Why Did I Wait Eight Months to Visit Bangkok?!?

Well, this past weekend was about as good as they come! As I wrote previously, I had a mini-vacation in Bangkok with my friend Jamie from Villanova. Only a two-and-a-half hour flight from Hong Kong, Bangkok feels worlds apart. Coupled with my first trip to Northern Thailand back in February, this past weekend convinced me that the country is one of the world's most spectacular ‘must-visit’ destinations.

We Americans like to think of Europe as the only place to go for culture and international travel, but in my book, Asia really wins in many regards. There is really so much to explore, and Bangkok is a perfect case in point. In addition to being an easy, cheap and accessible weekend destination for us Hong Kongers, Bangkok is one of the most popular locales in Asia, thanks to its grand sights, delicious food and wonderful atmosphere. So far, it is the most exotic place I have ever visited, literally unlike anywhere else I've been. Now sitting in my office again for another week at work, I am left questioning, "Why on Earth did I wait more than eight months to make the trip?" If I could do it all again, I would have first gone within weeks of arriving in Hong Kong, and I plan on making subsequent trips several times per year! There is so much to see, and the experience was wonderful.

Even if the trip had been arduous and expensive, it would have been completely worth it. Luckily it was neither—a breeze in terms of easiness and I spent about as much as I would have had I simply stayed in Hong Kong! I guess it’s the 32-to-1 exchange rate the US dollar enjoys against the Thai baht.

So… on Friday afternoon I left work a little bit early, at 4:30pm. Since I got my ticket at “In Town Check-In” earlier in the day, I simply took the Airport Express and proceeded straight to my gate. Thai Airways’s motto is ‘Smooth as Silk’ and I was very impressed with my flight. The food was good, and I sat next to a fascinating guy—a Belgian diamond salesman who now lives in Botswana and spends his time visiting diamond mines and factories around Europe, Africa and Asia.

Jamie and I had booked a guesthouse on the river as our accommodation, called the Arun Residence. And since I arrived about two hours before him, I headed to the guesthouse and sat out on the deck overlooking its namesake, Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn), quenching my thirst with some Singha as I awaited his arrival.

Incredible view of Wat Arun (or the Temple of Dawn) from our guesthouse

Bangkok is known for many things, including its nightlife. Since we only had two nights there, we had to go out that first one, even though we had booked a tour to pick us up at our hotel the next morning at 7:30am. Out on the town, we met a lot of great locals who really took pride in showing off some of the charms of the city. But we did have to be up very early the next morning, which we were mindful of throughout the evening. "Mindful" meaning we were well aware of the fact, though it didn't really persuade us to cut our night short. 

Jamie and I got to try fried crickets from a local food stall our first night out in Bangkok.

Just before 8am the next morning, we were off to Kanchanaburi for the jam-packed kind of day that can only be had in Thailand. First off was a stop at the Kanchanaburi Military Cemetery, the final resting place of thousands of allied soldiers who died of starvation and disease while building the infamous “Death Railway” connecting Thailand and Burma during World War II.

The war cemetery

After a few moments at the poignant cemetery, we were whisked to the famous “Bridge on the River Kwai” itself, where we got to explore the bridge up close before crossing it via train during an hour-and-a-half long ride on the railway, past lush Thai landscapes, mountains, wats and farms.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge movie fan, and The Bridge on the River Kwai is one of the most incredible films of all time. Starring two of my favorite actors, Alec Guinness and William Holden, the David Lean-directed classic won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1957. (Guinness also won the Best Actor award that year for his incredible performance, and Lean was named Best Director.) I highly recommend seeing it at some point, even if you don't plan on coming to Thailand. Having seen the film and known the history of the spot greatly enhanced the experience of visiting the actual site, even if the movie itself was filmed in Sri Lanka!

The actual Bridge on the River Kwai...
Errr, well the rebuilt one, since the original blows up in the film's famous finale!

The ride itself was extremely interesting. Our tour guide gave us lots of local color along the way, pointing out different crops and sights passing by. Our 300 baht tickets also included tea and cookies, though we preferred to bring our own Singha! At first, we were supposed to simply stop and explore the bridge before driving on to the next part of the tour, but luckily Jamie and I both insisted that we actually take the famous train itself. And, of course, we whistled the "Colonel Bogey" theme from the movie as we did so.

With a very austere-looking official on the train ride

After the ride, we had a quick lunch in a local Thai restaurant before one of the weekend’s most memorable adventures—the elephant encounter! Jamie and I (with a guide of course) mounted a domesticated Thai elephant who gave us the ride of our life, up and down hills and into the River Kwai! He sprayed water at us with his trunk (see the first picture at the top of this post) and then got us completely soaked when he entirely submerged himself in the river! I don’t think I will ever forget that ride.

Riding the elephant

Without warning, he completely submerged himself in the water during our ride!

As if that weren’t enough, next we went to the famous Tiger Temple where monks, tigers and international volunteers live peacefully side by side. We got loads of photos with the tigers, and got to explore the compound. I even chatted with a Norwegian volunteer living with the tigers for six months who really seems to be enjoying her experience, “even though there is a lot of meditation time,” as she told me.

With a baby cub at Tiger Temple

Jamie and me with another tiger

Back in Bangkok that night we strolled around the markets of Sukhumvit, one of the city’s most well-known tourist spots. Afterwards we found a phenomenal poolside lounge with huge, comfortable seats, where we intended to have a drink or two before heading out. But we got a little too content, and a little too comfortable, and both fell asleep until the manager woke us up to say they were closing!!

Sunday we had to cram in all of the Bangkok tourist spots we wanted to see, since we had spent all day on Saturday in Kanchanaburi. First up was Wat Po, right near our guest house. Wat Po’s most extraordinary feature is the spectacular Reclining Buddha. The statue is almost 150 feet long and about 50 feet high—truly a sight to behold. It took us about ten minutes to walk around the entire Buddha.

Wat Po

The huge reclining Buddha inside the temple

Next up was the Grand Palace, perhaps the most impressive royal residence I have ever visited in my life! Since shorts are not allowed at the Grand Palace, Jamie and I had to fork over 130 baht to purchase the most ridiculous pants to wear over our shorts. I will never understand the mindset of the dress code! It’s considered disrespectful to wear a pair of brown shorts around the Grand Palace, but somehow completely fine to walk around in bright blue and green fish-print pants that stick out like a sore thumb.

Note the pants

Long pants or no long pants, the complex was stunning, filled with wats, models, gardens, a museum and the official residences of King Rama IX. The fusion of Eastern and Western architecture and design made for a dazzling display of intricate craftsmanship. For me, this attraction ranks pretty much at the top of my list of favorite Asian sights so far.

After a three baht (nine cents!!!) ferry ride across the Chao Phraya River, we finally got to see the Wat Arun up close. The Arun Residence is directly opposite the Wat on the other side of the river, so we could see it from our room, from the restaurant, from the hallway windows and from the hotel bar. But until you climb the structure, it’s impossible to fully grasp the intricate decorative details that grace its façade. Imbedded in the cement are hundreds of thousands of tiny pieces of glass—old bowls and ceramics donated by the locals—that come together to form a sort of mosaic covering the temple. Every view of Wat Arun is spectacular, and nobody should miss this sight when in Bangkok.

Wat Arun up close, with the Grand Palace across the river

After a quick lunch at a local restaurant, it was time for Jamie to make his way to the airport. He headed off in his taxi, and I sat out on the deck at our guesthouse for another two hours, gazing across the river at Wat Arun, enjoying some Singha until my own flight home later that afternoon. It was a phenomenal weekend that I will never forget. Now I’m looking forward to Jamie’s visit to Hong Kong in a couple of weeks, and—if you couldn’t guess from this blog entry—I definitely cannot wait to go back to Bangkok!

Summertime in the South China Seas

Since my last entry, I have been very busy. In mid-June, two friends of mine from Villanova came out to Hong Kong. Though they were traveling with their father who was on business, I got to spend a lot of great time with them. Twin sisters Courtney and Christie were both nursing majors, and they graduated in 2009 with me. They were the first of my 'Nova pals to visit me in Hong Kong, so taking them around town was a chance to “show off” my new home to old friends.

Villanova alumni in Hong Kong!

They met a bunch of my HK buddies (including my roommates) and got to see my apartment and office. Additionally, I took them to some of my favorite parts of town. It was an absolute delight for the three days they were here, and I will always look back on their visit with awesome memories.

A quick stop at Balalaika, a Russian ice bar in Lan Kwai Fong, with some newly made friends

Funnily enough, the day after they left, walking down a street near my apartment, I passed a young woman who was a dead ringer for another one of my friends from Villanova. Luckily I decided to take a chance of making myself look foolish— incredulously crying out "Callie?"—and sure enough it was her! What are the chances that I would randomly pass a friend from the States on a side street in Hong Kong?!? As it turns out, Callie was here on business for a couple of days, and she will be back again in the early fall! Funny how things like that happen, isn’t it?

The weather has also improved dramatically since my last post. (That is, until this morning—but more on that later.) Although it was never actually cold in Hong Kong by East Coast standards, we still like to consider the months of January through May to be chilly, especially when compared to the summer. For the past three weeks, perfect sunshine has constantly shone down on us from above, and summer is in full swing. I’ve spent most of my free time outside, at al fresco restaurants, in parks and, of course, on any number of Hong Kong’s forty public beaches! All the years before I came here, I never realized that Southeast Asia has some of the world’s best beaches, but I found it out pretty quickly after I arrived.

There are perfectly nice beaches within a ten minute taxi or bus ride of my apartment, and then there are the less-accessible-but-absolutely-stunning beaches slightly further out. Although they can be difficult to get to, the upside to your effort is a pristine, nearly-deserted beach, several of which feature caves, natural pools and even waterfalls.

One of Hong Kong's many beaches—on Cheung Chau Island

One of the most popular Hong Kong weekend activities is to hire a junk (that’s local slang for any sort of boat) for a large group of friends. You sail around the island, have the opportunity to participate in water sports and can get the boat to take you to some of these hidden beaches. As in many parts of the world, summer is an especially wonderful time to be young and in Hong Kong.

I am still making new friends out here as the months go by, but I have gotten particularly close with my two roommates—both of whom have arrived at the end of their time in Hong Kong. Julian, who has been my roommate since the day I moved out of my first serviced apartment, is heading back to Germany over the weekend. Guillaume, my French roommate who I got especially close with since I got back from London, goes home to Paris tomorrow evening. Still, I know I have good friends in Europe next time I pass through. And, believe it or not, a Swiss guy named Alex (who I have not met yet) will move into Guillaume’s room tomorrow!

Work-wise, I passed my fourth licensing exam in less than one year yesterday afternoon. On July 30th it will be one full year since passing the Series 7 in New York, followed by the Series 24 in August, and now two Hong Kong licensing exams since my arrival. As with each previous exam, it feels great to be done! I’m told this time there will be no further future tests, but, understandably, I am not so sure I believe that.

I am also building up some of my first accounts, including one client who handed me a very nice trade a few weeks back. (In fact, that one single trade was larger than the entire collective history of my trades since I started work!) Hopefully, as accounts like these develop, I will start trading more and more frequently.

I think I wrote in my last entry of the imminent arrival of my mother, a New York City public schoolteacher bent on spending the summer in Southeast Asia. She has now been here for three weeks already, and the time has flown! It’s been a bit of a challenge at times balancing work and playing tour guide, but it’s really been a phenomenal few weeks. Exhausting to be sure, but well worth it, and full of great memories.

On my mom's first full day in Asia, I took her to dim sum at Lin Heung Tea House where she made a local friend!

A visit to Victoria Peak

 She has seen so much, and although she is still overwhelmed by the crowds and heat, I know she is enjoying getting to known Hong Kong. She can get around on her own now, and she is starting to understand the currency exchange rate. It’s actually been fun to see her slowly adjust.

Jumbo margaritas on the Top Deck

Holding on for dear life on a choppy sampan ride from Aberdeen

Still, I need a bit of a break!! That is why I deliberately made plans to leave my mother behind in Hong Kong and head to Bangkok for a weekend, to meet up with Jamie, a fellow VSB graduate from the Class of 2009. Jamie works for Deutsche Bank, and he is in the middle of his three month international rotation in Singapore. I am going to try to book a weekend down there before he leaves, and he has already set his plans up for a Hong Kong trip in August, but our first meeting in Asia will take place in Bangkok, where we will meet on Friday evening.

I met Jamie way back at the beginning of my time at ‘Nova. In fact, I recall sitting in the fourth floor lounge of St. Monica on our first rainy Saturday doing AlcoholEDU with him and other friends. Who would have ever guessed back then that a few years down the road, we’d be riding elephants through the River Kwai!?!

Since I have only passed through the Bangkok airport and never actually ventured outside, I am very much looking forward to getting to know another Asian capital, and, of course, it will be good to see my old friend.

But—as I hinted at earlier in this entry—summertime in Southeast Asia also brings with it typhoons. In addition to the seemingly unbearable humidity, endless stream of sunny days and leisurely junk cruises, there are also massive tropical storm systems that pop in and out of the region on a regular basis. Last Friday, for the first time since my arrival, the official “Typhoon Signal T-1” was hoisted for Typhoon Conson, which ravaged the Philippines but spared Hong Kong. "T-1" is the first warning signal, and it merely informs the public that a typhoon is centered within eight-hundred-or-so kilometers of the SAR.

The second signal is “T-3” and it has just been hoisted this afternoon for the first time since I got here! Severe Tropical Storm Chanthu is about four hundred kilometers south-southwest of us right now, and the wind and rain is expected to pick up! I am almost embarassingly excited about experiencing my first typhoon in Hong Kong.

After “T-3” comes the highly anticipated “T-8” warning signal, at which point the city literally shuts down. Like a snow day at Villanova, everything comes to a standstill. Even the financial markets will close, and we have the day off from work—an expat’s snow day! Hopefully Chanthu is flash in the pan and well past Hong Kong by Friday afternoon when I fly to Thailand. But I still can't help hoping it strengthens overnight and we awake to a "T-8" come the morning!

With the stunning backdrop of Hong Kong's skyline on a crystal clear summer's day