So you’ve had a long day touring the Phi Phi islands, or Phang Nha or speedboating to Krabi. You’re sore and tired, possibly sunburnt and dehydrated … you now have two choices

1. Be a sucker and call it a night, by hitting your hotel/hostel/resort/camp – ULTRA WEAK!!!
   OR
2. Make a hardcore long night of things on Bangla Road, cause you put the “S” on Superman’s chest!

If you’ve met anything who has visited Phuket, then there is no introduction I think is needed for this place. Phuket’s nightlife is storied but Bangla Road is on a next level of things – it has something for everyone. By day, this place is completely boring and stale in most tourist ways, but it erupts at night after 9pm. It’s also the heaven to those ‘desperate old, ugly white men’ – like seriously, it can be a bit much to look, sometimes!

#1 : Get some food in your system:

First thing to do is to get off Beach Road. You have a million choices for dinner, but instead of having dinner at your hotel or at some touristy restaurant on Beach Road, I would walk one street parallel off Beach Road to Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road. This is the second busiest road in Phuket and runs parallel to the Beach Road for over two kilometres.

However, I really do hate the name of the road though for two reasons:

1. Any blasted name with Rat will make me hate it. Period!!! Thai people, you want western people to do more – then don’t have vermin in street names, especially since western people think that Asian/South Asian people actually eat the fucking things.
2. I have no idea how to say Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road with any sense of normalcy. These are my issues though, it might be something special in Thai … I could go research it, but why bother; I’m OK with my thought process on this one.

Anyway, for places to eat, I would just go with anyone of the street restaurants. The touts encouraging you to come in and eat, can be a bit annoying but a firm head shake is all one needs. At random, we picked a place where we saw Thais and tourists eating at : Champion Seafood

It can look a little sketchy to the Western eye – but don’t let that put you off. I find it’s best just to ignore certain things and go with the flow. Everything that you would expect in regular restaurant will be found on the street – just no A/C. If you’re too hot, ask for a cold napkin or a beer.

Once you’ve sat down, review the menu and ask the prices for their seafood. All seafood is sold by weight – so if you want to avoid any nasty surprises – do this first and everything should be smooth after that. Everything will be fresh or on ice having been caught that day.

As for the food … it really shouldn’t be anything but awesome. Our dinner included the following menu

• Chicken Pad Thai (50 baht … yep)
• Stir fired Morning Glory (100 baht)
• Seafood fried rice (50 baht … seriously!)
• 1/2 kilo of fresh prawns – good with chili garlic sauce (350 baht)
• Seafood Tom Yum Goong (150 baht … absolutely phenomenal taste)
• 2 large 1/2 litre Singhas (@120 baht)

For a grand total of 940 baht.

Pad Thai, Morning Glory and Tom Yum soup

I think the most innovative part of the meal, was the steaming Tom Yum Goong, in a bowl heat by coals in the center. This is the only way, this soup should ever be served.

After your meal … then you need to move on to the #2 thing to do.

5 notes for eating on Rat U Thit and being happy about it

1. Don’t look too hard at your surroundings. If you’ve travelled, then you’ve seen worse.
2. An average meal for 2, without large Singhas should be no more than 250 baht (8$ CDN)
3. An excellent meal for 2 with large Singhas and 1/2 kilo of fresh prawns, will set you back 950 baht (30$ CDN)
4. Do ask for the menu and assume nothing unless you see a menu and listed prices.
5. You will get a bowl of lime water for washing hands – I recommend using your own hand sanitizer or wet naps.

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: a night on rat u thit, champion seafood rat u thit, food, food on rat u thit, night on bangla street, night restaurants on rat u thit, one night in phuket, patong, Rat U Thit Road, Three things to do for a full night in Phuket, Where to Go at Night in Rat U Thit Road

The Japanese are a remarkable people – they have crazy cartoons and game shows … an actual term for death by overwork (Karōshi) - as if Trinidadians could EVER have a word like that – although we have a word for “the sleep that follows eating a two parathas and 1/2 pound of curry duck”  … see food coma or “itis”

They have Aluminium Coke bottles

They have kids who dress up like Anime Characters … seriously. Every day is Halloween for these kids.

They have awesome transportation and great food everywhere and you can get sushi at Tsukiji at 6.30am, cut fresh from the living fish

But what I miss most about Japan is the damn toilets. I would move to Japan just for the utter luxury of the hands free, automatic wash, rinse and blow drying of your crevasse from these super toilets.

I mean seriously… after reading the product description below, it feels like that the toilet came from Star Trek, Back to the Future and the Jetsons all combined.

Feel Fresh Bidet N’Wash Hygiene System is a State-of-the-art technology now in your bathroom! Feel Fresh bidets are designed to introduce you to a new world of personal comfort and family hygiene. Using the very latest in technology … go see the AD!!

I mean good god almighty … the toilet will come some of these features

• A pre-warmed seat,
• Massage options for your ass
• The lid will open on its own, because of a proximity sensor – no more pissing on the floor in the dark
• A blow dryer for your pubes
• A germ-resistant seat for anyone who dares to not wipe your seat
• Air conditioning for extremely hot days when your crotch sweats
• Glow-in-the-dark surface – so you wont every fire into the dark
• Dual water jets with soap mixture – because why should you have to wipe your own ass
• Music to help you relax – especially after a huge pot of curry duck with plenty pepper sauce
• The O-Zone deodorant system that eliminates bad smells – so if you ever have to follow someone who took that massive dump … you won’t need a gas mask.

I think if I had one of these at home, I would build my living room around it with a built in rotating magazine rack!  I have ZERO ideas about why these toilets have not taken over our lives. The Japanese have good reason to look down on us … although a country where you can buy a used panty from a vending machine has much to reflect upon.

Want more toilet reading :

• Japan’s hi-tech toilets
• The Japanese Teach Us How To Use The Bathroom
• Crazy Japanese Toilets: Guy Gear

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Five Things I Miss About Japan, things i miss about japan

When travelling , one is often surprised at the disparity between what you see on the news and TV and what actually exists in reality. Growing up in Trinidad, when Israel was mentioned (typically on the TV or Newspapers, because Trinis don’t really think about the Middle East in the grand scheme of things, we have our own drama with Manning and Panday and Ramesh), the only thoughts that came to mind were those of war, terror, fighting and death. It’s all you saw on CNN. One becomes a little densensitized to the whole affair, to the death and pain. You hear the stories in the news, “ XXX die in city center bombing”, “Suicide bomber kills XXX number of people in the main market”, and other similar stories.

As much as traveling can help expand the horizons of your perception, it is always difficult to overcome childhood biases and stereotypes. Walking down the boardwalk in Tel Aviv was as much an exercise in breaking that terrible thought association as much as it was to enjoy the sights of beautiful sunset on a lovely warm evening, with the waves crashing on the shore, the smell of hummus, wine and sea salt wafting through the air and the sound of Arabic music all around.

As the evening wore on, the joggers and evening enthusiasts came out, for a swim, walk or just enjoying the company of a friend . You can also catch enjoy people playing matkot. Matkot, according to Wikipedia, “or beach paddleball, is a popular traditionally non-competitive game in Israel, sometimes called Israel’s unofficial national sport.” It is played with two players who attempt to hit the ball back and forth as many times as humanly possible, creating a high-risk environment where beachgoers can enjoy the possibility of being hit in the head by a ball flying at Mach-2. I’ve seen Israelis playing the game on Ipanema and Copacabana … they do seem to love the game.

Walking along the Boardwalk, you realize the small pleasure of enjoying that sunset on the coast of Tel Aviv. The history, the sand and just the vibrant energy of the people. I asked many people I met, about the threat of war and fighting to the North and the responses were consistent. People are accustomed the fighting and the war and all have their own politcal views, but they all agree that life has to go on and they can allow the events in the region to dictate how they live their lives. In Trinidad, we just have to worry about Manning and Panday, people in Tel Aviv have to worry about fighting, bombing, gas attacks, and this is after they spend their mandatory time in the army.

Everyone seems to just enjoy the heat and the restaurants along the Boardwalk.

But for now, it’s easier to forget all the world’s problems and just look at sunsets

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: tel aviv boardwalk, tel aviv evenings, what to do in tel aviv

Last night I was looking at the Toronto skyline and I couldn’t shake the Hong Kong Skyline out of my head… when I think about three skylines….the CN Tower dominates

The NYC skyline from on top the Brooklyn Bridge

Then there is the Hong Kong skyline and the light show that accompanies it

And a typical Old City European skyline with a castle in middle

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: brooklyn bridge skyline, hong kong harbour, prague castle, Toronto skyline

Sometimes we pick up travel magazines and they paint these wondrous images in our minds of far off exotic places all drenched in mysticism and light. So for instance, while on my way to meet Diane tonight in Halifax, I pick up the Travel & Leisure magazine and I read about one of the trips that they describe as one of the 20 trips you will never forget.

It described the Kbal Spean, commonly known as the valley of a 1000 Lingas, as this wondrous place set deep in the jungle to the north east of Angkor. Well it took us about an hour (very steep walk by the way) in the rain to get to the river and waterfalls  where hundreds of phalluses are carved on the riverbed.

Now the thing is that described this journey and the carvings in great detail .. so that there are:

• Shiva and Parvati on Nandi. The lingas are carved underwater in front of them.
  
• Brahma underwater.
  
• Reclining Vishnu with lingas in front
  
• River of a thousand lingas.
  
• Reverse reclining Vishnu with Shiva-linga in front.
  

Now I think to myself.. as someone who is educated and somewhat worldly, I should appreciate these carvings and what they are and blah blah… but like going to the Sistine Chapel, I was seriously underwhelmed. As much as I was overwhelmed by Angkor Wat and all the temples, I guess by the time I got to Kbal Spean, I was completely templed-out, hence it might not have made the impression it should have. However, other place have completely underwhelmed me, when you think about the glowing articles and pictures you see of certain places, while other places have actually surprised me with how much they affected me. The prime example of this would be the Leaning Tower of Pisa; it really is just a Tower with columns around it, that started to sink. However, getting there and seeing the Tower in its 3-D magnificence really was a highlight of my Italian trips, go figure.

Point is that the more I see, the more jaded I become about these “recommendations” and “reviews”, but it does take some travelling to come to this type of conclusion. So tonight, as I head to Halifax, I’m going to hope that the weather is great and I get some great shots, but more importantly I have a good sociable time, eat some great lobster and not be underwhelmed. I think, I won’t be disappointed though, since there was no goddamn Travel & Leisure article to spoil my trip.

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2008. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2007. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: pee pee, peepee, phang nha, phang nha beach, phi phi, phi phi islands, pi pi

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2007. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: pee pee, phi phi, phi phi islands

It has been a long hot day. Tara and I had to take a break back at the hotel in order to recharge for our journey to the highlight of our Cambodian sidetrip: Angkor Wat. After a long day of going through the temples within Siam Reap, nothing really prepares you for the magnificence and opulence of Angkor Wat. There is a reason why the Cambodian Government put this wonder on their flag to represent the people. One could write for days about visiting the ruins, but instead, I think that pictures really do tell a story.

Finally after all the climbing and photographing, it was time for some traditional Khmer food, and our taxi driver took us to one of his favorite places on the main drag. For the life of me, I really can’t remember the name of the place but I do know what it looked like at night.

Photolog : http://rishiray.smugmug.com/gallery/3211472_yyuTv#177265658_whstz

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2007. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Angkor Wat, Angor Wat, pictures of Angkor Wat, Pictures of Siam Reap

So after getting into Siam Reap from Hong Kong, we checked into the Le Meridien Angkor Wat. The transport to the hotel in taxi was 7 USD and takes about 20-30 minutes. The hotel seems to be brand new and the welcoming was great. We were greeted and asked to sit down in a sofa. After handing over the passport and the credit card we got a cold cloth and a welcome drink and we didn’t even have time to finish the drinks before the papers were ready and we could be escorted to our room. The reception is very nice and stylish by the way, high ceilings, minimalistic but still not naked.

The hotel experience was definitely one of the best I have ever had. It really set the tone for all the hotels in Asia we went to. Definitely the hotel experiences I had in Asia far surpass those I have had in Europe and the Americas (Well Mexico is an exception). I think in North America, hotels don’t treat their guests as they should be treated and we are definitely not as valued (perceptually of course).

The pool area was inspired by Angkor Wat and looked great but it is not ideal if you want to use the pool for working out. It was also a bit on the warm side – believe it or not. It is also out of the main building so it is a bit of a walk to get there. Location of the hotel is not too bad. It is located on the way out of Siem Reap towards Angkor Wat. Getting around was not a problem as there were tuk-tuk’s available at any given time and getting into Old Market only took 5 minutes and cost 2 USD.  Some tips on a good temple experience:

Tip #1: When getting going to the temples, it is absolutely essential to find a reliable driver that will take you around and wait on you – the temples are not walking distance from anywhere, no matter what some people will tell you. However one secures the services of a driver is completely arbitrary, but it is essential. Relying on tuk-tuk drivers might be the forte of some, but I like air-conditioning in the middle of a jungle. A driver and car for the day, will set you back 15-20 USD, depending on one’s negotiating skills … book two days and one can easily say $25 USD with breakfast and lunch for your driver. It sounds expensive, but after two days in the sweltering heat, it will seem like a god send.

Tip #2 : Get an umbrella. Period … no discussion necessary. Oh yeah … it’s not for the rain!

Tip #3 : Don’t ignore the children who are selling stuff. Buy a trinket or two, and you could end up with some valuable tips on the town or where to go next. Additionally, if the kids say “Later” and you don’t intend to buy anything, firmly say “Not later” … the kids remember you and when you come back, the guilt and sap become even thicker. The children and parents have a very tough life, they are accustomed to rejection, be honest and they’ll be honest.

Tip #4 : If your hotel has free water and pop, obviously stock up your daypack with them. It will save you money and save you from having to haggle with any vendors. Most people are not prepared for the kids, vendors and hawkers to surround you when you want to buy something. 

Tip #5 : Avoid tour buses carrying Japanese tourists at all costs. They are annoying for the following reasons :

• They all take exactly the same pictures with the same poses - like robots.
• They are inconsiderate to anyone else trying to take a picture
• They are on limited time, so their tour leaders try to cram as many sights into the journey and the processions can be endless.
• Group tourists are annoying by nature <insert snob factor>, notice the huge group in the background below.

Tip #6 : Go for lunch with your driver. Simple common sense – they know where to go, and where the food is good.

Tip #7 : Ensure that you have extra batteries or chargers for you camera. The shooting is non-stop, although most pictures might not be post worthy, one never wants to be out of charge for that one great shot!

Tip #8 : If you don’t have a spare page in your passport for the Cambodian visa, don’t despair. You can get a temporary visa to insert into your passport for $10 extra.

Tip #9 : Angkor Wat and the temples is not a one day trip. Budget two full days at least, especially if you are doing the less known temples of Beng Mealea and Koh Ker 

Tip #10 : Don’t accept any guide services or advice when at the temples, without the understanding that you’re going to be pestered for a couple dollars at the end – even asking a question, will elicit a request.

Useful resources:

• Cambodia planning 

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2007. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Angkor Wat, blogsherpa, Cambodia, finding a driver in angkor wat, Siam Reap, tips for enjoying siam reap

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2007. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kyoto