This is my TRIBUTE TO BOB MARLEY, the Reggae King. His music can be heard all around the world, from the small hip beachside bars of Puerto Escondido, Mexico to the glittering nightclubs of Singapore. I have traveled to many places in the tropics – the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Malaysia, Ghana etc – and everywhere I go, I hear the music of Bob Marley being played.

It was only after Bob Marley died in May 1981, that his legend and music have skyrocketed. Truly, Bob Marley is much larger in death than he was in life. On a global basis, his popularity (and his music) no doubt exceeds Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Before I continue this tribute, I must say that I met Bob (and the Wailers) in July 1976 when he was performing at the Boarding House in San Francisco. Then in late April 1980, I visited Bob at his house on 56 Hope Road in Kingston on the very day that he returned from Zimbabwe. I wouldn’t go so far, to say that I was a friend of Bob’s, but we knew each other – call us casual acquaintances. Several months after meeting Bob in Jamaica he succumbed to cancer. He has since become A LEGEND!

As evidence of Bob’s popularity - in Langkawi, Malaysia’s most fashionable beach resort, there is even a dedicated Reggae Boutique that sells only Bob Marley T-shirts, hats and clothing accessories.

In Khao Sok, a remote off-the-beaten track eco-destination in Thailand, there is even a small club called the Reggae Bar. Whose songs did they play most of the time? You guessed it - Bob Marley’s greatest hits! Same, same in Koh Lipe, a small, relatively obscure island in Southern Thailand’s Satun Province - walking by the Reggae Bar in late December, the DJ played Bob Marley’s greatest hits continuously for at least 30 minutes.

In Kuala Lumpur’s famous Chinatown, there is also an establishment called the Reggae Bar. Decorated with pictures, posters and photographs of Bob Marley, it is by far one of the most popular bars in Kuala Lumpur. As my special tribute to Bob, I bolted into the bar like a crazed lunatic one late afternoon and did am impromptu version of I Shot the Sheriff.

Some of the patrons from West Africa gave me a rousing ovation, while some of the European patrons continued to sit there impassively without blinking an eye as if nothing happened (I guess they had been hitting the bong). My performance was definitely one of the highlights of my trip!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Having just returned from a 43-day odyssey to Southeast Asia, I would start off the New Year by sharing with you some random observations (and thoughts) of a traveler

• Be Safe! When storing your monies in the hotel safe, make sure to have an accurate count of your traveler checks and currency before trusting it to the hotel. This is especially true, when all the front desk people have access to the safe. I believe that I was victimized twice in Thailand on my last trip – I was missing the equivalent of $150USD in currency in one instance and $200USD in traveler’s checks in another. Oh well, shit happens!
  
• My favorite city in THAILAND continues to be Nan. At least 4-5 new coffee shops have opened up in the last year – reflective of Nan’s increasing popularity as a tourist destination
• One of the most spectacular views that I have experienced during my travels is from the top of Penang Hill in Malaysia. At an elevation of 800 meters above sea level, the view of Penang Island is absolutely incredible!



• Singapore is FINE! A small island city of about 5 million people, not only is Singapore one of the cleanest cities in the world, but its mass transit system is heads and shoulders above anything I have seen. If all the nations in the world, adopted, Singapore’s laws (and fines) towards littering, this world would be a lot better place.
• Compared to Thailand and Malaysia, Singapore is somewhat on the expensive side!
• Most currency exchange bureaus in Singapore(and Malaysia) will not cash traveler’s checks – you will have to go to the bank. On the other hand, it is very easy to cash traveler’s checks in Thailand as the banks operate most of the many currency exchange bureaus.



• Who let the dogs out? Compared to Singapore and Malaysia, Thailand is overrun by dogs, especially in the rural countryside and in small villages. Most of the dogs are your typical Thai mutts - short, stocky with closely cropped tan or yellow fur. Popular pedigreed dogs include Shiatsus, Lhasa Apsos, Pomeranians, Toy poodles and Pugs!
• In THAILAND, where at least 93% population is Buddhist, you’ll hear Christmas music being played in most of the major department store complexes in Bangkok and in the major tourist centers up until New Years Day. They do this primarily to accommodate the tourists, most of whom are Christians.
• Walking into a Starbucks across from my hotel in Bangkok on Dec. 29, they were playing the traditional Christmas fluff until I aggressively suggested they change the music. LOL

I liken my 43-day/42-night travel odyssey to Southeast Asia –Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia - to running a marathon road race. The official marathon distance is 42.15 KM (26.2 miles), which coincidentally matches the total number of nights of my trip.

Believe me, I know what I’m talking about having completed six marathons over the years. Like running a marathon, I started out a bit fast out of the gate – during my first 5 nights in Bangkok, I was ripping and running. Leaving Thailand’s hectic capital city, I found a nice running rhythm as I continued to Northern Thailand.

As usual, I had to negotiate some rather steep hills and obstacles along the way, but I persevered and got through them relatively unscathed. However the reality of changing hotels 15 times in 42 nights eventually caught up with me.

By the time I completed 75% of my trip on Day 32 (comparable to reaching the 19 mile mark in the marathon), I hit the proverbial wall. On that day, I transferred by ferry from Penang in Malaysia to the popular beach resort of Langkawi.

Hitting the beach, I was totally fatigued and I dozed off, but I had to dig down deep inside to get ready for the next day’s return journey to Thailand. From Langkawi, I traveled with 30 other tourists on an oversized speedboat to Koh Lipe, a distance of 30 maritime kilometers. The journey took about 75 minutes.

As I near the tail end of my arduous travel odyssey, I have finally found my 2nd wind in Koh Lipe, a rather small, relatively obscure island in Southern Thailand’s Satun Province. During my remaining days on the island (through December 27), I will be preparing travel stories, anecdotes and insights for publication in Calypso Island Chronicles.

Returning to Bangkok on December 27th for my final three nights in Thailand, I am geared up for a furious kick to the finish line. Yes my friends, the end is in sight and after all is said and done, the whole trip/race will have been worth it!

In retrospect, running an actual Marathon is a lot easier than this Travel Marathon

I called my sister from Taiping, a city of 100,000 people in the state of Perak in northwestern Malaysia. Now most people with any sense of geography know that Malaysia is located south of Thailand and the whole country is very tropical, by virtue of being so close to the equator.

Now my sister is not ignorant by any means, having earned a B.A in Sociology from UC Berkeley and having worked as a social worker for a good part of her adult life. Furthermore she has traveled to such diverse tropical places such as Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Yet I had found it very difficult to refrain from laughing out loud, when my sister innocently asked me “Is it very tropical?”

I answered her in rather stern tone “Yes, Taiping is very tropical. It is considered the rainiest city in Peninsular Malaysia.” Excuse me for being such a smart-ass!

Funny thing is that it rained relatively little during my brief five day stay in the Taiping Area. Shortly after I checked into my hotel in downtown Taiping, there was a rather fierce torrential downpour with thunder and lightning which lasted a brief 7 minutes. And I loved every minute of it!.

Outside of this brief deluge, there was only some moderate rainfall - during day three of my stay, there was some steady rain sometime late in the afternoon, and on my departure day, there was some light rainfall throughout the state of Perak. Oh well….

Continuing with the theme of children, this week’s travel photo of the week features some Malaysian children that I met on my Air Asia flight between Chiang Mai and Kuala Lumpur in November 2008.

I was admiring their beautiful T-shirts with the stylized elephants - simple but elegant - so I asked them where they got them. Smiling, the older one said “We bought them at a boutique in Chiang Mai.” Taking out my camera, they hammed it up while I took a picture of them.

Just my observation, but Malaysian children (of Chinese ethnic origins) seem to be somewhat more mischievous and more animated than their Thai counterparts. Crawling all over their seats like “little monkeys”, the Malaysian kids could not sit still at all. I believe their parents were two rows behind them.

I would like to share with you my favorite trio of restaurants in Langkawi, Malaysia’s most popular beach destination. Almost all tourists are self-styled restaurant critics. I am no different, except there is one caveat - I’m a vegetarian (97% vegan). While I’m not fussy, I am very conscious about the way the food is prepared - you know, minimal salt and oil etc. If the produce used in the restaurant is organic and grown locally, so much the better. Finding some decent vegetarian friendly restaurants in Cenang Beach, Langkawi’s liveliest resort area, was a little difficult as many of the restaurants specialize in the traditional Malay cuisine which is heavy on fish sauce, meat and seafood, however I did see a number of Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants that offered vegetarian entrees, and a lesser number of Chinese and Thai restaurants as well.

Be forewarned, there are some pseudo fancy Indian restaurants in the area, but menu prices looked a bit on the high side and judging from the lack of customers, the food at these places was probably mediocre at best!

My wholehearted recommendations are as follows:
**** Let’s hear the drumroll please!****

1. The Oasis Pub and Restaurant
   ****

   Located about 200 meters south of Underwater World, this small beachside café specializes in North Indian Tandoori and Western food. After sunset, the ambiance at the Oasis Beach Club is very special with large colored light bulbs and candlelights illuminating the outdoor dining area. Did I say romantic? At the Oasis, there’s a good selection of set Indian dinners – both vegetarian and non-vegetarian – and for Langkawi, entrée prices are fairly reasonable. The fact that I ate there two of the four nights that I stayed in Langkawi has to tell you something – the food was very tasty. Only negative thing that I can think was that the service can be somewhat indifferent.

2. Red Tomato Café
   ****

   Located just 50 meters north of AB Motel was RED TOMATO, this small rather eclectic café offers a variety of mostly Mediterranean and Western dishes. The ambiance is very tropical, funky and offbeat – a place where most western tourists feel comfortable and judging from the crowds that gather here for the early morning hours, this café is hands down the most popular place for breakfast in town. While I was having breakfast there one morning, Red Tomato was so busy that the Maitre-D was putting people on a waitlist. What did I have for breakfast? A large mixed fruit salad with yogurt and granola accompanied by some delicious organic coffee (not Nescafe, thank G-D) and a toasted baguette. Don’t miss out on their wonderful homemade bread and rolls!

   The European lady who owns the place is a little quirky, but her Malay husband, Oli - by occupation, he is a building contractor in Langkawi - seems to be a really amiable gentleman. He even posed for a series of pictures for me. I didn’t have a chance to make it there for dinner, but the menu had some decent vegetarian options including some delicious sounding salads. Service can be a little bit spotty though and prices are a little on the high side for Langkawi. In addition, their free Wifi is very fast - a lot faster than the service I paid for at the AB Motel. Soymilk is available upon request for their mixed coffee drinks.

3. HAROO
   ****1/2

   Owned by a middle-aged couple from Korea, Haroo is located on a side street directly opposite Underwater World. Haroo offers a very diverse dinner menu, but their breakfast offerings are rather standard - toast, eggs, hash brown and a small juice. The service is very good and the prices are very affordable. The one time I went there for dinner, I ordered a very delicious vegetarian curry dish, rice and a side of garlic bread. Hmm very tasty! The husband personally greets every guest that walks into the restaurant with a bow and a smile, while his wife mans the kitchen. Overall, this is probably my favorite restaurant in LANGKAWI as the husband and wife tandem are such gracious and humble hosts. Their daughter, who is very fluent in English, is quite artistic – see her tribute to chairs and coffee houses on the far wall. Excellent calligraphy. Highly recommended!

My body needed a tune-up after a 4½ hour trek into the jungles clad hills of the Cameron Highlands. It wouldn’t have been so bad except for an arthritic right hip which started acting up about 600 meters into the hike. Talking with other members of the small hiking group afterwards, it seemed that everybody had the same thing in mind – MASSAGE tonight!

Later that evening, I wandered downtown Tanah Ratah looking for a place where I could get a therapeutic massage. At the end of the strip, I found a massage shop that looked pretty respectable, so I walked in. After being greeted by the Mamasan, a middle aged Chinese lady, I told her that I wanted a one-hour full body massage. She quickly hooked me up with LULU, a rather vivacious young Chinese lady who had recently arrived from Beijing, China. Apparently Lulu was on loan to the Mamasan who knew her family back in Beijing. Even though Lulu had a very limited facility with English, I was able to communicate with her that I wanted a moderately hard massage. Now I have had plenty of massages (both body and foot) before in Southeast Asia – mostly Thailand - but Lulu’s massage technique was far superior to any massage that I’ve had in recent memory. She kneaded my muscles in my legs, shoulders, arms and upper torso thoroughly. Lulu was exactly what the Doctor ordered. She is what they call, a Natural!

After the massage was finished, Lulu escorted me back into the lobby. With Mamasan acting as a translator, I was able to have a conversation with LULU and found out more about her. When I inquired why Lulu had left her homeland to work in this small, quiet mountain resort town in Malaysia located a good 4 hours from Kuala Lumpur, the answer was very simple (and just as I expected) - MONEY. According to Mamasan, Malaysia was considered an upgrade from Mainland, China – the standard of living was higher, and most Chinese people could make more monies in Malaysia doing the same type of work. In Lulu’s case, she could make far better monies working as a Masseuse in the Cameron Highlands than in her native Beijing.

As a young lady of only 31 years, I asked her whether she missed the glittering discos, fancy nightclubs and bright lights of the big city. Shaking her head, she said no. Even though Tanah Ratah had virtually no nightlife, it suited her fine. When I asked her whether she had children or a boyfriend in China, she shook her head again, smiled and said no. Her plan was to stay in Malaysia for 2-3 years, make some monies, then return home. As it was time for me to leave, I thanked LULU for the wonderful massage and giving her a healthy tip and I told Mamasan (the proprietor) that I would probably return the following night.

I returned the following night, and this time around I had LULU give me a 1-hour foot massage. As she massaged my feet, she allowed me to take a series of pictures of her working me over. Again, she did an excellent job. Before leaving, I took some pictures of Lulu with Mamasan and her coworker just outside the shop. Since it was my last night in Tanah Ratah, I told Mamasan that I would return later and take all three of them out for dinner at a nearby Indian Restaurant. Mamasan said that she would be delighted.

Upon my return a couple of hours later, Mamasan apparently had a change of heart. She decided it wouldn’t be feasible for her, Lulu and her other employee to join me for dinner as she would have to close up the shop for an hour – she didn’t want to lose out on any potential business. No problem, I said, as I bade farewell to Mamasan and to LULU, thanking her again for her wondrous service. She was the best masseuse this side of Beijing, China.

STARBUCKS is a worldwide phenomenon. While traveling in Thailand and Malaysia, I was amazed at the number of Starbuck cafes in these Southeast Asian countries. In particular- Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, the capitals of Thailand and Malaysia respectively, are top heavy with Starbucks cafés. It seemed that everywhere I turned – across my hotel in KL and Bangkok (Ancasa Hotel and President Park), in fancy shopping centers and on the ground floor of large high-rise office buildings - there was a Starbucks. I really wasn’t shocked to find a Starbucks in downtown Tanah Ratah, a small tourist town in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. It even had a mock fireplace and an upstairs coffee-drinking gallery to boot.

Out of curiosity I checked online as to how many Starbuck outlets are in these countries. According to a 2007 census, Thailand had 132 Starbuck cafes, with Bangkok having the lion’s share at 72. In the meantime, according to the Starbucks Malaysia site, there are a total of 108 cafes in Malaysian with Kuala Lumpur leading the pack with 41. While Black Canyon is major competitor to Starbucks in Thailand; in Malaysia, Starbucks controls 45-50% of gourmet coffee business with Coffee Bean and Tea Leaves a distant second.

In Malaysia, I found the service at the local Starbucks to be excellent (better than the USA) and the employees well versed in English; in Thailand, the service was very friendly but most of the Starbuck employees had limited facility with English. I must give props to Starbucks (and all the coffee retailers) in Malaysia, because they offered free WIFI, no strings attached. In Thailand, getting WIFI access at Starbucks was a real hassle as you received a complimentary 1-hour (thereafter you had to pay a nominal sum for continued use), but you had to jump through all sorts of hoops in the online signup process, fuggetabout it! I wish STARBUCKS in USA would take a cue from their colleagues in Malaysia and offer free WIFI and eliminate the gimmicky Starbucks card.

From what I observed in both of these countries, the clientele at a typical Starbucks café was a mix of local business executives and white-collar workers, the young University crowd with deep pockets along with tourists and expats. For Thais and Malaysians, having a Cappuccino, an Iced Caramel Macchiato or any one those fancy designer coffee drinks represents a real splurge as the prices are almost the same as in the United States. Please consider that the standard of living and the average salary is considerably higher in the USA, and the cost of one large cappuccino ($3.00 -3.40USD) will buy you a decent dinner at a local restaurant in both Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Apparently, having coffee at Starbucks confers a measure of status with the locals. Yes, Starbucks is Huge in Thailand and Malaysia - such is the way of the World.

Coming up, the Starbucks Index.

Just wanted to share with you some snippets (some random observations and thoughts) about Bangkok.

Specialized Boutiques
Located just around the corner from the President Park hotel on Sukhumvit Road Soi 24 is Boo Blossom, a wonderful pet boutique that specializes in clothes and accessories for small dog breeds.

Beauty Salons
There are so many beauty salons in the tourist zone, however I will go out of my way to go to my favorite one, the Arena Beauty Salon, which is located on 152 Sukhumvit Road Soi 16. Tel: 22601263

Thai Restaurants
Raan Derm remains my favorite Thai restaurant in Bangkok. The food is spicy, tasty and affordable and there good selections for vegetarians.103-103/1 Sukhumvit Soi 22 tel: 22582401

Money Exchange
The best place for exchanging monies (excluding traveler’s checks) in the tourist zone is Vasu. Their storefront location is on Sukhumvit Soi 7/1 just a couple of steps away from the Nana BTS. They have now moved their operation in the very front of the store – you don’t have to enter thru the side door anymore. Makes it look more legit!!! Vasu 133-133/1 Sukhumvit Road Soi 7/1

If you’re exchanging traveler’s checks, I would suggest you that go to any one of the numerous exchange bureaus located along I the street, upstairs in the BTS shopping arcade or inside the big shopping complexes like the Emporium. It will usually take less than 3-4 minutes before you receive your monies. If you try to exchange your traveler’s checks inside the Bank, you may have to wait a very long time before the transaction is completed. Just recently, I had to wait almost 20 minutes and sign at least four or five forms before I finally received my monies at the Bangkok Bank. Never again!

Airport Departure
With the closure of the older Don Mueang Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport is now handling all the airline traffic. I have departed from Suvarnabhumi a number of times now - catching a taxi from President Park on Sukhumvit Soi 22/24, it hasn’t taken more than 30 minutes to get to the airport using the expressway even during rush hour traffic. I usually leave my hotel at least 2 hour 40 minutes before departure. Never had a problem! FYI, Suvarnabhumi Airport opened up on September 21, 2006.

For passengers who need a day room at Suvarnabhumi because of a long layover between flights and they don’t stray far from the airport, they can stay at the new Novotel Airport Hotel, only a 3 minute walk from the main terminal.

(the following snippet pertains to both Thailand and Malaysia)
Christmas in Thailand and Malaysia
Christmas is a big production in Thailand, primarily a Buddhist country and in Malaysia, where 63% of the people are Muslim, as most of the tourists are Christian. In many of the large shopping complexes in the major tourist centers – including Bangkok, Chiang Mai (Thailand) and Kuala Lumpur and Melaka (Malaysia), Christmas decorations start going up shortly after Thanksgiving, a major holiday in the USA celebrated on the last Thursday in November. Walking into a Starbucks Café in Chiang Mai on November 25, I was greeted by the familiar tune of ‘I am dreaming of a White Christmas.’

I have just published on YOUTUBE my long awaited, critically acclaimed slideshow video on MALAYSIA. This is my 12th travel production that I have put up online and I really believe that Malaysia Farewell ranks as one of my best efforts to date. It is simple and straightforward - the pictures and the music carry the story as there is minimum text. Unlike my prior shows on YouTube*, this will be first one in High Definition. Selamat Datang!

I guess you’re probably wondering who has reviewed Malaysia Farewell – besides Jerry, an old family friend and yours truly, no one else – let it be known though that I am my own harshest critic. My rating for this home production using ProShow Gold V4.0 is 8.5 on a scale of 1-10. I really don’t want to toot my horn anymore, but you must view this latest effort - it is that good!

The video is based on my inaugural 13-day journey to MALAYSIA in November/December 2008 and is intended to be an introduction to this very tropical and exotic destination located just south of Thailand. Highlights include Kuala Lumpur, the cosmopolitan Capital; Melaka (Mallaca), the historic colonial city with a mixed pedigree of Dutch, Portuguese and Chinese Heritages located just 2 hours south of KL; Cameron Highlands, a popular hill resort about 1 mile above sea level with sprawling tea plantations covering the hillsides and a popular locale for jungle hikes; last but not least, the final segment features Langkawi, probably the most popular beach resort in Malaysia and a decent dive destination as well.

Just a couple of notes (and anecdotes) before you view the show. The footage on Kuala Lumpur is very scanty as I was there for only a brief 2 nights/1 day, just long enough to pack and unpack. The section on Melaka is the biggest chunk of the show as there are tremendous photographic opportunities in this UNESCO World Heritage Site including China Town, the colorful night bazaar, old forts and a hybrid culture and architecture that is reflective of Melaka’s colonial past (both Dutch and Portuguese). In Melaka, there is definitely a clash between the Old vs New (and East Vs West) as evidenced by the proliferation of modern shopping centers, new condominium complexes and luxury resorts in addition to manifestations of Western Culture - KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, McDonalds and the like. Finally in Cameron Highlands, where I stayed for 5 days/4 nights, I have omitted gruesome images of THE WOUND, an injury I suffered on the top of my left hand while hiking through the jungle in search of the legendary Jim Thompson.

*Also see Streets of Bangkok

As usual, I have one cameo appearance in the show and there is one rather comical moment! ENJOY!