Whatever expectations I had about the Ratilana hotel in Chiang Mai, were exceeded once we checked in. The boutique hotel was designed by a wood craftsman, and his love for quality woodwork reflected in the details of his hotel. The bathroom had a jacuzzi tub that faced a TV mounted on the wall, the main room had a sound system and dvd player built in, and we had a private deck with a daybed. The pool was equally gorgeous and it wasn't too long before we decided to get some sun in and relax. After a few laps in the pool my stomach reminded me that it was time for dinner. At the concierges recommendation, we headed into town to grab dinner at the riverside restaurant. A healthy eater as well, Aiola and I ordered 3 main entrees, Pad Thai, Fish 2 ways , and glazed duck. Everything was out of this world, especially the fish which was whole and fried. As I struggled to get the last morsels of fish off with my fork, Aiola had resolved to a more practical approach and was using her hands working with a seldom seen efficiency. At one point I just stopped and laughed out loud and called her a piranha after seeing a pile of perfectly clean bones on her plate. It was almost like watching the cartoon character Garfield swallow a fish and pull out a whole skeleton.

After our sufficiencies were suffancified we walked outside and jumped in a Tuk Tuk which is a Thai taxi is a modified motorcycle that has a wagon in the back for you to ride in. Zipping along, we arrived at Kavira where Mui Thai is held. I had only seen this on TV during a Fight Science special where it looked super bad ass. The first match we watched it really looked like they were in it for the money and trying hard to win. The other matches were demonstrated a love for the sport and a respect for their opponents. When one fighter received a good shot, he actually nodded to acknowledge the efforts of his opponent. In one match, one fighter was actually knocked out and his opponent actually rushed over displaying genuine concern for his condition. It was really enjoyable interesting to see their warm-up routine which was a mix of dancing praying and stretching.

We closed out the night with a little midnight shopping in an outdoor market and went to bed thinking about the adventures we had in store for the next day.

What's the capital of Vermont?...Bangkok

Thursday Feb 11, 2010

The nonsensical title above is a shout-out to my buddy Shanthan (do you even read these posts?).

Do I celebrate Chinese new year? If by celebrate you mean take advantage of two consecutive days off from work to go to Thailand, then you bet your ass I do! In order to make this trip work, I was going to need a bit more time, so I took an extra two days off from work. That only means that you need to cram those 2 days into your last day before you leave. I did just that and left the office at 3:30 am Thursday morning, got to my apartment at 4:00, packed until 5:00, stared at the wall in a zombie state for 15 minutes and left for the airport at 5:15am.

We got lucky when we reached the hotel at 10:00am, and they gave us our room. Sorry, introductions. Us is Aiola - a fellow MDP colleague/friend, and of course, yours truly, me. She had arrived in Singapore a month after I did from the NY office as well where we had worked together for the previous two years. Wanting to crash right then and there, we pushed ourselves to get out of the hotel and start one of the two activities that Bangkok is famous for...shopping (I'll get to the other one later).

I have to be honest, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of hours of shopping, but I can't complain too much since I did walk away with a new shirt (good quality at good a quality price) a new belt (medium quality at medium quality price) and some DVD's for cheap (I'm assuming that these work right now as I haven't checked them yet). The way I saw it, was that for the most part, you got what you paid for. Sure there were knock-offs at low prices, but from what I saw, it wouldn't be in good condition very long. Case in point, Aiola bought a very nice chinese dress, but you could tell the quality wasn't there. After the first time wearing it, it tore at the shoulder. One thing worth noting was the layout of the shopping. When we started near our hotel, there were nothing but the best (legit) stores, a kind of 5th avenue type setting only in a mall. As you got further away, the stores gradually changed over to no name stores and then eventually you end up in the back where it's more of a bazar where haggling is expected.

Back to the hotel, we tried to plan our next move, but ended up making the right decision in passing out for an hour before dinner. At my neighbor's suggestion (he lived in Bangkok for 2 years) we ate at the Blue Elephant which is considered royal Thai cuisine. As with many fine restaurants, there is a chefs section where you have the option to choose one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert. The difference here is that the three or four "options" were actually all prepared and presented to you. It was an excellent way to sample a variety of Thai food at one sitting. All of this being said, and with the ability to compare with what came next in Chiang Mai, I have to say that especially at 10 times the price, Blue Elephant has a hard time stacking up against The Riverside restaurant.

After dinner, Aiola and I went for a drink at Vertigo, a rooftop bar on the 61st floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel. The views were amazing and the martini good, but I was ready to see what the real Bangkok was like. With that in mind, we traveled to Pat Pong road where the second most notable (not necessarily in that order) attribute of Thailand was...bars with go go girls. I don't think that I had my second foot out of the taxi before some guy approached me, asking if I wanted to see a sex show. Nevermind that Aiola was right next to me, he actually had a printed off list of things that I could see. After shaking him and several other guys off, we walked into a club where there were girls dancing, fully clothed although skimpy. This club had a non threatening vibe, and all the girls asked Aiola if we were together before asking if I wanted a dance which I refused anyway. Aiola seemed to enjoy herself even more than I did, and actually danced with the girls for a few minutes, just for fun.

Not wanting to spend the whole night in just one place, we walked out to see what else was out there. We walked into another club and it wasn't until I sat down that I noticed that this place was different. Clearly there were different intentions here since all the girls had numbers pinned to their bikini's. Not only did I not like the situation, I was worried that there were a few lady-boys that I had heard about staring me down. I uncomfortably guzzled my Heineken, and we hightailed it out of there.

We stopped at another bar with live music just long enough to watch some guy fall off of a stool while hitting on Aiola, and an Australian guy take off his pants in the bar and do some crazy dancing. That about satisfied our curiosity, and we decided to call it a night.

Flame On!

February 6-7 2010

When filling out the arrival cards on airplanes, there are always a few boxes that ask you why you are traveling to X country. There is one that says business, one that says visiting family, one that says holiday, etc. I don't ever want to check just the box that says business, so of course I extended my Manila trip to include the weekend so I could see a bit more of the Philippines. After consulting a few people from the Manila office for advice where I should visit, Subic Bay rose to the top of the list given the short time I had. Gerrica of course snapped into gear organizing the details, arranging the car, hotel, and all the details inbetween. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they weren't sending me on my way, but organizing a group outing. In total, 5 people from the Manila office decided to head out with me. It is common among upper middle class families to have family drivers, so we were lucky to have Tracy's car and driver available for the weekend.

After meeting up at the hotel 7:00am, we made the 2 1/2 hour drive to Subic Bay. It was interesting for me to see areas outside of the central business district where the Hotel and Deutsche Bank were located. One could get a unbalanced view of Manila if this was the only road taken. The other areas of Manila were clearly less wealthy. I enjoyed the ride there, as the conversation in the back of the van switched seamlessly between Tagalog to English depending on which language could express their thoughts the best. Politics entered the conversation on more than one occasion when we passed billboards with candidates faces. The Philippines have had their share of corrupt leaders in the past, resulting in candidates creating the illusion that they too came from humble beginnings and are a champion of the common man.

First on the agenda was Tree Top Adventure, a zip line course that sent you flying through the forest canopy. I had done zip lines in Costa Rica, however this one had a twist where you were suspended horizontal to the ground, explaining the very appropriate name of the ride "the superman". Clipping on my very fashionable harness (look for these on project runway next year) Gerrica and I decide to be the first brave pair to jump off the platform. It's a thrilling feeling that mixes a bit of fear and excitement.

What followed was what I had been pumped about for the entire week prior to my arrival to Manila. Arriving back at our resort, Gerrica and I headed straight for the Scuba shop. Neither of us had ever gone Scuba diving before, so the beginners course was exactly what we were looking for. After an hour on land listening to our instructor give us the basic do's and don'ts, I was faced with the task of pulling what looked like a 5 year old's onesie over my 6 foot frame. After flailing around in the bathroom for some time, I managed to get myself in the thing and did what any guy would do once this was accomplished. ...started making super hero poses of course! Looking like a character from Fantastic Four, I jumped out of the bathroom yelling "flame on!" Ahh, at least I entertain myself.

Once in the water, we had to demonstrate proficiency in the maneuvers we just learned, regulator recovery, clearing our mask, checking pressure and air gauge, hand signals etc. After getting an A+ smily face, smily face on our exam, we headed out underwater, slowly working our way down. It's hard to get over the fact that you can be in this environment and breathe normally. Our instructor pointed out creatures along the way, stopping to rub a sea urchin which shot out white tentacles once touched. Just as I was getting used to everything, the hour was up and we were running out of air and had to return to the surface.

After another traditional Filipino dinner near the beach, we attempted to check out the night life. I say attempted because the "club" we were told about was an empty diner, and the music and lights we saw in the distance actually turned out to be a children's amusement park. When we stopped to ask a guard for directions to nightlife, my window was rolled down. Seeing a white male, he sent us to the redlight district. Acknowledging defeat, we returned to the hotel where we were content to sip on a few San Miguels and enjoy the sound of the ocean and the view of the stars.

Paella Pull-ups

February 2-5 2010

Because we work closely with our team Manila Philippines, it was about time that I head out there with my boss to do a little meet and great. Due to the safety precautions Deutsche Bank takes, they usually put you up in 5 star hotels like the Makati Shangri La. It didn't take long for you to physically see the security measures taken in Manila. Before you reach the hotel, armed guards stop the vehicle give a quick look and wave you through. At the door, security personal equipped with a bomb sniffing dog stop to check your bag. It's more reassuring than scary or cumbersome, however whatever reservations you may have drift away once a few feet into the lobby where your senses take in not only an elegant layout but a subtle but distinctive scent that calms you immediately. It sounds funny that I am writing about smell, but first, I'm not the only one who thinks this, and two, I am a believer that smell has a powerful affect on mood and emotion. Check out this link if you want to see why (scientifically) this is true. http://health.howstuffworks.com/smell3.htm

The next day, it was off to the Manila office. I have to say, Philippine hospitality is tops (so far). When I went to Brazil, they were really lovely, but I found Filipinos to be even better. Prior to the trip, I had expressed interest in staying for the weekend to check out some of the sites. Before long, I had an list of suggestions and an offer to coordinate the arrangements, right down to the tiniest detail "did I have food allergies?". This mentality also applied to the office, making sure that I was comfortable and had everything I needed.

While work is important, and it's the reason I'm here, it doesn't make for exciting entries. So, yada yada yada, dinner time. We went to a Philippine restaurant for dinner which was quite good. Filipinos love their pork, and it seems to be at every meal, even in the most unlikely places. I have never heard of a tofu dish with pork in it (Tokwa't Baboy), but a few nights later I came across just that. In addition to pork, there was a soup with a guava extract (Sinigang sa Bayabas) that was interesting, a very fancy whole fried fish, rice of course, and garlic veggies.

Back at the hotel, Hooi-Ming my boss, decided to get a massage. Thinking I could go for one myself, I went down to the spa to book some me time. I like massages, but it always takes me a little bit of time to get comfortable with the idea that a stranger is rubbing me all over. You are in a room with a robe and the masseuse tells you they will be back in a few minutes, do you just take your shirt off, your pants, everything, I don't know and everyplace is different (not that I have been to too many clearly). This one had a twist too because there was a shower, and I was asked if I wanted to shower first. Is that because they think I want to shower or is it that they want me to shower so they don't have to touch someone who isn't clean. Any how I think I got all the combos right took a quick shower, stripped down to my boxers and put a robe on. It was very enjoyable, with just the right pressure, none of that stuff that makes you want to say, "what the hell are you doing I'm on vacation not a stretching rack in a dungeon" but enough to work out the kinks.

Thursday was much like Wednesday, except we ate dinner at the Japanese restaurant in the Hotel. After dinner, Hooi-Ming and one of our Manila colleagues, Gerrica, decided to grab a drink at the hotel. There were two choices, the first was a somber looking fancy bar, and the other was the opposite, but not in a good way. It was full of the 50+ crowd who were dancing and singing to "Dancing Queen". After sitting down for a full 30 seconds, we make a move for the door. a 10 minute walk down the road we end up a thumping club that sounded like it had 50 more people in it than it really did. I didn't really care though because it was good to chat with Gerrica, and take advantage of the cheap San Miguel (light to be exact).

Friday - work stuff, then a special dinner at Gerrica's brother's restaurant Amalia's a spanish restaurant with divine paella. There were actually two kinds of Paella, one which I was familiar with and another with black rice (Paella Negra) which looked much more plain, but had a wonderful flavor with crispy bits of rice (not hard) which added a nice texture. Salty beef, wonderful garlic mushrooms, Oysters Florentine, and Sangria make a happy Justin. After being coerced by the group to finish all that was left on the table, I threw in the towel when I thought I actually may sustain permanent internal injuries (which would have been totally worth it).
The dilemma I faced next was that I wanted to go to the hotel gym to burn off a few hundred of the several thousand calories I just glutinously consumed, however I ate so much that this type of physical exertion seemed impossible. After returning to the hotel and 45 minutes of mindless drivel on TV, I headed to the gym to attempt some Paella pull ups. After all, I was headed to the beach the next day, and I didn't want the nick-name fatty chunk chunk to be less of a joke and more of a reality (I'll explain in a separate blog).