Deep Fried Travel

No, I am not referring to the color of my crispy deep fired beach skin...
Today I left the "Land of Smiles" for the "Land of Durians". I have to admit that after being in Thailand almost 3 months I was not that excited to move to another country and start over on language and culture. However, after spending only a short bit of time here it seems an interesting place.
Fortunate for Malaysia I judge a country mostly on how good and cheap the food is, and if Malaysia is half as good as my Indian inspired lunch, I think it should be a good country to travel in.
Now, back to the subject. Deep fried travel.
Anyone who has read a few traveling books or been on the road for a while as heard of different "methods" to make travel interesting and fun. Immersion, threading etc. I however propose a new method that I have personally developed (without intending to) on travel philosophy.
I have inadvertently discovered that what a country decides to deep fry for food, is enormously linked to larger the culture. I believe that you can completely judge a country by its fried food.
Case in point America. Which foods do we export to the rest of the world and are considered the height of American culture? Fired foods of course, all in the guise of Micky D's and a surprising number of KFCs and other fast food chains.
I propose that we travel to places that have the best deep fried food, and that from this we can learn more about the culture then doing ridiculous things like... i don't know.. visiting temples and cultural sites, or trying to read about the history.
These might be helpful to some, but only one who has not sampled the local deep fried food! Other wise the are in my experience a complete waste of time.
Who are the winners so far on my trip? China's deep fired bananas in the south are diffidently a winner. along with Thailand's hard boiled quail eggs wrapped in wanton like dough put on a stick and fried sereved with sweet chili sauce. ummmmm. I miss it already. I don't think there is a better food for the Atkins diet. I have not been in Malay long, but the fresh fried Samosa like triangle I ate off the street was pretty damn good. The best thing about these foods is that you can eat as much as you like with out worrying. Since as far as i can tell they have absolutely no nutritional benefits!
So get out there and really travel! Not by visiting the Eiffel tower stupid, but by having some French Fries! (for those of you not familiar with these name, some know them as Freedom Fries in the US)
For all of those back in the US, please let me know what a deep fried Twinkies taste like.
I tired the deep fried crickets, and there not bad, alot like Beef Jerky.

Bad Monkey!!

I am to lazy to write right now, but i found this photo on the copmputer i am using and thought it was funny. Enjoy.

On the road again.........

So i know it has been awhile since i last wrote but, for some strange reason living minutes away from an amazing beach, just isn't conducive to writing on the computer. so sue me.

Anyways I have spent the last month plus staying at my fathers house in Patong, which has been great time. I promise that anyone willing to make the trip will not be disappointed with Patongs New Years eve Party. I have never seen such mayhem and so many explosives in my life.

i am know on the road south heading for Malaysia, Singapore and Borneo, and then.... Although I was only in Patong for a month, i forgot how much the open road can trough at in in short periods of time. In one weeks time i have almost been killed (slight exaggeration, but not much) at least a dozen times while on the road, including taking a way to long motorcycle taxi ride with my full backpack, not a great idea for long distances. Fallen on reefs twice and cut more than i like to be. Been in a amazing hidden beach accessible only by swimming thru 100 yards of pitch darkness (think something like out of the movie the Beach, but better), and lost 1000 baht drinking a gambling (not the best combination, or is it?) on hermit crab races.

So now i go to Ko Turutao national park before leaving Buddhist Thailand, and entering Islamic Malaysia. I am Excited for a new country, however being that 2 of my favorite things is Pork and Beer, especially together, i might be a little sad at meal time.

The two photos are also on my photo blog. But one is the massive fireworks i had for New Years and the pther is the island that has the hiddin beach, Ko Muk, i think it was.

Same Same, But Different

Anyone who has spent any time in Thailand will be annoyed with this saying. what it means exactly i don't think anyone knows. I believe its the Thais feable attempt at Chinglish. However it seems to hold true for Thailand vs other Asian countries. What a difference a boarder makes.

Since i last wrote I have traveled quite a was, from south western China to southern Thailand. Talk about night and day. From the moment i arrived in Thailand, it seemed all to familiar after China, but at the same time i realized that this is a very different place compared to any other country on the planet.

Thailands a great place to "holiday" but a tough place to travel. While its easier than China in many respects, because many people speak at least basic English, it makes it tougher because the "path" is so well traveled and beaten that, it makes it difficult to get off of if your looking to escape the billion Europeans on winter holiday.

On a lighter note it really is a wonderful and beautiful country, with amazingly friendly people, and I have had a lot of great experiences here. One particular highlight was the Kings birthday December 5th, in which I was lucky enough to be staying very close to the grand palace in Bangkok, and was able (I think, there were a lot of cars with fancy dressed people in them and i was jumping up and down to get a view) to see the King. I am not a great writer and I do not think anything I could write could quite capture the feeling of tens of thousands of people lined in the streets to give there genuine thanks and love to one person. As you looked out its was like stareing at a moving yellow sea (everybody owns yellow, his favorite color, "long live the king shirts") of people with /Thai flags and candles. It really is amazing to see a country where the ENTIRE population loves the king. I mean this, no exaggeration, I think you would be hard pressed, if not impossible, to find any Thai that does not absolutely love the king! Really amazing experience especially coming from a country where a majority truly the dislike the current ruling situation.

Above are some photos taken during the Celebration to give you an idea. I especially like the one of the mom holding the kids ears as the fireworks went off! (photos are courtesy of Jan at Fetus Karate, thank you for letting me steal your photos!). As usual I am dumb and don't bring my camera to really cool stuff.

Also it should be noted that there was no one drinking or causing any problems of any kind, as it is viewed that this would offend the King, pretty amazing considering the amount of people.

So in conclusion......... actually I don't have one, I am just sick of writing and a little sunburned from spending to much time at amazing beaches in Phuket. So deal with, it and thanks for reading!

Chinglish Part 1?

So i Have been in China now for three weeks, and have traveled the across the country. After my experience there is one thing I must share with you. Probably the most beautiful thing in China. No not Tiger Leaping Gorge, or the Karst scenery of Yangshou, but the beauty that is the Chinglish sign.

For those of you that don't have the pleasure of knowing what Chinglish is, this will be a helpful blog. Chinglish is the ridiculous translations that they find for the Chinese signs. These signs litter the country and really is a base for conversations among travellers. often entire conversations are set on the bragging rights of who has seen the best Chinglish sign.

Hopefully the few examples I have provided will help to communicate how great Chinglish is. but i most warn you not to attempt to write Chinglish on your own. Lonely Planet warns that it takes at least 15 years of fluent Chinese use and a 1 week crash course in English to write proper Chinglish.

I am running out of Internet time so I will have to complete the lecture on Chinglish at another time, I will leave you with some examples.

Masters of Transportation

I have arrived in Kunming after a 20 hour train ride, that gave me some time to reflect on my trip.

I have come to the conclusion that the Chinese are masters of transportation. While this may not be apparent the causal traveler, extensive time in China will change your perspective (although i believe this may hold true for other south east Asian countries).

I Give you two examples to set my point. First off is these mastery of communication on the road. While far to complex for most travelers to understand, I have work out the intricate system of honks which Chinese motorist use to communicate to one another.

1 Honk Means... Move over i am passing you on the left.

Amazingly a single honk has multiple meanings. It can also mean.

Move over I am passing you on the Right.

Or. Move the out of the way or i am going to run you over because i am to lazy to pass you on either side.

And finally, I really don't need anything, i am just checking to make sure my horn hasn't broken in the last 30 seconds since i last used it.

While the mastery in communication is impressive by western standards, it barley compares to their ability to fit an amazing amount of things into the smallest area of a vehicle of which i use the term loosely.

No other area in the world can compete with Asia ability to fit things on the back of a motor cycle and or bicycle. I have been witness to no fewer than 50to 60 chickens on the back of a scooter that looked like it should have stop running during the cultural revolution. Seemingly held together only by some miracle of Chinese magic, and or a small child or children spread out across the cages.

Another note worthy example is the Mini bus "taxi". this "bus" not much larger than a scooter with some doors duct taped to it can accommodate no less then 10 people. I think they would go for more but i am about the size of 2 average Chinese people, so that's why i think they usually charge me extra.

For the second example i have posted a sample photo. While this guy appears to be the laziest Chinese packer, most have 3 to 4 times as many chickens, it gets the point across.

The Red Dragon

First a warning: This is my first attempt at a blog, so it will probably suck, please forgive the huge number of misspellings.

Anyways i have some time to kill while waiting for a train ride to Kunming, so this seems as good as any a way to past the time.

I have been traveling aprox. 2 weeks now however it has seemed like months. I started off in Hong Kong for a few nights seeing the city. Then took the train to Guangzhou, in Guandong province, just into PRC from Hong Kong. Guangzhou is a polluted city, with an insane number of people packed into a small area. However it still holds some charm to it if you give it a chance.

I have spent the last week plus in a town called Yangshou, in Guangxi province. It is more of a backpackers haven than a Chinese village, but its location can not be beat. It is in the heart of the most beautiful karst landscape imaginable.

I have climb mountians, bike through rice fields, rode a scooter into areas it should not go, been kayaking, and have learned to play majong. I have to say it has been a lot of fun.

Connected are a few stock photos of the places i have been and seen. The tallest building in Hong Kong, the polluted Pearl river, and the amazing landscape of Yangshou. I would post my own photos however i only have a film camera.