Blonde in Bangkok

The India Diaries: Blonde in Delhi

2012-01-11T06:11:00.001-08:00

Our last day in Delhi was Christmas day and we started our day with a visit to Humayuns tomb, which was built by the same family who built the Taj Mahal. We continued to see the architecture similar to the other mosque we visited and along the Delhi roads. What first caught my eye when we got into Humayuns tomb wasn't the architecture but the puppies. Near the first gate were two tiny puppies - very malnourished. After walking a bit longer, we found yet another skinny puppy. This is very difficult for me to see - I wanted to feed, bathe, and adopt them all but unfortunately I couldn't. I had to pry myself away and try to keep my mind off of these poor animals.

After touring more of the temple I fell in love with the sweetest dog in the whole world. It was the mother to the puppies I had seen earlier. She was the saddest thing I've ever seen but so lovable! I found a granola bar in my purse and fed her half of it. She scarfed it down in one bite and begged for more so, of course, I obliged and gave her the rest of my bar. She followed me around for the rest of the afternoon and was so happy to be fed anything. It was heartbreaking and I really still can't stop thinking about this experience.

Humayuns Tomb was the first time in India where I was heartbroken by an animal and the first experience with the Indian paparazzi. I was told before coming to India that it was quite the experience being a blonde tourist there. I wasn't prepared for the swarms of people who wanted a photo of me, with me, with their mom, with their child, with their cousin. It was insane! I probably took 60 pictures that day and heard the weirdest things from various men:

1. "Hey sis, you lookin' gorgeous"

2. "I WILL remember you."

3. "What nation are you from?"

It was a bizarre experience for sure.

So it's day 3 in India and so far no one has really gotten sick. Sure the occasional upset stomach occurred and I am so glad! We've almost escaped Delhi without Delhi belly! Hopefully we make it Agra without getting sick! Merry Christmas from Delhi!

-blonde in bangkok

The India Diaries: Delhi pt 1 (video blog)

2012-01-10T05:56:00.000-08:00

Video proof of the plane pervs and our crazy ride to Delhi.

-blonde in bangkok

The India Diaries: Delhi pt 2

2012-01-09T02:38:00.000-08:00

Jama Masjid in Old Delhi

Waking up in Delhi was a mix of excitement, nervousness and anticipation. I couldn't wait to get out and explore the city!

Robes for women in Jama Masjid

First stop: Jama Masjid temple in Old Delhi! We took a couple of hours to walk around and enjoy the temple. There were homeless people inside the Jama Masjid, which came as a surprise to me, begging for money. It was beautiful though and a great introduction to Indian architecture - it had a lot of similarities to other temples we visited through the 15 days.

Robes for women in Jama Masjid

Cotton Market by Jama Masjid (park is on the right side)

As our visit to the temple wound down, we all met up outside to look at an incredible view. We saw far off into the distance the tips of temples which were covered in fog. (Delhi has to be in the top 5 most polluted cities in the world!) We watched a game of cricket amongst children in a nearby park but then our eyes settled on a crowded market down below. Before entering Jama Masjid, our driver briefly mentioned that the areas surrounding this temple were very dangerous but once we saw this market we had to go. I had some apprehensions and had no idea what to expect but it was something I'm VERY glad I did.

The market was called the Cotton Market and was next door to the park. This area has to be the poorest area I've ever seen in my life. After we walked briefly through the introduction we got right into the heart of this madness. First shock? A potentially dead body lying on the downhill steps to enter the rest of the market. Then I saw the first (of many) instance of a child defecating on the street. People attempted to grab at us and the staring was reallybad - some stares were these coldhearted stares that I'd never felt before. I was very uncomfortable and it only got worse.

As we got closer to the park, as we were exiting the market, we saw the most interesting of all. This park was some type of drug center. We saw kids huffing, violence, and people who were out of their minds on drugs. There was also a women caressing herself who decided she needed us to be her audience for this. This was when I was ready to go home but there was more to do (hopefully the next stop would be better)!

Stop 2: Raj Ghat, where Gandhi was cremated.

We walked into Raj Ghat thinking we were going to a park until we came across a sign telling us what momentous event went on here. We scoped out the area on an elevated walkway and it was truly gorgeous. Lots of people came to pay their respects to Gandhi and flowers adorned everything.

We decided to end the sight seeing on a positive note since we were still feeling overwhelmed from the Cotton Market...so we ate some more food! :)

flowers at Raj Ghat

I once again managed to eat a delicious daal, it was my favorite Indian food so far. I eyed some Indian desserts but couldn't fit anything else in my stomach. After leaving the tourist trap restaurant I fell victim to another tourist trap - the snake charmer! How could I pass this up though? I was in India. What better time than now to overcome a fear? I was terrified, and ripped off, but it was all in good fun - and made for some great photos.

After lunch we were in dire need of an ice cold beer. We went through an area that looked "high so" (as the Thais call it) and the Oz Cafe sign called out to us. I experienced my first (of many) Kingfishers and was able to unwind from the culture shock I'd experienced from the Cotton Market! This was the best possible way to end a wonderful day in Delhi! :)

-blonde in bangkok

(by the way, order a Kingfisher soon. you won't be sorry.)

The India Diaries: Delhi Part 1

2012-01-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

Having a visitor from back home makes it difficult to live in Bangkok. I love the time that they're here but it makes me miss them that much more when they leave. Luckily after my dad's 2 week visit in December I was hopping on a 5 hour flight to New Delhi! I was nervous and excited and it got my mind off of being homesick.

My introduction to India was uncomfortable and happened before even leaving Thai soil. In the row next to my friend and I was a group of Indian men who spent the next 5 hours staring at us - oh yeah and did I mention they had their iPhones out watching a porn. Immediately after the seatbelt sign was turned off, they started a childish fight with our flight attendants over a bottle of water. So far I was not impressed with the actions of these men. I felt them staring even more and knew they contemplating starting an unwanted conversation with me.

"Can I have some of your water?", the airplane perv asked. "No sorry but I think you can buy some." I said quickly turning my head to avoid eye contact. "Would you like a beer? We have an extra." (wait I thought beer wasn't sold on Air Asia...hmm...) "No thanks.", once again I avoided eye contact but this time I was smart and decided to put my headphones in. They got the hint and I started drifting off to sleep until I heard another commotion coming from these men. They were arguing with the poor flight attendants once again, this time about the banned booze. She told them if they opened their beer she would be phoning the police. This finally got them to shut up and the rest of the trip was filled with stares but they were no longer brave enough to attempt a conversation.

Indian tuk tuk in Delhi.

3 hours later we were in India! We had a 35 minute drive before arriving at the Oodles Hotel in New Delhi. My first impressions of India were as follows:

1. They were no women in sight but LOTS of men were wandering the streets.
2. The tuk tuks are a lot different than our Bangkok tuk tuks. These are closed in the back and have double benches for more passengers.
3. Traffic is insane. There are no lines in the road and even if there were I don't think people would drive in them. Everyone is honking all around us (cars and trucks even say "honk please" on the back).

So far so good. I wasn't experiencing a visual culture shock which helped to ease my mind. Our hotel was quite nice and we were greeted by pleasant staff. We began (and ended) our night in Delhi with a trip to the hotel restaurant where I had my first taste of India. I ordered a delicious vegetarian daal and butter naan. At the end of the meal also came a delicious palette cleanser of paan and sugar - which also freshens your breath. I can live like this for two weeks.

-Blonde in Bangkok

Travel Tip #2

2011-12-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

Sunday while I was taking a form of Bangkok transportation, I overheard a group of three men say "let's just pick a side - we will figure it out".

2. Never just "pick a side"! Most public transportation goes one way or another and if you choose this route, you'll end up lost in a foreign city. Read the train maps and know your destination it'll get you far.

-Blonde in Bangkok

Travel Tip #1

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ready for my top travel tips??

This is a random yet very useful list of things to know based on my own experiences.

1. Don't look like a tourist. Whipping out your map on a crowded Bangkok street is a GREAT way to get scammed by a tuk tuk driver for the infamous jewel scam! Ready your map in the hotel room before hitting the streets to avoid this traveler faux pas.

-Blonde in Bangkok

Episode 3 - 10 things to do in Thailand

2011-11-30T05:18:00.001-08:00

Episode 3 is finally here! What should you do on your trip to Thailand?? Here are 10 (sometimes unusual) ideas.

-Blonde in Bangkok

Thangksgiving Thai Style

2011-11-29T03:39:00.000-08:00

I spent my second Thanksgiving in Bangkok last week (the first was in 2009 when I visited Bangkok for the first time) and it seems everything but normal for a girl from the States.

Waiting for the train at Hua Lamphong in Bangkok...for 2 hours!

In 2009, on Thanksgiving day I spent two hours on a rickety train (which by the way was also two hours late since they were apparently running on "Thai time") without air conditioning in weather that had to be around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It was miserable but in the end, like most things that happen here, it was worth it!

Buddhas in a ruined temple in Ayutthaya

Arriving in Ayutthaya was incredible! It's a Thai city filled with gorgeous ruins from a war with Burma. Although it's in ruins, you can see the amazing architecture that existed before the war.

Dim Sum Thanksgiving

We rented a tuk tuk for the day and traveled to several different temples before having Thanksgiving lunch which also was anything but ordinary. We had some kind of dim sum (which I hated and have now, 2 years later, grown to love) and a Pepsi. Although this year my dad and I were together in Ayutthaya, it did not feel like the Holidays. It's HOT outside, there's never any turkey, and we don't set up a tree but I wouldn't give up that Thai Thanksgiving for anything in the world! :)

Next holiday?

Christmas in India...stay tuned!

-Blonde in Bangkok

Thai Flood Diary: Episode 2

2011-11-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

Finally, my internet has cooperated long enough for me to upload my second video blog! I visited a local Sukhumvit market to see how they were being affected by these terrible floods...

-Blonde in Bangkok

Loy Krathong in Flooded Bangkok. Ironic?

2011-11-10T03:09:00.000-08:00

Loy Krathong is a holiday celebrated in November annually here in Thailand. It's a time to give thanks and apologize to the Water Gods. You float a Krathong in the river (or khlong) and make a wish as you do. This year, I've heard something new about Krathongs. I made paper ones with my students today and a Thai teacher told us to place 1 baht on our Krathong as well as a piece of our hair so the Water Gods know that the Krathong is yours. These weren't proper Thai Krathongs but since the area is flooded it seemed that only a toned down celebration was in order.

I had terrible luck last year for Loy Krathong. My Krathong tipped over immediately after I placed it in the water! That could not have been good luck!!! This year, my paper Krathong floated nicely into the kids' swimming pool and I made quite the wish....let's hope it comes true!

Happy Loy Krathong. Think about Thailand today and wish this country and it's beautiful people good luck in this difficult time.

(I also found this photo well suited for this holiday and situation here in Thailand.)

Until next time...
-Blonde in Bangkok

The Erawan Shrine: Tiring??

2011-11-10T02:55:00.000-08:00

Just found this photo I took on one of my many trips to the Erawan Shrine. It's a beautiful, very famous, Hindu shrine in Bangkok near the Chit Lom BTS stop. This guy must have found the shrine too overwhelming on this day. Did he fall asleep after taking only one shoe off?? Just another day in Bangkok, I guess...

-Blonde in Bangkok

One way to escape the floods? IKEA!

2011-11-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

As the floods began to enter Thailand's capital city, the country's very first IKEA also opened it's doors in a dry suburb of Bangkok. The large 2-story do-it-yourself furniture shop is located around Bang Na outside of the main city. If you're looking for a way to get your mind off the country's worst floods in nearly 50 years, maybe a trip to IKEA is just what you need.

IKEA shuttle bus stop at Exit 5 on Udom Suk's BTS.

It's cheap and easy to get to IKEA, if you don't mind waiting. I recommend taking the BTS' extended line past On Nut to Udom Suk and then taking exit 5. An IKEA shuttle bus runs free of charge to this stop every 30 minutes and will take you right to IKEA. Just keep your eyes open for a big, yellow bus (pictured on the left).

I was surprised with how nice the bus was but I can't say the same for our bus driver. We took shuttle bus 2 and let me warm you --- TAKE NUMBER 1! Our bus driver was half asleep driving practically 20 km/hr. It took nearly an hour to get there (on the way back we took a taxi even further and it took 20 minutes!). Although it took forever and I risked my life for the sleeping driver, it was a nice, cool way to escape the humidity!

When the bus drops you off, you'll more than likely enter through the wrong door, like we did. I can only assume this is the wrong door because you enter through the do-it-yourself furniture section which looks like a warehouse, and smells like one too. Trying to figure out exactly which way to go can sure work up an appetite! Luckily, they sell hot dogs for 15 Thai Baht (that's .50 cents in USD!!)! How can you pass that up??

Although it may not look like it from the outside or by the mass amounts of people in this store, IKEA has also been affected by the flood...

After eating our bun-less hot dogs, we walked past the children's playland (I wanted to play it looked like so much fun) and another food stand to the escalator that would finally lead us to the "Showroom Entrance".

One excited patron heading to the Showroom!

Finally, when we arrived at the main level of the Showroom, we took about 30 minutes to walk through, gazing at the beautiful, bright colors and then we were once again in a food court. This one was much bigger than the others, filled with cozy chairs to lounge while eating your overly priced meal. After having one more small snack, we thought to ourselves "Really? This is it." Of course not...we had one more level to go! This one was the important stuff: bath decor, kitchen supplies, and odds and ends you never thought you needed until now.

Then we were once again in that smelly, warehouse area that finally led us to the checkout. Another piece of advice, if you do choose to get your mind off the flood for a day by visiting IKEA - bring a book! The lines to check out are absurdly long and you may very well get bored.

Long lines at the check-out despite the floods!

See you again next time for more up-to-date information on the flooding in Bangkok! If my internet cooperates, there will be the newest video blog I promised!

-Blonde in Bangkok

An SEC Blonde in Bangkok

2011-11-06T06:50:00.000-08:00

My first comment on this blog yesterday asked about life here in Bangkok.

nervous...!

Well, life for me at this time consists of American football on weekends. Being in Bangkok and trying to keep up with American sports is difficult, to say the least. If it's not the 12 hour time difference, it's the fact that almost nowhere in this city plays American sports. It's all soccer (which they call "football", as an American this offends me :) ) & rugby. And I've actually found myself enjoying rugby but hey - it's not SEC NCAA football game!).

Today was the biggest game of the year (so far) for college football fans. A showdown between the number one (LSU) and number two (alabama) teams in the nation. Of course, I could not miss it! It was primetime back home in the States which just so happens to be 7 am here in Bangkok!

How does one enjoy football at 7 am?? It's much different than it would be in the States. I had to force myself out of bed at 6 am to make sure I had a website that could stream it live. Unfortunately, the Thai government has now banned my favorite site to stream football games. Just in the nick of time, I found a site with the live game and it was perfect time for kickoff!

Purple chocolate chip pancakes

This doesn't sound much different than a game in the States so far, does it? Well, it was much different! In America it's all beer, burgers, and bars....here at 7 am it's purple pancakes, mimosas and computers across the apartment all streaming the same game. Luckily, I had companions who were also decked out in purple for this momentous game!

Ready for the 4th quarter with our mimosas!

It's tough being an SEC fan here in Bangkok but I can't live without my football. Just another adjustment to life in this big Eastern city!

Stay tuned for a video update tomorrow on how markets have been affected here in Central Bangkok!

-Blonde in Bangkok

Thai Flood Diary: Episode 1

2011-11-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

Well, my first video blog is finally here! A little update on how the flood situation is affecting Bangkok. What did I learn from this video? ALWAYS use a light. Enjoy and stay dry! Come back for more video updates soon!

-Blonde in Bangkok