A new disease discovered!!!

"The Center for Disease Control has issued a medical alert about a highly contagious, potentially dangerous virus that is transmitted orally, by hand, and even electronically.

This virus is called Weary Overload Recreational Killer (WORK). If you receive WORK from your boss, any of your colleagues or anyone else via any means whatsoever - DO NOT TOUCH IT. This virus will wipe out your private life completely.

If you should come into contact with WORK you should immediately leave the premises. Take two good friends to the nearest grocery store and purchase one or both of the antidotes - Work Isolating Neutralizer Extract (WINE) and Bothersome Employer Elimination Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system.

You should immediately forward this medical alert to your   friends. If you do not have friends, you have already been infected and WORK is controlling your life."

Happy Halloween!

Things that are in the news that interest me (and I want you to look at and listen to me talk about)

Issues I have... mainly with international news media. Click on the blue letters for links to the articles I'm talking about.

The way Thailand is portrayed by the international news media - This is a little (ok, a big) pet peve of mine. The international news media tends to highlight things pertaining to their interest groups, rather than educate their readers about issues they might not otherwise know about. I understand why they do this ($$$), but maybe this is why Tea Partiers don't know that we have freedom of the press in the United States (and separation of church and state...). Right, so there was a massive protest in Bangkok that ended with a violent standoff and the burning of several major buildings. But before most people saw horrific pictures of "Bangkok Burning" they had little idea of what was actually happening here. Now, CNN is teasing (chiding? highlighting a pointless note about Thailand?) for its obsession with a recent celebrity sex scandal and it makes CNN's homepage. I think this speaks more to what the US news media thinks (and does) sell in the US, rather than a "way for stressed Thais to safely relieve their tension." Is news of Brittany Spears shaving her head a way for Americans to safely relieve their tension concerning the blatant lies of many politicians? I mean, at least Thai politicians don't have to avoid religious sites for fear of being mislabeled Muslims (and really, why is it such a problem to be Muslim? I know Muslims/Sikhs/Buddhists/Hindus/Christians/Jews who are wonderful people because of their religion. I know Christians/Buddhists/Muslims/Jews/Sikhs/Hindus who are less than wonderful people, despite their religion.)

Why not highlight the recent peaceful protests by those "red shirt rioters" that occurred September 19th? Or the horrible flooding that has covered many parts of the country? Or, for that matter, the human rights issues Thailand has with refugees from Burma? No, things aren't perfect in Thailand and the country certainly has many issues to work through, but what country doesn't.

Speaking of refugees in Burma, why isn't their more international news/uproar about the elections to be held in Burma/Myanmar in November? Why aren't all of those Americans who so desperately want to promote democracy calling out in protest at the scam that is the Burmese "democracy"? The military junta that seized control after the last "democratic" elections in 1990 is the same one in power today - they are shifting military leaders to civilian posts (so they can be 'elected'), banning anyone who's been jailed from running (like all of those political dissidents), and sometimes resorting to outright bribery and/or threats.

And now back to my old (and current standard): health care. In 10th grade, I was forced to read the horrible (some call it a "classic") book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Who knew I would be linking to an article making an artful play on the book I once despised? But here it is - a refreshing outlook on solutions to improve health care - Health care and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. While I am distressed by the state of health care in the United States, sometimes health care in developing countries seems like a lost cause. (Don't worry, I haven't lost my naive sense that I can fix the world. Just sometimes gets me down.) Because "where else can you find a low-tech investment in health care that increases patient coverage by nearly 600 percent?"

Finally, some perspective from the ever-informative people at Foreign Passport: Africa is really, really big. If you didn't know this already, see the map for some additional perspective.

(Next week, I'll be back to my normal ways, posting delightful pictures of Thai beaches and temples in the hopes of tempting you to come here. Cathay Pacific has flights for less than $1200 from JFK to BKK... take advantage now!)

Zoom through the rainy season, Part 2 - Myanmar



Shwedagon Paya



As my traveling frequently is, I decided to go to Myanmar at the last minute, about a week before I left. Work was closed for the Queen's birthday and the Thai government (and the US embassy) decided to close business on the following day, giving me a four day weekend. Luckily, a friend of mine had already planned most of the travel in Myanmar and had several contacts there. So, I just hopped along for the ride.

To begin, I want to say that I've had some serious reservations about going to Myanmar. Top on my list was the fact that the country is controlled by a military dictatorship that has suppressed human rights and freedoms for the past 20 years or so. Entering the country and traveling around as a foreigner are strictly controlled and facilitated by the government. While I have gone to countries where corruption is rampant, there usually was at least a semblance of democracy and people had some hope of change. In Myanmar, there seems to be little hope. When elections were announced the day after my arrival, there seemed to be little open discussion (as expected... you never know who is an informant and even when you do know, you don't necessarily want them to know what you think). When it was discussed, people seemed to have little hope of it being a free or fair election. Many had seen the military junta finagle rules, moving military leaders into "civilian" posts, jigging election monitors and effectively destroying an opposition party's chances at winning.

A psychedelic halo

I went because a friend of mine was going who had connections and Burmese friends who could help us avoid some of the "tourist traps." Of course, we did see many touristy sites, but we tried to stay and eat at local venues and supported tours and tour guides who were not government-run. And, I am very glad I went. Not only did I see a beautiful country and learn about the history of the country, I met some wonderful, kind, generous, welcoming people. So now, my trip to Myanmar!

1 of 4 enormous gold-leafed, teak

Buddha statues in Ananda Pahto

We flew into Yangon (Rangoon) and met up with my friend's farang friends. They helped us exchange money (Note: The official, government-controlled exchange rate is 1 USD to about 6 kyat. The street value is approximately 1 USD to 1000 kyat.) Our first stop was the Shwedagon Paya. I really can't describe it to do it justice. It glitters day and night (beat that Eiffel Tower) and doesn't tarnish (you too, Statue of Liberty) and is really just gorgeous. There are numerous Buddha statues and temples surrounding the main stupa. In a slight difference from Thai Buddha's, many of the Buddhas had psychedelic lights glowing behind their heads (almost like halos!). 

Our transportation in Bagan

After a (rather sleepless night) in Yangon, we went to Bagan, an ancient capital of Burma. Bagan has roughly 2,000+ temples (there is no exact count... mainly because the junta seems to control things and prevents an accurate count). It is remarkable. As you approach the city, the ground glitters with gold-leafed stupas and more pagodas than you can count. If you know my picture-taking tendencies (and my slight obsession with religious buildings), I went a little crazy with all the temples. As in Thailand, there was a strong Hindu influence on Buddhism in Myanmar. We climbed and saw as many temples as we could in about 8 hours of intense temple seeing :) Luckily, my travel companion has an equal obsession with history, so we traveled well together.

Shwendandaw Kyaung

Our next stop was Mandalay, the capital of Burma when the British took control. We were lucky enough to have some good connections there and upon arriving, we met our friend's friends, the owners of Mandalay's puppet theater and proprietors of the Spoken English school. We were told that if we asked at our guesthouse (pre-booked by friends) that people at the guesthouse would know who we were talking about. That's how famous they are in Mandalay!

We had a delicious lunch and then they gave us suggestions of places to visit in the afternoon. So, we headed out into Mandalay, armed with our faithful Lonely Planet Guide. Unfortunately our guidebook failed us... but led to some fun (in retrospect) adventures. Our friends dropped us at the Shwedandaw Kyaung (the Golden Monastery), with recommendations to see the marble Buddha and Mandalay Hill before heading downtown to the puppet theater. So, the kyaung was our point-of-reference on the map. Turned out to be in the wrong place on the map, so we wandered (quite a bit) to get to Mandalay Hill and completely missed the marble Buddha. When we finally reached the spotless white lions at the foot of Mandalay Hill, we were quite proud of ourselves (and extremely thankful for the kindness of Mandalay's residents).

Me, finally reaching Mandalay Hill

They wanted to take a picture with us... so I took a picture with them!

Buddha, who predicted the formation of Mandalay

The 9ft circumference

Later in the evening, we joined our friends for a Spoken English class and then were guests of honor at the puppet show. The following day, we headed on a tour of the area surrounding Mandalay, visiting another 3 previous capitals of Myanmar. (The whole, moving the capital from Yangon to Naypyidaw makes more sense given the history of moving capitals.)

We went to Bagaya Monastery, which (according to Lonely Planet) was built in 1834 during the reign of King Bagyidaw. The monastery has 267 gigantic teak wood posts and is made entirely of teak wood. Here, Olesya and I are standing next to the largest post, with a circumference of more than 9 feet (determined, quite scientifically, by me wrapping my arms around several posts to see which one I could not wrap myself half-way around... because everyone knows that the length of your arm-span is equal to your height, right?).

Resting along the bridge

We finished our day watching the sun set on U Bein's Bridge, Amarapura. The bridge is... guess what? Made of teak wood! And, guess what? It's the largest teak wood bridge in the world, at 1.2 km long. It has many rest-stops along the way, with people fishing, young people wandering, and boats trying to lure tourists to take scenic tours on Lake Taungthaman. We found it more fun to walk across the bridge and stop along the way to people watch. And, we finally got to see our sunset (the first, planned in Bagan, was rained out).

Monks at a rest stop

Our last stop in Mandalay was to get Olesya an experience in a Mandalay teahouse (she has a bit of an obsession with tea and coffee). We headed back to our guesthouse, thoroughly exhausted. The next day, we headed back to Yangon. After all our site-seeing, we headed with our farang friends for lunch, gift buying in the market, and a nice pedicure.

Then I headed to the airport for my flight back to Bangkok. I had a slight challenge in the airport when I was trying to leave. (Apparently I tend to underestimate my challenges... according to my dad, when I said I had a slight challenge, he was expecting something a little more dramatic. In retrospect, as usual, it's a bit amusing and a familiar experience.) As in many countries were the currency is overinflated and US dollars become the defacto currency, many places in Myanmar only accepted specific kinds of US currency. Where we (as Americans) might see one 1-dollar bill as equally valuable as another 1-dollar bill, people in Myanmar don't (see Zimbabwe). Since I don't use US dollars here, my supply was a bit more limited than the average traveler's might have otherwise been. I brought enough money, but didn't count on a quarter of it being unacceptable due to marks, serial numbers, or something else mysterious being wrong with it. So my challenge came when I needed to pay the $10 departure fee. I had 10 USD but apparently they were not acceptable. I tried Thai baht - I had a beautiful, new 500 baht note (worth about $15). Luckily they accepted (at a slighly poor exchange rate) and I was able to leave as planned!

Our guides and friends :)

I will definitely have to go back to Myanmar some day soon. I really enjoyed my time there and I'd like to go back and see some of the friends I made. I just hope that one day they will be able to have free, fair elections and a peaceful government. If you would like to see more pictures from my trip, I posted them on Facebook.

Zoom through the rainy season, Part 1 - Ayutthaya

How to predict the weather in Thailand during the rainy season:
1 - Is it sunny? If yes, jump to #4. If no, jump to #4.
2 - Is it cloudy? If yes, jump to #4. If no, jump to #4.
3 - Is it rainy? If yes, jump to #4. If no, jump to #4.
4 - It will rain in the next 5-10 hours.

Again, I've been quite remiss in updating my blog. After coming back from Vienna, I thought I would be staying put for a bit. After all, I'd done a lot of traveling in the past few months!

The next weekend I went to Ayutthaya for the day. I've posted information about Ayutthaya before (it was one of the first places I visited outside Bangkok after I came), but here are a few more pictures from one of the coolest places I've been in Thailand:

Temples of Ayutthaya

Olesya, Rebecca, Darell and Me - so Thai with our umbrellas in the sun!

Garments to clothe the Buddha (it was the beginning of Buddhist Lent)

Me with a large, blinging rooster :P

Famous Buddha head in the roots

Me and the Buddha

Beautiful temple

Next up, Myanmar!

Vienna

I forgot how much I liked rice. I know this must seem like a strange way to begin a post with the subject, Vienna, but I really enjoy the food in Thailand... and Vienna made me forget ALL about that! Mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about all the wonderful food I ate (especially the desserts!).

Sachertort at Cafe Sacher

I arrived in Vienna after pretty uneventful flights. Although my flight from Bangkok was delayed, I still managed to make my connections and all of my bags (including the all-important conference posters) made it through to Vienna. Then I headed to the train to make my way to my hotel. I'd printed the directions to the hotel, but still managed to get lost on the train, going several stops past where I was supposed to get off and then getting on the next train in the wrong direction. There are definitely some benefits to have only 3 major train lines in a city (Bangkok!), but once I got to know the system in Vienna, it was fairly easy to navigate. I also appreciate how Bangkok has Thai and English announcements. How spoiled I am!

When I arrived on Saturday, it was particularly warm, and I chided myself for bring almost every single piece of warm clothing I have in Bangkok (which includes several wraps and a light running jacket). I spent the early afternoon wandering around Vienna, waiting until I could check into my hotel and shower/relax a bit. After that, I walked around the neighborhood where I was staying, ate some delicious spaghetti carbonara, and went to bed.

Sunday I woke up early (oh jet lag) and had a delicious breakfast at my hotel. So that you fully appreciate all of the wonderful cheeses, breads, granola that come with a Western breakfast, I'll describe an "American" breakfast in Thailand - one egg, sunny side up, usually runny and cold; white toast, sometimes a bit soggy; two slices of tomatoes; processed "hot dog/sausage." The meal is really only redeemed by delicious Thai fruit. I pretty much gorged myself on yogurt, peaches, and granola every day, with some cheese, sliced meats (real!), coffee, juice, and the odd baguette or pastry... with jam.

I explored most of Sunday - wandering around the older part of the city, went to Stephankirche, taking a tour of Stat Oper (wow), went to Karlskirche (which is a little strange, because they have a viewing tower to see the cupola but it completely ruins the feeling of the church - beautiful paintings though and it was an amazing experience to be so high up in a church). I ate "dinner" at Cafe Sacher, having soup and then some delicious Sachertort. I went to Cafe Demel later in the week (to compare the Sachertort's, of course) and I think Cafe Sacher has better torts, although Cafe Demel has much better character inside and you can watch them baking!

The cupola in Karl's Church

The conference began Sunday night, so I went to the opening session (where people protested, grr) and then promptly passed out from jet lag and too much chocolate!

Monday I was busy with conference things, hanging up posters, standing next to posters, talking about fun HIV things. All in a day's work. Monday evening I wandered around where my hotel was, trying to stay awake. Then I completely deluded myself into thinking it was early (the sun had not set yet) when I realized it was after 8pm and I still hadn't had dinner. I had some delicious schnitzel and, of course, a delicious chocolate pastry.

The elevator/scaffolding to get to the cupola

Tuesday was also a busy conference day, with my poster exhibition, and two of my colleagues presentations. After the conference, I tried to find my way to the tramcar, got lost, found my way again, got lost again, asked for directions, and finally made it. Luckily, Vienna is an excellent place to get lost in because almost everything is scenic. I went to Scottenkirche and tried to eat at the MelkStiftKellar, but it was closed. Instead, I got a kugel at Cafe Landtmann. I think the waiter thought I was crazy because I ordered soup and kugel.

Me and my poster!

Wednesday morning I went to the Schonnbrunn (the summer palace of the kings). Wow! So much better than Versailles! It was also really interesting to learn a bit more about Viennese history, since I knew virtually nothing before coming. Then back to the conference to hear more presentations, gather posters, watch protesters. That evening I went to the Albertina art museum, which has one of Monet's water lilies. I love Monet... and Manet... and Degas... and basically anything that is Impressionist or Pointilist. Figured that out at the Albertina as I got into more modern art and did not like it at all. Not a fan of Picasso or Dali. Good to know! But I do love Monet!

Thursday... hmm, I can't remember what I did... conference things probably. I did meet up with a friend from graduate school for dinner (we went to Glacis Beisl... so great!) and ranted about the stupidity of protesting over a 3% increase in funding. (Long story, but it has to do with HIV funding and crazy people.) Had some (more) delicious food.

 Beautiful architecture in Vienna

Friday night I went to a concert of Mozart and Strauss. Unfortunately most of the big concert halls are closed for the season (although they do have great tours) so I couldn't go to an opera. And, after seeing the concert hall at Stat Oper, I really wanted to go - they sell standing tickets for 4 euro!!! I'll just have to go back. But it was wonderful music!

Saturday I went to Grinzing - unfortunately it was a little cold and rainy so I couldn't really wander. I ended up taking the bus farther out, stopping at almost every place to get out, wander until I couldn't take the cold anymore, then hop back on the bus. I went back to my hotel to pick up my bags and headed back to Bangkok in the evening.

Grinzing

Overall, it was a wonderful trip! I would like to go back to Vienna, maybe even live there (although I probably couldn't afford it). There were a few things in particular that I thought were funny - especially in contrast to my life in Bangkok. First, I love museums, and Thailand doesn't seem to fully appreciate them. Most are a bit decrepit so it was great to be able to go to a museum and learn. Second, if you couldn't tell, I really like the food! It was strange for me to be in a country I'd never been to and feel like I was eating comfort food. I know it's Western, but I don't think I've felt that before. Last (and something it is especially strange to appreciate), I really liked being able to mix in with people who lived there. There were several times when people asked me for directions - in English, German and French. Obviously, I don't look like a national here. Not being recognized as a foreigner, at least, until I spoke, was an added perk.

No more Japanese comments!

Recently, I've been getting notifications from BlogSpot that "someone commented on your post." I excitedly sign into Blogger, head to the dashboard and see the notice that "1 comment needs to be moderated." Wow, I think, someone commented on my post... maybe someone IS reading my blog. So I click on the link, only to find that it's actually just Japanese spam. Come on now, I'm getting spammed by some crazy Japanese spammer and it's almost the highlight of my day. So on that note, some directions when you come to my blog that I would appreciate you follow. Please read carefully.

I'm completely stealing this post from another fellow (A Cheesehead and and Unemployed Engineer in Namibia).

Dear blog friends,
Because I miss you, you are required to comment when you read my blog so I can hear your pretty faces. I know I haven't had an entry in awhile, and I promise to try harder if you do.

Love,
Katie

Oh and I'm definitely going to post a note on the other fellows' blogs now. And tell the Cheesehead in Namibia that I appreciate her post.

I made it through college without getting addicted to caffiene, but I can't make it through the US.

Jet lag is miserable - I kept trying to figure out why I was falling asleep during important meetings (e.g., some important program reviewers were here from Atlanta... ekk!) and then I realized it was because my body had no idea what time it was! So, I've been drinking an abysmal amount of caffeine - almost three weeks of a cup (or two) of coffee or tea. Right now, I'm drinking Thai iced tea, a delicious concoction of tea, sweetened condensed milk, regular milk and lots of ice. That's how I like my caffeine (and alcohol...). I planned on ridding myself of this addiction over the weekend by catching up on all my sleep and not drinking any caffeinated beverages. It was a challenge and I relapsed today with some chaa yen.

The reason for all this caffeine - in mid-June, I went back to the US for a wedding, a conference, and to see my family (sounds like the opening of a really bad movie). Like all of my trips, it was jam-packed, and this one was no exception. I hit the ground running the night I arrived, scheming with the Kuiper family et al. about wedding plans and schedules. Made it through Thursday (various runnings about to prepare for the wedding plus a late-night bachelorette party and mishap at the hotel - there really WAS NO sofa!) with the help of two large cups of coffee. Friday was a whirlwind of seeing the venue, organizing decorations, topped off by the rehearsal dinner (one+ cups of coffee). Saturday was the wedding (beautiful and only a little bit of rain during an otherwise perfect day). Sunday was brunch, coordinating with Tulane friends, dinner, and collapsing into my third bed of my trip. Monday to Thursday were filled with conference proceedings and dinner/drinks/desserts with old friends (oh, and don't forget the massive amounts of coffee). Friday and Saturday included some wonderful time with my family and neighbors. Sunday was up to NYC to see my Aunt Peggy then take off back to BKK. Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it (or that could be the sugar in my chaa yen running off...).

The bridesmaids in yellow - Jocelyn, Brianna, Alexis, me, Tiffany

Friends from all over the country - Jamie, Katie, me, Alana, Emily

In other news, it's now (probably) the rainy season. While there's no specific day designated as the start of the "hotter season" (winter being hot, rainy being hotter, and summer being hottest), it's been raining A LOT recently. It's great from the safety of an enclosed place like my apartment or office, but not so much fun when I need to get home from Thai class and my usual method is via motorbike. I carry an umbrella with me at all times and I'm thinking of adding flip flops and a plastic bag to that.

Bangkok has also been quiet since the blow-up (I really don't know what to call it... maybe I'll follow the Irish and call it the 'Troubles'). Four days after the really bad stuff happened (army storming protest area, Bangkok buildings set on fire), things were pretty much back to normal. And after the government lifted the curfew (about a week and a half later), it seemed like Bangkok had never been "besieged" by protests. A great thing for my life, but probably not such a great thing for Thailand. More on that eventually...

This weekend I took a cooking class... was interesting. Interesting mainly because I can count on one hand the number of times I've cooked anything in Thailand. ("Cooked" being a very broad term, which mainly includes microwaving eggs and oatmeal. If you add in microwaving leftovers, the number jumps to one I can count with fingers and toes.) And my goal was to stay up to watch the US vs Ghana game (beginning at 1:30am Sunday) but that was way too ambitious. I did watch Germany trounce England, despite a bad call on England's almost second goal.

I'm finished with my rambling for now. As soon as I can get over my caffeine addiction (and the "allergies" I probably picked up on my flights back here), everything will be back to normal.