On New Years Day, I lie in bed reflecting on the past year in the life a traveler. In light of the global recession and economic downturn, 2008 was a very rough year for many people including your truly. There were far less travelers taking to the seas and the skies than in years gone by, and trips were a lot shorter in duration and closer to home.
But for this traveler, hard times wasn’t able to keep me grounded as exploring the world and traveling is what keeps me alive and defines me as a person - I AM A TRAVELER. That is MY LIFE and what I lack in monetary wealth, I make up in the richness and experience that travel brings.

In 2008, I consider myself fortunate to have made two trips....

In April, I returned to La Manzanilla aka My Secret Paradise on Mexico’s Costa Alegre. A relatively small and unpretentious beach town located 1 hour north of Manzanillo, not much had changed from a year ago but the economic downturn in the USA and Canada resulted in far less visitors. Looking down the two mile beach, I observed that there were far fewer Mexican tourists in the area over the popular All Saints Holidays compared to last year. Most of the Gringos I met were either snowbirders (winter residents) or were scouting the area to buy some property or start construction on their new vacation home. As usual, I had a quiet relaxing time - in the mornings, I would blog at El Girasol Café over breakfast and in the afternoons, take a siesta or read a book on the beach.

On November 11, I took off to Thailand and Malaysia in Southeast Asia for one month. I had a wonderful experience overall - I visited many new places and met a lot of interesting people. I was on the go the whole time and did not have more than 3-4 days of downtime. I have so many outstanding memories from this trip, it would be so very difficult to discuss all of them at this time. But if I had to choose the most memorable experience from my recent trip, it had to be witnessing a special memorial tribute by the Yao and Hmong Hilltribes to the recently departed Princess Galyani, the revered older sister of The King of Thailand. This tribute was staged on November 24 at a small community school near the village of Pong in Phayao Province, Northern Thailand, more than one week after an extravagant 4 day national tribute was held in Bangkok. This had to be the most heartwarming experience that I’ve had as a traveler.

In a more humorous vein, I was attacked by an invisible bamboo while hiking in the rainforests of the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia. This encounter resulted in a very nasty gash on the top of my left hand. As the wound was infected, I went to the local hospital at Tanah Ratah the following day to have it cleaned out and stitched up. Presiding over the minor surgical procedure was a young man by the name of Mr. Amri, who I later learned was just a medical assistant. As he performed the operation, he gave sort of a running commentary of the procedure in Malay language to the four young female interns who were in the operating room. Looking at their dog tags, I discovered that they were all from the same college in Kuala Lumpur. In the meantime, I alternately winked, grimaced and smiled at the young ladies who didn’t really know what to make of this strange foreign patient. The WOUND STORY didn’t end right there, as I had to go to a local hospital in Bangkok at the tail end of my trip (Dec. 9-12) for three consecutive days to have the stitches taken out, the wound recleaned and dressed.

On the day I arrived home in San Francisco safe and sound (December 12), I went to my local Kaiser Medical clinic to have a Doctor look at the wound. When I showed her a digital picture of my hand after the surgery was performed in Malaysia, she shook her head in dismay and said “The good news is that the infection is contained and you will live to die another day, but because of the poor stitching job you’ll be left with a permanent albeit small scar/souvenir”. Upon hearing this, I laughed and said “No problem - I can add this new souvenir to the ones that I have already collected from Thailand and Costa Rica.”

Happy Trails Everyone. Have a healthy and prosperous New Year

I admit to being a Chinese food enthusiast; although I’m a vegetarian, most Chinese restaurants can accommodate me by substituting soy bean curd (tofu) for meat/chicken/seafood. One of my favorite dishes – I usually order it with all my meals - is hot and sour soup, a staple in Chinese cuisine. I have had this particular soup at Chinese restaurants not only in my home town of San Francisco but all around the world, in places as far away as Accra, Ghana and Quito, Ecuador. The common denominator is that the soup is relatively spicy and has a certain thickness or consistency.

Believe it or not, the worst hot and sour soup that I have ever had was at Kim Liam Kee, a rather, large establishment located on Petaling Street in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s famous Chinatown. I ate at this establishment on Nov. 27 of this year - it was my first night in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city and after a strenuous day of travel, I really wanted a proper vegetarian meal. My hotel was an easy 5-minute walk to Chinatown and my decision to patronize this particular restaurant was primarily because of their rather large and very prominent signage.

I ordered two dishes at Kim Lian Kee – a vegetarian claypot dish with rice and a small hot and sour soup to the accompaniment of a Royal Stout. While the claypot dish was satisfactory, the soup was very watery and had hardly any taste – it was so bad, I thought I would let the management know about it. Now I’m a person who is not afraid to voice his opinions to the restaurant management if the service or the food is bad.

Expressing my dissatisfaction vociferously with the manager over the bland tasting soup, I opened up ‘a rather large can of worms’. Later on, I asked the manager to reprimand the young waitress for her very flippant comment when I requested the bill. After hearing my complaint, he smiled and replied “I am sorry sir, none of these girls have any training; they are hired off the street.” After hearing that, it was very difficult for me to refrain from laughing out loud!

In retrospect, I really thought the whole incident was quite amusing as I relished playing the role of the incensed tourist-customer. Bottom line - I would never, ever go back to this restaurant and recommend that my fellow travelers do not patronize this establishment as well. For a detailed account of my rather dismal experience at Kim Lian Kee, I have filed a report on TripAdvisor

On my 2nd night (and final night in Kuala Lumpur), I went to Fatt Yan, a small vegetarian Chinese restaurant that received very favorable reviews in Happy Cow. The price was right at 18.50RM ($5.25USD) and my two entrees were very tasty – one of which was a vegetarian hot and sour soup. Take that Kim Lian Kee!

I was very fortunate to have chosen the ANCASA HOTEL for my brief 2-night stay in Kuala Lumpur. Situated only two short blocks from Chinatown, the hotel’s location is ideal - Puduraya, the interstate bus terminal is next door while the public mass transit system- the overhead monorail and underground trains - are within easy walking distance. As a bonus, Starbucks Café with free WIFI is conveniently located directly across the street. And at $51USD including breakfast, the price is right. While the hotel is short on facilities - no swimming pool and only a stripped down and small fitness center – all rooms come with cable TV, free wifi, a hot water utensil and a small refrigerator and the breakfast buffet was more than satisfactory with a variety of hot and cold dishes, rolls and pastries as well as fresh fruit. The hotel management seemed very keen on customer service.

The young manager, an Indian fellow who I believe is first generation Malaysian, was especially accommodating. Upon check in, he personally gave me a guided tour of the hotel and its facilities - gym and the massage treatment concession - and answered most of my questions about Kuala Lumpur. While he was showing me around, we chatted a bit about the terrorist attack in Mumbai, India as well as the political situation and demonstrations in Thailand. Although he did give me a bum steer as to where to find premium T-shirts as gifts, I cannot really fault him for that – he meant well.

Bottom Line – I would highly recommend the ANCASA Hotel for the first time visitor to Kuala Lumpur. While short in facilities, it is very affordable for a 3 star property and you cannot beat the location.

I admit that it was nearly impossible in two short days to get a feeling for “the pulse” of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s modern cosmopolitan capital city of about 1.7 million people. My only other reference point admittedly was Bangkok, Thailand’s sprawling capital city whose orientation and culture is 180 degrees different than KL - afterall, Thailand is predominately a Buddhist country and Malaysia is an Islamic State, where approximately 60% of the population is Muslim. Buddhists comprise Malaysia’s 2nd largest religious group followed by Hindus and Christians.

Walking around Kuala Lumpur – at least in the area around my hotel - I observed that most of the Malay women, whose religion is Islam, dress very conservatively wearing the traditional Muslim garb - a wrap over their head and a color coordinated two piece outfit which covers their entire body. And many of the men wear the traditional Muslim skullcap. As a westerner, I say Viva la Difference! From what I could see, there was very little overt discrimination against Muslim women. They seemed to be well represented in the workplace - in hotels, shops, restaurants, banks, department stores, airport etc.

The architecture is an eclectic mix of East meets West - there are a number of rather ornate Mosques scattered around the city along with some exotic architectural structures whose design is influenced by Islamic iconography and motifs in addition to many gleaming new skyscrapers, modern high-rise condominiums and office buildings. In fact, Kuala Lumpur seems to have a proportionately higher percentage of skyscrapers than Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city. Rising far above the flat urban landscape of KL are the Petronas Towers, the highest twin towers in the world. These imposing skyscrapers, which can be seen from anywhere within this modern Asian metropolitan city, are named after Petronas Corporation, Malaysia’s large oil and gas conglomerate. Like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur has its fair share of gaudy shopping centers. Kuala Lumpur? For a big city, it is not bad at all. I wouldn’t mind going back there!

What is the most practical gift that one can buy their friends & family when they are on vacation? If you answered T-Shirts, you have answered this proverbial question the same way I have. In fact, on my most recent trip to Thailand and Malaysia, this is exactly what I planned to do. Needless to say, it took awhile to find the right T-shirts - I wanted to buy something that was both tasteful in design and of fairly high quality. See T-Shirt story

Then I got to thinking, while I am it, wouldn’t it be nice to buy Alfie, my sister’s precocious toy poodle, a T-Shirt too? After all, I’ve seen small dogs in the United States outfitted with T-shirts during the hot summer months and sweaters in the cold of the winter. What initially started as somewhat as a lark in my mind, the idea of buying Alfie - who I affectionately refer to as my dog nephew - a T-shirt, became a serious quest.

So here I was in Bangkok, Thailand on the final day of my 30-day odyssey trying to fulfill my mission - finding a T-shirt for my dog nephew, Alfie. While working out early morning in the hotel’s fitness center, I asked one of the trainers “Where is the nearest store that I can but a T-shirt for my sister’s toy poodle?” According to him, there was a dedicated pet boutique just around the corner from the hotel, President Park, on Sukhumvit Soi 24. Sounded ideal, as I didn’t relish the idea of running all over town trying to find Alfie’s gift.

After finishing all my other errands, towards the end of the day I stumbled into Boo Blossom, the dedicated pet boutique. Shaking my head in disbelief, I couldn’t believe how close it was to my hotel. After consulting with the young sales clerk, she suggested that I buy a little Thai style outfit for Alfie. I was quickly sold on the idea and let her choose the proper outfit – one with an appropriate Thai motif. Total damage 350 baht (10USD). Mission accomplished as I quickly handed her money, giving her a small tip to boot.

The rest in history – judging by the way Alfie was seen dancing with joy in his new Thai outfit, it was a worthwhile investment, not to mention how this gift made my sister very happy as well. See pictures.

Boo Blossom Pet Boutique - Sukhumvit Soi 24, Bangkok, Thailand
e-mail: blossom_boo@yahoo.com

When I told the manager of Ancasa Hotel in Kuala Lumpur that I wanted to buy as gifts some high quality T-shirts with a simple but tasteful design, he suggested that I go to the nearby Petronas Towers. Rising far above the flat city landscape, these towers are the highest twin skyscrapers in the world and are Kuala Lumpur’s claim to fame. Although these towers can be seen from anywhere in this large cosmopolitan city of over 1.6 million, like most imposing landmarks they look closer than they actually are. Getting off at the closest underground railway stop, I had to walk over 1/2 mile before reaching the towers. There is a huge shopping complex, which occupies the lower floors containing many fancy, upscale and expensive boutique stores. In a way, the shopping complex reminds me of the Emporium in Bangkok, but considerably more grandiose. Insofar as finding the T-shirts that I was looking for, it happened to be a bum steer and an exercise in futility.

After finally reaching the towers in a roundabout way (I admittedly got a little lost), I made a beeline for the information counter, where I asked the young ladies for the best shops to buy high quality T-shirts. They gave me some leads – I spent the next hour going to at least 4-5 shops, only to discover that none of them had what I was looking for – they all carried the same cheesy T-shirts albeit of mediocre quality that most teenagers buy for the outrageous price of 72RM ($28USD).

Upon recommendation of somebody who worked in one of the department stores, the last store I visited was Banana Republic. This turned out to be the biggest joke of all. The young, affable sales clerk showed me a very flimsy T-Shirt with a design that reminded me of something that one would find in New York City. Out of curiosity, I asked her what was the price - she replied “150RM” ($42USD). I laughed as I told the sales clerk point blank, someone would have to “insane” to buy one of these T-shirts for $42. She smiled and said she bought one for her boyfriend, to which I replied suuureee! Then she went on to tell me that the T-shirts are made in the USA - no wonder they have western designs that you would expect to find New York City - and the reason why customers are willing to pay so much monies for these T-shirts is because they have the Banana Republic label. I laughed and repeated my assertion that any Western tourist who bought a Banana Republic T-shirt in Kuala Lumpur had to have a couple of screws loose.

Leaving the store, I thanked the sales clerk for her time and for putting up with my blatant sarcasm. I concluded that all these fancy boutique stores at the Twin Towers were really geared for the domestic market, not for the tourist crowd. It seems that there is quite a market for status conscious locals who are willing to throw their monies away.

Returning to my hotel by the underground train sometime in the early evening hours, my attempt to buy some T-shirts for gifts in Kuala Lumpur turned out to be an exercise in futility. In retrospect, I realized that I would have been lot better off staying at my hotel and taking a nap. Every dog has his day!

There is HAPEE ENDING to all of this - During my brief stay in the old colonial town of Melaka, about 2 hours south of Kuala Lumpur, I found what I was looking for - cost per T-Shirt ranged between 35RM-50RM ($10-14USD). Mission accomplished!

Farangs, like myself, rarely hire a motorbike taxi to take us anyplace in Bangkok as it is considered very dangerous – these daredevils on wheels are known to be somewhat reckless as they weave in and out of traffic. Furthermore most of the drivers do not provide their passengers with a crash helmet. It is not unusual to see these guys driving their vehicle on the sidewalk (sometime with passengers), as they hurry to stay ahead of the traffic on clogged Bangkok thoroughfares. On more than one occasion, I have been walking on the sidewalk along the Sukhumvit, a main road in uptown Bangkok, only to have to dodge a motorcycle taxi coming directly at me. WTF? I know of many bargirls who wear permanent souvenir(s) on their bodies - usually on an arm or leg – as a result of being involved in a motorbike accident.

Regular taxis are a safer option, albeit slower option. The meter rate for a taxi starts at 35 baht (about 1.00USD) – very cheap - and increases by 1 baht per for every 3-5 minutes, while motorbike taxis are even cheaper yet, costing a mere 20 baht for a short trip but oh so dangerous. 97% of the time, I will take a taxi all things being equal. However every now and then, when I’m in an extreme hurry and traffic is really choked up, I will take gamble and roll the dice by hiring a motorbike taxi.

On my last night in Bangkok, I took such a chance - I had a farewell dinner date at 7:30PM with Khun Moongmink at a small vegetarian restaurant on Soi 26 near the Sukhumvit and it was very important that I not be late. Standing outside the President Park Hotel (Sukhumvit Soi 22/24) at 7:10PM, I surveyed the traffic conditions - even though I was only 1.5 miles away from my destination, I realized I would never make it on time by taxi. The choice was to incur the wrath of Moongmink for being late or risk life and limb by taking a motorbike taxi. Choosing the lesser of two evils, I had the bellman at President Park hook me up with the best motorbike taxi that he could find and I told him to inform the driver that I would give him a big tip if he got me to my destination, safe and sound.

Looking at my watch as I hopped on to the motorbike seat, it was exactly 7:17PM when we departed. Sure enough, the driver took some short cuts, weaved in and out traffic and got me to my destination at 7:25PM in one piece. As I hopped off the bike, I waiied the driver and thanked him in Thai, handing him 40 baht and motioning with my hands for him to keep the change. As I ambled into the restaurant, I made a prayer to the Great Buddha in the Sky for my safe deliverance.

I returned to The NEST at the end of my stay to get a better feel for the place. The club has been hyped up in several publications including Conde Nast Magazine as the new “in place” in Bangkok. The club is especially popular with young, professional Bangkokians who are status conscious and want to be part of the scene. Taking a look at the drink menu, the club has sunk to the lowest common denominator by naming drinks with such sexually suggestive names like Blowjob etc. Now, I am not a prude or anything but you would think that a high-class club would refrain from this type of gutter vulgarity

Despite my disdain for the names of their drinks, I went ahead and ordered a Blowjob anyhow - which I affectionately renamed Blowjob by the Sea - since it was my last night in Thailand and I wanted go out with a bang. It was supposed to be a mixed concoction consisting of Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua topped with whipped cream. When the waitress served me my drink - a tiny glass that consisted mostly of whipped cream with no more than 3 tablespoons of the liqueur sitting at the bottom - I voiced my displeasure. I was really expecting a more substantial drink in a larger glass (with considerably more alcohol) – it was like paying for a blowjob without getting blown. My date ordered some sort of fruit juice cocktail sans alcohol. Total damage 21.00USD. I sarcastically remarked to my ladyfriend that this was robbery but in a way I expected as much. Jokingly I said, “I should have ordered boom-boom in the jungle instead.”

While taking some pictures of the Bangkok Skyline, I chatted with four young upwardly mobile Thai ladies from Bangkok who were sitting together on one large love seat - one of the young ladies asked me if I wanted to take a picture of them but my date came over and voiced her displeasure, so I decided to forego the photo. The young ladies seemed to be enjoying themselves - it seems that Thais really don’t mind being ripped off as long as they go to a place which is considered high class. Would I return? Most likely no - maybe if they had an African or Reggae DJ night but hip-hop and the musical fare that the DJ was spinning is really not my cup of tea.

In summary, I was somewhat disappointed with THE NEST. While the club has some outstanding views of the Bangkok skyline and a cozy ambiance, the service is mediocre, the drinks are overpriced (which is standard for trendy clubs in Bangkok) and the entertainment fare is not up to my eclectic standards. My overall rating 5.5 out of 10!

Malaysia was a new experience for me. In a 13-day period, I barely scratched the surface as I traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Cameron Highlands and Langkawi Island. I met some very congenial people along the way – none more so than EDDIE, the airport Taxi driver. Eddie was my introduction to Malaysia - he drove me to my hotel in Kuala Lumpur from the KLIA airport upon arrival. Since his service was so outstanding, I made arrangements for Eddie to meet me at Starbucks near the Puduraya bus terminal in downtown Kuala Lumpur and take me to the KLIA airport at a later point in my trip.

Rendezvousing with Eddie the 2nd time around, I got to learn a little more about his life.
He has been living in Kuala Lumpur for almost 20 years now, having moved to Malaysia from his native Indonesia, where he lived in a small village by the name of Bukitbinegyi on the island of Sumatra. Eddie has been working as an airport taxi driver for only 6 months or so; prior to that he drove taxi in the city for 12 years. According to him, the city taxi drivers have a rough go of it as the taximeter system is antiquated and the government should institute set fares based upon the length of trip.

Eddie travels home every 3 months or so to be with his wife and three children - age 12, 8 and 4 months. He has the luxury of taking off from work so often, because he shares his taxi with a fellow Indonesian who drives taxi during the time that Eddie is away, and vice versa. The company he works for is happy as the car is in operation as a taxi 365 days a year. A very good arrangement, if you ask me. Even though, Eddie does not work the whole year, he says that he is making pretty good monies – it seems that driving an airport taxi is more financially rewarding than driving taxi in the Kuala Lumpur metro area.

Eddie has plans to retire in about 16 years or so and move back to Indonesia for good. As he says, there’s no place like home – especially when home is where your 3 children are.

If you’re in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and you need a trustworthy and reliable taxi driver to take care of your transfers and touring needs, you definitely cannot go wrong by hiring Eddie. Call 016-244768.

During my travels through Thailand and Malaysia, I have eaten at numerous inexpensive Indian Restaurants – primarily in Bangkok, Cameron Highlands, Melaka and Langkawi Island. I am referring to those casual cafeteria type or budget affairs which cater to a mix of locals and frugally minded tourists. At most of these restaurants/cafés, when the waiter serves your meal he usually does not provide you with any napkins. With Indian food in particular, when picking up my curries, vegetables and rice with the Naan bread, I find my hands getting very dirty.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the famous rhetorical question, Why does the chicken cross the road? Like the reason for why the chicken crosses the road, have you ever wondered why inexpensive Indian restaurants typically don’t provide napkins to their customers?

Well, on my last night in Tanah Ratah (Cameron Highlands) while eating at The Kumar Indian Restaurant located two doors down from STARBUCKS, I decided to ask the manager what is the rationale behind this practice. I knew what the answer was going to be, but I just wanted to hear it from the source. Without mincing any words, the affable manager told me it is really all about improving the bottom line (money) – as the meals are so cheap, the restaurant can cut down on their expenses by not providing napkins to their customers; after all napkins cost money! Upon hearing this, it confirmed what I already knew. But taking the stance as the devil’s advocate, I told him that while his local customers from the surrounding area may not squawk at this practice, many westerners will perceive this no napkin policy as poor service and may become irritated having to ask for napkins all the time. While this practice may reduce the bottom line, it will most likely have an adverse affect on the waiter’s tips as well.

Before finishing our conversation, I was tempted to ask him, “Can I wipe my dirty hands on your shirt”. Of course, common sense got the better of me as I timidly asked him, “Can you bring me some more napkins?”

Still wondering what is the correct answer to “Why does the chicken cross the road?” The answer is - To get to the other side.