Los Globesters

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

$%#* just got real! Our introduction to Asia :)

OK, folks, this not-posting thing has gone on long enough! I could make a million excuses: frequent Internet connection issues, fluctuating travel plans, exhaustion due to heat, humidity and eternal train rides, etc, but I think my writer's block boils down to the sheer sensory overload of exploring the planet's most populous continent. Indeed, our momentum continues as we venture forward in our travels, all the while maintaining a deep love and appreciation for our respective native countries of Mexico and the US, along with our adopted home of Canada.

Therefore, even though I have no idea how to process Asia at this point (apparently, neither does the tourist sporting the T-shirt that inspired the title of this post!), I will share some of my favorite snaps of our first three fascinating destinations on the continent: Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Blogging also gives me an excuse to hide from our current location of Pattaya, Thailand, a place I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle... Enjoy!

This isn't a poster; it is our view from the most bizarrely named coffee chain we have seen on this trip, during a layover at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, before catching our flight to Singapore.

Arriving in Singapore, Harold captured my delighted expression as I viewed the advertisement for bubble tea for 1 Singapore dollar! (Roughly 67 US cents). Best I've ever had!

One of Singapore's examples of fascinating architecture: part of the Marina Sands Hotel and Shopping Center, Singapore.

Futuristic walkway in Singapore. All of our Singapore pictures were taken at night, since we were jet-lagged after the flight from Istanbul, and participated in the late-night street dining atmosphere. We had been concerned about the abominable air quality of late (after all, we had only narrowly missed the floods in Central Europe and the most raucous protests in Istanbul's Taksim Square), but found it to be under control on our arrival, as forest fires in Indonesia had died down a bit.

This one reminds me of a dinosaur skeleton. Singapore.

This is kind of a ridiculous photo, so I thought I'd share it. Shortly after arriving in Kuala Lumpur and making our way to our rather dank, disappointing hostel (later to be switched out for an amazing one), we hit Petaling Street, Chinatown, and were pleased to find coconuts for 1.50 USD.

A 19th century Kuala Lumpur building is illuminated by Chinese lanterns. Known colloquially as "KL", the city's name means "muddy confluence"; it tends to be a resting point for those on long voyages or ill-planned backpacking trips such as ours. Malaysia features an intriguing combination of cultures consisting primarily of the ethnic Malays, who converted to Islam in the 14th century, along with Chinese and Indian populations that settled in the area over the past few centuries. English is used frequently to communicate between cultural groups, which is convenient for many travelers! Need I mention the delicious food that results from such a cultural mix? We spent most of our time dining in the street at all hours of the day and night, enjoying such delights as satay, tandoori chicken, and fish ball soup.

One of the dingier establishments, but certainly tasty!

The world's tallest twin towers, known as the Petronas Towers, in KL. We obtained malaria medication and vaccines at one of the finest medical facilities I have ever seen, housed in the towers.

In the back room of the (free!) KL City Gallery, a gentleman prepares tiny, intricately cut pieces of wood to be assembled in a variety of structures in keeping with the Chinese craft.

An old KL municipal building. You can see the influence of Islamic architecture, fitting in the officially Islamic country of Malaysia.

We came across a (free!) music festival preceding the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began during our stay in mid-July. KL, Malaysia.

These are all head coverings for Muslim ladies. I don't think I saw the same one twice. The creativity in design was awe-inspiring, particularly when glancing down the street at all of the brightly colored heads, with the light fabrics fluttering in the breeze. KL, Malaysia.

Utter chaos at a pre-Ramadan department store sale in Kuala Lumpur.

Satay!! Some are breaded and fried, and others are steamed at your table.

I am a cockroach magnet. One of the little buggers at the aforementioned underwhelming hostel where we spent our first two nights in Kuala Lumpur.

The second (delightful!) hostel where we spent four nights featured the most personable cat we've ever met, who unfortunately suffered an anxiety attack when we woke her up by opening the glass door... :( Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur skyline, leaving the twin towers.

These cats are at Starbucks, keeping an eye on the operations. Kuala Lumpur.

Hindu temple, Kuala Lumpur. All three times we have entered Hindu temples, people have been very welcoming, involving us in the ceremonies and inviting us to take pictures.

These stairs lead to the Batu Caves, a set of Hindu cave temples outside of Kuala Lumpur.

This Golden Buddha was added recently and viewed as a bit garish by some locals.

Huffing and puffing up the steps.

One of the temples.

Guarding the caves.

Now we are on the train to Thailand, passing through the beautiful south on the way to Bangkok, where we started our exploration of this intriguing country.

We had never purchased sleeper train tickets; I was pleased to see that there were curtains on the bunks, as there were 40 other people sleeping on the same car! We had a blast talking to some very pleasant and dynamic people during the 24-hour ride from northern Malaysia.

Arriving in Bangkok. The famous tuk-tuk, one of the many vehicles constructed from a motorcycle base.

Dragonfruit smoothies: one of our great Thai discoveries.

Ronald McDonald, Thai style.

Temple view, Bangkok.

Lovely concrete design on the sidewalk, Bangkok.

One of the side streets in central Bangkok.

Passengers getting ready to board the ferry, which forms part of the transit system, circumventing traffic by shuttling folks through the dirtier mini-rivers flowing towards the main Chaophraya River, Bangkok.

The curtain is up to avoid splashes!

Temple shot, Bangkok.

Lighting up the streets for Buddhist Lent, which began two days ago.

Crepes! Bangkok.

Harold roasting his own chicken.

Young boys commencing their service as Buddhist monks in this Theravada Buddhist country. Bangkok.

I needed some fresh air, so we headed to the River Kwai. Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

River Kwai.

Relaxing at a bar, literally on the street, in Kanchanaburi.

Time for laundry- good thing the streets are lined with washing machines!

Festooning and blessing a 500-year-old boat just discovered a few weeks ago, its intact condition widely perceived to be miraculous. Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

River Kwai.

A dwarf chicken! Inside a soup restaurant! Bangkok.

I left out our amazing first Asian jungle trip, so I will fill y'all in on that dream come true (and more!) in the coming days. Thanks for reading, and peace and blessings to you :)

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Exploring Istanbul

Since we are heading to Singapore tomorrow, our heads will soon be filled with exciting new experiences in Asia, but at the same time, we will continue to reflect and post on all the incredible places we were fortunate enough to visit in the European region.... What better place to begin than with the "here and now"?

We spent over a week and a half in Istanbul! That may seem an odd decision, given that Turkey is huge, with so much to explore. However, after budget traveling around Europe for nearly four months, we were exhausted, and lucky we made it out of the city at all (to Cappadocia)! Fortunately, Istanbul is a place where each stroll around the same area seems vastly different each time, and thus, we were able to savor the sights and sounds of a completely new, fascinating destination disparate to any we had previously visited, and at a pivotal time in its history, to boot :) Behold, Istanbul:

Disoriented after a long bus ride from Athens and an ATM mishap at the Otogar bus station, we wandered around Istanbul for a couple of hours before finally making our way to the Taksim Square neighborhood, walking past busloads of riot police, locals began to warn us to stay out of the area. Soon, we began to smell the tear gas, and the air was hazy with dust and smoke. Piles of rubble lay smoldering. Broken glass from display windows littered the streets, and we picked our way past uprooted metal posts. After a full night of struggles between protesters and police, the area had been closed to traffic. A few pedestrians tentatively made their way through the area. As we began to cough more frequently and the haze grew thicker, we turned around, went into a restaurant back down the hill (pictured above), and discovered an email from our would-be host, telling us not to come to Taksim Square..... and we finally had breakfast while discussing the unrest with a local young Turkish couple and an Australian family residing in Istanbul. We proceeded to book different lodging and headed to the Fatih neighborhood, thoroughly exhausted..... (Two weeks later, we returned safely to explore Taksim Square.)

Our first glimpse of the Blue Mosque, or Sultanahmet Mosque. As I learned when entering this mosque, although prayer is to be done five times daily in Islam, it need not necessarily take place inside a mosque each time. There is no particular universal design of a mosque, and thus there is a great degree of regionalism in architecture. Looking forward to comparing with mosques in Asian countries.

Roman aqueduct, in excellent condition.

The Globesters (with me in my "Crocodile Hunter" hat) and our friend Annika, who we were thrilled to meet up with in Istanbul after having explored Sofia, Bulgaria together.

The New Mosque.

A ferry terminal on the Bosphorus River, where the famous fish sandwiches are sold.

More fish sandwich joints under the bridge.

Goofing off with Annika outside of Topkapi Palace. True to form, we did not go inside, as most of the fun was to be had outside, where the locals hung out. We also thought the 20 USD price tag was a bit steep.

The Topkapi palace grounds used to house 4,000 people in medieval times.

Night scene, with the Blue Mosque in the background.

The Sultanahmet bar area, where the foreigners and some locals like to have a beer on the various terraces.

This picture is not great from a photography standpoint, but I like it. The Blue Mosque is in the background.

Looking very hipster, eating musaka at our favorite restaurant in the conservative Fatih neighborhood, where we spent most of our time.

Looking for the Thai embassy to obtain our tourist visas.

Obelisk near the Blue Mosque.

Street life, with lots of Turkish flags.

Detailing on the lovely medieval architecture.

Almost ready to enter the Blue Mosque; just need to cover my arms.

Mosque coverage requirements.

Inside the wall of the Blue Mosque.

Blue Mosque.

Exiting the Blue Mosque.

Architectural marvel Aya Sofia in the background.

Blue Mosque in the sun.

Strolling the shopping streets. Lovely lamps for sale.

Along the Bosphorus.

Fishing.

Galata Tower.

Walking home from the market.

Cats rule the roost in Istanbul. They are collectively fed and watered in a long tradition of cat lovers. It is debatable whether this is due to religion or other cultural factors in the area, but it is lovely to see so many healthy, plump, adored street cats.

Hotel Fatih.

Near the Blue Mosque. Under construction, it appears to be a museum.

Not a worry in the world.

Dolmabahce Clock Tower.

Dolmabahce Palace gates.

Blue Mosque at sunset.

Cute little bus. Never took one; it seemed to operate on a different system from the larger city buses. Either way, we tended to walk everywhere, since the transit system was on the pricey side...

Stopping for a tea break by the river.

Stopping for another break in the park, admiring some of the flags Harold has accumulated on his backpack.

The Grand Bazaar.

Grand Bazaar.

Dolmabahce Palace from our packed-to-the-gills Bosphorus River cruise boat. It was the cheapest one, and also featured free tea!

A wedding.

Bosphorus Bridge linking Europe and Asia.

The Asian side of Istanbul.

A palace on the Asian side.

Passing a much larger vessel.

The hazy, humid skyline.

A statue commemorating the Turkish War of Independence from the Allied powers, which ended in 1923.

Strolling the Taksim Square neighborhood, teeming with activity, a tinge of tear gas still in the air.

Fountain outside a Greek Orthodox Church.

Stringy sweets dripping with honey.

Catholic church.

Lovely colors in the Catholic church.

Fun street art.

Hand of Fatima, a symbol of protection from the evil eye. Predating Islam and Christianity, and popular in North Africa and the Middle East, it is referred to as the Hand of Mary or the Hand of Miriam in some Christian and Jewish communities, respectively.