Apres plus de 33 heures de train, nous voici a Ulan Bator, capitale de la Mongolie. Nous avons pris le train hier matin a 7h45 a Pekin. Durant les trois premieres heures de voyage, il parait qu'il est possible de voir la muraille de Chine, mais a cause de la pollution, nous n'avons rien vu... Le voyage est passe relativement vite, meme si nous sommes restes coinces 6 heures a la frontiere, entre 20h et 2h du matin, pour le controle de passeport et pour changer les roues du train (les rails n'ont pas la meme largeur en Mongolie et en Chine, et a la frontiere et chaque wagon doit avoir ses roues remplacees -- c'est assez impressionnant a regarder). Le seul ennui est qu'ils ferment les toilettes pendant ce temps, et qu'on ne peut sortir du train !
Au reveil, changement de scene... Les paysages gris et pollues de Chine ont fait place au desert et a un ciel bleu azur. Parfois, entre les dunes, on peut voir des fermiers nomades sur leurs chevaux.
Demain nous partons pour deux jours dans le desert de Gobi. Nous allons dormir chez l'habitant, dans une yourte (aussi appelee ger en Mongolie) et faire du cheval (ca promet, car ni l'un ni l'autre ne sommes montes sur un cheval de notre vie... (sauf si faire du poney a la Bourboule quand j'avais 3 ans compte
Pour ceux qui me connaissent un peu, vous pouvez imaginer que je dois pas mal prendre sur moi pendant cette partie du voyage (j'imagine les sourires...) entre le train de nuit sans douche, la nuit dans une tente, le mouton aux repas, etc... Mais, c'est une experience...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
India: Incredible in more ways than one
We're in Beijing as this is written and catching up on old posts. Its a long one, so hopefully worth the wait.
As Marie mentioned in a previous posting, its been 9.5 years since I last visited India. Suffice to say, things have changed a LOT. Each of my previous trips to India has consisted of traveling from city-to-city visiting family (with the exception of 1983/1984, when I was in school). Sightseeing was never really part of the plan. However, since mom wasn't with us for this trip, we decided combine visiting family with taking in some of the history of this 5000 year old country.
Here is an executive summary of each of the places we visited:
About Delhi/Agra:
The Good:
- New Delhi is a very green city, with vast amounts of forests and parks.
- Infrastructure improvements: New Delhi now has a modern and rapidly expanding metro/underground. Also, all the public buses, cabs and auto rickshaws are powered by compressed natural gas. And finally, a fancy modern airport is currently under construction.
- The architecture, from the government buildings (former British Imperial area) to the numerous temples, mosques and forts (culminating with the Taj Mahal, recently named as one of the 7 wonders of the world), is absolutely fascinating.
The Bad:
- It didn't seem possible that traffic could get any worse than it was, but it has. Apparently, each year an additional 100k vehicles are added to Delhi's roads.
- While New Delhi is certainly modernizing, Old Delhi is still in a time warp. Interesting for tourists to visit, but not so nice for the people that live there.
- The insane drivers of the Delhi bus system (aka, Blue Line) are responsible for over 60 deaths in the year 2007.
About Chennai:
The Good:
- Chennai really appears to be a rapidly developing city. The most modern restaurants, hotels and bars in the city are reasonably similar to those you'll find in other cities.
- I gained a newfound appreciation for southern Indian food (typically I prefer northern Indian food).
- Bizarre thing related to Chennai, but my French improved quite a bit. Obviously, hanging around Karl, Xavier and Marie helped out.
The Bad:
- My Hindi was useless in Chennai, as most people in the city speak Tamil. I don't know this for a fact, but would dare say English is more widely spoken than Hindi.
- Chennai is so absurdly hot, I now understand why my friend/co-worker Savi, who grew up in Chennai, turns on a space heater in our 68 degree (20 degrees celsius) office.
- The traffic and overpopulation wasn't as bad as New Delhi, but lets just say its competitive.
About Rajasthan:
The Good:
- Rajasthan is chock-full-of-history, including many restored/unrestored attractions and UNESCO world heritage sites; it shouldn't be missed by anyone. Apparently, Bill Clinton is a huge fan of the state.
- Jaipur was the first "planned" city in India (1727)
- The Taj Lake Palace is one of the most spectacular hotels in the world.
The Bad:
- Bad for us: We spent so much time in the Lake Palace, we didn't get to see any of the wonderful sites in Udaipur, which is considered the most romantic city in India.
- A prolonged drought in the area from a few years ago has really taken its toll on the ecosystem of the region.
- While Jaipur was the first planned city in the world, the city's infrastructure hasn't changed as the requirements have evolved over the past 280 years.
About Ladakh:
The Good:
- The Himalayas are HUGE. Pictures can't express the sheer scale of these mountains. To arrive at Leh airport, the plane must weave its way between mountain peaks. Very cool stuff.
- There are a large number of Tibetan refugees in Ladakh. While that normally wouldn't go under "the good", its nice to know there are secular nations that allow them to do their thing. (note: can't test links in this section as websites that reference Tibet are blocked by the Chinese government)
- Ladakh is home to the world's highest airport (Leh at 11.5k feet), two of the world's highest golf courses (Leh Golf Course and a military course), and the highest motorable mountain pass (Khardung La at 18.3k feet).
The Bad:
- The air is so thin at 11k - 18.5k feet, it takes about 30 hours to get acclimatized. For reference about how high that is, the flight from New York - Providence usually cruises at 18k feet. Also, the impact 1 car has on air quality at this altitude is much higher than any other place in the world.
- Most tourists in the region are western hippies "seeking salvation" from monks, such as the Dali Lama.
- Sadly, the ongoing border disputes between India-Pakistan in the state of Jammu-Kashmir has made it unsafe for people to visit one of the most beautiful parts of the world. Thanks to a large military presence, Ladakh, the eastern most portion of the state of Jammu-Kashmir, which shares a disputed border with China) is safe; however, the rest of Jammu-Kashmir is said to be absolutely stunning.
About family:
- Through her exquisite cooking, heaping portions and "won't take no for an answer" demeanor, in only 3 days, our Aunt Shipra was able to undue 2 months worth of weight loss.
- It was wonderful to get to finally meet Karl. His apartment is really nice, and I hope he continues to watch TV once his assignment in India concludes (he didn't own a TV when living in Paris; something about going out and having a life).
- Despite being in the their 70s, our Uncle Dev and Aunt Shipra have FAR more energy than we do (that's more a compliment to them vs. our laziness).
- Despite being in my mid-30s, everyone in my family acts as if I'm 11 years old.
About India:
The Good:
- My cousin Sanjeev described India as a collection of different regions, each with their own history, culture and language -- all under one roof. And there's a lot of truth to that; you can't visit one region and say "you've seen India".
- In 1997, the only practical car options were the Ambasaddor, Maruti 800 and Maruti/Suzuki Esteem. Nowadays, every major manufacturer has a presence here, and consumers have a much larger set of options at all levels of the pricing spectrum. Even luxury brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, etc. have recently established stores in India.
- The economy is growing at about 9-10% a year, and much of that wealth is going to a rapidly expanding middle class.
The Bad:
- Corruption is rampant throughout the government. In fact, many multi-national corporations increase their contingency budget to account for "new/unknown licensing issues" (e.g, kickbacks).
- Over-population is taking a massive toll on the country's ecosystem.
- While the things are progressing in the country, given all the resources available to them, the country should be progressing much faster than it really is (more on this in a future post)
Uncle Dev summarized it best when he said "Incredible India", the Ministry of Tourism's slogan, is very appropriate, as it can be applied two different ways:
- You won't believe the history, the cultures, the beauty.
- You won't believe the traffic, the government bureaucracy, the overpopulation.
As Marie mentioned in a previous posting, its been 9.5 years since I last visited India. Suffice to say, things have changed a LOT. Each of my previous trips to India has consisted of traveling from city-to-city visiting family (with the exception of 1983/1984, when I was in school). Sightseeing was never really part of the plan. However, since mom wasn't with us for this trip, we decided combine visiting family with taking in some of the history of this 5000 year old country.
Here is an executive summary of each of the places we visited:
About Delhi/Agra:
The Good:
- New Delhi is a very green city, with vast amounts of forests and parks.
- Infrastructure improvements: New Delhi now has a modern and rapidly expanding metro/underground. Also, all the public buses, cabs and auto rickshaws are powered by compressed natural gas. And finally, a fancy modern airport is currently under construction.
- The architecture, from the government buildings (former British Imperial area) to the numerous temples, mosques and forts (culminating with the Taj Mahal, recently named as one of the 7 wonders of the world), is absolutely fascinating.
The Bad:
- It didn't seem possible that traffic could get any worse than it was, but it has. Apparently, each year an additional 100k vehicles are added to Delhi's roads.
- While New Delhi is certainly modernizing, Old Delhi is still in a time warp. Interesting for tourists to visit, but not so nice for the people that live there.
- The insane drivers of the Delhi bus system (aka, Blue Line) are responsible for over 60 deaths in the year 2007.
About Chennai:
The Good:
- Chennai really appears to be a rapidly developing city. The most modern restaurants, hotels and bars in the city are reasonably similar to those you'll find in other cities.
- I gained a newfound appreciation for southern Indian food (typically I prefer northern Indian food).
- Bizarre thing related to Chennai, but my French improved quite a bit. Obviously, hanging around Karl, Xavier and Marie helped out.
The Bad:
- My Hindi was useless in Chennai, as most people in the city speak Tamil. I don't know this for a fact, but would dare say English is more widely spoken than Hindi.
- Chennai is so absurdly hot, I now understand why my friend/co-worker Savi, who grew up in Chennai, turns on a space heater in our 68 degree (20 degrees celsius) office.
- The traffic and overpopulation wasn't as bad as New Delhi, but lets just say its competitive.
About Rajasthan:
The Good:
- Rajasthan is chock-full-of-history, including many restored/unrestored attractions and UNESCO world heritage sites; it shouldn't be missed by anyone. Apparently, Bill Clinton is a huge fan of the state.
- Jaipur was the first "planned" city in India (1727)
- The Taj Lake Palace is one of the most spectacular hotels in the world.
The Bad:
- Bad for us: We spent so much time in the Lake Palace, we didn't get to see any of the wonderful sites in Udaipur, which is considered the most romantic city in India.
- A prolonged drought in the area from a few years ago has really taken its toll on the ecosystem of the region.
- While Jaipur was the first planned city in the world, the city's infrastructure hasn't changed as the requirements have evolved over the past 280 years.
About Ladakh:
The Good:
- The Himalayas are HUGE. Pictures can't express the sheer scale of these mountains. To arrive at Leh airport, the plane must weave its way between mountain peaks. Very cool stuff.
- There are a large number of Tibetan refugees in Ladakh. While that normally wouldn't go under "the good", its nice to know there are secular nations that allow them to do their thing. (note: can't test links in this section as websites that reference Tibet are blocked by the Chinese government)
- Ladakh is home to the world's highest airport (Leh at 11.5k feet), two of the world's highest golf courses (Leh Golf Course and a military course), and the highest motorable mountain pass (Khardung La at 18.3k feet).
The Bad:
- The air is so thin at 11k - 18.5k feet, it takes about 30 hours to get acclimatized. For reference about how high that is, the flight from New York - Providence usually cruises at 18k feet. Also, the impact 1 car has on air quality at this altitude is much higher than any other place in the world.
- Most tourists in the region are western hippies "seeking salvation" from monks, such as the Dali Lama.
- Sadly, the ongoing border disputes between India-Pakistan in the state of Jammu-Kashmir has made it unsafe for people to visit one of the most beautiful parts of the world. Thanks to a large military presence, Ladakh, the eastern most portion of the state of Jammu-Kashmir, which shares a disputed border with China) is safe; however, the rest of Jammu-Kashmir is said to be absolutely stunning.
About family:
- Through her exquisite cooking, heaping portions and "won't take no for an answer" demeanor, in only 3 days, our Aunt Shipra was able to undue 2 months worth of weight loss.
- It was wonderful to get to finally meet Karl. His apartment is really nice, and I hope he continues to watch TV once his assignment in India concludes (he didn't own a TV when living in Paris; something about going out and having a life).
- Despite being in the their 70s, our Uncle Dev and Aunt Shipra have FAR more energy than we do (that's more a compliment to them vs. our laziness).
- Despite being in my mid-30s, everyone in my family acts as if I'm 11 years old.
About India:
The Good:
- My cousin Sanjeev described India as a collection of different regions, each with their own history, culture and language -- all under one roof. And there's a lot of truth to that; you can't visit one region and say "you've seen India".
- In 1997, the only practical car options were the Ambasaddor, Maruti 800 and Maruti/Suzuki Esteem. Nowadays, every major manufacturer has a presence here, and consumers have a much larger set of options at all levels of the pricing spectrum. Even luxury brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, etc. have recently established stores in India.
- The economy is growing at about 9-10% a year, and much of that wealth is going to a rapidly expanding middle class.
The Bad:
- Corruption is rampant throughout the government. In fact, many multi-national corporations increase their contingency budget to account for "new/unknown licensing issues" (e.g, kickbacks).
- Over-population is taking a massive toll on the country's ecosystem.
- While the things are progressing in the country, given all the resources available to them, the country should be progressing much faster than it really is (more on this in a future post)
Uncle Dev summarized it best when he said "Incredible India", the Ministry of Tourism's slogan, is very appropriate, as it can be applied two different ways:
- You won't believe the history, the cultures, the beauty.
- You won't believe the traffic, the government bureaucracy, the overpopulation.
Trying to enjoy our last days with showers...
I'm going to write a bit in english today as my husband has been quite lazy lately...
After an overnight ride on the Shanghai / Beijing express, we finally arrived in the Chinese capital this morning. The ride was pretty smooth in comparison to the transiberian -- which I've have started dreading (more about that later)
We were really lucky as we booked a hotel for about $60 and were upgraded at no cost to the Beijing Regent hotel which cost over three times more. Let's enjoy the luxury while it lasts...
Both Nick and I have been to Beijing before. Nick was there in 2000 and I was there in 2003 where I visited my brother who was studying there for 6 months. Just like Shanghai, the place has changed TREMENDOUSLY in a few years. We could barely recognize some of the areas. In the Forbidden City, for example, they have added tourist stores, trees everywhere, paddle boats... The taxis also are different; they used to be rusty tiny chinese cars, and now it's only VolksWagen... They are building shopping malls like crazy and destroying the hutongs.
On Monday, we are taking the transiberian train, and today I had my first breakdown, as I had the bad idea to look at photos on the Internet. I feel that Nick and I are paying for 10 days of dirt, smell, disgusting food, rudeness, sleepless nights whereas we could be resting on a nice resort by the beach instead... Are we masochist?
I think my friend Raphaelle here would say that I should just enjoy the moment, instead of thinking of things to come... Maybe she's right... but still, I think the transiberian train is going to stink (literally)
After an overnight ride on the Shanghai / Beijing express, we finally arrived in the Chinese capital this morning. The ride was pretty smooth in comparison to the transiberian -- which I've have started dreading (more about that later)
We were really lucky as we booked a hotel for about $60 and were upgraded at no cost to the Beijing Regent hotel which cost over three times more. Let's enjoy the luxury while it lasts...
Both Nick and I have been to Beijing before. Nick was there in 2000 and I was there in 2003 where I visited my brother who was studying there for 6 months. Just like Shanghai, the place has changed TREMENDOUSLY in a few years. We could barely recognize some of the areas. In the Forbidden City, for example, they have added tourist stores, trees everywhere, paddle boats... The taxis also are different; they used to be rusty tiny chinese cars, and now it's only VolksWagen... They are building shopping malls like crazy and destroying the hutongs.
On Monday, we are taking the transiberian train, and today I had my first breakdown, as I had the bad idea to look at photos on the Internet. I feel that Nick and I are paying for 10 days of dirt, smell, disgusting food, rudeness, sleepless nights whereas we could be resting on a nice resort by the beach instead... Are we masochist?
I think my friend Raphaelle here would say that I should just enjoy the moment, instead of thinking of things to come... Maybe she's right... but still, I think the transiberian train is going to stink (literally)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
All our photos from India online now (4 albums) !
Nous venons enfin de mettre en ligne nos dernieres photos d'Inde. Il y a 4 albums:
- Delhi et Agra
- Rajasthan (Jaipur et Udaipur)
- Ladakh (nord de l'Inde)
- Old Delhi
Nous sommes maintenant a Shanghai. Nous comptions aller a Zhouzhuang (Venise chinois) mais nous nous sommes reveilles a 11h ce matin ! Hier, en arrivant, nous avons pris le Maglev, train de l'aeroport jusqu'a la ville. C'est le train a sustentation magnetique le plus rapide au monde. Il est alles jusqu'a 431 km/h durant notre parcours. Tres tres impressionant !
Hier soir, nous nous sommes balades pres du Bund et rue de Nankin, selon les recommendations de Julien. Nick etait alles a Shanghai en 2000 pour le mariage d'une amie et selon lui, en 7 ans la ville a enormement change. Pour ma part, je suis vraiment ebahie par la modernite de la ville ! Je ne m'attendais pas a tant...
- Delhi et Agra
- Rajasthan (Jaipur et Udaipur)
- Ladakh (nord de l'Inde)
- Old Delhi
Nous sommes maintenant a Shanghai. Nous comptions aller a Zhouzhuang (Venise chinois) mais nous nous sommes reveilles a 11h ce matin ! Hier, en arrivant, nous avons pris le Maglev, train de l'aeroport jusqu'a la ville. C'est le train a sustentation magnetique le plus rapide au monde. Il est alles jusqu'a 431 km/h durant notre parcours. Tres tres impressionant !
Hier soir, nous nous sommes balades pres du Bund et rue de Nankin, selon les recommendations de Julien. Nick etait alles a Shanghai en 2000 pour le mariage d'une amie et selon lui, en 7 ans la ville a enormement change. Pour ma part, je suis vraiment ebahie par la modernite de la ville ! Je ne m'attendais pas a tant...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Embarquement immediat a destination de Shanghai
Apres pres de trois semaines en Inde, nous voici a Dubai, en courte escale avant de rejoindre Shanghai, puis Pekin. Cela fait, une fois de plus, du bien de se retrouver dans une ville moderne, meme si ce n'est que pour quelques heures (12 heures pour etre exacte). Nous avons passe un excellent sejour dans le Ladakh. Les paysages sont incroyables, comme vous pourrez bientot le constater en regardant nos photos. L'atterissage est surement l'un des plus impressionant... L'avion doit pratiquement faire des zigzags entre les montagnes pour atterir dans la vallee de Leh, paysage lunaire. La securite est renforcee pour tous les vols a destination du Kashmir a cause du conflit avec le Pakistan, et l'armee est partout dans Leh.
Oups... On appelle notre vol... Nous devons embarquer... Destination Shanghai. J'espere que blogger.com marchera en Chine (ce n'est pas gagne avec les problemes de censure)
En ce qui concerne les photos, elles seront TRES BIENTOT en ligne.
Oups... On appelle notre vol... Nous devons embarquer... Destination Shanghai. J'espere que blogger.com marchera en Chine (ce n'est pas gagne avec les problemes de censure)
En ce qui concerne les photos, elles seront TRES BIENTOT en ligne.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Il nous faudra revenir au Rajasthan...
Je revais de visiter le Rajasthan et j'ai l'impression de n'avoir rien vu... Mais je ne vais pas me plaindre ! Apres deux jours a Jaipur, nous sommes maintenant a Udaipur, ou la maman de Nick nous a offert un sejour a l'Hotel Lake Palace pour son anniversaire. Nick avait sejourne avec sa famille dans cet hotel en 1983 et en avait garde un excellent souvenir! Peut-etre avez-vous vu cet hotel dans le James Bond Octopussy ? L'hotel a ete construit en 1756 sur une petite ile du Lac Pichola. Il servit longtemps de palais d'ete aux seigneurs d'Udaipur avant de devenir un hotel de luxe, en 1963.
Si luxueux que nous ne sommes pratiquement pas sortis!
Profitons-en bien car nous partons demain pour Delhi, puis Leh (Himalaya), ou nous serons certainement moins tente de passer nos journees enfermes dans une guesthouse !
De nouvelles photos: Langkawi et Madras
Monday, July 9, 2007
Random thoughts (in no particular order)
The Filet-O-Fish and 6 piece Chicken McNuggets meals are the coveted #1 and #2 McDonald's Value meals in Singapore (as opposed to America where they are banished to #9 and #10). Screw all you haters that say no one buys the Filet-O-Fish.
Walking through Luang Prabang, Laos really feels like walking in the year 1920.
Everyone should have their nose hairs clipped by a barber in the streets of Hanoi; so when someone asks you at a dinner party, you can answer "Why yes, I have".
While many people predict the imminent demise of the western empire, our friend Richard believes we will retain a leadership position for quite some time, as he feels the rest of the world is lagging in innovation. After seeing how customer service representatives in Southeast Asia handle situations they haven't been trained for, we tend to agree with him.
Having said that, there is no doubt that the rest of the world is catching up very quickly, led by old fashioned hard work and western financial investments.
Marie has the uncanny ability to find the most expensive hotel/lodging in a given city. That doesn't mean we necessarily stay there...
The United Nations may no longer have the political clout they once did, but unquestionably, they have a place when it comes to preserving historic sites, promoting education and coordinating humanitarian aid.
The saga that is Paris Hilton is covered by every TV station and newspaper around the world. Why?
When you break it down to the bare essentials, a country needs to provide its citizens with clean water, shelter, food and clothing, followed closely by primary education and medicine.
You haven't lived until you've experienced the warm smile of a Laotian kid saying "Saba-dee", or a group of Vietnamese kids walking up to you and saying "Hello".
Its may be a cultural thing, but seeing dog meat on a menu will make most people (including yours truly) sick to their stomach.
Malaysia is second to only southern California in the number of customized cars. Having said that, lets just say the quality of customization is very low on the maturity scale.
Many brands popular in the 80s (e.g, B.U.M Equipment, Kenny Rogers Roasters, Orange Julius) have an usually large presence in Southeast Asia. Granted, its not a terribly large presence, but when it comes to these brands, ANY presence qualifies as unusually large.
Many people know the Sultan of Brunei is among the richest fellows in the world. But, could you spot Brunei on a map? Until this trip, me neither.
We really wanted to visit Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), until we learned how the government treats its citizens. Hard to justify giving even a dime to such a horrible regime.
Its not easy to find books/magazines in Laos and Vietnam, both communist-led countries. Wonder why?
We've completed over 33% of our trip, and it has more than exceeded either of our expectations.
Walking through Luang Prabang, Laos really feels like walking in the year 1920.
Everyone should have their nose hairs clipped by a barber in the streets of Hanoi; so when someone asks you at a dinner party, you can answer "Why yes, I have".
While many people predict the imminent demise of the western empire, our friend Richard believes we will retain a leadership position for quite some time, as he feels the rest of the world is lagging in innovation. After seeing how customer service representatives in Southeast Asia handle situations they haven't been trained for, we tend to agree with him.
Having said that, there is no doubt that the rest of the world is catching up very quickly, led by old fashioned hard work and western financial investments.
Marie has the uncanny ability to find the most expensive hotel/lodging in a given city. That doesn't mean we necessarily stay there...
The United Nations may no longer have the political clout they once did, but unquestionably, they have a place when it comes to preserving historic sites, promoting education and coordinating humanitarian aid.
The saga that is Paris Hilton is covered by every TV station and newspaper around the world. Why?
When you break it down to the bare essentials, a country needs to provide its citizens with clean water, shelter, food and clothing, followed closely by primary education and medicine.
You haven't lived until you've experienced the warm smile of a Laotian kid saying "Saba-dee", or a group of Vietnamese kids walking up to you and saying "Hello".
Its may be a cultural thing, but seeing dog meat on a menu will make most people (including yours truly) sick to their stomach.
Malaysia is second to only southern California in the number of customized cars. Having said that, lets just say the quality of customization is very low on the maturity scale.
Many brands popular in the 80s (e.g, B.U.M Equipment, Kenny Rogers Roasters, Orange Julius) have an usually large presence in Southeast Asia. Granted, its not a terribly large presence, but when it comes to these brands, ANY presence qualifies as unusually large.
Many people know the Sultan of Brunei is among the richest fellows in the world. But, could you spot Brunei on a map? Until this trip, me neither.
We really wanted to visit Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), until we learned how the government treats its citizens. Hard to justify giving even a dime to such a horrible regime.
Its not easy to find books/magazines in Laos and Vietnam, both communist-led countries. Wonder why?
We've completed over 33% of our trip, and it has more than exceeded either of our expectations.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Mon mari est un imposteur
Le temps passe vite. Cela fait plus de 2 mois que nous avons quitte New York, et nous ne voyons pas le temps passer. Nous sommes arrives en Inde il y a un peu plus d'une semaine. Nous avons commence notre sejour a Madras... ou Karl ne nous attendait PAS. Nous avions en effet decide de lui faire la surprise de notre visite avec la complicite de Xavier. Ca a paru lui faire plaisir... ou il est tres bon acteur ;-) Apres 3 jours a Madras, nous sommes partis a Delhi 4 jours pour rendre visite a la famille de Nick. Nous etions heberges chez son oncle et sa tante. Nick n'etant pas retourne en Inde depuis 1998, n'avait pas vu sa famille depuis pres de 9 ans ! De Delhi, nous sommes alles passer une journee a Agra, ou se trouve le Taj Mahal. S'il y a un truc que je realise depuis que nous sommes ici, c'est que Nick n'est pas un vrai Indien:
- il ne porte pas de moustache
- les indiens ne le comprennent pas quand il essaie de parler hindi
- il se lave
- il n'a pas porte de chaussures Bata depuis ses neufs ans
- il ne fait pas de brushing
Nous sommes maintenant au Rajasthan. Nous sommes arrives hier a Jaipur et partons demain pour Udaipur. Apres Delhi et notre emploi du temps strict et minute, nous avons eu besoin de prendre notre temps pour visiter la ville. Personnellement, je resterais bien une journee de plus a Jaipur car j'ai l'impression que nous n'avons pas vu grand chose... Malheureusement, nos billets d'avion ne peuvent etre changes.
- il ne porte pas de moustache
- les indiens ne le comprennent pas quand il essaie de parler hindi
- il se lave
- il n'a pas porte de chaussures Bata depuis ses neufs ans
- il ne fait pas de brushing
Nous sommes maintenant au Rajasthan. Nous sommes arrives hier a Jaipur et partons demain pour Udaipur. Apres Delhi et notre emploi du temps strict et minute, nous avons eu besoin de prendre notre temps pour visiter la ville. Personnellement, je resterais bien une journee de plus a Jaipur car j'ai l'impression que nous n'avons pas vu grand chose... Malheureusement, nos billets d'avion ne peuvent etre changes.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
C'est bien avoir un beauf dans le famille
Bonjour et bienvenue a ma premier post en francais. Mes excuses sinceres pour les nombreuses erreurs grammaticales.
Nous voyagons a Chennai visiter Karl, le cousin de Marie. Il est en assignment pour 4 ans comme le directeur de l'Alliance Francais en Chennai.
Alors, pourquoi c'est bien etre beauf? Karl a le plus de livres d'art et de litterature que tout personne dans le monde; et il ya tout en condicions perfect. C'est étonnant!!! Mais, si vous connaissez Karl, vous avez il n'est pas technique.
En Chennai, Karl a un voiture s'appelle Tata Indica. Un jour, son chauffeur Suresh dit que les embrayage de la voiture doivent être changés, en raison de l'usure, et les prix est $200USD. Deux mechaniques different dit meme chose. Comme vous le savez sans doute, le coulour de peau de Karl est blanc. En India, peau blanc traduire a "tout le monde essaie de t'arnaquer". Alors, le beauf, errr, mechanique amateur (moi) examine le voiture, et le problem est juste le cable de embrayage que coute $10USD!!!! Voila!!!
Ma comprehension c'est que Michel en Toulouse (l'oncle du Marie) est aussi bon mechanique (il apprecie aussi le tuning quand il est jeune), mais les fait que nous avons deux poilu est simplement de coincidence :-)
Et merci Julien, pour enseigner la signification du mot, beauf.
Nous voyagons a Chennai visiter Karl, le cousin de Marie. Il est en assignment pour 4 ans comme le directeur de l'Alliance Francais en Chennai.
Alors, pourquoi c'est bien etre beauf? Karl a le plus de livres d'art et de litterature que tout personne dans le monde; et il ya tout en condicions perfect. C'est étonnant!!! Mais, si vous connaissez Karl, vous avez il n'est pas technique.
En Chennai, Karl a un voiture s'appelle Tata Indica. Un jour, son chauffeur Suresh dit que les embrayage de la voiture doivent être changés, en raison de l'usure, et les prix est $200USD. Deux mechaniques different dit meme chose. Comme vous le savez sans doute, le coulour de peau de Karl est blanc. En India, peau blanc traduire a "tout le monde essaie de t'arnaquer". Alors, le beauf, errr, mechanique amateur (moi) examine le voiture, et le problem est juste le cable de embrayage que coute $10USD!!!! Voila!!!
Ma comprehension c'est que Michel en Toulouse (l'oncle du Marie) est aussi bon mechanique (il apprecie aussi le tuning quand il est jeune), mais les fait que nous avons deux poilu est simplement de coincidence :-)
Et merci Julien, pour enseigner la signification du mot, beauf.
News photos
It's been such a long time since we've written anything in the blog... Sorry about that! We have been in India for the past week visiting Karl (my cousin) in Chennai and Nick's family in Delhi. We are right now and in Jaipur, Rajasthan and taking advantage of the relatively fast connection at the hotel to post some new photos online. Promise we will post more news on the blog very soon. In the mean time, check out our 2 photos albums from the island of Borneo (Malaysia).
Voici (enfin) de nouvelles photos: Kuching et Kinabalu (2 albums)
Voici (enfin) de nouvelles photos: Kuching et Kinabalu (2 albums)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Almost the end of our trip in South East Asia...
Only a few days left now in South East Asia... Time really flew by! As mentioned in my previous post we have been spending the last few days on the island of Borneo, on the Malaysian side. We started in Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan and ended by Kuching, where we are today. We particularly enjoyed this last city. It is very pretty, especially compared to Kota Kinabalu, which was completely destroyed during World War II. Today we left the city area and went to Bako National Park. To get there you need to ride a public bus for about 1 hour and then charter a small boat to the park itself. It's still really worth the trip! The park is a big jungle, covering about 2,500 hectares, surrounded by deserted beaches. There are many trails to hike. Considering our lack of time (we didn't plan ahead to spend the night in a lodge in the park) and lack of physical training, we picked two relatively short trails:
- Telok Paku: A 2 km (1 km each way) trail that passes through the rain forest before reaching a small secluded beach. We saw a few monkeys along the way.
- Tanjung Sapi: A short but steep climb through cliff vegetation and ends at the summet of a hill with excellent view of the South China Sea.
After all this intense physical activity (our life is tough! ;-) we are heading tomorrow to the island of Langkawi, where we are planning to spend our last two days in South East Asia...
- Telok Paku: A 2 km (1 km each way) trail that passes through the rain forest before reaching a small secluded beach. We saw a few monkeys along the way.
- Tanjung Sapi: A short but steep climb through cliff vegetation and ends at the summet of a hill with excellent view of the South China Sea.
After all this intense physical activity (our life is tough! ;-) we are heading tomorrow to the island of Langkawi, where we are planning to spend our last two days in South East Asia...
Our photos from the island are online!
Nous venons de mettre en ligne nos photos de Pulau Perhentian...
Monday, June 25, 2007
Missing the US Grand Prix
As many of you know, a few friends and I have attended the United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each year since its inception in 2000. While marriage, parenthood, impending parenthood, budget constraints and the frustration of the 2005 race have resulted in some folks watching the race from home, my friend Brian and I have prided ourselves on attending every year. Given the big trip, this was the first year I didn't make it.
Thankfully, our hotel in KL had Star Sports/ESPN carried qualifying live at 1am local time (and of course, I stayed up for it!!!). But, we left for the Perhentian islands the next day. Much to my dismay, the resort doesn't have TVs in the room. In fact, the island doesn't have power; all electricity is produced by generators.
Getting from KL to the Perhentian Islands includes the following:
- 30 minute taxi ride from the hotel to KL Sentral transportation center
- 1 hour bus from KL Sentral to the KL Airport
- 55 minute flight from KL to Kota Bharu
- 1 hour taxi ride from Kota Bharu to Kuala Besat
- 40 minute boat ride in the South China Sea to the island.
While that is a pretty straight forward itinerary, we didn't anticipate my sprained ankle (see Marie's earlier post), losing our ticket at the Malaysia Airlines office, and our Air Asia flight arriving in Kota Bharu after the last boat left Kuala Besat (which the hotel kindly told at 8am the morning of our arrival, well after we booked our flight!!!). Thankfully, upon arriving at Kuala Besat, we learned the hotel arranged for a late boat. Oddly enough, our 10 person boat had 2 Honda 225 engines, which, if memory serves me correctly is the previous generation Honda Accord V6 or Acura TL engine. Translation: A lot of power for a little boat. We soon learned why.
Lets just say the South China Sea is far from billiard table smooth. You need all that engine to power through the violent waves. Marie, who has spent a lot of time in the water was simply laughing it up. I, on the other hand, not being accustomed to boats, the ocean, or rudimentary swimming, was not comfortable to say the least. So, when you add everything together (sprained ankle, frustration from Malaysian Airlines internal procedures and customer service, 40 minutes getting soaked during the roughest boat ride ever), there was a 10 minute stretch where all I could think of was Fosters beer, the sweet melody of a Formula 1 engine down the front stretch at Indy, and consuming tender, juicy BW3 chicken wings. This island had better be paradise!!!!!
Of course, we arrived at the Tuna Bay resort, and it really is wonderful. Words can't describe how clear the water is; lots of coral and multi-colored fish merely 10 feet from shore makes for excellent snorkling. The people are incredibly friendly -- turns out there is a police training facility next to our hotel, and we got some great travel tips from a couple of cops. Unrelated note: Whoever came up with the idea for a "1 month training program" on a paradise-like island should win an award.
For you divers (or aspiring divers), there is a PADI 5 certified dive shop next door, and a 4 day open water full certification course costs approx. $300 USD. So, its actually cheaper to fly out here and learn on a real coral reef instead of a tiny lake!!!!
Oh, and as for the race: Turns out they have satellite TV in the staff room, but I fell asleep before it started!!!! Eh, there are worse places to be and worse things to be doing ;-)
Thankfully, our hotel in KL had Star Sports/ESPN carried qualifying live at 1am local time (and of course, I stayed up for it!!!). But, we left for the Perhentian islands the next day. Much to my dismay, the resort doesn't have TVs in the room. In fact, the island doesn't have power; all electricity is produced by generators.
Getting from KL to the Perhentian Islands includes the following:
- 30 minute taxi ride from the hotel to KL Sentral transportation center
- 1 hour bus from KL Sentral to the KL Airport
- 55 minute flight from KL to Kota Bharu
- 1 hour taxi ride from Kota Bharu to Kuala Besat
- 40 minute boat ride in the South China Sea to the island.
While that is a pretty straight forward itinerary, we didn't anticipate my sprained ankle (see Marie's earlier post), losing our ticket at the Malaysia Airlines office, and our Air Asia flight arriving in Kota Bharu after the last boat left Kuala Besat (which the hotel kindly told at 8am the morning of our arrival, well after we booked our flight!!!). Thankfully, upon arriving at Kuala Besat, we learned the hotel arranged for a late boat. Oddly enough, our 10 person boat had 2 Honda 225 engines, which, if memory serves me correctly is the previous generation Honda Accord V6 or Acura TL engine. Translation: A lot of power for a little boat. We soon learned why.
Lets just say the South China Sea is far from billiard table smooth. You need all that engine to power through the violent waves. Marie, who has spent a lot of time in the water was simply laughing it up. I, on the other hand, not being accustomed to boats, the ocean, or rudimentary swimming, was not comfortable to say the least. So, when you add everything together (sprained ankle, frustration from Malaysian Airlines internal procedures and customer service, 40 minutes getting soaked during the roughest boat ride ever), there was a 10 minute stretch where all I could think of was Fosters beer, the sweet melody of a Formula 1 engine down the front stretch at Indy, and consuming tender, juicy BW3 chicken wings. This island had better be paradise!!!!!
Of course, we arrived at the Tuna Bay resort, and it really is wonderful. Words can't describe how clear the water is; lots of coral and multi-colored fish merely 10 feet from shore makes for excellent snorkling. The people are incredibly friendly -- turns out there is a police training facility next to our hotel, and we got some great travel tips from a couple of cops. Unrelated note: Whoever came up with the idea for a "1 month training program" on a paradise-like island should win an award.
For you divers (or aspiring divers), there is a PADI 5 certified dive shop next door, and a 4 day open water full certification course costs approx. $300 USD. So, its actually cheaper to fly out here and learn on a real coral reef instead of a tiny lake!!!!
Oh, and as for the race: Turns out they have satellite TV in the staff room, but I fell asleep before it started!!!! Eh, there are worse places to be and worse things to be doing ;-)
Friday, June 22, 2007
New photos!
Voici nos nouvelles photos du Sud du Laos ainsi que de Kuala Lumpur.
We are hoping to both the ones from Pulau Perhentian very soon.
We are hoping to both the ones from Pulau Perhentian very soon.
Reconcilies avec la Malaisie
Enfin une connection Internet rapide ! Apres 4 jours de farniente sur Pulau Perhentian Besar, ile paradisiaque de Malaisie, nous voici maintenant a Kota Kinabalu sur l'Ile de Borneo. Nous sommes arrives hier soir et avons passe la journee en ville -- aucun interet, mais nous en avons profite pour faire un peu de shopping, planifier nos derniers jours en Asie du Sud est, et avons meme eu le temps d'aller au cinema voir Ocean Thirteen !
Nous avons loue une voiture et partons demain pour Mount Kinabalu, la plus grande montagne de Malaisie (4095 m). Pour ceux qui se poseraient la question, non, nous n'allons pas essayer de grimper jusqu'au sommet. Si nous y arrivions (j'en doute !), il nous faudrait encore retourner a Singapour dans un hotel 5 etoiles pour nous en remettre.
Lundi, nous partons en avion pour Kuching , dans le sud de l'ile de Borneo, ou nous esperons visiter le parc national de Lambir Hills, et Kelabit Highlands (a ne pas confondre avec... ;-)
Nous avons loue une voiture et partons demain pour Mount Kinabalu, la plus grande montagne de Malaisie (4095 m). Pour ceux qui se poseraient la question, non, nous n'allons pas essayer de grimper jusqu'au sommet. Si nous y arrivions (j'en doute !), il nous faudrait encore retourner a Singapour dans un hotel 5 etoiles pour nous en remettre.
Lundi, nous partons en avion pour Kuching , dans le sud de l'ile de Borneo, ou nous esperons visiter le parc national de Lambir Hills, et Kelabit Highlands (a ne pas confondre avec... ;-)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Mesaventures a Kuala Lumpur
Pour ceux d'entre vous qui ont lu le texte de Nick (ci-dessus), vous avez peut-etre du etre etonne par son sarcasme. En lisant le resume de notre sejour , peut-etre comprendrez-vous mieux pourquoi nous ne sommes pas fan de Kuala Lumpur:
Nous avions reserve un hotel a Kuala Lumpur du 13 au 16 Juin par l'intermediaire d'expedia. La veille de notre depart de Bangkok, nous nous sommes apercus qu'il y avait eu un probleme avec la reservation et que l'hotel etait complet le 13 Juin. Nous avons donc effectue une deuxieme reservation pour seulement deux nuits, du 14 au 16 Juin, pensant passer la nuit du 13 dans un autre hotel. Juste avant de partir a l'aeroport, alors que nous voulions imprimer notre reservation, nous nous sommes apercus qu'en fait, les deux reservations avaient ete honorees. Comme nous n'avions pas besoin de 2 chambres d'hotel (!!), nous avions contacte expedia pour annuler la derniere reservation faite.
En arrivant a l'hotel de Kuala Lumpur a 23h , la reception nous informe que -- ces abrutis -- d'expedia ont annule les deux reservations. Nous avons du attendre trois heures avant qu'ils nous trouvent une chambre et 2 heures de plus pour qu'ils enlevent les oreillers et la couette en plume (je suis allergique). Le lendemain matin, l'hotel nous laisse un message en nous disant que nous devrons payer la chambre plus chere car nous n'avons pu passer par expedia.
Vendredi apres-midi, nous decidons d'aller a Malaysia Airlines pour acheter un "Malaysia Air Pass" -- 5 billets d'avion pour $199 qui nous permettraient de voyager n'importe ou en Malaysie. A peine sortis de l'agence nous nous apercevons que l'agent de reservation a garde nos billets pour l'Inde par megarde. Nous decidons d'y retourner le Samedi matin pour les recuperer, mais malheureusement un garde nous informe que l'agence est fermee et ne reouvrera que Lundi (nous sommes Samedi matin). Nous decidons donc d'aller au bureau principal de Malaysia Airlines a KL Sentral pour expliquer ce qui nous arrive. Apres 40 minutes d'explication, la personne au comptoir nous informe qu'ils ne peuvent retrouver nos billets et que nous devons payer l'equivalent de 150 USD pour les re-imprimer (pas de e-ticket car leur site Internet ne fonctionne pratiquement jamais !)...et qu'ils ne pourront le faire avant Mardi ou Mercredi car il faut qu'ils contactent Malaysia Airlines a Bangkok -- a croire qu'ils communiquent par pigeons messagers !! Ils nous annoncent ensuite qu'ils ne peuvent pas nous donner notre air pass car nous n'avons plus notre billet d'avion pour l'Inde -- alors qu'ils voient dans leur systeme qu'il y 2 a billets reserves a notre nom, et que nous avons garde nos boarding passes du vol Bangkok / KL.
Nous sommes restes au moins 3 heures au comptoir sans qu'une seule personne leve le petit doigt pour essayer de nous accommoder. Ils ont meme essayer de nous faire re-payer les tickets (alors qu'ils sont responsables de leur perte !).
Le soir meme, en traversant un passage pieton, Nick trebuche -- des imbeciles hurlaient derriere nous alors que nous traversion la route, et nous avons courru pensant qu'une voiture arrivait. Resultat, on prend un taxi pour rentrer a l'hotel: sa cheville a triple de volume (et on dirait qu'une balle de golf s'est logee sous sa peau). Nous devions partir le lendemaint pour Cameron Highland, et devons donc annuler: il a une entorse.
Nous decidons donc a la place de partir a Perenthian Island, ile sur la cote Nord Est de la Malaisie, ou Nick n'aura pas besoin de beaucoup marcher. Nous achetons un billet d'avion aupres d'Air Asia (a ce point, on prefere voyager avec une compagnie aerienne "budget" plutot que Malaysia), qui nous fait arriver a 16h30 a Kota Bharu sur la cote, et reservons une chambre au Tuna Bay Hotel sur l'ile pour 4 nuits. Le jour du depart, coup de fil a 8h du mat de l'hotel pour nous dire que le vol arrive trop tard et qu'a cette heure il n'y a plus de bateaux pour se rendre sur l'ile... N'auraient-ils pas pu nous le dire avant, au moment de la reservation, par exemple ?!
Bref, en trois jours a Kuala Lumpur, nous n'avons eu que des problemes, et le plus frustrant est que personne (a par le concierge de l'hotel et une personne a Malaysia Airlines) n'a ete cooperatif -- par stupidite ou par faineantise ? Meme si les infrastructures sont la, le niveau de service laisse vraiment a desirer...
Nous avions reserve un hotel a Kuala Lumpur du 13 au 16 Juin par l'intermediaire d'expedia. La veille de notre depart de Bangkok, nous nous sommes apercus qu'il y avait eu un probleme avec la reservation et que l'hotel etait complet le 13 Juin. Nous avons donc effectue une deuxieme reservation pour seulement deux nuits, du 14 au 16 Juin, pensant passer la nuit du 13 dans un autre hotel. Juste avant de partir a l'aeroport, alors que nous voulions imprimer notre reservation, nous nous sommes apercus qu'en fait, les deux reservations avaient ete honorees. Comme nous n'avions pas besoin de 2 chambres d'hotel (!!), nous avions contacte expedia pour annuler la derniere reservation faite.
En arrivant a l'hotel de Kuala Lumpur a 23h , la reception nous informe que -- ces abrutis -- d'expedia ont annule les deux reservations. Nous avons du attendre trois heures avant qu'ils nous trouvent une chambre et 2 heures de plus pour qu'ils enlevent les oreillers et la couette en plume (je suis allergique). Le lendemain matin, l'hotel nous laisse un message en nous disant que nous devrons payer la chambre plus chere car nous n'avons pu passer par expedia.
Vendredi apres-midi, nous decidons d'aller a Malaysia Airlines pour acheter un "Malaysia Air Pass" -- 5 billets d'avion pour $199 qui nous permettraient de voyager n'importe ou en Malaysie. A peine sortis de l'agence nous nous apercevons que l'agent de reservation a garde nos billets pour l'Inde par megarde. Nous decidons d'y retourner le Samedi matin pour les recuperer, mais malheureusement un garde nous informe que l'agence est fermee et ne reouvrera que Lundi (nous sommes Samedi matin). Nous decidons donc d'aller au bureau principal de Malaysia Airlines a KL Sentral pour expliquer ce qui nous arrive. Apres 40 minutes d'explication, la personne au comptoir nous informe qu'ils ne peuvent retrouver nos billets et que nous devons payer l'equivalent de 150 USD pour les re-imprimer (pas de e-ticket car leur site Internet ne fonctionne pratiquement jamais !)...et qu'ils ne pourront le faire avant Mardi ou Mercredi car il faut qu'ils contactent Malaysia Airlines a Bangkok -- a croire qu'ils communiquent par pigeons messagers !! Ils nous annoncent ensuite qu'ils ne peuvent pas nous donner notre air pass car nous n'avons plus notre billet d'avion pour l'Inde -- alors qu'ils voient dans leur systeme qu'il y 2 a billets reserves a notre nom, et que nous avons garde nos boarding passes du vol Bangkok / KL.
Nous sommes restes au moins 3 heures au comptoir sans qu'une seule personne leve le petit doigt pour essayer de nous accommoder. Ils ont meme essayer de nous faire re-payer les tickets (alors qu'ils sont responsables de leur perte !).
Le soir meme, en traversant un passage pieton, Nick trebuche -- des imbeciles hurlaient derriere nous alors que nous traversion la route, et nous avons courru pensant qu'une voiture arrivait. Resultat, on prend un taxi pour rentrer a l'hotel: sa cheville a triple de volume (et on dirait qu'une balle de golf s'est logee sous sa peau). Nous devions partir le lendemaint pour Cameron Highland, et devons donc annuler: il a une entorse.
Nous decidons donc a la place de partir a Perenthian Island, ile sur la cote Nord Est de la Malaisie, ou Nick n'aura pas besoin de beaucoup marcher. Nous achetons un billet d'avion aupres d'Air Asia (a ce point, on prefere voyager avec une compagnie aerienne "budget" plutot que Malaysia), qui nous fait arriver a 16h30 a Kota Bharu sur la cote, et reservons une chambre au Tuna Bay Hotel sur l'ile pour 4 nuits. Le jour du depart, coup de fil a 8h du mat de l'hotel pour nous dire que le vol arrive trop tard et qu'a cette heure il n'y a plus de bateaux pour se rendre sur l'ile... N'auraient-ils pas pu nous le dire avant, au moment de la reservation, par exemple ?!
Bref, en trois jours a Kuala Lumpur, nous n'avons eu que des problemes, et le plus frustrant est que personne (a par le concierge de l'hotel et une personne a Malaysia Airlines) n'a ete cooperatif -- par stupidite ou par faineantise ? Meme si les infrastructures sont la, le niveau de service laisse vraiment a desirer...
Kuala Lumpur: The Jan Brady of Southeast Asia
For the non-Americans reading this, Jan Brady is the teenaged, middle daughter of 3 girls on a 1970s American TV show called "The Brady Bunch". Jan is often forgotten and thinks she knows more than she really does.
If Bangkok is the low-cost tourist hub of Southeast Asia, and Singapore is where the world goes to conduct business, then Kuala Lumpur (the locals refer to it as KL) is somewhere in the middle, struggling to define its place in the world. Some examples:
KL: We have two of the world's tallest buildings (Petronas Towers and Menara KL tower).
The World: Yes, they're very impressive, but have since been eclipsed by Taiwan in height.
KL: We host a world-class Formula 1 race.
The World: Its a fantastic facility, but tickets are so expensive the average Malay can't afford to attend.
KL: We have our own make of automobile, Proton.
The World: Protons are simply rebadged 10 year old Mitsubishis designs assembled in Malaysia, and are so uncompetitive they can't be sold anywhere else in the world.
KL: We are a multicultural society that blends the best of Chinese, Indian, native Malay, and westerners; English is widely spoken and people have freedom of religion.
The World: Singapore is far more culturally integrated than Malaysia is. And, people may have freedom of religion, but according to the Islamic High Court that rules the country, they are not free to change religions.
KL: KL has emerged as the Islamic Banking capital of the world.
The World: No doubt, but multi-national corporations and investment banks do far more business in London, Singapore and Dubai, where they can receive both Islamic and traditional services. KL's Islamic Banking sector primarily consists of local Malay banks, and HSBC.
KL: Malaysia Airlines is among the world's best.
The World: MAS is not part of any major airline alliance, and their ground staff / in-flight services are not at the same level as Thai Airways or Singapore Airlines. Having said that, Air Asia, Malaysia's low cost airline (similar business model to Ryanair) does appear to be a very successful business (more on this in a future post)
KL: Kuala Lumpur is among the wealthiest cities in Asia.
The World: The wealth is concentrated amongst a very small handful of people (mostly Petronas oil tycoons and bankers). Meanwhile, seemingly every bookstore is stocked with "get rich quick" books. In fact, one of my friends from high school, who is part of a network marketing business (commonly referred to as a pyramid scheme) recently spent a few months successfully expanding his network in KL.
KL: Kuala Lumpur has an extensive public transportation infrastructure.
The World: Yes, but none of the monorail or train lines are integrated, which means you need to purchase separate tickets for each line, and go outside the station to change trains.
Obviously Kuala Lumpur isn't nearly as bad as the above makes it out to be. KL City Centre is a truly modern area, the airport is beautiful, roads are first class, food (both local and western) fresh and tasty, and major western big box retailers, speciality retailers and hotels have a significant presence. However, unquestionably, the city has a "we are great, we've got it all, we're better than you" teenage-like attitude about it. I suppose this comes with newfound wealth: Malaysia as a whole gained independence from England only 50 years ago, and money poured into the country when Petronas started oil drilling in 1974. Also, in the 70s, the government implemented a wealth distribution scheme from Chinese / Westerners to native Malay. Therefore, this is the first generation of Malay to experience a fair amount of prosperity.
If Bangkok is the low-cost tourist hub of Southeast Asia, and Singapore is where the world goes to conduct business, then Kuala Lumpur (the locals refer to it as KL) is somewhere in the middle, struggling to define its place in the world. Some examples:
KL: We have two of the world's tallest buildings (Petronas Towers and Menara KL tower).
The World: Yes, they're very impressive, but have since been eclipsed by Taiwan in height.
KL: We host a world-class Formula 1 race.
The World: Its a fantastic facility, but tickets are so expensive the average Malay can't afford to attend.
KL: We have our own make of automobile, Proton.
The World: Protons are simply rebadged 10 year old Mitsubishis designs assembled in Malaysia, and are so uncompetitive they can't be sold anywhere else in the world.
KL: We are a multicultural society that blends the best of Chinese, Indian, native Malay, and westerners; English is widely spoken and people have freedom of religion.
The World: Singapore is far more culturally integrated than Malaysia is. And, people may have freedom of religion, but according to the Islamic High Court that rules the country, they are not free to change religions.
KL: KL has emerged as the Islamic Banking capital of the world.
The World: No doubt, but multi-national corporations and investment banks do far more business in London, Singapore and Dubai, where they can receive both Islamic and traditional services. KL's Islamic Banking sector primarily consists of local Malay banks, and HSBC.
KL: Malaysia Airlines is among the world's best.
The World: MAS is not part of any major airline alliance, and their ground staff / in-flight services are not at the same level as Thai Airways or Singapore Airlines. Having said that, Air Asia, Malaysia's low cost airline (similar business model to Ryanair) does appear to be a very successful business (more on this in a future post)
KL: Kuala Lumpur is among the wealthiest cities in Asia.
The World: The wealth is concentrated amongst a very small handful of people (mostly Petronas oil tycoons and bankers). Meanwhile, seemingly every bookstore is stocked with "get rich quick" books. In fact, one of my friends from high school, who is part of a network marketing business (commonly referred to as a pyramid scheme) recently spent a few months successfully expanding his network in KL.
KL: Kuala Lumpur has an extensive public transportation infrastructure.
The World: Yes, but none of the monorail or train lines are integrated, which means you need to purchase separate tickets for each line, and go outside the station to change trains.
Obviously Kuala Lumpur isn't nearly as bad as the above makes it out to be. KL City Centre is a truly modern area, the airport is beautiful, roads are first class, food (both local and western) fresh and tasty, and major western big box retailers, speciality retailers and hotels have a significant presence. However, unquestionably, the city has a "we are great, we've got it all, we're better than you" teenage-like attitude about it. I suppose this comes with newfound wealth: Malaysia as a whole gained independence from England only 50 years ago, and money poured into the country when Petronas started oil drilling in 1974. Also, in the 70s, the government implemented a wealth distribution scheme from Chinese / Westerners to native Malay. Therefore, this is the first generation of Malay to experience a fair amount of prosperity.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Impressions of Cambodia
We left Cambodia 6 days ago, but am catching up on old posts...
Cambodians have been through a lot:
- Colonized by France and Thai in the late 1800s;
- Invaded by Japan from 1941-1945;
- Fought for independence from the French in the 1950s (receiving it in 1954);
- Civil War / pulled into the Vietnam war in the 1960s and early 1970s;
- Lived under the tyranny of Pol Pot's regime from the mid 70s through the mid-late 80s;
- Invaded by Vietnam in the 80s;
- Finally all the wars stopped in the mid 90s.
Pol Pot was a bastard:
- Ordered the death of over 2 million Cambodians (primarily educated ones; he wanted Cambodia to be a farming country)
- Anyone who disagreed with him was killed, or their limbs cut off.
- Arranged "marriages" amongst the people by lining up hundreds of men and women, then pairing them up "1-2" style.
- It took Western governments 12 years to accept that he was committing genocide against the Cambodian people (most supported Pol Pot because they did not want Cambodia to fall to the Vietnamese)
- Was never brought to justice, as he died of natural causes before his trial.
There is a tremendous amount of corruption in Cambodia:
- While tourism dollars are pouring in, the government has sold much of the rights to the sites/infrastructure (e.g, hotels, restaurants, travel companies, Angkor Wat) to foreign companies (mostly Vietnamese, South Korean and Japanese). Therefore, the only $$$ the locals receive is a salary by working at the facilities; but the big bucks leave the country.
- The government pays school teachers a mere $70/month. Since that isn't enough to live on, teachers will often ask students for extra money. Thus, a whole new generation is introduced to begging/bribery; except its far worse, because they never learned that its a bad thing; they learn this is how things get done.
- Its not unusual for children (often aged 5-12) to be the breadwinners of the family, doing so by selling goods, such as books, silks, wood carvings, etc. to tourists.
- It doesn't help that Pol Pot killed most of the educated people in the country.
Despite all these troubles, Cambodians people are happy to simply have peace:
- The Cambodian people we've spoke to have been the friendliest we've met on the trip.
- They aren't nearly as aggressive or pushy as in Bangkok or Hanoi (although not as laid back as Laos, either)
- Cambodians seem genuinely happy to have tourists visit their country (almost as if the money is secondary, which may be the case since they aren't getting the lion's share of it).
Cambodians have been through a lot:
- Colonized by France and Thai in the late 1800s;
- Invaded by Japan from 1941-1945;
- Fought for independence from the French in the 1950s (receiving it in 1954);
- Civil War / pulled into the Vietnam war in the 1960s and early 1970s;
- Lived under the tyranny of Pol Pot's regime from the mid 70s through the mid-late 80s;
- Invaded by Vietnam in the 80s;
- Finally all the wars stopped in the mid 90s.
Pol Pot was a bastard:
- Ordered the death of over 2 million Cambodians (primarily educated ones; he wanted Cambodia to be a farming country)
- Anyone who disagreed with him was killed, or their limbs cut off.
- Arranged "marriages" amongst the people by lining up hundreds of men and women, then pairing them up "1-2" style.
- It took Western governments 12 years to accept that he was committing genocide against the Cambodian people (most supported Pol Pot because they did not want Cambodia to fall to the Vietnamese)
- Was never brought to justice, as he died of natural causes before his trial.
There is a tremendous amount of corruption in Cambodia:
- While tourism dollars are pouring in, the government has sold much of the rights to the sites/infrastructure (e.g, hotels, restaurants, travel companies, Angkor Wat) to foreign companies (mostly Vietnamese, South Korean and Japanese). Therefore, the only $$$ the locals receive is a salary by working at the facilities; but the big bucks leave the country.
- The government pays school teachers a mere $70/month. Since that isn't enough to live on, teachers will often ask students for extra money. Thus, a whole new generation is introduced to begging/bribery; except its far worse, because they never learned that its a bad thing; they learn this is how things get done.
- Its not unusual for children (often aged 5-12) to be the breadwinners of the family, doing so by selling goods, such as books, silks, wood carvings, etc. to tourists.
- It doesn't help that Pol Pot killed most of the educated people in the country.
Despite all these troubles, Cambodians people are happy to simply have peace:
- The Cambodian people we've spoke to have been the friendliest we've met on the trip.
- They aren't nearly as aggressive or pushy as in Bangkok or Hanoi (although not as laid back as Laos, either)
- Cambodians seem genuinely happy to have tourists visit their country (almost as if the money is secondary, which may be the case since they aren't getting the lion's share of it).
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