bangkok

 Wat Arun at twilight

I have been putting off writing this post on Bangkok, instead writing about our Kindles and stupid tourists and such, because we struggle to describe our thoughts on the city even to each other. 

Wat Arun

Sweat rolled off our shoulders, foreheads, and noses at all hours.  Gasoline fumes clogged the air and the calls of “tuk-tuk, tuk-tuk” followed us wherever we went.

Wat Pho

At the same time, the stupas and prangs of the vast temples glimmered in that searing sun.  The 46-meter (150-foot) gold Buddha at Wat Pho reached and reclined above us and we stood like insects at his feet to meditate upon his mysterious smile and aura of purposeful contemplation.

Ramakien gallery

. . . keep reading just another city: bangkok at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

Bangkok

On any given day in Bangkok, Patrick and I find ourselves grumbling about “stupid tourists” as if we are about fifty years older than we actually are.  After three weeks traveling in more conservative northern Thailand, we quickly learned that if you show a modicum of respect, the Thai people will welcome you with glowing smiles but if you are disrespectful (even unknowingly), then they will stare at you with shocked eyes and, on occasion, refuse to help you or begin arguing with you.

On the upside, it is incredibly easy to learn what Thais consider “polite manners” and these six rules should make you many friends in Thailand:

Bangkok market

#6:  Never yell or raise your voice during bargaining.  Of course, in general, it is hard to make friends if you scream at people but in cities like New York, being rude may be the only way to get the end result you need.  Not so in Thailand.  Thai culture frowns on antagonism and overt conflict.  For example, we did some minor damage to one of the motorbikes we rented.  The rental company owner kept apologizing to us because he had to ask us more money than we originally offered to pay for the damage.  After a few days in Thailand, we quickly picked up on this cultural quirk but we have seen several shop owners be completely taken aback and offended when tourists start yelling at them.

#5:  Do not criticize the king or Buddhism.  Thai people take their religion and their king very seriously and it is a criminal offense to criticize the king.  Stand while the national anthem is being played in movie theaters or in markets. 

#4:  Watch your feet.  If you are going to be traveling around Asia, invest in a good pair of sandals because you will be taking your shoes off whenever you visit temples, walk into a guesthouse, or even enter certain museums.  Also, do not point your feet toward Buddha at temples. 

#3:   Learn a few Thai phrases.  Thais use the wai, a gesture similar to the Indian Namaste, with palms placed together and a quick bow of the head, to show respect when saying hello and goodbye.  The Thai people seem amazed that we have taken the trouble to learn to greet them with a wai and “sawasdee ka (for women)/krup (for men).”  “Korp koon ka/krup” means “thank you.”  Easy enough, right?  [If you are heading to Cambodia, "hello" is "Sua s'day" and "thank you" is "au khun."  Cambodians have been even more impressed that we know those two Cambodian phrases.]

#2: Do not wear clothes showing your legs and shoulders at Buddhist temples.  Every single tourist map, guidebook, and temple has signs and warnings telling people to wear appropriate clothing but many enter the temples wearing sleeveless tops or shorts.  Most temples in Bangkok rent unattractive sarongs to wear while walking around but if you want to save your fashion sense and money, consider wearing pants that you can roll up after you visit the temple and a short-sleeved shirt.

And, the big one . . . .

Ummm... why, just why?

#1:  Do not wear overtly offensive T-shirts at holy places and temples.  The picture above was taken at Wat Pho, one of the most sacred temples in all of Thailand, and prompted the writing of this post.  Please remember that many Buddhist monks read English; about half the folks at the temple couldn't take their eyes off this guy's shirt and I felt so awkward for the poor monks sitting near us.  So, when you put your t-shirt on in the morning, ask yourself whether you would want a Buddhist monk to read it. 

The good news is that the vast majority of folks we have met in Bangkok ---- especially Gary from Everything Everywhere and Greg at Greg to Differ --- are cool, interesting, and not stupid at all.  That makes us happy.

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

In the five months we have been traveling with the Kindle 2, we rarely go a week without someone asking us what it is, how it works, and whether it is good for travel.  In a word, it is fantastic.  But, we have several major criticisms and, given the recent launch of the iPad, want to weigh the pros and cons of traveling worldwide with a Kindle.

Paper-like screen: Thumbs up, mostly

Probably the most impressive Kindle feature, the crisp black and white E-ink screen without backlighting makes the Kindle easy to read even in bright sunlight.  As you can see from the picture on the right, the text on a Kindle looks just like a paperback book.  We take our Kindles to parks, cafes, and even beaches, and never worry about glare or tiring our eyes. 

But, it is a black and white screen.  iPad readers will be able to “flip” through magazine pages, maps, childrens’ books, and color photographs.  The Kindle, on the other hand, is best for reading books and newspaper articles. 

Whispernet: Thumbs down

The proprietary Whispernet service, based on worldwide AT&T coverage, makes downloading Amazon e-books convenient because it is free and does not require a WiFi Hotspot.  However, while Whispernet works really well in the U.S. and Europe, coverage is spotty elsewhere in the world.  The Kindle can use unsecured WiFi connections but most hostels, hotels, and cafes use secure WiFi connections to prevent freeloaders from accessing their Internet.

WiFi is the universal standard and Amazon messed up big time by not letting their readers use it.  Kindle users should be able to connect to any WiFi network even if it requires a password.  In countries without Whispernet, we end up downloading books onto our laptops and then revert to 1990s technology by transferring the book through a USB connection. 

Whispernet access (dark purple is 3G access, light purple is Edge access)

Carry Your Library in 10.3 Ounces: Gigantic thumbs, toes, all fingers up
When I explained to my mom that the Kindle would let us carry over 200 books while we traveled, my mom said, "That's the perfect gift for you!"  We tend to barrel through books like a teenage girl goes through lip gloss (cherry flavored, if you please) and our bags are usually packed full of novels and electronics and very little in the way of clothing and accessories.  Because of this wonderful wonderful machine, we have read over 100 books in the last five months without worrying about finding English-language bookstores or forcing ourselves to read The Da Vinci Code for the millionth time (it continues to amaze me that nearly every English language bookstore in the world stocks this book).  

BUT, The Lack of Organization: Thumbs down
Unfortunately, the Kindle’s organization structure is poor, to say the least.  It allows you to organize books by title, author, and most recently read books.  We wish we could also organize books into sub-folders so that we could archive books we have already read and by category.  Libraries have been using the Dewey Decimal System for ages; shouldn’t our electronic library have the same organization capability?

Long Battery Life:  Big two thumbs up
We spend at least two hours every day reading our Kindles but we only charge our Kindles once every two weeks.  That is just ridiculous.  Long after our laptops and iPhone die on night buses, long-haul flights, and boring ferry rides, our Kindles keep us company.  For this reason alone, I think that the Kindle is a clear winner over the iPad as an e-book reader.

. . . Keep reading kindle for travelers at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

in mae sot

Mae Sot countryside

We went to Mae Sot with grand plans: we would stay in this border town for one night and then head to Umphang, an unspoiled wilderness area with numerous hill tribes.  We planned to hike to the highest waterfall in Thailand and find wild elephants.

It was when we sank down into the cushions at Borderline Tea Shop that we realized how tired we were.  I mean, we sat at the tea shop for three hours, refreshing ourselves with a deep green basil lime juice, a Burmese tea leaf salad that was so good we scraped up every last speck off the plate, and roti with channa masala.  We couldn’t figure out why we just kept sitting there, why we didn’t get up to go see the border, why we had no interest in finding the next temple, or crossing over to Burma.

 And, then, it finally hit us.  We had been traveling for four weeks straight without a break.  We had visited my family in India, seen temples while battling sickness, trained elephants, cooked a Thai feast, and found untouristed ruins.  We had walked through humble and cavernous Thai markets and eaten noodles, satays, and mango with sticky rice on so many street corners.  We had packed and repacked our bags every three days and maneuvered our way by buses, trains, planes, and boats.  We were exhausted.

As it turns out, Mae Sot is a pretty good place to do nothing because there is nothing much to do.  The town, situated at the Burmese-Thai border, is a town on the brink of hesitation, not quite Burmese or Thai or Western, but filled with NGO workers, missionaries, Burmese refugees, and Thai citizens.  There are four tourist attractions and none present much charm after a stay in Chiang Mai or Lampang: the bridge that crosses over the border, a lively vegetable market, an uninspiring border market, and a giant reclining Buddha.  

We needed those days spent underneath a magic box that spurts out frigid air, what others like to call air conditioning, and we refer to as bliss in the form of metal.  We went to our Burmese tea shop every day, meeting missionaries and NGO workers who were trying to make a difference, while we lazed about on the cushions and ate delicious salads for 30 baht ($1 USD) per meal.  We let a bit of guilt seep into us while we drank our basil lime juice and listened to the breathing of the stray dog who followed us around the city, eager to receive treats from Patrick’s generous hands. 

Nam Tok Mae Ya Pa

One morning, we rode to Taiksin Maharat National Park, twenty kilometers outside town, to see the nine-tiered waterfall Nam Tok Mae Ya Pa.  We couldn’t even find the impetus to walk up to the top of the waterfall and contented ourselves with lounging in the shade with our Coca-Colas and watching the Thai children splash in the small bathtubs carved by rocks.

Three days was enough.  Mae Sot recharged us and we were ready to face the chaos, bustle, and gorgeousness of Bangkok.  It is a point that I think every long-term traveler reaches --- a breaking point of sorts where you just feel worn down and need to distance yourself from constant movement, people, and new things.  You have to know when you are burnt out, to stop and take a vacation from your journey, to let yourself watch movies, bask in cool air, play on the Internet, read books, and do all of those things that we do when we need to relax.

Fields outside Mae Sot

Sure, we regret not being able to hike in Umphang.  But, if we hadn’t taken that break, we would have turned our journey into a chore rather than the fun and exciting adventure it otherwise is.    

Details

We recommend avoiding the Bai Fern Guesthouse, where the bedsprings must have been trying to commit suicide by jumping out of the mattress because metal coils pierced my back all night long.  Instead, opt for the beautiful bungalows at the very popular Ban Thai Guesthouse or modern large rooms with air conditioning and free Wi-Fi at Phannu House for 500 baht/night ($18 USD).  We highly recommend making reservations before you get into town because missionaries and NGO workers fill the good guesthouses in town very quickly.  We had to visit four hotels before we found a spot at Bai Fern and then went to two hotels the next morning before we got our room at Phannu House. 

If you make it to Mae Sot, then you must eat at the Borderline Tea Shop, a store and restaurant that assists women from hill-tribe villages.  Every single thing we ate, from their tea leaf salad to their juices, was delicious and cheap and it was one of our favorite restaurants in Thailand.  The restaurant also has cooking classes for those with energy.

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

filtered ruins

Wat Mahathat

Sukhothai Historical Park, a World Heritage Site located halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, doesn’t have the awe-inspiring grandeur of Angkor Wat or convenient proximity of Ayutthaya, but neither does it have the slew of tourists that visit both those sites.  Instead, crumbling temples built in the 14th century rise out of the manicured lawns, blanketing the area in an aura of peace and serenity.  To change things up, we used a sepia filter on these pictures which brings out the subdued red-gray tone of the bricks.

Buddha among trees at Wat Traphang Tong

Elephants on base of stupa

. . . Keep reading sukhothai in sepia at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/thailand/lovely_lampang Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:35:27 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/thailand/lovely_lampang

undiscovered charm

Wat Phra That Lampang Luang

Sometimes, I think tourism is all about the right sort of marketing.  Take Lampang, for example, a town two hours south of Chiang Mai that houses one of the oldest and most beautiful wats in all northern Thailand. 

Buddha, offerings, horse drawn carriage, wooden Lanna style ceiling at Wat Phra That Lampang Luang

Day in and day out, Thai tourists ride through the town on funny little horse drawn carriages, meandering from market to market, and wat to wat. Thai villagers and townspeople from neighboring cities fill the few Lampang hotels on Saturdays and Sundays when the town hosts a huge night market. 

Nagas

But, foreigners don't know about Lampang. Chiang Mai, advertised heavily by the Thai government and most guidebooks, is filled to the brim with tourists from every nation; Lampang, a town more charming and nearly as interesting as Chiang Mai, sees few non-Thai faces.

Wat rooftop

In fact, if I put my travel pundit hat on, I would say that in ten years, Lampang will the new Chiang Mai because farangs (foreigners) are going to get fed up with the mass commercialization and cheesiness of Chiang Mai.

. . . . Keep reading lovely lampang at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/thailand/trained_by_elephants Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:14:44 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/thailand/trained_by_elephants

at patara elephant farm

Patrick riding Saithong with mahout

When I first heard about Patara Elephant Farm from 3 Star Traveler, a blog written by fellow food and travel junkie Lori, I jumped up and yelled to Patrick that we HAD to be an "elephant owner for a day" when we got to Thailand.  Patara is not like the typical elephant camps spread across northern Thailand that focus more on pleasing tourists with gimmicks and novelties, like an elephant playing piano or painting, than treating elephants humanely and respectfully.  Owners Pat and Dao wanted to create a place where elephants could be rescued from inhumane treatment, trained, and bred to prevent their extinction.

Akila meeting Bo Chang

Patrick's elephant, Saithong, a beautiful huge female arrived at the elephant hospital in Chiang Mai several years ago with a thick lesion caused by  a rope digging into her neck.  Ben, our guide, helped remove the lesion from Saithong but she still bears a 20 centimeter (about 10 inch) scar. Of the six elephants in our group, she was the most recalcitrant and, at times, was less trustful of humans than the other elephants; given her history, we didn't blame her.  On the other hand, Bo Chang, my seven-year old elephant born at Patara, was the product of a life filled with love and happiness.  He played with everyone, led me on little walks away from the group, followed his trainer like a small puppy dog follows his mother, and wagged his ears so frequently that they were in danger of falling off.

Feeding an elephant sugar cane; feeding Saithong; smelling elephant dung;elephant eating grass

We began our day feeding our elephants.  This sounds easier than it is because an elephant's mouth is BIG and we had to quickly place the bananas on the elephants' tongues before the elephants began chewing.  After feeding Saithong and Bo Chang, we inspected the health of our elephants by checking that they slept well, were in good humor, and had eaten properly.  And, this is where we smelled elephant poop.  Surprisingly, elephant poop looks like balls of compressed grass and doesn’t smell like much of anything so it wasn't too tough of an experience.

Dusting and washing elephants

Then, it was time for the elephants' beauty treatments. Every day, the mahouts and guests brush and bathe the elephants so that dirt and rocks do not embed into their skin.  There are few things funnier than standing on an elephant's leg, dusting dirt off its back with a giant duster made from leaves.  We could barely contain ourselves.  We waded into the creek and scrubbed them with a brush and threw water over their bodies.  After half an hour, they emerged brown and clean, while we walked out with soaked pants, bedraggled hair, and huge smiles on our faces.

. . . Keep reading trained by elephants at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/thailand/elephant_beauty Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:21:09 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/thailand/elephant_beauty

at patara elephant farm

Bo Chang and his mother

Two weeks ago, we had the opportunity to be "elephant owners for the day" at Patara Elephant Farm, an organization devoted to the care, conservation, and breeding of elephants, in Chiang Mai.  To do this amazing day justice, today's post is a pictoral view of these gorgeous animals and, in my next post, I will tell you all about our experiences bathing, feeding, riding, and swimming with our elephants. 

Bo Chang, a 7-year old male

"If anyone wants to know what elephants are like, they are like people, only more so." 

Peter Corneille, in Theatreprint

 Elephant gathering grass at Patara Elephant Farm

Sai Thong, a female adult

"Writing a book is like washing an elephant: there is no good place to begin or end and it's hard to keep track of what you have already covered."

Anonymous

Elephant swimming and drinking water

. . . . Continue reading elephant beauty at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/thailand/asia_scenic_cooking_class_chiang_mai Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:39:02 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/thailand/asia_scenic_cooking_class_chiang_mai

asia scenic cooking class

Chicken satays

Thailand threatens to make us terribly chubby.  We can't help ourselves in this country.  On every street corner, in every tiny storefront, and in every market, we find vendors selling noodles, curries, satays, vivid fruit, and coconut water. 

 Roses, morning glory, chile pepper plant, vegetable spring rolls, fried insects, shallots at Chiang Mai market

We spend our days meandering through markets filled with fresh vegetables, fruit, smelly fish, and other . . . interesting . . . items.  We have found vendors selling fried insects and yesterday we found one selling huge live frogs, tiny white rats, and splashing eels.

Chiang Mai Night Market

In the evenings, we haunt the night markets, searching out the stalls with the freshest ingredients and best looking marinades.  On our third day, we decided that we needed to learn why the food here is about ten times better than the Thai food we get in the United States. 

Asia Scenic cooking stations; miang kham

We booked a class at Asia Scenic Thai Cooking school, one of about fifteen cooking schools in Chiang Mai.  After a visit to their organic garden and the local market, we began cooking. 

Making spring rolls

Por pia tod (vegetable spring rolls)

We cooked seven --- yes, SEVEN --- courses and learned much about Thai cuisine in the process.

 Cooking pad thai and pad see ew

Most Thai noodles, stir fries, and curries are seasoned using a simple formula: 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce (or soy sauce), and 3 teaspoons of oyster sauce (or mushroom sauce).

Som tum (green papaya salad)

We learned that Thais consider just one chile pepper in a dish to be merely "decorative."  Our mouths disagreed when we tried two peppers in the green papaya salad. 

. . . Keep reading thai feast: asia scenic cooking class at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/thailand/unexpected_funeral_wat_chedi_luang Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:50:55 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/thailand/unexpected_funeral_wat_chedi_luang

at wat chedi luang

Wat Phra Singh

We have observed that all long-term travelers have at least one common trait.  And, no, it is not poor fashion sense, or a total disregard for a "responsible lifestyle," or even an interest in adventure sports.  Rather, all backpackers seem to be glass-half-full sort of people who subscribe to the mantra that today is a good day and tomorrow is another good day waiting to happen.

Lighting a lotus candle; monk meditating amongst golden monk statues (he never moved!)

This strange, almost giddy sense of optimism is most apparent when you start talking to backpackers about the weather: on a rainy day, the long-term traveler will shrug and smile that he is glad to have the chance to relax and work on the computer; in the blistering heat, they smile and agreeably remark that at least it isn't raining; and in the wintry cold, they smile and talk about how great it is that they aren't hot and sweating. And, now, it has happened to us.  I don't know exactly when or how our mindset shifted but we have now become those cheery people we used to mock.

Wat Chedi Luang

A prime example is our attitude over this last week.  We left Chennai with the souvenir of a chest cold, one of those brutal affairs where our bodily organs fought to escape through our throats and exhaustion seeped into our skin and bones when we did anything more than walk for a few minutes.  This should have embittered our spirits, annoyed us, and left us yearning to go home.  Instead, we kept referring to the cold as a blessing in disguise.

Inside Wat Chedi Luang; reclining Buddha; monks receiving tribute; festival-goers

It happened like this.  On Sunday, we planned to go to two of the most famous temples, or wats, in Chiang Mai: Wat Phra Sing and Wat Chedi Luang, located about five minutes from each other.  Instead, after a thirty-minute walk around Wat Phra Sing, we were so dead tired that it was all we could do to get some lunch and grab a tuk-tuk to take us back to our hotel.  We spent our afternoon nursing our throats and lungs with equal parts Robitussin and Strepsils, irritated that we had not been able to see much of Chiang Mai that day.

Hamsa (goose with elephant head)

The next morning, we walked to Wat Chedi Luang, expecting to quickly walk through the grounds and spend the rest of the day seeing other wats.  At first, we didn't understand why the wat was packed with people inside and out, why everyone was in either strictly black or white, and why pictures of an older monk stood throughout the complex.   We were amazed by a gorgeous mammoth statue that looked like a goose with the head of an elephant.  At the back of the temple grounds, an endless series of tents had been constructed with plates among plates of food, offered free to all who entered the temple.

. . . . Keep reading unexpected funeral at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/india/pongal_mahabalipuram Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:06:31 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/india/pongal_mahabalipuram

at mahabalipuram

Pongal pot, boiling over

Last week, we celebrated the harvest festival Pongal, India’s version of Thanksgiving.  It wasn’t the type of Thanksgiving we have in the United States where we gorge ourselves on turkey, sweet potatoes, and apple pie, and spend the afternoon watching football.   Instead, on Thursday, the temple bells started clanging at 5:00 a.m., marking the start of this year’s holiday.  Rangoli, elaborate chalk drawings in vibrant colors, laid at the entrance of every home and incense greeted us as we walked to the neighborhood temple.

Young coconuts

My grandmother filled the Pongal pot with pongal, a combination of rice, water, and lentils, that is as integral to the holiday as turkey is to Thanksgiving.  The minute it boils, we all cried out, “Pongalo, Pongal, Pongalo, Pongal.”  If the boiling water spills to the south, it marks good luck for the coming year; only after we saw it boil over, did we realize that my grandmother’s cookstove tilts suspiciously to the south as well.  At lunch, we ate the pongal, a sweet pongal made with jaggery, and seven types of vegetables, to celebrate the bounty that the year has given us.

Mandapam at Shore Temple; relief carving on hill

In the early afternoon, we left the city, reveling in the empty unclogged streets, to enjoy the holiday at the nearby World Heritage Site, Mahabalipuram.  Also known as Mamallapuram, Mahabalipuram was a major seaport and second capital of the Pallava kings in the seventh century.  Today, carved statues and reliefs of the Hindu gods and goddesses are stunningly preserved into dozens of rock temples.

Five Rathas

The Five Rathas, meant to resemble the chariots for the five brothers in the epic Mahabarata, are each monolithic temples, meaning that each temple is carved from a single boulder.  The exterior is carved in geometric designs with sculptures of curved women and strong men.

Shore Temple

The Shore Temple sits at the ocean's edge and its stonework has been weathered by the pounding wind and water.  When the 2004 tsunami struck Chennai, the receding waters revealed several other temples beneath the ocean.

. . . Keep reading pongal at mahabalipuram at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/recipearchives/kozhakattai_sweet_coconut_dumplings Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:56:01 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/recipearchives/kozhakattai_sweet_coconut_dumplings

Kozhakattai

We cannot disagree with Lonely Planet that “[n]o matter how determined you are, you’d be pretty hard pressed to find much to gush about when it comes to Chennai.”  Heat pounds the city year round and it is not uncommon for temperatures to reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the “cool” winter season.  Mangy dogs and cows graze from the trash that lines the clogged streets.  And, in the thirty years I have been coming to Chennai, the mingling odor of sweat, diesel fumes, sewage, and urine has never failed to greet me.

Cotton candy at Marina Beach

It is not the place but the people who draw us here.  At Marina Beach, I see more than the immensely wide beach ravaged by the 2004 tsunami because I remember childhood summers spent running into the water and searching for shells with my uncle and aunt.  We do not brave the sweltering midday sun and, instead, spend the time chatting with our relatives under the swirling ceiling fans.  And, of course, because it is impossible for Indians to socialize without food, we eat.

 Patti at Marina Beach

I can trace my passion for food and cooking directly to my childhood spent at my grandmother’s table. When I am with my patti, the Tamil word for grandmother said with an emphasis on the “tt”, I revert to my ten-year-old self, as she presses dish upon dish upon me, making the same complaint that I always used to make, “Enough, Patti, enough.  I am so full already.”   

Coconut, grated coconut, jaggery, coconut and jaggery heated, filling, filling in balls

I have never met anyone who enjoys cooking more than she.  Now in her seventies, she still spends most of her day in the kitchen, concocting a myriad of dishes for every meal.  Her food stuns and entices: dosas so thin that they crackle, buttery parathas with a tender potato stuffing, and baby mango pickles that literally make my mouth water when I think about them.

Kozhakattai dumpling batter

This time, when we visited patti in Chennai, I was bound and determined to learn how to make kozhakattais, sweet coconut dumplings, properly.  Patrick still struggles with the pronunciation---it sounds something like “korakatai” but the “r” is said by hitting the tongue to the back of the roof of your mouth and the emphasis is on the “tt”---but they are the only Indian sweet that he loves.

. . . Keep reading kozhakattai (sweet coconut dumplings) at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/new_zealand_lowdown Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:54:02 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/new_zealand_lowdown

a wrap up

• What we did: 27 days spent as follows: 21 days in the South Island, making our way from Christchurch through the Otago Peninsula, to Milford Sound, Queenstown, up through the west coast to Abel Tasman National Park, then over to the Marlborough wine region.  7 days in the North Island, starting in Wellington, up to Rotorua, over to Matamata, then Waitomo, and finally flying out of Auckland. 

• Would we do it the same way?  No.  We needed a lot more time in New Zealand.  If we had it over to do again, we would spend one month in the South Island and one month in the North Island. 
  

• Indispensable item/gear: Warm clothing in layers.  We recommend purchasing merino wool sweaters once you reach New Zealand because popular thermal clothing lines like Icebreaker (my favorite) are New Zealand based and offer excellent deals in gear shops around the country. 
  
  
• Best food: A toss-up between the creamy sweet potatoes cooked on the campfire and the pricey but delicious dinner at the Redcliff Inn in Te Anau. 

Pancake rocks

• Worst food: Several people recommended that we try Lone Star, a chain restaurant found throughout New Zealand, that turned out to be the New Zealand take on American food.  Like Outback uses random Australian words to describe its food, Lone Star has "Cajun Chicken" and "Redneck Ribs" on their menu.  Their "Dixie Chicken," a poached chicken breast in a wine and vegetable cream sauce, must have been named by someone who didn't know much about Southerners' propensity for butter and fried food. 
  
  
• Our favorite part of New Zealand:  The ability to exercise our inner adrenaline-junkies and find adventure sports that suited our every mood.
  
  
• The best deal: The Internet Access Company (IAC).  We purchased a $50 internet access account that lasted a month at over 250 locations (including campervan parks and hostels) across New Zealand.

. . . . Keep reading new zealand: the low-down at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/hangi_rotorua Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:00:05 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/hangi_rotorua

geothermal steam and mud baths

Artist's Palette at Wai-o-Tapu

When we told people we were going to Rotorua, they reponded, "Oh, you are going to the smelly place."  Forty miles outside of the city, we started rolling up the windows on the campervan, shutting off the ventilation system, and covering our noses with our hands, as the smell of rotten eggs invaded our noses.  While in Rotorua, one of Patrick's shirts fell into sulphurous water and, after three washings, we realized that Tide could not handle such awfulness and threw the shirt away. 

Opal Pool and Oyster Pool at Wai-o-Tapu; Hell's Gate

Despite the assault to the olfactory senses, tourists have flocked to Rotorua for over a century.  At first, physicians and tour agents touted the city's geothermal springs and mud pools as a cure-all for the real and imaginary diseases of wealthy European invalids.  Then, in the 1940s, the city changed its focus and, now, is unaffectionately called Rotorvegas because it serves as the launching pad to nature walks, spas, Maori cultural events, geothermal parks, and every other activity imaginable. 

Mud bath sign and tubs at Rotorua Museum; boiling mud pool; us in mud bath

The first item on our agenda was experiencing a mud bath.  I know it sounds gross to go and sit in a bathtub filled with mud, especially with the smell of sulphur surrounding us, but it was wonderful.  The mud felt like velvet, smooth and silky, and not gritty or heavy.  After warming up in the mud bath, we rinsed ourselves off in freezing cold water and then enjoyed a long soak in a pool filled with hot mineral water.  At the end of our spa day, my skin was softer than a puppy's belly (if you don't have dogs, feel free to insert "velvet" or "baby's bottom" instead of "puppy's belly," but if you have a dog, then you can imagine how soft my skin was from the mud bath.)

Mud bath and mineral bath; Hell's Gate management has a sense of humor (pools exceed 300 degrees Fahrenheit); boiling mud pool

Because all the geothermal parks in Rotorua are privately owned, they are pricey, and we had to choose which ones to visit.  There are four major geothermal parks: Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve; Hell's Gate; Waimangu Volcanic Valley; and Wai-o-Tapu.  We visited Hell's Gate because admission to the park is included in the price of a mud bath.  If you don't fancy getting dirty in Rotorua, Hell's Gate is not worth the cost because the park is not as impressive as the other three sites.

Wai-o-Tapu Champagne Pool; Geyser

Wai-o-Tapu, on the other hand, is gorgeous.  We arrived at 8:30 a.m. before the crowds reached the park (a tactic we highly recommend) and were greeted by the bubbling pools of black and white in the Devil's Ink Pot.  Craters hiss and gurgle beside the rainbow of colors spreading across the Artist's Palette.  Steam rises from my favorite, the Champagne Pool, an effervescent bottle-green bowl fringed with a burnt-orange ledge.  Lady Knox Geyser ignominiously spouts up to 50 feet of water every morning at 10:00 a.m. when an attendant pours soap flakes into its mounded cavity.

Chicken, sweet potatoes, and meat cooked in hangi steam cooker at Mitai

The third "must do" activity in Rotorua was eating food cooked in a hangi, or Maori earth oven.  I would have never considered cooking food in geothermal steam --- I mean, the noxious smell is enough to suppress my appetite --- but the Maoris wrapped meats and vegetables in leaves, placed them in the ground, and, ta da, had a meal.  At Mitai, a Maori cultural performance where we watched dances and songs lost to their culture years ago but now reproduced nightly for an eager tourist audience, we ate kumura (sweet potato), potatoes, chicken, and lamb cooked in the hangi for five or more hours, though the Maoris now wrap the food in aluminum foil rather than leaves.  Surprisingly, that offensive sulphurous odor enhances the flavor of the food; the sweet potatoes, in particular, tasted mellow, a touch salty, with an almost-lemony aftertaste.

Vegetables in curry sauce; lifting hangi steamer; hangi steam cooker; sweet potatoes and beets in Thai sauce

If you ask us, though, we would suggest skipping Mitai and instead use the hangi steamer at Cosy Cottage International Holiday Park.  This humble little holiday park is full of geothermal coolness: it is across the street from the beautiful (and free) Kirau Park  with over fifty mud and thermal pools; it sits about two minutes from the lake shore where you can dig your own hot pool in the sand; and the tent sites are  thermal heated. What sold us was the hangi steam cooker that any guests may use.  We chopped and tossed half a cauliflower, three potatoes, two carrots, a large onion, and a handful of dehydrated peas into a pot with a store-bought Indian curry sauce.  We peeled and cubed beets and sweet potatoes, mixed them with a refrigerated Thai herb sauce and some dollops of butter and wrapped it in foil.

Sweet potatoes and beets cooked by hangi

Then, we soaked in the mineral hot tubs, showered, played on the computer, and three hours later, dinner was served.  The verdict: we forgive the town's stinkiness because it results in food like this.  Yum.

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/recipearchives/lavender_ginger_creme_brulee Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:20:31 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/recipearchives/lavender_ginger_creme_brulee

Lavender ginger creme brulee

One year ago, we were in Jacksonville, Florida, dreaming, planning, and preparing for our round-the-world adventure.  In April, we took our first tangible step when we purchased plane tickets to Sydney.  Then, there was no turning back and we rushed into the trip headlong, worried about the risk to our careers, the financial burden, and the "scary, unknown, and consequential" journey we were about to take.

Vanilla, lavender sugar, and ginger

But, once we left in September, those fears melted into the Australian sun.  We just stopped stressing.  That doesn't sound like an earth-shattering event but, for us, it was.  I, the quintessential Type A personality known to my friends as the planner, found myself walking into towns without reservations or agendas and simply an open mind. 

Cracked eggs

I stopped worrying that our careers wouldn't wait for us because we are able to make money while on the road.  Instead of hours spent on treadmills or using our Wii Fit, we hiked mountains hanging over brilliant blue lakes.  Through Skype, the internet, and this website, we felt close to our family and friends though we were thousands of miles away; we even were able to "talk to" our puppies, Chewy and Abby, via Skype webcams. 

Ginger and vanilla strained

Despite the worries we have for friends and family hit by the recession, we are happy.  Really, really, gosh darn happy.  So, yesterday, I struggled to find a dessert that would be light and joyful, yet serious enough to express the enormity of the changes that we have made in the last year and expect to find in the next year.  It's a lot to ask of a dessert, right?

. . . Keep reading lavender ginger creme brulee at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/hobbit_hunting Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:41:38 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/hobbit_hunting

across new zealand

Bag End at Hobbiton movie set

In case we haven't confirmed that we are total geeks, what with the thirty pounds of electronics we carry, let me now prove it to you by posting about our adventures hobbit hunting in New Zealand.  We didn't set out planning to look for hobbits but once we got here, the Lord of the Rings references popped out everywhere.  After a bit, the Tolkien spirit leaked into Patrick and, when I tripped over a root on a pathway and our backpack rattled around, Patrick exclaimed, "Fool of a Took!"

Hobbiton signs; View of Alexander Farm; hobbit holes for The Hobbit movie marked

Matamata takes Lord of the Rings tourism to the next level because it is the location of Hobbiton and the only filming site in the country left in its filming state.  Rather than digitally constructing the town, the producers constructed an entire town of hobbit holes, mills, and bridges in about three acres of a working sheep farm.

Hobbit holes at Hobbiton

Upon completion of the movies, the production crew began dismantling Hobbiton but heavy rains flooded the area and they left several of the hobbit holes standing.  The owners took advantage of this opportunity and, after much negotiation with the studio, began allowing visitors into the farm to view the hobbit holes.  Today, it is a peaceful place where sheep roam about the picturesque whitewashed holes peeping out from the grassy hills.

Party Tree; sheep in front of hobbit holes (bottom hole is original plywood); view from Bag End

Even if you hate Lord of the Rings and hobbits, you should still go on this tour to experience a working sheep farm.  We had no idea how skilled sheep shearers need to be; they apprentice for four years and, to make a living, most shear over 200 sheep per day. 

As you can see from the above video, our sheep shearer slowed down the shearing process so we could videotape and photograph it, but even slowed down, he sheared this large sheep in under two minutes.  The sheep did not struggle or squirm while being sheared and the wool cut from the sheep felt soft and surprisingly oily.

Bottle-feeding lambs

And, then, we bottle fed lambs!  Imagine a very cute thing---say playing with the toes of a six month old baby, watching a kitten tangle itself in yarn, or getting kisses from a newborn puppy---and now multiply by two.  Fluffy little lambs came rushing out of the gate like bats out of hell and demanded that we feed them.  They sucked the bottles hard until every droplet of milk was gone and then they wandered around looking for head scratches and pets.  We couldn't stop laughing and smiling for about 45 minutes afterwards.

Bottle feeding lambs

Anyway, let's get back to hobbit hunting, shall we?  In Waitomo, we stayed at the Woodlyn Park Hobbit Motel, with a sloping roof, rounded windows and door, and rustic touches like a carved wooden table and canvas window curtains laid on oak curtain rods.

Woodlyn Park Hobbit Motel

After a month living in our cramped campervan, it was sheer luxury to spread out on a comfortable bed, walk into a big clean bathroom, and use our own tiny kitchenette.  And, if hobbits aren't your thing, you could also stay in motel rooms built into a plane, train, and ship.

Interior of Hobbit Motel

As if hand feeding lambs and staying in a kitschy motel didn't make us feel like kids, we acted like ten-year olds at Puzzling World in Wanaka.  We worked our way through the giant maze to find all four corners and towers, played with games at the main cafe area, and pretended that we were Ents and hobbits in the room of illusion.

Patrick as an ent, Akila as a hobbit in the room of illusion

We didn't find any hobbits this time in New Zealand so the search continues.

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/recipearchives/spiced_chocolate_glacier_hiking Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:16:29 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/recipearchives/spiced_chocolate_glacier_hiking

Turquoise blue lake in front of Fox Glacier

I hate the cold.  My toes despise being shut away in woolen socks and heavy shoes, I feel bulky and overstuffed in sweaters and scarves, and my always-cool hands freeze through the winter.  But, I do love the holidays and the contrast of warm melting food with the cool crisp air. 

Ice on the glacier

When we first began discussing hiking Fox Glacier, my worry was not whether I would be able to physically endure hiking for eight hours up steep ice and across a mountain, but whether I would be warm enough to last the day.  It turns out that climbing up a glacier is pretty hard work; I was not only warm but hot and began shedding layers of thermal sweaters as we hiked.  We started by trudging 900 steps from the bottom of the glacier to the point where the ice crawled down the mountainside.  There, we strapped our heavy hiking boots to crampons, a fancy word for metal spikes hooked to straps which could double as a medieval torture device.

Hiking Fox Glacier

At the beginning, we walked on steps carved into the ice every day with pickaxes by the ultra-fit folks at Fox Glacier Guides.  Then, we went off the beaten path following our guides Jenny and Jerm who sprayed ice chips behind them  as they notched small footholds for our feet to cling in the slippery ice.

Steps on Fox Glacier; pickaxe

The scenery, ever varying, ever beautiful, was like nothing we had ever seen before.  Every guidebook lists Fox and Franz Josef glaciers as a "must see" and they are --- we felt like insignificant insects in the columns and hills of ice that twirled and whirled around us.  As we went into each gully and crevice, we felt like we could chance upon Superman's Fortress of Solitude at any moment.

Ice cliff

It was about two o'clock when we started thinking about chocolate.  I blame the cold and the white fluffy clouds that look like marshmallows and the pit in my stomach developing from constantly climbing up and down ice.

Bittersweet chocolate

. . . . Keep reading spiced chocolate + glacier hiking at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/jaded_hokitika Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:48:23 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/jaded_hokitika

power tools and jewelry

Paper template and final jade necklace carved at Bonz 'n Stonz, Hokitika

Power tools.  I will never fully understand the male fascination with gadgets, gizmos, large blades and moving parts.  I have witnessed that the allure of diamond tipped saws and rapid sanders will entice grown men to spend their day carving delicate feminine jewelry, pendants, and knick knacks, that they would otherwise be ashamed to purchase.

Raw, unpolished pounamu found at the Araharu River, near Hokitika

We were in Hokitika, a beachside town where jade necklaces and paua shell earrings hang from every second storefront.  The Araharu River near Hokitika is the primary source of pounamu, or nephrite jade, a gemstone prized by the Maori for its beauty and luster.  Today, under the Treaty of Waitangi and Ngai Tahu Settlement Claims (an inordinately complicated issue that I may discuss in another post), the Ngai Tahu tribe owns all pounamu found and recovered in the South Island and much of the greenstone sold in Hokitika is imported from Asia or Canada.

Steven Gwaliasi, Bonz n' Stonz tutor and owner

Bonz n' Stonz is the only place in the city (and one of two workshops in the country) where you can carve jade, paua shell or bone.  We worked under the tutelage of Steven Gwaliasi, a native of the Solomon Islands, who moved to Hokitika after he married his wife in the midst of a terrible economic downturn.  Steven attended a class on jade carving in Hokitika, offered by the New Zealand government to spur the economy, and was hired by Mountain Jade Factory in Hokitika.  After ten plus years of carving jade, Steven seized upon the influx of backpackers in the early 21st century and opened up Bonz n' Stonz to teach others to carve jade.  While some students are residents of Hokitika, many glide through the town for a single day like we did to take his class and move on.

Pendant template drawn on jade slab

We began by drawing our templates on sheets of paper and then transferred those templates to blocks of jade.  I chose a variant of the Maori koru, representing the New Zealand fern frond unfurling, to symbolize the new beginnings that Patrick and I share this year.  

. . . Keep reading jaded in hokitika: power tools and jewelry at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/marlborough_wines Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:46:06 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/worldtrip/newzealand/marlborough_wines

why did we leave?

Marlborough wine region

We feel like wusses but, the truth is that we are tired.  New Zealand works our muscles hard.  We kayak, hike, canyon swing, hike some more, hike up a glacier, and then sleep on a hard mattress in our campervan.  End result: gorgeous places, fun times, very sore bodies.  You can imagine that we have been looking forward to the Marlborough wine region where we planned to spend a day soaking in the scenery, guzzling down world-class wines, and eating indulgent foods. 

Marlborough vines and scenery; bikes with wine carriers

Well, that day came and went and we wanted more.  We wanted a week of this sort of decadence where we wake up in the morning, cook breakfast, taste sensational wines all day, stop for lunch under hanging vines, and end with a glass of chocolate in the evening.  So, we stayed for another day.  And, we would have stayed another day except that we had pre-booked our Interislander Ferry to take us from the South Island to the North Island for the next day.

Wairau River Pinot Noir

It wasn't just the ambience and the food that made us want to linger here.  The wines, themselves, were uniformly superb.  Marlborough white wine took our breath away and we found nothing in the Barossa Valley or Tuscany to match the whites we drank in New Zealand.

Gibson Bridge Pinot Gris Cellar Section 2008

Take Gibson Bridge, for example.  This tiny boutique winery, started in 2007 by husband and wife team Howard and Julie Simmonds, only has six acres of vineyards or 5,500 vines in total.  The couple concentrates on producing quality Pinot Gris and pour their soul into their wines, in accordance with their motto, "excellence through passion." 

. . . . Keep reading marlborough wines: why did we leave? at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]> http://www.theroadforks.com/gear/gadget-round-the-world-packing-list Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:45:37 CDT http://www.theroadforks.com/gear/gadget-round-the-world-packing-list

An Electronics Junkie's Round the World Packing List from theroadforks on Vimeo.

One of us is obsessed with buying organizational systems, packages, and bags which leads to this sort of packing list; the other of us is mad about gadgets, electronics, and the newest toys which leads to the packing list below.  It is a bit of a problem that our electronics bag weighs more than all my clothes, toiletries, and miscellaneous equipment and that we carry nearly $9,000 on our backs. 

But, here's the thing: we use all of it every single day.  Though this list is long, we would not give up any of our electronics because they keep us connected, working, and able to capture the best parts of our travels.  If you want the quick and dirty version of our electronics gear, watch this short 2-minute video which captures how we pack in our electronics, including weight and total costs.

Or, if you want the nitty gritty details, come walk through our electronics packing list with us.

. . . . Keep reading an electronics junkie's round-the-world packing list at The Road Forks

	Never miss a post! Sign up for our RSS feed.

]]>