Mac and Juju explore Southeast Asia

People keep asking JuJu and me a variation of… What did you like best? What was the most amazing thing? What did you learn?

Juju and I discussed it and I’ll try to summarize

I don’t know, but we’re both really glad we blogged. It was too much to collate, to much to remember, to varied for easy generalizations. But I’ll try anyway.

One generalization is that the people were just beautiful, kind, happy, generous and curious. Their lives were hard and their circumstances limited. But they set a bar for joy and abundance that we want to emulate.

Another is that the history was complex, and many of our perceptions or ideas were off, if not completely wrong. State power and its greedy abuses – whether monarchism, colonialism, communism, or yes, capitalism were all focused on the benefits to powerful people, countries, and simplistic ideologies. The brutality and death that the common people experienced, particularly in Vietnam and Cambodia, were heart breaking. That multi generational trauma is alive and well.

A third is that the religions were fascinating. I feel good about the precepts and truths of my faith. And also their fit in my psyche. The guiding principles that we follow are true and fully ours. But being in a culture that was less than 5% Christian (and one that fairly equates Christianity with Colonial oppression) was eye opening and humbling. The way Buddhism and Hinduism intersected in architecture, and 1600 years of history, and the way it informs the attitudes and approaches of the people today taught us so much.

Finally, the trip was a joyous honeymoon. Spending three weeks exploring, eating, laughing and learning together was a dream. We can’t wait for our next adventure.

Woke up this morning with a car scheduled to the airport at 3PM. It’s times to admit this adventure is drawing to a close.

One of the things we’ll miss the most are the Asian buffet breakfasts in every hotel. They’re all huge but the Peninsula really raises the bar. It included a full Asian and Indian buffet with custom noodle soup. There was a whole separate room dedicated to charcuterie, fruit, juice, bread and grains. The western breakfast had a guy carving ham and a custom eggs Benedict station. Juju always has fresh passion fruit on yogurt. I just have all of it.

It’s time. We’re still thrilled to be here but the last two days we’ve had to work harder to stay in “peak traveler” mode. With 6 hours to kill we decided to suck it up and squeeze in two more “adult field trips.”

First we took a quick tour of the Jim Thompson House – with another excellent woman guide! Jim was an entrepreneur who reinvigorated the Thai silk trade in the early fifties. An artist and architect, he produced the fabric and set designs for The King and I.

The silk market exploded on the tail of the play, and he became one of the richest men in Asia. He employed hundreds of home weavers and created one of the first and only opportunities for women to have economic independence in Thailand.

His home was built by amalgamating 6 100+ year old village homes into a traditional (but mansion-sized) river home. His priceless art and antiquities collection (and his home) are now a public museum. His gardens were just amazing.

Two more hours to kill and we’ve checked out of our room, so we walked a couple blocks to a brand new Asian mega mall that everyone’s talking about here – the Icon Siam.

Not much to share here, other than a food court the size of 4 Home Depot’s.

What else?

Qatar business class has a freaking bar on the plane.

Doha airport has a 2 acre indoor jungle, with giant art installations, and sleeping pods!

After a four hour layover, we’re leaving Doha at 2:30 am.

The Qatar Airways flight from Bangkok to Doha makes the American Airlines flight on the leg to Philly feel like a trip to BB’s. No champagne and my dinner is served on a plastic plate – the nerve of these people (we are so freaking spoiled).

11am, on Thursday February 5th and we’re home at last. It’s 5 degrees here and it was 95 when we left Bangkok – a 90 degree swing!

I got some shoveling to do and I need to get an Asian buffet organized for JuJu.

We kinda knew going in, but we’re both street food junkies. And South East Asia is simply the best. I think we cancelled at least 5 serious dinner reservations in favor of the stalls (leaving our guides scratching their heads). So here’s a dump of photos (in very rough order) from Vietnam through Cambodia and onto the Global Capital of grilling, sautéing, or frying from a cart – Bancock.

Visiting the local markets in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia is a daily event usually early in the morning. Many people live without refrigeration (or power for that matter), so many items are dried and salted or pickled.

Our guides explained vegetables that are not sold that day are typically made into some kind of pickle or stock, or often discarded. The meats that are not sold that day are often made into jerky, or sausage, dried or preserved.

This ultra fresh approach often means butchering at the site, the fish gills are moving, the frogs are hopping, and the chickens are clucking.

So here’s a big pic drop!

Unfortunately, we did not have an opportunity to meet many women along our leg in Cambodia. However, we did have a few meaningful exchanges.

Southeast Asia has pockets of wealth, but much of the population lives in extreme poverty. From what we could tell, there were several organizations in Cambodia that seek to empower individuals by providing job training.

One area is hospitality training. Our guide shared that there were at least 10 schools that provide training in hospitality specifically in Siem Reap alone. Students are provided training and internships that lead to full time positions. Tour guides are given intense training and need to pass both history and language tests. These jobs are an absolute life line to their families. As one can imagine, COVID was devastating to this area as tourism ground to a halt. Our guide in Cambodia was unemployed for 3 years.

I met Moly (rhymes with Holly) who was training at our hotel in Siem Reap, she was anxious to practice her English and tried to teach me how to say simple greeting in Khmer (my inability to hear foreign phonemes is astonishingly horrible.) Moly shared that she has aspirations of higher education but needs this job to support her family. She attends school in the morning and works at night. She rides her bike as transportation and is not home until 2 am!

We took a tour of the local markets and a cooking class with Neang, the manager of Lum Orng, a beautiful restaurant, cooking school and inn. While there we encountered a young women, Tia, who was an intern. She was highly professional and self-assured. It was clear that she was an apprentice showing a lot of respect to a master. Mr. Orng shared that his team is committed to bettering their community and consistently takes on new interns for training.

Also deeply committed to the community was Ms. Pheach, the owner and operator of a silk farm. She was the daughter of an Uruguayan diplomat – born in Cambodia but educated in France. She was an expat during the devastations of Pol Pot, but has a deep love of Cambodia and spent over an hour with us to discuss its history.

There were times that she held back tears while expressing the impact of years of war. She returned to Cambodia as an adult to work at refugee camps. But she wanted to do more, so she and her husband financed and started a silk farm.

Her goal with this farm is to employ the local women with meaningful work while keeping a long tradition of silk making. The garments they create are intricate with complex hand written patterns. Her work has been featured in many museums and she does custom work for wealthy benefactors.

In the markets we encountered on our trip, the women are the primary business operators. The women organize transportation, set up shop early in the morning and sell what their community farms have produced.

Mac mentioned the Apsara earlier and they’re dominant female figures in both Cambodia and Thailand. Apsara are part of the Hindu creation story, dancers who mimic the churning of primordial waters.

The Cambodian version has both the historic Apsara in their temples, and current-day Apsara – trained dancers who serve in their religious ceremonies.

The Thai Apsara are heavenly entities, Angels and Guardians, with both human and animal characteristics.

In general the Thai version of Hindu-Buddhism’s is a much more feminine spiritual and earthly practice. Animist nature spirits (usually female) are a big part. The wives of Vishnu and role of the Thai Queen are also pronounced. Another character we mentioned, Phra Mae Thoranee, the Thai earth mother, is omnipresent. Apparently, Buddah was tempted by demons while meditating under a tree. Phra Mae Thoranee wrung water from her hair creating a flood that washed the tempters away.

Unlike in Vietnam and Cambodia, our guides in Thailand were both women – highly educated, self possessed ladies in full command of the tour. It took our guides a bit to understand we loved street food and did NOT want to restaurant. Once they figured us out the experience was awesome!

While in a small floating market, I (Juju) met an older woman selling sticky rice in banana leaves. With the help of our guide, Siri, she shared that she makes her sticky rice the old fashioned way and takes a great deal of time and care. The younger generation doesn’t have the patience to carry on this tradition. She said she comes to the market daily to see her friends and meet people. While we chatted she asked me to try her sticky rice so she could watch my expression. They were quite good…I was so relieved I didn’t have to fake it!

With the palace behind us, I (Justine) was dying for some authentic Pad Thai. I learned we have pretty good Thai food in PA, and Pad Thai in Thailand is much sweeter (it was not my favorite.)

Our next stop was the Temple of the Dawn. Mac had toured this years ago and told me about it as a must-do.

The Temple, built in 1843, sits at the point of the Peninsula and is an iconic image of Bangkok found everywhere. An interesting feature is the use of English China (Wedgwood etc.) in the mosaics.

As usual, the Asian focus on instagram selfies threatens to overwhelm the site. Here, a thriving business sells Thai royal costumes to the tourists for one time use.

After a whirlwind tour of the Dawn temple we boarded a long boat for a tour of the river and the canal systems. Along the way we had to transit through a few locks. Sadly the locks were a catch all for massive amounts of trash, mostly plastic. Thai people use a lot of plastic, and I image it would take a radical shift on their lifestyle to make a dent in the trash created.

Back to the long boat. They are all wood, approximately 30 feet long and propelled by what looked like a full size Mack truck motor with the prop on a 12 foot pole.. They are super noisy and contribute to the air pollution – but a lot of fun. The bow is decorated with artificial flowers as an offering to the spirit that provides safety at sea.

Along our way we saw several large monitor lizards sunbathing. We caught one 9 footer swimming to cross the canal to a sunnier spot .

Last time Mac was here the canals had floating markets where the locals sold fish, produce and trinkets. That has become a thing of the past because the canals are no longer used as a primary means of transportation. Many of the homes built on the canal were in disrepair or collapsing into the canal. Other properties had been replaced by canal-front condos, driving the locals out. Ghggg tr

One small village remains that is really a tourist trap. We bought a few small items to support local shops.

Along the way we passed the largest Buddha in Thailand, 69 meters tall!tytttt try

After saying farewell to our guide we sat by the beautiful 3 tiered pool at the Peninsula Hotel. Funny thing… it was buy one drink, get one free. But they delivered both at the same time, so we were double fisting white wine, or in Mac’s case, margaritas. It being 92 degrees, we HAD to slam our drinks or drink a lot of melted ice. I could have stayed there all night, but it’s Bangkok!

The Mandarin Orient was directly across the canal so we hopped on a boat to go to the iconic Bamboo Bar. Founded in 1953 it is regarded as one of the best bars in the WORLD. It did not disappoint! We ordered swanky drinks at $35 a piece and listened to amazing live jazz, it was warm and beautiful. I could live there.

We had a recommendation for a duck restaurant near the Bamboo Bar so we wandered around the busy streets searching for it. Ends up it’s a lunch spot. So a TukTuk back to Chinatown for street food. We never get tired of street food!

One more morning in Bangkok tomorrow, than a 27 hour marathon home to Kennet Square. We’re ready.

Big day today

We started with a new guide, Siriporn (SIRI) at an Alley Market near the government center. Every street market has its differences. What stuck out to me here were the “ready go’s”- small plastic bags, or boxes, or bowls with multi-ingredient lunches. A government employees can buy his ready-go and steam or microwave it at the office or take it home for dinner. Many, many exotic options.

From there we walked across the street to a Monk mini-mall. It was 10-12 shops where monks (or folks who wanted to donate to temples) came from all over to buy robes, beads, statuary, writings, bells, etc.

Here we learned about Phra Mae Thoranee, the Thai Mother-Earth, who wrung her long hair to flood away Demons tempting the Buddha. She is a common character in Bangkok’s version of Buddhism (and a favorite of JuJu’s).

Next stop, the Thai Royal Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

There was a lot of construction and crowds at the palace due to the recent death of the Queen Mother (October ’25.) A huge crematorium was under construction which would be used once (!?) and then destroyed. And there were tons of orange robed monks and citizens dressed in black, coming to pay respect.

The temple and grounds are 60 acres, and they were just amazing. Built between 1782 and 1856, they reflected a newer style of ornate and light-reflecting tiles, gold leaf, and ceramic mosaics. They also displayed the Thai versions of the various Buddhist, Hindu and Animist entities – wilder, more Eastern, more colorful and more ornate.

Some other unique features included…

Stone Chinese Statuary that arrived in Thailand from China – originally as ships ballast!

12 Giant Demons guarding the four entrances. We learned that “demon” is a bad western translation and should be closer to “giant.” In this case they served as both Gaurdians and structural support for the temple towers.

A major emphasis (again) on the Ramakien epic, or Epic of the Monkey Wars

Thai Apsara that are hybridized with animals – chickens, monkeys, dragons and lions. Apsara in Thailand are angels and are not represented by the dancers that we saw as a dominant feature of Cambodian worship.

A stone Scale Model of Angkor Wat – a gift from the French in 1862. Hundreds of Thai scribes were dispatched to draw the ruins and imagine the complete structure. This 150 foot square model is now the basis for the UNESCO restoration in Cambodia today.

The center piece of the complex is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha – 6 foot tall and pure jade. It was discovered hidden in 1434, buried and covered with plaster in Northern Thailand. It is venerated by Buddhists the world over (we saw it from a distance but didn’t brave the mob). Three times a year the King personally changes the Buddha’s golden robes to reflect the season. It’s winter now.

It’s interesting that the campus is a combination of palace and temple. A Theravada belief is that Vishnu has occasionally been reincarnated as a Thai King, usually in times of great crisis or war. This is a belief that many Thai Kings have tried to leverage for power and advantage.

Also in the complex is the Queen’s Pavilion constructed in 1884. She thought the gold leaf, and bright tile too egoist and gauche. So she constructed an elegant white building with French and moorish influences

The Palace itself was off limits due to the period of morning. But this administrative building is representative (and the monks add a nice touch).

Off to Lunch. “What do you think honey, street food?”

I used to get here once or twice a year in the early 2000’s when I had a SouthEast Asian team for Cytec. I had another visit with AO Smith in 2010. It was my favorite city of all my weird global travels. I’ve been after JuJu to return with me ever since we retired – and here we are!

Why?

1.) The people. The Buddhist sensibility and history lends itself to joy, openness, service, smiles and a Karmic acceptance of everybody, and everything. The emphasis is on being content and happy in the place that they are right now. It’s a pretty infectious version of the Golden Rule.

2.) The History – Millennia of architecture and history to explore as shifts in culture and waves of trade, and religion have passed through. Thailand was never colonized, and has had the same Royal family since 1718.

3.) The Food – Absolutely our favorite cuisine.

4.) The Climate – Bangkok is halfway between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. It’s near perfect with beaches, jungle and urban living beautifully interspersed.

Thailand, and Bangkok in particular, is another mix of Buddhist, and Hindu faiths with overlapping temples, traditions and rites. But it also includes significant nods to Animism (nature spirits, ancestors worship, and demonic hierarchies) which dominated the region until 400 AD.

Many of these spirits were female and the overall practice, coined Theravada Buddhism, reflects that feminism in many ways.

The Thai political system has been democratic monarchism since 1932, with an elected parliament where the dominant party chooses the prime minister.

The King still wields some power particularly as the head of the military. This has occasionally resulted in a coup (12 times since 1932!) when he’s been displeased with an election outcome. The most recent, in 2014, ended the “unfinished coup”. This coup started in 2006 when the King dissolved the parliament, accusing them (accurately by all accounts) of endemic corruption. The Royal family is deeply loved by the population.

The first round of parliamentary elections took place a week ago (24 hours with no alcohol sales…) Crossing our fingers, no coup until after Wednesday!

Bangkok is larger than NYC with 10 million people in the city and surrounds. It’s crossed with winding canals and has been called the Venice of Asia. The skyline is made up of incredible modern skyscrapers but the street still buzzes with activity, loud music, and 3rd world scents and colors.

We’re here for a short visit before we fly home on Wednesday so we’re going to go at it – hard.

Bangkok arrival – 2/2.

Our first night, we were greeted with the omnipresent and loving Bangkok Wai as we checked into the beautiful (and historic) Peninsula Hotel. It’s a smaller room but still as spacious as a big Marriott suite.

Views…just ok.

15 minutes after our arrival at the Peninsula Hotel we were loaded into a tuk-tuk for a night tour of the city. Our driver had a big American flag on the back that we begged him to take down – nope. It was Hanoi-level crazy but with more highway driving, higher speeds and just a white knuckle experience.

First stop, Chinatown, a wild mix and bigger version of the night markets and street food we’ve become used to, with a little Time Square thrown in. It was crowded, energetic, and multicultural to an extreme.

Our Chinatown visit was a walking feast (what JuJu has always wanted, and calls “State Fair Tapas”). We had prawns, sautéed mushrooms, fried fish cakes, skewered sausage and chicken livers, a bug or two, and a whole grilled squid – all with a Thai spice palate distinctive from anything else in SEA.

From ChinaTown we tuk-tuk’d to the Flower Market. The flowers come in bulk from the country every evening for use at the civic buildings, temples and homes. Bangkok is literally buried in flowers – changed out on a daily basis.

From there another ride, this time to famous Yaowarat road. This is not the Patpong area famous for sex shows and “ping pong”. It’s the legendary club street of Bangkok with a police station at one end, and a library and temple at the other.

Bangkok doesn’t sleep – at all. We were there at 11pm on a Monday and it was already wilder than Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras.

It was cacophonous sound, music and lights on every corner. There was beer, and cocktails at every street stand, pot shops (legal), massages on the street, less appropriate ones inside, go-go dancers in the doorways advertising even weirder action inside, and Thai Kathoey (lady-boys) gyrating everywhere.

We left for home – choosing not to look back and avoiding getting turned into a pillar of salt.

For those of you following (hi Malis, hi Bob) you’ll notice a 2-3 day hiatus on the blog. We’re on the beach in Phuket with a small private pool, a beautiful room, and an ocean view.

Asia Air lost Juju’s luggage so it’s been relatively clothing optional. We bought a lot of textiles in Mai Chau and that’s been working. TOGA! TOGA!

So a lot of time in our pool – winding down, a low grade buzz and a couple of sunburns.

Nice beach, perfect weather, and great snorkeling, We did make a couple forays off campus (best street food?) but our heart wasn’t in it and we scampered back to the A/C for more R&R.

Will Blog from Bancock, our last stop.

(Missing home a little. Looks pretty epic!)