Angkor

The area of Angkor has a plethora of temples and ancient cities. Angkor Wat is but one of these, built in the 12th century. Some of the sites date as far back as the 8th century.

I was lucky to stumble upon two new friends on the taxi ride into Siem Reap from the border. I wandered for three days with Laura from Massachusetts, and Pedro/Kim from South Korea, and our tuk tuk driver, Pip. My ambitious idea of bike riding solo around the temples was quashed pretty quickly, as I saw the traffic. I managed to discern two road rules: keep right when you can, and bigger vehicles have right-of-way and win in all one-on-one encounters. There was a crash near our hostel the first evening I stayed there that resulted in a fatality. Definitely one of the more dangerous systems I've seen, what with the interactions between buses, cars, tuk tuks, motorbikes, bicycles, pedestrians, and livestock. Also, the people seem to be able to load their vehicles up with more than you'd ever think. So far we've seen three live pigs strapped upside down to a motorcycle (sorry, PETA) and two women with three babies and four big bags of produce on a single motorcycle--no helmets to be seen.

This was our first view of the entrance to the main temple area.

Sometimes it was a little overwhelming choosing where to go and what to look at.

 The carvings throughout the Angkor complex were beautiful.

I like how the lichen grew politically correct on these Apsara dancer reliefs.

Bees are alive and well! They were a little scary to walk under.

Poverty was pretty desperate and sad around Siem Reap and Angkor. Some of the kids trying to sell things to us were only a little older than this wee one. I was happy to see that from Sunday to Monday there were many fewer kids, hopefully meaning that they were in school.

 Laura and me, struggling up the steep steps of a temple. We look a little hot and tired, I think.

Introducing Laura and Pedro.

At the end of our first day wandering through Angkor, Pip took us to a local street carnival for a beer. It was the one place in Siem Reap we weren't hassled to buy things, as it was all locals. We didn't stay for long, because after a day at the temples we were pretty dusty and tired, but the ferris wheel looked like it was spinning quite quickly. Could have been an interesting experience. Apparently everyone turns up just after the sun goes down, so as to be a bit cooler.

Elephants were present in carvings, sculptures, and as part of the tourist experience.

Like many, Ta Prohm was one of my favourites. I took as many pictures of the different trees and buttressed roots as my camera would allow. I just love how it looks when nature takes back the land.

The second day we got up early for the sunrise. Not a great one, but nice to be up in the cool of the day, and the view from the top once we climbed into and up Angkor Wat was beautiful.

Sometimes we took a break and just sat in the temples/buildings, as they retained their coolness throughout the day. Good thing D.C. prepared me slightly for this heat and humidity!

On our last evening in the temples, we went up to a temple on the top of a hill, and waited for the sunset (as recommended to us) . . . but as the climb was quite harrowing (standardly harrowing) we wondered what everyone was going to do to get back down in the dark. But, we were kicked out before dark, which makes me wonder how someone is supposed to see a sunset, yet come down before dark? Seems like the "sunset tour" might be a bit of a misnomer? As with the sunrise, it was very cloudy, so I'm not sure our sunset would have been anything to write home about anyways, so we weren't too disappointed (and perhaps slightly relieved, as I was the only one with a headtorch--thanks, Janet!).

 There were monks at the top, I think trying to practice their English. I haven't quite figured out the rules of monkdom in this part of the world, but it's definitely not what I expected.

Today I have to decide where I'm going next. I'm thinking to an island called Russei off of Sihanoukville. I got some insider's info from a Mr. Ken Ryan that Sihanoukville itself can get pretty sleazy, so I'm attempting to find a nice place elsewhere (yet still beachside) to relax before going on to visit Phnom Penh and make my way to India. So far, so good.

Holy Khao, What a Great Cooking Class :)

Oh dear. The punning has begun.

I spent my last day in Thailand (yes I know, I'm out of order again) going to the most wonderful cooking class ever. You'd never expect it, especially as it's in the heart of Khao San Road. But, it was absolutely perfect, with the most knowledgeable, extremely professional chef leading the class.

Ning, our chef, was not only a great teacher and advocate for the traditional thai arts, but is studying (a Master's?) using anthropology to look at the changing face of thai cuisine and how culture change is changing the traditional recipes and taste buds of today's Thais. It goes without saying that it was fascinating. Ning's mother (The head of the Khao Cooking School) seems like she might be a force to be reckoned with--demanding the best, having trained at the same place that trained the Royal Thai chefs, and having led a very successful career as a chef and cooking author.

I learned, cooked, and ate to my heart's content. A wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

National geographic peeps . . . I think this girl has what it takes to be a young/emerging explorer. Get onto that :)

The Numbness Was Worth It

Having been told I was silly for trying to go overland to Cambodia, when there are perfectly reasonable flights from Bangkok into Siem Reap, I feel justified. Yes, my butt was ridiculously sore. Yes it was crowded and dusty and smelly at times. But it was beautiful, and as a geographer, very grounding to see the landscape change. I only wish I'd taken more photos.

But, here are some beautiful ones for you, with the mist rising in the early morning (did I mention the train left at 5:55am?).

This wee baby and his family kept me entertained for many hours of this journey :) 48 baht (2 NZ dollars) well spent.

I say "bah" to those who told me to fly.

Iranian Chicken and Walnut Curry with Mehri

Part of my interest in some of the places I'm going to originated with food. As a result, as I travel around, I'm hoping to pick up some tips to improve my own cooking and spice up the rotation of meals I generally cook. In the spirit of this, I asked my best friend's mum, Mehri, to teach me an Iranian dish.

As with most wonderful cooks, she doesn't measure ingredients. So bear with my estimations/lack of estimations and missing steps/over-complication of steps. I think the rule to remember with this recipe is experimentation :) Alter amounts to suit your own tastes.

Iranian Chicken/Walnut Curry

Curry Ingredients:
Onion ~ 2 cups
Chicken ~ 2 cups
Walnuts ~ 2 cups
Turmeric ~1 t
Salt ~ 1 t
Chillies ~1/4 t
Cracked Pepper ~1/4 t
Powder from dried unripened grapes/or tomato paste
A cinnamon stick
 Canola oil
Butter
* Large Disclaimer. Throughout the cooking, more spices were added regularly to taste. This was just the starting amount, and I would taste and add as you go.

Rice and potatoes Ingredients:
Basmati Rice ~ 2 cups
Saffron 1/4 t
Salt
A couple potatoes
Canola oil

Instructions for curry:
1. Fry onion in pan with some canola oil
2. Once soft, add turmeric. Then add a couple of cups of water, the salt, chillies, cracked pepper, cinnamon stick
3. If you have pomegranate fruit paste or fruit leather, add some of that. Otherwise you could use juice of some kind.
4. If you have it, add the powder from dried non-ripened grapes (tangy) a substitute could be tomato paste or lemon juice or both.
5. Let simmer and cook down.

6. Cook chicken in butter

7. Use food processor to chop walnuts/blend till as smooth as you can be bothered (Mehri did this for ages)
8. Add to the simmering onion broth

9. Put chicken and broth/curry into a pot and let simmer until ready to serve (consistency of curry)


Instructions for rice and potatoes:
1. Put basmati rice in a container, and use lukewarm water to wash the rice, removing the starch.
2. Do this several times.
3. Once the water runs clear, leave the rice to sit in a container with a several cups of lukewarm water and several tablespoons of salt.
4. Let sit for at least a half an hour, but could be overnight.
5. Boil water in a pot.
6. Add the salt water and rice to the pot
7. Boil the rice. Leave slightly undercooked.
8. Remove rice and let stand.

9. Take a 1/2 teaspoon of saffron and mix it with a half a cup of boiling water. Let stand.

10. Slice several potatoes into 1 cm wide slices.
11. Put oil (quite a lot) into the bottom of the rice pot and heat up.
12. Add the potatoes.
13. Let cook, until the potatoes get a whiteish sheen. Turning over.

* At this point, you can turn the whole thing off if the rest of your food isn't ready, or you can continue.

14. Add the rice
15. Make a hole (like a volcano) in the middle of the rice so that steam can circulate.
16. Let cook on medium for 30 minutes. Turn down if needed.
17. Let cool for awhile, or if everything else is ready, plunge the pot into cool water in the sink, this makes the potato not stick to the inside of the pot.

18. When you're ready to serve, put the rice and potatoes onto a large platter, and pour the saffron water over the top to colour the rice and give it flavour.

* A good side dish could be roast vegetables or salad.

Yum!
Thanks to the Taghavis for the wonderful dinner :)

It's all go: Bangkok

After a bumpy time trying to get out of New Zealand (including not being allowed to check in until phone calls and faxes and parents and whathaveyou confirmed my credit card was actually my credit card--with 30 minutes before takeoff) I cruised into Bangkok and settled in nicely.

I was slightly worried when the two questions the woman at the front desk of my hostel asked me were "do you drink" and "do you have a boyfriend." Hmmm. But, really, it's been a really nice and clean place to stay, with great access to the BTS sky train. And internet and aircon that works. All a girl could ask for.

Yesterday I explored the area I'm staying in, Chong Nonsi, the Chao Phraya river, the Grand Palace, took a wander down Khao San Road, and had dinner with Ken and his friend with a view of a thunderstorm over the city.

 They rather like gold at the Grand Palace

Became obsessed with the restoration work going on, especially the beautiful trees being painted.

And then realized that the trees were so amazing, because the real trees were so interesting to look at.

Rehydrated with a coconut.

Took  a water taxi from the BTS sky train to the Grand Palace and back.

Was too busy catching up and eating great Thai food to get photos with Ken. And that's my day in Bangkok :)

Don't expect such prompt blogging in the future. This is a total anomaly.

At the end of the world. Almost.

Many things have happened over the last month. Lots good. Some not so good.

One week ago today, a large earthquake hit Christchurch. Actually, if you look at this website, over 300 earthquakes have hit since this time last week. About a third of the central business district of Christchurch has been destroyed, and many lives lost. New Zealanders and visitors from abroad seem to be picking themselves, dusting off the liquefaction, and finding solace and humour wherever they can. My friends, down for the weekend to see me off and gather supplies in untouched Dunedin, seem rather excited about their bucket/toilet contraption (oh for clean running water and power). Love to you all in Christchurch. And keep safe, will you?

In the weeks preceding the earthquake, I did all those organizational things one does before a trip around the world. International Driver's License. Check. A will (seems more real in light of this terrible last week). Check. Spray clothes with terribly hazardous chemical substance to kill all mosquitos and prevent malaria. Check. Get jabbed with far too many needles so as to survive anything barring nuclear war. Check. Spend time with friends and family and remember how much I love my peeps and Dunedin. Check.

 Crooks and Kanes together again

 Biking with mum along the harbour.

I also made an itinerary and bought plane tickets. So, if any of you out there happen to know of beautiful free apartments coming available in New Delhi, Mathura or Agra at the time of Holi, shoot me an email :)

These are my plans (subject to change):
March 2 (yes, I know, that's soon!) arrive into Bangkok, Thailand.
March 4 cross over into Cambodia, and explore Angkor Wat.
March 5-16 meander through Cambodia, making sure I'm at Phnom Penh on the 16th for my flight to India.

March 16 arrive into New Delhi, India.
March 17 buy a Sari so as to pretend to myself that I could possibly fit in with the locals.
March 18-30 wander around the Northern part of India, hopefully not losing my eyes to errant toxic paint during the festival of colour.

March 30 fly from India to Nairobi, Kenya to see Diana :)
April spent in Eastern Africa. Perhaps some part in Madagascar. Let's just wait and see what other countries can erupt with unrest or natural disasters. Anyone else feel like we're in the script of the straight-to-tv sequel to The Day After Tomorrow?

April 28 fly up to my brother in Berlin!
Sometime from April 28-May 5 buy a bike, and learn how to ride it.
May 6? Take the train from Berlin to Amsterdam (What, you thought I was actually going to ride that?)
May 7? til June 1 Bike from Amsterdam to Paris (It's flat. And there are tulips)

June 1 to June 7 Meet my parents in Paris for a week of croissants and mimes.
May 20 2011- May 20 2012 I'm legally allowed to be in France, talk french, eat more croissants and baguettes, and be gainfully employed should I so choose, or need—having run out of money.

The next you hear from me, I should be being overwhelmed by Asia.
Wish me luck!
(And also send me your addresses if you want the possibility of incomprehensible postcards).

Much love,
Mary

Cultural differences, and what I want out of this journey.

Having been home in New Zealand for a few weeks now, a few things are starting to make more sense. One is related to how people respond to me when I talk about this trip I'm taking.

In the United States, when I told people (prepare for mass generalisations forthcoming) that I was going to travel around the world by myself, hiking, biking, camping, staying in hostels, contacting strangers via couchsurfer and staying at their houses, going to live in countries where I didn't speak the language . . . I got a particular string of reactions.

"Aren't you scared?"
"Aren't you excited!"
"Wow, I could never do that"
"You have to do that while you're young"
"Isn't that a little indulgent?"
"Have you thought about x?"
"I'm so excited for you"
This website may have been forwarded my way from a particular friend (you know who you are :)  )

When I explained this same plan to New Zealanders, I got quite a different set of responses.

"Oh yeah, I've done that""Cool. Yeah, I've been there. It's awesome"
"That's so exciting"
"I/(my brother/mother/father/neighbour/friend/grandma/relative/hairdresser) did that/is doing that"
"I know a New Zealander there."
"I'm so excited for you"
Wikipedia explains a little more.

In general, New Zealanders just see this as a completely commonplace thing to do, while Americans don't. On one hand it's seen as really exciting and unknown, on the other as exciting, but quite standard—a rite of passage. On one it is seen as indulgent and perhaps career suicide/financial ruin, on the other as an opportunity to learn and actually often as an opportunity for career advancement, or the possibility to earn some Euros/pounds and bring them back home. To my lovely U.S. friends . . . yes this is a generalization, and to my multilingual U.S. Peace Corps friends (and others) . . . you don't really fit my generalizations, this I know.

As a dual citizen, and one who has now spent 2/3 of my life in New Zealand, and 1/3 in the States, I have begun to feel the niggling worries. Luckily, my NZ nonchalance wins out. So, let me explain it, to all those thinking I'm crazy.

What I want out of this year/two years/however long:
* To be at least bilingual (French). I want to develop advantages over my monolingual peers.  I want denser grey matter. . . who knows what I could apply that brain power to.
* To be able to grow my own food, organically. And keep bees. So far my bee experiments have failed.
* To survive biking long distance and camping by myself--when I'm not really a bike or camping person (yet!)
* To be able to give a sense of scale and perspective and understanding to global issues as they come up, books I've read or am yet to read, movies I've seen, because I've been there, talked to those people, and experienced some small bit of what they experience each day.

And that's about it, really. Of course there will be a million tiny things I gain from this journey. But these are the check boxes. Language. Food. Comfort Zone. Knowledge.

M.