedicated to small shops selling all manner of pintxos. The place was pretty hectic, so I just ordered a few things from one stand (after observing the process from a bit of a distance) and managed to acquire a few skewers of olives and anchovies and a boccadillo with ham. Oh, and a glass of wine, obviously.

WELL! Everything was amazing. As much as I enjoy some fancy meals on occasions, the most delicious food often seems the simplest. All the ingredients were of superb quality and it was a perfect way to start the day – or start the afternoon, as the case may be.

David was supposed to meet me at 2:30PM, but apparently got a slow-ish start to his own day after the previous evening’s activities, so was running a little late. But I had no complaints wandering about on my own in Old Town. Probably the highlight of my walk was seeing a woman out walking her dog (there are so many dogs here! I loved it.). He looked Border Collie-ish and was not a tiny thing. He was standing on his hind legs, front paws around her waist, eyes beseeching while she repeatedly told him he had to get down – until she finally let out an exasperated sigh and picked him up and carried him. The doggo looked absolutely delighted with his victory. I suspect this is a regular occurrence between these two.

Once David arrived, we had a nice visit to the Bilbao Historic Museum. It’s great old building and provides a nice introduction to Bilbao and Basque history. The descriptions are all in Spanish and Basque, so I was very lucky to have my local interpreter along to assist. Among other things, I learned that a significant number of Basque shepherds emigrated to the western US to tend sheep.

Next up: more pintxos! David took me to Plaza Nueva in the center of the old city. The main square is surrounded by a dozen or more restaurants selling pintxos, with tables packed with diners in the center of the square. We tried three or four places and it was wonderful, as the photos make clear. And the prices! Generally, a couple of pintxos and a glass of wine runs less than 5 euros! I could get used to this quite easily, thank you.

Also, while I really thought everything we ate was delicious, I especially liked Gure-Toki, since they had most of the waiters were sexy AF. #fuego

Had a bit of a siesta later that evening before David took me to a groovy Asian-fusion place called Panda. I often feel like I’m “cheating” when I travel and eat anything other than local cuisine – which is a little ridiculous, I admit. It’s not like he took me to Applebee’s! And the food was great. Started off with gyoza and a couple of steamed buns stuffed with short rib char siu. We both got mains of stir-fried rice, mine spicy with vegetables, while David’s delicate palate went for a mild version with grilled veal. So good!

And some wine of course. There were a few rosados on the list and prices were 8 or 9 euros a glass, which seemed reasonable enough to me. Except that wasn’t the price per glass, it was for A BOTTLE! A FULL BOTTLE OF GOOD WINE IN A RESTAURANT FOR ABOUT TEN BUCKS! Coming from San Francisco, this was both shocking and delightful.

Made an early night of it (finishing dinner at about half-past midnight – which still feels crazy to me, but I also kind of love it) and I headed back to the hotel. I got packed and organized for the next leg of my trip.

David met me Sunday for a last lunch together, though we had a bit of time to hang out together beforehand and the strangest thing happened. We were sitting on a little floating platform on the river, next to a bridge. I asked David to take my photograph while I ran up to the bridge and posed leaning over the side. Then two local fellows approached me and one was very happy and dancing and grabbed me and spun me around, jumping up and down dancing and singing in Spanish. I had no idea what he was saying and tried to explain that I didn’t speak Spanish. It was all over in the blink of an eye.

As I walked back toward the stairs, I reached into my pocket and discovered my wallet was missing – though all my cash was still in my pocket (I don’t typically carry cash in my wallet). Before I could even react or comprehend what had happened, the guy who’d approached me yelled at me, “Hey, is this yours?” and was holding my wallet. He gave it back to me after checking my ID that was in there. Both my credit cards were still in there, along with all the other odds-and-ends. So, the story has a happy ending – I dodged a huge bullet! – though I’m pretty sure the “nice” guy who returned the wallet had actually picked my pocket. I’m guessing he wasn’t interested in credit cards, only cash, which he didn’t get. It was a very freaky experience – though again, I was so, so lucky I didn’t lose anything.

Anyway, I’ve switched to using my little money pouch that attaches to my belt and goes inside my pants. Better safe than sorry!

The remainder of the day was great. We revisited Plaza Nueva as planned and I ate more pintxos (and drank a bit of wine) before it was nearly time for me to make my way to the airport. I didn’t have an particular expectations about what Bilbao would be like, but I have to say I’m a little bit in love with this city – not least because it’s home to the wonderful David who showed me the best of his hometown. I can’t wait to come back!

Desayuno
The world liberals want…
Away we go!
Five minutes later…
On the road
We made it!
Hola, David!
Hola, Miguel!
Hola, Justin!
Los Chicos
Los Amigos
Los Turistas
We have most of our hair
Gato!
In town
Si, es verdad
Hotels
Kursaal
Grafitti
La Playa
Los Maridos
Guapo
Siesta
Shopping
San Francisco District
Out on the town
Sculpture
Pintxos
SO
MUCH
FOOD
Goalz
La Puerta
El Barbudo
Mas pintxos
More still!
Queso
Next stop
Yum
So many choices!
So much fun!
OK, just one more…
Station
Gato!
River
Old Town
Church
Bearded fella
On the river
Pensive
Up on the bridge
What a view
At the museum
Door pieces
La Puerta
Barba
Walking back to hotel
So long, my good friend!

Going to Spain!

San Francisco, USA & Bilbao, Spain – 7-9 May 2019

In a stroke of luck, I was able to change my original adequate-but-longish (and with the dreaded “mixed cabin”) flight to Bilbao to a much superior routing: SFO-MUC-BIO. And in Lufthansa first class! What a treat this was going to be.

Arrived without issue at SFO and hustled my way to the United Polaris lounge. It’s new and I’d read many good things about it – but let’s face it: “United lounge” is not a phrase that inspires either confidence or visions of luxe travel. I’m quite pleased to report that my doubts were misplaced. The lounge is spacious, very nicely designed with plenty of room to hang out along with a dining room, a buffet and a bar – and the staff could not have been friendlier. Honestly, it was kind of shocking – which speaks volumes about my expectations with anything United branded. I hope they manage to maintain the level of service over time. It’s really about as nice as any lounge I’ve visited overseas and is vastly superior to any other domestic lounge I’ve seen.

Soon enough it was time to board my A340 bound for Germany. The first class cabin consists of 2 rows seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. I was in 2K – which was great, as my original seat was in the middle, but at check in I was able to switch to the single window seat.

While the seats are not quite as private as the “suite” style seats on other airlines, it was perfectly comfortable and almost infinitely adjustable. Once airborne, there’s a partition on the aisle side of the seat that can be raised for privacy.

Service was friendly and on-point – though it seemed to me that the the German-speaking passengers received more attention. I imagine this could be that they are regulars up here in the pointy end of the plane rather than points junkies like me – this isn’t necessarily a complaint, but I did notice it. Anyway, I was mollified with the excellent rosé champagne that I was served while we were still on the ground and again once we were en route.

Dinner service started with caviar (with vodka, natch) and some lovely appetizers. I chose chicken for dinner – it was simple but very tasty, with a white wine sauce and some barley and wild rice. Dessert was an unmemorable apple tart – though I had a glass of Johnnie Walker Blue with it which was fantastic.

Changed into the PJs that were provided to first class passengers and the FA converted my seat into a bed and made it up for me while I changed. Once I settled in, with my eye mask and earplugs at the ready, she asked if I wanted to be awakened for breakfast or to sleep as long as possible. I chose sleep.

Next thing I knew, I was being gently awakened and advised we’d be landing in 15 minutes! Now, that is the perfect way to get from SF to Europe.

My layover in Munich was four hours – which frankly was perfect, given that I had access the first class lounge during my stay. I disembarked, followed the signs to the lounge. Upon entering, there is a dedicated immigration counter and my passport was stamped immediately and into the lounge I went!

WELL! It was quite roomy and sparsely populated with some nice views of the gates (though not the runway unfortunately). I took a shower in a large and well-appointed private bathroom, then settled into one of comfy chairs by the window, where one of the several very gracious attendants brought me a drink.

Next I had some dinner in the dining room. First, a beef filet from the a la carte menu, then a few selections from the buffet. It was all very, very good – as was the chardonnay I had with dinner.

As I was finishing dessert, the receptionist who checked me in approached me and said, “Mr. CompleteOutrage, I’m so sorry to tell you, but your flight to Bilbao has been delayed 45 minutes.” I indicated that having to spend another 45 minutes here was not a bad thing!

My only “disappointment” about my lounge visit in Munich is that I didn’t get to use their limousine service, since my ongoing flight was boarding in the same terminal as the lounge (literally right next to the lounge). Had my flight been at a different terminal, I would have been driven across the tarmac to my aircraft in a Mercedes sedan directly to the jetway. Maybe once I save up my points again, I’ll get a chance to try this…

Soon enough, it was time to board. My flight to Bilbao was in business class – which is not much to write home about on a regional flight. I didn’t get to board separately from the rest of the passengers and business class seats are identical to coach – but they leave the middle seats empty. Eh, it was fine – I had the first row to myself and flight was only two hours.

Arrived BIO and was eager to get to my hotel. Even in first class, I’d still be traveling for more than 18 hours. Sadly, we arrived at a remote stand, meaning the indignity of cramming into a bus for the trip to the terminal – but it went quickly enough and there were no delays getting through customs since I’d already done that in Munich.

My driver from Blacklane greeted me as I exited baggage claim. He was very friendly and a good driver – though I think it’s unlikely I’ll use this service again. It was on the pricey side – I think around US$70 – but I figured it was easier than dealing with a taxi in a new city when I arrived after midnight. The service I signed up for was dubbed “business class” and indicated I’d be traveling in a Mercedes E-class – but I was actually driven in a minivan. And while there’s nothing wrong with a van, I’m not sure I’d’ve been willing to pay $70 for that privilege… I guess once I’m home, I’ll have to put on my “I’d like to speak to a manager” wig and send Blacklane a strongly-worded email.

Whatever the case, I was at my hotel soon enough, checked in without any issues and then sent a message to my friend David. He and I met online five years ago (!) and have managed to stay in touch regularly. He’s Basque and a native of Bilbao. I was of course very excited to finally meet him IRL – not to mention how great it is to visit a new city and get insights from a local.

By the time, I got to bed it was well after 2AM local time – but still mid-afternoon back in SF. I did my best to sleep, but after remaining steadfastly awake, I decided an Ambien was in order once it got to be 4AM. I was hoping I’d manage to sleep ‘til 10AM or so…

Next thing I know, I’m hearing a knock on the door and friendly, “Hola!” – it was housekeeping and it was 1PM! I was shocked I’d slept so late, but honestly, it got me pretty close to being on local time, so it was a fine way to start my visit.

I’d not gotten to see much of my surroundings on the way in from the airport – and it turned out I’d chosen a wonderful location, with my hotel facing the Nervion River and the Guggenheim Museum located about 200 meters to my right. While I didn’t have any view from my room, it was a lovely walk to the museum.

The Guggenheim’s exterior is frankly just as spectacular as one imagines – though perhaps a bit smaller in person than I’d thought (but really, what isn’t..?). As for the interior? It’s… fine, I guess. It’s showing its age a bit, but more than that, there seems to be a lot of space dedicated to stairwells, elevators and other non-gallery functions.

The current exhibitions were Morandi, an Italian painter. While I enjoyed the work, the space wasn’t the greatest, especially the lighting. There was also a Jenny Holzer exhibit which I enjoyed very much. I like her work and the space dedicated to the show was used to great effect.

Next stop was Museo de Bellas Artes, which David had recommended to me. A much more old school setting and quite charming. The current show was the ABC’s of Bilbao, with each of the galleries dedicated to a single letter (Art, Bilbao, TBD). Yes, it was a little gimmicky – but i enjoyed it very much, as it provided a great cross-section of different media and subject matter.

Had a lovely amble back to the hotel – the charms of Bilbao grow on me with each moment – for a bit of lie-down before performing my elaborate and time-consuming beauty regimen before heading downstairs to meet David in the lobby.

And lo and behold, there he was! It was both strange and wonderful to meet this person in the flesh after knowing each other via the internets for so long. We headed out into a drizzly evening and walked to a local movie theater for a screening of Beast, a suspense thriller set on the island of Jersey. It was good – though he and I had different opinions on it (which seems pretty much how we react to every movie we’ve discussed, with one of us loving it and the other not so much – with exceptions though!).

After the movie, dinner at Mina, a one-star Michelin place I’d found online. It was a lovely little place, up a flight of rustic stairs to a stone-walled room but with a contemporary decor inside. A lovely place. The head waiter was a bit snooty – I guess we weren’t his kind of people – but the rest of the staff were very kind and explained everything we ate in English (for me) and Spanish (for David). The sommelier in particular was very knowledgeable and so friendly.

As for the food? It was pretty great! Though frankly, the conversation was even better. David and I talked each other’s ears off – though being Basque, he definitely had the advantage in the talking department (#notacomplaint). At any rate, photos of all the wonderful food and wine we had are below.

I still hadn’t fully adjusted to eating dinner at 10PM, so I went back to my hotel right after dinner, hoping for a good night’s sleep before our day trip. In one of life’s many wonderful coincidences, two of my dearest friends, Michael and Justin, just happened to be staying down the road in San Sebastian and David had kindly agreed to squire me there on the bus (#howthemightyhavefallen h/t Jean Parker). Looking forward to this next adventure!

 

#thisbitch
Salud
Pre-flight snack
SFO
I’ve arrived
“Champers alright for you, Pats?”
So long, SF!
Already ate the caviar…
Dinner
Boooooze!
Bella durmiente…
Landing in MUC
Guten abend!
I could get used to this.
Filet of beef
View from my hotel
Balls
Lunch at the museum
Jenny Holzer
Richard Serra
Bilbao
Bust
Nudes
RBF
La Señora
The Nervion River
Doggo
Snack at the hotel
Color
The Artist Is Present
The Guggenheim
Art
“How you doin’?”
Jesus Christ
Undulations
More balls
Exterior
Los Dos Amigos
Amuse bouche
Wine
Weakfish with olive oil emulsion
Black cheese, mushroom and crunchy chicken
More wine…
Spider crab with salt cured egg yolk soup
And more…
Tear pears in broth
Aubergine confit with red pea and prawn tartar
Next!
Smoked bluefin tuna pastrami
Roasted snapper and mushroom stew
Still more…
Beef filet
Sweetbreads with pumpkin and cardamom
Finale
Tamarind ice cream with toffee
Black rice vinegar, fruit and butter cake

Bangkok: My Old Friend

Bangkok, Thailand – 19-25 November 2018

As I’ve been lucky enough to say half-a-dozen times, I’m back in Bangkok. One of my favorite cities and home to my friend, Ak. The city here is both familiar and brand-new every time I visit, thanks in large part to the extremely lively bar and restaurant scene – and on this particular trip, the first ever Bangkok Art Bienniale, with displays and installations throughout the city.

I was soon enough checked into my home-away-from-home here, Le Méridien – and, as usual, I was welcomed by the staff like they’d just seen me yesterday. I really do love this place.

One of the things that’s so nice about coming back to Bangkok is that, while in some ways I’ve barely scratched the surface of everything there is to do and see here, I’ve certainly made a dent in my previous six visits. And there’s something very relaxing about being able to explore a big city like this at a leisurely pace.

For the most part, I’ll let my photos tell the story of this visit, though there are of course some places I’ll need to call out specifically, either because they are new – or just continue to be amazing.

In the latter category is the restaurant Thai Niyom. Ak and I discovered this place last time I was in BKK. It was still new then and was pretty quiet both times we ate there. But the food! So good. The most amazing dish I ate last time was cabbage stir-fried with fish sauce and garlic. Simple and simply fantastic. And this visit? Same dish, still amazing! We ate here twice again. I can’t recommend this place highly enough. And they got a Bib Gourmand mention – very deservedly so. I was happy to see the place is doing a brisk business – not only because they should be but so that I can look forward to more meals there next time I’m in BKK.

Ak and I also had a lovely afternoon tea at Peacock Alley in the new Waldorf Astoria. Tea in fancy hotels is a bit of hit-or-miss prospect in my experience, with style often winning out over substance all too frequently. I’m happy to report that this tea was mostly quite good. It was absolutely stylish, a sunlight-filled modern room overlooking the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. There was a nice selection of tea-infused cocktails which were as tasty as they were delicious. The sweets and savories were really gorgeous – clearly made with Instagram in mind – but were also quite tasty. There were a few duds, but overall everything was quite good. Granted, I’d’ve preferred a higher savory-to-sweet ratio, but that’s been true just about everywhere I’ve had afternoon tea.

Another very special evening was spent at Sawaan, a new-ish fine dining restaurant serving Thai food – and the recent recipient of a Michelin star. Since this was a “fancy” dinner, I’d reserved for Thanksgiving – which is obviously not celebrated here, but it felt like a good reason to celebrate.

Well, this place was delightful. The service was just lovely – warm and welcoming and the entire staff really went out of their way to make sure our evening was special, as I’d mentioned in my reservation that it was Thanksgiving for me and a belated celebration of Ak’s 25th birthday. They served us a complimentary round of drinks for the holiday and presented Ak with a wonderful extra dessert at the end of our ten-course meal.

And the food? Just wonderful. Large multi-course tasting menus can feel daunting at times, but this one worked really well, not just in terms of the food but in the pacing. Several of the dishes were served with some theatricality, though it didn’t feel precious – and the food itself was amazing.

A few standouts: Fresh amberjack minced tableside with a dozen different herbs and other flavorings. A fat, buttery oyster presented in a bowl, into which a ewer of mushroom broth was poured, gently poaching the mollusk. A slice of Iberico pork, cooked simply but with a complex marinade of Thai herbs and spices.

It was a wonderful meal – and a really fine way to spend Thanksgiving. And I was indeed thankful – not just to be spending the holiday with my good friend Ak, but also being reminded once again of how very lucky I am to get to travel to amazing places like Bangkok.

We also visited the just-opened Icon Siam, a huge new shopping mall on the banks of Chao Phraya. The place is pretty swanky and includes an indoor “floating market” with plenty of local food and snacks for sale. Of course, for us, the best part turned out to be the outdoor promenade along the river – it provided many excellent opportunities for us to pose for our lives. And honestly, I wish I had Ak around as my personal photographer on the regular – he always manages to make me look good in photos.

While I didn’t come close to seeing everything on display for Bangkok’s first Bienniale, I did see quite a bit. Choi Jeong Hwa’s (South Korea) work was displayed in several locations and was always colorful and engaging. I especially liked Sornchai Phongsa’s (Thailand) installation at BACC – it was fascinating to see and was given particular depth when I learned that the artist had hired undocumented immigrants to build the structure, a commentary on the many stateless residents of Thailand. 

Thanks to all the amazing food, cool bars, great art and fun times with Ak, my six days in Bangkok flew by. Soon enough, I was winging my way back to real life in SF. Looking forward to my next visit to Thailand in October!

 

@Choi Jeong Hwa
Guns
Lion, tiger, bear
Rush hour
@Ralf Tooten
Alien Capitol
@Sornchai Phongsa
Moo dang han
Basket Tower
Looking up
@Choi Jeong Hwa
Looking down
Walk
Pose game on point
GAAAAAAAY
Diluvium @Li Bul (Korea)
Ivan’s Thai cousin
Fashion baby
Wristwatch model wannabe
CAT
My favorite breakfast
Rien n’est moins comparable @Sara Favriau
Walk
Tea
High tea @Peacock Alley
Kind of smiling
Kitteh
So Thai!
Surrounded by balls
Colors
I’m on the left
Thankful
Photo cocktail
Cocktails
Thanksgiving
BALLS
Ladies of leisure
Jour de beauté
Boba tea happy face
Posing
Sofa, so good…
Urban landscape
Fresh fade
Cocktail
Millenials, amirite?
Pad Thai place
Mushroom soup with oyster
Quite a feast!
Dry tom yum with manta shrimp
After
Savories
Poor Tom Turkey…
Before
At church
Sweets
Bangkok lewkz
N00dlez
Rough night
After
Iberico pork
Pumpkin
HBD, Ak!
Before
Chatuchak Market
Curry @Thai Niyom
Cabbage @Thai Niyom
Feast @Thai Niyom
BTS Skyway
Brutalism
Meat @El Mercado
Fries @El Mercado
BFFs
Urban forest
Broommates
Home with Ivan
So long, Bangkok…
Flying back to SF

First Time in Laos

Luang Prabang, Laos – 15-19 November 2018

Despite the short distance, it was a bit of an all-day affair to get from Phnom Penh to Luang Prabang, thanks to having to fly via Bangkok. But it was a mostly uneventful trip. The flights were short and I spent my layover in the Miracle Lounge at BKK waiting for my connecting flight, thanks to my Priority Pass. Lounge was comfy enough with some very tasty food. Granted, I was less than pleased with the old white lady putting her bare feet up on a chair while she kicked back and listened to Christian sermons on her phone – with the external speaker natch…

Oh, and then there was the fellow who was seated in my row on the flight to LP. I was on the aisle, reading my magazine during boarding and he needed to get past me. Rather than saying “Pardon me” or some other normal method of interacting, he just stood in the aisle staring at me – while all the other boarding passengers were stuck behind him – until I finally felt his freakish gaze and looked up.

“Oh, did you need to get in here?” I asked.

He just continued staring at me. Very peculiar. Oh, and once he was seated (and while we were still sitting at the gate), he reported to the flight attendant that the passenger in front of him “tried to recline their seat.” I think he was expecting her to reprimand the other passenger? All I can say is I’m happy the flight was half empty and I moved one row back to get away from this weirdo.

As we approached LPQ, we were flying over the lush green mountains of this province. It was actually a tad intimidating, because we were clearly descending but there sure didn’t seem to be any large, flat expanses of ground that might accommodate something like – oh, I don’t know – an airport. Eh, I’m sure the pilots know where they’re going.

I was listening to music on my headphones as we approached LPQ – and Aaron Copeland’s “Hoedown” shuffled on. It’s a quintessentially American song – yet it seemed the perfect song to hear as I started my latest adventure. And it was one of those moments I have sometimes when I travel where I realize how incredibly lucky I am to be able to visit different countries, meet new people and experience cultures other than my own. It got me a little misty-eyed…

Arrived at LP’s small airport and made a beeline for Immigration. Laos does “visa-on-arrival” which I’d done when I visited Siem Reap a couple of years ago (Cambodia now has an online visa system, which makes it way easier; Laos is implementing one this year, I believe), so I knew I wanted to be at the front of the line so I could make it through quickly.

And I did! Things went very smoothly. The two immigration officers at my counter started off in the typical serious and unsmiling manner shared by customs officials all over the world – which is fine! They aren’t CS agents, after all. But after verifying that I wasn’t an undesirable who’d be denied leave-to-enter, they began quizzing me about my beard, how long it took me to grow it, etc. They were all smiles, as friendly as could be and quite fascinated with my beard – which, let’s face it, IS pretty impressive. It was a nice welcome to Laos!

My hotel had sent a shuttle to collect me and soon enough, I was checked in to my lovely and spacious room at the Kiridara Hotel. The place is located a bit outside of town, which turned out to be mostly OK, especially since there are bikes available for guests to borrow. The property is quite beautiful, built into a hillside and looking down toward the Mekong River and the surrounding countryside.

My room was large and comfortable, though the space wasn’t used as well as one might hope. There really wasn’t much of a workspace – which, granted, this is a resort not a business hotel, but there wasn’t anywhere comfortable to set up my laptop – yet there was a ton of wasted space near the closets that would’ve been the perfect spot for a small desk.

There was also a huge terrace – though it was right next to the pool. There were some plants separating the terrace from the pool area, but it wasn’t as private as one might hope. But the view was really great. Well, except for the huge mansion down the road that looked something like Graceland East. It was wildly out of place (it belongs to a wealthy Laotian construction company owner, according to a shuttle driver I met later that week) with its Greek columns and pediments – though in a nod to local culture, there were also several huge bronze elephant statues flanking the entry gate. Kudos to the hotel though for planting a thicket of bamboo in a moderately successful attempt to obscure this mega-home from view.

Had dinner at the hotel – it was just OK (breakfast was similarly uninspiring for the rest of my visit), though my cocktail was very tasty: a Lao-jito!

Up early the next morning to head into town and meet up with my bike tour to Kuang Si Falls, about an 18 mile ride outside of town. I’d been very excited to do this ride, though I’d had a bit of a quandary booking the tour with Tiger Trail Adventures: I could pay double and go on a private tour, i.e. me and a guide or – if some other folks signed up for the tour during my stay in LP – join the group tour. I’d been checking with Tiger Trail regularly and it was just the day before that they told me a group was going on Friday. Perfect! Or so I thought…

Now, don’t get me wrong – the tour was fantastic. The ride out there through the countryside is absolutely gorgeous. Plus it was a nice long ride and included a few challenging-but-doable hills along the way. And our guide, Cha, was very good.

But, as an experienced cyclist, it wound up being disappointing since our slowest riders ultimately set the pace of the trip. Actually, that’s not quite true – Cha and I were typically way out in front together (though even he had to walk his bike up one of the hills that I cycled up with relative east – all my riding at home through SF’s hilly terrain paid off!), with the nice Finnish couple in the middle and bringing up the rear, an older couple from Idaho and our other guide. The couple were not experienced cyclists.

Far be it from me to tell people what they can and cannot do on vacation – but if you don’t ride regularly, does it really make sense to sign up for a riding tour that goes for 18 miles and includes hills? And while they weren’t the worst tourists I’ve ever encountered, they were very American in their demeanor, so not exactly my favorites.

Ultimately, it just meant that we had to stop every now and again to wait (sometimes for quite a while) for the rear guard to catch up. Not the end of the world – but had I been on my own, we probably could’ve made it to the falls in two hours rather than the three-and-a-half it actually took.

Again, though, I was particularly grateful for our guide letting me set a fast pace for us up in front. It was a really wonderful morning – the scenery of course and putting some serious miles in the saddle, which is always so good for me physically and mentally.

One of our stops along the way was at a local silk shop. A very friendly merchant ran the place – though for me, the highlight was the absolutely adorable puppy who was probably only a couple of months old. She was fluffy and playful and loved being around people. She was gamboling – gamboling I tell you! – and just a delightful little furball that I wish I could’ve smuggled home in my suitcase.

Once at the falls – which despite being a huge tourist draw were not overwhelmingly crowded – we walked up through the forest path to the main falls and gawked and gazed and took photos. They really are lovely.

Walked a bit further down to one of the pools where swimming is permitted. The water was pretty chilly but it was a refreshing and the water was pristine.

Next, some lunch at a local place back near the entrance, before riding down to the Mekong River. We boarded a boat for a leisurely trip back to town. As is so often the case with boat rides of any sort, it was a bit longer than I’d’ve liked – but it was relaxing and certainly much nicer than being in a mini-van. Personally, I’d’ve been happy to get some more time riding – but even so, it was a really wonderful day and I highly recommend this tour.

The rest of my stay in LP was pretty laid-back. Spent some time by the hotel pool. Made regular use of the bicycles-for-loan from the hotel to get into town.  

Had a couple of very nice meals at Pha Khao Lao – well, actually the same two meals: larb meatballs which were delicious! Owners are a husband and wife – he’s from UK, she’s Lao. He was very friendly and took great care of me on my second visit, making sure I got to try some of the local sausage along with my meatballs. A really charming place with such good food and a friendly local staff.

I also had a couple of meals at Le Banneton, a French bakery at the eastern end of LP’s main drag. It was a wonderful spot to relax and watch people go by or just take in the temple across the road. A very yummy jambon-beurre sandwich was the highlight, especially the good quality baguette. Pastries were tasty, though some of them seemed to suffer texture-wise from the local heat and humidity.

I was really just delighted with my visit to Luang Prabang. I think I was expecting something more overwhelmingly touristy and that’s not how it felt to me at all. Granted, I avoided the sunrise crush of tourists thronging the local monks collecting alms each morning. Everything I’d read about it made it sound both overwhelming and often disrespectful – though it is a huge draw for tourists. I’m sure it’s fascinating, but the cons seemed to outweigh the pros.

Really, the only thing that I ultimately didn’t like about my stay was my hotel. Granted, it was a lovely property – but beyond that, it fell short in many areas. The bikes – which I loved having use of – were not particularly well-maintained, many with squishy brakes. The shuttle to town didn’t seem to hew to the posted schedule – which is not the end of the world, but there was never any communication from the staff about when/if the shuttle was leaving or arriving. The staff in general were very friendly – but seemed unequipped to respond to anything other than the most basic requests.

Case in point: my last day was Monday and my flight was at 5PM. I asked for a late check-out at 2PM and was refused since, the fellow at the front desk explained, the entire hotel was fully booked for Monday. Fair enough – though I did ask if they expected all the guest to arrive at precisely 2PM, the stated check-in time. I didn’t really get a response.

There were a variety of things I could have been offered: use of a different room; access to a shower and changing room; a compromise of 1PM check-out – but there was nothing. Just repeatedly being advised that I had to be out of my room at noon.

And so I was! I hung out by the pool reading (though not swimming, since all my bags were packed and I wouldn’t have any place to shower and change before my flight) for a couple of hours. When I did leave at 2PM for the airport, not a single guest had checked into the hotel. Furthermore, the couple in the room immediately above mine gathered their luggage and checked-out – at 2PM.

Then I had to wait around for the hotel shuttle to the airport, with no advice as to why it was now 15 minutes after I’d scheduled my ride and I was still sitting by the front desk with my luggage and various staff members hanging around. I finally inquired and got to the airport with plenty of time – but the whole experience on my last day at the hotel was really poor. I have to say, as beautiful as the property is, I probably wouldn’t recommend it.

But Luang Prabang? Don’t miss it! Really just a wonderful spot that I hope to visit again soon.

Approaching Luang Prabang
View from my terrace
Rancho Relaxo
Lao-jito
Carts
In town
Alley
Lil’ Pooper
Lanterns
Market
Chiles
Citrus
Rainbow
Cold one
Larb meatballs
On the road to Kuang Si Falls
Guide and group
Fields
Farmer
Watering
Gray sky
Hill
Vee
Laborers
Rubber tree sap
Countryside
Pit stop
Town
Kiddo
Sign
OMG!
BFFs
Mekong
Road
Farmland
A gorgeous day
Fence
Market
Forest
Kuang Si Falls
Sunbeams
Cascade
Bridge
Swimming
Doggo
Headed home
Back to town by boat
Our guide, Cha
Pooped!
Jamon beurre
Lunch companion
Lemongrass mojito
Main drag in town
Palace building

Touring Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – 13 & 14 November 2018

Tuk-tuks are ubiquitous in Phnom Penh, just like in many other cities in Asia. They are charmingly photogenic and generally inexpensive – but honestly, not the most comfortable way to travel. But oh well – when in Rome and all.

So, off I went in a tuk-tuk for the 15 minute ride (per Google Maps) to meet up with this evening’s food tour of Phnom Penh. Even with the 15 minute buffer I’d added, the trip was frustratingly slow thanks to the usual cuckoo traffic. But I made it just about on time and met my guide for the evening, Vanarith at the appointed location near Olympic Stadium. Happily, I was the first to arrive, so I didn’t feel so bad about being a bit behind schedule.

The two other women joining our tour showed up a few minutes after that and, I’ll confess, I was initially leery. They were Western and I assumed American – so I was prepping myself for some eyeroll-inducing cluelessness. Instead, it turned out they were Canadian and I heaved a big sigh of relief. We had something else very much in common, as I was to find out later…

Anyway, we explored a bit of Olympic Stadium, which is much different in the evening compared to my visit that morning. Not only were there a bunch of food carts and vendors selling their wares, locals turn out for semi-organized dance rehearsals. It’s kind of like a community Zumba? Anyway, it was super fun to watch but I declined the opportunity to participate.

We grabbed a table near the food carts and our guide ordered a bunch of stuff. Now, here’s where I have to confess – I did a terrible job documenting either with notes or photos all of the food we tried over the course of the evening. And further confession – while it was all tasty, none of it bowled me over, though this was pretty much the case with most of the food I ate while in Phnom Penh. Now, don’t get me wrong – nothing was bad. I think it’s just that compared to Vietnam and Thailand, I didn’t eat any Cambodian food that was particularly memorable, even though it was all good and freshly prepared.

Now, this should also not be considered a knock on this particular tour. In some ways, I think it was my favorite of my visit – thanks largely to the good chemistry between our guide and my two new friends from Canada. Vanarith was extraordinarily engaging – he knew plenty about the food we were eating of course, but shared wide-ranging information about local life, Cambodia’s history, the changing face of Phnom Penh. He’s a great guide!

At some point during the evening, I shared email or IG or something with Tania and Arielle and thanks to my highly-Jewish surname, we discovered we are all descendants of Abraham. Yes, yes, I’m still a devout atheist, but am most certainly culturally Jewish. And of course, all three of us swung right into action, teaching Yiddish to Vanarith. “Oy vey,” “fakakta” and “schvitzing” all made the list and he was an impressive student – though “schvitzing” proved particularly challenging to pronounce.

I had so much fun yakking with everyone, that I didn’t take as many photos as I’d’ve liked – but that’s quite indicative of how much I enjoyed this tour.

The next morning I was up early since I had to be back in the center of town for a bike tour that started just before 8:00AM. It sounded like it might be raining a bit, so I opened the draperies to check the weather and it was POURING. Like crazy buckets and cats-and-dogs raining. I was semi-relieved since I kinda wanted to go back to bed – but then remembered I’d already paid for the tour and they expect you to show up rain or shine since weather can change quickly.

And sure enough, by the time I was on my way, the rain had completely cleared up. I got to Grasshopper and we were on our way soon enough – me, a Swedish couple, a young Tunisian man who lives in Qatar and our guide.

First we rode along the river on a nice paved bike and pedestrian path – though constructed of some kind of slippery material, so I managed to halfway wipeout on our way to the ferry to cross the river. Oopsie! I guess I was being punished for the hubris of bringing my own helmet…

Made across the river and started our ride on paved and then gravely roads. All was AOK! Then we got to the unpaved portion of the tour…

Hoo boy! After that mornings torrential downpour, there were mud and puddles everywhere. It was challenging going to say the least. I did OK, particularly once I gave up and accepted the fact that I was going to end the ride covered in mud from head to toe. This realization really sunk in (no pun intended) when I had to put my foot down to keep my balance and I want calf-deep into the mud.

Ultimately, it was really kind of hilarious. I mean, sure, the paths were quite treacherous in a couple of spots but I survived. I think I felt worst for the other solo rider. He didn’t seem an especially experienced cyclist and rather than steering around puddles, he’d attempt to power right through them – and they often turned out to be quite a bit deeper than they appeared. I think he was knee-deep in mud more than once. At one point during the ride, I think he was trying to shake some of the mud out of his gears by braking the bike hard – but he did so using only the front brake and managed to send himself ass-over-handlebars onto the paved road we were on. Happily (and somewhat shockingly) he sustained no injuries.

We stopped at small silk weaving outfit, which was quite fascinating to watch – especially for the very intricately patterned fabric that one weaver was working on for a bride. There was also a super friendly doggo there, so that was an extra bonus!

Once we’d gotten past the worst of the mud, things went more smoothly. The countryside was very pretty and we spent a bit of time exploring a local temple complex while waiting for another boat. We ended with lunch back in the city. Sure, I was filthy and smelly, but it was a pretty great half-day in the saddle.

I’d wisely booked a massage appointment for that afternoon, back at Bodia Spa – and let me just say, they were just as welcoming and gracious as on my previous visit, despite my monstrous and filthy appearance. And I was able to have a nice hot shower before my massage, so by the time I left two hours later, I felt absolutely fantastic!

Headed back to my hotel and had a quiet evening in, while I packed and got ready to leave in the morning. Next stop: Luang Prabang!

The best thing I saw from my tuk tuk
Nom nom nom
Dinner
Fish
Foodies
Kitteh
Bike tour morning
After the rain
Doggo
So friendly!
Nap time
Colors
Weaver
A dirty job…
What a ride!
Waiting for our boat
Temple
Hi!
Bikes
My ride
Our guide, looking fresh as a daisy.
Friendly neighborhood Spiderman
Lunch!
We survived!
Local kitty
My neighbor
So long, Phnom Penh!

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – 11, 12 & 13 November 2018

The flight to Phnom Penh was uneventful – really, the best kind of flight. The most memorable part of the trip was Vietnam Airlines’ promo video for their international service, in which happy passengers enjoyed their flights in economy, premium economy and business class – though the business class passengers were all white, unlike those in economy. A little bit racist!

Getting through the airport in Phnom Penh was easy – much more so now that online visas can be procured prior to one’s visit, a big improvement over visa-on-arrival that I’d used in Siem Reap. Leaving the airport? That was another story. Traffic was at a literal standstill – and even once out of the worst of it, traffic remained slow and congested. The 7-mile trip from the airport to my hotel took over an hour – longer than my flight from Saigon!

Happily, though, arriving at my hotel, the Rambutan Resort, showed that the place was even more delightful than it appeared online. A small boutique style place with an open lobby, pool and restaurant occupying the ground floor, all of it lushly landscaped – this place is a real oasis in this very hectic city. And the staff were all delightful – so genuinely friendly and helpful throughout my stay.

I’d splurged a bit on this stay and was staying in the penthouse. The quarters were spacious and comfortable and the large terrace was a lovely extra. Really, I couldn’t have asked for more. Well, OK, maybe one thing – the bidet sprayer (a.k.a. “bum gun” per my friend Ak) was a little weak pressured and thus not quite as effective as it could be. But other than that, all was well!

Dinner and drinks at the hotel that night and breakfast there the next morning. Food was all very good, as were the mojitos I had with dinner. After breakfast my first day, I spent some time lounging by the pool and it was wonderful. Read, swam in the saltwater pool, finished a crossword puzzle. I’m not always good at “allowing” myself to have downtime when I’m exploring a new city, so this was a nice way to start my visit.

Eventually, I made my way into the center of Phnom Penh. The city is larger and more bustling than I’d imagined for some reason – and while the location of my hotel away from the center meant having to take a 15 minute (or more when traffic turned bad, which is often) tuk tuk ride, it was nice to be located in a relatively quiet neighborhood.

I had a bit of time before joining my walking tour that afternoon, so I had a mediocre lunch at a noodle place (well-reviewed by foreigners on TripAdvisor – which should have warned me away) and then a nice visit to a cat cafe, where a little tuxedo fellow became my BFF. Oh cats!

Walking tour with Grasshopper Adventures was pretty good. We covered a lot of central PP and explored many of the tiny alleys and streets where locals live and lead their lives. While it was interesting, it did feel a bit invasive at times. I think maybe working with some locals who are actually interested in sharing a bit of their lives with tourists might make for a better experience.

There’s still a good amount of colonial architecture in PP in varying states of repair. The old abandoned police station is a bit worse for wear, but is home to an assortment of apparently thriving used car sales and detailing businesses. There’s also a volleyball court – one of the most popular sports in Cambodia – where we stopped to take in a bit of a game being played by some local fellows.

Climbed to the top of Wat Phnom and my guide told me about the legend of a wealthy widow called Penh who found a tree with Buddha statues inside, inspiring her to construct a small hill and temple on the site, and eventually lending her name to the city (Phnom means “hill”).

We finished up the tour with an afternoon snack at a very local place – so local in fact that my guide warned me that I probably shouldn’t eat the greens and herbs served with our rolls, due to my presumably delicate Western constitution. Though after we were halfway through our meal, I mentioned that I’d been eating everything in Saigon including local and street places – and he told me then I’d probably be fine if I ate everything we’d been presented with. I was tempted, but he’d gotten me sufficiently paranoid that I declined.

Back to the Rambutan by tuk tuk – and I will just say again how wonderful it is to return to this place after exploring the hectic city. The setting is so tranquil and all of staff are so welcoming. This is really a special place.

Got an early start the next morning, this time for a tour of the city’s 1960s architecture with Khmer Architecture Tours. We started at Olympic Stadium, designed by Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann. It’s a pretty amazing site, despite the fact that it’s fallen into a bit of disrepair and all of the original reflecting pools on the site have been converted to parking or other less inspiring functions.

The indoor stadium is clearly 60s in style with both Brutalist and Modernist styles. However, the adaptations to local climate are ingenious, like vents under the tiered seating to allow airflow. The angled metal “windows” allowed some light into the venue, but shielded it from direct sunlight and was another path for airflow.

The surrounding area is home to numerous recently-built highrise condos, all of them pretty fancy looking and not affordable for most Cambodians. They are primarily being built by Chinese for Chinese. It’s a decidedly double-edged sword, given that the developers have chipped in to maintain and repair the stadium and are providing construction and other jobs – but these projects are massive and are substantially changing the city, for better or worse (probably a bit of both).

Next stop was a visit to the 100 Houses, another Vann Molyvann project. The project was conceived as a block of 100 houses for middle class workers – sort of a Khmer version of California’s Eichlers. Simple and identical floor plans, designed to maximize airflow, vent cooking fumes and provide some outdoor space for growing a garden.

Built in the 60s, then largely abandoned during the Khmer Rouge genocide, those that haven’t been razed and replaced have been mostly re-occupied with massive additions and renovations. But we did get to explore one semi-dilapidated house that remains vacant on an overgrown lot. It really was a thoughtfully conceived living space.

Our last stop was at Royal University of Phnom Penh, home to quite an assortment of 60s modernism – most notably, the main hall with it’s parabolic roof. As with our previous stops, it was quite fascinating to learn how modern architectural styles and designs were adapted to function in the climate of Cambodia, where airflow and rainwater mitigation are always major concerns.

My guide’s knowledge was exhaustive – which was great, though also a bit literally exhausting. She shared so much information, it was hard to absorb it all! It was certainly a great way to get a bit off the beaten tourist path in PP and see some of Cambodia’s history.

After another unremarkable lunch, I had a massage at Bodia Spa – and it was wonderful! I’d visited their spa in Siem Reap a couple of years ago and had good memories. The spa in PP was really lovely – a very friendly and gracious staff in a beautifully designed space. My therapist was very skilled and my massage was a wonderful treat after spending much of the morning on foot.

Back to the hotel for a bit of a rest, then time to head out for another tour: this one a street food tour that I’d booked last minute. What a day!

 

Rambutan Resort
Breakfast
Fishies
My guide from Grasshopper
Beauty parlor
Phnom Penh
Neon
Stairs
Downtown
Storefront
N00dlez
39
Market
Looking up
USPS
Window
Volleyball
Players
Spike
Whoa
Windows
Bats!
Grill
Vendor
Bananas
Cart
BFF
Stadium
Brutal
Condos
Cantilever
Tuk tuks
Flowers
Kitty
Nagas
Same Same
Peek-a-boo!
Silhouette

A Day on Bikes in the Mekong Delta

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – 9 & 10 November 2018

When I’d visited Saigon last year with Ak, we’d contemplated taking what sounded like a great bike tour down in the Mekong Delta with Grasshopper Adventures. However, the weather was iffy and the prospect of driving in a minivan for two hours only to ride around on bikes in the rain sounded less than ideal.

So, I was determined to make the trip this time, not least because the weather had been delightful and not too hot (by southern Vietnam standards). Of course, the fly in the ointment was my traveling solo – there needed to be at least one other person signed up for the trip if it was going to take place.

I’d submitted a request a month prior to my trip and there were no tours available during my stay. Amazingly, though, two days into my trip, I got an email from Grasshopper Adventures that a tour was available for Friday. Hooray!

I showed up at the designated meeting point and met, Dat, our guide for the day and two fellows from So Cal, Albert and George, friends since high school and regular travel buddies. We piled into our minivan and made it to our starting point in about 90 minutes.

Well! I’d not really known what to expect, especially after my friend Vu had warned me to be prepared for a super touristy experience. I suspect this may be true at the floating market or some other destinations in the area, but we really spent the entire visit as the only foreigners around, pedaling our way through gorgeously lush countryside and narrow paths shaded by banana and palm trees. It was really one of the best bike riding tours I’ve been on.

One of our first stops was at a local home factory where they made straw mats that Vietnamese use for sleeping and sitting. I was a little leery at first, since so often stops like these on tours are really about the gift shop. Not this time! This was a genuine local workshop and we got to see the folks producing the mats while Dat explained to us the economics of the product and the history of this particular workshop. We met the 82-year-old matriarch (with whom I foolishly neglected to take a photo!), who’d only just recently retired from running the show and handed the reins over to her son-in-law. She was pleased to meet us and Dat interpreted for us as she thanked us for coming to visit. Her grandson (or maybe great grandson?) was also there and practiced his very-good English with Albert. Everyone we met there was delightful and welcoming and it was wonderful.

Rode some more, passing by duck farms, herb farms and the occasional cow. Our next stop was a cocoa bean farm. Dat walked us through the whole tree-to-bean process, as we ambled through a grove of cocoa trees before visiting the main part of the farm where the beans were harvested and prepped. The cocoa pods contain white-fleshed lobes of fruit, each with a bean inside. We tasted the fresh fruit and saw the various stages of the beans as they are dried and peeled. The smell of the place was like a strong dark chocolate along with a fermented edge. We tasted the dried beans which was as expected, a sharp bitter chocolate.

We met the farm owner, who shared a shot of chocolate booze with us – it was very similar to sherry or port. The farmer works directly with Maison Marou, a Vietnamese chocolatier started by a French company. The maison produces chocolates all sourced from several regions in Vietnam, making both bars and fancy boxed chocolates.

It was a wonderful visit – and again, it was really focused on learning a bit about this farmer, his work and his crop rather than an opportunity to hard sell some gewgaws to tourists. Obviously I’ll be making a trip to Maison Marou once I’m back in Saigon to pick up some of the single-source chocolate bars made from the beans on this very farm.

We continued our ride and the countryside remained glorious. Since we we were all three keeping a good pace with Dat, he took us on a little roundabout route to our lunch destination so we could get some more time in the saddle.

Lunch was at a private home that was also a small farm. Our meal was prepared from ingredients harvested locally and it was delicious. I mean, it was delicious in and of itself – but after a long ride, we were all pretty famished and wolfed down just about everything in sight: fried rolls, stir-fried beef, greens, pork and vegetable soup, fruit and plenty of rice.

We also met some adorable baby boars frolicking near their parent’s sty – and I just pretended that I hadn’t eaten their siblings for lunch. Awkward… but still delicious.

Next we needed to board a boat – but our captain was apparently a bit behind schedule, so we wandered a local wholesale fruit market nearby. As happens frequently, my beard was a source of mirth and fascination for some of the locals. According to Dat, one of the ladies selling oranges thought I was quite the handsome devil! A woman of good taste clearly.

Soon enough, our long boat arrived and we spent a little bit of time on the Mekong. Initially we were one of the several tributaries in this region, but shortly we made our way out into the main artery. It’s huge! Really amazing sight.

Another great part of this trip was that the boat ride was a reasonable length – about half an hour, I’d say. It was enough time to see the river and enjoy the breeze but didn’t even approach the “OMG, when are we ever getting off this boat?” territory.

Piled into the van and headed back to HCMC. What an amazing day! It was such a great ride and Dat was a really excellent guide – plus Albert and George were great touring companions and we were all keeping up the pace with each other. I really lucked out with this

Had dinner at a relatively unmemorable place down the road from my hotel. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. Another early evening and slept like a baby, thanks to today’s ride.

Saturday, I was tempted to try to head back to District 4 for my favorite pho – but Pho Minh is right next door to my hotel and serves very tasty pho plus pate chaud! Convenience won out and I am OK with that.

The rest of the day was dedicated to treating myself and a little shopping. I checked out Mayhem, a vintage shop that’s apparently all the rage. Looked like the women’s section was fairly well-stocked – but the men’s was a little ho-hum for my tastes.

Next stop: Maison Marou, the chocolate shop that sells the bars of chocolates made from the cocoa beans of the farmer I met during my tour of the Mekong Delta. Wow! The shop and cafe is delightful. Besides the single-source bars, they also have fancy boxed chocolates with fillings like Vietnamese coffee and coconut. The prices were also amazingly reasonable, so I stocked up on treats to bring back home with me.

Wrapped up my time in HCMC with a Sunday morning visit to Unification Palace. I’d explored the entire place last year, but I still think this is one of the most gorgeous examples of modern architecture, so I had another wander about, taking photos inside and out. And before I knew it, it was time to get back to the hotel and head to the airport. Next stop: Phnom Penh!

Grave
Countryside
Tourists
Captain
Builders
Working hard
Straw
Cart
Looms
Spools
Weavers
Making mats
Laborer
Posing
Bridge
River
Ducks
School’s out!
Snack
Cacao pod
Ripe
Discards
Pulp
Beans
Drying
Dat pours our cacao liquor
Cacao farmer
Boarlets
Eek!
Greens
Rolls
Beef
Soup
A fine feast!
Limes
On the Mekong
Chillin’
The mighty Mekong
Pooped!
Unification Palace
Cart
This queen
Last breakfast
On to Cambodia

SFO to HCMC via HKG

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – 4-10 November 2018

Far be it from me to complain about flying across the Pacific in business class – but I will say this: Cathay Pacific positions itself as a “premium” airline, but my experience – while obviously better than service delivered by U.S. carriers – was a mixed bag. Check in took way longer than it should have and the agent was not especially friendly nor did she seem particularly well-versed in her job.

The flight crew was competent, but also not especially friendly – plus no slippers for business class passengers and too-small pillows. The food was decent – but the hamburger available as a midflight snack, while still quite tasty, used to come with fries but now comes with chips.

And then there were my efforts to rearrange my flights in HKG to get to Saigon instead of Hanoi, as I was ticketed to do. One agent was very helpful but the early flight to Saigon was full. Later, when I spoke with another agent and indicated that I’d be flying on to Saigon on a different airline and wouldn’t be using my onward business class ticket to Hanoi, accused me of “cheating” (yes, that’s the word she used) when I asked if I could still use the biz class lounge (and which she insisted I could not and therefore did not).

So, yes, flying up in the pointy part of the plane is always better than the alternative – but Cathay is sure no Singapore Airlines. I think they are outperformed by EVA, ANA and JAL, as well.

Anyway, enough of my kvetching about my first world problems. I had a nine-hour layover in HKG, so that was plenty of time to get into the city for a walkabout and – far more importantly – a breakfast of char siu at Joy HIng Roasted Meats in Wan Chai. And it was absolutely worth the trip in, I’m happy to say! Afterwards, I took the Ding Ding Trolley over toward Sheung Wan, then climbed up the hill and walked along Hollywood Road before heading down to check out the harbor and use the free wifi at the mall.

Back to the airport, where my flight on Vietnam Airlines to Saigon departed from one of the dreaded 500 series gates – the gates in the basement underneath the “real” gates. Instead of a jetway, passengers are schlepped out to their plane on a crowded bus. Business class this wasn’t! But once on board, the seat next to me was unoccupied which is a pretty great way to fly coach – plus there were a hot meal served on the two-hour flight!

Finally arrived at airport in Ho Chi Minh after about 26 hours in transit – and of course I chose the slowest line for Immigration staffed by an officer who was apparently VERY PARTICULAR about each traveler’s documents. Sigh… But once through, I stopped to get a local SIM card, which was easy enough – except I didn’t have exact change in my wallet, so had to dig through my backpack and suitcase for the rest of my cash and at which time I also discovered that the See’s chocolate turkey I’d brought for my friend Ak to celebrate Thanksgiving when I’m in Thailand had been smushed. Exhaustion made my reaction to this discovery rather more pointed than was absolutely necessary.

But at least once I left the terminal, I was greeted by my favorite sight after a long day of travel: a sign with my name on it, meaning a car service was here to collect me.

We were on our way to the hotel in short order – but I’d forgotten how absolutely intense traffic in HCMC is. We moved at a snail’s pace for most of the ride and all I wanted was to be in my hotel room. It was at this point I was thinking to myself, “Why do I ever even leave home? The trip takes too long, I’ve made bad decisions about my travel arrangements and my turkey is broken. Everything is ruined!” OK, perhaps I was a bit overwrought…

Made it to my home for the week, the Liberty Central Citypoint in the heart of District 1. Check in went smoothly – though they do love try and upsell which was hard to be patient with given how eager I was to have a shower…

But once in my room, shower I did, then unpacked and had a bit of lie down. I was feeling much better already – and even more so after a bowl of soup next door at the Old Compass Cafe. I’d visited for lunch last time I was here with Ak and we’d really enjoyed it – plus it’s run by the purveyors of the Rusty Compass website, an invaluable resource for places to eat and things to do in Vietnam and other parts of SE Asia.

In fact, I had a walking tour scheduled with Nhi from Old Compass for the next day – and was lucky enough to meet her that evening. In our earlier email about where to meet for the tour, I’d told her I’m easy to recognize, thanks to my big gray beard. Well, she saw me at my table and figured out pretty quickly, “Oh, that looks like the crazy foreigner I’ll be showing around tomorrow…”

Had a nice bowl of soup and more than one glass of Chardonnay – you know, just to take the edge off of a very long day. And it worked! Back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Up early and headed down the alley next to the hotel to visit a favorite from last time, Phở Minh. This little place is amazing! Just a few dozen meters off one of Saigon’s busiest streets, this alley is a quiet oasis – and the phở is very tasty. Plus it comes with a couple of bánh patê sô – flaky little meat pastries that are just delicious.

After breakfast, made my way to the Saigon Zoo, the meeting point for today’s tour. I was there a bit early and had the great good fortune to witness a dance troupe of local children in full costume, coming either from dress rehearsal or a performance. Sadly, I didn’t whip my camera out in time, but did manage to capture a photo of two of the boys in their sequined shorts, vests and tank tops. Get on down, little dudes!

Besides Nhi, there was one other tourist, a nice woman from Australia. I did have a bit of a rude awakening self-awareness-wise when she showed up, thinking to myself, “Oh, she’s old.” – only to realize she was likely a few years younger than I… It’s still weird to remember that I am in fact an old coot!

The tour was great, focusing primarily on the history of Saigon and Vietnam along with an emphasis on local styles of architecture. Nhi was very knowledgeable and engaging and had quite a bit of background details on the local tensions between preserving historically important and generally quite lovely old buildings and developing the city’s infrastructure and economy. She also explained that the scooter population in Saigon is the same as the human population – in other words, for every person there is a scooter. That certainly sheds some light on the insane traffic here!

We finished up with a tasty lunch at the Old Compass Cafe. I got to meet Mark, the founder of rustycompass.com, along with the cafe and tour company. He and the other woman on my tour had a good chat about the current state of Australian politics – before the subject turned to the US. Let me just say this: most people who enjoy traveling abroad, wherever they’re from, seem more likely to be “my kind of people” and I’m happy to report these folks were no exception. And let me also add that I was pretty happy to be out of the country for Election Day back home… Being away from the everyday stress of the Trump regime is doing me a world of good.

After lunch, had a nap and did a bit of catching up on social media while deciding where to have dinner. Wandered over to Secret House, sister establishment to Secret Garden where I’d eaten with Ak when I was here last year. Menu at new place much the same: had some just OK clams, some good fried rolls and some excellent seafood fried rice.

Headed back to hotel, but it was still early. I decided to walk by a local gay bar in the backpacker district. It was early, so the place was populated by a couple of pasty-but-now-sunburnt white dudes out front and some louche money boy types inside. Hard pass! And the backpacker district was kind of a hellscape – how surprising…

But once close to my hotel, I Googled “cocktails near me” and found The Alley – located literally right next door to my hotel and down the same alley as Pho Minh and The Old Compass Cafe! That is one magical alley.

Anyway, the place was exactly what I was looking for: not empty but not crowded with a mellow feel and a highly-competent bartender who prepared me a Fusion Gimlet with lemongrass and sweet basil. Excellent! And the perfect way to wrap up my first full day here in HCMC.

—

While it’s true that adjusting to local time here is pretty easy coming from SF, I’m still waking up quite early – which is mostly fine, save for being ready for bed by 9PM. But there’s also tons to do in the morning here, especially when it comes to eating.

I set off in search of Amen, a noodle stand serving hu tieu nam vang that I’d read about here. It seemed simple enough – right on the corner of Hiem 178 Doan Van Bd and Doan Van Bo, which I found easily enough on Google Maps. And I’d visited District 4 last time I was here with Ak and our guide Vũ. What could go wrong?

Well, to start off it was raining. Not pouring, but def more than sprinkling – though I was able to pick up an umbrella at a Circle K as I made my way on foot from my hotel to District 4. So far, so good!

Once I was over there, I recognized the street I’d started off on last time and took this to be a good sign. Sadly, it was not. I found myself on the exact location described in the article about the soup place and besides the fact that there were dozens of shops, stands and eateries, none of them bore even the remotest resemblance to anything in the photos with the article. I was zooming into the backgrounds, trying to spot matching window styles or shop signs, all to no avail.

While I wouldn’t describe the locals as unfriendly, they were all pretty busy with their own lives and the only fellow interested in my apparent confusion was someone trying to proffer his scooter taxi services. As is often the case, I was really too shy/intimidated to try to ask one of the neighborhood folks for some help. Not knowing the language makes me feel extra awkward… And as I was to find out later from two different locals, District 4 is apparently gangster territory – not that I had any problems, but I guess I’m glad I found this out after the fact..?

And to digress for just a moment: it’s been a while since I’ve traveled solo. I absolutely enjoy it! But it does have a way of preying on my own insecurities. Whenever I’m on the road, all my social media – whether it’s this blog, FB or IG – is putting forward a narrative of how amazing a time I’m having. And that’s true! Even when I’m being self-deprecating, I’m posting the best parts of travel. But I’d forgotten that I tend to be very hard on myself when I travel. Despite the fact that traveling on my own means I can do whatever the eff I want, there’s often the voice in my head saying things like, “Ugh, why are you going to same place for breakfast again? You should try someplace new!” or “Why are you eating in this restaurant? It’s mostly tourists! Why aren’t you going somewhere authentic and local!”

I suppose to some extent it’s an outgrowth of travel shows like Bourdain’s, which prize “authenticity” above all else – which is kind of silly, since he had a whole team of researchers and producers mapping out his shows. When I travel, I can be just as judgmental of others, wondering who’d come all the way to Vietnam to eat in a mediocre Italian restaurant? I’m trying to check these thoughts when I have them – because the fact of the matter is, for any Westerner (Americans in particular) to come to Vietnam is a pretty amazing travel itinerary, no matter if you eat banh mi on the street or duck into McDonald’s for a burger. I mean, it’s obviously a fascinating country – but it’s very different from home for most people and managing to roll with those differences however works for you is pretty great.

Anyway, I’m trying my hardest to be nicer to myself about my choices – but it’s not always easy when I’m on my own and responsible for all my decisions.

Back to District 4. My plan to eat breakfast at Amen was stymied. BUT! Luckily, I still had the name and address of the best pho I’d ever had from my food tour last year – and it was only about an eight minute walk from my current location, so off I went.

Found the place with no problem (thanks again, Vũ, for sending me the address last year!) and had a delicious bowl of soup. Sure, I never did find my OG destination, but who could complain about a great meal at Pho Mui?

Next stop: ANZ Bank ATM. I’d read online that they had a higher limit on withdrawals. The ATM I’d used the other day gave me a mere 3 million dong (heh) – about US$125. It was about a 20 minute walk there – which was both nice, insofar as I saw some different parts of the city, but also an occasionally harrowing reminder that HCMC is not exactly a walker’s paradise (I’ll call out again the stat that the number of scooters is 8 million – the same as the number of residents).

Arrived at the location on Google Maps and discovered a construction site. Super! Eh, it’s fine – and as it turned out, the additional 3 million dong (heh) I withdrew from some other ATM was more than enough to get me through the rest of my visit to Saigon.

Wandered around for a bit. Grabbed a banh mi from a place with good reviews online – it was fine, though nothing to write home about, IMO. I also stopped by Cộng Cà Phê, a place I’d been introduced to in Hanoi: a Vietnamese chain (though they’ve just opened their first shop outside the country in Seoul) of coffee places with a communist military theme – and which serves frozen coconut coffee, essentially the world’s greatest coffee milkshake prepared with coconut milk slush. If they manage to open a branch in SF someday, I’d be both delighted and frightened of how much weight I’d gain… But for now, I’m on holiday and they are delicious, especially after walking around in the hot weather.

Tonight I was meeting up with Vũ. He’d been our guide for a street food tour when I visited Saigon for the first time last year with my friend Ak. We’d kept in touch a bit and he’d told me if I ever returned, he’d take me around to new places to eat – and on his own time at no charge! I’d’ve been happy to simply sign up for another tour, but he’d graciously insisted that he’d take me out on his own time.

He’d also told me that it would be best if I traveled on the back of his scooter – which, while I was still home in SF, sounded a bit daunting – but once I was here, I said, “Eh, when in Rome… And that’s why you paid a little extra for that trip insurance with medical evacuation coverage.” So, we met up in District 5 at 5PM, I perched the tiny helmet he brought me on my giant noggin and off we went!

And honestly? It was fine. Sure the traffic was crazy, but for the most part the pace is not Indy-like – and Vũ was a very steady pilot. I mean, yes, I may have clutched him once or twice when we hit a bump, but at no point did my life flash before my eyes.

He took me all over town. We ate soup with dumplings, quail egg salad, banh mi, banh xeo, rolls and – to wrap up the evening on an especially festive note – a whole bunch of meat and seafood that we (and by “we,” I mean Vũ) grilled up ourselves on a little table top charcoal grill at an outdoor place that also served plenty of cold beer. Oh! And had coterie of lovely cats – who were also surprisingly finicky about what they’d eat! I guess they are so used to being fed by the patrons, they can afford to pick and choose what they like.

It was a great time, especially seeing parts of Saigon I’d’ve never seen on my own, plus eating like a local. Plus Vũ laughed at all of my corny jokes. He really hit this one out of the park.

Thursday was looking to be pretty chill. Wandered around District 1 after a breakfast of pho at Pho Minh again. Compared to other parts of the city, it’s relatively walkable – once you get used to the fact that sidewalks are also used as shortcuts by in-a-hurry scooters who just can’t with the traffic – and there are lots of trees and lovely old buildings.

Eventually made my way to Moc Huong Spa, where I’d had an excellent Thai massage last year when I was here with Ak. He’d complained that his massage was too strong – though I pointed out that he’d been snoring quite loudly during his treatment, so it couldn’t have been that bad!

Anyway, things were not quite the same, sadly. Reception was hectic and disorganized. Several different folks talked to me about the treatment I’d reserved and no one seemed to be communicating with each other. There was another large party there waiting for services, so the whole process was super unrelaxing.

My therapist eventually collected me and took me upstairs for my massage – and it was pretty clear from the get-go that she didn’t know WTF she was doing. I mean, I assume she’d had some training in massage, but not in Thai massage it seemed. Some parts were OK – other parts felt like she was just making stuff up. She had me hanging off the side of the mat, my limbs ensnared in the curtains surrounding the treatment area;  she was twisting my body around into some weird positions; and at several points elbowed me in the face while manhandling me. Honestly, I should have stopped the massage and either left or asked for a different therapist – particularly since later that day, the crick I’d had in my neck from sleeping funny had been made substantially worse by this therapist’s terrible massage. Boo! A real disappointment.

But I did stop for another frozen coconut coffee, so the day wasn’t a total loss. And I was looking forward to my Mekong Delta bike tour the next morning!

 

 

Loungin’
PRIORITY
HKG
Joy Hing
Char siu
Taxi
Rainbow
Flowers
Stairs
Bus to aircraft
Old Compass Cafe
HCMC
Doggos
Saigon
Chillaxin’
Upside down
Graffiti
Baskets
Pooch
Air America
My home in SGN
Phở Minh
Tiny dancers
Granny hat
Deutches Haus
Matcha smoothie
Soup
View from my place
Rolls @ Secret House
Clams
The Alley
Rainy walk
My favorite
SO GOOD
Coy!
Frozen coconut coffee
Vũ takes me for a ride
“This is fine.”
Egg salad
Scootin’
More rolls
Banh xeo
Street cart
Bánh mì
Rancho Relaxo
Grillin’
Posing
A feast!
Thanks, Vũ!
Elevator
Juicy
ATM
Fashun lewkz
Not Hanoi

 

A Weekend in Santa Fe

Santa Fe & Española, NM – 17-21 April 2018

Spent a really nice long weekend with my sister and sister-in-law at their lovely home in Española. I was coming from a business trip in Phoenix and I flew directly into Santa Fe Municipal Airport. It was a bit pricier than Albuquerque Sunport – but not having to wait for the shuttle to Santa Fe and spending over an hour en route from there was well worth it.

Andrea met me at the airport, since it’s just up the road from her work and I was off the plane and out of the tiny airport in about three minutes! We picked up Marybeth and then headed to Gabriel’s for dinner. It was as good as always – with the notable exception that we didn’t get our second round of margaritas we’d ordered, so the entire trip was obviously ruined… We did however stop at the highly glamorous Kokoman liquor store so we could at least have that second round of drinks once we got back to the ranch.

It was nice to get back to their place. It’d been four years since my last visit (#worstbrotherever) and they’d made some changes around the place, most notably putting in a new staircase to the upstairs, which was now the location of my guest suite! Very comfy – though cats Parsley and Donut, as lovely as they are, didn’t provide the same level of hostess service that Porkchop (#RIP) provided on my last visit – she would snuggle with me at night and then wake me up in the morning by sneezing in my face. Try to find that at the Waldorf Astoria!

Friday was spa day. Andrea works at the Sunrise Springs Spa and Resort, so she treated us to a morning massage, followed by lunch. The whole property is lovely. The massage facilities were just gorgeous and I had 90-minutes of deep tissue massage and reflexology from the very-skilled Oliver. My only complaint was how quickly those 90 minutes flew by!

Lunch on the terrace at the Blue Heron. I had their deservedly award-winning green chile burger and we all shared a lovely bottle of rosé. The meal was really delicious and the service was wonderful. And an hour soaking afterwards in one of the private hot pools was the perfect way to wrap up our visit.

Back home, we alternated between watching reruns of The Royal Wedding and napping, before having a yummy dinner of shrimp with rice and zucchini.

Saturday we visited a lavender farm up in Abiquiu, which was fun – though perhaps not quite meeting our expectation of endless vistas of waving fields of lavender à la Provence. But the scenery up there is beautiful nevertheless.

We’d not reserved early enough to make a visit to Georgia O’Keefe’s house in Abiquiu, so we had to content ourselves with a nice lunch out on the terrace of the Abiquiu Inn. We also stopped at Freddy’s, a regional fast food place, that serves burgers and frozen custard. I got the “Hawiian Delight Concrete” – a blend of frozen custard, pineapple, coconut and macadamia nuts (hold the strawberry, please #c’estleger) and it was pretty darn tasty.

Another dinner at home, prepared by Marybeth, followed by a few episodes of “House Hunters International,” with the three of us all yelling at the contestants and their stupid choices and opinions. In other words, a perfect night.

Sunday we were up and on the road early. Annie and Marybeth dropped me off in the center of Santa Fe, where I met up with my guide for a two-hour tour around town. It was really enjoyable, insofar as I’m always happy when I have an opportunity to ride. With that being said, my guide, while pleasant enough, wasn’t exactly overflowing with knowledge about Santa Fe – or even about alternative bike routes. I mean, it was fine – but I’d probably have been just as happy renting a bike and exploring on my own. Next time…

Meanwhile, though, Annie and Marybeth were on an important mission: visiting a litter of puppies, with the hopes of adopting one. And lo and behold, they did! They picked me up downtown along with the new addition to their menagerie, Pearl, an eight-week-old Great Pyrenees! And she already weighs 17 lbs. – she’s gonna be a big girl.

When we got back to their place, Pearl was a little woozy from the long ride in her crate and had a bout of carsickness. But soon enough she’d had some food and water and was bounding around the yard, settling into her new home, while also getting lots of hugs and belly rubs from the three of us.

While Marybeth got started on dinner (#hero), Annie and I went out to run some errands: getting wine and going to Dairy Queen. Seems simple enough – but not so fast! First liquor store was closed since it’s Sunday (#wtf), so we had to go back to Kokoman, a bit further down the highway. It was actually pretty convenient, since the DQ is just up the road.

Anyway, we got the wine and then popped into DQ where the woman working there greeted us and then advised she had some bad news: no ice cream today! The machine was broken (#insertMcDonaldsjoke) so we were out of luck. I let her know that my weekend was ruined and then suggested they rename the place “Non-Dairy Queen.” (I didn’t actually do that.)

Luckily, there was another DQ back on the other side of town, so off we went and I finally got my fix. And the silver lining? Got to stop and take a photo of a really amazing old sign for the long-gone Arrow Motel.

Had another fine dinner that evening and hit the hay early. Annie drove me down to Albuquerque and we stopped into the Los Poblanos Inn. Their restaurant isn’t open for lunch, but we visited the shop and explored the lovely grounds for a bit. It’s quite charming.

Some lunch up the road (with wine for me since I’m still on vacation!), a walk around Old Town (which was kind of a snooze) and then to the Albuquerque Sunport for my ride home. It was a really great weekend and I can’t wait to come back to see my family and all the animals again soon.

I’ve arrived!
Resort lewkz
Santa Fe airport
Yum
PHX-SAF
Annie & Marybeth
Dinner at Gabriel’s
Fancy!
Sunset
“I also have questions.”
Cheers!
Suspicious
I think she was trying to make me disappear
O HAI
Awwww!
Birb
Seeing the sights
So lazy…
Hi Parsley!
Vista
Goat circus!
Guacamole cart
Cottonwood
“I am highly doubtful.”
Hawaiian Delight
Waiting for medals
Spot & Francis
Flowers
“Where’s mine?”
Hut
Soaking
Wine and puppies
At the lavender farm
Hi Isabel!
GAAAAAAY!
“Oh, hello!”
Hi Donut!
Relaxing
Settling in
Chicken ladies
Rosé
Wine and cuddles
Rancho Relaxo
HI PEARL!
At home
Pixie & Trixie
Dinosaur lewkz
Pork tenderloin
Green chile burger
“I’d like some privacy.”
Guess where I am?
Bouncing baby Pearl
Biking
My dismount could use work
“Who’s this new animal?”
Shrimp for dinner
Arrow Motel
Such a beauty!
Donut is unsure.
So comfy…
“HALP.”
Chicken
So helpful…
Corn
No broken hips!
Hi Sissies!
Los Poblanos
No broken hips!
Abiquiu lewkz
Silo lewkz
Pearl learns not to eff with Isabel
Wine o’clock
So long, Sissy!
“NOW PET ME!”
“I like it here.”
Twinsies
Farm life

Oh, and here’s a nice “now and then” bit. While there may have been some wine involved, no Donuts were harmed during the making of these videos. What a difference four years makes!

Compare:

 

And contrast:

Last Weekend in Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand – 21 & 22 April 2018

Sigh… My last weekend here. I guess we’d better make the most of it! Friday was pretty quiet and we got dinner at Suppaniga Eating Room, an old favorite that’s not too far from the hotel.

Got an early start on Saturday and heading to the subway, we walked up the alley right next to Le Meridien. I can’t believe we’d never walked up here before! It was really quiet and local – hard to believe we were just a few dozen meters from the craziness of Patpong. And there were cats, so it was a double win!

Took subway to Chatuchak Market (of course!) with a stop for breakfast at Or Tor Kor Market (of course!). I scored big time on t-shirts – which made me really happy, since I’d mostly struck out during my visit to Terminal 21 earlier in the week, my usual spot for cool shirts. Ak found several great-looking shirts at his favorite thrift stall.

After the market, we decided to check out Papaya Vintage Market. I’d read about it in the NYTimes and it sounded pretty cool. Granted, I’m probably not going to have room for a vintage mid-century occasional table in my luggage, but always fun to check out what’s for sale. WELL! This place was kind of amazing – a large, multi-story warehouse crammed with everything from Danish modern coffee tables to 70s stereo consoles to giant Ultraman figures. We probably spent about an hour just wandering and gawking and we loved it.

Next stop was at the old race track, slated for demolition, where they were having a special pop-up market. Took as a while to get there, thanks to the usual crazy traffic in town – but not long enough as it turned out. We arrived at 3:00, only to discover that the market doesn’t start until 4:00. Oopsie! So, given the heat and that we were kind of hungry, we made the only logical decision and headed to the mall.

The Siam Paragon food halls usually have one large section with a special theme and today it was “Floating Market” – so Thai street food! We shared a variety of sweet and savory coconut tarts and some deep-fried pork – you know, just a little snack to tide us over ‘til dinner…

Of course, before dinner comes cocktails and tonight we decided to try the Penthouse rooftop bar at the recently-opened Park Hyatt. The interior of the hotel is swankily modern. The bar, a bit less so. It’s a cool space with great views and I really liked being seated under the large swoosh of aluminum that crowns the building. But the decor was a little out of place to me, feeling rather “generic suburban hotel.” It wasn’t terrible by any means, but the vibe didn’t seem to match the quite spectacular architecture of the building – and the chairs were oddly proportioned, with a too-shallow seat making them not so comfy. Drinks were decent and rather reasonably priced for this being a bar on top of a fancy hotel.

Downstairs from the rooftop is another bar and restaurant – and, hidden away on the other side of the top floor, The Whisky Room. Ak’s friend who writes about the bar scene in Bangkok said it was a must-visit – and she was not wrong!

The space is really cool. Kind of old-school clubby feeling, but with some mood lighting to jazz the place up – plus some giant windows to take in the city. We sat at the bar. I don’t know much about whiskey, so I stuck with an old favorite, Maker’s Mark. Prior to ordering, I didn’t engage our extremely friendly barkeep in deciding what I ought to try – a mistake, as it turned out, since he was extremely well-versed in his inventory. He shared lots of his knowledge and opinions with us and I can’t wait to come back and try some of the pricier-though-not-crazily-so whisky that he recommended. But we had several other bars on the list for evening, so I was trying to pace myself…

For dinner, we went back to Thai Niyom – and it was excellent again, especially the cabbage with nam pla. Dessert was sticky rice served with a caramelized shredded coconut and it was fantastic.

Next stop: Tropic City, a rum bar with a tiki vibe and an extraordinarily friendly staff. Then we cabbed over to Asia Today – the sister establishment to (and around the corner from) Teens of Thailand – in Chinatown for a final couple of rounds of very tasty drinks, made with less-commonly-found ingredients like Tiger Ear and local honey.

Despite the many venues, we didn’t overdo it and were up at a reasonable hour Sunday morning. Decided to walk through Lumphini Park – and were rewarded with several cat sightings! – on our way to lunch at Eathai in Central Embassy. I had my favorite char siu and we shared some moo ping and fried dumplings. Did a bit of shopping. Posed for my now-obligatory photo in front of the Gaysorn sign. And then it was time to get back to the hotel and say our farewells – always the most difficult part of my visits. I hate saying goodbye to my friend Ak and to this city that I love coming back to and getting to know a little better each time.

Of course, the sting of leaving was soothed a bit by getting to fly Cathay business class back to SFO. It was certainly comfortable – though the food was unremarkable (especially compared to the really tasty meals I’d had on SWISS when I flew here). My prior flights with Cathay had seemed more impressive – though this was an overnight flight from HKG, so maybe it was just low key due to the late hour. Anyway, all went smoothly and I arrived in SF, whizzed through Immigration thanks to Global Entry and was home on my sofa less than 60 minutes after I was wheels down on the runway. Pretty great! Well, except for the fact that I’m home and not in Bangkok and that real life starts bright and early the next day as I return to work. Good thing I’ve already got my tickets booked for my next trip this autumn!

Lion
DANGER
Alley by the hotel
Caturday morning
Pad Thai at Or Tor Kor
Nom nom nom
Pork
Sausage
Prawns
Cafe
We upgraded with vodka
Ak’s response when I suggested we take the bus.
Papaya Vintage
Shop til you drop
So many things!
“Yes, I’d like to place a call to 1974.”
Bangkok
“Just airin’ my balls out…”
Urban
Waiting for taxi
In the stands
Poseurs
Pork at Siam Paragon
More snacks
Movin’ on up
Cocktail hour
Rooftop
Floral lewkz
Sunset
Whisky Bar
Pouring
Bourbon
Neon
Pose 4 ur lyfe
At Thai Niyom
Cabbage
Fish
Omelet
Dessert
Tiki bar
Cocktail
Asia Today
“I approve.”
“But I want a Thai burrito!”
Le Meridien lewkz
Pool
Street sign
Silom
Lumphini Park
Kitteh!
And another!
GAAAAAAAY
BOYYYY (and I use the term loosely)
Fried balls
Moo dang
Moo ping
Check out time
This bitch
My ride to HKG
Seems OK!
So long, Bangkok
Transiting thru HKG
Aaaaaand I’m back

Bikes and Boîtes in Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand – 18 & 19 April 2018

Presented myself at Grasshopper Adventures for my Bangkok bike tour. As it turned out, I was the only person taking the tour that day, so it was just me and my guide for the day, Tick. It was a pretty great day! We rode across Chao Phraya then through mostly quiet residential areas and narrow paths surrounded by greenery and water. I didn’t actually take many photos – which I suppose I regret, but honestly, spending most of the day in the saddle was great for me. I miss riding when I travel and it’s good for me physically and mentally – and I hope it helped me work off my vastly increased intake of condensed milk, thanks to my love of Thai ice tea.

Tick figured out right away that I am a fairly experienced urban rider, which meant we kept up a pretty good pace. Of course, some of the narrow paths had very sharp turns or were slippery or had no railings or all of the above, so my adrenal glands def got a bit of a workout – but I only had one near death experience… Not really, of course, but I did almost leave the path at what would’ve been a very inopportune moment.

We stopped at a couple of temples along the way, which were lovely as is pretty much always the case here in Thailand. Tick was really knowledgeable and told me about various conservation and construction efforts underway at our various stops. We also saw lots of dogs and a few cats, which was not only great, but made me think of Calvin, whose ashes I scattered in Chao Phraya two years ago, not too far from where we were riding…

Next to one of the temples there were food vendors and I had some pad Thai which was absolutely delicious – one of the best I’ve had! It was a great day and a great tour and I really loved it.

After Ak finished work, we headed to Vogue Lounge, an old favorite of both of ours, and enjoyed a couple of cocktails outdoors under the shadow of Mahanakhon Tower. Next stop was Iron Balls Bar, a new place from A.R. Sutton (I’ve still not been to his OG place) and my opportunity to finally try locally-distilled Iron Balls gin.

The bar was pretty cool looking and our drinks were good – but the atmosphere was pretty terrible. The place wasn’t crowded but it was mostly folks who seemed like they were all very impressed with themselves. The staff all seemed fairly unhappy to be there – though the bartender who made my drink was pretty friendly once we ordered. Anyway, it’s not a bar I’ll go back to – not really my kind of vibe, I guess.

Dinner was just up the street at a place called Thai Lao Yeh – chosen mainly for its proximity to the bar. Well! It turned out to be excellent. Located in the lovely Cabochon Hotel, the colonial-style dining room was looked after by an extremely friendly staff.

And the food! Like Thai Niyom the other night, this was Esan style food and it was all delicious – though also like Thai Niyom, the simplest dish was my favorite: steamed clams with lemongrass. The plump clams were impeccably fresh and tender and the lemongrass lent just a bit of perfume to the dish. Wonderful! And this being Esan food, of course we had sausages – juicy and spicy and sour and so tasty. Our shaved ice dessert with tapioca pearls and condensed milk was the perfect end to the meal – and très, très léger…

Thursday was pretty quiet. Ak and I had breakfast at the bbq pork noodle place near our hotel, then he headed off to work. I dropped off some laundry and then spent the day shopping at Bangkok’s amazing malls. And I may have found time for a few hours of massage therapy…

Drinks that night at Salon de Japonisant, a great little bar tended by Kei Sawada from Japan. The place is simply decorated and the “art” on the walls is really cool labels from Japanese liquor bottles. The drinks are intricately handcrafted without being fussy and are gorgeous to behold. They’re pretty delicious too!

The crowd was bit hi-so for our taste – and due to the painstaking construction of each cocktail (including hand-carving ice into the appropriate shape), the pace can be slow. We were the first to arrive at 7:30, so our first round was served quickly. But next time I go, I’d probably try to get there at opening at 7PM so the second round could’ve been served to us a bit more quickly.

Dinner at Soul Food Mahanakhon, another old favorite – I think we’ve eaten here every time I’ve visited! Food was all tasty per usual, though my favorite is always the miang kham. We did both nearly sprain our eye-rolling muscles (Ak especially!) when the farang at the next table claimed to his companions to know everything about Thai food while butchering the pronunciations. Eh, I guess I shouldn’t judge, since I’m sure I’m no better – but judge I did!

We met an adorable kitten outside the restaurant – obv the highlight of the evening – on our way to Rabbit Hole for a quick nightcap. Then back to the hotel and ended the night with another argument about the correct method of taking photographs. At least we’re consistent! Tomorrow is TGIF for Ak and the start of my last weekend in Bangkok. Sigh…

Bridge
Adventure begins!
Biking
Coconut lady
Refreshments
So lazy…
Temple kitty
Wat
Lunch break
Pad Thai
I feel you, pupper…
At least this one had railings
Still alive – FOR NOW
My guide, Tick
Temple
Doggos
Resting
Crossing the river
Brooms
Snack
Kitty!
A night on the town
Vogue Lounge
On the ‘Gram
Dinner
Chefs
Clams
Morning glory
Esan sausage
Champs!
Dessert
Breakfast
Cha nom yen
Rice noodles
Som tum tail
Floral lewkz
More cha nom yen
View from the pool
Loungin’
Poolside
Bartender at Salon du Japonisant
Snacks
Cocktails
And one more…
OMG!
Miang kham
Rice
Larb
More sausage
Listening to farang “expert”
Mango – sticky rice
Rabbit Hole

Bangkok Days…

Bangkok, Thailand – 16 & 17 April 2018

Started the day in a shameful – though nearly traditional at this point – breakfast at Au Bon Pain. In our defense, due to Songkran holiday, many places closed, including our favorite bbq pork noodle place, so here we are.

The streets this morning were eerily quiet. Silom Rd. is generally teeming with people and traffic pretty much 24/7 – but everyone is either out of town or still hungover from yesterday’s Songkran craziness, so Silom was weirdly empty.

Anyhow, we got ourselves to Wat Saket (The Golden Mount) and climbed up to the top. It’s magnificent! The wat itself is lovely and the view is amazing – high enough above Bangkok to see a huge swath of the city but not so high that you can’t see life teeming below you. Set in the old part of Bangkok, it was especially great to see all the old shops, houses and other buildings in the immediate neighborhood.

While gazing up at the golden stupa at the crest of the wat, I had a bit of a moment. Not full-blown Stendhal Syndrome, but certainly something akin to it. I seem to experience it once or twice every time I travel somewhere and find myself in a place that is particularly beautiful or simply just so of its place and I marvel at the fact that I am there and that I have the great good fortune to see and experience these things – especially along with my dear friend Ak, who is always proud and happy to teach me about his home city and country. Ok, sometimes it’s tinged with exasperation with my ignorance, but still! It was a wonderful way to start my day in this city that I never tire of visiting.

Next stop was at Wat Suthat, another temple nearby – and another place I’d never visited. The interior of the temple was beautifully painted – all the columns, walls, doors and ceiling. And we saw a couple of workers doing some restoration on the paint.

Lunch at Krua Apsorn, an old favorite that I first tried back in October 2015 – my very first visit to Bangkok! – after reading about their justly world-famous crab with yellow curry. It’s a bit pricey by Thai standards at THB500, but it’s piled high with huge chunks of crab meat that are fresh and tender – and require no extrication work by the customers and certainly not a bib… We also had a really tasty larb moo and some stir-fry pork.

Ak observed a rather hilarious – and not just a tad depressing – interaction with a couple of Western hippie backpacker types (you know, the ones always in search of authenticity) and their server. Anyway, despite a menu that was in both English and Thai and that had photos of every dish, these two ordered massaman curry – which is not in fact on the menu. Next, they requested pad Thai (because of course) and were advised that pad Thai was also not served in this establishment.

At this point, they decided to leave – not willing to give up on the authentic Thai food they craved at this clearly-not-authentically-Thai restaurant. It was laughable at best – but honestly, if you mention Krua Apsorn to just about anyone who’s been to Bangkok (or has Google), the response would be, “Oh, that place with the fantastic crab curry? You have to go!” #ohfarangs

Next we stopped for some shaved ice with noodles, sticky rice, fruit and one or two other items thrown in for good measure. So tasty on a hot day! Our next stop was Nuttaporn ice cream for Round 2 – but they were closed for the holiday. #tripruined

Onward, though, to the Grand Palace and a visit to Queen Sirikit’s Museum of Textiles. There was a special exhibit celebrating 200 years of friendship between Thailand and the US. Lots of diplomatic documents and communications from the 1800s on up to display of some of the beautiful Thai nielloware presented to various US Presidents and their families.

Of course, my favorite part of this museum is always seeing the selections from the Queen’s personal wardrobe, most of them from the 60s and 70s, designed to her specifications by Pierre Balmain and typically incorporating Thai silks and patterns. The materials are all so gorgeous and the workmanship is unbelievable.

Went back to the hotel to freshen up and decided to try a new place for dinner, Thai Niyom. I’d read a little blurb about it online somewhere, as it’d just recently opened and it wasn’t too terribly far from our hotel.

WELL. I don’t mean to engage in hyperbole, but it was one of the best Thai meals I’ve ever had – and Ak thought it was pretty amazing too and he’s Thai. We had spicy beef soup (tom sep) which was simply prepared – tender brisket in a deep, rich broth. And super spicy! But the kind of spicy that’s so delicious, you can’t stop eating it.

We also ordered a deceptively plain sounding dish of cabbage stir-fried with nam pla and garlic. The ingredients were straightforward – but the preparation was perfection. This is dish I will never forget eating – truly one of the most amazing things I’ve ever had.

We had a couple of kinds of Esan sausage and a seafood salad. Everything was great! We were so delighted to try someplace new and have it turn out to such a fantastic meal.

Tuesday, Ak was back to work (#poorhim), so I was on my own. On my way out, I had the pleasure of meeting Killian Donoghue, the GM at Le Meridien, who had been so helpful in resolving my issue with check-in. In his email yesterday, he’d said he hoped to meet me during my stay and I responded that he should just be on the look-out for a bespectacled farang with a crazy gray beard – so obviously, when I was walking through the lobby, he had no problem identifying me. Anyway, he was as gracious as could be – and I thanked him again for his assistance. I’m happy to report that the rest of my stay at Le Meridien was just as great as always – thanks to a really fine staff who all deliver top-notch service and make it all seem effortless. I’m looking forward to my next stay this autumn.

Next up was a visit to Terminal 21 for some shopping. I usually find some cute t-shirts there (assuming I can find any large enough to fit me. Sizing in Asia is not kind to farangs…), but had no luck this time – though I did get a cute aloha shirt, which everyone wears during Songkran, so the selection was good. I was looking at another shop where I’ve had some success in the past, but as I was looking at shirts on the rack, the lady running the place announced, “Not for you. Too small.” and shooed me over to small selection of what might actually fit me. As I said to Ak later, “I think this was the Thai version of ‘We only carry sizes 2 and 4. Maybe you should try Sears.’”

I consoled myself with a massage later at Infinty Spa. It was lovely! The Thai body massage was fine – nothing to write home about – but the subsequent foot massage was superb. And I’ll say the same about the post-massage snack of mango sticky rice – so good!

Met up with Ak at Eat Me for a couple of cocktails, base on Thai street food – my first was Kaeng Tai Pla: mezcal, shallot, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, curry and lime. Just enough tart, savory and umami to make a great drink. Second was larb – a similar flavor profile but a bit limier and served with a strip of crispy ham (#nom). Ak had a sake spritzer with elderflower which he loved (I agreed when I got a taste).

Dinner near the hotel at a ramen place, then made an early night of it. Wednesday morning would be an early one for me, as I had to be down near Old Town before 9AM to go on a bike tour.

Silom Rd!
So farang…
Ak and me communicating
Bells
Bang a gong
Climbing
View
Ringing
Temple view
I love this city
Sculpture
Looking down
At the top
Chedi
Wishes
Tying one on
Old building
Tuk tuk
Elephants
Restoration in progress
Doorway
Temple
Shadows
Lunchtime!
Yes please!
The thirst is real
Larb
Crab with curry
Kitteh!
Dessert
“And that one too…”
Leaves
Esan sausage
Cabbage
Seafood
Tom sep
Rainy
Shopping
Lunch at the mall
At the spa
Spa refreshments
Kaeng Tai Pla
Sake and larb cocktails
Gyoza
Ramen

 

A couple of videos from our visit to Wat Saket:

 

Hoi An, Then Back to Bangkok

Hoi An, Vietnam – 14 April 2018
Bangkok, Thailand – 15 April 2018

Made our way into town to Hai Cafe, the meeting point for our cooking class with Red Bridge. Our morning guide met us promptly and we had something to drink while we waited for our fellow tourists, who turned out to be a couple of not-particularly-friendly Aussie women. They weren’t unfriendly, exactly, but were not especially interested in engaging with anyone but one another. NBD, though it was a little exhausting for me trying to do the heavy lifting to keep a conversation going until I just threw in the towel.

The first part of the tour involved a stop at a local organic garden, which was pretty interesting – though went on perhaps a bit longer than was necessary. Same could be said for our trip to the market, especially since we’d already been through it during one of our food tours.

Once we arrived at the Red Bridge School and Villa, things took a turn for the better. The setting was lovely and the outdoor cooking facility was great in terms of both the working space and all the fresh ingredients. Our instructor Mimi was great – gregarious and knowledgeable and enjoyed sharing her techniques and showing us what to do.

We started off prepping the ingredients for a banana leaf salad with grilled chicken. All the different fruits and vegetables in the salad were just gorgeous and the bbq’d chicken turned out to be as wonderful as it looked and smelled.

We also worked on broth for pho, grilling up beef leg bones over the fire before starting the soup. This was followed by prepping chiles and aromatics to make a marinade for shrimp that we wrapped in banana leaves before grilling. Then we ended with hotpot with fish and dill. Really tasty!

It was a fun afternoon – though it also seemed as if our two other students were pretty unfamiliar with cooking. Which is fine, I guess, but it seemed an odd choice of activities for them.

We’d done four different tourist activities while in Hoi An: two food tours, a cooking class and a bike tour. The cooking class and the second of the food tours were run/owned by non-Vietnamese apparently – and while I wouldn’t say they were terrible, they seemed to lack the local take that we enjoyed so much on our first food tour and the bike tour. The locally-run tours just felt more like we were interacting with Vietnamese folks on their terms and in a way that felt more personal. The other experiences felt more highly scripted and almost veered into performance. I don’t suppose there’s anything wrong with that – but it’s a type of tour that I find less interesting.

Took a boat back to Old Town and wandered for a bit. Back to hotel for a nap, then dinner again at Morning Glory. We probably should’ve tried somewhere new, but we’d really enjoyed the previous meal there, so why not go with a sure thing for our last evening?

Walked around after dinner. Hoi An is really quite magical in the evening, with hundreds of different colored lanterns strung across every street and building. It’s brimming with tourists, yet it still feels just delightful to be out and about.

We bought a couple of candles to float down the river, mainly because I was thinking of a good friend back home who will soon be saying farewell to her kitty companion. It was nice to be able to do a little something to keep them in my thoughts, but it got me a lot more choked up than I’d anticipated. Nevertheless, a very nice way to wrap up our evening.

Up and on our way to the airport by 9AM, despite a bit of a kerfuffle at check-out as to whether or not I’d pre-paid for our stay (I had), but it was resolved quickly. Hung out at the lounge in Da Nang, thanks to my Priority Pass and soon enough we were BKK-bound. Well, technically, DMK-bound – the LaGuardia to Suvarnabhumi’s JFK. But it was an easy flight and we were quickly in a Grab, headed toward Le Meridien, my home-away-from-home here in Bangkok.

Or is it? Check in was a bit of a bother when they charged me extra to “upgrade” to a room with a Toto Washlet (because who doesn’t love a Washlet?) – something they’d never done in the past when I’d requested it and this being my fifth or sixth stay here (and I’m a Starwood member), I was not pleased –  but I paid it and then sent an email along to the GM, sharing my disappointment. Happy to report, he got back to me the next morning to advise the charges had been reversed. Squeaky wheel, grease, etc., yes – but still left me with a rather less enthusiastic feeling for this hotel at check in, a hotel that I’ve been singing the praises of since my first visit a couple of years ago. Well, we see how the week goes.

Oh, and it’s Songkran weekend, the Thai new year and unofficial gay pride celebration. The streets in Silom are mobbed with folks armed with huge water guns and buckets as they participate in the nationwide water fight that rings in the Thai new year. And apparently, Le Meridien is also queen central, if the parade of toned male couples in tank tops and expensive sneakers were any indication – including two shirtless and soaking wet muscle queens and their water bazookas just chillin’ in the lobby. Fancy!

Dinner at the mall: great Thai food that we’d both been craving. Sure, we’d had plenty of great food in Singapore and Hoi An, but let’s face it: Thai food is best.

Also at the mall: a big Songkran circuit party – I shit you not. It was pretty hilarious seeing gaggles of queens in harnesses and booty shorts sashaying past Uniqlo and through the food court on their way up to rave the night away. Westfield Center take note!

Tomorrow: a visit to Old Town!

 

Laterns
Local doggo
Old Town
Sleepy
Touring
Bike
Flowers
Important work!
Cooking class
Banana flower salad
Salad with grilled pork and rice paper
Mise en place
Garlic and chile
Mortar
Shrimp
Time to eat!
Teacher
Grillin’
Beef bones
Broth
Break between courses
Making rice noodles
Chef Ak
N00dz
Lunch!
Sleepy baby…
Fish and noodles
View from the bathroom!
Happy student
Hoi An
Wall posing
Lady with bike
Exhausted
Night time
Poseurs
Ghost bikes
How millenials sleep
Morning on the river
Lounging at DAD airport
Songkran!
Golden bags
Fish cakes
Pork

Visiting Hoi An

Hoi An, Vietnam – 11, 12 & 13 April 2018
Our flight to Da Nang was perfectly pleasant and passed quickly. Arrived on time with all of our luggage, bought local SIM cards right next to baggage carousel and were soon off to our home for the next five nights, the Lantana Riverside Boutique Hotel.

There’d been a bit of a mix-up with our room, insofar as it was not available the first night of our stay due to overbooking. It was a bit irksome, given that I’d bought and paid for the Lantana Suite months ago – but it’d been a long day and the alternative room we were provided was more than adequate. Ak and I both slept soundly that night. We were moved into our originally booked room the next afternoon and it was a nice upgrade, thanks to a better layout and a nice view of the river.

Ak and I both felt a little unsure about Hoi An at this juncture – not unhappy with it per se, but it was also not as we’d pictured it. What little we’d seen on the ride in made it seem more touristy and less charming than I’d thought – but we’ll see if that holds true. And as nice as our hotel is, I’d probably prefer something a bit closer to old town were I to visit again.

Wednesday morning we were up early for a trip to visit the temple ruins at My Son. It was a nice small group: our guide, the two of us and three people from France. The drive out was about an hour and we spent maybe 90 minutes or so taking in the sights. Frankly, it was just about the perfect amount of temple ruins for this philistine – and compared to someplace like Angkor Wat, it was wonderfully uncrowded. The ruins themselves are interesting and learning about their construction and conservation was great. A really nice morning!

On the way back into the city, we stopped at a place for local handicrafts – which in actuality was mostly a shop trying to hard-sell us clothes, lanterns and silk ware. Not the end of the world, but certainly not my favorite type of tourist experience.

After wrapping things up and having a bit of a lie-down, we headed into the center of Hoi An to meet up with our food tour for the afternoon. Our guide was Emma and we were joined by one other traveler, a German woman closer to my age than Ak’s who was about halfway through her three month backpacking tour of SE Asia.

As we ambled about we stopped and had beef noodles, Madame Khan’s world famous (and deservedly so) banh mi, black sesame pudding and pork dumplings from White Rose – to name a few. We wrapped things up at a local home where we helped to prepare and cook spring rolls and savory egg pancakes before tucking into them along with a couple of cans of beer. It was a great way to spend an afternoon and a really fun way to get some local insight into Hoi An’s food. Emma was a wonderful guide – teaching us not just about the food we ate but about everyday life in Hoi An and Vietnam.

Walked around Old Town for a bit and had some really tasty cocktails at Q Bar. I was especially enamored of the gin/cucumber/lime concoction they offered.

Another early start on Thursday for ANOTHER food tour, this one run by an ex-pat Aussie. When he came to collect us at 7AM and had not presented ourselves in the lobby (we were literally in the elevator on our way down) he had hurried into the breakfast room to ensure we’d not disobeyed his very explicit instructions to not eat anything before the tour. And this was no joke – when we were presented with the menu later, there were over 40 different dishes for us to try!

Four other Aussies joined us on the tour and the first part of the day was spent with Ms Sen, a local woman who took us through the market and then to a variety of stands and shops for all sorts of tastings. Our favorite of the morning was mì gà – essentially chicken noodle soup – with a golden broth that was sublime. We also had some outstanding banh mi here. Oh, and barbecue pork. And after a short walk we had some super delicious ice cream – coconut for me, taro for Ak. Uh, and I also had a coffee ice cream. They’re very small!

The latter half of the morning was spent back at the tour company’s HQ, all of us seated around a table sampling a huge variety of local foods while Neville regaled us with his stories, opinions and history.

It was all good tour, though also quite A LOT of food. As much as I enjoyed this tour, it was perhaps just a bit much by the end. I have to say, the tour we took yesterday was more interesting and more fun – I suspect largely since it felt a lot more like a local perspective on things rather than that of an ex-pat Westerner.

Surprisingly enough though (OK, not all that surprising), we were hungry again by 5PM after wrapping up the tour at noon. After stopping for a quite lovely massage at La Luna Spa, we had dinner at The Seashell, an outpost of the well-reputed Nu eatery here in town. The food was Vietnamese fusion – and TBH, we’d both’ve preferred something a bit more authentic – though the orange chicken rice bowl was delicious and I had a quite tasty glass of wine with dinner. Wandered around Old Town after dinner a bit, but made a relatively early night of it.

The next morning, we taxied into Old Town to Heaven and Earth Bike Tours for a tour of the countryside, along with our guide Tram and a lovely Welsh couple called Caroline and John. We started off with a boat ride (along with our bikes) and I had a chance to do perhaps the straightest and male-est thing I’ve ever done: chatted up John about his photography equipment. Happily, he offered me some excellent insight – and I really do need to save up my pennies and replace my bulky DSLR. I was quite envious of John’s compact little Lumix which he told me provides excellent images and has interchangeable lenses.

We covered about 14 km before lunch at a local homestead – though we stopped several times along the way, including at the home of one of the guides who rode part of the way with us. Her mother makes rice noodles in her village and we got to see the process and sample her wares. Amazing!

We pedaled through rice fields and shrimp farms – and passed by a duck farm where a few hundred ducklings hustled out of our path and into their pond. We also saw water buffalo, plenty of cows and dogs and a nice variety of local birds. And all along the way friendly locals yelled “Hello!” as we rode by.

As lovely as all this was – and as delicious as our lunch was – the heat of the day proved a bit much, so Ak and I decided to call it a day and to pass on the 9 km remainder of the ride. And special thanks to our guide Tram and fellow tourists John and Caroline who were all patient and supportive when we found ourselves really needing to slow the pace of the trip toward the end, thanks to both the heat and general exhaustion.

Despite pooping out, we really loved this tour. Getting away from the center of Hoi An and out into the quieter countryside was a nice change – and again, like with our first food tour, getting perspectives from a local resident offers so much more insight into local life. It was a really fun ride.

Made it back to town and then to the hotel for a lie-down and some electrolyte-laden sports drinks and we seem to have made a full recovery from the day’s exertions. Heading into town for early dinner and cocktail. Tomorrow: cooking class!

All aboard!
Hoi An
Breakfast
Noodles
Next door
Wall
Good morning!
Ak and guide
Blue
Good boy!
My Son
Entrance
Misty
Tree
Temple
Carving
Hi Ak!
More carvings
Faces
Elephants
Restoration
Work in progress
Buttresses
Ak mocks my granny hat
River
Smiling
Tour menu
White Rose
Making dumplings
Eating dumplings
Merchant
Noodles
Black sesame pudding
Vendor
Wall
A deserved title
Banh mi
Dumplings
I helped
Cooking
Eating
Doggo
Morning
Market
Eggs
Fish
More fish
Fruits
More banh mi
Ice cream lady
Beer for breakfast?
Yes please
Shrimp chip
More dumplings
Kitteh
Tea time
Snacks
On board
Gazing
Posing
Photo bomb!
Our ride
Making noodles
Eating
We can do it!
Seems fine…
Just about made it
Crossing
Bridge
Water buffalo
Hydrating
With our guide
Wheeee!
Another bridge
Made it!
Tram, our guide
Kitty!
Lunch

Last Couple of Days in Singapore

Singapore – 9 & 10 April 2018

Today, we visit the Singapore Zoo. We started nice and early, stopping first for an “eh” Western breakfast at a place across from the hotel that had the decided advantage of opening at 6AM – which includes the bar, as was evidenced by a patron – no, not me or Ak – ordering a Singapore Sling at 7AM.

Hired a Grab to take us on the 25 minute drive to the zoo and had quite the affable and chatty driver who shared some history of Singapore with us. All went well until the subject drifted to politics – and while I wouldn’t go so far to call him a Trump supporter, he did opine that the “mainstream media” had somehow portrayed DJT in some kind of unfair light. *ahem* Rather than removing my earrings and whooping a trick, I simply stated that I’d been following his activities since the 80s and that he’s a con artist pure and simple. The driver changed the subject – though sadly it was to share with us his philosophy that is one of the many variants of “The Secret” and the power of positive thinking. Eventually, we steered things back toward Singapore and tourism which seemed a safer subject all around.

Arrived at the zoo at just about exactly 8:30AM, right when they open – though the ticket windows were not yet open, which was a tad annoying. I’d actually attempted to buy my tickets online but had been foiled by the site’s rule that only one-time-use credit card numbers were permitted for purchase. I guess the black market for zoo tickets must be quite active…

Once inside, we spied a couple of varieties of small primates dangling from the trees overhead – really cool way to start things off! Made a pretty much complete circle and saw just about all the animals. The orangutans were fascinating – as were most of the primates on display. They also appeared to be relatively nice habitats considering they were all captive. The white tigers were gorgeous of course, as were the leopards, cheetahs, pumas and lions – though it was hard not to wonder if even these relatively generously sized enclosures were really a reasonable facsimile of the cats’ natural territories.

One of the more difficult exhibits was that of Inuka, the elderly polar bear. He’s in his mid-20s, which is pretty old in polar bear terms – their life span in the wild is 15-18 years. But the habitat felt a bit grim and it was hard not anthropomorphize him with feelings of loneliness. I guess more than anything else, it reminded me of my own personal discomfort with zoos. I am fully cognizant of the value they serve in terms of caring for wild animals and inspiring people young and old to embrace efforts to protect and value animals – but it’s hard not see captivity as a less-than-ideal way of life for a wild animal.

We watched a couple of shows too. The first featured domesticated animals – mostly dogs and cats with a couple of rats and a parrot thrown in – so I was AOK with this display. The rainforest show was a little dicier – seeing non-domesticated animals performing is odd. Though I should add that they weren’t doing tricks so much as engaging in some of their normal behaviors on-cue and rewarded with food. And, let’s face it, who can resist a lemur galloping across a vine suspended overhead?

Had a pretty decent lunch in the zoo – vegetarian biriyani for me and mi goreng for Ak – before heading back into the city. Went for a stroll down Haji Lane, at Ak’s request. “Why did you want to visit here?” I asked. “Is it because you saw it on Instagram?” Answer in the affirmative, which led to my establishment of a new rule: any sightseeing based solely on Ak seeing it on IG gives me the option to say, “I’ll meet you when you’re done” with no eye rolling, resting bitch face and/or passive-aggressive sarcastic comments about ruining his vacation. Happily, though, Haji Lane is only about two blocks long, so soon enough we’d found a mall to pop into for a spot of cha nom yen for me and iced Milo for Ak.

After a bit of a lie-down back at the hotel, we headed out for drinks at ATLAS Bar located at Parkview Square – the high-rise also nicknamed the Gotham Building since it looks straight out of a Batman set. The bar itself is just as spectacular as the online photos indicated – towering ceilings in a large Art Deco space that would look right at home in Rockefeller Center. Hard to believe it’s actually only a few years old. Cocktails were pricey but really tasty – Ak had Scandal Water, essentially a martini tarted up with some champagne… It was obviously delicious. I went a bit simpler, opting for a G&T made with Paper Lantern gin, distilled in Thailand from galangal, lemongrass, Sichuan pepper and other regional ingredients and East Imperial Burma tonic from New Zealand, a more old-school style tonic with less sugar and more citrus. It was great!

Next stop was next door at Mr. Stork, the rooftop bar at the new Andaz Hilton (I’m only linking to them in hopes they’ll read this and someone will apologize- srsly, don’t go there. It’s terrible). The view was as spectacular as the drinks and service were dreadful, I’m sorry to report.

Things started off inauspiciously when we both chose a drink from there list of eight special house drinks: Rhubarb for Ak, Ginger for me. “Oh, we’re out of both of those.” Uh, ok. So, I went with Basil, Ak with Thyme. They were both served sloppily and tasted like not much of anything described on the menu – with Ak’s topped with a sad, wilted sprig of thyme. But what do you expect for SG$20 each? (#sideeyeemoji).

As for our servers, it seemed as though none of the kids working there (and even Ak thought they seemed like kids, so it’s not just my grumpy old man syndrome) had received even the barest minimum of training on how to interact with customers. They weren’t mean per se, but definitely not skilled or polished. After ordering drinks, we ordered some food and the server asked if we also wanted drinks – which I explained we’d already ordered. Not the end of the world, but organization was not a strong suit here. Then, while literally mid-sip halfway through my drink, a third server appeared and shoved the bill in my face.

“I’m sorry, sir, can I trouble you to pay the bill?”

“Uh, do I have to decide now?”

“Yes, I’m sorry, sir, we need you pay now.”

WTF? Very weird. Anyway, I settled up and we sat and enjoyed the view – and I decided to have one more drink – a glass of wine. When our latest server showed up with two glasses, I explained that I’d only ordered one, which was met with a blank stare, so I repeated that I’d only ordered one. The second glass was then whisked away – which is fine, I guess. But virtually every bar or restaurant where I’ve been served something I didn’t order has typically been met with, “Well, why don’t you have it anyway? I’ll take it off the bill since we made an error.” I mean, it’s NBD, but were they gonna get out a funnel and pour it back into the bottle? OK, actually, maybe they did…

A few sips into my wine, our insistent bill payment enforcer showed up and once again demanded immediate payment. I should also add that this same scene appeared to play out for the other folks attempting to patronize the bar that evening – even the ones who are far less unsavory looking than myself. It was a very peculiar experience and I’ll be quite sure not to return.

We planned to check out the very nice looking wine bar and specialty shop downstairs called So France, only to see they’d posted signs on the front door indicating CASH ONLY due to a credit card machine failure, apparently. Jeez, strike three!

Dinner was at Folklore, a new-ish place specializing in Singaporean heritage food, i.e. the sort of old fashioned local dishes that Singaporeans grew up with at home. It got a write-up in the NY Times recently and seemed worth a try. We enjoyed dinner, especially the sambal fried rice and the sago dessert. We ordered a jug of beer also, only to be advised that there was no draft beer that evening, in keeping with this evening’s apparent theme of “Nope, Try Again” when it came to drinks.

Back to the hotel earlyish, where Ak and I both slept fitfully, thanks to having ordered probably one more entree than was really necessary at dinner – and perhaps I’d say the same for those last two bottles of beer.

Up early and had a Western breakfast near our hotel. It was tasty – and, this being Singapore, pricey. Eh, what’re you gonna do?

Began packing back at the hotel, which stressed me out no end, thanks to Jetstar, our airline for today’s flight to Da Nang, sending me increasingly dire and alarming messages about weight restrictions for carry-ons and exorbitant fees for checked bags that exceeded weight allowance. I paid to add another 10 kilos of checked bags and then did my best to slim my carry-on bag down to the permitted 7 kilos. Christ, it’s really a fucking racket. Either the bag fits in the overhead (which mine does) or it doesn’t. Who gives a shit what’s in there? Not too mention that 7 kilos is very close to the weight of an empty suitcase…

On top of all the this, I’d developed some kind of rash on my feet – which I naturally assumed was bedbugs or scabies or some other equally awful malady. And the itch was driving me insane.

Our flight wasn’t until 6PM and at this point, we were just sitting around the hotel room with me becoming increasingly stressed out – so we figured we’d just head to Changi, which 100% deserves its reputation as the world’s best airport.

First things first, we got to Jetstar check-in and weighed our bags and redistributed things between checked and carry-on until we both had 7 kilos for the overhead and everything else checked. Needless to say, the extra 10 kilos I’d paid for was unnecessary since we were under our 40 kilo allowance. Oy, a racket, I tell you!

One nice thing though: there’s an urgent care clinic at the airport! I checked in and saw a doctor after a not-too-terrible wait. Diagnosis: atopic dermatitis! Which is really just a fancy term for “Yeah, that’s a rash.” But I got some steroid cream and antihistamines, along with the peace of mind that I’d not contracted an exotic parasitic infection.

Used my Priority Pass to treat us to a decent (and free!) Japanese bento lunch at TGM in T2, then hung out at the Dnata Lounge having wine until it was time to board. All went smoothly with boarding – and needless to say, no one gave my bag a second glance and certainly didn’t attempt to weigh it. I could’ve packed an anvil in there! Sigh. Well, as long as our checked bags have accompanied us to our final destination, I’ll consider the flying experience a success. Anyway, next stop Da Nang!

“It’s too early.”
In our ‘hood
THE ZOO
Me, seeing a couple fighting in public
AAAAAAHHHHHH
Primate
Proboscis
THIS IS THE LIFE
Monkey
Gorgeous!
KITTEH
So moist…
Orang
Swingin’
Tortoise
Chillin’
Pose 4 ur lyfie
Zzzzzzz
Toucan
Wow
“I’m exhausted”
Flight
Lemur
Python
Showboat
Monkey
Refreshing!
Cocktails
I’m diggin’ it
“Yes, we’d like to order”
Cocktails
Cool
Branches
Logan’s Run
This is at the airport
Again, this is the airport. WTF?
Ak announces, “I’m drunk.” It’s gonna be a long afternoon…

A Few Days in Singapore

Singapore – 7 & 8 April 2018

I’d forgotten how charming the Tiong Bahru neighborhood is, with it’s low-slung Art Deco apartments and quiet streets – plus this time the Tiong Bahru Market with its second-floor hawker centre was open after being closed for renovations on my last visit.

Breakfast for me was char siu and rice – my favorite! – while Ak had roast pork and congee. We took a walk around, primarily in hopes of seeing Bob, a well-known neighborhood cat, but had no luck – though there were a couple of signs posted asking folks not to feed Bob because he is on a special diet to lose some weight… Oh, Bob!

So, since we didn’t get our cat fix, we did the next best thing and stopped into Tiann’s, a little cafe across from the market with a simple and light-filled interior and a very friendly staff. I’ll admit to being a bit “O RLY?” when they advised that all the food they prepare contains neither gluten nor any refined sugar – but in fact, the kaya tea cake we shared with our iced lattes was delicious.

Next stop was back in the center at the Asian Civilizations Museum. The Tang shipwreck exhibit was fascinating, with a display of the some of the tens of thousands of objects, largely pottery but also some crafted from precious metals, salvaged from the wreck. The ship was Middle Eastern and was returning home after loading up with wares from China. It’s quite a marvel to see how highly-developed things like trade, commerce and mass production were over 1000 years ago in Asia.

Did a bit of shopping on Orchard Rd. where we had our first argument of the trip – less than 48 hours in, a new record, I believe – over my inability to disguise my boredom during a visit to Abercrombie & Fitch. Srsly tho – have you ever been into one of their shops? With the blasting music, the gallons of perfume being pumped into the air and the maze-like layout, it’s enough to make anyone over the age of 30 start yelling at people to get off their lawn.

We also got to check out Don Quijote, a newly-opened branch of the Japanese discount store – here known as Don Don Donki due to an existing establishment in Singapore apparently named Don Quixote – which is a bit like Tokyu Hands meets a 100 yen store. It’s jam-packed with gummy candies, weird beauty products, toys, liquor, travel equipment and self-piercing kits – “designed by doctors” (#mm-hmmm), to name just a small cross-section of their assortment – and there’s also a grocery store downstairs selling prepared food, along with fruit, vegetables, frozen treats and what is reputed to be extremely good quality meat and seafood at great prices. Singaporeans love a bargain, so the place was packed. It was all fascinating, despite us only buying some nori potato chips and mandarin-flavored drinking water, which tasted exactly like St. Joseph’s Chewable Children’s Aspirin.

Time for a bit of a snack and apparently my blood sugar was so low that I thought that eating at the Mexican place in the mall was a good idea – though, to be honest, it was actually surprisingly tasty, if also a bit rich in its pricing. Tacos were tasty and my margarita was adequate – though Ak’s sangria was not well-executed.

By the time we were finished and back outside, it’d started pouring rain. We had rather a long wait for a Grab back to the hotel, but we made it and relaxed for a bit before heading back out to Lau Pa Sat, the hawker centre next to which is an evening open-air group of stalls all selling satay, hence it’s moniker of Satay St. We ordered from stall 7 & 8, reputed along with 10, to be the best of a good bunch. The chicken and beef satay were delicious, though I didn’t like the shrimp quite as much. I wished I’d remembered to try one of the non-Halal vendors this time, just to have some pork satay – but I guess that will have to wait until my next visit! Well, unless we’re back there this visit…

Despite a tasty dinner, there was a redux of our “conversation” outside of A&F that afternoon, so it wasn’t the most pleasant dinner we’d had together, but we did manage to hash things out successfully before deciding to walk home along Clark Quay and the river. It was a long walk but the rain had stopped and weather was comfortable.

It’d been a long day and I was so exhausted, I was asleep before 10PM, while Ak caught up on a writing project he’s doing for a designer friend of his back in Bangkok.

Although I slept like a baby, we didn’t get quite as early a start on Sunday morning as we might’ve hoped, but we did manage to make it over to Adam Road Food Centre for breakfast. We had nasi lemek, mi rebus (essentially noodles in gravy) and some BBQ pork and rice. It was all pretty tasty, though nothing really knocked our socks off.

Walked down the road to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. We started at the northern end and made our way all the way to the southern entrance. The place is huge and really just lovely, with gorgeous grounds and people and dogs out enjoying their day. The highlight was probably the National Orchid Garden, filled with a huge variety of amazing orchids. It was a bit on the crowded side in there, but we really enjoyed our walk through this garden.

Afterwards, we walked over to the Dover Street Market, a very fancy designer boutique that Ak wanted to check out. Followed this up with a stop at PS Cafe where we had a couple of delicious – and this being Singapore – breathtakingly priced cocktails: a mojito for me and rose sangria with berries and rosebuds. Yum!

Next stop, a well-reputed ice cream shop with the unfortunate name Udders. Also unfortunate was my lack of attention when booking a Grab to take us there, as I inadvertently chose the one a couple of miles farther north than the one that was about a 10 minute drive from our location – so we wound up way in the outskirts of Singapore, joking with each other that we might’ve actually crossed into Malaysia. Sadly, the ice cream was just OK. I mean, yes, it was tasty, but probably not worth the schlep.

After that we visited Marina Square mall to check out a new outpost of Nomi, a Japanese 100 yen shop. It’s an older mall with an odd assortment of shops, but I kinda liked it. And it turned out to be good stop for Ak, as we popped into Owndays, a Japanese maker of reasonably priced eyeglasses. Not only did he find a great-looking pair of new glasses, the price was extremely reasonable – about half what I pay just for frames back in the US, plus included new lenses (which were also noticeably thinner for his quite-strong prescription #sheblind) and were ready in 20 minutes! I was tempted to buy some myself, but progressive lenses are custom and take a week or so to get back, so I was SOL – though the fellow who assisted us could not have been nicer, letting me know they’d be happy to ship them to me for about US$30. Oh well! I was happy that Ak found some new specs.

We took a long walk after, crossing the Helix Bridge over to Marina Bay and making our way south to check out Marina One, a really cool and not-quite-fully open office/condo/retail complex. The architecture is impressive, particularly the interior open space which is filled with tropical greenery and pools and waterfalls, surrounded by the curving and angled buildings soaring overhead.

Since we were in the neighborhood, it seemed foolish not to pop over to Lau Pa Sat food center and the adjacent Satay St. We tried the satay from stall number 6 this time and declared it not quite as good as our usual from stand 7 & 8 – so we ordered a round from 7 & 8, just to be sure. Oh, and we also had a bowl of noodles with meat sauce and wontons and some tom yum. And some dessert of shaved ice topped with milk, sago beads and fresh fruit. C’est léger, c’est léger!

And now we’re back in our room, Ak watching “The Face” (essentially “Thailand’s Next Top Model”) and I’m clacking away on this update while listening to some disco tunes on my headphones. It’s not even 8PM here! Ordinarily, it’d be time for some wine or a cocktail, but booze is so expensive here that it brings out my inner cheapskate. So, I guess we’ll just have to be satisfied with water and the last of the Swiss chocolates from my friend Nicolas…

Neither rising nor shining
Our boring neighborhood
Tiong Bahru
Char siu
Breakfast!
“Can you not?”
Bookstore kitteh
Snack time
Mirror
“It’s like they knew we were coming!”
Beardo
Sculpture
Figures
Rider
What could go wrong?
Satay!
Hawker center
Nasi Lemak
Granny lewkz
Bananas
Heh heh heh
“Again?”
Flower
Orchids
Smiley
Bird
Pink
Smile!
Exotic
Staaahhp
Monitor lizard!
Outta my way
Refreshments
“Gurl, no”
She tried…
“New glasses, who dis?”
Skyline
Marina One
SATAY
Tom yum
Noodlez
MOAR SATAY
“Should we get dessert?”
YAAAASSS

Singapore via Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland – 4 April 2018
Singapore – 5 & 6 April 2018

Arrived at SFO easily enough despite rush hour traffic. There was a bit of a line for business class check-in at SWISS (#outrage) but I was soon past security and seated in the not-especially-glamorous temp United lounge. It’s currently the only Star Alliance lounge open at SFO Terminal G, due to ongoing construction of what is supposed to be a really nice new Polaris lounge. Eh, it was fine – I had a seat and got myself plenty hydrated with sparkling water for the 10 ½ hour flight to Zurich.

Flying with me on this first leg was my friend Nicolas, an FA for SWISS. He kept my champagne topped up and made sure I had a great flight – though honestly, every passenger seemed to receive really lovely service from the very attentive crew.
SWISS’ 777 seating layout in C alternates 1-2-2 and 2-2-1. The single seats are nicknamed “Throne Seats” (#apropos #thisqueen) and are reserved for SWISS premium members or those willing to cough up $200 per segment for the privilege of getting these very private seats. Given that I’d used miles to purchase this ticket, I decided to go for it. And boy was I glad that I did!

Besides all the privacy, this seat has way more storage space in an around the seat. Plus, I was in 4A, one of only two bulkhead thrones (the other being 7A) – and they provide substantially more foot room when in bed mode. 4A is also in the front mini-cabin of the 777 with only two rows, so it feels very quiet and private.

Dinner was great and I got a decent amount of semi-fitful sleep after a tasty dinner. Once I was fully awake, it was only an hour-and-a-half until arrival at Zurich.

My layover before transiting onward to Singapore was seven hours. The train from the airport to central Zurich takes about 15 minutes, so it was my plan to spend a few hours in town. I’d gone back-and-forth on this plan, since the weather forecast was cold and rainy – but what the hell, why not!

Made it into town just as easily as it had been portrayed. It was chilly and the rain was steady. As I walked toward the Fraumünster, I was having second thoughts – my shoes were wet and I was simultaneously sweaty and cold. But I plodded on.

And I’m so glad I did! Fraumünster is home to a series of stained glass windows by Marc Chagall. They were breathtaking and the visit would have been so worth it just to see them. But there was also what I believe was rehearsal going on upstairs for a performance by violin and the church’s massive pipe organ. So, I was treated to music filling the church while I sat and looked at the beautiful stained glass windows.

I’ll confess I got a little misty-eyed – not just because it was a wonderful experience but it was one of those moments where I kind of can’t believe that I’ve been so fortunate in my life to travel and to visit places like this. So happy I didn’t let the rain interfere with my visit.

Next stop was Sternen Grill for a bratwurst and a glass of wine – it was great! Then back to the station, a quick trip back to the airport and then off to the gorgeous SWISS lounge in Terminal E. I had a nice long shower, put on some fresh panties and got that spring back in my step. Boarded my next flight after relaxing a bit more in the lounge.

My visit to Singapore started off rather less auspiciously than one might hope. The 11 hour flight from Zurich was AOK, as I was once again ensconced in seat 4A on a SWISS 777. I slept for only about three hours in an attempt to get myself adjusted to local time, so I watched a few movies (and liked Thor: Ragnorok substantially better than Call Me by Your Name, a film which made my eyes roll into the back of my head more than once. But I digress…)

Made it through Immigration quickly and collected my bags with the intention of buying a local SIM card at the airport. The only ones I found were for SG$38, which seemed substantially higher than I recalled, so I skipped it and headed by taxi to my home for the next five nights, the Sheraton Four Points River View.

The place is nice enough, though perhaps a bit more touristy than I’d like, especially considering how much I enjoyed the more boutique-y WANGZ Hotel I stayed in on my last visit (which had the additional plus of being named WANGZ) – but there was a substantial difference in price and Singapore is not exactly a bargain when it comes to lodging.

Anyway, after unpacking and getting a status update from Ak, who was flying in from BKK this same evening, I headed out in search of a 7-Eleven from which to purchase a SIM card. Google Maps showed two nearby, so off I went with a screenshot of the location.

Across the river from the hotel are plenty of other hotels and condos and tons of restaurants, all of which seemed vaguely questionable, thanks to their photo-based menus, too-broad offerings (burgers, pizza and North Indian cuisine in one place for example) and more-than-fair share of boisterous Western tourists. Again, a bit of a let-down from the charming Tiong Bahru neighborhood I’d stayed in last time – but at this point I just needed a 7-Eleven.

My map failed me, pointing me to a street devoid of any establishments whatsoever, let alone a convenience store, so I wandered semi-aimlessly in the direction of a ramen place I knew was close by. And lo and behold, I stumbled across a different 7-Eleven – only to have the clerk tell me that her SIM registration machine was not working, which was frustrating enough, but she also used a tone that I felt was unnecessarily surly.

I did find the ramen place, Ippudo, and had a decent bowl along with some sake – which sort of took the edge off their lack of Wi-Fi (#srsly?). But all in all, I was not really feeling it my first night in Singapore – though this was no doubt exacerbated by the nearly thirty hours I’d spent in transit.

Back to hotel and awaited Ak’s arrival, while intermittently dozing. He arrived from the airport quickly, we had a brief happy reunion before we both had to hit the hay.

Friday morning we woke up early and went back out in search of SIM card, this time with directions from the front desk clerk and found the place immediately – only to be advised that I needed to present my passport and no, a copy wasn’t good enough. Ugh, y tho? Back to hotel for passport, back again and I was finally back online, thank heavens.

And I swung into action by ordering us a Grab (the SE Asian version of Uber) to take us to Maxwell Food Centre, one of Singapore’s many, many hawker centers. Due to the early hour, lots of stalls still closed, but I had a really tasty stir-fried noodles with shrimp and Ak had chicken congee and then we shared a kaya bun, “kaya” being a local coconut jam that’s a breakfast favorite here.

Next stop the National Gallery, where we looked at paintings before visiting an installation on the rooftop, a bamboo maze with a tiny teahouse at the center. Back downstairs, we ended our visit at a really entertaining video installation that also proved to be irresistible IG bait for the both of us.

Wandered around the bay until it was time for our afternoon tea at L’Eclair by Sarah Michelle. It was pretty tasty – though the eclairs, while the flavors were excellent, were done in by rather soggy pastry. Quel dommage!

Walked back to the hotel for a lie-down, then a swim, then another lie-down and then dinner in the neighborhood (preceded by a stop at the front desk to share my hope that our room would be made up prior to 4PM as had occurred today. But I digress…) at Wine Connection Cheese Bar. Ak isn’t really familiar with cheese, so we shared a plate of Brie, Tomme de Savoie and some pastrami. I was quite surprised at the high quality of all the offerings – along with a decent bottle of rose at a reasonable-for-Singapore price. As it turned out, neither Brie nor Tomme de Savoie were big hits with Ak – he didn’t hate them, but also didn’t love them. In a surprise twist, when we ordered a refill, he loved the Tête de Moine – authentically prepared with a girolle – and the Serrano ham! So, perhaps not the most traditionally Singaporean meal, but given its proximity to the hotel, reasonable price and excellent quality, it turned out to be a great pick for dinner.

Had a leisurely walk back and checked the forecast for Saturday’s weather. Rain predicted, so we’ve postponed our visit to the Botanic Gardens to Sunday and tomorrow we’ll head back to Tiong Bahru to visit the market and hawker center which was closed for renovations when we stayed nearby last time. Here’s hoping I can finally eat some char siu there!

This bitch.
A line? O mon dieu!
O HAI
Seat 4A FTW
La reine sur son trône
Cocktail hour
Starter
Main
Greuzi, Zurich!
Les Alpes
Train into town
So charming!
Fraumünster
Bratwurst
ZRH > SIN
Ramen
Sake
Sunrise in Singapore
O gurl
Our adventure begins
Singapore lewkz
Heh heh heh
Noodles for breakfast
Congee
At the temple
Chinatown
Windows
Flowers
Pinkie
Skyline
Afternoon tea
I’m on the left…
Poolside
Meat & cheese, Pt 1
Meat & cheese, Pt 2
Millenials, amirite?
So clever!