That’s right: I’ve acquired a new addition to my metro card collection. You’re looking at the Kuala Lumpur Monorail single-use card.
The system gets high marks in my book (and I am a strict grader): it’s cheap; if offers powerful air con; trains run frequently; and the system (in conjuntion with KL’s other LRT networks) covers a wide swath of the city.
Malaysia is renowned for its ethnic and religious diversity. Indeed, the monorail car in which I rode yesterday contained the following:
1. a Muslim woman wearing a head scarf;
2. an ethnic Chinese teenage girl wearing a skimpy outfit;
3. an Indian man sporting formal business attire;
4. a Malay Buddhist monk; and
5. me.
Tagged as:
SE Asia,
Travel
I arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. I’m enjoying Malaysia immensely. It’s a country I didn’t think I’d see on this trip, but I’m delighted to have popped across the border from Thailand. I’ll relate the backstory in due time; until then, I leave you with the following photos devoid of explanation. Details to come.
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Photos,
SE Asia,
Travel
I arrived here on Monday morning. Flew in from Bangkok. Fantastic place, Penang. More text and some photos to come soon.
Tagged as:
SE Asia,
Travel
So I got a haircut today — the first one in a while. Best trim I’ve ever received for the equivalent of $10 US (400 Baht). Multiple washings, massage, blow dry, consultation with hair style manuals, application of exotic hair gels, etc. If you’re ever in Bangkok, go to The Blue Wave in the bottom of the MBK Center. And tell ‘em Newley sent you.
Side note: the young lady pictured here was actually not the one who cut my hair (she was merely an understudy, it appeared, and was blow drying my hair between two stages of cuttings). The one who got the honor of shaping my coiffure was a 30-something Thai man with dyed blonde hair; he moved around me with imperiousness and was not in a joking mood.
After he’d finished, I had to argue with him for a good five minutes in order to escape without getting the “white hairs” colored out of my mane. He kept saying “only 20 minutes, only 20 minutes — all hair color same same,” while I insisted, repeatedly, “no thank you, no thank you!”
Tagged as:
Thailand,
Travel
I’m back in The Big Mango (Bangkok) after the return 15-hour overnight train ride from Chiang Mai; I’m sleep-deprived and disoriented, but because I love you all so much, I’ve uploaded a bunch of new images for your enjoyment.
A few of my faves:
Wats in Chiang Mai:
A bridge near my guest house in Pai:
The train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai:
A couple of self-portraits taken from between cars:
My friend Somchai, a monk I met at a wat in Chiang Mai. He’s 26 years old and speaks excellent English; he has a B.A. in languages and an M.A. in political science. We had a chat about the controversy currently swirling around Thailand’s president, Thaksin Shiniwatra. Somchai took quite an interest in my journal, as you can see:
And, finally, three simple words to live by:
That’s all I’ve got for now, folks. I’ve received some emails asking questions about my travels, itinerary, and other stuff. Bring it on — just leave a comment on this post and I’ll try to address your query or observation in my upcoming dispatches.
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Photos,
Thailand,
Travel
I’m back in Chiang Mai after five days in the sleepy, beautiful, farang-inundated town of Pai. Here’re some pics. I’m off to Bangkok tomorrow night, and have many more images I’ll be posting then.
Self-portrait on my rented 125cc Honda Dream motorbike:
Two sunsets:
One of Pai’s main streets:
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SE Asia,
Thailand,
Travel
I’m in Pai, a small town north of Chiang Mai, close to the Thailand-Burma border. Here’s the view from my room:
I made my way up here on Tuesday (at least I think it was Tuesday — the days have been running together in my head) after three or four days in Chiang Mai. The weather’s really forgiving here; it’s still very warm during the day, but at night you almost need long sleeves.
I’ll be heading back to Chiang Mai and then Bangkok next week; expect more photos and stories then.
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Photos,
Thailand,
Travel
I made it to Chiang Mai yesterday. Here’s a pic of me with a buddy. More images and text soon.
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Photos,
SE Asia,
Thailand,
Travel
I’m leaving on the night train this evening for Chiang Mai, in the northwest of Thailand. Never been up that way before, so I’m excited.
I’ll try to post from there, but can’t promise anything. I’ll likely be in Chiang Mai and surrounding areas for several days or week (though if I really like it, of course, I’ll stay longer).
In the meantime, check out a couple of Bangkok-related Gridskipper posts I’ve made this week — one’s about Saxophone Pub, and the other’s on the Chatuchak Weekend Market.
(And by the way, for those of you who’re into RSS, there’s now a feed available for all of my Gridskipper dispatches.)
Tagged as:
Thailand,
Travel
