this is africa

ACCRA, GHANA | HILL VIEW HOTEL, OFFICE è

“T-I-A, man, T-I-A.”

it somehow becomes the rationalization of everything that goes wrong here.  things like cabbing to the bus station only to find there are no seats to burkina faso — not now or anytime before christmas.  or cabbing to the airport, twice, to find expensive flights to ouagadougou, later being informed that a confirmed outbound does not a confirmed inbound make.  or, driving up and down through northern ghana and getting a flat tire, twice.  or, transporting two tied-up, screaming lambs and a goat on the top of your four-by-four for 1000 kilometeres.  or, not having enough money and losing your atm card to the bank of africa atm machine, shortly after imprinting your pin.  or, killing or trapping cockroaches in your bathroom, showering under cold water or with no water pressure, or watching your driver vomit on the side of the street.

this trip, a “pre-trip” to the official ghana study trip which begins on the 27th, has been everything but relaxing.  much of it was spent haggling, negotiating, and driving along bumpy roads.  it has been, many times, miserable and frustrating.  add to that a lack of rapport that i’m typically accustomed to when traveling long distances, and we have a recipe for wanderlust gone awry.

there have been some redeeming moments, though.  i loved the scores of children who wave at you as you speed past on the highway, or who congregate around your digital camera eager to see pictures of themselves.  i loved the charming little francophone town of bobo-dilausso, in the western part of burkina faso, which reminded me a bit of hanoi with its bicyclists, colorful streets, and french bread bakeries.  i have been impressed with the spirit and friendliness of the local ghanaians and burkinabe who, despite their position on the lowest rungs of the poverty ladder, remain respectful, generous, and refreshingly upbeat.  i have enjoyed practicing my french, eating chinese food in ouagadougou, and sipping a local village’s brew from a piping hot cauldron.

still, i can’t help but think how expensive this trip has been, both in direct and opportunity costs.  west africa is less inexpensive than all of us had imagined, and being away for the holidays has taken a larger toll on my psyche than i had expected when i first very excitedly booked this trip months ago.  it’s christmas morning here, and it feels so incredibly surreal.  it’s humid and hot (84 degrees fahrenheit), and i’m in freaking africa on christmas day.  i mean, come on, WTF?

fortunately, last night we connected with the second years who travelled through senegal and mali to ghana, and that has injected the experience with a boost of energy and normalization.  though i miss home and not excited about returning to the states just ten hours before my first class of the winter quarter, i am looking forward to really getting to know ghana and bonding with twenty-five of my gsb classmates.

wherever you are in the world today, i hope you’re having a very merry christmas and happy holiday.

a momentary connection

LONDON, ENGLAND | HEATHROW TERMINAL FOUR, GATE ONE BRITISH AIRWAYS LOUNGE è

sometimes you just feel it, even with a total stranger, riding the piccadilly line to heathrow terminals one, two, and three.

i feel quite spoiled.  i’m sitting in the british airways gate one lounge, having just finished a hearty lunch of mixed greens salad, pasta primavera, and bacon and egg sandwich bites.  served myself a vodka diet, and am finishing off with chocolate and fig pie.  on my flight across the atlantic, i received a complimentary upgrade to business class, my first ever experience on a lay-flat bed on an international flight.  then once in london, i reconnected with some of my best and coolest friends, even getting most meals and incidentals paid for by my dear host yune.  here’s a link to some of the weekend’s highlights, including taz’s phenomenal indian dinner birthday at st katherine’s docks.

forty-eight hours was not enough.  not, at all, enough.  although, as yune correctly observed, “we’ve basically done a hastened version of what we normally do when you’re here.”  so true.

now, i board flight ba81 to accra, ghana where i meet up with fellow gsb’ers justin and justina.  they decided, after visiting lome, to cancel our trek through togo and instead traverse northward direct to burkina faso.  so be it — my adventures in africa start tonight, at the crystal hostel in the center of accra.

when my mother dropped me off at the sfo airport a few days ago, we had a bit of a heart to heart and i couldn’t help but well up with a few tears.  it’s unbelievable, but she is 61.  my father, 66.  sometimes i forget how much they have sacrificed to support me.  i forget that they are people too, in addition to being parents.  my father got ill this past week and my mother admitted she misses her father sometimes, who passed away when he was 45.  “so all i remember of him is that he was young, just young.”  my heart wrenched.

while at jfk, i caught up with an old ex of mine.  somehow i just know deep down inside that, despite the ridiculous curiosities of our oft-criticized relationship, she will be someone i know and will want to know for life.  i find that pretty comforting.

folks, while i was able to send out a few christmas cards this season, i had no time whatsoever to continue the joymix tradition with a 2007 version.  unfortunately, i might have to go back to academic year timing, i.e. 2007-2008.  i know that’s unclassy but deal with it.  also, if you are my friend and didn’t receive a christmas card, it’s not because i didn’t want to send one but because i didn’t have your mailing address.  so send it along when you can.  i’ll send you warm tidings from ghana.

it’s now 1329, according to windows.

so much has gone through my head in the past few days.  it’s like i was emotionally constipated for the past few weeks with the craziness that is business school, and job searching, and final exams.  now that i’m my usual self again, ruminating and documenting, analyzing and pontificating, i can relax and sit and listen to uplifting music as i jet through kensington and hounslow.  i can think of video montages i’d like to create.  i think of travels, and journaling, and photography.

i think i’m coming back to london.

three-minute update

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA | SCHWAB RESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1F è

1249 — go!

tomorrow is my last final, in finance.  the past few weeks have been insane.  jobs, rejections, papers, friends, planning, social issues, hives, loves, inadequacies, excitements, anticipations, worry, fatigue, insanities.

this first quarter has been a mix of ups and downs, a chapter of extreme extremes.  never before in my life have i lived with such extremities.  never.

tomorrow is the last day of the fall quarter.  two days later i fly to london.  two days after that, accra.  for a week i’ll be traveling in probably the most unsafe country i’ve ever set foot on — togo.  and i don’t speak french.

i ran out of money today.  almost $100 in late and returned check fees.  the opportunity costs of an MBA.

i return from africa on january 7, at 1030pm, the day before school resumes.  that first weekend is my birthday.  the next weekend is whistler.  and in februrary i fly virgin america for the first time, to las vegas.

i’m on a roller coaster and there’s no time to get off!

1252!

running on empty

FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA | CASTAWAY COVE, 1F è

perhaps ten years ago, that was the name of my small group at a church retreat.  adopted from one of the first sermons, the idea was that God would always carry us through and be the source of our strength even when we were “running on empty.”  it also describes how i’ve been feeling for the past, oh, eight weeks.

ever since school (re)started, i’ve been ridiculously busy.  never before have i felt so behind, so not on top of things, so overwhelmed, making so many tradeoffs.  when folks describe first quarter as trying to drink from a firehose, they are not joking.  this has been one of the craziest experiences of my life to date.

having said that, man, has it been ridiculous fun.  if anything’s redeeming it’s absolutely the people.  i’ve met some fantastic individuals with whom i’m very happy to be spending the next two plus years with.  i might be getting an average of 3-4 hours of sleep every night, but at least i’m making good friends in the process.

so it is here in southern california, in the stark middle of the night, the weekend before midterms (gasp!) that i wanted to freeze time and take a moment to take stock and share a brief update on life.  here is a list of developments slash observations:

• i’m taking five classes this quarter, and believe it or not, my favorite happens to be managerial finance.  since i don’t have a strong quant background, i’m finding this class the most helpful.  plus, there’s something about NPVs and portfolio returns that is just inherently interesting.  i’ve always wanted to be a more sophisticated investor, so getting the theory is definitely a plus.
• my winter and spring break travel plans are shaping up.  i’m departing december 14th for a flight to london, spending a few nights there to see yune and co, then flying on the 17th onward to accra, ghana where i’ll be touring west africa.  an official stanford-sponsored study trip begins on the 27th and will go through january 5th.  i’m spending new year’s on the beach along ghana’s southern coast, which will be awesome!  as for spring, there is talk of costa rica or cuba.  i’m inclined to the latter, but–shh!–don’t tell the us government.
• i’ve committed to a few “learning” goals this year.  the first is golf, which–according to my father–i’m picking up quite well.  i’m borrowing his set of clubs and making a point to practice at the stanford golf course as much as possible.  apparently paul’s a pro (who knew?) so i’m hoping this will become a more regular and lifelong hobby.  the second is skiing, and while i have NO experience whatsoever, i’ve signed up with friends to join a share up in tahoe (crazy!) in the hopes that doing so will force me to learn.  i’m also headed to whistler for the long weekend in january.
• i’m part of several “sports” teams, and i use the term “sports” loosely.  namely, i’m part of an intramural dodgeball team (0-2-1), our highlights being that tie with the undergraduate freshmen.  because i’m so poor at offense (i throw like a pansy), i’ve instead focused on defense and have won the team a handful of saves.  dude, some people take their dodgeball quite seriously though!  the other team i’m a part of is a beer pong team which is being played tournament style.  we were undefeated until just this past thursday, which sucked.
• even two months in, i’ve had my fill of theme parties and weekend excursions.  the first major party of the year was an 80s party where i donned a mullet, neon jacket, and eye shadow (see photos for proof).  weekends have been busy, too, with a trip up to tahoe national forest for fly fishing (where i caught two gorgeous rainbow trout!), an mba conference in san francisco, and forty-eight hours in miami courtesy of uncle bain.  probably my most memorable trip was to venice beach in half moon bay with what’s starting to become my “crew”–mostly folks from my outward bound river rafting trip.  one saturday afternoon, we grabbed food, blankets, and a football for a relaxing day away from campus.  it was nice.
• i met margaret cho in person!!!  and i have the photo to prove it.  man, she’s still hilarious as ever, and i can now die a happy man.

there’s so much more i’d like to share but alas it’s getting late and i need to get back to studying for midterms.  so until i can write again, i leave you with a photocollage of the past two months, courtesy of slide.

miss you guys!  and please forgive that i haven’t been better in touch!

a student, yet once again

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA | SCHWAB EAST SIDE, 1F è

at 8 ante monday morning, the stanford mba class of 2009 kicks of its first ever day of class.  that means today, or what remains of today, is officially my final day of summer.  how ridiculous is that.

it’s been quite the summer.  travels, diseases, photos, hotels, budget airlines, monastic communities, riverside bars, and the like.

now, it’s back to books, exams, and appointments upon appointments.

i’d say things are settling quite well here.  i’ve been fortunate enough to meet some fantastic folks who are beginning to round out my circle of friends.  they all hail from interesting backgrounds and carry such storied pasts.  and they’re sweet, funny, and most importantly of all, down to earth.  last night, i took the group on a tour of the castro after a tapas-filled dinner at cha cha cha in the mission.  it was great.  dinner and dancing, with folks i’ll see for the next two years.

tomorrow, an action-packed schedule.  program overview 8-930.  accounting 945-1115.  global context of management 1130-1.  outward bound reunion lunch 1-2.  managing groups and teams 2-5.  mandatory schwab meeting 6-7.  first day of class bbq 7-9.

and already, a ridiculous sum of articles and texts to read, a final next week to prepare for, and thousands of memories to document.  it’s moving so fast, all of a sudden and suddenly again.  so, so fast.

here we go.

first night

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA | SCHWAB RESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1F EAST SIDE è

last night was my first night here at the stanford gsb, and boy has it been insane.

it’s very different being a local and realizing that if i forget something i am only a 25 minute drive away from resolution.  my move-in has been less frantic and more seamless than those of my peers, which i’m grateful for.  on the flip side, starting school and moving into schwab–the business school’s primary apartment-like housing–has felt less monumental as it has for some of my classmates.  i’m reminded of folks like manny and bethany who, as rhode islanders, needed not travel far to move from home to school, whereas i traversed 2500 miles with three large suitcases to kickstart my undergraduate education.

regardless, it’s been quite fascinating.

in one night i’ve managed to move in virtually all pieces of my existing life, from books, DVDs, and photos, to all sorts of electronics and clothes, to kitchen items, keepsakes, and random knickknacks.  they are all, of course, strewn across the floors and shelves in a surprisingly comfortable, fully-furnished dorm room.  the space is certainly larger than my west village apartment (no surprise); i share a small kitchen area with a suitemate (ian, an ex-private equity guy who seems reasonably nice); and i am proud resident of the disability bathroom which means not only do i have a bench in my shower but also my shower is almost 2x the size of most others.  score!  the major downside of room is that i’m on the first floor, opening up to the busy courtyard, which means limited privacy and less-than-ideal natural sunlight.  something about being high just appeals to me.

socially, things have been fantastic.  i’ve met a couple more quality folks, in addition to the great group from my outward bound trip.  julia, the fellow bainie i connected with over admit weekend, and i grabbed dinner in downtown palo alto at a pasta resto, catching each other up on our summers and recent adventure stories.  our moulin rouge night turned into hours-long conversations with new friends.  and at midnight we moseyed on over to escondido village (graduate housing near schwab) for a massive gsb party that lasted well into the night.  people continue to emerge from interesting backgrounds: microsoft, avon, l’oreal, katzenbach.  it’s great.

frighteningly, we’ve already been given an assignment to complete by monday (our first day of class), and our first final (accounting) is in 2 weeks.  insane!

today, it’s all about continuing the settling in process, aside from a two-hour optional microsoft 2007 training this morning and a rafting team reunion bbq this afternoon.  later tonight there’s an outing to a local bar, which should be fun.  i’m not quite sure if my body can handle so much schmoozing, let alone the alcohol that goes with it.  but that’s what b-school largely is — one big drinkfest.

i’m looking forward to my target run today.  being back in the ‘burbs, it’s so refreshing to shop at huge supermarkets and places like target, costco, and ikea.

so be it!  here comes day two.

the start of everything

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA | THE COLONADE HOUSE, 2F è

how i survived six days in the wilderness without a single shower, proper toilet, or roof over my head i’ll never know.  but with views like this it’s no wonder i was willing to make concessions.

the outward bound trip to cataract canyon to raft the white waters of the colorado river officially ended a few hours ago when i landed back at SJC–exhausted, disgusting, and thoroughly inspired.  for nearly a week i was completely removed from all forms of communication and had little more than the river’s current and our group’s manpower to traverse the 100 miles from potash (near moab) to hite junction, hitting about 30 class ii and iii rapids along the way.

it was a trip of many, many firsts:, including:

captaining a raft and yelling commands to my seven-person crew to avoid rocks and the threat of capsizing / sleeping on the raft through the night as we took rowing shifts to avoid obstacles in the dark / sleeping on sandy riverside beaches with nothing but the star-illuminated sky over our heads for five consecutive nights / cliff jumping into a side canyon river to cool off from a rocky hike / partaking in a native american inspired “river sauna” which involved setting up a sealed tent, pouring water over fire-heated stones, shedding water weight and extracting impurities, and immediately jumping into the cold waters of the coloardo right after / taking a crap in the wide open outdooors while on the “groover,” essentially, a smelly ammo can with a toilet seat on top / peeing into the river since “dilution is the solution to avoid pollution” / learning how to tie girth and trucker’s hitches / joining a “shampoo party” with the girls in the river to clean out our hair and clean off our faces / and, of course, meeting 20 of my future business school classmates amidst the canyon’s incredible scenery, jaw-dropping backdrops, and immense quiet and peace

though it is nearing 3 ante, i post now as the next few days (and weeks) promise to be all-consuming.  outward bound has been a great introduction to an unbelievable two years, and already i’ve formed a network of diverse, accomplished friends.  my teammates hail from thailand, russia, saudi arabia, hong kong, brazil, italy, spain, and well across north america, with work experiences ranging from private equity and banking to high-end fashion retailing to nonprofit management to even the US navy.  for some reason our group (one of two, each with about 20 folks) was the more integrated, and we spent nearly every night chatting until late, just yesterday taking turns going through our personal stories and relationship pasts.  it was the perfect group.

but now madness begins.  tomorrow (today), 9/12, i’ll begin the move-in process with a trip to schwab, the business school’s graduate housing complex.  i’ll spend one more night with the ‘rents before fully moving in on 9/13, when a few of us after our roughin’-and-toughin’-it excursion have planned a much-needed “spa day” complete with body scrubs, massages, and facials.  on 9/14 we’ve planned a trip to the city to dance and sing the night away.  and on 9/16, the academic year kicks off with a mandatory dinner on the eve of our first day of classes.  so much needs to happen before then.  so much it’s not even funny.

but however crammed the schedule is becoming, there’s one thing that stands reassuringly true.  i am so happy i am doing this.  it was, after so much wavering, the right decision to go back to school.  i remain steadfast in not repeating the same mistakes i made when i first entered college.  this is about living up each moment, exploring every avenue, and taking plenty more risks–academically, socially, professionally.

if business school is anything like the past week, it’s going to be one heck of a nonstop party.  throw in some learnings, some international trips, and a handful of new friends, and we’ve got perfection.

wish me luck moving in.  hope everyone’s healthy and well.

from times square to times square

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA | SHERATON IMPERIAL KUALA LUMPUR, 33F è

kuala lumpur, or “KL” as it is more affectionately known, is little more than a bustling commercial city-hub with shopping at every available corner.  though it lacked the more exotic forms of tourist attraction, it’s been a welcome transition back into urban life, where paul and i have regained appetites for movie theatres, fast food, and subway systems.

in our brief 60 hours or so we managed to hit most parts of the city, from the area around KL sentral, to central market, chinatown, and frantic pedaling street, to the countless malls near jalan sultan ismali and bintang walk (including KL plaza, piccolo galleria, lot 10, sungwei wang plaza, and–yes–even the behemoth shopping complex berjaya “times square”), to the KL convention centre, KLCC, and the petronas twin towers, to asian heritage row, campbell complex, and sogo KL and the pertama complex on the textile-heavy fringe of little india.  (we were in search of my last few required outward bound items but, unfortunately, came up empty.)

we even spent a few hours at cosmo’s world, “malaysia’s largest indoor theme park,” where for a mere 28 RM (~$8) we rode a handful of thrill and carnival-esque rides, including a respectable roller coaster twice.  also spent a good hour at the arcade, where i rediscovered my loves for bubble bobble, puzzle fighter, and 2-D airplane battle games.

sadly, though lucky we’ve been the past month given it’s the monsoon season, much of our time in KL was accompanied by rain, which limited our outdoor adventure as well as our willingness to travel to places afar, including malacca and cameron highlands.  still, i liked my short stay here.  i just love cities where there’s a central transport hub, where everyday leisures are inexpensive ($3 for a movie!), and where giant towers crowd the skyline–although the characteristically asian sewage stench has to go.

now, our time in KL and–more broadly–in southeast asia, comes to an end.  in just a few hours, we board the KL monorail from medan tuanku to KL sentral to catch the express train to kuala lumpur international airport.  sq109 to singapore, then sq2 to san francisco.  it’s 414 post monday evening in california right now (714 ante tuesday in KL), meaning that our 725 post tuesday evening arrival into SFO will mark over twenty-four hours of total transit.  and in that window i must attempt a full transition back to american time since wednesday i depart once again for a six day outward bound trip to raft the colorado river.  (i know, i brought this logistical nightmare upon myself.)

and with the start of outward bound in just two days, my summer officially ends today.  arrive SFO 9/4, depart for GCT 9/5, river rafting through 9/12, move in to graduate student housing 9/13, commence classes 9/17.  i’m starting to feel those first day of school anxieties.  will people like me?  am i going to do well?  will i get along with my professors?  more importantly, am i sufficiently prepared for a significant new beginning–mentally, emotionally, socially?  this and more in a few weeks, i suppose.

in closing, some parting thoughts on southeast asia, though i do plan a more comprehensive recap slash tipsheet once i’m stateside and actually have some time for proper reflection.  first, it’s been absolutely amazing.  i can’t believe a month went by so quickly.  what’s phenomenal is that i often lost track of time, forgetting which day it was (“today’s monday and it’s closed on mondays?”), which in my view is a true departure from the routines of work and everyday life.  it’s been not only a vacation but an exploration of all five senses, and more satisfyingly, a wider introduction to this section of the world.  it’s also, God-thankfully, been without any major hitches.  we didn’t miss any flights, weren’t burgled, and always had a roof to sleep under.  aside from the ATM snafu in hanoi and the occasional but still rare feeling of being ripped off, i’d say our trip was virtually snag-free.

if i could rank in order most to least the countries i’d like to return to, based on my experiences there on this trip, i’d list it as: (1) indonesia, (2) malaysia, (3) laos, (4) singapore, (5) cambodia, and (6) vietnam.  by far my time in bali was the most tantalizing.  people were friendly, the air dry and breezy, the food immensely flavorful and cheap. 

but malaysia has also been surprisingly memorable, outpacing even laos in my book (paul would beg to differ).  climbing mount kinabalu in malaysian borneo was indescribable, and there are still so many places i want to explore: sipadan (one of the best diving sites in the world), sandakan (to see the orang utans!), malacca (a historic town), cameron highlands (strawberry fields, tea plantations, and gorgeous scenery, so i hear), langkawi (malaysia’s krabi), and the peninsular east coast (where old malay life is still breathing).  if i return to southeast asia, i’m probably going to explore myanmar (burma) and the phillippines first, but easily tacked on to that would be more of indonesia, malaysia, and even thailand (chiang mai to be specific).

things i would change?  first, i should have routed our return flights to san francisco from bali, to save some money on the somewhat unnecessary DPS-KUL leg.  second, although i really wanted to see hanoi and am glad i did, saving vietnam for a full-fledged trip and extending some time in laos or cambodia may have been smarter, given the visa and transportation costs.  also, and this i shall remember for life, i would have had more visa pages before leaving the states.  i’ve spent a ridiculous $60 total “bribing” immigration officials to admit me since i’ve filled all the spaces in my passport.  (i finally got some more stitched in while in denpasar.)

there’s lots more to say, but it’s time to start making a move. 

here’s to traveling the world over (something that seems to happen a lot in business school).  two days ago, paul and i spent two hours at the kinokuniya bookstore at KLCC, leafing through travel guides.  if anything this trip has reignited my wanderlust, which has been kept moderated by 60-hour work weeks and a 3 week per year vacation allowance.  now, all i can think about is where else i want to go.  egypt, colombia, switzerland, madagascar!

farewell, southeast asia.  you haven’t seen the last of me.

paradise found

BALI, INDONESIA | THE WESTIN RESORT NUSA DUA, BUSINESS CENTRE è

bali, bali, bali.  how quickly you’ve spoiled me, and become one of my most favorite places.

but first, a report on our flights here.  last post i mentioned our tight connection in kuala lumpur.  we had just short of two hours to disembark our flight from siem reap, collect luggage, clear customs, and check-in once again, although in truth that two hours was more like an hour since air asia conveniently (and profitably) closes its check-in counters 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

all was going smoothly at first at siem reap international airport.  we checked in, our luggage just under the allowable 15 kg (it’s 20 RM–~$5–for every kilo over), and the agent informed us our REP-KUL flight was on time.  but then we waited at the gate, with no sign of an arriving plane.  scheduled to depart at 1140, our watch ticks to 1110, 1120, 1130.  finally, we’re informed our flight to kuala lumpur is a heart-sinking 30 minutes late.  suddenly our 1 hour cushion turned into just 30 minutes.

as indicated, we finally board our flight about 30 minutes late, but the crew makes an effort to get us off the ground ASAP.  this meant, in quite un-american fashion, riding the tarmac long before everyone was firmly in their seats, and taking off shortly thereafter.  thanks to their haste, we actually made it to KUL just 10 minutes late, but still we had to get our bags, clear customs, and run to the departures terminal for our flight to denpasar.

luggage came (thank god), customs was a breeze (ditto), and we rushed over to the air asia ticket counters for our “connection” to DPS.  no one was in line because most people had already checked in, but we made it and even had 30 minutes to spare for a quick and indulgent reward: mcdonald’s for lunch.  the two americans also attempting the same connection and i cheered, and we even got the all-coveted exit row seats in flight.  truly, an amazing and undoubtedly lucky accomplishment.

once we arrived bali, i celebrated our good fortune with several rounds of drinks, later becoming so inebriated that i–  well, lets just say it wasn’t pretty.

but back to bali.

paul and i have spent the past week exploring this little nook of indonesia.  for the most part it’s been about little, largely culinary explorations, coupled with handsome amounts of time with the beach, pool, and sun.  sadly, we had to skip out on exploring the active volcanoes, and–thanks to our days in glorious angkor–many of the temples we passed by were just sort of “blah.”  but we did have our share of adventures, including (*indicates photo below):

• eating babi guling (roast suckling pig) at ubud’s ibu oka.  a totally delectable serving of all things pork,  including the crunchy pig skin, atop herb-spiced rice–all for under $3.*
• searching far and wide for DVDs of the latest season of 24, the one we haven’t yet seen, and finding it at last in kuta for an unbelievable 10,000 rupiah per disc (~$7 total for all 24 episodes, compared to $45 on itunes!).
• downing fried cobra (yes, the snake) at a cafe outside kuta.  ostensibly, snake meat promotes vigor and cures all sorts of bodily ills.*
• renting a motorbike and speeding through the badung peninsula to catch a beautiful sunset at uluwatu.*
• buying a $14 cup of civet coffee, also known as kopi luwak.  there is only one place in bali that sells this ridiculously expensive drink, the bali orchid gardens.  admission is a steep 50,000 rupiah (~$5), and given that it’s technically winter (the dry season) here in the southern hemisphere, very few flowers were in bloom.  nevertheless, paul was determined to try this unique coffee, the beans of which are eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the asian palm civet (which looks a bit like a weasel).  no joke, these little critters eat the coffee berries, partially digest them, poop them out, and then people clean them up and make coffee out of them.  still, paul says it’s some of the best coffee he’s ever had ($4 a cup at the garden’s cafe), calling it “thick, not bitter, with a hint of chocolate,” and even purchasing a paltry 50 grams of the ground wonder for a hefty $30.  (it is the most expensive coffee in the world, as much as $600 per pound.)*
• watching the entertaining barong dance depicting–as at the luang prabang royal ballet–a scene from the ramayana, as well as the thoroughly entrancing kecak and fire dance.*
• trying a japanese-chain fast food eatery where steak and pepper rice are served raw on a cast iron hot plate to cook right before your eyes.*
• eating dutch-inspired balinese rijsttafel at bumbu bali in tanjong benoa, a “rice table” with all sorts of nibbly sides including roast chicken in banana leaf, lamb stew in coconut milk, and pork in sweet soya sauce.*
• getting upgraded both times to incredible executive suites upon check-in at the laguna resort & spa (part of starwood’s luxury collection) as well as here at the westin.*

other than that, as mentioned, i’ve had lots of time to read, soak up some much-needed rays, and just relax–which is all i asked of our last week in southeast asia.

now my free internet time is wrapping up.  tomorrow we make our way to kuala lumpur for a final few days in a big city.  and on september fourth, our daylong flight back to san francisco.  school starts soon.  how crazy is that.

goodbye, bali.  of all the places i’ve visited, you’re the one i want to come most back to.

angkor wondrous

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA | THE BLUE PUMPKIN, FOYER è

it’s our third and final night in cambodia, and we sit outside a quirky but cute cafe, bogarting the complimentary wifi.  (don’t worry; we paid our dues with some tiramisu, mint chocolate ice cream, and pastries for tomorrow morning’s pre-flight breakfast.)

angkor has been breathtaking.  it is so amazing to me how complex and expressive civilization was over a thousand years ago.  it’s incredible that these temples still stand today, and as i was walking the grounds of angkor wat (the largest religious temple in the world), i had flashback moments of what it was like for there to be an entire bustling city on this very compound.  all sorts of frantic activity mixed with the solemn company of priests, shrines, and prayers.  an ancient world so vastly different from our own.  a community unlike any other.

but our time in siem reap hasn’t been without fault.  paul and i have realized we don’t particularly like drivers.  unfortunately, the only way to get around the expansive angkor complex is by hiring a driver, whether taxi or tuk-tuk (a small, open-air carriage powered usually by a motorbike).  fearing the heat, we opted for the pricier taxi, but didn’t realize we were also buying into a world of commission-driven mayhem.  you see, i would consider myself a bit of a savvy, self-sufficient traveller.  i don’t like to be told where to go, or do i like it when what i would like to do is discouraged or shot down.

paul and i were stuck with a fellow who–though probably meaning well–should for most of the time kept his mouth shut.  unfortunately, passive as we are, we let ourselves get roped into a few disappointing lunches and dinners, and we didn’t get to explore the (surprisingly) fun downtown until tonight.  i have a feeling our driver lied on a couple points, and for some reason he felt compelled to lecture us constantly about the country’s dire poverty situation.

so we’ve learned our lesson, and though the milk’s soured, we won’t complain further.  i suppose he did do his job–take us around the angkor complex–and much is to be said about angkor.

tomorrow, we attempt a tight connection to denpasar (bali), indonesia via air asia.  nervously for us, the low cost carrier refuses liability if we miss our connection in kuala lumpur, as it is “a strictly point-to-point carrier.”  but given the ridculously low fares, we had to route ourselves REP-KUL-DPS.  lets hope leg one has absolutely no delays, and if anything, that leg two is horrifically delayed.  otherwise, it’s an unplanned outlay of cash to take the next available flight south of the equator.  (my first time being under latitude zero!)

farewell, cambodia.  it’s been good, not great.  paul suggests laos spoiled us.  naughty naughty laos, you somehow even outshone this: