Bangkok, Thailand

December 31, 2011 by lauren

Post by Lauren

This post would have been more interesting had I not picked up a little friend* in Cambodia who dwelled in my tummy during our last stop, Bangkok. I finally made it out of our hotel at 5pm one day and 2pm the next, so a few of our plans in this great city didn’t come to fruition.

Luckily, we’d had a little unexpected time earlier in the week when our connection to Cambodia ran into a snafu. We showed up at the airport at 6am for our 8am flight. We were told by Bangkok Airways, “Oh, the plane is already full. You catch next flight…2pm” After much back and forth, explaining how we had a full day in Cambodia already planned a tour paid for and showed receipt of confirmed seats, we still didn’t have any luck**.

They gave us a free hotel room, but we decided to use the time instead to get an early view of Bangkok. We hopped in a taxi to the Royal Palace. While we still did miss part of our itinerary in Cambodia, this time to see a bit of Bangkok was a blessing in disguise because of how awful I felt later when we returned. Not sure it could have happened then.

Here are a few of the sites at the Royal Palace:

As mentioned above, our return trip to Bangkok was limited in sightseeing. However, we did manage to catch a drink at SkyBar, Gabe experienced some Bangkok nightlife after I turned in, and we hit the huge Saturday market, Jatujak. And, we got to see how the Thai ring in the New Year with lots of color and liveliness. A bonus was seeing the fireworks from all sides of the plane as we took off at 12 midnight on New Years Eve.

We’ll just have to come back to Bangkok to get to see all the things we missed!

This leads us to….

Travel tips for Bangkok/Cambodia:

*We suspect my food illness was actually from our 5-star hotel, not actually local food in Cambodia so don’t let this turn you off.

**Bangkok Air entitles itself the “Asia’s Boutique Airline”. Don’t believe it. This is the worst run airline operation we have ever seen. After having one of our legs “full” at check-in and the other return flight 4 hours late (no weather issues), we were not fans of this “boutique”. On the other hand, Thai Air was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom

December 29, 2011 by lauren

Post by Lauren

As we mentioned in the previous post, we were shocked how many ruins there were in the Angkor region….about a thousand! That was such a surprise for us as we were thinking it would just be the one…Angkor Wat.

However, Angkor Thom ( Angkor = “city” and Thom = “big” ) had so many amazing sites within its four walls. Not to mention, its four walls were adorned with detail, 2 miles each. Crazy! There were also a lot of sites just outside the deep moat surrounding the walled city.

To top it off, the most magnificent, Angkor Wat, was constructed during the height of the Khmer empire and is said to be the world’s largest single religious monument.

One of the other takeaways we had was how the temples “changed hands” throughout history. They changed back and forth from Hindu to Buddhist depending on the king at that time.

Here is a chronological recap of our three day journey:

Preah Khan, just outside Angkor Thom

Neak Pean - where all the healing took place

Ta Phrohm - where Lara Croft Tomb Raider was filmed

Banteay Srei - incredible detail work by the artisans

Pre Rup

Angkor Wat

Exploring Cambodia

December 29, 2011 by lauren

Post by Lauren

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but the only thing that I knew about Cambodia prior to this year was that it was the country from which Angelina Jolie adopted her son.

Cambodia had been on Gabe’s list for the lure of the ancient temples. So, we decided to venture there during our Southeast Asia trip since it was an easy add on. After three days spent exploring Siam Reap, Angkor, and the central Cambodia region, I am now in wonder.

Here are a few of the initial takeaways:

-Angkor Wat is the famous temple & name for which Cambodia is known; however, there are hundreds of ruins and dozens of temples in this region of the world from the Khmer Empire. So, its not just one site like we’d originally thought.

-They take US dollars more frequently than their currency. Everything we saw except gas was in US currency. And it was crazy cheap – $5 for a one hour massage. The exchange rate for their currency is about 4000: 1 USD if you are baffled by the price on the gas sign! I bring my nephew our loose change from our travels. I actually have about 8000 in mixed bills for him from Cambodia…can’t wait to see his face.

-This country has come an amazingly long way. Twenty years ago it was war torn and very dangerous. During this post-Vietnam war Khmer Rouge regime, 2 million, or one-third of Cambodians were killed as a result of genocide. Thankfully, the country is now at peace. Now that it is much safer, the above two factors (Angkor ruins & low-cost of living/travel) have seen a blooming tourism faction, helping to stimulate the economy and create jobs for Cambodians. Please see “Killing Fields” for more history & awareness on these awful events.

-The presence of French. French was everywhere! We were able to practice our Bonjour Madame and Bonsoir Monsieur’s at the hotel. We learned that France, at one point, ruled over Cambodia when it was a part of French Indochina.

-90-95% of Cambodians are Buddhist, just like Thailand

-Don’t mess with Angelina. I’m not her biggest fan based on some odd behavior and the whole Brad/Jennifer deal, but when conversing with our driver, I quickly learned not to say anything too harmful. She is well renowned for her humanitarian work as well as adopting one of the country’s orphans ( Maddox ) while filming Lora Croft: Tomb Raider. I can easily see how Cambodia captured her heart and have a newfound respect for what she has done here. This country needs support badly.

On our first day, we took a small boat to a floating fishing village on the Tonlé Sap lake to see the local way of life. The children were just getting out of school and paddling their canoes back to their watery abodes.

80% of Cambodians are farmers, with rice being the most prominent crop. I love the below photo of the little girl walking home from school.

Tuk-tuk was the most common way to get around. Otherwise, elephant.

The ruins are on the edge of the Cambodian jungle. Thus, lots of monkeys to my delight. We saw a momma monkey caring for a baby monkey.

Also along all the streets were markets selling food and souvenirs. This is palm juice being made into sugar and juice. Yup, my husband drank some of this juice out of the wall plaster bucket. Me, no way.

Gas for sale by the coke or whisky bottle:

Christmas in Phuket

December 26, 2011 by lauren

Post by Lauren

We spent the first five days of of our trip in Phuket, Thailand. We stayed at the Renaissance on Mai Khao beach, which was the Northern most tip of the island. It is very quiet and serene and still hosts sea turtles who hatch their eggs in the nature preserve.

Gabe selected a very romantic beach villa. An added benefit was the private pool attached which you can tell he enjoyed!

Beyond relaxing at the resort, we did two day trips. The first was a boat trip to the Phi Phi islands. We snorkeled and had a chance to catch breathtaking views of Thailand’s most beautiful coves.

The next day trip (actually on Christmas Day), we visited James Bond Island, which was made famous by the film, The Man with the Golden Gun. This outing also allowed a visit to the sea gypsy island of Koh Panyee, to see a traditional fishing village. To cap it off, we were able to sea kayak into island caves housing secluded lagoons of banyan trees.

The day we left was December 26th, the 7-year anniversary of the horrific tsunami that claimed so many lives in Phuket, mainland Thailand, and all over Southeast Asia. It is really hard to imagine this beautiful ocean producing such a disaster. The Thai people have such beautiful spirits and we continue to wish for peace and prosperity for them as they still heal after the storm.

Our stockings are filled…

December 25, 2011 by lauren

Post by Lauren

We must have been very good this year because Santa filled our stockings with airline flights to Southeast Asia. He was very smart since the stockings were made out of paper this is a great gift that would actually fit into them!!

We are going for ten days and hitting three places. I figured I would make you a map in case you aren’t familiar with these locations.

Thank you, Thailand & Cambodia Santa!

P.S. – Thanks to those who sent us such lovely Christmas cards. As you can tell, they really brightened up our Swiss mantel since every other Christmas decoration of ours is handmade out of construction paper!

A Tree like Rockefeller

December 24, 2011 by johnsogp

Post by Gabe
That’s right….Gabe

Hello all and Merry Christmas. I am breaking my silence this week to give you a glimpse into our first Christmas tree as a married couple. This tree sets the tone for all future trees so I have been laying the ground work with Lauren for quite a while. It would be 6 to 8 feet tall, very very full, symmetrical from all angles and have an intoxicating pine aroma. Regardless of the time required to find this magical gem it wouldn’t matter. Hours, days, weeks, whatever it takes….the time couldn’t be used more wisely. Had I not done this ground work…Lauren would have picked up the cheapest thing should could find. We probably would have ended up with a fake fern from Ikea. And that obviously wouldn’t cut it for our first tree.

As usual, I may have missed one small, very tiny, detail during my tree brain storming.

…we don’t live in the US.

In the US I would have proposed we buy a permit and head into the mountains to fell our own Christmas tree. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way in Geneva. At least not that we are aware of. So instead, we did what every other Genevese (person in Geneva) does. We headed to the local grocery store to pick one up. And these babies are carry out….literally.

Take a look at our beautiful 3 feet 6 inch tree in its full grandure.

As usual, everything in Geneva is expensive so we opted for the smaller set of lights. Unfortunately that strand was so short they only made it around the tree twice. We had one ornament in Geneva to add to the tree thanks to Lauren’s Aunt J but we obviously needed more than that. So we spent two Saturdays ago making our own ornaments also. It may not be 6-8 feet tall, very very full, symmetrical from all angles and a bouquet of pine but I think it is a beauty. I am very proud of our first tree and think it is the perfect start to the many tree’s to come.

(check out the ornament Lauren made…I think it is cool)

Happy Holidays to you all!

Going to the foot doctor: Part Deux

December 20, 2011 by lauren

Post by Lauren

One of my favorite stories to date about ex-pat life is trying to go to the doctor and actually going ending up at the pedicurist. I bet you are wondering what happened with that?

I did find and visited a surgeon who spoke English but later got some discouraging feedback so I wasn’t too thrilled about going under the knife with this guy.

I was referred to a holistic doctor in hopes that maybe we could try some orthopedic therapy to alleviate pain and possible prevent surgery.

I tried to go to her last Monday. It was the first day of the new TPG schedule (public transport system). Let’s just say it was catastrophic. This doctor operates out of her house in the middle of nowhere. The connecting bus I was supposed to ride into the countryside for 52 minutes showed up 35 minutes late. In the torrential rain. Once I knew I was going to be late, I called and left a message in broken French. As soon as I boarded the bus going to the middle of nowhere, she called back. And informed me I simply couldn’t come tardy…she had another patient. Great, I was already headed to nowhere. By the time I got back on the reverse bus ( that only runs once an hour ) and made my connection home, it had been 3 hours and 15 minutes. In the rain, for nothing. Let’s just say, it wasn’t a good day for me. I hate being late and also disappointing people. I also don’t like rain. It was a trifecta of bad. This is what it looked like*:

After receiving a scolding of a missed appointment and asking if I could actually show up this time, I made another appointment. I made it at 1:30pm so I was less likely to be delayed by rush hour or whatever TPG horror there was in store for me. I left a whole hour earlier to catch the early country bus out of fear of the TPG being screwy.

After my 75 minute journey on the bus, I hit the signal for stop. The bus driver didn’t hear it and dropped me off at the next stop. It was over a mile past my stop. Those who follow me on Facebook who that this has happened before. I had complained about back-tracking 15 minutes in the rain that time. But I didn’t know, it could get worse. This is what it looked like**:

It was curvy and there were no sidewalks. I almost got hit 3 times. Honked at five. An old man pulled over and told me in French to please get out of the snow and get inside his car. He looked harmless but I decided the snowy country roads were better.

By the time I walked 45 minutes backwards on the side of the road, I had soaked shoes, but made it by 1:30. Thank goodness. Couldn’t take a lecture this time.

She was really nice. She did a treatment but concluded that I need surgery based on how the arthritis has progressed. Good. I already had another surgeon appointment in 8 weeks. He supposedly is the best and it took me 3 months to get the appointment. Let’s hope so. I will plan for nothing short of entertaining.

*The sad Lauren photo isn’t really from the doctor appointment. It was taken at the Boston College game about 3 years ago after we lost and Ferdinand & Isabella made me rush the field with them at their alma mater. It’s the only picture I know where I have a frowny face.

**After the fact, I came home and looked up where I walked from. It was less than 1 km from the border of France. Good thing I didn’t go over…I didn’t have my passport on a routine doctor’s visit.

First Geneva Snow

December 19, 2011 by lauren

Post by Lauren

Below is the view from our bedroom this morning in Geneva. We were told it usually snows 1-2 times a year in Geneva. It snowed three times this weekend, so we are already above this so called “average”.

I find the snow a lot more pleasant than the monsoon of rain we have had in the last two weeks, so I am très contente with the temperature drop. It makes for a really nice Monday!

Gratitute Friday: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

December 16, 2011 by lauren

Post by Lauren

This post is dedicated to my uncle who wanted to know how they decorate for Christmas in Switzerland.

The presence of Christmas decorations is also our gratitude post because we aren’t coming home for Christmas. For Gabe & I, this is the first time we won’t see our families during the Christmas season. Bless their hearts, both our Moms decorated their homes for Thanksgiving in Christmas also in order to help infuse us with Christmas spirit.

In fact, it is because there is a lot of this spirit here in Geneva, that we made the selection to come home for Thanksgiving. We figured we’d miss not being home for Thanksgiving more than Christmas since we knew a little Christmas would be in the air in Geneva. Thanksgiving isn’t at all celebrated. And, boy, Christmas has been in the air:

Joyeux Noël & Bon week-end!

Montreux Christmas Market

December 14, 2011 by lauren

Post by Lauren

Yesterday, we had a girls outing to one of the many Christmas markets in the region. We’d picked Montreux because it was supposed to be either sunny or snowy. Well, weather.com was wrong and we had chilly rain, but the company and hot beverages kept our spirits warm. Here are a few photos:

The market was broken up into little stalls selling things. Their little chalets were festive in themselves.Goods ranged from handcrafted items, to teas, and food. Also there were some Christmas items like nativity scenes – creches.

Vin chaud, hot cider, and Christmas tea were sold in various forms of cauldrons.
It kept us warm and toasty as we navigated the market.

This little fire chalet was also a hit.

Not to mention the French Onion soup. Even little HB, our newest Girls Club member, wanted a piece of the action.

Joyeux Noël, everyone!

The Swiss Watch Blog

Our adventures & anecdotes living in Geneva Switzerland

Monthly Archives: December 2011