Phuket through O'Reilly Eyes

Sometimes it is nice to take a time out with friends. Pat and Frank came over for a conference and I met them in Phuket. Pat's brother Rory had a car so I saw quite a bit of the island. Even though I did rent a car the last time I was there with Daniel, he was afraid to drive with me on the wrong side of the street so we didn't go that far. This time, I saw Phuket town, the southern tip and a few beaches and quite frankly Daniel was right to have given Phuket town a miss the last time we were there. From the guide books I thought it was going to be quite quaint and interesting but it turned out to be uninspiring.

The nice thing about my job is that if I have a phone, I can work, as you can see me in deep conversation with my boss on the beach at sunset. I also got a chance to speak about our on line courses and hiring practices with Pat and Rory who both teach at the university.

It seems that when we were not in the car we did a lot of walking and I saw all of Kata Beach and Patong Beach but now I have to go back to see Phi Phi Island and Simlin Island. There are day trips and I am convinced that they are fabulous so before I come home to Toronto this summer I will return for a few days to see these great islands for themselves.

As Pat said, we could be anywhere as we ate in tourist restaurants on the beach that could have been in Mexico, Spain, or even the United States as we looked out at the ocean. Phuket is nice if you like tailor shops, restaurants, bars and shops but you just can't beat Samet for peacefulness and tranquillity.

I am off to Mandalay tomorrow so I am not sure I will publish another post for at least two weeks but I am looking forward to being "principal for a day"

Singapore Reconsidered

I think I had an epiphany in the bathroom last night at Singapore's Night Safari. The urinals were ultra modern as you can see in the picture, the bathroom was spotless and there was even a simulated gentle rain falling on the roof as if we were in a rain forest. The Night Safari was great, by the way, but I think more importantly, everything worked. People were orderly, the trams and shows started and ended on time and the grounds were spotless.

Perhaps the zoo is a metaphor for Singapore. The buildings are gorgeous and immaculate, citizens are so regulated they are afraid to talk on the hand phone while driving in case of getting caught and paying a hefty fine and my friend would not even wait for me in his car in front of the hotel is case some 'busybody' he said, calls the police.

The cabs are all owned by the government and rented out to the drivers so they are in perfect shape. When I asked a cab driver if he was ever in danger, he said that would never happen in Singapore because any criminal act in his cabwould result in many years in jail. He was not the least fearful.

When I got off at the airport, there was a sign that said:" no taxis may pick up passengers at the departure entrance." Guess what, cabbies obeyed the signs and there was no loitering. In Bangkok, I am sure there are similar signs, but it does not stop me or dozens of other passengers going up to the departure lounge to hail a cab to avoid paying the surcharge for taking a cab from arrivals. The police wave the cabs away but no-one moves until they have a passenger.

In the Singapore airport, I got through baggage, immigration and departure in record time. Everything was orderly. Remember when I talked about only westerners lining up in rows in Asia. Sure enough, when I was leaving Hanoi last time, it was almost impossible, if not impossible, to manoeuvre my way into the line with my suitcase and golf bag. I just pushed in like every other Asian where I could. Wouldn't you know it an uppity British woman asked what I was trying to do and pointed to the back of what I guess was a line. She said you are "British" , you should know better.

Maybe Singapore is the meeting place where east meets west and that is what makes it so appealing. There were hundreds of hawker stalls selling food, as there is everywhere else in Asia, but there is a certificate of inspection on everyone and the food is served on clean dishes.

As I was waiting for my cab this morning, I looked through the tourist brochures and saw tons of museums, walks and attractions. You know what...I can't wait to go back.

Made in Sumatra

I decided to spend the day in Indonesia instead of the few hours I spent on the plane Saturday sitting on the tarmac in Batam. As we were flying into Singapore the pilot got on the speaker and said we were just circling around for a while until a storm blew over Singapore and we could land. About five minutes later he came on again and told us we were going to land in Batam Indonesia to get more fuel. It did seem very odd but surprisingly reassuring since "the landing on the Hudson" A few people did scream when we bumped down but all in all in was quite peaceful.

Today ( Sunday) I decided to take the ferry across to see what I could discover on my own outside of the airplane. It is 45 minutes by ferrry but light years away from Singapore. Singapore is such a modern city. Everything works, the streets are fantastic and you can actually walk on the sidewalks without tripping over the broken stones and the buildings I know Daniel would love.

Batam, on the other hand, is like a third world country. You can see the pictures of one of the towns, the houses just outside of town and the condition of the infrastructure. I have to wonder how this is possible when Singapore, which is in sight of Indonesia seems to have all of the modern conveniences and Batam has none? Surely they have the same resources, weather, types if people and so on or maybe not!

When I went to the market, one of the sellers told me to buy a pair of shoes...they are good, he assured me, because they are made in Sumatra. For some reason, I will always remember Sumatra from my grade five geography class, probably because I loved the name. I have to keep pinching myself that I am actually going to all of these places!

Michal, I took your advice and shelled out the $12 for the best massage in town. Daniel, it was just like the one we saw but maybe nicer, and I even, for a moment, considered letting them put hot rocks on my back, but we shall leave that to Matt. I did, however, go for the "aroma" therapy, so at least I know what that means now. They light a candle with incense and put it in a corner of the room so they can charge you an extra $2 or $3 dollars.

As usual, I rented a taxi for the day and toured the island. There are five golf courses, new homes popping up for the foreigners and so on but for the average guy in the street, life does seem pretty dire.In fact, the taxi driver asked me what Singapore was like as we stood over the ocean looking at the buildings of Singapore. It seemed so surrealistic that he was asking. Something like Plato's cave analogy.

Singapore, on the other hand, seems to be absolutely thriving. There were tons of people on the MRT, the ferry was packed with tourists and everything seems to work around here.

Tomorrow I go to a conference (and I have to pay attention because Tuesday I am leading a session debriefing what we learned)I will keep you posted if I learn anything new.

The tale of the two Bangkoks

The tale of the two Bangkoks, the one I know and the one Daniel introduced me to. If you have the money there is an unbelievable magical Bangkok. Last night we went to Bua in the State Tower. It was probably the most impressive bar I have ever seen in my life and when we talk about high society, this would be the definition of it!

The State Hotel is near the river. When you pull up in the cab about three service men greet you at the door and escort you to the elevators where you are whisked upstairs to one of three of four outdoor and indoor bars. We decided to go to the very top. When we walked out on the deck, there was a breathtaking view of Bangkok beneath us. There were about 50 stairs leading down to the bar. At an upper part of the bar there was a cool jazz band playing with an American black singer. Every other bar in Bangkok goes with the standard Pilipino band.

Down below about 64 floors, you could see the twinkling lights of Bangkok as well as the Chao Praya River. Naturally, Daniel could point out everything to me including which direction we were facing. Even the taxi drivers do not know the direction they are driving. Even though I have almost lived here for two years now and Daniel probably a total of two weeks, he knows more than me.

I am used to the Bangkok below the skyline. The dirty markets, the pollution, the smells of the open charcoal hearths, the heat of the city smacking you in the face, the uneven roads and people sleeping on the streets. At the “Bua” you do not even get the heat. There is such a cooling breeze at this height that seems to never end.

Daniel also introduced me to the Meridien Hotel in the Patpong area, about 50 meters from Patpong but light years away in terms of everything it stands for. At the Meridien we were greeted by the Dutch head of food and beverages who unctuously greeted us, described the various foods on the menu and then instructed about 3 servers to cater to our every whim. When I asked for more bread sticks, the chef came out to tell me there were no more in that shape, but would I accept a different shape made with the same dough? A little different than the old women on the street who pull out their chairs at night and serve everyone from the same bowl!

Even last night, thanks to my friend Jerry, we found a nice Thai restaurant. Across the street there was a very sophisticated “spa”. When Daniel encouraged us to look inside, the spa “treatment” was something like 1000 baht. We were immediately served tea and had the elegant (ladyboy) looking after us and calling us by name. A little different from the spa at most street corners where you go in, lie down on a thin mattress with dozens of other patrons only separated by a thin curtain and the masseuse just gets to work. No tea, no greeting by name and no perfume in the air and the fee is more like 250 baht then 1000.

Even Ayyutya was different when I went with Daniel. Even though I visited all of the temples last year when I went with a Thai family who took along everyone but the grandmother (who was busy preparing our evening meal). Here we seemed to find the most elegant temple that even had air conditioning inside!

I am off to Singapore in about five minutes, but I know that when I get back, I will never again see the Bangkok Daniel introduced me to unless or until he comes back.

Daniel and Alana in Bangkok

There sure were a lot of people at Daniel’s birthday party Thursday night. In fact, I have never seen Hua Hin so busy! I am not sure whether everyone was there to help Alana and I celebrate Daniel’s birthday or were there for the 14th Asian Conference being held from February 27th. Maybe the guys with the suits and shiny shoes were security officials and not Daniel revelers??

Daniel and Alana are easy guests. Sightseeing was a piece of cake as I learned all about the first class hotels Bangkok has to offer as we moved from the Cha Praya hotels

for coffee and reading the paper, to other first class hotels to use the hong nam and so on. Now the only place Daniel will consider staying are at 6 star facilities.( other than my apartment) The Alila hotel, where they stayed in Cha-Am is the fanciest hotel I have ever seen. The coolest thing is the shower head that comes right out of the ceiling in the middle of the bathroom. It is like you are in the middle of a rain forest! Last night we ate in the new Meridien Hotel in Bangkok. Miraculously Daniel found it and it has only been up for two months.

Daniel is a great guy to travel with. You will never be lost. As we were approaching the Alila hotel in Cha-Am, our cab driver had no idea where it was. Even though Daniel had never been there before, he directed him right in. He also has a sense for language and even though he might not be a risk taker and speak, he understands quite a lot of Thai (I think). Actually I am quite amazed at how much he understands in so short a time.

It is a pleasure for me to see Daniel and Alana having so much fun in each other’s company and they seem to make a great pair. Their personalities complement each other, rather well. I guess as a father you take pride in seeing how well your children turn out. I remember being a few minutes late to pick him up at his primary school and he used to cry if I was a minute late. At the airport, when I was a few minutes late he was patiently waiting for me with his Blackberry in hand asking where I was. He looked so professional with his carry-on luggage having just walked off the plane and customs in record time. He was so self-assured. It is also fun to be able to talk about things at some length and not be interrupted by either me going to sleep or Daniel taking a morning business call as we talk on Skype.

I was also so proud of them when there was a mix-up at the airport and Alana had to miss her flight to Australia. They both seem to take it in their stride and simply got the problem fixed and made new arrangements. How wonderful as a parent to see such autonomy and self-confidence in your children.

What am I going to do when they leave? I might have to go back to eating the street food. and staying in 3 star hotels ,God forbid!