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Historic Penang: Delving into Malaysian Street Art

Georgetown Penang, is a historic World Heritage Site. The buildings are maintained in the traditional old Chinese style architecture and there are small Buddhist, Hindu, And Muslim Mosque and Temples at every corner. Within this section of Penang is a small China Town, Little India, historic teak building, and LOTS of amazing food. The result is a charming cultural hub of friendly, relaxed people and backpackers.

Hidden amongst the old painted buildings is an array of public art. On each corner are iron worked comics with a small fact about that block and its name. However, the most famous of the public art are the many murals painted by Ernest Zacharevic. Ernest is from Lithuanian and moved to Malaysia as a mural artists. He originally started painting on traditional wooden clogs but now makes his mark through modern street art.

Together a few friends and I created a self walking tour of Penang to search for his hidden mural treasures. Most of the pieces were located close to our hostel though some we had to peak around a corner or two. The art depicts images of local people, mainly children, playing around the city. He used props like bikes cut in half or windows of buildings to act in conjunction with the art. Some alternative pieces made statements about the failures of Malaysia to protect its natural resources though non were blatantly political. Overall the art was quaint and beautifully done. It added historical character to the already lovely city that I so enjoyed spending four days in.

Cambodia: One Fruit One Nut

My parents came to visit me! We spent close to three weeks traveling through Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, and ending in Bangkok. Overall it was an excellent trip with many "Oh Vietnam" moments. Though the trip was slow at times we still got to see Angkor Wat, Phenom Phen, The Killing Fields, Saigon, Hoi An, and many many sites in Bangkok.

We started the trip in Siem Riep to visit the many magnificent temples of Angkor. I can't even begin to describe how awe struck they made us feel. they ruins are huge and cover miles of space. Many countries are helping Cambodia rebuild the fallen temples and preserve this recently recognized World Heritage Site. We spent two days admiring their awesomeness in the blistering sun and humidity and by the end we were templed out (especially my Dad).

Next we joined a group and boarded a small river cruise on a boat down the Mekong named the Jahan. I unfortunately cannot say we enjoyed this part of our journey so much. It was not that it was bad but that it was painstakingly slow. we visited boring rural village after another and watched ignorant people shove candy in children (an sometimes adults faces).

What we did enjoy on the boat was our tour guide in Cambodia. He was a survivor of the Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Cambodian Genocide. His experience gave him extensive knowledge on the war which was fascinating. This as especially interesting for my dad who is very interested in the history of the region. In Phenom Phen he guided us through both the S1 Prison and the Killing Fields. All his stories were so full of heart that they educated while keeping me captivated. This really helped keep us interested in the river cruise.

After the Boat we quickly hit Saigon and Cu Chi Tunnels for a day before going to lovely Hoi An. I think Hoi An is the ONLY part of Vietnam I can say I like. We had a great time getting tailor made clothes made and staying at a lovely resort by the beach. We also spent a day taking a cooking class. The class so great in fact that our last night we all agreed the best meal we had all week was the one we cooked together at the cooking school.

We ended our trip in Bangkok. There we explored the Grand Palace, took a ride through the canals, shopped till we dropped at the weekend market, and explored the ridiculously large shopping malls! My favorite Bangkok moment was our photo shoot in a Japanese photo booth where we picked our backgrounds and added clip art (hopefully photos to come soon!)

All in all it was a great trip. I am so thankful my parents came and experienced part of my travels with me. I am lucky to have them support me in my adventures and silently worry at home . I am also really enjoying my friendship grow with my mom and the fun we have together.
Now I am back on the road again and heading south for the summer into Koh Phi Phi Thailand and then towards Indonesia.

Songkran Festival: Super Soaker Central!

In April Thailand celebrates their New Year based on the lunar calendar. It is the hottest time of the year in this part of the world, and marks the end of the dry season. The Thai people celebrate the holiday with three days of gigantic water fights. When I say water fights I don't mean back yard battles. These result in drenched head to toes, covered in buckets of water, set the hose on your neighbor, water fights. There is no age limit or restriction for these battles. All ages fight water with water during this hilarious festival. I left Songkran with a hefty scab on my shin after running into a median strip while fighting with a 5 and 65 year old!

One evening we asked for a ride to Khao San Road, a main street where people went to party, from a man with a pick up truck. All day we had seen locals riding in pickups shooting at people from the back. We hopped in and started raining down on all the locals! They were laughing hysterically and cheering us on. No one had ever seen a group of westerners rolling around in a pickup!

Originally I had planned to travel to the Northern city of Chiang Mai. However, once I got to Bangkok I realized that is where all the tourists flocked to. Bangkok was full of Thai locals and the street parties full of Thai teenagers. For the three days myself and the people I met at the hostel hung out with Thai locals getting drenched by fire hoses that the fire station set up, battling children, being covered in clay and bubbles, and drinking with the local neighbors. It was a fantastic experience!

At the end of each day the streets were full of water. Even the shops had a sizable layer of water on the floor. Needless to say, I remained in my bathing suit and quick dry shorts the entire time. The festival was a blast. The Thai people were so friendly. They were more than happy to share the holiday with us. They wanted nothing other than to have us join in. Sure we were a bit more of a target yet if we asked to be respected the people were still respectful and let me stay dry.
In my opinion Songkran is the best way to celebrate a new year. It is playful, innocent, inclusive, and enjoyable for the entire family. But be prepare to get wet!

 The guests and staff of Nira's Hostel Bangkok

Appropriate places to pee your pants

• Lakes
• Oceans
• Bays
• Marshes
• Estuaries
• Deep rivers
• Songkran

Northern Thailand: Thai Winters

Someone told me there was such a thing as a Thai winter.  So, trying to avoid the idea of excessive heat I took to the road less traveled to the north of Thailand for three weeks and it had made all the difference.

Unfortunately in Chiang Mai Thai winter is a myth.  However, it is a fantastic city.  I stayed for a week at Spicy Thai Backpackers which is the best hostel I have ever stayed at.  It feels like a family living room with one communal table with a big living room that  has a TV with tons of movies.  The hostel is small enough that everyone knows each other and can fit into the back of the owners van!

 There are constantly planned events like BBQ's and outings to the night market or local karaoke bars.  Needless to say I made a few friends there who I spent the next weeks with.
List of things I did in Chiang Mai
-Thai Massages!
-Temples- here there are many made of old hard wood vs painted with cheap gold paint
-Hiked to the highest point in Chiang Mai to see the city.  The the top is 5,499 feet but I am not sure where we started.
-Took a cooking class
-Karaoke!
-Lots of night markets
-Relaxed at a pool
-Ate lots of really tasty food

After I traveled to the Mae Hong Son Province to see the mountains and the real Thai winter.  It kind of exists!  At night is cold enough to sleep with a quilt and wear jeans and a sweater.  But during the day all you want to do it sit in a hammock or ride a motor bike to produce some form of wind.  So the jury is still out....

 - The White Temple in Chiang Rai

Either way I made it to Pai, a very relaxed little town, with hots springs, canyons, mountains, and lots of waterfalls.  I stayed at the sister hostel to Spicy Thai (Spicy Pai) which was also great.  It also helped that I traveled up there with a group of friends.  The town had a great hippy vibe a A TEA SHOP!  I had not had a proper cup of tea since Sapa Vietnam so I was very excited and convinced all my new friends to join me (they were pretty skeptical but I think my enthusiasm made them change their minds!).  I also learned to ride a scooter.... I was amazed.

Now I am heading back to Bangkok with a stop of in Sukhothai to see some ancient Thai ruins.  My flight for Nepal leaves on Tuesday the 18th of March.  Time to open the next chapter of my adventure.

Wishing my friends and family all the best.

Signed: A happy Traveler :o)

Street Eats

One of the more exciting bits of traveling is your next meal!  Where and what exciting new food will I try today.  For a budget Backpacker like myself most of these meals take place on the street.  At this point many people may be thinking how "unsafe" this may be.  On the contrary, eating on the street is not only one of the safer places to eat, it is also the more delicious and interesting places to take any meal of the day.  This post will be by country, a bit about the type of food and the way the locals eat the food.

To begin with, Street stalls set up their booths each night.  this means they must pack and unpack their booth each day.  Things get cleaned daily in order to fit into the box they came out of.  On the other side, restaurants do not go through this same process.  Their kitchen could be full of grease or bugs and the customer would never know.  If a street stall is disgusting they have no way hiding it.  This is the primary reason I feel safe eating the majority of my meals on the streets.  (however it really stinks when you get to a town and the stalls do all seem really gross!)

Thailand

The most delicious food in Asia yet.  Most are eaten on the go or set up at a pop up table or make shift restaurant table in a sort of pop up garage that only open at times of the day.  The stand is still all in one room.

Pad Thai- A local favorite made of shrimp paste and rice noodles.  The best is when they make the shrimp paste from scratch.  One famous place in Bangkok does and its amazing.  About $2.50 with Shrimp

Khao Soi- So Good!  Coconut Curry soup with noodles, chicken, crispy fried wontons,and vegetables you can add yourself.  A northern specialty and my favorite.  $1 

All a desserts like coconut sticky rice with mango are amazing as well and worth grazing on

Laos

Less exciting mostly due to the curfew.  Primarily french influence and consisting of baguette sandwiches full of salty egg and ham creations and tasty sweet and savory thin pancakes.

In Luang Prabang vendors set up buffets full of vegetarian fried vegetables, tofu, tomato stir fries, and spring rolls, for $1.50 you can fill a bowl and the owner will reheat you dish a a wok.  I went every night!

Though there are no coffee vendors on the streets in Lao, you can get a fantastic cup of coffee just about everywhere.  In the southern parts of the country they farm organic coffee and tea.  Even if rural villages it is possible to find a fresh cup of organic Lao coffee brewed fresh.  I attribute a good portion of my love of Lao to the fact that each morning I woke up to a fresh cup of amazing coffee that even a Portlander would be excited to drink!

Vietnam

No where in the world is like Northern Vietnam.  The culture is unlike anywhere else in the world and the experience cannot be duplicated anywhere else.  This is not the same for Thailand or Laos.  It makes not only traveling there amazing and unexplainable but also the experience of eating on the street an adventure to describe. Therefore, Vietnam is the most exciting and intricate of street eats in SE Asia so far.  

In Vietnam almost all of the food is taken partially on the street.  Even the beer and coffee over flows onto the street here.  People crowd around on little plastic child stools fit for preschool children.  These are used both for sitting and for your table.   Though there are restaurants everywhere the half restaurants slash street stall garage combo is my favorite place to eat in Vietnam.  Sitting half inside and half out is fun even in the freezing Hanoi winter rain.

Bia Hoi- Local Brew Beer, Made by the vendor and usually tastes like bad fruit- .25 a glass

Pho- Beef or chicken noodle soup, sometimes they put mysterious other things in your soups and I choose not to ask!  It generally tastes very good.  And they do a tomato based broth which is super tasty.

Snails- Dipped in a ginger lemon grass sauce and brought out by the bucket- $3
There a many other soup type dishes in Hanoi.  Many of these cheap eats are accompanied by salad and spring rolls that are meant to be dipped in the broth.  I am unsure of the names but most are pretty bland.  Some include chillies but the tables include far fewer spices than the Pho tables back at home.

My favorite place to sit on a cold Hanoi day is at a coffee stand.  Here locals can squat on stools for hours shooting the shit while the mist and rain passes by.   As it was the New Year and most things were closed and Hanoi was cold and rainy the others travelers and myself did the same thing. The coffee here is either full of sugar and condensed milk or it is made from concentrate.  However, there are plenty of salty snacks like cashew nuts and sunflower seeds.  For hours we would sit and crack seeds and throw them on the ground where they would be swept up later.  In my opinion this was the best way to people watch and get to know fellow travelers in Hanoi.

Street eats have been exciting endeavor while traveling.  Its always exciting to decide where your next meal will come from.  Each region has a different specialty.  Sometimes is daunting to try something new and I really have to push myself to eat that meal!  However, every backpacker would agree it is one of the best parts travel.