Traveling the spicy route

India, Malaysia and Singapore were just brief stopovers on this vacation. Family, friends, catch up on sleep that kind of thing. Two weeks of this and I was in Thailand, where from Bangkok we made a trip to Pattaya and avoided all the crowds and sleaze and the quiet daytime beaches by staying in a resort outside town where there was nothing to do except sleep, swim and get some Thai massages.

The real trip started when I headed from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. I took the day train which leaves around 8:30AM and reaches Chiang Mai about 8:30 in the night. It cost about 600+ which is 20$, and included a couple of meals on the train. The train stops only a few mins each station not enough time to get food so anybody planning on using this train should pack some along as the train rations are just nibbles.

Chiang Mai has a lot of day trips on offer. I did the Doi Suthep mountain temple, some village visits, a whitewater rafting trip, some waterfall bathing on the way back etc. It's all good. And also spend a few days just exploring this old town with it's moat all around the city and the ruin's of it's 11'th century walls all around town. The town is built in the shape of a square enclosed by this moat and wall. Evenings I'd visit the night market a charged bazaar with all kinds of stuff on offer. I avoided the night clubs as I'd learned in Thai here it's basically a dive for the sex tourists. I almost went for a Thai boxing show but then decided to catch it on the local tv when I found out it was free. Can't say it was all that great.

I had to move from my first hotel and then I found this place just close to the edge of town at the end of Chang Klang road (which is where the night bazaar is held) and they charged me 50 baht per night including towel for a two bed room with en-suite shower. Quite the deal ... the joint is called Trekker Camp and Nikki the manager turned out to be a part time singer in a local Thai bar. I went there with him the first night and listened to him croon Thai versions of Beatles, Neil Sedaka numbers and on request he played me "Holiday" by Scorpions all in Thai of course :)

My room-mate was a french guy from East Africa called Phil. HE didn't seem to sleep much and I was given to understand that he used to work for the CIA and he told me that he was on call but when I tried to get more specific about all of this he mumbled off into mystery. However he and me bought each other a few beers and exchanged smokes and all in all it made for an entertaining time. It looked like he was planning on staying there for a long time to come.

From Chiang Mai I made my way by slow boat to Laos. It's a two day trip and we stopped over at a place called Pak Beng en-route. Immigration cost $42 (the Canadian visas were the most expensive) and the trip itself was 1750 Baht (which is about 60$)

Luang Prabang was quite a surprise. Very small town, but very clean and sedate with French colonial architecture in spots. No mall, no cinema theatre even and zero hustling. The people were all calm, cool and spoke almost no English but their friendliness and willingness to meet you halfway made it easy to deal with them. Food was a mixture of vietnamese type noodle soups and thai style fried rice dishes etc. Not much to do in this town, but they have a few day trips ... I didn't bother doing any of them instead spending the days just exploring the town on foot in all four directions.

From there I flew to Cambodia, to Siem Reap by Laos Air. Costs about 220$. I could have gone by boat there too but didn't feel like doing one more of those boat rides.

Siem Reap is a real hustler's town, with Tuk Tuk drivers, doormen everybody hustling you. Their standard line was "You want young girl? Real cheap" ... and everywhere around you there were posters by the Cambodian government warning you that child prostitution was a crime and that there were serious penalties for anybody involved.

Angkor Wat ... the ruins were indeed spectacularly interesting and definitely worth seeing. I visited about seven different temples in and around the Angkor Wat location and only thing I regretted was not making the trip earlier in the morning before the tourist hordes showed up ... plus the strong afternoon light didn't make for good pictures.

Beer Lao was the pick of the lot and while it's the only thing mostly available in Luang Prabang, it was also easily available in Cambodia. However except in Chiang Mai its not very easy to find in places like Bangkok.

I also liked Luang Prabang the best of all the towns I'd visited but that being said Chiang Mai has a lot more to offer to the tourist and I enjoyed my stay at Chiang Mai the best. I visited the Blind institute there and had a massage by a blind masseur which was simply outstanding and dirt cheap. 100 baht for an hour, which is about 3.5$

There's a lot more trip notes obviously, but the main thing about SE Asia is a little money goes a long way if you know what you are doing. You can pretty much live on 10 to 20$ a day including your accomodation but if you are willing to go up 30 to 40$ then a lot more options become available.

Favorite smells ...

Well christmas is almost around the corner ... and that's when you feel inspired to write up all your favorite things just in case ... :)

Writing about smelly stuff is not easy especially if you're like me a collector. At present recollection I have about thirty odd colognes most of which I'm trying to give away as I tend to hate most colognes after about a couple of times of using it. Some of them last a week, some of them a month but of the two hundred odd colognes I've tried, I've grown tired of them so fast I can't even remember their names. This goes for all duty free shop type, department store type the easily available colognes. I'm talking the Joops, the Armanis, the Polos, the Joe Blow ... run of the mill stuff ... they all try too hard, and end up being very ordinary.

What I'd like to talk about are the ones you can no longer find, but you wish they were around. Or the stuff that you can only find in a backcorner of Bond Street in London so exclusive that you need to be a card carrying member of the Royal Family before they'll deign to look down their nose on you and allow you to buy their wares ... yeah that kind of snobbery still works velvet when it comes to colognes ... okay okay just joking there folks heh

For the longest while I loved Carven's Vetiver but then they stopped making it. I just got a note this morning from an old New York supplier that they've reissued it and that he's carrying it ... I'll probably give it a try again but I doubt they can recreate the old magic of this once upon a time wonderful cologne.

I then went through a bunch of Vetiver versions before finally settling on Guerlain's Vetiver cologne and after shave as my daily staples. It's the quintessence of a spring morning overlaid with the mystery and magic of Vetiver.

For evenings to hit the pubs, I always loved Gucci's Pour Homme. I know I know it's a department store kind of colognes, but honestly this is one of the better made ones in my opinion ... Something about it's tobaccoey, leathery always felt very masculine and it has these mysterious undertones that work wonderfully against my skin (or so I've been told) And this is very reasonably priced as well unlike the other ones here.

For clubbing all night (which obviously was a long time ago *sigh*) I used to trip on Thierry Mugler's A-Men. Something about it's rich chocolatey notes ... But be warned this is a very assertive cologne and definitely not for the faint of heart. The A-Men after shave balm in fact is a lot subtler and a lot less assertive but it's amazing, and this is usually my aftershave of choice most night outs ... However it's getting increasingly difficult to find the after shave balm.

But sometimes you just wanted a soft very subtle cologne, and to me that's Marlborough made by Geoffrey Trumpers of London and mostly only available there although there are a few specialist retailers that do carry it ... In North America the only place I've found it is at "The Sleuth and Statesman" in the first canadian place. It's difficult to define in terms of notes and overtones but what it is basically cedarwood, sandalwood, geranium type notes blending into a very subtle very sophisticated fragrance. Unfortunately it doesn't last very long and fades almost completely away in less than two to three hours. So yes I use it, but don't find it as compelling as the other ones.

Dunhill's Daily Shampoo. If you can find this grab it. I once went to London to buy everything I could and came back with a bag full. It's definitely not cheap but it's the best shampoo I've ever used and the perfume is amazing. I wish somebody could find a way to recreate this smell as a cologne. It would win awards, and make fortunes. Combined with their Dunhill Hair Gel it made for amazing hair as well. I've been however unable to find this anywhere in the last eight nine years though I've looked pretty much all over the world for it.

My favorite cologne of all time hmmm I want to keep that a secret ... recently I bought Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather and I like it a lot too. Be warned you are going to get asked what cologne you are wearing if you do this. On an almost daily basis I get asked about the cologne by people I work with ... :) Yeah Tom Ford's stuff may be 200$ and up for a piddly 50ml but it does smell magic.

My favorite cologne is even better. I don't get as many compliments or anything but I personally love the way it smells on me to death ... but like I said I'm not sharing this with anybody at least not now heh.

And while I know the next aftershave doesn't belong in the above company I once bought a cheap I think 6$ type aftershave in Turkey when travelling through some twenty years back. It was called Arko if I remember correctly and I still remember it with affection. It had that clean barber shop small that you get after a lot of lathering, followed by a spine tinglingly close fresh shave with a sharp sharp razor, hot towels, followed by the rub with that sterilising alum block ... it had that same cool tingly yet very masculine detail to it's smell. I remember when it was getting over (I was in India at that time) feeling really sad that I wouldn't have it around much longer. Also around the same time I used to be in love with Aramis but grew out of it ... I remember the girls back in College used to ask me what I was wearing ... I actually cheated as I would wear Christian Dior's Eau Savage first, and then a little Aramis on top of that a little later. Smelled abs amazing ... but like I said that was years and years ago and I haven't really felt like going back and trying any of this layering stuff any time recently.

What else? There have been many other favorites which I've either outgrown or have not been able to find any more, I mean wearing the same smell the whole day and sometimes even after a shower can get pretty wearing after a while ... Halston Z-14 (which was relaunched back in 2005 but I preferred the older version much better), Montale's Blue Amber (amazing but you have to wear it for at least a whole day for the real good smells to develop so no shower in the evening heh), Fahrenheit which I still like although it's too common to have any element of mystery or surprise about it anymore, Paul Smith, Hermes Terre D'Herme (which I still use often) and Bel Ami (which was my favorite leather before Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather showed up), Emporio Armani Night He (which I think is now discontinued but used to be available at every duty free shop out there heh), Dunhill Desire which I loved briefly but quickly grew bored with but I still get this as presents for my male friends as something about it's unique rose smell seems to appeal to most males.

There are many many others but night falls, sleep calls and it's time for every good blogger to dream about what the future portends :)

And for those who are wondering about my favorite cologne it's one of these (Havana, Azzaro, .....)

HKIFF starts tomorrow

Hong Kong Film Festival movies because of their rather different slant towards arthouse have always been very special for me. They've had record sales this year and in fact almost all of the shows are sold out. Here's what I'd like to see first (have focused only on the HK flicks themselves by the usual suspects Wong Kar Wai, Derek although there are other countries/genres represented)

You can check out the actual movie descriptions, pictures etc on the site http://www.hkiff.org.hk (Choose the browse films option)

Ashes and time redux - WKW's remake (and it has Tony Leung)
Shinjuku incident - Jackie Chan in a non martial arts role
Shanghai blues - Tsui Harks' take on a love triangle
No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti - Despite it's name it is a chinese movie

Reading Londinium (Books on or about London for the offbeat traveller)

Change the way you sightsee London!

Necropolis - London and it's dead By Catherine Arnold : London as burial ground from roman times. Different take on it's history
London pocket companion By Jo Swinnerton : Weird and interesting tales in and around London
Ward Lock Red Guide: London : Opens a guide to a London now lost
What's in a Name?: Origins of Station Names on the London Underground by Cyril M. Harris : If you love the tube, buy this
Spectacular Vernacular: London's 100 Most Extraordinary Buildings by David Long : Quirky anecdotes.
London Film Location Guide by Simon James : Watch that movie again.

Calling the shots at Starbucks - demystifying the lingua franca

My response to the recession has been to shift from my watering hole to the starbucks in the evenings, and unwind with a travel guide. Why a travel guide? It doesn't look quite as anti social as a sudoku book. Why Starbucks? Because actually it fits both a suit and a trucker, as long as they have that slightly alienated look about them that's de rigeur in these places. It also helped that at my previous job in Edmonton, the company condo I was staying in had a Starbucks around the corner. So over the last one year I went from a simple Timmy's Large double cream no sugar to a dizzying array of ordering options. Here's the benefit of all that research.

Coffee is not just coffee. You get various types. Do remember, if you're in a hurry, just say coffee or the Coffee of the Week, and you'll be in and out in no time. Anything else requires preparation so you'll have to wait after you place the order.

Tea is not just tea. You get various types, including a range of herbals, blends et al, some with lemonade even for the iced versions.
That's the entry level stuff.

Then you get Americano = espresso with water, Latte = espresso with steamed milk or Cafe Au Lait = coffee, not espresso with steamed milk. In Paris by the way, if you want an Americano the only place to get it would be Starbucks.

Lattes is by default coffee espressos, but they also have the chai (masala tea version) and the green tea (ugh) variants

You can decide how strong you want your espresso to be by asking for single, double, triple or quad.

Coffee and Espresso come in surprisingly tasty decaf versions. That's the real reason I switched because I've grown to love their decaf.

For the steamed milk the default is 2%, you can also request whole milk, organic, or soya. I've noticed that not all starbucks carries all of these options. You can also ask for half and half (the starbucks lingo for this is breve)

By default the lattes come with three layers espresso, steamed milk and foam.

You could also have your espresso with just whipped cream over it ... ask for Espresso Con Panna

Or just the foam ... ask for Espresso macchiato.

You can add chocolate syrup to any of the above by asking for mocha. There's also a white chocolate version if I'm not mistaken as I remember hearing others order this.

You can say "no foam" latte or flat white. Both skip the foam option. I say Flat White in one soundbite if it's a regular barista, and 'no foam' in a condescending tone if the barista is new to the place. Your choice.

About the difference between Cappuccino and Latte, the latte I noticed tastes milkier, and has less foam. I'm not sure but I think the shot sizes for the espresso must be smaller for the lattes. Next time I'm in Starbucks I need to figure this one out. Or you can have this as homework. If you like the stronger taste of cappuccino without paying for a half cup of foam, they do have what is called a short cappuccino which is not on the menu that comes with micro foam. It's also cheap at around two bucks.

The Frappuccino is the cappuccino with a sugar based syrup and crushed ice. I call it the smoothie version instead :) There's a bunch of options on the syrups including hazelnut, Cinnamon dolce etc ...

Oh before I forget, asking for extra hot automatically gets you the sleeve as well :)

Cheers!

Remember it's better for the environment to say for here and skip the foam container if you can.

Shane Koyczan - My favorite poet

You know how sometimes the first rain on a summer's day can surprise us? Take us out of comfort into wetness, and heal us in the process. Shane does the same kind of thing, making us go from laughter to pathos on a rollercoaster curve that almost always shocks me with the operatic intensity of his verse woven narratives.

When I first heard him he was only available at Poetry Slam contests. Now he's on the web, he's published books so his work is a lot more accessible now, but I still remember writing down his verse from bad auditorium recordings. For some reason this made it even more precious, like light harvested from a crucible ...

He's the real deal not to be missed at any cost, and at every performance as he weaves words into emotional tsunamis, I experience the singular fear and elation of being swept to a crescendo followed by the vertigo as you fall back into silence ... and find awakened in you suddenly ... the need to look for what you've missed in a lifetime of sleepwalking through dreams and pain ...

Visiting Bali - some tips

#1 December expect some rain. Not so much it puts a damper but yes, it is a factor
#2 Carry $15 ($25 if you're staying for more than 7 days) for your entry fees.
#3 Keep aside $15 for your exit fees. Remember if you don't have the exact change, they will give you the balance in Rupiah, and sharply discounted at that.
#4 If you want to be in the center of it all, stay in Kuta. It's also cheaper
#5 If you want to stay surrounded by manicured lawns, and five star go for Nusa Dua
#6 Seminyak is somewhere in between. It's also got the best restaurants
#7 Go for the Bumbu Bali cooking class run by Heinz Holzen. It's $75 per person.
#8 Only change money at authorized money changers. The others cheat you expertly.
#9 Get a copy of Lonely Planet's Bali. It's the best guide to this place by far.
#10 Visit Tanah Lot. If that's too far check out the Uluwat temple at sunset (they have a very intriguing performance called the Kechak dance then .. be warned it fills up quickly, so if you want good seats get there by 5 ... the show starts at 6PM)

Top three things to do if you're in Bali

Rent a scootie
Those automatic hondas, yamahas, vespas et al are not only the greatest fun to run around in, but it helps you beat the traffic jams, and in Bali nothing is very far.
We stayed at Nusa Dua and it was fifteen minutes to Legian, Kuta beach, Seminyak and about an hour to the mountains. And it's by far the cheapest option. Rent is about 7 bucks, and gas is about a buck for two litres which will keep you going all day. If you don't have an international license, make sure you have fifty thousand rupiah in one pocket only as that's the er fees you'll be charged by the cops. They'll obviously ask you for more, but that's the time you pull out your pockets and say that not only did you leave your wallet home but the only cash you got on you is the fifty and they'll let you go ...


Go for the watersports
Very well organized and while not all that cheap they're very good value for money. The Parasailing experience was incredibly thrilling to say the least. The jetskis were also great. If there's a bunch of you, then the banana boat option is a cheaper way to go tripping over the sea. They also have surfing lessons, and while I didn't do this it looked like loads of fun.



Join the cooking class at Bumbu Bali
It's a nice way to meet interesting women er I mean people :) But the class by Heinz Von Holzen were also a fascinating compendium of balinese lore, cooking tips, market tours,
spice combinations, and of course a fantastic way to sample authentic balinese food. I didn't realize until this class that what I'd been eating till then was actually Indonesian and not Balinese food.