When I said I was moving to China, everyone from home said they'd come visit me, IF we went to Thailand together. It's funny, because my first visitor, my dear friend Katy, met me in Thailand at the start of her Asian exploration. I guess my friends weren't kidding about that trip being a must.
After the wonderful weekend I had in Hong Kong, Katy and I met in Bangkok at our adorable hotel, the Villa Phra Sumen. She had arrived just shortly before I had, and was already resting in the hotel. She opened the door and we exchanged a big hug. It had only been a few months since we'd last seen each other as I had visited her in New York over the summer, but it was so good to have a friend on "my turf"!
The hotel was precious. It was something straight out of Pier One Imports, only everything was authentic to Thailand. There were exposed wooden beams on the ceiling, cement floors, a cute little sofa with great pillows in vibrant colors and designs...even the box of tissues was encased in a red basket to add another splash of color. I loved it. I was sad we'd only be there one night.
That first night in Bangkok became known as "One Night in Bangkok" to us, because it sounded like the start of a crazy story, which is what it is. I kept thinking back to the movie "The Hangover" and quickly realized that what I thought might have been movie magic, actually was true to this city.
Katy and I met her friend who lives in Bangkok and he took us to dinner at his hotel, the Anantara. We popped up to the roof for an amazing view over the city, but it began to rain so we ate in another one of the hotel's restaurants down on the second or third floor. It was lovely.
After dinner we decided to go to the W hotel for drinks. We were only there long enough for two drinks and a few rounds of Jenga before we all started feeling sleepy and decided we needed something more lively, so Katy's friend took us to Patpong with a warning of "don't make eye contact." Lordy, Lordy. The things I saw and heard during that brief walk up and down the market! I had to look at the ground the majority of the time, as I couldn't keep a straight face. The center aisles are for stalls selling trinkets, pashminas, sunglasses, you name it. That part wasn't so bad, except that they hound you to buy things. The side of the road, however, is lined with nudie bars. I'm sorry I can't call them anything else; I certainly can't call them by their actual names.
The bars were all open so that you could see inside...no front wall on any of them. There were people in the street trying to get us to come into each of the "fine establishments" with an enticing menu of what one might see...things that made me feel dirty just hearing. I made the mistake of mumbling under my breath, "wonder what they can do with that ping pong ball," and was quickly answered. Holy moly. If you want to know more, if you're curious, google it, but I'm not repeating the things I heard. I'll just leave you with this thought, certain body parts of these "talented young women" can do much more than you'd ever imagine, or care to. I'm not going to lie, I am baffled too by how these people can make their "hooha" smoke cigarettes. I'm thankful I didn't look up to see this, however. I'd have nightmares I'm sure. I said a prayer for the girls and a prayer for my own soul after leaving that place. One night in Bangkok...that's all I needed.
The next day was much more my speed as Katy and I got up to visit a few temples. We actually only made it to one, the temple of the giant, reclining Buddha. It was hot, we were sweaty, and there were tons of other people at the temple, but it was really wonderful to see this massive statue. I got some great photos from the grounds of the temple, but even they don't do it justice.
Prior to our trip, we had heard that massages were super cheap and very good in Thailand, so after the morning hustle and bustle at Wat Pho, we went to Healthland for some relaxation. We had a two hour massage for 500 Baht, the equivalent of $15 and change. Katy and I were escorted into a room where three mats lie on the floor. We were given a cotton pair of pants and shirt, much like scrubs, and told to change and lie down. That sounds a lot easier than it was, because neither of us could figure out how to put the things on and both showed a bit more of ourselves than we'd like when the therapists came in the room to help us! The two massage therapists worked on us diligently, trying to de-stress the two of us. I get worried about my back and not speaking the language, so when I saw what the woman was doing to Katy (stretching and twisting in ways I knew I couldn't) I sat up and said "no," and tried to show her my scar. I just don't bend and am scared the therapists here in Asia will try to do something that physically, could really hurt me. I guess because I was nervous, I didn't really enjoy my massage. Katy, however, said hers was amazing.
It was POURING rain when we came out of the spa and the taxi situation was insane, but we were able to get a guy to take us to the hotel so we could quickly grab our things and head to the airport for our flight to Phuket. That would be the most amazing part of our Thai adventure, but that's for part two of this series of posts. Stay tuned...
Friday, October 31, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Escaping Dongguan
About two weeks ago we had a National Holiday here in China, and because of this, school was closed, as was almost everything else, for a week. I booked a trip to Thailand, my first escape from the mainland here.
On Saturday morning, September 27th, I took the bus from the Dongcheng International Hotel around the corner from my apartment to Hong Kong. I'd only just stopped at the airport in Hong Kong when I first arrived in Asia, so I wanted to check things out. The bus ride was an easy one, even though at the border between mainland China and HK you have to get off the bus, take your luggage and go through a checkpoint, then do that a second time not five minutes after you've reboarded. It wasn't too awful, but if I had more than my Longchamp duffle, I'd have been struggling a little. I did leave my NCPA water bottle sitting next to the stack of departure cards, so that bummed me out a little bit.
Once I arrived in Hong Kong, I knew I was to get off the bus and then take the train to Central, the area of town where I'd be spending the next two days. I had never been before, as I said, so when the bus got stuck in traffic and I was told to depart in the middle of the street rather than at the station, I looked to two other passengers and had them point me in the right direction. I immediately felt like I was in China, which is funny, because I wasn't, but it was what I had been expecting all along when I came to Asia...overly crowded streets and chaos. It was much more "China" than Dongguan is, or at least that's my opinion.
I walked first to the currency exchange which I just so happened to pass, then around the block looking for the train station. I convenitnetly stumbled upon a Starbucks, and went inside to grab a cold beverage/free wifi. Getting my bearings and sending a few messages to contacts in Hong Kong, I figured out the "plan" for the day.
I walked around the block back in the direction of where I thought the train station might be. I took a few quick photographs because I couldn't get over the number of people in the streets. Dongguan is big, the 37th largest city in the world, but it's not overly crowded in the streets like it is in Hong Kong.
I asked a few people to direct me and luckily I found the train station, a huge underground terminal. I got my one way ticket after purchasing a water from a convenience store to make change (the ticket machine wouldn't break anything above a 20) and I boarded the train for Central.
Getting off the train a few stops later, I changed lines and then got back on for just another couple of minutes. I came up out of the MTR station, a really easy one to navigate because everything is in English as well as Chinese, and set out looking for my hotel. I popped in 7-Eleven type of shop and grabbed another water (it was HOT) and continued walking. I wasn't quite sure where I was going, but the screenshot of the Google map I had looked easy enough to follow, and the clerk in the shop pointed me onwards. Keep in mind, my cell phone lost all data when I crossed the border from China into HK, so I was going solely on the picture I had, no live map.
I luckily had no trouble at all walking straight on and my hotel, the iClub Sheung Wan, was on the left just a short distance away. It was a super modern facility and a great base for my two nights in Hong Kong.
After a quick freshening up, I set out walking in search of my number one mission, a set of highlights and a trim for my hair! I had been given a few suggestions, but the salons were SOOO expensive I just couldn't justify it. I wandered around Soho and found some great markets where I bought Halloween decorations and stickers, then I saw an Aveeda Salon, so I thought I'd look into having my hair done there. I climbed something like 7 flights of stairs to realize it was only the fire exit, so I made my way back down to the ground floor and found the elevator to go back up. Sticky from sweat and exhausted from my trek, I went into the salon and apologized repeatedly for my condition. I explained that I wanted highlights and then a trim, and as there were some English and Chinese speakers, they sat me down so that they could all examine my head. I had three men and one woman standing over me looking carefully through the strands of blonde and roots. After talking for quite a while about what they could do for me and what it would cost if I chose the senior stylist versus the rookie, I chose to go forward and have my hair done. I was reluctant of course, for many reasons, but a "blonde" like me can't go on forever without touch ups!!
I had my hair done by four different men, one for the coloring, one for the washing, one for the trimming and one for the drying. After two cups of tea and a water, the process was complete and I paid the equivalent of $250 USD before heading back out onto the streets of HK. I am very nervous about the next time, because I just don't think I can allow myself (mentally) to pay that much for hair!!
I shopped a little and then found an adorable little French place so I popped in to grab dinner. I was put at a back table in front of the kitchen, a tiny space with a window cut out so that you could watch the chefs. The owner of the restaurant was a Frenchman and was very polite, but very busy. I had a glass of white and took his suggestion for the fish special. I was a bit disappointed when it came out bones, head and all. I don't know how to each such a thing! I only started eating fish about three years ago, and I haven't graduated to getting it off the bone yet. I picked at it and ate the side, a really nice cup of salty lentils, but sent the plate back after I did what damage I could. The poor chef looked out the window and in his very strong French accent asked, "You didn't like?" I felt terrible! I simply responded, "I don't like bones." Ugh. Embarrassing too, but the staff was so nice. They sent me a complementary slice of chocolate cake with salted caramel to drizzle over the top. That made up for it.
I went on back to the hotel after buying a little bottle of red in a convenience store. I ended the night with my wine and some scary television show about hauntings. Surprisingly, I slept well!
The next day was amazing as I toured Soho, the antique markets, and a bit of the waterfront. I walked all day, had lunch in an Italian place that had a great view for people watching, then had "dinner" at another precious little French place. I had passed it the night before, and thought it was a perfect spot to end the evening. La Cabane is a tiny space with maybe four or five tables made of wine barrels. I sat at the bar so as to not take up any of those, but I also like sitting at the bar because it gives you a great chance to talk with the bartenders.
The guy who served me, another Frenchman, helped me choose a crisp white and a cheese board. It came with a lovely baguette. I also ordered the warm olives. The whole thing was perfect. After another glass of wine and a glass of prune liquor to serve as a night cap, I headed on back to the hotel. The next day would take me to Thailand, but that's for another blog...stay tuned!!
On Saturday morning, September 27th, I took the bus from the Dongcheng International Hotel around the corner from my apartment to Hong Kong. I'd only just stopped at the airport in Hong Kong when I first arrived in Asia, so I wanted to check things out. The bus ride was an easy one, even though at the border between mainland China and HK you have to get off the bus, take your luggage and go through a checkpoint, then do that a second time not five minutes after you've reboarded. It wasn't too awful, but if I had more than my Longchamp duffle, I'd have been struggling a little. I did leave my NCPA water bottle sitting next to the stack of departure cards, so that bummed me out a little bit.
Once I arrived in Hong Kong, I knew I was to get off the bus and then take the train to Central, the area of town where I'd be spending the next two days. I had never been before, as I said, so when the bus got stuck in traffic and I was told to depart in the middle of the street rather than at the station, I looked to two other passengers and had them point me in the right direction. I immediately felt like I was in China, which is funny, because I wasn't, but it was what I had been expecting all along when I came to Asia...overly crowded streets and chaos. It was much more "China" than Dongguan is, or at least that's my opinion.
I walked first to the currency exchange which I just so happened to pass, then around the block looking for the train station. I convenitnetly stumbled upon a Starbucks, and went inside to grab a cold beverage/free wifi. Getting my bearings and sending a few messages to contacts in Hong Kong, I figured out the "plan" for the day.
I walked around the block back in the direction of where I thought the train station might be. I took a few quick photographs because I couldn't get over the number of people in the streets. Dongguan is big, the 37th largest city in the world, but it's not overly crowded in the streets like it is in Hong Kong.
I asked a few people to direct me and luckily I found the train station, a huge underground terminal. I got my one way ticket after purchasing a water from a convenience store to make change (the ticket machine wouldn't break anything above a 20) and I boarded the train for Central.
Getting off the train a few stops later, I changed lines and then got back on for just another couple of minutes. I came up out of the MTR station, a really easy one to navigate because everything is in English as well as Chinese, and set out looking for my hotel. I popped in 7-Eleven type of shop and grabbed another water (it was HOT) and continued walking. I wasn't quite sure where I was going, but the screenshot of the Google map I had looked easy enough to follow, and the clerk in the shop pointed me onwards. Keep in mind, my cell phone lost all data when I crossed the border from China into HK, so I was going solely on the picture I had, no live map.
I luckily had no trouble at all walking straight on and my hotel, the iClub Sheung Wan, was on the left just a short distance away. It was a super modern facility and a great base for my two nights in Hong Kong.
After a quick freshening up, I set out walking in search of my number one mission, a set of highlights and a trim for my hair! I had been given a few suggestions, but the salons were SOOO expensive I just couldn't justify it. I wandered around Soho and found some great markets where I bought Halloween decorations and stickers, then I saw an Aveeda Salon, so I thought I'd look into having my hair done there. I climbed something like 7 flights of stairs to realize it was only the fire exit, so I made my way back down to the ground floor and found the elevator to go back up. Sticky from sweat and exhausted from my trek, I went into the salon and apologized repeatedly for my condition. I explained that I wanted highlights and then a trim, and as there were some English and Chinese speakers, they sat me down so that they could all examine my head. I had three men and one woman standing over me looking carefully through the strands of blonde and roots. After talking for quite a while about what they could do for me and what it would cost if I chose the senior stylist versus the rookie, I chose to go forward and have my hair done. I was reluctant of course, for many reasons, but a "blonde" like me can't go on forever without touch ups!!
I had my hair done by four different men, one for the coloring, one for the washing, one for the trimming and one for the drying. After two cups of tea and a water, the process was complete and I paid the equivalent of $250 USD before heading back out onto the streets of HK. I am very nervous about the next time, because I just don't think I can allow myself (mentally) to pay that much for hair!!
I shopped a little and then found an adorable little French place so I popped in to grab dinner. I was put at a back table in front of the kitchen, a tiny space with a window cut out so that you could watch the chefs. The owner of the restaurant was a Frenchman and was very polite, but very busy. I had a glass of white and took his suggestion for the fish special. I was a bit disappointed when it came out bones, head and all. I don't know how to each such a thing! I only started eating fish about three years ago, and I haven't graduated to getting it off the bone yet. I picked at it and ate the side, a really nice cup of salty lentils, but sent the plate back after I did what damage I could. The poor chef looked out the window and in his very strong French accent asked, "You didn't like?" I felt terrible! I simply responded, "I don't like bones." Ugh. Embarrassing too, but the staff was so nice. They sent me a complementary slice of chocolate cake with salted caramel to drizzle over the top. That made up for it.
I went on back to the hotel after buying a little bottle of red in a convenience store. I ended the night with my wine and some scary television show about hauntings. Surprisingly, I slept well!
The next day was amazing as I toured Soho, the antique markets, and a bit of the waterfront. I walked all day, had lunch in an Italian place that had a great view for people watching, then had "dinner" at another precious little French place. I had passed it the night before, and thought it was a perfect spot to end the evening. La Cabane is a tiny space with maybe four or five tables made of wine barrels. I sat at the bar so as to not take up any of those, but I also like sitting at the bar because it gives you a great chance to talk with the bartenders.
The guy who served me, another Frenchman, helped me choose a crisp white and a cheese board. It came with a lovely baguette. I also ordered the warm olives. The whole thing was perfect. After another glass of wine and a glass of prune liquor to serve as a night cap, I headed on back to the hotel. The next day would take me to Thailand, but that's for another blog...stay tuned!!
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