edolam11's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member edolam11 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/edolam11 en-us Copyright ©2012 TravelPod.com Tue, 25 Dec 2007 02:35:33 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com Greetings from Suzy Wong — Hong Kong, China http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1197444480/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1197444480/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1197444480/tpod.html Tue, 25 Dec 2007 07:35:33 +0000 The adventures of Miss Liberty & The Incredible Hulk
Hong Kong, China

Another big commercial and modern metropole swallowed by big China. Hong Kong is nice and feels safe. Kowloon island and Hongkong island are easy and fast to cross, by taxi or by the ferry. We shared a taxi with another couple on the ship - by the way a couple we ended up becoming friends with - and by coincidence she used to live in Hong Kong for a few years. So we were lucky to get another insider perspective, besides Shanghai and Beijing. We saw the world of Suzy Wong (remember the Hong Kong silk dress?) and the floating restaurant. Sadly enough, most charming quarters have now changed into big malls. Who can even buy that much? Southern California's malls are nothing against the amount of malls you see in Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore. If you are a shopping fan, you might finally start to learn how to get bored of shopping malls ...
]]> Taiwan - modern Asia — Taipei, Taiwan http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1197271140/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1197271140/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1197271140/tpod.html Tue, 25 Dec 2007 07:27:10 +0000 The adventures of Miss Liberty & The Incredible Hulk
Taipei, Taiwan

If you think Asia is all about rikschas, coconut, kimonos, Thaifood, Sushi, smiling shy Asian girls and so on, think twice. Go to Taiwan. This was definitely one of the most modern cities in Asia we have visited. This island is rich, people are doing well there and business is going great there too. We headed straight ahead to the 101 tower in Taipei, the highest tower in the world. We climbed up to the top in the fastest elevator in the world. That's what they say at least. It's also one of the most prestigious malls in the world. And we had a great lunch at Wasabi, an all you can eat restaurant similar to Todai's. Malls everywhere. One of the most efficient train and subway systems I have ever seen. No wonder the Taiwanese are not that interested in getting integrated into big China!
]]> Welcome to Shanghai — Shanghai, China http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1197097620/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1197097620/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1197097620/tpod.html Tue, 25 Dec 2007 07:18:53 +0000 The adventures of Miss Liberty & The Incredible Hulk
Shanghai, China

Shanghai is great - visit if you can, quickly! We went offshore about 45 minutes away from the city and travelled on free shuttles into downtown. My friend Will was already at the meeting point to pick us up. After a quick stop at his restaurant downtown and venti latte at Starbucks (yes, they are everywhere), we get our own chauffeur - actually Will's and Miriam's (his wife) personal driver. A luxury for us to be driven around Shanghai - we climb onto the Jinmao Tower to see Shanghai from above, visit the Antiques market to admire old communistic style - even tea pots had Mao pictures. Dirk is in his elements bargaining with dramatic sellers at the fake market, and last but not least we have a drink at the Bond, a sophisticated Mall with a great panorama view of Shanghai by night. Oh yeah: the food at Cafe Gourmet, Will's place, is terrific. Try the Vanilla shake! Shanghai has a beautiful layout, a good restaurant and bar scene and is definitely very modern and laid-back, in comparison to the more traditional Beijing where everything is in construction (in preparation of the Olympic Games and of the 2 milliards of Chinese people).
]]> Japan's small towns — Nagasaki, Japan http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196751660/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196751660/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196751660/tpod.html Tue, 25 Dec 2007 07:07:32 +0000 The adventures of Miss Liberty & The Incredible Hulk
Nagasaki, Japan

Nagasaki wasn't really the hit - we only got there because our cruise ship was built by Mitsubishi - whose headquarters are located in Nagasaki. The town is small, looks like any German small town with Japanese letters. The only remarkable experiences was a shopping mall, a little Udon Soup restaurant where you have to buy your meal per ticket first (yes like on the train) before you get served, and a huge and incredibly loud game hall with people like you and me playing on machines all day. The other Japanese town didn't seem to be a big sensation either. While Dirk cruised the city by himself, I decided to stay on board, in protest to the inefficient organization of the cruise team to let us passengers wait in queues during 3 hours for fingerprints with Japanese immigration. Well, Okinawa is not Tokyo nor Osaka, so it wasn't a big loss for me.
]]> Japan — Nagasaki, Japan http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196915340/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196915340/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196915340/tpod.html Thu, 06 Dec 2007 04:38:53 +0000 The adventures of Miss Liberty & The Incredible Hulk
Nagasaki, Japan

Hello everyone, just a quick note as internet access is limited. Regards to everyone from Nagasaki in Japan. We are here for the day before continuing our way to Shanghai. In the past ten days, we have seen Halong Bay (spectacular), fought with Northvietnamese hairdressers about how short hair bangs must be, experienced inefficiency of old-fashioned Vietnam Airline at the Hanoi airport, ate wonderful Chinese food in Beijing, climbed up the Great Wall at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less, ran through the Forbidden City, enjoyed saunas and five course meals and are now in Japan. The secret why we will see Nagasaki, Shanghai, Okinawa, Taipei, Hongkong, Nha Trang, and Singapore within the next ten days? We booked a cruise last minute! Awesome price for a five star ship - terrific food and a completely different experience. Unfortunately we both are almost part of the youngest generations onboard, but it's still pretty good! Joined the ship gym to work off the pounds accumulated during every night's dinner ... Shanghai is our next stop! See you soon!!!
]]> Temple city — Siem Reap, Cambodia http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196130660/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196130660/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196130660/tpod.html Tue, 27 Nov 2007 03:54:31 +0000 The adventures of Miss Liberty & The Incredible Hulk
Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap is a nice town. After ten hours of bus ride through Cambodia (via the capital Pnom Penh), we checked in at an Irish pub/guesthouse owned by a very hospitable Frenchman: The rooms are clean. There is a lot to drink downstairs. There is live music every two days. Ergo: we are happy! Siem Reap is the fastest growing city in Cambodia, and yep, you can see that. Everyone is doing business, has a job or two or three. The tuk-tuk taxi drivers are a real pain here - so aggressive. They jump at you right away to ask if you need a tuk-tuk, when you have just taken out your wallet to pay in the restaurant, they jump at you to ask you the same when you are on your way into a store or just happen to pass by. They jump at you when you are still standing in your guesthouse deciding which way to WALK. Same same and not different for some restaurants outside the popular tourist/backpacker hangout Bar Street. They post girls or boys at their doors who jump right into your face with a huge menu card (and they all offer the same food): "Sir, you want to eat?" "Madame, you want some food?" Every two meters. Speaking of food: Cambodian food is ok, not bad, but not comparable in my personal opinion to the quality of Thai food. Same same for Khmer massages. Not comparable to Thai massage, but ok (and as cheap). All in all, Siem Reap is a good town to hang out and relax. And of course to visit the world heritage sites of Angkor. The temples of Angkor are about 11 km away from Siem Reap and definitely breath-taking. Although I preferred Bayon temple with its huge faces in stone and Angkor Thom (where they made the Tomb Raider movie) to Angkor Wat, probably because we were allowed to climb around in the first two temples but not in Angkor Wat. One of the most important Cambodian festivals - Bon Oum Touk water festival - happened to be on the same weekend we visited Siem Reap: this is the time of the year when the fishermen and villages celebrate the start of the fishing season. Or something like that. Villages send out boats for a 3-days race (in Siem Reap only 2 days), the boats are long and spectacularly decorated or painted. This event attracts thousands of Khmers who come to to see the boat race and tp party. The atmos[here is just as exciting as it can get within the crowds, with street stalls, food and fireworks at night. After four nights in Siem Reap, we decided to take the plane to Hanoi, since our Viet Nam visa started last Sunday. Check out our photos on flickr or send me a link to be added to the photo friends list. www.flickr.com/photos/missliberty11
]]> Socialism in modern times — Hanoi, Vietnam http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196131920/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196131920/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1196131920/tpod.html Tue, 27 Nov 2007 03:36:04 +0000 The adventures of Miss Liberty & The Incredible Hulk
Hanoi, Vietnam

Welcome to Hanoi, the capital of the Social Republic of Viet Nam. We expected the same atmosphere we had experienced in other Asian countries, but nope - very positively surprised. Modern new cars, huge signs of advertising everywhere, modern bridges and streets are our first impression as we drive from the airport into the city. That is definitely not the socialism you were used to see or know during the Cold war era. Our designated taxi driver (we had arranged pick up with our hotel) explained to me how life has changed to the better within the last years. Everyone works and tries to make a living, but still need to be careful with savings or get married to benefit from two incomes. The salaries in Ho-Chi-Minh City (formerly Saigon) are higher than in Hanoi, the capital. Everyone speaks English or French. Our hotel room is a nice surprise - a room with a view (not the best, but it's a view), bathroom with a real, yes, real tub (rare in Asia), hot water, modern toilet flush (and not a bucket), free internet in the room (the fastest you can get in town), free breakfast and fruit basket. Everything for $30. You can go cheaper and still have similar service. We felt home right away - a) because I can communicate with them (although I speak Southern Vietnamese dialect, very different than Northern Vietnamese dialect that everyone speaks in Hanoi), b) because the Old Quarter of Hanoi is like South of France mixed with the smells of (for me) familiar Vietnamese cuisine. The Vietnamese live outside their doors - street stalls with food everywhere in the night, really good food for very cheap, young people sitting together outside until 11 PM (curphew starts at that time) - I have read that 60% of the Vietnamese people are under 30 years old. There are definitely many young people here, and they care more about making money, partying, MTV than about socialism. Last night we sat on baby plastic chairs on the boardwalk and had excellent, ice-cold local beer for 40 cents each glass and later a huge amount of do-it-yourself grilled beef for 6 Dollars (4 Euros), including big bottles of Hanoi beer. The street vendors are by far not as aggressive as in some other places in Asia, and beggars are not so common here in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Everyone seems to smile at you and tries to help (and do business with?) you. Socialism is still present in form of policemen in russian army green uniforms and hats - both are far too big for the slim Vietnamese guys - walking the streets at night and yelling at restaurant owners for standing two inches too far away from the boardwalk. That's what happened yesterday night while our food was served at our street stall "restaurant". The restaurant owner and I looked at each other, he just said "yes" to the authority-craving policeman, then grinned at me and that was it. So far about desperate attempts of a one-party system to maintain a political system. Forget it - no one really gives a s*** anymore. Viet Nam has entered the phase of economic liberation without political liberation. We will see how long this will continue peacefully, as there are only 2 millions of Vietnamese registered with the Socialists, versus 80 millions of Vietnamese in this country... (so I read at least). We were anxious to see if the Vietnamese would "recognize" me as one of theirs or if I was German to them or French etc. No worries! I was asked from time to time if I came from Saigon (because of my accent), that's it. The usual guesses in other Asian countries start with Chinese, Thai and end with Japanese. Tomorrow we will get up early to visit the Halong Bay, maybe the most famous spot of Vietnam. 3 days and 2 nights on a cruise, Kayaking for Dirk and trekking for me (I got a cold). We had to get our visa type exchanged against a multiple entry visa - what a bureaucratic nightmare, yikes! But well, it'll be worth it. The new (latest) trip plan is to fly to Beijing (China) on Sunday to see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, to meet with my dear friend Will who has been living in China for the last four years, and to enjoy Chinese food. Then we will be off to two towns in Japan (Nagasaki, Okinawa), Taiwan, Shanghai, Hongkong, Nha Trang (Viet Nam), Singapore and Bangkok. Everything within 16 days! Haha, how we are going to do this? I will tell you later ... That's the reason why we are waiting for a multiple entry visa for Viet Nam. Cross your fingers that they don't keep our passports while we cruise Halong Bay! Photos can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/missliberty11 You will have to add yourself as friend to see the photos from this trip. We are going to have breakfast or lunch now (it's 10.13 AM - Tuesday). Bye everyone!
]]> Sihanoukville — Sihanoukville, Cambodia http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1195557180/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1195557180/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1195557180/tpod.html Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:45:00 +0000 The adventures of Miss Liberty & The Incredible Hulk
Sihanoukville, Cambodia

We are in Cambodia! After one week on mostly sunny Koh Chang, the Thai island, we decided early Sunday morning to continue our travel to Cambodia, which involved in our case a 20 minutes taxi trip (in which they squeeze in up to 14 people) to the ferry, another 20 minutes of cross-over to Trat (the last bigger town before the border to Cambodia) and a shared minibus ride of one hour to Hat Lek, the border. At the border, we were immediately "greeted" by zealous Cambodian taxi drivers trying to get our business. The visa officers were actually nice and after 20 minutes of visa processing, we were being let into the Kingdom of Cambodia. The next morning we took the speedboat that took us in four hours to Sihanoukville, a fast changing and growing beach town on the South side of Cambodia. It's not as nice and super touristy as its neighboring Thai beaches yet, but you can feel that the locals are making efforts to get there. Cambodia is still recovering from the 30 years of civil war and the Khmer Rouge terror. People are so poor here and little children not older than ten years and younger are forced to work in the streets. There are a lot of beggars and the travelguides etc. tell you to not give them money or food, in order to "encourage" them to join non-profit organizations that help them to get away from the dangerous street life. It's really hard to not give them anything and today I saw a very old beggar who really can't work anymore being chasen away by a French older tourist. I was so ashamed of this Frenchman, whose own people once occupied this country as a colony. He sat around with all his money, half-naked (by the way this is against the Cambodian culture) and told this old man in a very rude way to "go away". I now have always a bit of cash in Thai baht or US. Dollar in my pocket, as I decided to give something to those who are really not able to work anymore. 50 cents or 1 USD is a day's earning for most of them, if even. Yesterday we had a grilled seafood platter for dinner (10 USD for king prawns, fish in ginger sauce, shrimps, etc.) and we felt very bad once we realized the children walking by looking at our table, staring at the food. So today we will have a bowl of soup for dinner ... It's a Catch 22: it's a country you don't want to waste your food (as someone will be happy to eat it up for you, if they even have the limbs to do so), and you feel guilty being a tourist, but on the other hand, they need (responsible, sustainable) tourism to recover from the years of wars. This country has no social security system, most people's families have been destroyed and killed by the terror of the Khmer Rouge regime. Landmine victims can be seen everywhere on the beaches without limbs, like foot, leg, arm, etc. But most of them try to make their living by selling books to tourists. We just met such a book seller (he couldn't sell us any book, but we gave him two of our books so he could resell them), who had been walking on crutches (with only one leg left) up and down the beach all day. He had the nicest and warmest smile you could imagine, and we chatted a bit with him. I think the one thing everyone can do is to be at least nice and not to ignore them. You don't need to buy out of pity, but a friendly smile or a friendly No"thank you" goes a long way in this country. Another thing is that most of them, the older ones as well as the younger ones, speak English very well (in comparison to certain parts in Thailand), which makes it easier for us tourists who are unable to say a word in Khmer/Cambodian. People are very friendly and smiley, always trying to give you the best of service. I am sure it will take only a few more years and Cambodia will be doing better, social-wise and economically. Tomorrow we will have to get up early to catch the bus that will take us directly to Siem Reap, where we will visit Angkor Wat, one of the seven world wonders, and other temples. Ten hours of bus trip! Talk to you all soon!!! Happy THANKSGIVING to all my American friends!
]]> Chasing the sun on the Andaman Coast — White Sand Beach, Koh Chang, Thailand http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1194778920/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1194778920/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1194778920/tpod.html Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:31:12 +0000 The adventures of Miss Liberty & The Incredible Hulk
White Sand Beach, Koh Chang, Thailand

After our one week India (don't get me wrong - we did not have the best experience there, but I will be back there one day), all we wanted was to chill in Thailand. We booked the next best flight to Bangkok and then to Phuket. At the Bangkok airport, we found out that we had to change the airport, as the old domestic airport has reopened - about 45 minutes away without traffic! Luckily our taxi driver was really good and seemed to be used to that type of malheur - he got us there in time and so we flew to Phuket two hours later. We took one of these minivan trips to any hotel (of course we had not made any reservation in advance) in Kata Beach, a location known for surfing. Our minivan driver stopped somewhere at an agency, so that the agency would try to sell everyone hotel rooms etc. The usual scam (the drivers get commissions), and normally I would take it easy, but do not try that with me when I am a) hungry like a wolf and want to go to the next restaurant, and b) it's 10 PM and I want to eat and sleep! Anyways, we finally arrived in Kata, found a decent room with bathroom easily at the first place for less than 30 USD. We only stayed one full day in Phuket though and cancelled our plans to move to the dream islands Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta last minute, as it poured down like crazy and nonstop. Good idea to come to the Andaman Coast in the rainy season ;-) All in all, Phuket is a very touristy place, highly commercial with vendors trying aggressively to get you to buy something. Also, Patong Beach right south of Kata Beach is the mekka of sex tourists - unfortunately. It's sad to look at, especially after having seen the scene live (and I got paranoid too, realizing that I am a Southeast Asian-looking woman wandering around with a Western man!). We also had more interesting aquaintances, such as a young Nepali woman named Kanji, who has come four years ago from Kathmandu to earn money in a store, so she could send money home to her family. She hasn't seen her young child and her husband for four years, but plans on returning to Nepal soon. Another store vendor told us about the day when the tsunami hit the island ******* Dec 24th, 2004. Her store is on a hill, so it wasn't affected, but you just needed to step out of the door to see the water from both sides of the hill, she said. Everywhere you go, you see Tsunami evacuation signs on Phuket. But life is returning slowly back to "normal" after three years. It was definitely because of the weather, but the beaches don't look as nice as expected and we decided to fly back to the East side after checking the weather report there. I didn't get to see a buddy of mine from SoCal who has been in Phuket for four months now, but maybe we'll meet up later on Koh Samui (definitely my favorite island so far - we visited it last year and will return around Christmas). For the moment, the most important is to chase the sun - at least a sky without constant rain. We have been relaxing in Koh Chang, an island in the Trat province that borders Cambodia, for the last two days. It's already a completely different feeling, people are more laid-back, you can hang in a lounge chair in the sand all afternoon, sip your milk shake or a coconut juice, listen to reggae music and read a novel in English, German, Swedish or French, whatever you find in the bookshelf of your local bar hangout (it's very common for backpackers to read a book, then exchange it in the bar or hotel against another book you see there). The weather is still not that great, but at least it hasn't rained except for a few drops the other day. I am so lazy now that I can barely move myself to the next lounge chair ;-)
]]> Taste of India — Kolkata (Calcutta), India http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1194503400/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1194503400/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/edolam11/asia_2007-08/1194503400/tpod.html Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:09:02 +0000 The adventures of Miss Liberty & The Incredible Hulk
Kolkata (Calcutta), India

(Kolkata (Calcutta) hotels)


Hi everyone! Hope everyone is well. It took a while to finally find some time and a good reliable cyber cafe! So ... we are now in Thailand after spending a very interesting week in some parts of India: Delhi, Bagdogra, Siliguri, the Himalayan cities Darjeelign and Kalimpong, and finally Kolkatta (Calcutta). I am not sure yet what to exactly say about India ... To be short, I want to return one day, but not as a backpacker. It would be better to see this country on a group tour. The taste of India .... hm ... it all started with me getting all of a sudden an animosity against Indian spices, right before we started our Asia trip in LAX. How TIMELY :-( I couldn't smell any Indian food without feeling sick. The flight with Air India from LAX was not the best (don't fly with them if you can - even local Indian people say that): plane looked like 20 years old and never remodeled, stewardesses were awefully unfriendly during the 16 hours flight with stopover in Francfort. Even Indian citizens on the plane were upset. We arrived in Delhi at 5 AM. Sunset hour is probably the best time to see something from still sleeping Delhi, as two hours later traffic gets worse and during the day really bad. Sitting in a taxi driving thru Indian big cities made me feel like being on the backseat in a car chase - in the Bourne Identity! The horn and sometimes the brakes are the two most important elements when driving in India. Delhi is not worth mentioning - a loud capital that doesn't have - on first glance - really the aura of a capital. But I don't know too much about Indian history - somehow we just decided to go to India without a detailed preparation. The flight to Bagdogra, close to Siliguri and then a four hours jeep drive up to Himalayan hills into Darjeeling were probably the highlights of the Indian trip. Beautiful landscapes, green tea hills, monkeys and cows on the streets. Speaking of streets: the road is just a narrow path all the way up to 4300 m and higher. A trip into "town" Siliguri would take locals an entire day, as you can only drive about 20 km/hour. Darjeeling was cold, rainy and somehow dark. Kalimpong, another Himalayan city about 2.5 hours jeep trip away, is much more charming. The Tibetan or Himalayan locals are very relaxed (completely different than in the big cities), friendly and beautiful (well, most women at least). Since it's quite rainy and chilly, and Dirk still has the cold he took along from California, we decide (to my relief) to continue our way to Kolkatta, and fly from there to Bangkok! Kolkatta, the city of joy - loud, aggressive and kind of weird. The drivers are really aggressive here, they only use their brakes for cows crossing the streets, but otherwise ... no one in India cares about driving lanes, every three seconds they use the horns. Slums everywhere next to big posters advertising luxury houses and apartments to buy. We decide to give us a treat after five days in budget hotels and check into the luxurious The Park Hotel for one night. Nice to get a hot shower again ;-) I am sooo glad when we finally get on the plane, after passing the passport control where the officer throws my passport at me without comment! The attitude of most Indians working in tourism toward foreigners was really interesting: they aren't really welcoming, treating you with desinterest, letting you wait longer. But when the hotel staff or restaurant staff is very polite, sometimes I had the impression they even had a trained submissive attitude. I think it's different when you meet local people you can hang out with, and people who are more westernized, are also more welcoming. But just going into big cities as a backpacker tourist is not really something I can recommend. So we took the Jet Airways (private Indian airline - great service and good value for your bucks. Absolutely recommended) plane yesterday and at 4 PM local time, we arrive in Bangkok. Complete change of attitude already at the airport: everyone smiles at you, especially the officers at the passport controls. Driving through Bangkok in a taxi, normally considered by travel guides as a stressful experience, is sooo relaxing after one week in India! No one uses the honk, no one swears, spits or throws up out of the bus window next to your taxi ... Here we are in good old Thailand, the land of smiles. Not really sure yet, where to go next. But we are more relaxed and happier, because everyone else is always smiling and happy and polite. We want to relax now with good food (I think I lost about 5 pounds in India, because I would only eat Chinese vegetable soups for lunch and dinner - everything else just tasted like Madras curry, even the salami at breakfast), before we will head toward the end of the month to Vietnam. Maybe we will visit all the beautiful islands and then take the bus into Laos or Cambodia, before going to Vietnam. We will see! Cheers for now and hugs to all of you!!! xxx
]]>